AWWWWW NUTS, I MISSED THE HAIL STORM TO-DAY!!

AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FOR CHRISTMAS PRETTY LITTLE GIRL

Ho Ho Ho...........6 months from to-day will be Christmas. I didn't get any pictures for the blog to-day so have included some pics from Christmas Day 2 years ago in 2006 when the Bayfield Bunch was staying in Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus, New Mexico. We had gone to a Christmas Day dinner put on by a volunteer group of town's people at the local hall. After the turkey dinner we heard what we thought were sleigh bells on the roof & the next thing we knew Santa Claus blew through the front door with a big sack of presents for everyone. Kids & Seniors alike all ended up on Santa's knee that day including Kelly & I:)) HELP, GET ME OUT OF HERE!!

It's been about a month since I last took the motorhome for a run so took it out for the 16 mile around the country block tour this morning. Everything checked out fine & the rig ran like a fine tuned swiss watch. We have been very pleased with this coach since purchasing it used back in April of 2007. It's not a high end motorhome & the workmanship & materials used in the coach are nothing to write home about but the Chevy Workhorse chassis, Vortec engine coupled with an Allison transmission, have been very smooth & reliable. SOME LOCAL ENTERTAINERS

I couldn't help but think as I was driving along this morning how much I wished we were still on the road traveling somewhere. I've been to Canada's east coast several times but Kelly has never been there. I have always wanted to return to British Columbia for a visit since leaving there in 75 too. Would like to travel the coastline of Oregon & Northern California as well & summer is really the best time to do that. Montana, the Dakotas, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, & others await. When I look out the window & see the motorhome just sitting there month after month it just kind of drive's me buggy. So much to see & do yet & so little time left to see & do it all in!! That economic downturn last September & the winter's downslide of the markets sure rocked us back on our heals & forced us to re-consider our future plans. I'm still hopeful though that we will have many years of mountains & canyons in our future. Sitting at home watching the world pass us by is not an option!!!!
COLORFULLY DECORATED HALL WAS FILLED TO CAPACITY LATER

Heard thunder out over the lake & noticed dark skies to the north in the direction of Goderich late this morning. Had some errands to run in Goderich anyway so grabbed my cameras & headed off in hopes of getting some storm pictures on the beach there. As I approached the harbor area the rains came & within minutes it was raining so hard I couldn't get out of the van anyway. What I didn't know was that back in Bayfield the town was being pummeled by hail. Just as well I didn't know that because I would been going bonkers worrying about our solar panels on the motorhome's roof being smashed. I saw what hail did to Kelly's car years ago so I know the damage hail can do. By the time I got out of Wal-Mart & headed back to Bayfield the storm was over. It was later reported on the local 6 o'clock news that a tornado touch down had destroyed a house about 60 miles inland from us. Soon as I got home I scampered up the rig's ladder onto the roof & much to my relief the solar panels had withstood the hailstones & were fine.

And Ontario's liquor stores have averted the big bad booze strike so countless thousands of hard core drinkers have stepped back from the brink of absolute panic & are once again comfy in the knowledge they will have a perfectly normal alcohol infested summer after all................................

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

ALAS, AN EMAIL FROM FELLOW RV BLOGGER GYPSY:))

