IF YOUR DECIDING ON BUYING AN RV….BEWARE OF THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR

Humidity levels were back this morning & that made for a 'buggy' morning walk with mosquitoes & biting flies.  The mugginess kept me inside for most of the day with the exception of loading up the guys about 1 & making a run to our local Subway.  Can you imagine trying to share a 'Cold Cut Combo' with 2 wild & crazy furry animal guys in the small confines of a tiny Jeep Wrangler.  No, I can't imagine that either, but that is what we do.

Deciding on an RV that suits a person's needs & desires is no small decision & is one that should be thought out very carefully.  Some folks are able to get it right the first time & then there are people like us who have to bang their heads half a dozen times before arriving at a right decision.  It took us 2 Class C's, a Travel Trailer, a 5th Wheel Trailer & 2 pick-up trucks before getting it right & ending up with a Motor Home.  But, "getting it right" is a very individual thing & every couple has different needs & circumstances.   But, there is one thing that I think is very common for everyone.  It's called the "WOW" factor.  The very first time I ever set foot in an RV I was immediately "WOWED" by the interior with all it's neat little trims & finishes.  Nice wood finished cabinets flanked by a perfectly color coordinated interior with curtains, valances, sofas & chairs all matching to perfection.  And how about all those big gold trimmed mirrors.  Big televisions & Swanky-do entertainment centers.  ‘Wow’, talk about Razzle-Dazzle!!

 

OUR VERY OWN CAMPSITE RIGHT AT THE OLD WEENIE ROAST RANCH 

Same thing used to happen to me years ago when it came to cars & that's why I ended up having over 40 of them through the years.  Every time I would see something different, I wanted it.  Didn't matter if it was 15 years old, rust in the fenders, torn seats, bad tires, whatever......it might have had a neat-o racing stripe on it or something & that ‘WOWED’ me.  I was never too darn smart when it came to buying cars & I sure ended up with a bunch of clunkers.  But ‘WOW’, did I ever like them at the time.

 

OUR 24’ PROWLER TRAVEL TRAILER

Same thing years later when it came to buying RV's.  Didn't look around, didn't compare prices, didn't take time to think about it, didn't use any common sense at all.  Saw a homemade conversion van onetime in a small town near us, liked the hand crafted cupboards inside & without so much as a test drive....bought it.  Bad move, the radiator rotted out about month later & that was just the start of mechanical problems with that thing!! 

Our first Class C was about 17 years old when we brought it home but there was just something about that well worn & tired little 17' Class C Dodge Centurion that ‘WOWED’ me off my feet again.  Bad move, it was just toooooo tired!!  Our next RV was a Prowler Travel Trailer which we saw parked at the end of a farmers lane one morning while out for a drive.  As we drove by we both went ‘WOW’ nice looking trailer.  Several days later we returned & bought it.  This was my first experience with towing anything larger than a utility trailer.  The 24 foot Prowler was a nice unit & clean as a whip.  But we only used it maybe a dozen times in the next couple years for week-end camping trips with the exception of a one week trip to the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario.  The Prowler purchase turned out to be a bad move because we just hadn't taken the time to think about work schedules & travel plans.  But, we had taken enough time to be bowled over by the ‘WOW’ factor!! 

OUR FIRST CLASS C  ---  A 1979 17.5’ DODGE CENTURION --- THE ORIGINAL BAYFIELD BUNCH WITH MAX, KELLY & AL

Our next 'WOW' came in the form of another small Class C.  Saw it up in Goderich one day, took if for a drive and 'WOW' did it ever drive nice.  Did we take the time to look at other units at that time....no, of course not.  We were too 'WOWED' because we thought it drove nice & looked cozy inside.  Bought it a few days later & headed for Texas about a month after that.  We were only about half way there when we knew we had made another.....bad move!!  Too small & it had mechanical issues.

