I KNOW SOME WILL THINK IT SILLY TO HAVE FEELINGS FOR A VEHICLE

OUR LILACS ARE IN FULL BLOOM & OH NOW NICE THEY SMELL

With screwdriver in hand I took the license plates off our Jeep Wrangler this morning.  With weed whacker in hand I walked around the property & stirred up some dust.  Burnt some garbage then took Pheebs for a toot up to Goderich in the Libbygator.  Down along Lake Huron’s shoreline where today's hot humid temperatures met cold winter lake waters cooling wisps of fog rolled in blowing a light almost transparent mist inland across the rocky shores & sandy beaches.

A PATHWAY NEAR THE WATER’S EDGE

PHEEBS CHECKS OUT A HERD OF COWS THIS MORNING

I know some will think it silly to have feelings for a vehicle but I have always been a person who generally becomes attached to most everything & that includes vehicles I have owned & liked.  I don’t know if being an only child has something to do with that or not but once I have something in my possession for any length of time I seem to bond with it.  Could be a favorite pair of old tattered socks, maybe a worn wallet I’ve carried in my back pocket for 20 years, a stone I picked up the beach while walking in deep thought one day, every photo taken is memory for me, any stuffed animal I pick up I instantly bond with & want to bring it home.  And that includes live ones too.  Old shoes become friends as do any books I read.  Ever tried to throw away your favorite pair of blue jeans.  I still have an old College jacket hanging in the shed circa 1969.  On our morning walk I pass a tree I bonded with years ago & sometimes Pheebs & I on an afternoon walk head for that tree to say hello.  I have feelings for the mountains & deserts of the great Southwest & am bonded with many places there.  I say hello to my favorite country roads & I say goodbye to my favorite vehicles………and today was a good-bye day.

I’M GUESSING IT WAS A VERY FOGGY MORNING FOR THE FISHING BOATS EARLY THIS MORNING

THIS MORNING’S FOGBANK SITS ATOP THE SIFTO SALT MINE ELEVATORS
Jeeper's new owners (John & Marilyn) arrived about 3:45 this afternoon & affixed a dealer plate.  Papers were signed, money was exchanged & Jeepers was gone about 25 minutes later.  I was glad to see our Jeep go to an older responsible fella & not some young kid who would beat it into the ground.  Nice folks those Sarnia people.  All the best Jeepers & thanks for all the great memories……………….. Tonight I am sad but tomorrow is a new day & who knows, maybe I’ll bond with a stick.

A LAST PHOTO OF PHEEBS & I WITH JEEPERS

NEW OWNERS JOHN & MARILYN

PREVIOUS OWNERS…..US GUYS:))

JOHN STRAPS ON THE JEEP

GOING

GOING

AND FAREWELL MY FRIEND………………………

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A man had a ticket for the theater but when he was seated by the usher, he found that he was too far from the stage.  He whispered to the usher, "This is a mystery play, and I have to watch a mystery close up. Get me a better seat, and I'll give you a handsome tip."  The usher moves him into the second row, and the man hands the usher a quarter.  The usher looks at the quarter, frowns at him, then leans over and whispers, ............ "The wife did it."

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Here are a few good examples for Blog writers why one should be brief & not use big words!!

In promulgating your esoteric cogitation or articulating your superficial sentimentalities, and amicable philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity.

 
Let your conversational communications possess a compacted conciseness, a clarified comprehensibility, a coalescent cogency, and a concatenated consistency.

 
Eschew obfuscation and all conglomeration of flatulent garrulity, jejune babblement, and asinine affectations.

 
Let your extemporaneous descanting and unpremeditated expatiation have intelligibility and voracious vivacity without rodomontade or thrasonical bombast.

 
Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profundity, pompous prolificacy, and vain vapid verbosity.

 
In short: "Be brief and don't use big words."

THIS WAS LITTLE JEEPERS LAST DAY WITH US

With cool temps & overcast skies I figured it was a good morning to tackle the Motorhome wash job.  Had myself psyched to go.  Moved the rig up close to the house, out with the garden hose & bucket of suds.  Had my tall step ladder in place & no sooner had I topped the ladder with my hose & scrub brush when down came the rain.  I had forgot to check the weather:((

RAINING!!

TOLD YOU I PULLED THE RIG UP CLOSE TO THE HOUSE

Fortunately our little downpour lasted less than half an hour & I was soon back outside & right at it.  Having to wash a big RV is one of those things I will not miss someday when our RVing days are behind us.  Oh if only we could have started our RV travels at a much younger age how many more things we could have done, places we could have seen, & adventurous roads we could have travelled.  And I’m betting I am not alone with those thoughts. 

JUST ONE SIDE LEFT TO WASH
After publishing Saturday night's post Pheebs & I took another drive down around the Bayfield harbor & through the little village itself snapping a few more photos as we cruised along main street a distance of maybe 3 blocks & a total traveling time of 48.2 seconds.  Lots of cars parked on both sides of the street with people casually browsing along the sidewalks taking in small town Bayfield's bustling Saturday night ambience.  As the crow flies we live maybe 2 miles to the northeast of Bayfield in a small mobile home community tucked nicely away in the neighboring rural country side.

