TO-DAY I GOT OUT......'THE LIST'

COLOR MY WORLD.......PINE TREE GREEN:))

I was busy this morning with an eraser & a piece of paper erasing pencil check marks & lines through a list of items written in ink. About the same time last year I was doing the very same thing for the very same purpose. It's our long 'to do' list that I (notice that I said...I) begin to work on for loading the motorhome for the winter's travels. I'm not a last minute person so I like to start things early plus it's a great way to give myself a little physiological travel boost. The real excitement won't begin though until I see Kelly head out to the motorhome with a that first big arm load of stuff in about a month from now. She's more last minute than me. It's not until I see her bringing out her stuff that I know our trip is a go for sure.......10-4:))
FLOWER'S ALONGSIDE THE MORNING TRAIL

My list is divided into categories ........like starting now to double check on things. Here's a few examples....... THINGS TO START NOW
- is the motorhome insurance slip up to date & in the glove compartment
- clear any accounts with balances owing so we don't have bills arriving via snail mail when we're away
-transfer the frogs from front yard pond to big pond across the road
- make sure pre-dated lease, tax, water testing checks, etc are made out for next 5 months & left with the park's owners
- check quotes on health coverage for our stay in the States
- Motorhome & Santa Fe tune-ups
- make sure we have our doggy papers & shots up to date

THIS IS THE POND ACROSS THE ROAD WHERE I TRANSFER OUR FRONT YARD FROG'S TOO FOR THE WINTER

As we get closer to departure date we'll have things like:
- replace front door screen panel with the glass panel
- all lawn ornaments put away, outside water turned off & garden hoses drained
- all liquids like paints, fertilizers, power washer, pond pumps, etc into the house
- Disconnect BBQ tank on the deck
- Fill all gas tanks like lawnmower, van, etc.
- utility trailer into the carport
- make arrangements to have cable TV & phone put on hibernation programs
- cover the outside air conditioner or winter snow coming off roof will crush it

THE 1885 IRON BRIDGE FROM LAST THURSDAY'S BIKE TOUR

Last minute items can be:
- load cameras, laptop, coffee maker, cell phone, meds, doggy toys, passports,
- turn water heater off, lock all windows & doors, etc
- load 35 cases of Tim Horton coffee & 55 cases of President's Choice Natural peanut butter
- leave a note in the mailbox for mailman telling him......"no junk mail"
- peel Al off the ceiling & get him focused on the trip ahead

THE BRIDGE DECK IS MADE UP OF WOODEN 2 X 4 PLANKING

Lists have been an important part of my life for many years & without them I would probably just clank to a stop & cease to function. In 1983 I was alone at the end of a marriage & found myself in a position where I didn't even know where or how to even pay a phone bill. I was surrounded by total confusion & had so many things on my plate all at once I was literally going round & round like a merry-go-round. Only way off that was to grab me a notebook, a pen, & get myself organized as fast as possible. Had to start writing down everything I could think of so I wouldn't forget things. It was important for me to stabilize quickly & what better way than a daily listing of my current day's activities!! From that day to this very day I have always carried a small notebook & pen in my shirt pocket. Everyday now for nearly 26 years!! COULD BE A DOGWOOD LEAF

I write down everything each day like, get bananas, milk, celery or check oil in the minivan or shoelaces for hiking boots. Clean living room windows, license tags this week, start motorhome generator, wash motorcycle, email to Bruce, check the Santa Fe's tire pressures, etc. etc. etc. Everything goes into my book. Also in the back of my little book I have the license numbers of all the vehicles plus tire pressures for each one including the bicycles. Phone numbers in the back of the book as well including our own because that one seems the hardest to remember. I am in & out of 5 or 6 different nursing homes several times over the summer & each one of them has a different door code to punch. Yep, got em all in my book. IN THE CORNER OF OUR SUNROOM

I've had many note books over the years with each one lasting maybe 6 to 12 months or more. Depends how diligent I am at writing things down as to how long I carry any one particular book. I get very irritable with myself if I forget something so it's imperative that I treat myself well by making sure everything is in the book!!!! But, it nearly tripped me up one day. REFLECTIONS OF MORNING SUNLIGHT THROUGH MY CAMERA LENS

