THE BOUNCING BAYFIELD BURRITO BUMS STRIKE AGAIN

RAIN & FOG HAS STOPPED THIS COMBINE FROM PROCEEDING ANY FURTHER INTO THE WET WHEAT  FIELD (CANON SX210)
The big bad Thunder Monster came in the night & once again totally traumatized our little Motormouse.  Max was never bothered by thunder but Checkers was.  The little Motor becomes frantic & scurries about the house in a hyperventilated state looking for an escape from the loud booming Monster who I am sure she thinks is chasing her.  As a rule she generally ends up under Kelly's bed because no amount of holding & snuggling with her helps.

PLEASE DON'T LET THAT THUNDER MONSTER GET ME DAD  (CANON SX210)
Until Kelly told me this morning, I hadn't remembered that this is a long week-end for us here in Canada.  That means scads & scads of people in Bayfield & our little Supermarket would be totally overrun.  Once again that meant a hit & run raid to Goderich by the two Burrito Bums.  A gas fill up followed by a quick grocery excursion through the Food Basics store led us right across the road & into McDonald's Drive Thru line up. 

I could hardly get a word in edgeways as the Kid completely took over the ordering of 2 Burritos & a small coffee.  How the girl on the other end of that microphone knows what all that barking means I don't know but sure enough it was only minutes later when she handed me a bag of concealed Yummies out the window. Me & the Kid were off like Jack the Bear down the highway & quickly off onto a country road whereupon we got right into our cheesy Burritos.  The Kid likes the tiny meatballs & I eat the rest.  Aw yes, another lightning raid & successful mission for the two Jeep headed bouncing Bayfield Burrito Bums:))  And yes, when you drive a Jeep Wrangler, you bounce!!

OK MOTOR, JUST KEEP IT QUIET & I'LL DO THE TALKING!!
  
'BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK'.....SHHHHHHH!!
 
CAN YOU DRIVE A LITTLE FASTER DAD.......OK, OK, WE'RE ALMOST THERE
 
WHY ISN'T OUR BURRITOS READY MA'AM........OK LADY, WHAT THE HECK'S THE BIG HOLD UP,  DO I HAVE TO COME THROUGH THAT WINDOW!!!!!!!!!   (CANON AF750))
One of the absolute best ways to view the night sky is through a reasonably good pair of 7x50 binoculars.  I ordered my Bausch & Lomb binos through the Canadian astronomy magazine SKYNEWS about 15 years ago & they have proven to be one of my better investments.  Binoculars will get you out into space immediately with little effort.  Nothing to set up except for a tripod which I highly recommend.  With binoculars I can clearly see the Andromeda Galaxy which happens to be the closest Galaxy to earth.  It is actually visible to the naked eye if you have a dark night & 20/20 vision.  It will be especially visible in the clear Autumn sky soon.  7x50 binoculars will show you the craters on the moon & mountain ridge lines, but it is essential to have the binos rock steady on a tripod.  And, a full moon is not the best time to view the moon.  Too bright & the lighting is too flat.  Catch the moon in it's crescent  to half full stages for the best viewing.

IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT A MORNING FOR SUNGLASSES  (CANON SX210)
There are a lot of great point & shoot cameras on the market.  Lots of options, zoom factors, megapixels, mossmagators & just about anything else you can think of.  For the most part they do a fine job & I used two of my point & shoots for some of tonight's photos.  BUT, if you are at all serious about improving the quality of your photography you are going to have to move up to a DSLR.  (Digital Single Lens Reflex)  I would suggest either Canon or Nikon.  You need to have a camera with a viewfinder!! 

Holding a camera out at arms length, unsteadily weaving around trying to compose a serious photograph in an LED display just doesn't cut it.  I know that because my Canon SX210 is one of those cameras.  You need to get a camera snug up against yourself with your eye in a viewfinder so the only image you have in front of you is the image you are composing, nothing else.  This is essential to composition & essential to keeping your camera steady & for sure it is essential to keeping your camera safe.  Have your camera tucked in close to your body at all times & never pick up your DSLR without first hooking the camera strap around your arm.    Well, 'in my humble opinion' anyway.  IMHO:))

