THUNDER, LIGHTNING AND RAIN FOLLOWED BY A COLD DAMP DAY

SOMETIMES ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK UP  (NIKON D50)

Big winds, rains, thunder and lightning along with a scared little Motormouse made for a restless night.  Pheebe of course took it all in stride with her usual happy smiling face and wagging tail.  I slept right through most of the night's activities but Kelly wasn't so lucky and ended up having a tired day.

I was surprised by reader's emails making the connections between wheat intolerance and depression.  I would not have thought of that.  I know the intolerance in itself would not be the root cause of depression but I do understand that it could somehow affect the degree of depression.  I have always believed depression is the power of negative thinking and who knows what chemical changes and imbalances take place in the body from day to day to add further effects in our ever changing moods.

Several readers have suggested St. John's Wort as a herbal approach to dealing with depression so 3 days ago I picked up a bottle of sixty 300mg pills.  Am also now trying a herbal pill called Probiotic to possibly deal with my suspected wheat intolerance problem.  It was just a few days before that I stopped eating wheat based products.  And, Kelly informed me this morning to refer to this possible problem as wheat intolerance and not wheat allergy.  Two different things I am told.

3 WAY TUG OF WAR

Maybe it's too early to tell or maybe it's just in my mind but I am definitely feeling better both mentally and physically than I was a week or so ago.   Actually, the whole summer as far as that goes.  Also managed to drop my weight from 213 to 209 so I am encouraged.  Gotta be careful though.....don't want to get myself too giddy and run the risk of besmirching my old Cuersudgeon status:))

Sure do like using Google Earth from time to time and it has saved us a few unnecessary long drives.  Case in point….Kelly spotted a half acre piece of farm property for sale on a local Real Estate site this week about a half hour drive north of Bayfield.  The property had an old house on in it that looked like a nice quiet place in the country.  I quickly gassed up Google Earth and flew out to the address shown on the Real Estate site to see what I could see from an aerial view.

Well, it was in the country all right but from the Google Earth image it was plain to see the house was only about 100 feet off a gravel road.  That meant cars going by very close to the house and lots of road dust.  Google Earth also showed a very large new looking house right beside the half acre property and probably only a couple hundred feet from the old farm house.  The Real Estate agent had been careful not to include that new house in any of the 3 photos taken of the half acre property.  Google Earth had once again saved us an hours trip for nothing, otherwise we might have driven out there for a look around. 

The house on the property was not to our liking anyway.  A two story hundred year old wooden frame farm house that for sure had seen better days.  Too old for us and we would never buy a two story house anyway.  And we would certainly never buy a house that had another house close by.  I figure a half mile is the minimum acceptable distance between properties.  Kelly feels the same way.

Had ourselves a cold damp day much like we normally experience in November.  Noticed folks to the south of us are experiencing dropping temperatures as well.  I am going to be really ticked if we are forced to winterize the rig before leaving this year……………

TRYING OUT MY NEW JEANS, SHIRT AND JACKET THIS MORNING ON THE ROAD IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE  (CANON POWERSHOT SX210IS)

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A drunk went into a telephone booth and dialled at random.......... "Salvation Army," was the answer."What do you do?" asked the man."We save wicked men and women," came the reply."Okay, save me a wicked woman for Saturday night will ya."
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.

BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS (revised)

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

SURVIVED MY ‘SHOPPING FOR PANTS’ ORDEAL AND NEVER HAD TO STAMP MY FEET ON THE FLOOR ONCE

THESE TWO GUYS ARE ALL REVVED UP AND PATIENTLY WAITING TO GET THEIR WHEELS ROLLING FOR THE SOUTHWEST:)) (CANON POWERSHOT SX210IS)
We were off on our ‘new pants for Al’ Safari this morning about 10 a.m. but we did not end up where we started out for.  A TSC (Tractor Supply) store showed up along the way so figured we would stop in there first and have a look at their clothing line before heading on to Marks Work Warehouse.  For sure the prices were going to be better than Mark’s and what a piece of luck it was to stumble upon the last day of TSC’s 40% off on selected pants sale.  Groovy:))

