ACTUALLY WOKE UP WITH A PLAN THIS MORNING & IT INCLUDED OTHER PEOPLE………WHAT!!

CHRIS & CARON ENJOYING HURON COUNTIES HULLETT-MARSH THIS MORNING

I woke up with a plan this morning & holy smokes those plans even included other people.  Caron & Chris had expressed an interest in seeing the Hullett-Marsh so at 9 a.m. they dropped over with Dixie & we had us a 2 vehicle convoy over to the Marsh.  Of course Pheebs & I had our customary swing through Tim Hortons before we all headed the short distance to the Marsh area. 

WALKING ALONG ONE OF THE DYKE TOPS

DIXIE TRIES TO COAX PHEEBS INTO THE WATER FOR A DIP BUT PHEEBS WILL HAVE NO PART OF IT

With Caron, Chris & Dixie following in their silver gray Honda I led them about half way around the perimeter of  the swamp before turning into a long laneway leading to a parking lot.  From there we were on foot for a half hour walk along the top of a grassy dyke.  Most critters kept out of photo range but we did see some Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese, Ducks, a few water birds, turtles, some unknown Beetles, lots of leopard frogs, Cormorants, a Sea Gull or two & probably a few things I've already forgot about.  Normally I don't see as many things on my own but with Caron & Chris's eyes pointing things out I was able to see much more than I usually do. 

 

WHEN I TOOK THIS PHOTO I WAS SEEING ONLY STUMPS…..UNTIL CARON POINTED SOMETHING OUT

LOOKING CLOSER ONE CAN SEE CORMORANTS SITTING ON SOME OF THOSE STUMPS

TURTLE RIDING ON A SHARK

A SWAMP SEAL

HUNTERS ARE HUNTING CANADA GEESE THIS WEEK SO CHRIS WONDERED IF MAYBE THESE MOTIONLESS GEESE WERE DECOYS

IT’S OBVIOUS MARSH WATERS ARE VERY SHALLOW

 

Unlike Pheebs Dixie was in the water for a swim several times but was all dried off by the time we made it back to the cars.  We walked a little further along the dyke than Pheebs & I usually do so even I got to see a few new things.  Like a wasp nest Caron pointed out as well as some strange looking Beetles she spotted on some Milk Weed plants.  At first we thought they were Lady Bugs but on closer inspection we could see they were something different.  Skies were clear & the heat of day was beginning to build so we moved out & drove around to another section of the Marsh & had a look at an old overhead iron bridge.

 

 

DIXIE LIKES THE WATER

WE COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHAT THESE STRANGE LOOKING BEETLES WERE

CARON SPOTTED THIS ACTIVE WASP NEST

One last section of the Marsh where we parked & again took a short hike along one of the dykes.  Caron & Chris needed to be back by 1 o'clock so about noon we made our way about 2 miles back to Clinton dropped into Tim Hortons for a bite to eat.  Luckily for me Chris said he's buy lunch because I was standing in front of the menu board with a measly $5.35 in my pocket.  Cheapest thing I found on the board was a grilled cheese sandwich for $3.99 so my mind was on overtime trying to figure out how much tax would be added to that.  One miscalculation & I would have been behind the counter with an apron on sweeping up donut crumbs.  Chris & I both had a Chicken Wrap while Caron settled for a Bagel. 

We were back to our place in good time before Caron & Chris's 1 o'clock appointment.  All & all we had ourselves a mighty fine morning & how nice to see Dixie & Pheebs enjoying their outing as well.  It wasn't long after Caron & Chris left I was into my recliner for a short afternoon Siesta.  Pheebs too.....right on my lap:))

 

Kelly called tonight & said she decided to head home Saturday morning which I thought was a good decision as opposed to Friday morning when traffic along her route as well as the border would be at it's heaviest.  Some of the busiest traffic in all of Canada runs along that corridor between Toronto, Hamilton, & the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area. 