FLOTILLA OF CANADA GEESE  (NIKON D40 at 300mm)
One of the prettiest star clusters you will ever find with your binoculars is the Pleaides, sometimes called the Seven Sisters or Suburu.  This constellation will be in the Eastern sky soon & will remain aloft traversing the night sky from East to West through the winter.  Don't miss it.  Binoculars will open up a whole new & fascinating world for you & I suggest a good set of binoculars before moving on into the world of telescopes.  Besides, binoculars are easy to use, easy to carry around & have multiple day time uses.  Compared to telescopes, I can't express enough the ease of use that binoculars are.  They will transport you many, many miles out into space in just seconds & leave you aghast at all the shimmering diamonds in your new found world:))

NOTICE THE BEE AT BOTTOM RIGHT JUST FLYING INTO THE FRAME AS I WAS TAKING THE HOSTA BLOOM PHOTO (NIKON D90)
Continuous rainy weather I find depressing just as continuous sunny weather I find boring.  We are so fortunate in Southwestern Ontario to have a perfect 75-25 mixture of the two with sunny weather falling into the 75% category.  The 4 prominent Seasons also bring on changes in weather patterns 4 times a year & that keeps things interesting.  I find the nice mixture of lightning & thunderstorms in our area takes the edge off endless sunny days.  I love to see weather changes & all that it brings. 

A COUPLE OF OUR AREAS WEALTHIER FARMS AS SEEN THROUGH MY 300mm TELEPHOTO LENS:))  (NIKON D40)
Last nights thunder storms led to a picturesque fog this morning.  Shafts of sunlight pierced the heavy cloud cover in the afternoon & probably tomorrow we will be under bright clear sunny skies again.  I may not be to hip on the never ending changes to computer software etc but for the most part I am a creature of ongoing change & I like that.  One of these days I may even change my old well worn short sleeved summer shirt for another old well worn short sleeved summer shirt.  Of course the key word there was.........'might':))

NOTICE THE CLEVER DOCK AT THIS FARM PROPERTY ALONG THE MAITLAND RIVER  (NIKON D40 at 300mm) 
And speaking of bright & sunny you might want to hop on over to JANNA'S blog & check out what bright & sunny now means to her & Mike today after a long trip & a purchase in Boise, Idaho Thursday:))

NEVER KNOW WHAT KINDS OF VEHICLES YOU MEET ON THE BACK ROADS...FIGURE THIS OLDSMOBILE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 1956 VINTAGE  (NIKON D90 at 18mm) 
Found a couple pieces of paper beside the computer this morning with a bunch of names on them.  It's in Kelly's handwriting & I'm wondering if this is something a husband should be worried about.  Well here, see for yourself as I scroll down the names...............Moky, Opie, Paddy Wink, Pepper Phoebe, Piper, Sage, Sassy, Storm, Chickie, Dusty, Razzel, Samara, Sammy, Toby, Snoopy, Ripley, Sadie, Samba, Mattie, Scampy, Abby Maggie, Chloe, Cinder, Daisy, Dakota, Josie, Kimbra, Libby, Lilly & Mia.  Now, d'ya think this could be a list of some former boyfriends, or could it be.........................Hmmmmmmmm:))  Say, I bet that Dusty guy could be a real concern!!

THE VERY SHALLOW BUT MIGHTY MAITLAND RIVER LAZILY ON IT'S WAY TO LAKE HURON & EVENTUALLY OVER NIAGARA FALLS, UP THE ST. LAWRENCE & INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN  (NIKON D90 at 18mm) 
THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  With all the ongoing & escalating turmoil south of the border we have pretty well dispensed with any further hopes or plans of finding ourselves a quiet little winter get away place somewhere in the American Southwest.  We stay in touch with what is happening in the U.S. at a ground level & we know for a fact & understand how the overall situation is deteriorating.  None of that takes away my love & desire to live in the Southwest but we are once again drawn back to reality & made aware of how truly fortunate we are to live right here in Canada.  The most we can hope for is to Snow Bird for as long as we can & enjoy our beloved Southwest home away from home as best we possibly can while we are still able to go there & while it still lasts...........10-4.
  