RAKED THIS PILE OF PINE NEEDLES OFF OUR LAWN AND WILL LOAD THEM INTO MY UTILITY TRAILER SHORTLY FOR THE RECYCLE AREA
I summoned up a big load of extra patience as we browsed through work pants, casual trousers and numerous brands of blue jeans.   Cloistered myself in the tiny triangular shaped change room and proceeded to try on 7 different types of various sized pants.  Had really hoped to wedge myself into some 38’s but had to settle for size 40 again.  Darn peanut butter and honey sandwiches!!  The shortest leg length in most men’s pants is 30 inches.  My legs are about 28 inches….on a good day.  Anyway, I ended up with 2 pairs of Wrangler Jeans and one pair of dressy work pants made by Dickies.  But, that wasn’t the end of our shopping.  Noticed they had a great sale on long sleeved double pocketed warm flannel shirts (my fav) so I picked up 2 of them.  They’re perfect for warm, but sometimes cool Arizona days during the winter season.  You might be interested in why I like shirts and if so, yep I did a post on that too >>>>>>  I'M A BUTTON UP SHIRT KINDA GUY
 IN THE TINY CHANGE ROOM TRYING ON A NEW PAIR OF PANTS & USING MY CANON SX210IS  >>>
I haven’t had a good windbreaker for years but spotted a waterproof nylon wind resistant and lined ‘North 49’ squall jacket on the rack that had my name on it.  Zippered pockets to secure a small camera and keep it dry in wet weather, draw string turtle neck collar for warmth and an elastic waist band to keep the wind out.  Inside pocket and Velcro wrist fasteners.  Figured this would be a great jacket for motorcycling, amongst other things.  Kelly picked herself up a warm western flannel shirt and that was it for our shopping excursion.   And Al never even had a tantrum or stamped his feet on the floor once:))   
Our new Shaw satellite is all put together and mounted on it's new tri-pod.  I understand the settings on the satellite dish no problem but it is the tri-pod I am having difficulty understanding.  Unlike our previous tripod, the legs on our new pod are not adjustable so I'm not understanding the precise levelling process.  Am also not understanding how to do a fluidly smooth pan of the horizon with this set up.  Below I have some pics of the pod.  You will see 6 tightening bolts with 3 at the top of the pod and 3 at the bottom.  Seems totally illogical to me loosening all these bolts to slowly and smoothly swivel the dish horizontally in search of the satellite.  What simple technique am I missing here??

       
NIKON D90  CLICK PICS TO ENLARGE
Question from Donna about all the pine needles on the ground here at our place.  Yes, we have this big dump of pine needles every Autumn.  Same as leaves coming down except the Pine trees do not lose all their needles like a leafy tree.   Only a small percent of the needles drop leaving the Pine tree with a full coat of green needles year round.
 
     
CANON POWERSHOT SX210IS
Ever notice that if you weigh yourself after a shower you will quite often be a pound lighter than when you weighed yourself before getting into the shower.  Well, I've noticed that anyway and it begs the question....how do I gain a pound of dirt on myself every day?  I have been keeping a record of my weight for 18 years now so when I loaded myself into the shower this morning at 209 pounds I fully expected to step out of the shower at 208.  I stepped out at 210!!  Does that mean I not only failed to wash that pound of dirt off myself but I also gained a pound of water.....probably in my ears.  Well, I don't know what it means either but just thought I would throw it out there.  Oh, and what was my weight in October of 1993…………….181 pounds:))
NOT SURE WHAT THESE TALL PINES ARE BUT THEY MIGHT BE CALLED WHITE PINES >>> Want to thank folks for taking the time to email in their ideas and suggestions not only about depression but about my suspected wheat allergy as well.  I am following up on some of those thoughts and detailed instructions so we'll see how that affects my overall well being over this next little while.  I hadn't realized there was a connection between the wheat allergy thing and depression.  Thanks for those tips folks and I appreciate the interest and help from all our friends and readers.

MORNING HUGS:))  (CANON POWERSHOT A730)
IVAN has some great thoughts on BOON DOCKING in an interview with NATIONAL RV PARKS.  As many long time readers know, Boon Docking is our much preferred way of RVing as well.  And, for all the same reasons Ivan has stated in the interview.

