ANIMAL FARM, LAKE WAWANOSH, & WOBBLY LITTLE HORSE LEGS

Cloudy days are not always inspirational photography days for me but after sitting in the house all day on a rainy Friday Pheebs & I were needing to get ourselves outside & surround us with some clear & fresh country air.  We wandered up to Goderich cause I had seen a few things in the TSC (Tractor Supply Company) flyer I figured I might like to have.  Store was busy, couldn't find what I was looking for as usual & the staff was tied up with customers.  I was in one of my Scrooge moods anyway & with no patience left I exited the store empty handed.  One Burrito, one carrot muffin & one McDonald's coffee later Pheebs & I were soon on our way out of town heading for the peaceful countryside.

NATURE’S EYES ARE ALWAYS UPON US IN OUR SUNROOM

 
Our first stop was at the Animal Farm near Dungannon Ontario so Pheebs could jump out & touch base with all her Llama & Alpaca Pals.  Pheebs has a gentle way with other animals (remember all that cow smooching a few years ago in Arizona) & if the fence hadn't been there I'm sure she would have had some Alpaca-Llama smooches going on. 
 

 

OF COURSE ALL EYES ARE ON THE PHEEBS AGAIN

While standing by the fence I noticed something a few pens away that looked a lot at first like a big bird crash.   On closer inspection after seeing the ball of feathers slowly regain some kind of shape I saw it was a male Peacock & by golly he was soon showing himself off with a full display of feathers.  A female Peacock stood nearby but just ignored Mr. Peacocks colorful advances.  It was indeed quite a display of feathers he had going on for her.

WHEN I FIRST CAUGHT SIGHT OF THIS I COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS, THOUGHT MAYBE A LARGE BIRD HAD CRASHED

HERE’S THE MALE PEACOCK FROM THE FRONT

AND HERE HE IS FROM THE BACK…NO I DIDN’T SLIP AROUND BEHIND HIM HE JUST TURNED AROUND & GAVE ME THE FEATHERS

NO THAT BIG WHITE GUY IS NOT MRS. PEACOCK

Stopped to watch 3 Mother horses with 3 Baby horses on a Mennonite farm.  One of the youngsters could not have been too old because it's legs were still wobbly.  I know there is correct terminology for Mother horses & Baby horses but not being a farm boy myself those correct names escape me for the moment.  Yes I know I could Google it…………..

THIS LITTLE FELLOW SURE HAD ITSELF A SET OF WOBBLY LEGS UNDER HIM

Made our way to Lake Wawanosh northeast of Dungannon & took ourselves for a wee walk along the shoreline.  I like stopping here because there is never anyone else around.  Watched a distant Blue Heron doing some fishing.  Always so nice to surround one's self with the quietness of a rural countryside.

A CLOUDY DAY AT LAKE WAWANOSH

A MASTER FISHERMAN

Thanks to folks for letting me know my Live Writer album slide show test worked in Thursday night's post.  Finally a step forward & about time I’d say.   I will continue to use the Live Writer album format to include extra photos in my posts from time to time such as tonight with a few extra photos from today's country drive.

HURON COUNTY COUNTRYSIDE VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A fine post by Stewart over at Seasons in the Valley as he reflects back & looks forward to the future after the death of his Son last month in a tragic water bomber aircraft accident in Alberta, Canada.  In his latest post Stewart not only writes of his late Son's dreams but writes now of his own as well. Pursuing Your Dreams

AREA FARM CROPS ARE COMING ALONG WELL

In case any of you have lost track of Chinle over at Spotted Dog Ranch the past few months you can find her in Alaska these days.  She's kinda finding it the way she remembered it & yet, it's different.  Might want to catch yourself up on her last few posts to see what she is doing there.  And hey, she must be getting close to Santa's house cause she's got reindeer pictures in her June 12th post:))  Check out Chinle’s latest happenings at Searching For Russia.