As helpful as my little black (yes, it's actually black) book has been over the years it did very nearly cost me a second date with a very good looking blonde I had just met in a coffee shop one afternoon in Doon, Ontario. It was my first time meeting Kelly & I had pulled out all the stops. Wore my best used shirt & even bought her a coffee as I recall. My pen & notebook were securely in my pocket promising to be on their best behaviour. Everything went well (probably was her free coffee) & we agreed to meet again later in the week for a movie. It wasn't until a few years later that she told me when she came into the coffee shop that day & saw the pen & notebook in my pocket she had me pegged for a nerdy type & she definitely was not looking for a nerdy type. (good thing I had taken my glasses off & stuck them in my back pocket) Well, somehow me, my pen, & my notebook all survived the close coffee shop encounter that day & have been a part of Kelly's life ever since & that's been over 15 years now. Who would have ever thunk it huh. Now, how's that for a happy ending to a story between a man, a woman, a pen, & a notebook................:)) TWO OF MY OLDEST & MOST RELIABLE PALS....MR. PEN & MR. NOTEBOOK.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long........................Polaroids.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

"WE'LL TRAVEL FOR MILES IN OUR SATURDAY SMILES"

ONE OF THE BUILDINGS ON THE BEN MILLER INN'S GROUNDS......BEN MILLER ONTARIO, CANADA

As mentioned in previous posts my favorite time of the week is Saturday morning. Has been for as long as I can remember. In 1970 the Sandpipers came out with a song called, Come Saturday Morning & for me it sums up my feelings exactly. The words, "we'll travel for miles in our Saturday smiles" have always stuck with me. The harmonies are soothing. You can listen to it here....SATURDAY MORNING. Two of my other Sandpiper favorites from the 60's are, GUANTANAMERA & Misty Roses. (couldn't find free music for Misty Roses)
FINE DINING BEHIND THOSE RED DOORS

Had a mobility van run to London & back this afternoon & other than that things have been quiet here at the 5 Seasons. A bit of shrub trimming & that was about it for Al to-day.

POOL & SPA AREA

Some of my posts lately have been rather lengthy so think I'll keep this one short & finish it up with a few photos. On my bike ride a few days ago I came through a scenic little place not far from where we live called Ben Miller. It is the location of the well to do BEN MILLER INN alongside the Maitland River. It has been a quiet getaway for a few celebrities & many politicians over the years.
GROANER'S CORNER:(( How do you get holy water............ Boil the hell out of it.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

TO-DAY I HAD TO EAT SOME CROW & EMAIL AN APOLOGY

CAME ACROSS THIS OLD IRON BRIDGE ON MY THURSDAY BIKE RIDE

I have heard the phrase, "eat crow" defined as, 'admit to being wrong therefore suffering possible humiliation' It means that something you said turned out to be wrong.' Well, in an email a few weeks ago I accused someone of being a scammer & to-day I had to eat crow!!
And so begins my apology to a fellow by the name of John McFeely, Communications Coordinator from National Geographic.

BRIDGE WAS BUILT IN 1885

Let me first say that in this fast paced computer networking world we live in it is just about impossible to tell legitimate emails from spam emails. People's email accounts are assaulted daily by waves of scams, schemes, & skullduggery. Countless thousands of people fall victim to unscrupulous emails every single day. They take many shapes & forms but luckily a lot of them are easily recognizable for what the really are. Others are not & the spammers are devising new deceptive ploys all the time. Fortunately we don't receive a lot of junk mail but we're always vigilante just the same. And so it was when a suspicious email rolled in about 6 weeks ago. CURIOUS FENCE IN FRONT OF A CURIOUS HOUSE....BAYFIELD

About 2 months ago just after I had posted my telescope for sale (happy to report I decided not to sell it) I received an email from a fellow representing National Geographic. I was immediately suspicious of this one because afterall, National Geographic is National Geographic & I am only me. Why would someone from there ever send an email to me. Probably someone had seen my 'telescope for sale' ad & worked out some kind of a rip off for me. However, there was something a tad different about this email & I couldn't logically figure out what this alleged spammers angle was. Sat on that email for a couple of weeks before making a decision. First, here is the email I received................