ALL PHOTOS IN TO-DAY'S BLOG ARE OF A FLOWERING ASTILBE IN OUR FRONT YARD

It's been nearly a month now since fellow RV blogger Gypsy97 headed off to Lassen Volcanic National Park in northeastern California for a summer job & disappeared off our cyber radar screens. She is doing well & sent us the following email this morning which I'm sure she wouldn't mind me posting here.............................. "I came to Sacramento for the birth of my granddaughter (9:17 pm yesterday). I'll be here for a couple of days before heading back to Lassen Volcanic National Park. I love it there, although I have no electricity (also troubles with the generator), no cell phone & no internet. I'm supposed to use the Park radio that was issued to me to keep in contact, but I am at such a secluded spot the radios don't work all that well. Love the folks I work with, the campers are generally nice, but once in a while I have to deal with stuff.It is really a paradise up there and I'm looking forward to returning for a few summers to come. I have been keeping an update for my blog, and will try to get it posted before I leave Sac. It'll be a long one, but I will divide it up into smaller parts. Left my reading glasses back at the Park so I will have to buy yet another set of drugstore glasses to see what I'm doing. (I can barely read what I'm typing here, but you will get the picture.)I miss y'all too, but I will be back." Gypsy When I hear the chorus of songbirds outside my window in the morning I know it is 5 a.m. & time to roll out another new day. I don't know exactly why I get up that early but I just do. Figure if I were to sleep in till 9 or 10 I would probably think I had died & figure the day was half over anyway so what's the point of getting up. Well, that's my logic anyway.

Disappointed this week to find out my back to back 5 a.m. Andy Griffith TV shows have run their course & been replaced by something called Matlock which I have no interest in. Oh well it's just nice to sit quietly by the open patio door & listen to the morning's early song birds. Even the old noisy crows have their kaaa kaaa-ing song parts in the treetop symphony of sounds. Sandra's blog yesterday mentioned a common nuisance for this time of year & for the rest of the summer as well. "BUGS" Our morning's walk yesterday was brought to an abrupt halt when we entered the pine forest. I was immediately swarmed by cluster flies, mosquitoes, & flying hippopotamus's which are brought on by warmer humid weather. One of the reasons we like the American southwest so much in the winter is it's lack of bugs. Walking, hiking, & all outside activities are always pleasurably bug free:)) Spent some time motoring through our beautiful rural farmland again this morning. Crops are quickly emerging from farmer's fields & acres upon acres of waving grass are already being cut for feed & hay. An eye catching swatch of bright yellow on the horizon turned my attention to a large wild mustard crop amid a sea of greens for as far as the eye could see. Many farms along the roads compete for attention with their sweeping mowed lawns, stately maple trees along gravel lanes & colorful flowerbeds around the houses. Cattle & horses lazily graze in sun splashed pastures. It all makes for beautiful country scenes you may only see on picturesque calendars. I really must get out there with my cameras & take some pictures.

TO-DAY'S PUN...... Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

And did you know there are 206 bones in the adult human body and there are 300 in children (as they grow some of the bones fuse together).

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

FLYING ELEPHANTS & DINOSAURS IN THE SKY

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS WILD FLOWERING SHRUB IS BUT IT REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING WITH A LOT OF YUMMY WHITE ICING ON IT......& SPRINKLES:))

Remember those days long ago as a kid when you would take a blanket outside on a sunny warm summer day & lay on your back watching the big white fluffy clouds lazily drifting by. In those billowing clouds were endless exciting shapes for a small child's imagination. Big scary faces, rumbling rhinosauceruses, elephants with long grayish like wispy trunks, dinosaurs with long bending necks, flying pigs, rabbits with towering ears, cherubic babies with outstretched arms, & anything else a child's mind wants to see. To-day was one of those fabulous sky days as I made a mobility van trip over to Stratford. All the way there & back a circus like parade of big nosed clowns, portly ringmasters, & fairy tale animals floated high overhead visible from my side window. It made for a quietly pleasant drive on a fine summer day & tells me the fabulous imagination of childhood is still very much alive & well within this little boy's mind:)) DAISIES

Watching the local news to-night I see a bunch of Ontario's liquor stores (booze stores) are planning to go on strike this summer. The local TV station interviewed some people on the streets about their reaction & of course everyone is in a panic because their booze supply may be temporarily cut off. Isn't it amazing how addicted the North American population is to their booze supply. One lady was all worried because they had company coming this summer & what would she do!! Our whole society revolves around alcohol. Socially acceptable alcohol of course. Of course!! What would our fine honed upstanding populace think if they knew they were consuming a drug. Yes, a drug. Doesn't matter if you smoke it, pop it, shoot it, sniff it, or drink it..........a drug is a drug is a drug. And a mind altering drug at that!!