 

FORD CLASS C GULF STREAM 

A couple years after that we were in a financial position to finally get something bigger & better so we hastily bought a truck & fifth wheel from some folks we knew.  We had been going back & forth, back & forth, between buying a Motor Home or 5th wheel & finally talked ourselves into the 5'ver.  Both truck & trailer were in excellent condition & had a very large 'WOW' factor to both of them.  However, after a few short weekend jaunts we felt maybe the truck wasn't going to be able to handle the large mountains of the Southwest so we traded that Chevy Silverado 1500 in for a heavier 2004 GMC 2500 truck & headed off for New Mexico, Arizona & California.  That second truck had all the bells & whistles you could imagine so you can certainly understand the high 'WOW' factor on that one.   The truck & trailer worked well to-gether for the most part but somewhere in our journey that winter we realized we had made......another bad move!!  It just wasn't the right set up for 2 people with 3 dogs.  The truck was way too fancy for me & I couldn't figure out half the computer stuff anyway.  Plus, the Rockwood trailer was a lightweight so didn't have the insulation factor to keep us warm on cold desert nights either.

   

CHEVY SILVERADO 1500                                       GMC SIERRA LAREDO 2500

It only took us about a month after we arrived home that year to trade the truck & 5th wheel in on what we have now which is a gas powered 33’ Damon Motor Home.  And did the Motorhome have a 'WOW' factor to it as well......you betcha it did but this time it turned out to finally be a good move:)) That was in the Spring of 2007 & we've been to the American Southwest 4 times with it now & no complaints.  

OUR PRESENT RIG ON DARBY WELLS ROAD NEAR AJO ARIZONA    2007

When all is said & done, choosing the right type of RV comes down to an individuals preferences, needs, likes & dislikes.  There are so many factors & variables & that is why there are so many different types of RV's out there.  For us, it just boiled down to what we were personally comfortable with in the end.  Took us awhile to get there, cost us some money we needn’t have spent,  but in the end we did get to where we had originally set out for. 

 

NEAR JOPLIN MISSOURI   2004                                     LAKE TEXOMA IN OKLAHOMA   

For anyone out there in the throes of an RV purchase I suggest you check out 5 of Laurie & Odel's posts starting with,  ‘Buying An RV’ ---  WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED --- SIZE MATTERS ---THE OPTIONS --- MOTOR HOME OR FIFTH WHEEL --- GVWR & IT'S COUSINS.  You will notice how they mixed a lot of good judgment, common sense, & practical thinking into their ‘WOW’ factor & got things right, first time out.

Friday morning bright & early our little Pheebe heads for the Vet to be spayed.  Of course we are feeling very guilty for having to put her through this but we know that it is necessary.  Vet says we can pick her up in the late afternoon so Kelly, myself & the little Motor will be anxiously looking forward to getting her home again.  You should see the Motor & Pheebe playing toys together…..what a hoot.

COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS 2004

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  It is a thin line one walks when talking about or comparing various modes of RV travel in the RV world.  Whether it be a Travel Trailer, Class C, Truck Camper, 5th Wheel, Class B, Tent Trailer or Motor Home, when all is said & done it simply boils down to one simple thing.  There is no right or wrong.  Whatever mode of travel suits an individuals or couple's needs is going to be the right choice for them in the end. 

WEEK-END CAMPING SOMEWHERE IN OUR VERY EARLY RV DAYS

GROANER'S CORNER:  You might be a Farmer if......

-Your dog rides in the truck more than your wife.

-You've never thrown away a 5 gallon bucket. 

-You have used a chainsaw to remodel your house.

-You have used baling wire to attach a license plate.

-You've been stopped by the deputy sheriff for a cluttered dashboard.

-You have used a tractor with a loader as scaffolding for painting or roof repairs.

-You've used the same knife to make bull calves into steers and peel apples.

-You know cow pies aren't made of beef.

-You can eat an ear of sweet corn with no teeth or utensils in under 20 seconds.

-When you were little, you "beat-up" another kid on the school bus arguing over the color of tractors.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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OUR

PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The

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

‘ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING’…..BUT, HE’S WAITING OUTSIDE:))

KELLY & THE MOTORMOUSE ARE HEADING FOR HOME THIS MORNING  NIKON D40 AT 300mm

We hadn't even reached the Park Pond this morning when Speedball Pheebs ran down & caught something in the trees.  I saw a fleeting glimpse of it before Pheebe caught it & I feared it was a small Bunny.  I immediately let out a yell & Pheebe instantly left it alone & came racing back to while I was hurrying forward to try & save what she had caught.  I was totally surprised to see a Grackle (bird) lying motionless on it's back.  No signs of trauma but I assumed it was dead & sadly made a mental note to bury it when we got back from our walk.  

