A FEW PHOTO PROJECTS UNDERWAY & WHAT A CHARMING VILLAGE BAYFIELD REALLY IS

A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE WEST SIDE OF MAIN STREET IN DOWNTOWN BAYFIELD THIS MORNING

Thunder, lightning, & heavy rains came in the night bringing cool temps & blinking our power off & on.  Foliage, drooping under the weight of continuing raindrops looked extra lush & green.  I'm sure area farm folks will be happy with all this extra water for their fast growing late Spring crops.  With Mother Nature stirring up her proverbial weather pot neither Kelly or I managed a good night's sleep which in turn led to a tired day.  In my head was the childhood tune, 'rain rain go away come again another day'.  But there was a big upside to our overnight rains in that it washed all the pine pollen off the Big EEE & Jeep Liberty.  When storms again returned in late afternoon I quickly backed our pollen laden Sunfire out of the carport & it too ended up sparkly clean:))

I THINK THIS LADY MIGHT BE GIVING HER HUSBAND THE DICKENS…”YES DEAR, YES DEAR”

Back in August of 2008 I had taken a bunch of photos in & around Bayfield & put together a photo album of the Village.  Been in the back of mind to do that again sometime so this morning after the rains let up I headed into town & parked on Bayfield's Heritage Main Street.  Being Monday some shops were open & some shops were closed.  Not many people on the street so it was a good time to wander around uninterrupted with a camera.  Only had one fella come out & ask me why I was taking pictures of his place.  Turns out he grew up in Stratford & the more we chatted the more people we realized we knew.  He was called back inside by a staff member & I continued on my way snapping here & snapping there.  Bayfield truly is a nice picturesque little Village atop the cliffs of Lake Huron & dates back to 1832.

I have also started compiling photos of Bayfield homes around the Village.  On my evening drives with Pheebs I have been randomly snapping pics of houses & properties as we slowly roll by.  (It’s my kind of ‘drive-by shooting’)  Bayfield is made up of beautiful individually designed homes from old original rustic cottages to a few architectural marvels.  Close to the heart of the village nothing resembles a sprawling subdivision.  Each property is unique & with Bayfield’s abundance of century old trees home owners have blended their landscaping in to give the whole village it’s charm.  

I was home a few hours later with about 175 photos to edit.  Taking & editing photos is the easy part.  Putting together a photo album is the hard part for me.  When Google stepped in with their Google+ stuff years ago & took over how my photos & photo albums were handled I lost touch with all my photo albums.  Try as I did I was not able to get a handle on Google's way of doing things & I soon found myself left far in the dust.  And I've been lost in that Google dust ever since.  I do need to come up with some sort of way to deal with my photo album problem.  I have far too many photos to include in my daily posts each day & I really need to organize my photos again into some kind an album form.  At least with albums I can include their links in my posts for anyone wanting to see additional photos on any one given subject.  Today's Bayfield photos really need to be albumized & I think it’s high time I got a handle on things.  I do have have a Flickr account as well as a Smug Mug account but I was never knocked about Flickr so maybe I should try & get my head wrapped around my Smug Mug account again.  I did like Smug Mug better than the other photo programs but their last upgrade a year or two ago confused me, my attention dwindled, & out of frustration I let my account drop.   Anyway, if I am to move ahead with some new photo ideas I definitely have to get a handle on my photo album problem.  More patience Al, more patience………………………..

I have still been plowing through books on my Kindle but have been lax at keeping up my book reports.  As a young fella I read a lot of books about the 2 great wars & especially liked reading of those daring young men in their flying machines in particular the fighter pilots.  A few weeks ago I finished an excellent read from one of those brave young men who flew the skies over England during the Battle Of Britain.  Author & pilot Geoffrey Wellum wrote First Light.  The book is not as much about the aerial dogfights as it is about a young man’s thoughts & feelings as he struggles with his own self doubts, guilt's, & fears.  It is an honest book with as much of the story taking place on the ground as in the air.  Hard to imagine at only 19 years of age 15,000 feet in the air fighting to just survive the next few seconds while your Spitfire is being shot to pieces by another young fellow flying a German Messerschmitt right behind you.  Hard to imagine being lost over England in bad weather & fog not knowing where your air base is & fighting the panic to stay calm.  Hard to imagine the aircraft mechanical failures, the crashes, friends dying, stressful sleepless nights & always waiting, waiting, waiting never knowing if you would ever see another sunrise.  Great book & well written.