Some of you may remember my blog & pictures last week about Grand Bend Ontario & their newly renovated beach. In that blog I expressed my concern about teen-agers trashing the towns dedicated efforts & hard work. I finished that blog wishing Grand Bend "good luck.: Well, the drunken immature booze infested teen-agers rolled in this past week-end................and trashed the beach!! Unfortunately it will not be a one time thing. The trashing will continue not only on Grand Bend's beach but all over our fair land year after year & decade after decade. As long as people continue to drink, promote, & socialize their accepted & favorite mind altering drug, nothing will change. And to the lady who is so bothered about the booze strike affecting her company this summer. Have you never heard of tea, coffee, fruit juices, water, shakes, pop, etc. etc. etc. Come on world, wake up & smell the stupidity & madness around you!!!!!!

I know most readers will not agree with this post to-day but for the few who do...............thanks for taking the time to understand the very serious reality of a ballooning blight on our society.

Yikes...........where did all that just come from. I'm oughta here!!

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE ARE EITHER BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF THEM ALONG THE MORNINGS PATHWAY

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

YAY IT'S SUMMER.....NOW I HAVE SOMETHING NEW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT:))

DAY LILY

Monday morning weigh-in......206. Down 2 more pounds from last week but I was a bit disappointed in that number. Gonna have to chalk it up to that strawberry shortcake last night!!

First full day of summer rolled in this morning right on queue bringing with it warmer air & sunshine. Soon the humidity will build & I will be so glad to have something new to complain about instead of the same old cold & wet weather complaints I've had to listen to all spring.

It was a nice working day as I took a lady to Stratford & back in the mobility van. While at the main entrance of the hospital this afternoon I was reminded of another time I was there with the mobility van two summers ago. I had taken a lady in a wheelchair inside & while I was in the hospital some low life scum ball drug infested low life came right into the mobility van & stole my Fuji digital camera & Sirius Satellite radio. I had seen him sitting on a picnic table smoking near the main entrance when I pulled in but my attention was on the lady as I left the van for a few minutes to wheel her in the front door. I have zero tolerance for garbage people like that & I'm still mad as hell about that incident!!!! The police informed me at the time that Stratford was infested with druggies & they themselves were having difficulty dealing with the upsurge in crime. Too bad because I spent 20 years in Stratford & had found it a nice place to live from the mid 70's to the mid 90's.

It's another working afternoon for me to-morrow as I once again head back to Stratford with a fellow going there for an eye appointment. I'll be on the road Wednesday morning as well so I consider myself very lucky to have had 3 part working days in a row. The company I drive for is going to equip all the vans with Blackberries very shortly & there may be a seminar one night this week for all the drivers & others on how to use them. That would be a good thing. When it comes to phones I'm still back at rotary dialing 101. Phones are not my favorite thing!!

Rick sent me over a comment on how to put a link in the blog without having to use the whole address so I'll try that here. I'm in Outlook Express right now but when I copy & paste this email into the blogger dashboard I will try that. If Rick's name at the beginning is highlighted then you know it worked & Al has taken one more large step for himself & made one more large leap for mankind. Oh boy, wait till I go from rotory 101 to Blackberry 9000:))

Dragged the power washer out this morning for the first time this season & power washed a bunch of cement sidewalk slabs. Nearly power washed my feet into oblivion too. Man oh man those pressurized jets of water are powerful. Great way to get that garden dirt out from under your fingernails though......................................:))

TO-DAY'S PUN....... A set of jumper cables walk into a bar. The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything.'

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

VISITING WITH OLD DEPARTED FRIENDS & RELATIVES

OH OH, THIS STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE & WHIPPED CREAM ISN'T GONNA GO GOOD WITH MY MONDAY MORNING WEIGH-IN TO-MORROW:((

My post on Twitter & Facebook this morning was, "Just checked my watch again to see how many hours are left before we can head for the southwest again this fall!!" I guess that kind of tells you what kind of mood I was in all day. I won't get into a big long spiel about being home for the summer but let's just say if I had my druthers we would be out there somewhere on the road with mountains on the horizon chasing down exciting adventures & creating more endless hours of new memories. AMEN!!