GROANER’S CORNER:((     An engineer, a psychologist, and a theologian were hunting in the wilderness of northern Canada.  Suddenly, the temperature dropped and a furious snowstorm was upon them. They came across an isolated cabin, far removed from any town. The hunters had heard that the locals in the area were quite hospitable, so they knocked on the door to ask permission to rest.  No one answered their knocks, but they discovered the cabin was unlocked and they entered. It was a simple place ... 2 rooms with a minimum of furniture and household equipment. Nothing was unusual about the cabin except the stove. It was large, pot-bellied, and made of cast-iron. What was strange about it was its location ... it was suspended in midair by wires attached to the ceiling beams.  "Fascinating," said the psychologist. "It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated this stove so that he can curl up under it and vicariously experience a return to the womb."  "Nonsense!" replied the engineer. "The man is practicing the laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout the cabin."  "With all due respect," interrupted the theologian, "I'm sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has religious meaning. Fire LIFTED UP has been a religious symbol for centuries."  The three debated the point for several hours without resolving the issue. When the trapper finally returned, they immediately asked him why he had hung his heavy pot-bellied stove from the ceiling.
His answer was succinct. "Had plenty of wire, not much stove pipe."

OH GREAT DREGS OF DREARY DRUDGERY

RECENT RAINS HAVE REALLY HELPED OUR FLOWERBED VEGETATION

That was the only blog title I could think of for my post tonight as I sat at my computer typing this afternoon.  Skies were gloomily gray & the rain just kept coming down & coming down.  Doesn’t take much for cabin fever to get a hold of me & I’m sure glad we don’t live in a heavily gray rain soaked area of the country.  It was Gloomsville here today:(( 

Often thought if I was a rich guy & could have myself my very own hobby car what make & model of a hobby car would I like.  Well the early 60's cigar shaped Ford Thunderbird has always been a favorite of mine ever since I saw my first one many years ago in the village of Tavistock where I grew up. I still remember when the Sommers family down the street bought a brand spanking new jet black Ford Thunderbird. Might have been a 62 or 63.  Wow, to me it was as sleek as a space ship & in my mind it was one of the best designed cars to ever come out of Detroit. I would often see one of the older Sommers boys driving that bird & like a moonstruck young teen-ager I was totally mesmerized every time Jim Sommers cruised that car down the street where I lived. I would always stop whatever I was doing & watch for as long as I could trying to imagine what kind of heaven Jim must be in driving that long, low, cigar shaped black Ford Thunderbird.  Back in those days, that's what dreams were made of for many a young car-struck teen-age boy like myself.  Hey, even Elvis had one of these for a time:)) 
 

I JUST LOVE THESE EARLY 60’S CIGAR SHAPED FORD THUNDERBIRDS

 

THUNDERBIRD PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE INTERNET
The decade between 1955 & 1965 was the most memorable for me when it came to cars. I was a young boy growing into my early teens & cars in those days were absolutely everything to young fellows like myself. We knew all the cars, makes, & models. Knew about the engines, the carbs, lake pipes, fender skirts, baby moons, 4 speeds, & just about anything else a young teenager needed to know about a cool car.   In the late 60's & into the 70's cars took on a box like sameness & the golden age of the adventurous & daring Detroit auto designs was over. Before that we could tell a Chev from a Ford coming down the road a mile away. We knew who was going by the house just by the sounds of the cars. The old Ford flat head eight's had their own sound just as the Chevy 283's did. (hope I got that engine size right) I remember the big stir when Chevrolet unveiled their 1959 Chevys. What a huge space age change in design that was with it's big sweeping fins & equally sweeping dash. Back in those days we only had basically one small car dealership in the small village of Tavistock & it was a Chevrolet dealer.  Every autumn you could feel the excitement in the town’s air as the anticipated delivery of the new models was expected.  Sometimes the new car or maybe two if the dealer could fit a second one in his showroom were kept under wraps just to heighten everyone’s anticipation until the official day they were unveiled.  It was standing room only in the dealership as the town's people flooded in to see the new cars…..or car. I can still remember that level of excitement & anticipation to this very day. It was a magic time for a young teen-ager.  To see all the other makes & models of new cars for the year we had to drive the 10 miles to Stratford where the bigger dealerships were.  But it was the memory of walking into that small showroom in Tavistock’s southwest end early one September evening & seeing for the very first time that big beautiful ‘out of this world’ looking 1959 Chevy Impala that still sticks with me to this day.  The smell of new paint, those big elongated tail lights & splashy red interior.  And all that chrome.  And OMG those tail fins!!  And holy smokes look at that sweeping panoramic dash which just seemed to travel right round the whole interior.  And oh that new car smell inside……‘WOW’  Yes, it was a level of excitement I remember well & by golly I’ll bet if I had me a 1963 Ford Thunderbird like the Sommers family had that young teen in me would probably be right totally excited all over again:))

So far I am not having much luck with my photo album confusion but I did have a small break through today when I recalled years ago posting a couple photo albums to my blog using Live Writer.  Probably been about 5 years since I tried that & it seems it didn’t work or something at the time.  Anyway below is a short test album of random photos to see if it will work this time.  I’m hoping the slide show feature will kick in.  If not I’ll have to head back to the drawing board to see what I did wrong…………..again.