Kelly asked me if I had picked up the mail.  Mail??  Oh Dear I hadn’t even thought of the mail for over a week.  Well I had better get up to the mailbox & check that out so loaded up the Pheebs & off we went half way round the block to the mailroom.  First time I’d been in our mail room in probably a couple years.  Good thing Kelly reminded me of our box number or I never would have found it.  Mostly ad flyers but one of those flyers was for a $3 hamburger at HARVEYS & by golly they have a Harvey’s in Goderich & they do build a good burg.  And double by golly Pheebs & I had another mission & without further ado we were off to Goderich.  Besides, the half dozen cold fish sticks we had for supper just weren’t cutting it anyway.  About half way there I thought to myself, ‘oh geeeezzz do I still have that $5.35 from this morning.  A quick check of my wallet & pants pocket told me I did so we were good to go.  Burg came to $3.15 & we were laughing.  Meant we had a whopping $2.20 left over & that was just about enough to get us both into some serious trouble if we needed to.  Had a few things to pick up in Wal-mart anyway so with cash-back I restocked the larder.  Now we had a whole $10.  Oh, & while at Harveys I luckily remembered something a reader had said a few days ago about me not eating my ‘greens’ this week so I had the girl fixin up my burg throw a big double dollop of relish on the burg as well:))

Sun was all but down by the time we made it to the harbor & beach area but I did manage a few pics.  By the way all the Inukshuks along the shoreline were  knocked down a couple nights ago.  Totally levelled I hear.  Figured that would sooner or later happen & it did.  That was the down side but here’s the up side.  Just as fast as someone knocked them all down people have been springing them up again & I was surprised to see so many had already risen from the ashes so to speak.  Amongst the Inukshuks sat 2 ladies just finishing up playing their harps.  Caught few melodic angelic harp string sounds & managed a few photos before they called it a day.  Heard one of the ladies say the harps were made in Nova Scotia with one being Cherry wood & I think the other one was made of Walnut.

  

GROANER’S CORNER:((  "Well," snarled the tough old sergeant to the bewildered private. "I suppose after you get discharged from the Army, you'll just be waiting for me to die so you can come and spit on my grave."  "Not me, Sarge!" the private replied. "Once I get out of the Army, I'm never going to stand in line again!"

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- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

A FINE MID SEPTEMBER DRIVE THROUGH AMISH COUNTRY

ANOTHER NICE MORNING FOR A COUNTRY DRIVE

Had been a couple weeks since Pheebs & I had taken a drive up through Amish/Mennonite country so our rather aimless wanderings  this morning eventually led us up that way.  Stopped in Wingham for a Ham Sub then headed southwest for a leg stretch at Lake Wawanosh.  Turned out to be a nice 4 hour leisurely drive through part of my favorite countryside & I was able to pick up a couple different roads for another batch of barn photos.  We were home again by early afternoon.

Tuesday night Chris & Caron invited me over for supper but after my 4 egg noon omelette blow-out I totally had no appetite so Pheebs & I dropped over for a tea & campfire a bit later.  A really nice September night sitting out under a sky full of stars around a campfire.  It was 9:30 before Pheebs & I finally wondered on home & Caron made sure we had us a couple muffins to take along as well.

A MID SEPTEMBER MORN BY THE SHORES OF LAKE WAWANOSH

HERE’S ONE FOR YOU TOM WAY UP THERE IN THAT ALASKA PLACE

SSSHHHHH, I DON’T THINK SHE KNOWS SHE’S STANDING IN THE RIVER

Kelly is thinking of heading home Friday but wants to be sure her Mother has a good understanding of Windows 10 before she leaves.  Still busy doing a lot of catch-up visiting as well.   Not being a big visiting type person I'm sure glad I got left at home:))

GROANER’S CORNER:)) During the Air Force Academy's basic cadet training, the new cadets go through a ten-day encampment outdoors. Prior to being served in the chow tent, they are required to do push-ups and then get in line to answer questions about the academy. If they answer correctly, they are allowed to proceed inside. If not, they are sent to the back of the line.  One cadet had been sent back a number of times because he didn't reel off the answers. When the poor cadet came up again, a sympathetic upperclassman asked him, "What does the abbreviation S. I. D. N. K. stand for?"
The cadet bowed his head and replied, "Sir, I do not know."  "Right!" the upperclassman said. "Now go on in there and get some chow!"