ROADSIDE WILDFLOWER

"Hi Al, Hope all is well. I thought you would be interested in knowing that National Geographic is coming out with a brand new book that shows everyone, from beginner stargazers to professional astronomers, how to enjoy stargazing and learn about the heavens above. The book, National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky, is co-written by Howard Schneider and Patricia Daniels, covers everything a beginning stargazer will need to know, from understanding the phases of the moon to picking Mars out of a planetary lineup to identifying the kinds of stars twinkling in the constellations. Throughout the book, star charts and tables present key facts in an easy-to-understand format, sidebars and fact boxes present illuminating anecdotes and fun facts to sweep us swiftly into the stardust! I thought that this would be a great book for you and the readers of your blog. Let me know if you'd be interested in receiving a copy of the book and I'd be happy to send you a review copy. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you! John McFeelyCommunications Coordinator, CommunicationsNational Geographic Society." (I didn't include his address, email, or phone number here)

EARLY FORERUNNERS OF MANY AUTUMN COLORS TO COME

After much thought I decided to take a chance on this one....just in case it was on the up & up. But, I was still very skeptical. Sent John an email saying, yes I would be interested in the book. Gave him our mailing address & then waited for all the spam mail to start filling up our mailbox. The spam mail never came. Nor did the book!!!! About a month past & I was convinced I had been had....somehow!! Retrieved his original email & slammed him back a short terse note which simply read..............."WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHO YOUR ARE OR WHAT YOUR TRUE INTENTIONS WERE FOR OBTAINING OUR MAILING ADDRESS BUT WE NEVER DID RECEIVE ANY BOOK SO I'M ASSUMING THIS IS A SCAM!! IS IT ANY WONDER THIS WORLD IS IN THE MESS IT IS IN!!!! BURDOCK!! THESE ARE THE GUYS THAT STICK TO YOUR CLOTHES & ANIMAL'S FUR

To my total surprise I received a reply from this alleged scammer shortly after sending my angry email feelings. It read.... THIS OLD 'SHOE STUMP' WAS AT THE END OF A FARM LANE

"Hi Al, This was not a scam at all. I had the book sent out to from our publishers in Canada. I will check with them again to see why it was not sent out and will have another one sent out to you. Sorry for the delay. John."

Well, now I was really confused because why would a spammer send me an email back. To-day I found out why.

SEEK, & YE SHALL FIND PLEASANT PLACES CLOSE TO HOME

I hadn't noticed the small cardboard package on our front porch yesterday but when I went out first thing this morning I saw it lying under my garden gloves. Right away I thought, "could this be that book from National Geographic??" Noticed it had been delivered by Can-Par and yep it was the book alright:)) Well, talk about mixed feelings. Happy to receive the book for sure but I also quickly remembered my terse email to John from National Geo just a couple weeks ago. Oh boy, I knew right away I had some crow to eat & an apology to send. I am not a rude person by nature so you can imagine the guilt feelings I had about sending that terse email. THANKS FOR THE BOOK GEO:))

The book is sitting here on the computer table in front of me & looks to be a top notch first rate piece of work so I'm looking forward to reading it & I will let you all know what I think when I'm finished. Imagine that though......a big outfit like National Geographic sending an email to this little no-name blogger guy in Canada. Sometimes things just don't make no darn sense in my world no how................:)) ONTARIO WILDFLOWERS

GROANER'S CORNER:(( How do crazy people go through the forest? They take the psycho path.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

TIME TO HANG ANOTHER PIECE OF RV LAUNDRY ON MY LINE:((

LAST NIGHT'S MOON THROUGH A PINE TREE IN OUR FRONT YARD


A couple days ago I blogged about men & their mistakes & how some of us post our errors & goof-ups by hanging them out on the line like laundry for all to see. Well, have I ever got a doozy piece of laundry to hang on my line to-day. COULD THIS BE A FAR OFF GALAXY AS SEEN THROUGH MY TELESCOPE.......OR JUST A CARP IN THE RIVER BELOW A COUNTRY ROAD BRIDGE. Hmmmmmmm:))


Nice morning so figured I'd take the motorcycle & head up to Goderich & re-new the yearly license stickers for our Dodge Van, Santa Fe & Motorhome. Was also time for my driver's license re-newel as well. Filled out the forms & added the mileage for the van & car. Started up the Motorhome to get the mileage & then decided to leave it running for a bit because it had been a couple of weeks since last starting it. Re-checked my license form to make sure I had everything & then fired up the motorcycle. Not using the van now because of the transmission problem. Trying to decide whether to go with a re-built transmission or a used one from the auto wreckers. Pros & cons either way but it's basically a thousand dollars vs two thousand dollars!!
I SHALL RETURN TO THIS AREA NEAR BEN MILLER NEXT MONTH WHEN THE LEAVES ARE IN FULL AUTUMN COLOR