THIS IS AN ORIENTAL ORNAMENT HANGING FROM OUR SUNBURST LOCUST TREE…THE BLURRED ORANGE BACKGROUND IS ACTUALLY OUR PINE NEEDLE COVERED ROAD OUT FRONT AND THE LIGHTER GREEN AT BOTTOM IS A SHRUB IN OUR FRONT YARD, BOTH BLURRED TOTALLY OUT OF FOCUS BY MY TELEPHOTO LENS (NIKON D40 AT 220mm USING A FILL IN FLASH)

As mentioned in Tuesday’s post, October 19th is and always will be a special day in my life.  In October of 2009 I was sober 30 years so wrote a post about attending my very first AA meeting in 1979.   OCTOBER 19TH 1979....A NEW LIFE BEGINS.
GROANER’S CORNER:((  If David Letterman were to define the term "Top 10 reasons for Owning a Recreational Vehicle" he might say………………………… 
1) A hobby that doesn't make you money, isn't relaxing, and leaves you broke!
2) A lifestyle choice that can kill you...or at least try to!
3) An obsession that will land you in the Funny Farm...or a Campground in Yeehaw Junction, Florida!
4) An amusing distraction...but you don't smile that much!
5) A great way to spend your kids inheritance!
6) A potentially deadly disease for which there is no cure!
7) A terrific way to see the very best and worse in humanity, from your living room.
8) There are easier ways to squander a lot of money! Live and pay Taxes in California for example!
9) The only cheap way to take a vacation that leaves you broke!
10) A way of life that is guaranteed NOT to make a 'homeless guy pushing a shopping cart with all of his worldly belongings in it' jealous!
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

I’VE NEVER LIKED HAVING TO TAKE MY PANTS OFF IN A STORE!!

A QUIET AUTUMN HARBOUR AT GRAND BEND ONTARIO  (NIKON D40 AT 55mm)

An overcast windless 52F morning sky saw Kelly, Pheebs the Rocket Dog and myself driving over to see my Uncle Harry in Mitchell, Ontario.  Harry's doing well and as always was so glad to see the little Pheebe's nose peaking around the corner of his recliner nudging his arm.  Harry is often catching a few winks when we get there so we let the Pheebs slip in first and gently surprise Harry.

 

NOT A LOT OF BIRDS AT OUR FEEDER THESE DAYS BUT I DID MANAGE TO CATCH A BLUE JAY THIS AFTERNOON (NIKON D40 AT 300mm)

For as long as I can remember I have never liked the idea of walking into a store and taking my pants off.  Didn't like it years ago and don't like it now!!  Buying a pair of pants is such a pain in the britches.  Socks, underwear and shirts are different.  Socks come in a generic size that seems to fit all from Centipedes to Elephants and if underwear and shirts have an L or XL tag on them I'm probably going to be ready to go.  Pants are a whole different animal with each manufacturer having their own interpretation of sizes.  And, not all pants are shaped the same.  Having a pair of legs that are a bit short for their length I always have to have about a foot cut off the leg bottoms or it looks like I am walking around on a large pair of soupy pant noodles.

JUST AN OLD STUMP BY THE WATER’S EDGE ( NIKON D40 AT 300mm)

I don't think I own a pair of pants at the moment that does not have a rip or some kind of hole in them somewhere.  And I think the last 2 pairs of used blue jeans I  bought already had a few bullet holes in them before I even got a chance to wear them.  Maybe it's those claustrophobic 3x3 tiny change rooms in stores that I don't like or is it knowing some large woman with a mean disposition and a couple bratty kids in tow is impatiently waiting on the other side of the door with a chip on her shoulder and an armful of clothes that are probably going to be too small for her anyway.  Whatever it is, I hate having to buy pants so I go for as long as humanely possible in my old tattered threads..….keeping my pants on!!

ALWAYS A BIG JOB EVERY YEAR RAKING UP ALL THE PINE NEEDLES (NIKON D90 AT 18mm)

With my new wheat free eating habits now in place JUDY wondered about my peanut butter and jelly sandwich habit.  First, yes I'm eating 'natural' peanut butter again, but it's with honey, not jelly.  Kelly brought home a loaf of wheat free bread for me to try and I find it takes a bit of getting used to the semi cardboard taste but if I pop a slice into the toaster I find it is rather survivable if I put a real good slathering of peanut butter and honey on it.