Ever wonder about dreams? I am a lite sleeper so frequently wake up 3 or 4 times during the night. Not very restful but I do dream a lot & I figure the reason I remember them is simply due to the fact that I don't slip into that deep heavy sleep for the entire night. I have also learned that as I am waking up from a dream I can remember it better if I don't open my eyes. I can liken it to opening the back of a camera with a roll of unexposed film in it. As soon as the light hits the film the images are erased. Same thing with the brain so if I'm coming out of a dream I resist the urge to open my eyes & look at the clock. Well, as long as it was a good dream anyway. I try to go back into the dream sometimes but it usually begins to fade & I'm only able to retrieve bits & pieces most of the time. I like the flying dreams best as I float over trees & people on the ground. I have never remembered a landing but my take off is always the same. I take about 4 quick steps forward & very carefully step up into the air & begin to float skyward. Sometimes I fly very fast but most times I just kind of move along slowly hovering over things here & there. And sometimes there are others in the air with me but they don't seem to fly quite as well. Meeting old friends is another part of the dream process I enjoy. People from 50 & 60 years ago drift in & out. No rhyme or reason but all of a sudden there they are & I'm talking to them. Could be someone I only met once or twice decades ago or it could be a current friend. The people who have the most impact & leave the longest lasting memories for me are the ones who have passed away. In any dream sequence a departed friend or relative may appear & it is always such a good feeling inside to once again see & talk to them. And then they drift away into the mist & a sadness fills the void. It's those dreams that I try to hang onto as I'm waking up. I try to re-enter the dream & run after that old friend to see them just one more time but they are gone until they re-appear in a dream again to once more put a smile on my sleeping face..................

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

ASTRONOMY vs ASTROLOGY

MARTEN ARTS GALLERY

The rains began around 7 this morning bringing with them a warm front which enshrouded the whole coastline in fog thus putting an end to any hope for a sailboat regatta to-day. Bayfield seems to have bad weather luck when it comes to their annual Sail & Canvas event each year. (I later found out the boats did go out in the fog but you couldn't see them from the shore anyway)

Noticed on my FEEDJIT site that a lot of folks clicked on one particular picture from yesterday's blog so this morning while in Bayfield I stopped & took a few more photos of "Marten Arts Gallery." It was not well identified in the photo yesterday.

We have an older fellow in the park here who does superb woodworking in his garage now that he is retired. He uses exotic woods to painstakingly make very fine vases & bowls etc. After assembling the woods into patterns he turns them on a lathe & finishes them to a fine product. It had been a hobby but more & more people have been urging him to sell his handiwork. Hank decided awhile back to do that so I helped set up a web album site for him & you can see his woodworking skills here... http://picasaweb.google.com/paduka75/RIVERROADWOODCRAFT#

While browsing around this morning on our favorite RV Net Open Roads website http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm I clicked on one of my favorite forums called, Around The Campfire. One of the topics was titled, "Is anyone here into Astronomy?" That perked my interest because astronomy is another one of my interests & I know my way around the night sky reasonable well. I bought a book called "Nightwatch" by Terence Dickinson back in the spring of 2000 & have spent many contented hours with my sky charts & flashlight under the stars learning the constellations, planets, galaxies, & stars, etc. Astronomy is often confused with something else called Astrology & I am always quick to point out that the two of them are totally different. A few years ago I came across the following explanation about the difference between the two & I think the writer sums it up perfectly..............