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A shepherd was herding his flocks in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand new Jeep Cherokee advanced towards him out of a dust cloud. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and a YSL tie, leans out of the window and asks: "If I can tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?"  The shepherd looks at the yuppie, then at his peacefully grazing flock and answers, "Sure!"  The yuppie parks the car, whips out his notebook, connects it to a cell phone, surfs to a NASA page where he calls up a GPS navigation system, scans the area and opens a database and some 60 spreadsheets with complex formulas. Finally, he prints a 150-page report on a miniature printer, turns to our shepherd and says: "You have exactly 1586 sheep!"  "That's correct. As agreed, you can take one of the sheep," says the shepherd. He watches the young man make a selection and bundle it into his Cherokee.  As the car starts to pull away, he calls out: "If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me my sheep back?"  "Okay, why not?" answers the young man, stopping the car.  "You are a consultant" says the shepherd.  "That's correct," says the yuppie. "How did you guess?"  "Easy," answers the shepherd. "You turn up here without being asked. You want to be paid for information I already have. And you don't know anything about my business because you just took my dog."

SHOULDN’T HAVE MADE MYSELF A BIG HONKIN OMELETTE FOR LUNCH:((

CARON STANDING ON THE SHORELINE OF LAKE HURON MONDAY NIGHT

Another beautiful mid September day as Pheebs & I leisurely walked the morning trail.  Busied myself with some yard.work just enjoying the quiet ambience of the day.  Chris & their dog Dixie from TRAVELS WITH CC AND DIXIE dropped over in the afternoon for a bit & we talked about RV plans & upcoming destinations.  Looks like they are headed for Florida this winter.

Think I kinda messed myself up with my elite cooking skills today.  Got it into my head around noon to fix myself up an omelette.  Been a few years since I’ve done that & I think I used too many eggs.(4)  Found a boiled potato in the fridge so sliced that along with some of Kelly’s cheese.  I’ve never cared much for cheese unless it’s hidden in something else so I sliced some cheese into the frying pan knowing by the time I ate it I would have forgotten I even had put it in there.  In the meantime I tossed a whole whack of Captain Hi-Liner fish sticks in our toaster oven & got those going too.  Everything seemed to turn out OK except for some smoke here & there.  Ate two thirds of the omelette & that seemed to absorb all my energy.  Didn’t get much done for the rest of the day because it felt like I had swallowed a big lead cannonball.  I should have just had myself a big bowl of Cheerios & I would have been just fine.  This cooking stuff is for the birds!!

 

Test fired the Big EEE’s water heater this morning to see if all was well since I changed the heater’s anode rod last week.  Hot water in 20 minutes & no leaks so all was good.  Figured it was a good time to take the rig for it’s monthly stroll so Pheebs & I wandered ourselves around a few country blocks & the rig ran like a top.

 

Kelly & I have been emailing back & forth & she has been kept very busy with a lot of family & friends visiting.  Said she is having a hard time keeping up with her 90 year old Mother.  She’s going to be needing a big rest when she gets home.

PHEEBS REALLY MISSES HELPING MOM IN THE KITCHEN

Monday night I picked Chris & Caron up at their campsite & we took us for a little tour around Bayfield looking at some of the nice cozy homes tucked away in this once quaint little fishing village.  From there it was over to the beach at Deer Park Lodge where we caught a big red sun dipping into Lake Huron’s cooling waters.  A walk around Deer Park’s grounds as darkness slowly descended.  Seemed like about 10 o’clock at night yet it was only around 8.  Drove C & C back to their campsite then headed on home to a very happy patiently waiting little dog.  Toyed with the idea of maybe slipping out into the countryside & trying a few night photos but just didn’t seem to have the energy for it & that was it for the night.

SPOTTED THIS ‘SIGN OF THE SEASON’ ON OUR BIG EEE DRIVE THIS MORNING

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Miriam has never been on a cruise before. One day, she meets her friend Lucy and they stop for a chat.  "So where are you and Sam going for your holidays this year?" asks Lucy.  "I'd like to try out a cruise," replies Miriam, "but I'm not sure whether Sam and I would enjoy ourselves. We're almost 80 now and Sam thinks cruising is for younger people."  "No, you're wrong in thinking that," replies Lucy. "Most cruise ships have special design features just for senior citizens."  "So give me an example, please," says Miriam.  "Well OK," replies Lucy, "They have bifocal portholes."