I BEGAN READING AT A YOUNG AGE, GOT AWAY FROM IT FOR A BUNCH OF YEARS BUT AM RIGHT BACK AT IT AGAIN:))

Currently I am again reading another factual book on history called Famous Sheriffs & Western Outlaws & of course am thoroughly enjoying it.  Many of the towns & areas in the South-western United States where history has taken place Kelly & I have been & even lived in for a time while boondocking, ranch sitting, or at our house.  It was in our ranch sitting days near McNeal Arizona that we got to walk the streets of Tombstone & hike the trails of Cochise & Geronimo.  Not just once but many times over the course of a few winter seasons spent in the area.  I especially liked the book section having to do with Cochise County.  Kelly & I have have found & walked the long ago Ghost Towns of Mill Bank, Charleston, Gleason, Pearce, Fairbank & a few others which have slipped my mind.  We found Johnny Ringo’s grave at the foot of the Chiricauha Mountains, walked the grounds of Fort Bowie, & stood at the grave of one of the legendary Earp brothers in a Willcox cemetery.  This whole area was once referred to as Helldorado & when one reads the history one can easily understand how it acquired that name.  Mexican & Apache raiding parties riding up the Sulphur Springs Valley & into the Dragoon, Mule, & Chiricahua Mountains.  The book tells of the lawlessness in not only Tombstone but nearby Bisbee as well.   Bisbee by the way is one of our all time favorite western towns.  Last time I was in Tombstone I walked those legendary streets with my Aunt Jean.  Yes, I’m really enjoying this book & especially so since we have traveled this whole area & now actually own a house in another one of Arizona’s wild west historical areas near Wickenburg.  Always nice reading historical things about areas we have been too…………………………………. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  The little boy greeted his grandmother with a hug and said, "I'm so happy to see you grandma. Now maybe daddy will do the trick he has been promising us." The grandmother was curious. "What trick is that my dear," she asked. The little boy replied, "I heard daddy tell mommy that he would climb the walls if you came to visit us 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.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOUR AGING BODY CANNOT TAKE YOU TO WHERE YOUR RESTLESS MIND WANTS TO GO

Winnie the Bago beckoned to me this morning from her sheltered spot in the shaded Pines just off the end of our driveway. "Come on" she said. "Let's go for a spin". Kelly had already headed off in the Jeep for the Goderich hospital to drop off some medical stuff so Pheebs & I didn't need any coaxing to climb aboard the Winnie Wagon. Cranked up the A/C & under cloudy skies we headed on down the road for a big country cruise around the block. Winnie was just as happy as we were to be out & about on the road going somewhere.

Rolling into the south end of Bayfield on the way back we stopped to see our friends Di & Harry at STORMRUNNER RV SALES & SERVICE. Pheebs wanted to stop in & touch noses with George & Sport. They are the 4 legged half of the Stormrunner bunch. Harry & Di usually RV in one of the newer model RV's they have on the lot but 2 winters ago they rolled through the South-West in their truck camper. We met them in Bisbee Arizona for breakfast. Nice folks & if your in the area & looking for a new or used 5th wheel just stop on by & have a chat with Di & Harry.

The confusion over Kelly's Valley Fever test results continue. Dr. Heffner's office in Stratford phoned late this morning scheduling another Stratford appointment for Aug 1rst. Another round of blood tests two weeks before that appointment as well. Kelly had phoned them 2 days ago saying she was told her Valley Fever test was back at the lab in the Goderich Hospital. Dr. Heffner's office phoned the Goderich lab & were told 'no' the test results were 'not back'. So Kelly then phoned the Goderich Hospital saying she was there 2 days ago & had been told the results 'were back'. Today she was told the results were 'not back' & in fact were still at the Public Health Department in London Ontario. Kelly continues to improve but the Valley Fever folly continues. 

Note to commenter Martha on Wednesday night’s post from commenter Donna regarding switching from Hotmail to Outlook…….“In order to print email: When you have an email open across the top toolbar it will say: New Reply Delete Archive Junk Sweep Move to Categories then there are three dots. Click on the dots and more tools will show up, one of them is Print”.

Contessa over at 5C'S QUE PASA went into surgery this morning for a hip replacement. Anyone having any hip problems or facing hip surgery might be interested in how she made out & how she feels about it all when she gets home.  At the moment Contessa’s Mother is not well so she if facing some difficult times in the days ahead. Contessa is one who writes from the heart.