IT WAS DUSK WHEN PHEEBS & I TOOK A DRIVE DOWN TO THE HARBOR

SATURDAY NIGHT ON THE BAYFIELD BEACH

HEADING SOUTH ALONG BAYFIELD’S VERY WIDE MAIN STREET

THE LITTLE INN OF BAYFIELD

ONE OF TWO FAVORITE ICE CREAM SHOPS OF OURS

LOTS OF FINE OLD ARCHITECTURE IN BAYFIELD & THIS IS THE POPULAR ALBION HOTEL WHICH COMES WITH IT’S VERY OWN GHOST STORY

The Sarnia folks are coming to pick up little Jeepers Monday & I’m sad to see her go but needs & priorities change & it was time for us to move on to another vehicle.  Many times in my posts I have said that little Jeep Wrangler was my most fun favorite vehicle of all times & it’s true.  I’ve had many, many vehicles but this Jeep is the one I will remember the most.  Always reliable & always pretty much took us to any place we wanted to go.  Not modified in any way it was a tough little nut traversing many a desert jeep trail & winding mountain road.  Took Pheebs & I on many a gravel back country road right around here where we live in Bayfield Ontario.  Nothing fancy on Jeepers & it sure didn’t have anything resembling modern day bells & whistles.  It was simple & that is what I liked about it.  Reminded me so much of my very first car back in the early 60’s, a 61 VW Beetle.  That one didn’t even have a gas gauge. I can only hope the fella who bought it who incidentally is maybe around my age or a bit younger will have as much fun with Jeepers as we did these past nearly 5 years.  Thanks for the memories Jeepers & thanks for being such a good friend all those years.  Yes, we are all going to miss you here at the Bayfield Bunch.  And I have a feeling all your many friends out here in Blogland are going to miss you as well……………………………..

THIS WAS JEEPERS LAST DAY WITH US

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The cruise ship docked at a Mexican port during a very high tide. Everyone on board was forced to use the ship's narrow gangplank as a passageway to the dock far below.  The staff stood motionless when a passenger in her 70's appeared at the top of the plank. There wasn't room for anyone to assist her, so she edged along slowly and finally made it to the dock safely, to everyone's relief.  As she stepped down, she turned, looked back to the top of the gangplank and shouted, "It's okay, Mother, you can come down now."

A FOGGY DRIVE TO GRAND BEND & RON’S BIG YARD SALE EARLY THIS MORNING

First of all thanks to the folks over in the Shout Box for reminding me of that 'Sitemeter' problem which my blog & many others has been encountering for the past month or two.  You will be happy to know we dumped Sitemeter today & installed a new statistics counter called 'StatCounter'.   This will end the Sitemeter problem folks were having.  And thanks to Kelly for deciding on & installing it for me.  When I get to know my way around StatCounter I’ll let you know what I think of it.  Here’s one interesting stat I did notice though….77.81% of all traffic on the Bayfield Bunch site comes from the United States while 20.90% comes from Canada.  Other percentages are thinly spread out over several other countries including England.

“HOLY FLYING FROGGY FROLICS BATMAN”
Bit of a foggy pea souper this morning as Kelly & I loaded ourselves into the Libbygator & drove on down to Ron's big long week-end yard sale in Grand Bend.  He had a certain type of electrical cord we needed.  Those small 50 amp cords are worth between $65 & $75 at most RV stores.  Ron sold it to us for $5.  Sure were a lot of people there already & he certainly has a lot of stuff for sale besides just RV stuff.  A lot of NASCAR memorabilia he has collected over the years.  Ron can be found on the west side of highway 21 heading north out of Grand Bend.  He is the owner & operator of FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE.

YES ALL THESE CARS ARE PARKED ALONG THE HIGHWAY FOR RON & JAN’S HUGE YARD SALE EARLY THIS MORNING

IN THIS LARGE BAY AREA IS WHERE RON NORMALLY WASHES & CLEANS UP THE RV’S BEFORE PUTTING THEM ON HIS LOT

IF WE HADN’T SOLD THE JEEP A FEW DAYS AGO THIS IS WHERE IT WOULD BE PARKED TODAY…RON HAD SAID TO BRING IT ON DOWN & PUT A ‘FOR SALE’ SIGN ON IT

THAT’S RON HIS VERY SELF SELLING SOME OF HIS ‘BLACK SABBATH’ ‘METALLICA, & AC/DC ALBUMS:))

I THINK THESE CARS WERE FOR SALE TOO…HIS RV LOT IS ACROSS THE ROAD

NO THEY WEREN’T SELLING THE HOUSE……………..
A stop at the Mennonite Bakery on the way home netted us a Pecan Pie & some meat.  These Mennonite folks raise their own cattle.  The Bakery is about 3 miles south of Bayfield on highway 21 & again anyone in the area should make this a priority stop.  You can actually see the Mennonite ladies making the pies.  And those pies are just the best of the best.