AS THE LINE GOES IN RINGO STARR’S SONG….♫ I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS ♫ (CANON POWERSHOT A730)

It has been well over a year now since we brought our little 2006 Jeep Wrangler home and I love driving that silly little puddle jumper just as much now as I did over a year ago.  I've never been one known for keeping a vehicle for years at a time but I do intend on keeping this square cornered and odd shaped thing that looks like a cardboard box on wheels for as long as I can.  The 6 speed manual transmission still messes with my head sometimes and if I'm not paying attention, any hefty gust of wind can set me to soaring like a kite.  Small potholes in the road can have the same effects on a Jeep as trench warfare and if a sneeze occurs at the same time my hands are on the steering wheel I can find myself heading off in half a dozen different directions all at the same time.  Exaggerations??  Of course, but I think you get my drift.  Or, in the case of a two door Jeep Wrangler....I think you get my wobble:))

AUTUMN JEEP  (NIKON D40 AT 70mm) 

‘Late breaking rumour’......word has that AL will be hauled off to MARK'S WORK WEARHOUSE early Wednesday morning whereupon he will be forced to remove his old ripped pants and be fitted with some BRAND NEW ones....wish me luck.  Oh, and I hear new pants even come without bullet holes in them now.  Say, isn’t that just special:))

Tomorrow I will repost a link to the blog I wrote several years ago which has to do with October 19th, 1979.  An important life changing event in my life occurred on that date which in turn has left me with 32 years of continuous sobriety.

STONEBIRD (NIKON D90 AT 55mm)

GROANER'S CORNER:((  AL was once stopped by the police at midnight and asked where he was going. “I’m on the way to listen to a lecture about the effects of alcohol and drug abuse on the human body.” The policeman asks, “Really? And who’s going to give a lecture at this time of night?” “My wife”, came Al’s reply.

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

A PRODUCTIVE DAY WITH A FEW THOUGHTS ON DEPRESSION

DESPITE A LOT OF AUTUMN LEAVES BEING DOWN I DID MANAGE TO SCRAPE TOGETHER A FEW SHOTS FOR TONIGHT’S BLOG THIS MORNING   NIKON D40 AT 300mm LEAVES ARE BACKLIT AND THE SHADOWED AREA OF A DARK FOREST ABOUT 200 YARDS IN THE BACKGROUND GIVE THE PHOTO IT’S NATURAL BLACK BACKGROUND
Had a few errands to run in Goderich this morning so figured I would include those few stops with a back road Autumn leaves photo tour along the way.  Nice sunny morning so figured I could find myself some nice solid blocks of color along the bush lines.  But, it was not to be.  High gusting winds this past Saturday had stripped many trees of their beautiful Fall colors.   Still some nice photo ops in some areas though but the cold gray days of November are fast approaching.  Soon our once majestic palette of colors will be no more.
 
Spent a fair part of my day on the end of a lawn rake and wheelbarrow.  It is much easier to rake up pine needles now rather than Spring after they have been compacted into the ground by winter's snow.  Also cut down all our towering 12 foot high bamboo grass.  Normally do that in the Spring but figured it might be less messy if I take care of all that long grass now.   Also caught a few more front yard frog pond frogs and carefully transported them to the Park’s bigger pond across the road where they can now burrow in the mud bottom and survive the winter.  When the day comes we have to give up going south I am going to do the same:))
 
OUR WOODEN STORAGE SHED IS SLOWLY FILLING UP WITH SUMMER’S OUTSIDE ORNAMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
I have suspected for quite some time now I may have some kind of wheat allergy.  Kelly got on the computer last week and checked out the symptoms and I have every one of them on the checklist.  With that knowledge in hand Kelly headed off to the health food store and returned with a car load of wheat free products.  So, changes are underway once again here on the old food front. 

Some of the wheat free products are kind of yummy and some taste totally awful.  Some just taste like cardboard but I am finding my way through the tasting process and must say I am already feeling better.  But, here's the downside for the furry guys and the immediate ramifications of Dad's new 'no wheat' diet.  No more sharing Burritos at McDonalds.  In fact, if I have to stick to this 'no wheat' thing, it means no more Subs and no McDonalds Egg McMuffins or Burgs.   And, donuts are out as are probably Pizzas.  I see all this as a good thing in the long run but this morning as I drove by a McDonald's, an A&W, a Harvey’s, a Tim Horton’s and 2 Subways, I knew this is not going to be an easy row for me to hoe.