THIS OLD IRON BRIDGE WAS BUILT OVER THE MAITLAND RIVER IN 1885  (NIKON D90)
GROANER'S CORNER:((  On a rural road a state trooper pulled this farmer over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?"  To which the farmer replied: "Thank God, I thought I had gone deaf!"
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

A VISIT WITH UNCLE HARRY TODAY

EMPTY HAY WAGONS AWAIT THEIR BALED HARVEST...ALL OF TONIGHT'S PHOTOS ARE FROM THURSDAY MORNINGS DRIVE

So nice sitting quietly this morning listening to the fall of gentle rain.  Even the air takes on a lush smell when rain mixes with dry dusty earth.  Water dripping from the eaves set up a steady pitter patter on the corner of our rear deck.  No matter, our soggy little Cardinal happily chirped in another fine start to another fine day.

 

I THINK THE GUY WITH NO SHIRT MUST BE THE FOREMAN 

Kelly, myself & the Motormouse slipped down to Mitchell this morning to see my Uncle Harry. We noticed his health had slipped from the last time we were there about a week & half ago.  At 95 years old any downturn in health is not a good thing.

A GAGGLE OF CANADA GEESE TOUCH DOWN ON A SUMMER'S POND (CLICK TO ENLARGE)  

I'm not much of a shopping guy.  Just don't seem to have the patience for that sort of thing & especially if it's for something I'm really not to interested in.  Some guys will go to great lengths in order to get out of having to go shopping with the Missus.  Check out MIKE'S blog & see how he cleverly 'used his head' in an attempt to get out of a recent shopping trip:))  

PHANNIE & MAE  are heading out on their shakedown cruise.  Mike is a flyer & talks about the importance of check lists.  I remember the first time Craig, a boyhood friend took me flying.  Taxied out to the holding area of the runway where he proceeded to read something on a small keyboard by his seat.  That unnerved me a bit because I thought he was reading the instructions on how to fly an airplane & of course that is exactly what Craig told me he was doing.  He was always quite a jokester that Craig guy was.  Mike, in his post, also talks about engine & transmission tweaking that will be of particular interest to Tiffin Motor Home owners.  Kinda glad we just got a simple old gas puffer in our rig.

Sherry & Charlie from, RETIRED, FULLTIMING & LOVIN IT have just joined us on our Blog Followers list.  Welcome aboard folks, nice to have you along:))

Our front yard is eerily calm now as we are about to slide into the month of August.  The colorful birds of Spring have long departed, our frog pond is silent & our bird station stands unattended.  Not even a Squirrel or two.  The bustling growing season is over & there are already signs in the gardens of the coming cooler months ahead.  In a few weeks there will be a barely noticeable shift in the weather.  I will notice it though because I always watch for it................Oh, & by the way, regarding last night's post.....I remembered the correct name for those pots that were under everyone's bed many years ago......chamber pots, not pee pots:))     

THE LARGE ROUND STRAW BALES ARE MEANT TO STAY IN THE FIELD, BUT SOMETIMES THEY TAKE TO WANDERING

    

AND SOMETIMES, THEY JUST FALL APART IN THE FIELD...I SEE A REPOSING LION HERE WITH A VERY ROUND & FLAT FACE 

Karyn sent me the following update this morning on the trial of the guy who was responsible for the deaths of fellow RV'ers Bruce & Margie nearly a year ago in Pismo Beach, California... OCEANO MAN PLEADS NO CONTEST

THE HOUSE OF BUZZARD......... 

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Many years ago I heard this saying, 'I complained I had no shoes......until I met the man who had no feet.'  That is a saying that has always stayed with me & was playing in my mind today as we left the Nursing Home in Mitchell.

 

OH OH, LOOKS LIKE I HAVE COME ACROSS A SWAGGERING GOOSE CROSSING.......  

GROANER'S CORNER:((   

A husband and wife were driving down a country lane on their way to visit some friends. They came to a muddy patch in the road and the car became bogged. After a few minutes of trying to get the car out by themselves, they saw a young farmer coming down the lane, driving some oxen before him.
The farmer stopped when he saw the couple in trouble and offered to pull the car out of the mud for $50. The husband accepted and minutes later the car was free. The farmer turned to the husband and said, "You know, you're the tenth car I've helped out of the mud today."
The husband looks around at the fields incredulously and asks the farmer, "When do you have time to plough your land? At night?"
"No," the young farmer replied seriously, "Night is when I come back here & put more water in the hole."