Had a comment question about one of my flower photos in Wednesday night's post & how did I get the black background. Photo was taken in full daylight but a few factors contributed to that purple flower shot. First & foremost, if your going to do any kind of creative photography it is best you have a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera. This gives you the option of changing lenses & it gives you a necessary view finder. When it comes to bugs, birds, frogs, flowers, etc I use a 75-300mm lens. Almost a hundred per cent of my close-up photos are done at a full 300mm. This enables me to accurately see & fill the view finder with the subject & that is important. It is the subject matter (flower) filling the viewfinder which the camera's exposure meter reads. If the subject matter is light colored or has sunlight on it the exposure meter will try to compensate for the brightness by darkening the overall photo & that is one of several factors that will darken the background in the process. There are other factors at play as well. I have my camera tweaked to underexpose my photos by one full stop making it again darker. A telephoto lens can also allow a subject to be distanced from it's background in some cases. Distance between that purple flower & the background was about 8 feet & the background was in shade. And composition is an important factor. Try to position your lighter subject against a dark shaded background.  I sometimes try to position myself between the lighter subject & a darker tree trunk maybe 3 or 4 feet in the background.  Always remember to check & see what is behind your subject.

There are far more places in the South-West we have not seen than there are places we have seen. But the places we have seen will remain with us forever. While spending time in South-Eastern Arizona ranch sitting for 4 years we were very fortunate to have spent time exploring around that whole area. (each colored link below represents one day in the life of the Bayfield Bunch) We have WALKED THE VERY TRAILS OF COCHISE & GERONIMO in the Chiricahua & Dragoon Mountains. STROLLED THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE ARIZONA & picked our way through the remains of half a dozen long forgotten ghost towns such as CHARLESTON & MILLVILLE, GLEESON, COURTLAND, FAIRBANK, & PEARCE.  Old western historic sites like the TEXAS JOHN SLAUGHTER RANCH, BISBEE, & the border towns of NACO & DOUGLAS. We found JOHNNY RINGO'S GRAVE as well as ONE OF TOMBSTONE'S EARP BROTHERS. Hiked into FORT BOWIE & saw the ruts of old stagecoach trails. Stopped at a Spring where Cochise & his Apache band gathered water. Walked on grounds where Indians & American Cavalry battled. Saw the graves of SEVEN CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS who lost their lives to a band of roving Apaches. Walked, driven, & hiked the Huachuca Mountains & STOOD ATOP CORONADO PEAK gazing for miles into the lands of Mexico. We have stayed in Columbus New Mexico where Pancho Villa invaded the United States way back in 1916. Walked the huge underground passageways of the Carlsbad Caverns & stood on both the NORTH & SOUTH rims of the Grand Canyon. Our list goes on & on & yet we have barely scratched the surface of what the South-Wests historic past has to offer. My only regret is that like many other RV travelers we were not able to begin our RV travels long before we did. My advice to folks with dreams of traveling some day is to make those dreams happen just as soon as you can. The earlier you begin your traveling lifestyle with good health the happier you are going to be.  You are going to be able to walk & hike to many places a younger body can take you.  Do it while you can.  If at all possible do not wait until your aging body cannot take your restless mind to where it want’s to go.  Trust me on that one.  Don’t know how many times while traveling over the past 7 years the thought has rattled through my head, ‘wished we could have somehow started this great RV lifestyle a whole lot sooner than we did’.   

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The phone rings and the lady of the house answers, 'Hello.' 'Mrs. Sanders, please' 'Speaking.' 'Mrs. Sanders, this is Doctor Jones at Saint Agnes Laboratory.  When your husband's doctor sent his biopsy to the lab last week, a biopsy from another Mr. Sanders arrived as well. We are now uncertain which one belongs to your husband. Frankly, either way the results are not too good.'  'What do you mean?' Mrs. Sanders asks nervously. 'Well, one of the specimens tested positive for Alzheimer's, and the other one tested positive for HIV(aids). We can't tell which is which.'  'That's dreadful! Can you do the test again?' questioned Mrs. Sanders. 'Normally we can, but Medicare will only pay for these expensive tests one time.'  'Well, what am I supposed to do now?'  'The folks at Medicare recommend that you drop your husband off somewhere in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him……………..

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- 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 STROLL THROUGH THE OLD CONGRESS CEMETERY

I remember the first cemetery I ever saw in the South-West.  It was somewhere in Castle Valley north-east of Moab Utah.  It was May of 92 & I remember heading south on Mountain Loop Drive watching a storm brewing in the mountains to the east.  I will never forget the lightning flashes, the dark foreboding clouds, the sheer mountain beauty, & the experience of this particular day’s drive.  From a  photography standpoint, the lighting was phenomenal.  One of my all time favorite memories.  Not sure where exactly it was but I remember spotting something on the east side of the road.  We (different traveling partner back then) stopped, turned around & went back.  Sure enough, it was a cemetery.  But a cemetery unlike any I had ever seen.  That was back in the days of 35mm film so I do not have any digital photos.  But, this morning at the Congress cemetery I was reminded of that very first one I saw in Castle Valley over 20 years ago.

