A BEAUTIFUL SPRING LIKE DAY SO PHEEBS AND I HEADED FOR GRAND BEND

It was a fiery red sunrise through the pine trees this morning and the first one I've seen that brilliant since returning from the great American Southwest last March.  I really do miss those great awe inspiring sunrises and sunsets of the west.

LAKE ICE IS BUILDING UP ALONG BAYFIELD'S BEACH

COUNTRYSIDE SOUTH OF BAYFIELD WAS  MAINLY FREE OF SNOW

US GUYS BOMBING ALONG THIS MORNING WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN 

Temperatures came up in the night and we welcomed the day with our thermometer slightly above the freezing mark.  Oh happy days.  A touch of a breeze but it was not a deterrent.  A few handfuls of birdseed on our feeder station and little Muggins and I were out the driveway and on through Bayfield headed south.  Just a great morning to be out and with it being a Sunday morning country roads were pleasantly quiet.  Noticed there was hardly any snow anywhere.  Fields were green, gray, and brown with the sky being blue as blue could be.  With windows down Old Sol followed us wherever we went which in this case happened to be Grand Bend Ontario.   No need to stop for a Hortons coffee as I made a second cup before leaving home.  We headed straightaway down the main street for the beach area.

RIVER ICE IS BREAKING UP

ONE HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL OF ONE'S FOOTING ON THIS ICY SURFACE OR ONE COULD VERY EASILY END UP IN THE ICY COLD RIVER

Lots of old memories for me in Grand Bend but I've blogged about them all before over the years so no need to blog it all over again.  We toodled around the town for a bit then pointed Libby's nose north and put the pedal down for home.  Even stopped in Bayfield on the way to wash the Jeep which of course was a huge mess.  What an absolutely gorgeous weather day more akin to late March or early April.  Just makes a feller want to hold onto his britches real tight and dance himself up a jig.  Yesireeee it was that kind a day alright:))

Home again I had lots of photos to edit. Always enjoy doing that and with this afternoon's Sun beaming through our sunroom windows I was all toasty warm and feeling right again.  I think we got up slightly over 40F.  Almost had to break out my summer shorts.  

SOME NICE HOMES ALONG THE NORTH BANK OF THE AUSABLE RIVER 

LAKE HURON IS ONLY ABOUT AN EIGHTH OF MILE DOWN RIVER TO THE LEFT

RIVER ICE LOOKS MORE LIKE A MARCH THAW

Not being a calendar checker anymore I sometimes lose track of time and have a habit of not paying much attention to it.  When my Aunt Jean said on the phone Friday night Christmas is this coming Wednesday it was like being jolted out of a stupor.  Well ya, I knew Christmas was coming alright but I just didn't know it was coming up so fast and in just a few days.  I don't know where my mind goes sometimes but it is sure in the habit of leaving me behind a lot.

::Archive Post::  November 25th 2013 found us hanging out in Borrego Springs, California.  We had heard of a Great Stone Eagle somewhere near Warner Springs so with a steep winding climb with the Jeep up Montezumas Grade into the San Ysidro Mountains we set off to find it.  Took us a bit of looking but a chance encounter with a local firefighter was the key to it's location.  Check out, In Search Of The Great Stone Eagle.  For more photos of the Great Stone Eagle and area click on my next day's post as well here at, Visiting With Jean and Skip.  Remember to click on the photos to make them bigger when you get there.

::Al's Musical Favs::  Beachcomber by Donald Wilborn.  Quite often with these pieces of music in Al's Favs there is a sound, a tone, a certain instrument, something in a person's voice, a certain beat or combination of instruments that flash me back to a time in my childhood.  

FIGURED IF I WE CAN'T MAKE IT TO ARIZONA THIS WINTER I WOULD JUST WEAR A PIECE OF ARIZONA ON MY HEAD

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A group of psychiatrists were attending a convention. Four of them decided to leave, and walked out together. One said to the other three, "People are always coming to us with their guilt and fears, but we have no one that we can go to when we have problems." The others agreed.  Then one said, "Since we are all professionals, why don't we take some time right now to hear each other out?"  The other three agreed.  The first then confessed, "I have an uncontrollable desire to kill my patients."The second psychiatrist said, "I love expensive things and so I find ways to cheat my patients out of their money whenever I can so I can buy the things I want."  The third followed with, "I'm involved with selling drugs and often get my patients to sell them for me."  The fourth psychiatrist then confessed, "I know I'm not supposed to, but no matter how hard I try, I can't keep a secret..."
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A little girl is sitting on her grandpa's lap and studying the wrinkles on his old face. She gets up the nerve to rub her fingers over the wrinkles. Then she touches her own face and looks more puzzled. Finally the little girl asks, "Grandpa, did God make you?" "He sure did honey, a long time ago," replies her grandpa. "Well, did God make me?" asks the little girl. "Yes, He did, and that wasn't too long ago," answers her grandpa. "Boy," says the little girl, "He's sure doing a lot better job these days isn't He?"
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HAVE YOU EVER TYPED YOUR OWN NAME INTO A ON-LINE SEARCH ENGINE? YOU MAY BE SURPRISED BY WHAT YOU FIND

With freezing hands after filling up the bird feeder & breaking ice in the bird bath I quickly retreated back into the house & resigned myself to just staying there until Thursday’s cloudy morning let enough sun through to warm things up.  I so much do not like cold weather just as much as I so much do not like hot weather!!  Where can we live that has nice steady & comfortable temperature of 75F each day with no humidity & lots of sunshine.  And warm nights too………..

 

 

Spent part of my day reading & was actually able to grab some new bird photos while stretched out in my backyard gravity chair.  Air was still a wee touch cool but this afternoon’s warming sun sure felt nice.

George & Suzie are soon headed to Borrego Springs California so I sent George an email with directions to the Great Stone Eagle in case they decide on a day trip up around Warner Springs way.  This is quite an impressive natural stone structure & in case anyone is interested in seeing it if they are in the Borrego Springs area here is my post for the day we went In Search Of The Great Stone Eagle.  Driving directions are in the post.

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS CURVE BILL THRASHER WINGING IT’S WAY THROUGH THE TREES YOU CAN SEE IT HAS A SEED IN IT’S BILL

Have you ever typed your own name into a search engine?  I did that today & was surprised at how many times my name, my photos, & the Bayfield Bunch kept coming up in different websites.  It put a smile on my face each time I recognized one of my own photos being used for a good purpose.  Some pictures had a photo credit & some didn’t but that’s alright I’m just happy that someone or some organization has thought enough of my photos to include them in their brochures & advertising etc.  I didn’t see any of my photos that I felt were not used in a proper way.  Like I have said many times in my posts if people enjoy looking at my photos as much as I enjoy taking them then that’s a bonus for me.  If my photos are used in a positive way by someone then that’s an added bonus for me.  It’s my way of giving a little something back & I’m perfectly happy to continue taking photos for folks as long as they enjoy looking at them:))

AND I WASN’T THE ONLY ONE OUT ENJOYING THE AFTERNOON SUN

GROANER’S CORNER:((   An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again."  The gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to their conversations. I've already changed my will three times!!"