		Live Writer Blog Test Album VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Kelly ventured off to Clinton this morning taking a box of old coins to an old coins appraisal event.  I couldn’t seem to get myself interested enough to go along.  When Kelly said she hoped there wouldn’t be any long line-ups to have old coins appraised that pretty well took care of any interest I might have had in the first place.  On her way home later she stopped into Elliot’s Liquidation Center to pick up a few things & was recognized by a fellow lady shopper as ‘Kelly’ from The Bayfield Bunch.  Cool:))

It has been well over a month now since I last accompanied Kelly & Pheebs on a morning walk.  It’s only 20 minutes around our pine trail but the last half dozen times I walked my legs felt like they had been on a 3 hour route march by the time we were home again.  Had to come in & sit down until that tiredness left my legs.  Have tried a few afternoon walks with Pheebs & it’s that same heavy stiffness which always brings us back early.  Most everything else seems to be working fine but it’s just that darn arthritis which seems to be wearing out my legs on me:((  Gotta get back to that dry Arizona air:))

 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( And here’s a memo released to all Blackberry employees awhile back……………Due to budget constraints, the following policies are announced regarding employees traveling on official business. These policies are effective immediately:

Lodging:
All employees are encouraged to stay with relatives and friends while on business. If weather permits, public areas such as parks should be used as temporary lodging sites. Bus terminals, train stations and office lobbies may also provide shelter in periods of inclement weather.

Transportation:
Hitch-hiking is the preferred mode of travel, in lieu of commercial transport. Luminescent safety vests will be issued to all employees prior to their departure on such travel. Airline tickets will only be authorized in extreme circumstances and the lowest fares will be used. For example, if a meeting is scheduled in Seattle, but a lower fare can be obtained by traveling to Detroit, the travel to Detroit will be substituted for travel to Seattle.

Meals:
Expenditures for meals will be limited to an absolute minimum. It should be noted that certain grocery and specialty chains, such as Hickory Farms, General Nutrition Centers, and Costco Club stores often provide free samples of promotional items. Entire meals can be obtained in this manner.

Travelers should also become familiar with indigenous roots, berries, and other protein sources available at their destination. If restaurants must be utilized, travelers should utilize "all you can eat" salad bars. This is especially effective for employees traveling together - as one plate can be used to feed the entire group. Employees are also encouraged to bring their own food on official travel. Cans of tuna, Spam and Beefaroni can be consumed at your leisure without the unnecessary bother of heating or costly preparation.

Miscellaneous:
All employees are encouraged to devise innovative techniques in an effort to save our budget dollars. One enterprising individual has already suggested that money could be raised during airport layover period, which could be used to defray expenses. In support of this idea, red caps will be issued to all employees prior to their departure, so that they may earn tips by helping other travelers with their luggage. Small plastic roses and ball point pens will also be made available to employees so that sales may be made, as time permits.

IT WAS THURSDAY MORNING SO THAT MEANT A TRAVELING COFFEE WITH MY BEST BUDDY RICHARD:))

BESIDE OUR LITTLE FRONT YARD FROG POND

Last time my good friend Richard & I slipped out for coffee was two weeks ago today.  We agreed at that time to meet again (although we only live a couple hundred yards from each other) in a couple weeks which of course was this morning.  It was my turn to drive so we wandered on down around Grand Bend grabbing a couple Tim Horton coffee's along the way.  A nice relaxing tour around the Bend then the long way home along our picturesque country roads.  Now them’s is my kinda people mornings.  Richard & I go back 40 years & neither one of us is ever at a loss for words whenever we get together.  We agreed to meet up again two weeks from today.  Same time, same place, different roads.  Nice to have a friend like that:))

Gene from Ohio in our Shout Box asked, 'Al, Bayfield looks like a nice destination. Are there campgrounds nearby? How long is the drive from Detroit?   Well Gene, MapQuest says it’s 126 miles from Detroit to Bayfield with a driving time of two & a half hours.  We have a really nice Provincial Park about half an hour south of Bayfield on highway 21 called the Pinery Provincial Park which is right on the shores of Lake Huron & there is one RV campground on the outskirts of Bayfield called, 'The Old Homestead.'