 

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only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

FINALLY JEEPED MYSELF OUT ON A LITTLE PHOTO SAFARI THIS MORNING:))

IF I WERE A FROG I THINK I MIGHT LIKE TO LIVE HERE:)) 

At 6 a.m. this morning our thermometer was showing 55F & what a nice change that was from our recent sticky heat.  I was back into my warm snuggly flannel pajamas complete with my favorite warm blanket across my lap.  My recliner faces southeast & just off to my left we have a large picture window.  In the mornings I am able to watch the first rays of sunlight filtering through the Pine trees eventually touching down on our living room floor.  We have one of our doggy beds there & if the little Motormouse is asleep on the bed the sun's rays softly tip toe through the window & bathe her in a warm glow being ever so careful not to wake the sleeping little Mouse.

STOPPED ALONG THE ROAD LOOKING AT SOME LARGE ROUND STRAW BALES THIS MORNING   

Russ from TRAVELS IN THERAPY sent me an email this morning with his memories of the Disney shows years ago & his thoughts about growing up in a different era those oh so many years ago.  Of course that set my own memory banks into gear thinking & remembering days gone by.  I'm sure glad I am still able to remember many things from yesteryear.  It's my short term memory I have problems with, not my long term memory.

And this is how I remember it......Heating water on an old cast iron coal/wood stove for washing, once a week baths, bringing in water from a pump outside, coal oil lamps for when the electricity went off as it frequently did, no television, wind up clocks, buckled galoshes on cold winter feet , a hand crank phone on the wall, pee pots under the bed, wooden sided refrigerator where you put a big block of ice in the top part, no such thing as a supermarket & fish was pedaled on Fridays from a man pushing a wagon around my little home town of Tavistock Ontario, Canada.  Knives could be sharpened the same way & milk was delivered by a horse drawn wagon.  I can still see our local chicken farmer standing just inside our door with his wooden basket of freshly killed chickens.  A folded white cloth covered 2 or 3 at a time & that is how my Mother selected & bought our meat in those days.

SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO IS FARM COUNTRY   

A big old wooden floor model radio was the main source of entertainment in our house & my Mother, my Grandfather, my Uncle Fred & I would gather around it Sunday night's for 'Our Miss Brooks, Fibber McGee & Molly, the Great Gildersleeve & many other great old time radio shows. Arthur Godfrey in the mornings, Gunsmoke & Gangbusters on Saturday nights. We had a crank up Victrola with old 78 RPM records which I would constantly listen to. My Mother could play piano by ear & it was always a great treat for me to sit on the piano bench beside her as she played our favorite piece, Greensleeves. Our house always had music in it & I'm very grateful for that to-day. Whether it was the radio, the Victrola, my Mother on the piano or an old record player years later, there was always music in the house. To this very day I still surround myself with music 24/7.

Sometimes I would like nothing better than to just climb aboard a time machine to go back & turn on that big old wooden floor model radio again.  I'd like to tune in Amos & Andy &gather round in the living room with my Mother, my Grandfather, & my Uncle Fred to listen & laugh once again to a simple humor that is all but lost now. A way of life, a way of family, a way of remembering. Some day's the old memories just keep on coming & coming......and I like that:))

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PHOTO STOPS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD 

One of my favorite hobbies is to throw my camera gear in the Jeep & head off out into the countryside looking for a few photo opportunities.  Just haven't had the inspiration to do that this Spring & Summer until this morning.  Maybe it has been the extreme heat or maybe just the events of the past couple months.  Regardless, it was a beautiful morning & I thoroughly enjoyed meandering around the back roads stopping for a photo here, a couple photos there & just enjoying the peace & tranquility of our pastoral rural countryside.

Some of our newer readers have been inquiring as to what kind of a camera I use so I will address the next few paragraphs to that.  I actually have 4 cameras & Kelly has one of her own as well. (Canon Powershot A430)  In total, I have 2 Canons & 2 Nikons, well 3 Nikons if you consider the one I dropped & broke this past winter in Arizona.  That was my Nikon D50 which had been my work horse for the past 5 years.  Great camera & it never let me down. 

I replaced the D50 with a new Nikon D90 & I carry a 1:3.5-5.6D 18-55mm lens on that.  I have had this lens for about 5 years & have probably taken 80% of all my photos with it.  My 2 Nikons are DSLR's & the 3 Canon's are all point & shoots.  More about my 2 Canons further on.