RETIRED ROD had a few questions regarding the town of Goderich and how they are doing two months after a tornado struck their in August.  The Provincial Government of Ontario is helping residents in several ways, one of which is to match all donations being received.  An all day musical benefit concert was held in the damaged towns center a week ago as well.  Some heritage buildings were damaged beyond repair and have been torn down but the town is rebuilding and people are coping, adjusting and getting on with their lives.  I'm sure the town will emerge strong in the end looking and living even better than before.
As for the damages to the town's large waterfront salt mine, it is going to be a long haul.  The mine is back in production but the repairs and changes there are predicted to take up to a couple years. DEER PARK LODGE where Kelly works has actually benefitted from the mine damages because many of the engineers and personnel brought in to rebuild the mines facilities have found lodging for the winter at Deer Park.  Many of the engineering families are also finding accommodation in the village of Bayfield with some folks renting houses long term until the all the work at the mine is finished.  Goderich is about a 15 to 20 minute drive north of Bayfield.

<<< NIKON D40 AT 300mm…..NARROW DEPTH OF FIELD IS FOCUSED ON THE LEAVES AND HAVE BLURRED THE SPARKLING WATERS OF A POND ABOUT 50 YARDS IN THE BACKGROUND…LEAVES ARE BACKLIT BY A LATE MORNING SUN
And, a personal thank you to readers and friends for your comments and concerns regarding my 4 day blogging absence.  A special thanks for the emails from folks who understand the ways of depression and shared their own personal experiences with me.  The subject of depression is one of those closet topics which is too often hastily swept under the nearest carpet.  In my opinion, no one is immune from depression in one form or another.  It’s human nature, and the many faces of depression are gathered together in varying degrees by each and every one of us.  The key is in recognizing it and knowing how to deal with it.  Talking about depression is a definite step forward for anyone, and catching the early symptoms of an oncoming depression can save one a lot of ‘down time’.    
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know it gets so hot in Arizona that Roadrunners have to use pot holders to pull Lizards out of the ground & ranchers have to feed their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs.  Yep, it’s true alright:))
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL

FOUR DAYS WRESTLING WITH AN OLD FOE

I have sat here at my keyboard for awhile tonight gathering my thoughts on what, if anything, to say about the last 4 days.  Should I talk about the depression that had a hold of me or should I just cover that up with ‘happy smiling thoughts’.  Some folks choose to talk about that ‘half empty glass’ and some do not.   I have a habit of writing about that side of things here in the blog from time to time because the empty half of the glass is just as real as the full half.  And, every bit as important.   Maybe….even more so.

It has been 4 days since I last posted, turned off the computer and never turned it on again until tonight.  No blogging, no blog reading, no checking the weather report or latest news items, no email reading, no Google or Map searches, no nothing.  I had no idea I would be completely away from the computer this long when I shut it down.  In fact, it has been the longest time away from the computer since we bought our very first Pentium 2 back in 1997.  I didn't plan on a 4 day absence, it just happened. 

Many years ago in the 'not so good old days' I had problems with depression but over the last 32 years or so I have managed to get a controlling handle on that for the most part.  Aside from a day here and there it has been rare for my old Nemesis to wrestle me to the ground for more than a few hours or a day at a time.   However, over the past 6 months I'm afraid this wrestling match has gone back and forth between us for too long and my old foe did manage to get me down for a good pummelling these past 4 days.  Relieved to say I awoke this morning with a clearer mind, regained control of the situation and battled my way back up onto my feet again.

I think my age coupled with my ever present restless personality and my lack of purpose and challenge at this stage of life have conspired in a type of overall ongoing frustration that I have been having difficulty dealing with.  Couple that with some of life’s usual weighty stuff and the canoe gets a little low in the water sometimes.  And yes, I have to admit this last change and delay in our travel plans has added some challenges to that frustration as well.  I still have no idea when we will get on the road.  For a 'hitch itch' fellow like myself, sitting on the starting line with engine running, map in hand, one foot on the gas and two eyes on the horizon it's been a real stretch to keep a lid on my patience.  

Also wanted to add that despite what my ‘anonymous commenter’ may come back with this time I did not drop out of these past four days to purposely attract attention to my blog, gain sympathy for myself or fish for a whole slew of additional comments.   I do thank the folks though who expressed concern over my short absence.
 