ASTRONOMY vs ASTROLOGY

People sometimes confuse Astronomy with Astrology. Although related in ancient myth they are literally light years apart in the realm of fact & fantasy. Here is a brief explanation of the difference....
"Astronomy is a science that compels us to seek beyond ourselves and our small world, a science of discovery that enriches our lives by exercising our brain and our intellect. It empowers you to think clearly and rationally. It improves and sharpens critical thinking skills." It may even encourage you to free up your mind to think beyond conventional religious beliefs.
"Astrology disempowers you. By placing your future in the accidental configuration of planets and stars, you avoid taking responsibility for your actions, you fail to make decisions based on your own best self interest, and you give up the power to control your own destiny. Belief in astrology results in a degradation of critical thinking skills, which, combined with the loss of power to control your own destiny, can only serve to degrade your life, not enrich it."
"Be in charge of your life. Experience the mystery, awe, and excitement of observational astronomy..............................................

I'm going to try using medium size photos in to-night's blog & that should make them clickable to enlarge. I will try some different structuring as well. Despite last night's spacing mess I did learn some things. To-night's pics are Bayfield oriented so I will put in my link again for the Bayfield Photos I took last August.
BAYFIELD TOUR http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/gallery/5845016_7pESE#362675509_zZfh9

Maybe one of these fine days I'll even figure out how you people add links by just using a name instead of the whole address like I did above. And, I've noticed some sites are able to read the photo captions by just holding the mouse over the photo. How do you smart people figure all these things out anyway.............................:))

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AN EXPERIMENTAL PHOTO BLOG TO-NIGHT

It's already 8 p.m. & I haven't come up with an idea for a blog yet so I'll just post some pics on the site that I took this afternoon of Bayfield in a little 10 minute walk-a-round in the center of town.

I'm going to post the pics in a small/medium format & see if that will make them clickable to enlarge. I know I used to able to do this quite awhile ago but not sure if my Picasa is running just a hundred per cent so this post might be a bit of a mish mosh as I see what will work & what won't. I'm not even going to try getting captions under these pics but will put all the photos in a June Web Album maybe next week...................

Try clicking on the photos to enlarge them

Yes, I know I have one of the photos in here twice but I'm tooooooo tired to try & dig it back out. And I also know I will not be trying this little photo experiment again!!

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

MY FAVORITE OLD BOOK COVER

THIS IS THE BOOKCOVER THAT STARTED MY LOVE OF THE OLD WILD WEST BACK IN THE EARLY 50'S

Some of you folks might be interested in knowing how a rattlesnake got into the backpack of The Happy Campers so check out the June 14th entry of Rex & Mary. They are currently camped in the Black Mountains near Oatman, Arizona & you can find them here... http://rexandmary.blogspot.com/

The photo at the top of the blog is the actual cover of a book I had when I was a small boy growing up back in the early 50's. The rest of the book is gone but I found the cover while cleaning out my Mother's house years ago. It was this book that I would look through over & over marveling at all the wild west cowboy pictures. My imagination was in overdrive as I turned the pages looking at desert scenes, mountains, stagecoaches, cowboys, sagebrush, & towering cactus. The drawings came alive for me & it was in these colorful pages that my love for the American southwest took hold. Little did I know that many years later I would actually be living for a few months of the year in the very same lands where these pictures were drawn from. It was exciting stuff for a young boy years ago & it's still exciting stuff for that young boy these many years later.

THAT IS PINE POLLEN ON THE WINDSHIELD

Bayfield's nautical community & local merchants have their fingers crossed for good weather this coming week-end. Sail & Canvas is a popular annual sailing regatta with many boats on the water competing & racing. The towns wide main street is filled with outdoor artisans & musians. People come from near & far to take part in the festivities.........weather permitting!!AS KIDS WE ALWAYS CALLED THIS EARLY MORNING STUFF ON THE GRASS............FROG SPIT

To-day's Pun.......Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

RAINY DAY, WATERLOGGED BRAIN, SHORT BLOG:((

A LARGE LAKE FREIGHTER TAKES ON A LOAD OF SALT FROM THE GODERICH SALT MINE

Thanks to Rick over at http://rickpaulettervjournal.blogspot.com/ for the suggestion about our "Blogs We Follow." Made a few changes that should work OK now so I'll try it for awhile. Be sure to check out Rick & Paulette's pics of their new puppy, Rylie. They just brought her home & she's a little sweet-ums:)) A FLOTILLA OF GEESE ON THE CALM WATERS OF LAKE HURON