 

NIKON D90 WITH 18-55mm LENS                   NIKON D40 WITH 70-300mm LENS 

My second DSLR camera is an older Nikon D40 which I really love for it's simpler ways & durability.  I use this camera for most of my telephoto shots.  Up until a year ago I carried a Nikkor 55-200 light weight lens on this camera & all my telephoto pics up until the early summer of 2010 were done with this lens.  I carry that lens as a spare now because I replaced it with an AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6G lens.  Nice lens but very heavy compared to the much lighter 55-200.

It was actually this newer lens I had on my D50 when I accidentally pulled it off a table onto a cement porch floor at the Lazy W Ranch this past winter near Elfrida, Arizona.  Amazingly the lens survived the fall with the camera bearing the brunt of the crash.  Talk about an absolutely sick feeling when that happened.  But, when considered, the number of years & frequency of camera gear I've used I can't really complain.  Only other piece of equipment I damaged was back in 1989 when I dropped a Tamron zoon lens & had to have it sent back to the factory for repairs.

I carry a point & shoot Canon Powershot A720iS in the Jeep & I have a newer Canon Powershot SX210iS that I carry with me at all times either in a buttoned up shirt pocket or in a leather case on my belt.  When we are out hiking a mountain trail somewhere I am usually packing 3 cameras with me.  Probably wouldn't need the Canon but it's on my belt anyway so along it goes.  Kelly will sometimes use it to take photos of me lying on the trail unable to get up because of all the camera gear I am carrying.  

 

THE BLACK SX210iS IS THE CAMERA I CARRY WITH ME ALL THE TIME & THE SILVER ONE STAYS IN THE JEEP 

Should mention here also that I have all my cameras 'tweaked' which means I have changed the settings to my liking rather than the factory default settings.  And I do not use any of them on their 'full Auto' settings simply because 'auto' always seems to overexpose the photos.  Most of my photos are generally done at least a half to a full stop underexposed.  Picked up that little tip a few years ago from KEN ROCKWELL'S photo site.  Photos are then generally easier to work with in my free & easy to use PICASA 3.8 PHOTO EDITING PROGRAM.

HENRY'S CAMERA STORE is headquartered in Toronto Canada but I bought my 3 Nikon cameras & 3 lenses plus a tripod at Henry's London Ontario store.  My D50 was a sale special coupled with the 18-55mm & 50-200mm lens & that was how I ended up choosing Nikon over Canon that day.  The 55-300mm lens went on sale & that's why I grabbed it a year ago.  I am not a 'brand loyal' guy simply because both Canon & Nikon make excellent cameras & lenses.

Anyway, that's enough camera stuff for tonight but I'll be back in the coming days & weeks with lots more thoughts such as, why I prefer to photo alone, camera clubs, the pros & cons of taking too many photos of a single subject, when does a photo hobby not become fun, why I'm not a tech head photo guy, photo contests, natural lighting & why I watch the sky, anticipating a photo, Nikon vs Canon, why I don't normally carry a camera bag, etc. etc. etc.    

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  I don't know about anyone else out here but if I'm not feeling up to par either mentally or physically, one of the first things to suffer is my ambition & creativity.  I have had to rely a fair bit on my file photos these past months because I just haven't felt a whole lot like picking up the cameras.   Therefore I have not been out & about like in previous summers.  I think this morning may have marked my first photo outing since being home from the Southwest.  Sure felt good to be out scrambling around with a couple cameras weighing me down again......10-4:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 

If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented? 

Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?

.What's another word for thesaurus? 

.What do you call two Mexicans playing basketball?    Juan on Juan.

Q. How do you double the value of a Yugo?
A. You fill it with gas.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

SOAP IN MY MOUTH....BUT, DID I NEED IT!!

TONIGHT'S FLOWER PHOTOS ARE FROM A LITTLE WALK AROUND OUR YARD THIS AFTERNOON

So nice to feel the cooler air this morning after this prolonged heat wave we have been having.  More heat on the way in a few days but for right now it is a nice reprieve & it looks like we have some welcome rain due in late Wednesday.  Just as I am not a cold weather person, I am not a hot weather person either & am so looking forward to our beautiful Autumn weather.  September & October are my two favorite months of the year & a month from now we will only be days away from that purely magical season beginning once again:))

Reader Pat left a comment about last night's telescope post that confused me at first until I looked at it closer.  Pat commented..WOW, a 4' 5" telescope!!! ;)  That's an error on my part alright.  Should have read 4.5 inches & not 4 feet 5 inches.  Thanks for pointing that out Pat:))  Maybe we'll see you in Sierra Vista this year eh.  Reader Jim from, LIFE'S LITTLE ADVENTURES sent an email late this afternoon wondering what cameras I use so will include that info with my camera/telescope post hopefully within the next couple days.