BIRD…..WHAT BIRD??  ALL DOGGY SHOTS WERE WITH MY NIKON D40 AT VARYING FOCAL LENGTHS
Kelly & the Motormouse made it to the Pine forest but it was obvious the little Motor wasn't up to a long walk this morning so they turned around & headed back home.  Pheebe & I continued on the trail making our way back about 25 minutes later.  Stopped to check on the dead Grackle......& it was gone.  Apparently it had only been stunned by the big Pheebe dog knocking it to the ground.  I have a feeling the Pheebster had no intentions of killing the bird, only wanting to play with it.  That's her personality. 

I’M A HEADING HOME DAD…….
Sure is nice to have a fast computer again with everything opening, closing & downloading with the quicker speeds we were once used too.  Am still extremely frustrated with the Windows Live email program trying to figure out the complicated address book mess.  I am still nowhere near getting that organized.  A big thank you to all the folks for their suggestion about that 'insert' key being the cause of the problem I was having.  That's what it was & all is well in Al's little impatient blog world again.  I had swapped out our older Microsoft keyboard for the new Lenovo keyboard & must have inadvertently pressed the insert key.  Also, somewhere in Live Writer here there is a spot where I can switch off the Emoticons thingy & replace them with my usual  :)) thingy.  Did that with Live Writer on our laptop but can’t remember where that setting is now.

We had been trying to decide what to do with Pheebe when we knew we would be heading out this afternoon for a few hours to the Huron County Playhouse.  Caught ourselves a break when a few days ago Kelly had spotted what she thought was a large dog crate in the service area at Deer Park Lodge.  She brought the sizeable steel cage home this morning & we managed to get it set up in our living room.  For some reason, whenever anyone mentioned putting a dog in a crate I had always imagined something much smaller.  I was probably thinking of a Pet carrier.  We have never had to put a dog in a crate before but with Pheebe only being here a week & not being trained yet, we had no choice but to go the crate route.  With the Pheebe Gator sitting forlornly in the crate & Motor in charge, we headed off for the theater about 1:15.

WE HAD A PRETTY SAD LITTLE PUPPY DOG IN THE CRATE WHEN WE LEFT BUT THE MOTOR WAS IN CHARGE SO WE REALLY HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
To say this afternoon's performance of 'Blue Suede Shoes' was totally excellent would be putting it mildly.  The theater has undergone a major renovation since our last time there a year ago & the once smaller Playhouse II is all new & about 3 times the size of the original.  We had seen both the Patsy Cline & Buddy Holly stories there about 5 years ago.  Last year we saw a tribute to the Beatles in the main theatre.  Today's tribute to Elvis Presley had the entire Playhouse just a rocking with a fellow by the name of Roy LeBlanc doing a superb job as Elvis.  As usual with this theatre, the musicians were excellent & top notch.  The play unfolded through the eyes of an actor playing Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s manager for his entire career. 

MANAGED TO GET ONE QUICK PHOTO OF THE STAGE BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE…ALL THOSE EMPTY SEATS WERE SOON FILLED

Kelly & I were probably two of the youngest people in the audience & it was really interesting to hear the reaction of all the Seniors....especially the ladies.  With a slim young Elvis gyrating on the stage the ladies were in a near frenzy.  I'm betting there were some surprised husbands in the audience giving their wide eyed wives a sideways glance or two.  The show finished up with a grand finale & Elvis (Roy) singing My Way.  Roy’s right on Elvis voice & gestures made for an excellent portrayal of the King.  A standing ovation brought him back for a rocking rendition of Blue Suede Shoes before exciting the stage up one of the main aisles near us.  Elvis 'had left the building.'

LOOKS LIKE KELLY IS SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS IN THE THEATRE LOBBY DURING INTERMISSION  

Well, imagine our surprise minutes later upon exciting the building ourselves when we saw Elvis (yes, I know it's Roy LeBlanc) on the front lawn of the theatre thronged by a bevy of admiring Senior Citizens clambering for autographs.  And, rest assured.....not one of those beaming autograph seekers was a man!!