FELLOW CANADIAN SOUTHWEST SNOW BIRDS DROP IN FOR A VISIT

A SUNDAY NIGHT WALK ON THE BEACH FOR PHEEBS & I

After spending most of Sunday under heavily overcast skies in our somewhat gloomy darkened forest I was happily surprised when checking Grand Bend's Yacht club web cam to see clearing skies out over Lake Huron.  Shortly after that I saw a few shafts of sunlight making their way through our pine tree canopy.  Totally needing a happy sun fix I took Pheebs for a drive out the east end of our park into the glorious sunlight.  Circled around a couple country blocks soaking up that happy feeling & headed back into Bayfield for a drive-thru.  Shortly after that we had ourselves walking on Deer Park Lodge's beautiful sandy beach taking a few more sunset photos for a second night in a row:))

PHEEBS LIKES THE BEACH AS LONG AS SHE DOESN’T GET WET…..I’M KINDA THE SAME WAY

 

SHE IS BEING VERY CAREFUL NOT TO GET THOSE PAWS WET

 

Our day dawned bright & clear so Pheebs & I headed straightaway to the Hullett-Marsh again.  Not a cloud in the sky & it was just the finest early Autumn day imaginable.  Hiked us into an area that is usually under water.  With the many dykes in Hullett all ponds are water managed & it appears the area we walked in this morning was drained probably late last year.  It’s all lush & green now with tall thick grasses & the night’s heavy dew had me wet from the knees down & Pheebs wet from the paws up.  Next summer this whole area could be under water again.

HARD TO IMAGINE THIS WAS ALL UNDER ABOUT 4’ OF WATER LAST SUMMER

A SMALL WATER CHANNEL RUNS THROUGH THIS SECTION OF MARSH & WHEN THE WATER GATE IS CLOSED THIS SECTION WILL FILL UP WITH WATER AGAIN

WE SURE HAD TO SLOG THROUGH SOME LONG GRASS HERE

REMINDS ME OF AN OLD SONG…..’COMIN THRO THE RYE’

NORMALLY WHEN THIS IS FLOODED THERE ARE DUCKS & CANADA GEESE OUT THERE WITH GREAT BLUE HERONS FISHING IN THE SHALLOWS

No long drives this morning & we were home before 11.  Had received an email from fellow RV’er’s & seasonal Bloggers Chris & Caron from TRAVELS WITH CC & DIXIE on Sunday.  They are in our area & actually camped at the OLD HOMESTEAD RV & TRAILER PARK which is less than a mile from our house.  Emailed them saying Pheebs & I were back from our morning Safari & they bicycled right on over.  Took them for a ride in the Jeep around our Park showing them the layout.  They were curious to have a look at some of the units.  I’m going to pick them up tonight at 7 & we’ll do a little Bayfield tour & catch a sunset on the beach.  We had only met Chris & Caron one other time & that was 2 winters ago when they dropped in to see us in Congress Arizona.  Our paths have criss-crossed a few times out there in the wild woolly west here & there missing each other by just a day or two.

Spent a big chunk of my afternoon doing a bunch of catch up stuff around our front yard.  It’s that time of year & it was a perfect day to begin transplanting & moving Hostas around.  Trimmed up a lot of overgrown stuff I should have trimmed up months ago.  I even re-located our bird feeding station & added a taller post for better visibility from our computer station in the sunroom.  Say did I mention what a beautiful day it was:))

ENJOYING OUR DAY’S END SUNSET

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Tonight We Have The Senior Citizens Alphabet::

A's for arthritis

B's for bad back

C's for the chest pains.

Corned beef? Cardiac?

D is for dental decay and decline E is for eyesight--can't read that top line

F is for fissures and fluid retention

G is for gas (which I'd rather not mention) And other gastrointestinal glitches

H is high blood pressure

I is for itches

J is for joints that are failing to flex

L for libido--what happened to sex?

Wait! I forgot about K for bad knees (I've got a few gaps in my M - memory)

N's for nerve (pinched) and neck (stiff) and neurosis

O is for osteo-

P for porosis

Q is for queasiness. Fatal? Just flu?

R is for reflux--one meal becomes two

S is for sleepless nights counting my fears

T for tinnitus--bells in my ears

U is for difficulties urinary

V is for vertigo

W is worry about what the X--as in X ray will find but though the word terminal rushes to mind I'm proud as each Y - year goes by to reveal a reservoir of undiminished Z – zeal for checking the symptoms my body deployed and keeping my twenty-six doctors employed.