I envy the folks over at the GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL as they paddle their new Kayak out onto a quiet Montana lake to the call of a nearby disappearing Loon. 

SUNDAY MORNING'S CRUISE THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE

A reader asked what the tower was in the last photo of Monday night's post.  That is actually an old concrete barn silo because this property where the 5 Seasons is located was originally a farm.  Farm was sold many years ago & the house & barn removed.  New owner planted the whole farm in rows of Pine trees much like a reforestation project.  Another owner came along years later & laid out a mobile home Park amongst the tall Pines & 'Wallaaaaa' here we are:)) 

I first discovered this hidden away little gem of a Park one frosty winter's night way back in the late 80's.  I was driving for a transportation company at the time based in Stratford Ontario.  That particular night I had picked up a couple at Pearson International Airport in Toronto & brought them to their home which happened to be this Park.  I will never forget finally reaching this area, traveling a short distance through a starlit forest & turning into the Park gates.  It was like driving into a Fairyland with it's Pine trees bowing over the roadways.  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse as I drove quietly past the pale round globe lamp posts casting their warm glow onto the snow.   Christmas lights twinkled in cozy windows.  I remembered that night as a scene out of a Fairy tale & I never forgot it.  And, I never dreamed that one day I would actually be living right here in that very Wonderland itself.  It is so nice when nice things happen:))

Ever wonder what a Mascerator is or ever thought about installing one for the black tank in your rig.  Check out KAREN'S site for a Mascerator explanation & to see how husband Steve set that all up.  For anyone who has followed their blog for any time you know that Steve is one of those guys that does things right....the first time!!  No lazy short cuts & no cheapo inferior parts for this fellow.  Steve, an innovative guy has made many quality renovations to their older Safari Motor Home over the past few years.

CONE FLOWERS (ECHINACEA) 
Had a silly little thing happen a few mornings ago.  As many know I mix up a big conglomeration of stuff in my blender each morning.  Been doing it for well over 10 years now & I have a little blurb & video here at,  SOUNDS YUKKY-TASTES YUMMY.   I don't bother dirtying a glass so always just drink my morning 'Shake' right out of the blender.  This can take me half an hour or more as I move around doing morning chores.  Had set my 'Shake' on the bathroom counter beside the sink before hopping into the shower.  Yes, it is still possible to hop after 65. 

My bar of soap was pretty much used up so I tossed it over the shower curtain in the direction of the sink to retrieve later for the garbage.  Of course as soon as that soggy mush of soap left my hand it was ancient history & I never thought about it again.  Never thought about again until about 20 minutes later that is, when it made it's way into my mouth!!  Yep, the soap had landed ker-plop right into my Soy Shake.  Later sitting at the computer checking morning emails I had taken a big slug of Juice & noticed a slightly different taste but didn't clue in. 

My second gulp brought something into my mouth which I thought at first was a chunk of unblended carrot.  A split second later I knew it was not a carrot chunk!!!!  'Pitoooie, Pitoooie' back into the blender.  A quick glance into what was left of my Soy Shake confirmed the soggy cream colored blue oozy blob was no darn carrot!!  Nope, won't be doing that one again....10-4!!

Kelly noticed something in our Canadian Tire store flyer a few days ago that caught my attention for more than one reason.  A cigarette lighter adapter device that my IPod will securely fit in & play my IPod tunes through a vehicles own stereo system.  Same principle as Sirius/XM Satellite radio which I love so much.  Here's the kicker.....it's on sale all week at 70% off which brings it down between the 8 & 10 dollar range.  Needless to say I was right up there a couple days ago & grabbed myself one.  Works like a charm & also charges the IPod.  Package said it can be used for I-Phones as well.

I think the biggest photography mistake I constantly make & have been making for just about as long as I can remember is repeatedly forgetting to check my camera settings.  I always try to leave my cameras set on 'auto focus' & every time I switch over to 'manual focus' I will forget to return it to 'auto.'  Same with my 'Program' settings.  I rarely shoot on the full 'auto program' setting any more & am back & forth between 'aperture & shutter speed priority plus full 'manual'.  By default I leave it in 'Program Mode' but for sure every time I go off program mode I forget to return it back to program mode.  And, I wished I had a dollar for every time I have forgotten to turn any of my cameras off when not using them!!  Anyway, guess what I am saying here is to check your camera settings & batteries every time before heading out the door.  Now, if only I could get myself to do that!!