ALWAYS SO NICE ALONG OUR MORNING TRAIL 
Ok, so what has been happening the past 4 days.  Well, basically not much.  I watched a lot of television and practically wore the remote out flicking through the channels trying to find some interesting programming.  No easy task I can assure you.  Watched way too much depressing news and found it difficult to find any kind of intelligent humour.  If it wasn't for biographies, documentaries, and the history channel there would be absolutely no reason for me having a television.  And why sit in my recliner day after day watching television?  It just seemed that was all my mind was capable of doing for those few days.

OUR ROAD (LEFT) AND DRIVEWAY (RIGHT) ARE NOW HEAVILY COVERED IN PINE NEEDLES AFTER SATURDAY’S BIG WINDS
It was one year ago today we here in Blog Land lost two of our own.  Margie and Bruce Mallin, fellow RV’ers and bloggers tragically lost their lives while out for a quiet morning walk.  This is a link to my post when I found out the news a year ago on October 17th…..WE HAVE JUST TRAGICALLY LOST TWO OF OUR RV'ING BLOGGER FRIENDS.   This is a LINK to the circumstances surrounding this tragedy and the sentencing of the man responsible for their deaths.

A SLIPPERY PATH OF WET LEAVES IN THE FOREST

A fellow RV'er, blog reader and occasional Blogger himself, Alex (RUNNING LINER) from Guelph Ontario had emailed me awhile back saying he would like to get together for a coffee sometime.  Friday morning I met Alex at a Tim Horton's coffee shop in downtown Goderich.   Of course always a lot to talk about and Alex brought his older mint condition Leisure Travel Van for me to have a look at.  Alex is another one of those fellows who can do anything he turns his hand to and of course has made many great renovations and improvements to his rig.  I managed to install a towel rack in ours once.  We spent a couple of hours talking about things and then Alex surprised me with a gift. 

Being involved with the aircraft industry for many years he has traveled extensively and been a part of the buying and selling side of things.  Helicopters being one of them.  In that sales oriented hi tech business there are often perks that go back and forth with sales and one of those perks Alex had at his disposal were YUKON DIGITAL NIGHT VISION Ranger devices.  Although looking like binoculars they actually have an electronic screen inside and are used for seeing in the darkness of night.  You sometimes see versions of this type of technology on soldiers helmets.  How nice of Alex to give me a pair of these and they should be great for spotting ‘activities’ in the darkened desert nights this winter:))

 

While I had dropped out of Blog Land for a few days I noticed upon returning tonight we have two new Bayfield Bunch blog followers.  A big welcome to RV Travelers as well as Gene, Judy and Peanuts the cat from BLUE ROADS TO HIKING TRAILS.  Thanks for your interest folks and appreciate you taking the time to stop by.  Also just noticed a third follower but I’m afraid I do not understand any of the language on the blog so I do not know what the website is about.  Welcome WS.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Three lawyers and three engineers are traveling by train to a conference. At the station, each of the three lawyers buys a ticket while the three engineers buy only one ticket.
"How can the three of you travel on one ticket?" asks a lawyer.
"Watch and you'll see," answers an engineer.
Aboard the train the lawyers take their respective seats while all three engineers cram into the restroom and squeeze the door closed behind them.
When the conductor comes around collecting tickets, he knocks on the restroom door and says, "Ticket, please." The door opens a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on.
The lawyers are impressed with this clever idea. One the way home from the conference, they decide to copy the engineers' technique. At the station, they buy a single ticket for their return trip. To their astonishment, the engineers don't buy a ticket at all!
"How in the hell are you going to pull this off?" asks a lawyer.
"Watch and you'll see," answers an engineer.
They board the train. The three lawyers cram into one restroom and the three engineers cram into the other restroom.
Shortly after the train departs, one of the engineers leaves his restroom and knocks on the other restroom door. "Ticket, please!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

NOT MUCH TO SAY

With our weather beginning it's mid October decline I figured it was time to put the Motorcycle away.  A last ride for the year into Bayfield and topped up the gas tank.  Manoeuvred the bike into it's winter storage spot in our carport, gas treatment, battery out, cover on and that’s it until next Spring.