 

  


Two extremely inconsiderate drivers had parked in the entranceway of a secondary theatre parking lot & trapped everyone in including us.  Well, almost everyone.    Seems a little brown Jeep with a Bayfield Bunch logo on the windshield was seen exiting the east end of the parking lot between 2 picnic tables through a ditch & up onto the road.  And, I think a few other cars were seen to follow.  The rude driver’s cars obviously belonged to people in the second theater watching ‘Guys and Doll’s’ which of course was not yet out. 

THESE ARE THE 2 CARS BLOCKING EVERYBODY IN THE PARKING LOT….NO PROBLEM FOR THAT LITTLE JEEP WRANGLER BACK THERE TO GET OUT A MINUTE LATER THOUGH   CANON SX210IS
We sure didn't waste anytime getting home.  I don't know how many times during the Elvis show I thought about our little Pheebe in the steel crate in the middle of our living room floor.  What if this, what if that:((  But, we needn't have worried.  She was just fine & her furry little tail was wagging a million miles a second as we came through the door.  When I opened the crate door it was as if we had unleashed a wildly spinning black Tornado.  She was just ecstatic to see us & of course we were just as ecstatic to see her.  Motor had done an excellent job Doggy sitting the Pheebs so she deserved a big bunch of snuggles as well.  Yep, we ended up a happy Bunch today……….10-4

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:   I am always in awe of professional musicians.  People who have spent endless hours & years of their life perfecting their craft & precisely honing their instruments.   And, I see a singer’s voice as a finely tuned instrument as well.   It is always a treat for me to watch a pianists hands flying over a keyboard in such effortless fashion.  The steady rocketing sounds a drummer pulls out of a drum solo is nothing short of amazing & to see & hear the sounds those guitar players bend out of their guitars is truly amazing.  I have always enjoyed watching musicians as much as listening to them & today was no exception.  The much misused word ‘Awesome’ is not a word I use often or flippantly but when it comes to superb professional musicians…….it is the ‘Awesome’ word that comes to mind more often or not.         

 

MORNING REFLECTION IN THE POND   NIKON D40 ABOUT 200mm

GROANER’S CORNER:  Three guys were fishing in a lake one day, when an angel appeared in the boat.
When the three astonished men had settled down enough to speak, the first guy asked the angel humbly, "I've suffered from back pain ever since I took shrapnel in the Vietnam War ... Could you help me?"
"Of course," the angel said, and when he touched the man's back, the man felt relief for the first time in years.
The second guy who wore very thick glasses and had a hard time reading and driving. He asked if the angel could do anything about his poor eyesight. The angel smiled, removed the man's glasses and tossed them into the lake. When they hit the water, the man's eyes cleared and he could see everything distinctly.
When the angel turned to the third guy, the guy put his hands out defensively -- "Don't touch me!" he cried, "I'm on a disability pension."

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

OUR

PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The

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

PHEEBE, PHEEBER, THE PHEEBS, PHEEBILICIOUS, PHEEBER FEVER, THE PHEEBSTERSON & PHEEBER GATOR….:))

ALONG THIS MORNINGS TRAIL……. (NIKON D40 -  300MM)

A refreshingly cool 54F start to the day had me putting on a long sleeve flannel shirt for our morning walk.  The Season change is well underway and it is two months from yesterday that we hope to have the big wheels rolling once again for another fine winter season somewhere in the Southwest. 

THERE WERE SIGNS OF THE EARLY SEASON CHANGE ALONG THE TRAIL

On our way to Mitchell yesterday Kelly pulled out a piece of paper with some more Doggy names written on it.  Eve is a fine name but we were wanting to change it up a bit and make it our own.  We were trying to think of a name sounding similar to Evie but a name we can stretch around into some nicknames as well.  Kelly suggested Phoebe & I liked that right away.  So, as of today we exchanged the human O for a doggy E making it Pheebe.   From Pheebe, her nicknames will take on sounds like, Pheeber, The Pheebs, Pheebiliscious, Pheeber Fever, The Pheebsterson, Pheeber Gator & on & on as we get to know her better.  So, I guess it is official.....our biggest Girl’s name has now been changed from Evie to Pheebe.   (pronounced Fee-bee)

A commenter had recently mentioned how good it was of Pheebe to come when we called her. Luckily, Matt her former owner worked with the Pheebs & taught her to come on a whistle or whenever her name was called. I noticed right away that she also understood the ‘Stay’ command so that has been a big help for us as well. Biggest problem we are working on is to keep her from jumping up. We never had this problem with the other guys so it is new for us. She is such a happy and excited dog that she is always trying to jump up & put smooches on our faces.