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Some may have noticed my recent absence of grumbling about being home for the summer.  Maybe it's knowing we have passed the half way point until our departure again.  Maybe it's my acceptance of the way it is.  Or maybe it's just my renewed appreciation for living where we do, right here in beautiful little Bayfield Ontario, Canada:)) 

BEGONIA FLOWER 

GROANER'S CORNER:((   Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

MY FIRST TELESCOPE & WHAT IS REALLY BEYOND THOSE STARS??

 

THIS IS PORTER HILL LINE & IS THE ROAD WE USE COMING & GOING TO THE TOWN OF GODERICH 

Monday mornings 5 a.m. start to the day was quite a contrast to Sunday mornings start to the day.  Sunday morning it was a Cardinal's lone twittering as it awoke to a new day outside our open patio door.  Monday morning it was crashing thunder, lightning & heavy rain.  Both, sounds of nature on opposite ends of my waking up scale.  The rain was hard enough at one point to break down a bunch of our Hollyhock flowers.  No matter because I'm sure our parched & dusty vegetation sure loved the rain, while I in turn preferred the lone sleepy twittering of the Cardinal.

Sunday morning had me out on the Motorcycle for a few hours doddering around the back roads of our quiet & peaceful countryside.  Quiet at least until I come rolling along.  No, it's not my bike that makes the noise, it's me!!  I have a habit of singing on the bike & it is usually the same old tune....Johnny Horton's, 'Honky Tonk Man.'  And, I can sure belt er out pretty good too.  I have seen cows turn their heads, horses stampede, pigs cover their ears & chickens fly.  Yessireeee Bob,  I'm quite a noise coming down the road sometimes.

I LOVE MY LITTLE JEEP JAUNTS THROUGH OUR PICTURESQUE RURAL COUNTRYSIDE

I have another curious habit I do on the motorcycle too.  You will remember my big HOWDY DOODY MOTORCYCLE WAVE post a week or so ago.  Well, another curious little oddity I do when passing another bike is give a slight nod of the head along with a verbal............"Gday Sir".  I have absolutely no idea why I do that every time & have actually tried to stop that Australian "Gday" part but it always just seems to pop right out of me.  It's not like the other biker can hear my 'cordial greeting' as we pass each other at a combined speed of 120mph.  

But, here's the worry.....the biker can't hear me of course but he may see my lips flapping as I flash by.  I could be saying anything!!  What if this is a bad biker Dude & figures I have told him to...... well you know.  I always have to quickly check my rear view mirror for brake lights in case the guy is in the process of burning a U-Turn & coming after me for assuming I said something nasty.  Oh what a life it is I make for myself some days:))

UNUSUAL TO SEE THIS MANY EGRETS IN ONE PLACE AROUND HERE...HULLETT MARSH   
We here at the Bayfield Bunch happily welcome three new Followers today.  First is PIRATE & KITTY from THE GYPSY ROSE RV CHRONICLES followed by  Czardastx from JUST ANOTHER DAY & Erin from STITCHING TO STAY SANE.  Welcome aboard folks:))

I was a bit rushed to get this post out tonight & didn't have enough time to gather up some photos showing the various configurations for my camera & telescope set-up in relation to the topic below.  I will get that all together for another post shortly.  A lot of long term readers have seen those photos but we have a few new folks now.

In the summer of 1999 my Aunt Jean in Sarasota Florida drove up to Canada for a summer visit. We had been emailing back & forth for about a year & she knew of my keen interest in Astronomy. I might have had a few clues Aunt Jean was up to something but didn't suspect anything until she rolled into our driveway at the Old Weenie Roast Ranch.  Minutes later the trunk was opened & there, all carefully wrapped up in a blanket was a big white & very professional looking Meade 4'5" Reflector telescope. She had bought it as a gift for me & brought it all the way from Florida. What a great surprise & that was my very first telescope:))  

I spent many night's that summer hunched over that scope with my little red flashlight & my Star Charts, searching & searching for whatever I could see.   It took me deeper into space & it took me deeper into thought.