SPOTTED THIS CAR GOING BY IN OUR PARK THIS AFTERNOON

IS THIS A BLURRY PHOTO OF A CANADIAN MOOSE HIDING IN SOME TALL GRASS OR IS IT A BLURRY PHOTO OF A TURKEY VULTURE TAKING TO THE AIR??

Took Pheebs for a walk around our Park’s pond this afternoon.  I was again reminded of why Kelly & I like our Park so much here at the 5 Seasons Estates.  But it’s probably not for the same reasons a lot of folks like Parks.  All of the following things make our Park the thankfully quiet piece of nature we love so well.  We do not have a swimming pool or hot tub.  We do have a Clubhouse that a few folks meet in a couple times a week to play cards but other than that, there are no social activities.  No social activities equals no noise:))   Our street, or road as we call it, is not paved & we have no STOP signs except for the one leaving the Park.  There are no children’s playgrounds here.  In fact, there are no children, therefore no teen-agers so therefore again, no noise.  About 62 units spaced out over a wide area in a Pine forest means very little traffic.  Probably 90% of all residents are over 65 & a percentage of them do not drive.  Our Park is bordered by hardwood forests & farmland so no busy highways bustling by.  Not even so much as a distant train whistle anywhere.  We are quite simply, a small peaceful hidden away little community out in the countryside.  And, imagine if you can, not even having to lock your door.  Safe to walk anytime day or night.  Miles of quiet forest trails at our doorstep.   Yep, just a few thoughts I had while walking Pheebs around the pond this afternoon:))

 

ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE POND IS OUR PATH TO THE WOODS 

There is not a day goes by the Pheebs doesn't put a multitude of smiles on my face & warm feelings in my heart.  Kelly & I often remark how truly fortunate we are to have found such a wonderful little Pal 4 years ago.  Pheebe just bubbles over with happiness & love 24 hours a day non stop.  Not a mean bone in her body & we have never ever even heard her growl.  And what a smoochy little snuggler she is too.  Loves her tummy rubs.  And, every night she sleeps on my bed right beside me.  Now, how special is that.  I think she is a combination of Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse all rolled up in one & that just makes her, her very own sweet little self .  She is just the greatest & we are sooooo very fortunate to have her in our lives:))

Would you believe I have not seen my family Doctor in over 5 years.  Fact is.....I've never seen him.  Never met him at all.  Well at least I think he’s a him because his first name is Stan.  Guess I just haven't had any medical issues serious enough to see my family Doctor about yet.  The way things are done here in our neck of the woods is a much different way of doing things than it was years ago.  It seems nowadays a person is assigned a Nurse Practitioner (NP) who is a fully qualified registered Nurse.  Well at least it's the way it is at the Medical Center I go to in Goderich Ontario.  It is my Nurse Practitioner I see whenever I make a 'Doctor' appointment.  My NP lady determines if my case is serious enough to require an actual Doctor.  I think it's a great idea because it saves our busy Doctors having to spend precious hours of their days dealing with things like sniffles, colds, bumps, scratches, sprained ankles, bee stings, prescription renewals & people overdosing on peanut butter sandwiches.  I guess when someday my Nurse Practitioner lady refers me to my Doctor across the hall I will know at that time my condition is serious, my days are numbered & I am well beyond my usual petty complaints, sniffles, prescription renewals, & peanut butter addiction woes.  In the meantime I am a lucky guy.  I have a very caring & personable Nurse Practitioner……& her name is Sue:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Last October my wife bought a magnolia tree from the local nursery, but after only a few weeks the leaves shrivelled. It appeared to be on its last legs. My wife took some leaf samples and marched into the nursery to demand an explanation.  "I know exactly what's wrong with your magnolia," said the manager.
"Good," said my wife. "What's it suffering from?"  "Autumn," he replied.

---

A man approached a ticket agent and said, "I want to buy a bus ticket for Norwald."
The ticket agent started searching his destination book, "Norwald? Let me find that. Hmm... never heard of it. Let me see... Norwald. I don't see Norwald listed, and I can't find it on the map. Just where is Norwald, anyway?"  "Over there. He's my brother-in-law."

CLEANED SOME GUTTERS, MORE DRIVE-BY’S & WHAT WILL IT BE-FLICKR, PHOTOBUCKET, SMUG MUG, OR GOOGLE’S WAY………..