Nice walk with the Pheebs in the forest again this morning and I must say I have never seen a dog so full of energy or run so fast. I swear she hit 300 mph at one point racing around the Park’s Pond. She scared the Ba-Jeebers out of a couple rabbits & even took after a low flying Robin. I’m always worried she will run so fast she will rocket right out of her own fur.  With the way she races around our 2 back yard sheds we have renamed our backyard, the Pheebe 500.   She is such a sweetheart.

I really must get my Nikons dusted off & get myself out on some more photo shoots shortly.  As the landscape now begins to slowly change there will be lots of new shooting opportunities again.  As mentioned before, photography is a lone hobby for me.  By that I mean, it’s a hobby I enjoy doing alone.  Whether it’s cruising a country road, walking a forest path, chasing down a butterfly or photographing a street lamp in the middle of town. It’s something I enjoy doing now in the stress free peace & quiet of my own mind.  Years ago I belonged to the Stratford Camera Club and I enjoyed it then.  But that was then.  Learned a lot, met a bunch of great people & enjoyed my time while I was a member.  But, going out with a group of people holds no interest anymore.  For me personally, I find it just too distracting.  It is the same reason hiking clubs hold no interest for me.  Too many people, too much noise, too many distractions.  The last thing I want to hear in a still forest or along a solitary mountain trail is the sound of people talking.  

I am at a comfortable place with my photography now.  As stated before, I have no interest in trying to sell any of my stuff.  That just creates unneeded pressure.  Not being a competitive person I do not care for entering photo contests.  Printing my photos & hanging them on walls holds no interest for me just as any kind of commercial work is not up my alley either.  To keep my hobby fun & interesting I have to do it my way.  So, when I head out with my cameras, I head out alone & just enjoy the quiet beauty of my surroundings.  If I mess up a photo, it doesn’t matter because much of the enjoyment just comes from the fact of being out & about in Nature whether a picture is taken or not.  Awhile back I had a post entitled,  SEEING WITH A PHOTOGRAPHERS EYE  which kind of explains why I enjoy photography.  And of course, it explains why photography is such a great hobby.

Here’s a little photo tip for this time of year & I was reminded of it this morning on the trail.  Two things come into play which have to do with the position of the sun & the cooler night air.  With the earth still warm from summer & the night air becoming cooler due to the earth beginning it’s tilt away from the sun it creates a lot of condensation in the night air which shows up these mornings as a heavy dew on the grass.  That heavy dew also settles on Spider Webs.  If you can get out early while the rising morning sun is low in the East & face East you have a good chance of finding many beautiful back lit spider webs.  Fences are good places to look as well as old iron bridges.  Tall grass in ditches or fields will have all kinds of spider webs.  You will wonder why you had never seen them before.  It’s the combination of water droplets on the webs plus the low angle of the sun shining through the droplets that make the webs stand out like pages in a book of Fairy Tales.  The webs have basically always been there but you just couldn’t see them before. Oh, and if you do decide to head out in search of early morning Spider webs you had better wear rubber boots because it’s going to be wet out there for the next couple months.

MAYBE NOT THE GREATEST SPIDER WEB SHOT BUT IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN  NIKON D40 - 300MM

We are steadily adjusting to our new computer and despite all my usual blusterings, things are falling into place.  Just going to take a little time getting used to the changes.  Again, our biggest stumbling block is getting our address books successfully imported into our new email system.  All the emails are there but they are jumbled and we haven’t figured out a way to easily organize them once again into their respective address books.  So, my email correspondence which has been really suffering these past few years is really upside down right now.  One of the Windows Live mail features I like is that it uses basically the same format and icons that Windows Live Writer uses and for an aging Mouse like myself it is easier and better for me to stay on the same old familiar and well worn path.  Really like how small our tower is now and here is the skinny on what we have……Lenova  M75e, Athlon-B22 – RAM: 4GB – (with room for an additional 12GB) – 320GB – DVDRW – Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32 – bit – ATI Radeon 3000.  Nope, none of that makes any sense to me either.