 

 

There were no manicured acres of green grass, no tall stately trees, & no great granite headstones towering silently over unwavering rows of perfectly engraved marble inscriptions.  Things are different here in the south-west, including the cemeteries.  This mornings walk through the Congress cemetery was no exception.  Rather than explaining the difference, I’ll just let the photos do that for me.

 

Tombstone Arizona probably has one of the most well known cemeteries anywhere.  We have been to Tombstone’s ‘Boot Hill’ but I was not impressed.  Not impressed because we have wandered through some of the real cemeteries of the southwest.  Not to say Boot Hill is not real, but it’s pretty commercialized.  To see an untouched cemetery of the old days one only has to travel a few miles from Tombstone to what’s left of the old western town of Fairbank on highway 82.  A quarter mile walk will take you to a ‘Boot Hill’ that has not been touched by man’s commercialism.  You can read about & see photos of the old Fairbanks cemetery at our site entitled… THE GHOST TOWN OF FAIRBANK.

  

While at the cemetery this morning we scouted out a boondocking area close by.  A few rigs scattered about but we did find a nice spot for some RV Boondocker Blogging friends of ours who may arrive at the end of the week.

NICE ROOMY SPOT FOR AN RV

 

VIEW TO THE SOUTH & THE OLD CONGRESS GOLD MINE TO THE NORTH BEHIND THE JEEP

WE THINK THIS MAY HAVE BEEN RV SUE’S SPOT WHEN SHE WAS HERE EARLIER IN THE YEAR

After the cemetery, we took ourselves for a little drive around the wee town of Congress. There is more here than what meets the eye for anyone passing through on highways 89 or 71.  Not a lot of touristy things here & I like that.  The town may not be of interest to some folks, but my camera generally finds something of interest for me.  I will be out & about soon with an eye looking for a few things off the beaten path.  And, a few things on as well.

 

SEE THE 2 BIG WATER TANKS UPPER RIGHT…OUR HOUSE IS JUST BELOW & BEYOND THEM A BIT

In the shade of a Palo Verde tree, tipped back in my lawn chair for a few minutes this afternoon, I watched with interest as 2 fighter jets dueled it out high overhead in the clear blue Arizona sky.  Saw 2 orange flares out of one jet & then watched as the second jet rapidly gained on the first jet in a tight turn.  Another flare out of the first jet as they banked away out of sight.  I listened for another half minute as the engine sounds slowly droned away to the northwest.  I have seen this mock combat in the southwest sky many times before & I have a theory about the flares.  When one plane electronically locks it’s guns or rockets on a target & fires……the flare or flares ejected by the target plane probably signify a ‘hit’ to the pursuing plane.  Just a theory of course.  We often hear the roar of ‘dog fighting’ jets overhead.  Being a kid always fascinated with airplanes…..I like that:))

 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A lady was filling her tank at a gas station, smoking a cigarette, even though all the signs say not to. The fumes that came out of the gas tank ignited, severely burning her hands.
But it also lit up her arm, too!
Instead of rolling on the ground to put it out, she panicked. She took off running down the street.
A police car was at the intersection where it happened and he tried to stop her to put out her arm, but she just kept running and screaming. All the officer could think of doing was to shoot her. This took everyone by surprise. The officer ran over to her and put the fire out, then called for an ambulance.
When questioned about his course of action to stop her, the officer said, "My only thought was to stop her. After all, she was waving a fire-arm."

-----------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- 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.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

BACK TO THE LAND OF GIANT SAGUAROS:))

PHOTO TAKEN WITH AL’S CAMERA BY TERRY FROM GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL

I always consider it a bonus if I am able to sleep in to 5 a.m.  Kind of sad seeing Ranch dogs Gleason & Pearce stretched out sound asleep on our living room floor this morning knowing it was the last night for now that we would have Pheebs & Motor’s best Pals in for a sleep over.

 

SUNRISE AT THE RANCH

Being a nostalgic kind of guy I walked around the Ranch grounds at sunrise this morning saying goodbye to the Donkeys, Charlie the Cat and the Chickens.  At this age & stage of the game and with things being the way they are these days one never knows what the future holds or if we will even be back this way again.  Plans change and temporary good-byes can be final sometimes.  On the upside….we may very well be back to the Ranch in 5 weeks:))

  

AW COME ON GUYS HOW ABOUT GIVING THE PHEEBS SOME

Had the Jeep hooked up and ready to roll by 8:35.  Terry & Martha were out with their cameras & we are grateful to them for taking a few photos of the Bayfield Bunch together as a family.  It is rare for us to be in one picture all at the same time.  We have always regretted we never did get a nice family photo of us when Max & Checkers were still alive.