APPROACHING STORMS SEND THIS LONE FISHING BOAT SCURRYING FOR THE SAFETY OF BAYFIELD’S HARBOR THIS MORNING
Had noticed clumps of pine needles sticking out of our eaves Tuesday so this morning it was out with a tall step ladder & a garden hose to clean the eaves troughs.  Always a messy bit of business but an hour later it was done.  Thank heavens we don't have a second story house with tall eaves or we would have to have someone come in & do it.  Leaning shaky ladders against buildings & climbing up them is not something I will do.  I'm sure we all know of older fellas still thinking they are younger fellas & toppling off ladders to sometimes dire results. 

OUR LARGE SUNROOM WINDOWS ARE NOT ONLY FOR US LOOKING OUT BUT FOR OTHERS LOOKING IN
Weather was unstable all day with thunder rumbling out over the lake, rampant wind gusts, & a few pockets of fast moving rain followed by bursts of sunshine.  Saw a tornado advisory pop us somewhere early in the afternoon.  Had been totally enjoying our cooler humidity free days up until today.  It had been great for working away on outside projects.  Looks like we are headed back into hot & sticky again.  Arrrgggghhhhhh!!

Still trying to get a handle on some kind of an easily understandable photo album program.  I'm sure once I am able to wrap my head around one of the them I will be good to go & finally have this problem behind me.  Spent a fair bit of time today reading about Smug Mug, Photo Bucket, Flickr, & Google's way of doing things.  Google is out because it involves having to get tangled up in all that Google+ social media swirl & I have totally no interest in all that stuff.   Back & forth between Photo Bucket, Smug Mug & Flickr.  Flickr seems to be the most popular & Flickr Pro seems like it might be the one to go with.  Sat for awhile this afternoon banging away on the Flickr site but it's frustrating when your an impatient slow learner like myself.  Like sitting down with a thousand piece puzzle & not understanding why I can’t have it all together in 5 minutes. 

TUESDAY’S VACUUMING UP OF MUFFIN CRUMBS

NEVER DID LIKE OUR WRANGLER’S DASH MUCH BUT DO LIKE THE LAYOUT & SHAPE OF OUR JEEP LIBERTY’S DASH
Sure have been amassing me a pile of photos here these last few days so that means I have a lot of photo editing to catch up on.  Thinking I might get some storm photos out over the lake Pheebs & slipped into Bayfield this morning but the dark clouds dissipated & that was that.  We did cruise around a few streets doing a few more house/property drive-by shootings though.


AND BY GOLLY THAT’S MY FRIEND GARY’S HOUSE FOR SALE:))

Is it just me or does Live Writer seem to be publishing faster since the great debacle with Blogger.  Maybe it’s just my wishful thinking again but it does kinda seem that way to me.
<<< THIS BIRD IS PERCHED ON THE BALCONY OF A MARTIN HOUSE SO I AM ASSUMING IT IS A FEMALE MARTIN…IF NOT A MARTIN THEN IT MUST BE AN INTERLOPER
Kelly dropped into the Goderich Visitor Center today & loaded herself up with a bunch of brochures on area activities.  Looks like we will be adding a Nuclear Power Plant & a fascinating Ice Culture Company to our growing itinerary of things to see & do this summer.  Here's a little taste of the Ice Culture Company.....'Ice Culture began 30 years ago as a hobby & today the company is one of the largest players of the ice industry around the world.  This small Ontario company operates an exciting business that takes staff around the globe attending international events & elaborate gala functions'.  Groovy eh:))

BANNOCKBURN CONSERVATION AREA
GROANER'S CORNER When the doctors were told to contribute to the construction of a new wing at a hospital:
The allergists voted to scratch it.
The dermatologists preferred no rash moves.
The gastroenterologists had a gut feeling about it.
The micro-surgeons were thinking along the same vein.
The neurologists thought the administration had a lot of nerve.
The obstetricians stated they were laboring under a misconception.
The ophthalmologists considered the idea short-sighted.
The orthopedists issued a joint resolution.
The parasitologists said, "Well, if you encyst".
The pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!"
The pediatricians said, "Grow up".
The proctologists said, "We are in arrears".
The psychiatrists thought it was madness.
The surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
The radiologists could see right through it.
The internists thought it was a hard pill to swallow.
The plastic surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter".
The podiatrists thought it was a big step forward.
The D.O.s thought they were being manipulated.
The urologists felt the scheme wouldn't hold water.
The anaesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas.
The cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.
And the otologists were deaf to the idea.
Obviously the hospital's new wing never got built!!