We had so much rain to-day I had to leave my water wings on all afternoon. My mobility van travels took me up into the Wingham area & despite the rain I enjoyed every scenic mile. I'm always happy to be on the road going somewhere even if it is work related. Had time to slide down to the Goderich harbor & snap a few rainy pics as well between stops. To-morrow I will be south of Bayfield & over around the Exeter area. I wished the company I drive for was busy enough to have me on the road more often. Oh well:(( Short blog to-night because I was late getting home plus the brain is a little rain soaked from to-day's downpour................ To-day's Pun..... Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet he suffered from bad breath.This in turn made him a....."super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis."

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

NICE MORNING RIDE TO THE BEND & BACK

A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LOOKING GRAND BEND BEACH

For most us us the names Fred & Wilma immediately conjure up memories of the Flintstones years ago. The TV cartoon has been off the air for a long time now but RV bloggers Fred & Wilma are alive & well living in Michigan. Quickly approaching retirement they are looking forward to taking their 38' Winnebago Adventurer into warmer winter climates in the very near future. You can find the Flintstone namesakes at http://flintstones1970.blogspot.com/ VIEW OF THE KID'S PLAY AREA FROM ATOP THE BEACH HOUSE

Our "Blogs We Follow" list is growing so I have decided to trim it up a bit by listing only the blogs that are remaining currently active. I will still keep an eye on the bloggers who haven't been posting for awhile & if & when they are up & running again I will either re-add them or make mention of their post in the blog. For anyone reading those blogs at the moment I sugguest you add their websites to your favorites so you don't lose them. I will do this Wednesday night. I'm going to keep Gypsy97 on the list though because I'm expecting her to re-surface any time now. I think she has got herself into a bad reception area. Her last post was May 27th. If anyone has heard from her, let me know & I'll post an update on her status. GRAND BEND'S ONLY LARGE BUILDING.....A BEACHFRONT CONDO

Beautiful day but rain moving into the area over the next couple days so figured it would be a good morning to take the bike for a run down to Grand Bend & have a look at the new beach renovations there. The motorcycle was needing a good run anyway & so was I. After a stop at the Bayfield carwash to hose all the pine pollen off the bike I was southbound for the Bend. Don't like washing vehicles here at the house because the strong chlorine in the water always leaves spots. NICE MORNING FOR A RIDE TO THE BEND

Grand Bend's main drag looks the same but they sure have made a lot of improvements to the beach area. I really, really, hope the summer teen-agers will respect all the hard work, time, & money, that the people of Grand Bend have put into their now family oriented beach project. It's obvious they are trying to make it family friendly. I have put this mornings beach pics in a photo album which can be found here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/THENEWGRANDBENDBEACHJUNE16TH2009#

An old Tavistock (my hometown) friend from many moons ago dropped in this afternoon & we had quite a chin wag. Been about 10 years since we last talked over in Stratford & it turns out he now lives just 3 miles from where we do. Small world.

ACCOMODATIONS ACROSS FROM THE BEACH

Looks like I'm going to be busy with the mobility van over the next couple of days so I'm looking forward to some nice scenic country driving. It's one of the many advantages of living in a small town because everywhere you go involves driving through the countryside to get to where your going. I call that a huge bonus:)) ROMANCE WILL ALWAYS BE ALIVE ON THE BEACH AT THE BEND

Sidenote to the Grand Bench beach........My Dad as a young man was stationed at an air base just east of the Bend during the war & he told me how the guys used to get a car to-gether or hitch-hike into the Bend on Saturday nights to go swimming & dance the night away in the beachfront Pavillion. He said he had many a good time on that beach. My Dad died in 1992 & on the morning of his funeral I drove to Grand Bend & went for a walk along the shore. I picked up a small pebble in the sand & later slipped that into my Dad's jacket pocket to take with him & bring him good luck on his next journey..........................

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/