BIT OF A STEEP CLIMB COMING UP THE HILL FROM THE BEACH AT DEER PARK LODGE  

However, the following summer my Meade telescope met with a premature demise. I had left it on it's tri-pod & set up on the covered cement porch for the night with a blanket over it. In the morning when I came out, the scope was lying flat on the hard cement & broken. Only thing I can figure that happened is the barn cats while running around in the night must have scrambled up the blanket & pulled the whole telescope over.  Felt very, very bad about that for a long time
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I never had another telescope after that until the summer of 2005 when I bought a new 8" Celestron Dobsonian reflector. Don't know what I was thinking because this scope was way beyond my learning curve & patience. Plus, it was heavy & had to be carried around in two pieces everywhere & assembled.  Found myself avoiding it & when I did get it set up I didn't seem to have the patience to operate it.  The scope ended up doing more sitting than stargazing.

It was a year later when we bought our truck & fifth wheel & I realized this scope would not be suitable for traveling anywhere.  I especially wanted to have a telescope to take south with us.   Heard of a place in London called O'NEIL PHOTO so gave the fella a call & wondered if I could trade in my big Mossmagator scope on something not as huge.  No problem he said so I headed myself over to London & traded it in on a smaller more portable Stellarvue 80mm Nighthawk Refractor telescope.

All was well & good except I did not have a proper tripod for this scope.  For whatever reason I didn't bother looking for a pod & after awhile the summer slipped on into Fall & the Nighthawk scope sat in it's case in the corner.  My interest waned even further & I eventually stuffed it under my bed.  Never even took it south for the winter.
  
That Nighthawk scope remained where I had put it for 3 years until one summer day in 2008 I hauled it out, dusted if off, & set it up in our driveway to think things over again. Decided to sell it so put an ad on the Kijiji site in London. Had one reply from a fellow by the name of John & as we emailed back & forth he suggested I should keep the scope because it had received good reviews in one of the Astronomy magazines.

With a few helpful telescope tips, some encouragement & a few accessory suggestions from John I began to re-think my selling plans. If I can adapt my Nikon camera to this scope & get myself another eyepiece plus something called an erecting prism I might just be on my way happily back to the starry night sky & some new day time photo opportunities.  In earnest I began the search for a way to adapt this scope to my camera.

With Google's help & few phone calls to O'NEIL PHOTO in London I was able to determine what accessories I needed for the scope to make it adaptable for my Nikon D50 as well as some different powered eyepieces for Astronomy purposes.  Packed up the camera & scope after breakfast one fine summer morning & headed back to O'Neil Photo in London.  Joe O'Neil was expecting me & it didn't take him long to round up the necessary pieces I needed. He had the same Nikon Camera I did & actually this scope was Joe's old scope so he was familiar with how everything worked. With some instructions, a few test photos out the window, & a hardy Hi-ho Silver, I was on my way home again secure in the knowledge I now had a dual purpose scope with which I was finally going to be happy.  And, that has proven to be true.

 

ALWAYS A LOT OF OCEAN & LAKE GOING FREIGHTERS IN THE GODERICH HARBOR LOADING UP ROAD SALT FROM THE BIG SALT MINE WHICH STRETCHES FOR NEARLY 3 MILES OUT UNDER LAKE HURON AHEAD OF THAT SHIP 
THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  I will have to be a little careful here in how I word this but those many clear nights under millions of stars gazing off into space over the years has left me with way more questions than answers.  I will be the first to stand up & say I don't know what is going on out there but I am more than ever convinced that it is far beyond & far greater than any of the religions of the world as we understand them.  Far, far greater & far beyond our human comprehension.  Don't know what it is & don't suppose I ever will, but I am becoming more convinced every day of what it isn't.  There, I hope I said that right.

THIS IS THE POND ACROSS THE ROAD FROM OUR PLACE WHERE I GET SOME OF MY FROG & CANADA GEESE PHOTOS...ON OUR MORNING WALKS WE COME IN FROM THE LEFT & FOLLOW THAT GREEN GRASS STRIP ON THE LEFT TO THE FAR END OF THE POND & THEN CROSS RIGHT TO THOSE TALL PINES & HEAD ACROSS A GRASSY STRIP INTO A PINE FOREST.  PRETTY DARN NICE WAY TO START THE DAY:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( TO-DAY'S HUMOR: What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu? For bird flu you need tweetment and for swine flu you need oinkment.
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now...... AL.