OUR SUN ROOM COMPUTER STATION WITH THE NEW MUCH SMALLER LENOVO AT THE LEFT..FORGOT TO REMOVE THE WHITE CAMERA CORD & THAT IS CALLED ‘NOT SEEING WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EYE’!!    (NIKON D90)

And, I have a glitch in our newly downloaded Live Writer.  If I go back in the text to correct a spelling mistake, add or rewrite something, the curser seems to gobble up the letters to the right when I begin typing again.  Some kind of letter formatting problem I think.  I remember having the same problem one time years ago in one of our email writing programs but haven’t a clue how I fixed it.  Very irritating.

Some folks wondered why I don’t care for Hotmail or Gmail.  It’s the annoying advertising I don’t like in Hotmail.  Gmail has lost emails on us & just recently, while typing an email had the whole email just up & vanish on me.  Just like that & it was gone & I was unable to find it anywhere.  No idea what happened or what I did.  Kelly has never cared much for Gmail either because of glitches.  We do have Yahoo email as well but it wasn’t until an email from Red in California rolled in this morning that I even remembered we had Yahoo.  I will have another look at that.

 

By the way, you can see a live web cam view of the sparkling sandy beach at Deer Park Lodge where Kelly works any time you wish, as long as the sun is up in our part of the world. I’ll have to pick a time one of these days & take Pheebe for a walk on the beach there & sync a time for us to step in front of the camera & say Hello to y’all........  DEER PARK LODGE WEB CAM

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Keep in mind that any opinions expressed in my posts are just that.....my opinions.   Oh, and nearly forgot…..Wednesday afternoon Kelly & I are off to the Huron County Playhouse near Grand Bend Ontario to see, ‘Blue Suede Shoes: Memories of the King.’  These musicals are always sooooo well done & sooooo excellent.

GROANER’S CORNER:  The aspiring psychiatrists were attending their first class on emotional extremes. "Just to establish some parameters," said the professor to the student from Arkansas, "What is the opposite of joy?"
"Sadness," said the student.
And the opposite of depression?" he asked of the young lady from Oklahoma.
"Elation," said she.
"And you sir," he said to the young man from Texas, "how about the opposite of woe?"
The Texan replied, "Sir, I believe that would be giddy-up."

---------------------------------------------------------------

EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

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

EVIE MEETS UNCLE HARRY & AL BLUSTERS ALONG WITH THE NEW COMPUTER

HEAVY MORNING DUE ON A HOSTA LEAF

This will be my first post using the newly downloaded Live Writer on our new Win 7 Lenovo desktop.  I will probably have some tweaking to do with LW so if anyone notices anything amiss, just let me know.  The print is looking on the small side to me compared to before but if y’all think this print size is fine I will leave it.  More about the computer progress further on.

OUR NEW LENOVO ‘THINK CENTER’ M75

We loaded Evie, (or is it Reevie, maybe Keevie & there might be a Pheebe in that mix as well coming up) into the Jeep & headed off for the meeting in Mitchell with my Uncle Harry’s care giving staff.  Beautiful sunny morning with temps in the mid 60’s & fields of corn, beans & wheat waving in the morning breeze.  The meeting consisted of 6 staff members all giving a report on Harry’s condition & progress.  No serious concerns other than the pain in his lower back which they think is being caused by a disc protrusion.  They all commented on how polite & cooperative Harry has been & what a nice man he is.  Meeting lasted about 20 minutes with another 10 minute follow up talk with a Registered Nurse.  Evie was present & well behaved for the last part of the meeting.   After that, Kelly, Evie & myself headed off to Harry’s room for a visit.

Harry is a dog person so he was really happy to meet Evie and it was obvious Evie was happy to meet Harry.  Had ourselves a nice visit & Harry said his back was feeling a bit better.  We thought he looked better too. 

 A VISIT WITH UNCLE HARRY THIS MORNING

It was nearly lunch time for him so we headed ourselves back home to Bayfield with a couple stops along the way so Kelly could pick up some sweet corn.  She eats cobs & cobs of that stuff but I have never cared for corn unless it’s creamed & comes in a can.   Weird eh.