 

GOOD BYE SMOOCHES FOR THE POOCHES

At 8:45 it was a final round of hugs and good-byes.  Waved to Gleason & Pearce just as Martha pointed out the Donkeys were braying a loud good bye from the field.  A short minute later we were out the gate in a slow cloud of dust & headed on down the road.

 

We had an interesting moody sky overhead as the rig rolled west up Davis Road.  So nice to see sun splashes playing across the Valley floor & along the surrounding mountain sides.  Slipped through Tombstone & the ghost town of Fairbank on our way to Benson & Interstate 10.  A quick stop for fuel and an Egg McMuffin at McDonalds had us on the fast track for Tucson.

HEADING WEST TOWARDS THE GHOST TOWN OF FAIRBANK

Passed the sign for Tucson’s International Airport where we dropped Aunt Jean off a few days ago.  Passed LAZYDAYS RV where we had our new toilet installed in December and passed the nearby University of Arizona Hospital where I ended up in Emerge just over a month ago.  With two medical appointment follow-ups we got to know the neighborhood well.  In fact, our turn off today onto Ajo Way west was only a block from the Hospital.

CAUGHT A WIND MILL ON THE FLY FOR YA MIKE:))  

Didn’t take us long to swing through the south end of Tucson & head ourselves back out into the desert.  Always a good feeling for me to be away from any built up city area.  We were once again on one of my favorite Arizona drives & half an hour west of Tucson we passed all the big Observatories atop KITT PEAK.  We both commented on the abundant green scenery while motoring through the Sonoran Desert with it’s countless Saguaro Cactus stands stretching over hill & dale.

WEST OF KITT PEAK

Couple of hours later we passed memorable HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK and rolled into Why Arizona.  This is another great memory area for the Bayfield Bunch.  A right hand turn led us up to Darby Wells road just south of Ajo and how nice to see the dust swirling up behind us again as we swung off the highway into another great scenic area full of tall green Saguaro Cactus, flower tipped Ocotillas, smooth green barked Palo Verde Trees,  prickly Teddy Bear Cholla cactus with Creosote bushes and Mesquite trees making for a welcome & refreshingly lush green landscape.  We hear the Spring flowers in this area are incredible.

GOT US A TIRED LITTLE DOGGY TONIGHT

Was hoping our old spot from a month ago near Boondocker Rick would still be empty but I wasn’t too optimistic figuring the area would be flooded with after Christmas Snow Birds.  Coming around a bend I saw Rick’s Casita & Jeep sitting in their same spot atop a hill.  And, just south of him I could see our old spot was……empty:))  Stopped on the main dirt road & unhooked the Jeep.  Minutes later I was lumbering up a rocky loose graveled road with the Motorhome through scratchy Mesquites carefully crafting some new desert pin stripping on the sides of the rig.  I like when that happens:))  A big wave from Rick as he recognized our rig ascending the rocky road.

IT’S MY TOY PHEEBS…….SO GIVE IT ME!!!!!!!!!!

We were barely stopped in our spot when Pheebs was out the door just a running.  Coming down the hill from across the way was Ricks dog Lady and seconds later the two best Pals were jumping, jostling & jousting just like old times.  Nice to see Rick again.  Some people a feller just takes a liking to right off & Rick is one of those people I liked from the first time I met him.  He was very instrumental in helping and being a good friend to RV SUE AND HER CANINE CREW when she was here awhile back.

   

BOONDOCKER RICK (file pic) & RV SUE’S OLD SPOT JUST AHEAD

Heavy overcast & a tad cool but we are secure in the knowledge we will have warmer nights now that we have come down from the high desert where we were.  Looking forward to warmer temperatures:))

 

Dark now & as I look at my watch I can’t help wondering what Pearce and Gleason are doing right now…………..

And, a special thank you to Terry & Martha from GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL for taking our pictures this morning & later including us in their Blog.  Much appreciated guys:))

THE ONLY PHOTO I MANAGED TO GET OF MARTHA & TERRY THIS MORNING 

 

OUR OLD SPOT ON DARBY WELLS ROAD

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A Ventriloquist with his dummy on a knee starts his act. One bit requires his dummy to tell Dumb-Blonde Jokes. After a few jokes, an angry blonde woman finally stands up and starts speaking her mind.
"I have had it with the stereotyping of all blondes being stupid!" the woman yells, and she continues ranting on about this.
Finally, the ventriloquist says, "Sorry ma'am ..."
The woman cuts him off by saying, "You stay out of this. I'm talkin' to the dummy."

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
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.