Nice ride up to Goderich with a stop at Tim Horton's for coffee before heading over to the license bureau. Fully expected a line-up but I walked in & right up to the counter. Bonus. Got my license re-newed plus the vehicle tags & exited the building $252.00 poorer:(( AND YET ANOTHER CHILDRENS SCHOOL BUS SHELTER ON MY RIDE TO-DAY

Our weather has been so perfect this past week so figured I might as well head north out of Goderich with the bike on a relaxing country road tour while the weather is good because the bike will be going into storage in another 5 weeks or so. I had loaded both my Nikons into a saddle bag before leaving home figuring it might be a nice morning for some photos. NEVER A SHORTAGE OF BLUE JAYS IN OUR FRONT YARD

Spent the next four & half hours riding the back roads & marveling at the beautiful countryside here in Huron County. Stopped along the way for photos whenever I saw something interesting. Traveled through some wooded areas that I will definitely have to back to in early October when the leaves will be in full color around here. GROWING ALONGSIDE THE ROAD BUT DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS

Finally made my way back to Bayfield in the afternoon & stopped down near the harbor looking for a wasp nest. Someone by the name Peter had left a message in our Shoutbox about a large nest near the footpath entrance but I couldn't find it. I'll have to get eagle eye Kelly on the case & I'm sure she will spot it right away. ALWAYS NICE TO SEE COWS & HORSES IN GREEN PASTURES

Finally arrived home about 2:15 which meant it had been 4 hours & 40 minutes since I had left this morning. Parked the bike in the carport & shut it off. Hmmmm, thought I could hear the sound of an engine running nearby. Glanced around & saw the Motorhome's headlights on. OH NO!!! I had left the Motorhome running this morning when I headed out on the motorcycle. So, for 4 hours & 40 minutes the Motorhome had sat there in it's spot, idling....all big 8 cylinders of it. To say I was disgusted with myself would be putting it mildly. Switched it off & didn't even look at the gas gauge. I'll save that little insult for later. I just hope all that idling hasn't hurt anything & what a waste of engine running time that was. Unless your standing just a few feet from the Motorhome you can't hear it running because it is so quiet. Wished it would have backfired itself a couple times when it saw me about to pull out on the motorcycle!!!!! Four hours & forty minutes!!!! Can you believe it:(( NO MISTAKING THE SUNFLOWERS

Have been seeing the occasional video pop up on people's blogs lately & the other day I came across a 65 second video in my Picasa files I forgot I had. Made it just a little over a year ago after buying my Canon A720 digital camera. Wanted to try out the video feature so decided to take the camera for a ride on the motorcycle. (not one of my better ideas)
I should have run the bike up through all the gears before starting the video but without putting much thought into the project I clicked on the camera while in second gear. That wasn't too smart because now I had to shift up through the rest of the gears while trying to hang onto my camera as well. You can see the result of that little goof-up in the video as you hear the shift change coming. Too get the full effect of the video just enlarge your screen to full size, muster up your deepest Vroooom Vroooom voice sounds, & place a fan about 4 inches in front of your face turned on high. Singing Johnny Horton's, Honky Tonk Man is optional but you might want to give it a try.

OK, Let's review.....Vroooom Vrooooom, fan in your face & belting out loudly........... "I'm a honky tonk man & I can't seem to stop. I love to give the girls a whirl to the music on an old juke box. But when the money's all gone I'm on the telephone. Hollering' Hey Hey Mama can your Daddy come home."


Louder please......I can't hear you singing!!!!