Jim, over at JIMBO'S JOURNEY has some great photos of the Albuquerque hot air Balloon Festival.  In fact, one balloon landed on his rig!!  

Just not up to writing a post tonight........we'll see how tomorrow goes.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The positive side of getting older..... 

-You’ll never have to endure those harrowing visits to the dentist again.

-You’ll save a fortune on shampoo. 

-You will look distinguished with your receding hairline, double chin and wrinkles.

-You have survived the humiliation of middle age.

-You’ll no longer have to suffer the disappointment of thwarted ambitions – you no longer have any.

-You can finally sell those dreadful diet and exercise books that have sat unopened on the bookshelf for years. 

-You can embarrass your family by entering glamorous granny or good-looking grandfather competitions.

-You don’t need to make an effort anymore – people will expect you to be frumpy, boring and cantankerous.

-You’ll be able to talk incessantly about the good old days.

-Your failing eyesight saves you the anguish of seeing your disintegrating body.

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

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Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

NARROWLY MISSED DELETING 500 PHOTOS FROM MY BLOG POSTS, BUT……… NOT QUITE:((

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NIKON PHOTO ABOVE, ALL THE OTHER PICS IN TONIGHT’S POST WERE TAKEN TODAY WITH MY CANON POWERSHOT SX210IS

Two signs of Spring this morning.  A dandelion near the Park pond and a chirping Robin high in a tree along the trail.  And to think, Spring is just around the corner and only 6 months away.  Now, how special is that:))

 

I SOMETIMES MENTION THIS PLACE IN MY POSTS…..IT IS OUR PARK’S RECYCLING AREA WHERE WE CAN DROP OFF GRASS CLIPPINGS, PINE NEEDLES, BRANCHES AND GENERAL YARD WASTE.

Well, a great big thanks goes out to RETIRED ROD for his fast comment response Monday night about me messing around with those Live Writer albums in my Picasa web album program.  I would have lost more photos than I already have had Rod’s comment not alerted me to the dilemma in time.  I knew nothing about Live Writer storing pics in the Picasa Web Album.  Or, if I did I had completely forgot about it.  I feel Live Writer should put a  ‘delete warning’ on those albums when they are clicked on.  I had hit the ‘DELETE’ on the first album but after maybe 5 or 6 seconds thought better of it and cancelled the delete.  However, in those few seconds I estimate I may have lost 50 or 60 photos from my posts dating back to September 24th.  I didn’t see any photos missing farther back than that.  If I do not lose any more I will have to consider myself very fortunate because I can go back through those posts and with a bit of work and Live Writer in Draft, republish the pictures from my hard drive into the posts again. 

 

The overall key to this restoration of my blog photos will be to do it as soon as possible before time envelopes my short term memory in it’s usual graying mists.  With a bit of dabbling in Live Writer’s Sunday blog this morning I was able to figure out how to restore all pics to that post so I should be OK now in fixing the rest of the posts going back about 17 days.  Had I not stopped that deletion process when I did I would have easily lost all 500 photos from posts going back months and months.   Again ,thanks to Rod for quickly alerting me to the mistake I made……..and, the even bigger mistake I was about to make.

Looks like our great weather may be coming to an end shortly so we wanted to get over to see my Uncle Harry and take him outside for some fresh air and sunshine.  Bit of a breeze late this morning but we were able to get Harry out in his wheelchair and find a spot out of the wind for him.  Our little Pheebe sure knows how to put a big smile on Uncle Harry's face:))

 

I'm sure we topped 80F this afternoon.  The sun felt hot as Pheebs and I did the trail under a cool, colourful canopy of Autumn leaves.  I have a favourite young Maple Tree where I often pause to partake in a few quiet thoughts.

USING A SELF TIMER I HUNG THE CAMERA FROM A SUMAC BRANCH FOR THIS PHOTO >>>

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Young Chuck moved to Arizona and bought a horse from a farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the horse the next day. The next Day he drove up and said, "Sorry, Son, but I have some bad news, The horse died."

Chuck replied, "Well, then just give me my money back."

The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

Chuck said, "Ok, then, just bring me the dead horse."

The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"

Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."

The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead horse!"

Chuck said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened With that dead horse?"

Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a Piece and made a net profit of $898.00."

The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"

Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."

Chuck grew up and now works for the government.

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