 

KELLY SURE LIKES HER CORN ON THE COB

Between me slamming my head on the floor & Kelly’s patience with the new computer set-up stuff we were able to make some progress today in working our way through all the hurdles, twists & turns. The Picasa reload went well but my Winamp music program failed to load my music library so I still have to figure that one out.  At least I was able to fire up my favourite online  SOMA FM AMBIENT 'GROOVE SALAD' site & that of course went a long way into keeping me settled down.

Figured we would try out Firefox’s Thunderbird email program but it didn’t take me long to realize that was not a good decision. After much angst I decided to have another go at Microsoft’s Live Email program. Been down that road before & never cared for it but after looking at it again I figured it was definitely better & offered far more options than Thunderbird. I have never been a fan of Hotmail or Gmail so we will go with Microsoft’s Live Email as our default email program & be done with it. I’m sure I will be able to tweak it to where I can live with it……..

OUR MORNING PATH REACHES A FORK IN THE PATH WHICH IS ACTUALLY A LOOP TRAIL…SOMETIMES WE GO LEFT & SOMETIMES RIGHT…WE HAVE BEEN WALKING THIS SAME TRAIL FOR NEARLY 9 YEARS NOW

Noticed tonight we have a couple new Blog Followers so the Bayfield Bunch welcomes Jeff Simmons and,  ON THE ROAD WITH BLOOMERS & DRAWERS.  I think these folks might have a little something to do with ‘Scooterin’.  MICHAEL ULTRA joins us as our second Blog Follower today.  Michael describes himself as, “a simple man, learning to live a simpler life, in an increasingly complicated world.”

I THINK THERE IS A LITTLE EVIE DOG UP AHEAD ALONG OUR MORNING PATH

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  I am not a patient person when it comes to mechanical or technical things.  However, my patience serves me well in other facets of life.  I am one  who enjoys change in many areas but it is also in repetition that I comfortably dwell.  With computers I am like a mouse in a maze.  As long as I travel the same route to accomplish a task I am fine, but change my route & I am toast!!  Change my email program or change to a different operating system & this Mouse is in trouble.   Kelly has the patience & ability to easily reroute herself & without her this Mouse would probably be back to reading Dick & Jane readers!!

A VIEW FROM DEER PARK LODGE WHERE KELLY WORKS FOR THE SUMMER

GROANER’S CORNER :  A blind man with a seeing eye dog at his side walks into a grocery store. The man walks to the middle of the store, picks up the dog by the tail, and starts swinging the dog around in circles over his head.
The store manager, who has seen all this, thinks this is quite strange. So, he decides to find out what's going on. The store manager approaches the blind man swinging the dog and says, "Pardon me. May I help you with something."  The blind man replies, “no thanks, I’m just looking around.”

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

OUR

PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The

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

COMPUTER FRUSTRATIONS….I’M TAKING A BREAK!!

Well, there isn't much point in me telling you about my frustrating computer day because most of you have been through those 'new computer'
woes yourselves. Let's just say I’ve had enough of computers for awhile so this post will be photoless & short.

Morning & afternoon trail walks again today with a close eye on the heavy dark clouds. Rain finally started about 4 but Evie & I were back home in time.

Couple things.....no, we have not been paying less attention to our little Motormouse since Evie has arrived, as has been suggested. Motor is 13 now & doesn't enjoy the walks as she once did. Most mornings it takes a lot of urging to get her out & she is mainly content with just a little walk around in the driveway. Evie is full of young energy so it's generally her & I out on the trail.

Couldn't leave Evie home alone Saturday morning because we are still working on her anxiety separation. Didn't take Motor along to Goderich because I had the computer in the front seat & there isn't much room in a Jeep Wrangler. Besides, I figured Motor was needing a break from a certain high energy 2 year old. And, I did save a snack for both Motor & Evie from my Saturday bacon & egg breakfast. Hope that clears up some concerns.

Monday morning we are off to Mitchell Ontario to meet with Uncle Harry's care givers at the Ritz Villa Nursing Home. It's been a year since we met to discuss the level of his care & I'm sure a few things have changed between then & now.

Well, I've had about all I can take of this computer stuff today or maybe the next couple of days so think I'll just pull the plug right now & say the hell with it……….10-4!!