ALWAYS LOOKS SO NICE WHEN FARMERS MOW THE DITCHES BETWEEN FARMS

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Did you know bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

OUR MEXICAN BORDER TOWN INCIDENT.....2008

OUR NEIGHBOR BERT IS GONE NOW BUT HIS GARDEN BENCH REMAINS

Not only are the kids back to school here in Huron county but the summer holidays were over for our outdoor houseplants this morning as well. Temps have been dipping lower each night so it was time to bring the whole gang back inside for the coming winter months. The outside jungle look has now advanced into our sunroom. Yesterday I had a hummingbird fly in the open patio door but after some frantic fluttering around I was able to gently scoop him into my hand & ease him back out the patio door. HOUSE PLANTS ARE NOW BACK INSIDE FOR ANOTHER SEASON

In February of 2008 we were staying a few days at the HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK in Why, Arizona. Kelly had noticed an advertisement for a craft/pottery type store in the little Mexican border town of Sonoyta just a half hours drive south of us near Lukeville. The year before while in New Mexico we crossed into Mexico at the border town of Palomas & really enjoyed our time spent in the well known Pink Store. Figured it would be nice to visit Mexico again & re-kindle some of those old Amigo oriented memories. It was not to be!! BROWN EYED SUSANS IN ONE OF OUR FLOWER GARDENS

Nice sunny morning for a drive so we headed south through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to the town of Lukeville & cruised right on through the old gates into Mexico with no problem. In Palomas we had parked the truck & walked across the border but here we just drove across. Mistake!! When entering Mexico the visible change is immediate, if not some what shocking. Much like a third world country you see on television. Within a matter of a few feet you enter another land with an entirely different lifestyle. You are immediately accosted by numbers of people trying to sell you everything from soup to nuts & in most cases the nuts are probably still in the soup!! The urban decay is evident everywhere with tumbledown buildings, old wrecked cars & trucks puffing & clanking around the rut goughed dirt streets. Very poor people asking for money. This is what you see as soon as you cross the border but if you continue into Mexico further things improve. I have been to Puerto Vallarta a couple times & it is far different than either Sonoyta or Palomas so it's probably not fair to judge Mexico by it's border towns. RURAL ONTARIO

We drove for a little ways & then turned off the highway into the downtown section of Sonoyta. Had only driven maybe 2 minutes when we approached an intersection. I instinctively slowed down glancing ahead looking for a stop sign but there wasn't any. It was a divided road with a dirt median in between. No traffic approaching from either side but I was a bit confused at no stop sign for the other way either. Slowed down & entered the intersection just as I noticed some kind of sign on my left in the median. Wasn't red & didn't say STOP. Well, of course not.....I'm in a different country dummy!! Just as I cleared the intersection on the far side I saw a figure about a hundred yards ahead step off the median waving his arms in a gesture for me to pull over. Oh Oh!! ABOUT HALF AN HOUR AFTER TAKING THIS PICTURE I HEARD THE FIRST SOUNDS OF IT'S TRANSMISSION DYING

He had on what looked like some semblance of a uniform so my instinct to obey a uniform kicked in & I pulled over to the right hand curb. This man approached my open window & leaned right down in my face & began saying something in broken English about a stop sign. It was immediately clear to me that he was berating me for driving through a stop sign. Of course I stumbled out an apology & said I was confused by the signage. He went on a bit about the stop sign & I began to have some doubts whether he was a Mexican policeman or not or just somebody with green military cap & a deputy dawg badge. Then, in no uncertain terms he demanded I hand over my driver's license to him. Before I could even think about that, Kelly piped up with, "don't give him your driver's license. Talk about being between a rock & a hard place. The hard place on my left demanded my license again & the rock to my right shouted, "don't give him your driver's license!!!!" MONARCH BUTTERFLY

The situation was rapidly heating up & I still had my left foot on the clutch with the car in gear so I eased up on the clutch a bit & the car moved ahead a few inches. With that the fellow shouted at me, stepped back & opened his jacket pulling out a two way radio. It was at this point I saw the gun belt......but no gun. I quickly tapped the brake & thankfully he didn't holler into the radio for assistance. He approached the window again & this time Kelly took a different tact. She said quite sharply, "how do we know you are a policeman, show us your identification!!" I sensed a turning point in the negotiations at this point because the fellow hesitated for a few seconds, seemed confused, & then reached into his back pocket pulling out his wallet. He shoved the wallet in front of my face saying something about identification but all the cards displayed there looked Greek to me. The rock on my right now said to the hard place on my left, "do you want $20??" Is this what this is all about!!" He didn't seem to react to that but he did react to something a few second's later that we have never been able to figure out.