OUR FLOWERING MAGNOLIA SHRUB
Fog lifted late morning allowing a healthy batch of sunlight through the pines & we had what finally turned out to be a mighty fine weather day with temps in the low 60's making for another most enjoyable outside puttering day.  Took the hitch off the Motorhome & gave it a good clean up & grease job this morning.  A few more flower photos around our yard & an afternoon walk around the park’s pond with the Pheebs.  We sure live us in a nice place here…………………………….

A SAND CHERRY BLOOM JUST OUTSIDE OUR SUNROOM WINDOW

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A couple was relating their vacation experiences to a friend. "It sounds as if you had a great time in Texas," the friend observed. "But didn't you tell me you were planning to visit Colorado?"  "Well," the man said, "we changed our plans because, uh..."  "Oh, tell the truth, Fred!" his wife cut in, "You know, it's just ridiculous. Fred simply will not ask for directions."

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Scientists have shown that the moon is moving away at a tiny, although measurable distance from the earth every year.  If you do the math, you can calculate that 85 million years ago the moon was orbiting the earth at a distance of about 35 feet from the earth's surface.  This would explain the death of the dinosaurs. The tallest ones, anyway.

OUR FIRST LONG WEEK-END OF THE SUMMER IS UPON US & ‘THE ASHWOOD OF BAYFIELD’ IS NOW OPEN

FIRST SUNSET CRUISE OF THE YEAR

Woke up to a cold rainy morning & that pretty well set the tone for my day.  Kelly did head off to Goderich on a few errands but I never went out of the house.  Crumpled into my recliner, turned on the TV & that was about it for me.  Think I saw more of the inside of my eyelids than whatever showed up on the TV screen.  Oh well once in a very long while I don't mind a day like today.  Just as long as I don't do the same thing again tomorrow!!

<<< OUR GLOOMY DAY SURE DIDN’T DETER THE PINE SISKIN GANG

Our big May long week-end is upon us.  Commonly referred to as the May 24th week-end it is the kick off to summer in Canada.  Historically I think it is Queen Victoria’s birthday & that is where the holiday originated from.  Highways will be jammed with folks heading to their cottages.  Ice is off the lakes so boaters will be out in full force.  Campgrounds traditionally open as well.  Bayfield on Lake Huron is a ‘go to’ place for many tourists & boaters so it will be busy this week-end as will all the shoreline communities along the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.  DEER PARK LAKEFRONT RESORT where Kelly worked for 10 of our years in this area is fully booked & there is something new this year.  The owner of Deer Park last winter purchased the Bayfield Village Inn across the highway & after extensive & beautiful renovations is having a soft opening this week-end with the grand opening to come shortly.  Kirsten named her new venture THE ASHWOOD.  For anyone in the area drop in & say hello & tell them ‘The Bayfield Bunch sent you:)) For music buffs this will be a hot spot so be sure to check out the stellar line-up of live musicians on the Ashwood website for this summer’s entertainment.  Next week one day I’ll wonder myself on over to the Ashwood & take some interior pictures because it is really interesting to see how the front desk, tables, & bourbon bar have all been made from a few old dead Ash trees cut down on the Deer Park Lakefront Resort property this past Fall & Winter.  And they have beautifully re-modelled every room in the whole place as well.  And by golly they even have a nice pool in there too:))

THE ASHWOOD OF BAYFIELD

THE WOOD IN THIS SIGN IS FROM DEER PARK’S ASHWOOD TREES

THIS IS THE ASHWOOD’S ‘WOODY’ & WILL BE USED TO FERRY PATRONS & GUESTS AROUND

Needing a photo of the Ashwood & it’s new sign Pheebs & I took a drive into Bayfield after supper & stopped down around the harbor for a few pics.  Also cruised up Bayfield’s main street & randomly cracked me off a few photos of Bayfield’s artsy decor & crafty Shoppe's.  I really must take myself & my camera for a walk through Bayfield to show you all how pretty our little rustic fishing village really is.  Well not so much a fishing village anymore but it sure has retained it’s old charm.  And then there are the beautiful old & new homes on the picturesque back streets & cliffs overlooking Lake Huron.  Truly one of the nicest areas in South-western Ontario:))

BAYFIELD’S NEW LIBRARY ON MAIN STREET

NOTICE THE LITTLE DOGGY FACE  IN THE MIRROR CHECKING OUT THE SIGHTS

UNDER THAT AWNING WAS KELLY’S FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP WHEN SHE WORKED AT DEER PARK…’CAFE DA VINCI’

A YOUNG COUPLE WITH A BABY STROLLER OUT FOR AN EVENING WALK ON BAYFIELD’S SOUTH PIER

<<< A SELFIE ON THE BEACH  

GROANER’S CORNER:(( After many years, her original wedding ring had become worn and thin, so she asked her husband to buy her a new ring as her anniversary present. But this time she asked him to buy her one with diamonds.  They went down to the jewellery store to pick one out. As they waited for the clerk, she said to her husband, "My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, so I'd really like diamonds I can see."  Having overheard their conversation, a customer standing nearby remarked, "Sir, it would be a lot cheaper if you just bought her glasses."