A COUNTRY CEMETERY EAST OF HENSALL, ONTARIO

More words passed between all three of us for what seemed an eternity & then all of a sudden he quickly stood straight up peering over the roof of the car, took a step back & began waving his harm in a forward motion saying, "Go, go, go.....so I popped the clutch & we went, went, went!!!! Down the street & around the corner I went with only one thought in mind, get back across the border as fast as I can....but, oh no, that was not to be. I not only had a rock in the passenger seat but I had a dedicated shopper sitting there as well & no silly little incident like we just had was going to stop her from going to that pottery store. No sireeeee!! No Mexican policeman, no two way radio, gunbelt or deputy dawg badge was going to get in her way. Fortunately the street I had turned onto was the one with the pottery store so very reluctantly I pulled into the parking lot. Kelly got out & went into the store but I never budged from the locked car. Had visions of the car being stolen if I left it. I was suspicious of everything & everybody at this point. I was approached about 4 times by vendors trying to sell me something but I just waved them off. Figured any second I would hear the sound of gunfire & see the bullet holes appearing my windshield. ANOTHER LOOK AT THE BEARS CARVED OUT OF AN OLD TREE

Kelly casually strolled out of the store about 15 minutes later & we hightailed it for the border with my eyes glued to the rear view mirror expecting at any second to a see gaggle of old dented & dusty Mexican police cars in hot pursuit with huge sombreros sticking out the windows & big blustery mustached men with guns blazing away at us. Kelly was probably thinking about the pottery prices.

KIDS SCHOOL BUS SHELTER AT THE END OF A FARM LANE

A couple quick questions by the American border guard & we were across the line out of Mexico & back into the good old U. S. of A. Back into the civilized part of the North American continent. I can't even begin to tell you the sense of relief I felt inside to be back on safe ground. Told myself right there & then I will never drive into Mexico again.....ever. Kelly was probably thinking, hmmmmm, I wonder if that pottery store will have a sale on next week. I don't mean to downplay all of Mexico though. It was just an incident that happened to us in a border town that was very unfortunate but had the potential to turn into a very serious situation. Sure did a lot of thinking on the drive back to our RV Park. What if we had been detained there!! We had 3 dogs in our motorhome back at Hickiwan trails & what would have happened to them. A very scary thought for us & it just pointed out how careless we had been in our thinking. PUMPKINS & SQUASHES ARE HEAVY ON THE VINES

To this very day we do not know what really happened that morning in Sonoyta. Was that a real police officer or just the usual street level scam artist with a green hat, jacket, & pants, trying to make a fast buck on unsuspecting tourists. I figure a lot of folks cruise through that confusing intersection & people just wait down the street to scam them with the police story. Someone suggested he may have been Mexican Para-military....whatever they are. Why all of a sudden did he step back, wave his arm & tell us to go. Did he see the real police approaching?? Don't know & don't figure we'll ever know but it did sour us about visiting Mexico again that's for sure.

REFLECTIONS IN A POND

I never did blog about this incident because we had relatives at home following our blog at the time & I didn't want to alarm anyone or bring down the axe of criticism on us about going into Mexico in the first place. Aside from telling a few friends we just kept it low key. Can't remember if I ever made reference to it or not in previous blogs but if not then the Chile pepper is now out of the pouch......so to speak. RED HEADED WOODPECKER FOR SURE:))

Have had a flurry of emails & comments on yesterday's blog so it's nice to know folks are reading not just my blog but other's as well. I was made aware indirectly by another blogger friend of another fellow blogger who was tossing around the idea of packing up his blog & riding off into the sunset with it so I saddled up & rode over to his site, had me a look see, liked what I saw, & think you might too so here's MIKE & PAT'S TRAVELS blogger site. Head on over, put a burr under Mike's saddle & encourage him to, "git er done!! ECHINACIA OR CONE FLOWER

Also in last night's blog I made reference to hanging out 'dirty laundry' on the blog site. Dirty was not a good word choice on my part so I would just like to re-phrase that to saying 'airing our laundry on the internet. There, now I feel much better. My socks feel better, my shirts feel better, & my shorts feel better too.....................:))

P.S. Sorry for the looooooooooooooooooong blog:((

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Money isn't everything but it sure keeps the kids in touch.

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

BLOGGERS.....WE'RE QUITE A BUNCH:))

JUST ANOTHER FINE DAY IN SUNNY SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO:))

A heavy dew on the morning trail was another tell tale sign of early Autumn this morning. Despite the abundant sunshine each day there is a cool crispness in the air & I'm sure furnaces & fireplaces are being lit to take that late night & early morn chill out of the air. September & October are beautiful months here in southern Ontario & I saw my first V-shaped flock of Canada Geese winging over a neighboring pond yesterday. Too early for them to go south yet but they are beginning their test runs & flying patterns for their long journey soon. MONARCH BUTTERFLYS.......A SURE SIGN OF AUTUMN

Puttered about in the gardens this morning deciding what shrubs & trees to transplant in a few weeks when the ground becomes cooler. It's a nice kind of puttering this time of year. The heat & humidity are gone out of the air as well as most bugs. The birds have been active at the feeders & I had 5 squabbling Blue Jays entertaining me at one point this afternoon, not to mention the finches, woodpeckers, chickadees, & various other feathery creatures. Aw yes, all is well in birdland. MANY FARMS HAVE THESE LITTLE BUILDINGS AT THE END OF THE LANES FOR THE KIDS AWAITING THE SCHOOL BUS ON RAINY OR STORMY WINTER DAYS

All is not so well with our 99 Dodge Caravan though. Noticed a high pitched whining sound Monday when I was out & about with my cameras & to-day when I headed into Bayfield I noticed the sound seemed louder & the transmission was slipping quite a bit. Stopped into the Bayfield Garage & Don checked the transmission fluid which was fine. He took the van for a drive & then phoned a transmission specialist in Stratford to confirm his suspicions. Bad news!!!! The transmission is on it's last legs. He explained the problem to me & there's no easy cheap way out. The tranny has to be replaced. To re-build our transmission will be $1,400 plus 5 or 6 hours labor & that gives it a 2 year guarantee. A used transmission from the wrecker can be put in for $600 plus labor & and that comes with a 30 day guarantee so it's going to cost us either 1 or 2 thousand dollars to fix it. Although the van is 10 years old it is in good shape for it's age because it's only been winter driven for 1 of it's 10 years. We bought it used about 4 years ago from an older couple who went to Florida every year with it. So, it's decision time for us. What to do, what to do. We may just do nothing for now & wait until we come back from the southwest in the spring. FIELD OF BEANS

Had an interesting email from a fellow blogger friend to-night that got me to thinking a bit. We blogger folks are a bit of an odd group of would be writer's at times. Who else out there hangs their dirty laundry out for all to see on a daily basis. But, it is the honest reality of that laundry so to speak that keeps many of us coming back to the blogs. I am way too critical of my own mistakes so reading about others mistakes puts things into perspective for me. In the world I grew up in, men didn't make mistakes!!!! But, for some of us, in the world I now live in it is OK to admit & write about those shortcomings, & faults. And, some of us do that rather freely I may add. LOVELY WOOD CARVING FROM AN OLD MAPLE TREE

Whether you drive off leaving your toad in gear, drop the 5'ver on the truck bed, fail to secure the black hose tank, forget to tie the bicycles on securely, leave the TV antennae up, forget to tell your wife you left the seat up, fail to notice that low hanging branch, deploy your slide into a post, forget to put your awning up before leaving the rig for a few hours, or put the milk in the cupboard under the sink......it doesn't matter because you are man enough to sit down at your keyboard & tell the whole world about your foibles. And I say, "man enough" because this does not apply to you ladies who of course do not have the same problem we men have of making mistakes. So, thanks to my fellow bloggers for their honesty & willingness to share their mis-fortunes that other's may learn & yes, have a chuckle here & there as well. PASTORAL SCENE ALONG A RIVER BANK

We never know who it is reading these blogs, what responses we may incur upon ourselves, or if anyone is reading them at all but we'll keep hanging out that laundry from time to time anyway just to keep that honest reality in the forefront. And I think I speak for all bloggers when I say to you folks reading the blogs......if you have a minute, send the bloggers your thoughts & comments because they are much appreciated. I think many blogs are spurred on by reader feedback. We are not all professional or talented writers & in some cases like myself we're hardly writers at all. Just folks like you with a keyboard, an imagination, & waaaaaaay too much time on our hands...............:)) THESE ARE BUSY DAYS FOR THE BEES

I have uploaded the rest of Sunday night's walk on the Bayfield pier photos at the end of the AUGUST photo album.
To-day's photos are from my country road drive around the area Monday morning:))

GROANER'S CORNER:)) Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity!!

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.