Wednesday, February 16, 2011

BY GOLLY, WE’RE NOT DOWN & OUT WITH THIS RANCH DEAL JUST YET:))

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AND, I WONDER WHAT IS GOING ON HERE:))

Before I go any further let me just say a big word of thanks to all you folks for your positive comments & encouraging emails regarding yesterday’s blog.  I was really down in the dumps last night figuring we were going to lose this ranch opportunity for sure.  When I got up at 4 a.m. & turned on the computer I was heartened by what I read from readers.  And here I was, the guy who wanted to drop the ‘comment’ section from our blog last summer.Sleepy smileSleepy smileSleepy smile (not too smart) Thank you all so much:))

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FRIDGE & STOVE ARE BRAND NEW & NEVER BEEN USED….AND YES, THAT IS A DISHWASHER AT THE OTHER END OF THE COUNTER…AND ‘YES’ WE DO LIKE THE ORANGE COUNTER TOP……

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KEEP IN MIND THESE PHOTOS ARE DONE WITH A WIDE ANGLE LENS SO THE ACTUAL SIZE IS SMALLER THAN WHAT APPEARS HERE

Right now at 6:15 p.m. with temps still at 65F I am sitting in a lawn chair on the front porch of the ranch house with the Swiss Helm Mountains stretched out in front of me.  I am watching them slowly soften in the twilight.  A slightly pastel three quarter moon hangs over the valley as the sun sets over my shoulder behind the Mule Mountains.   The Real Estate fellow just left half an hour ago:))

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THIS BIG COVERED CEMENT PORCH FACES THE SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS SO Y’ALL ALL BETTER COME ON DOWN & SET A SPELL:))

Despite being heartened by the support of many readers this morning I still felt down knowing there was no incentive for us to remain here any longer.  Couldn’t seem to get interested in doing anything & tried not to look over at the mountains.

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THIS IS THE SAGEBRUSH I WILL BE WORKING AT CLEARING WEDNESDAY

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THIS STUFF IS TINDER DRY & A MAJOR FIRE HAZARD

Needed a few groceries so we headed off to Douglas this morning.  It was a pretty quiet trip there & back as we both dealt with our feelings about the ranch.  Moped myself around Wal-Mart hanging off the end of a shopping cart for half an hour.  Didn’t really take notice of the beautiful warm sunny morning on the way back to the rig.

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AND THIS IS HOW I DEAL WITH CLEARING ALL THAT SAGEBRUSH BY TOWING THESE TIRES OVER THE GROUND

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THIS AREA WAS TOTALLY FILLED WITH SAGEBRUSH UNTIL I DRAGGED IT

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DRAGGING THIS OLD SET OF TRACTOR TIRES AROUND WITH A CABLE ATTACHED TO THE JEEP WORKS GREAT

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IT’S A WIDE SWATH THESE DRAGGED TIRES MAKE

I was outside packing some stuff into the rig when Kelly said, “there’s an email here from Glen.”  (ranch owner)  The email was very positive with some thoughts, ideas, & suggestions as to what we could do regarding the purchase of the ranch.  We followed those suggestions & that has started the ball rolling……really rolling.

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THAT BIG BOXY THING ON THE WALL IS CALLED A SWAMP COOLER

Kelly was on the phone right away making inquiries & reading up on real estate procedures, visa applications for living in the States longer, tax info, maintaining a residence in Canada, etc.  She also placed a call to the real estate fellow looking after the sale of this property.  And she did all this between emails coming & going plus work related phone calls.

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COWBOYS ON HORSEBACK ARE NOT AN UNUSUAL SITE AROUND HERE

Slightly after 4 this afternoon Craig Abbot from Abbot’s Real Estate rolled up the laneway & that began an hour & a half of listening, learning, & negotiating.   We were very encouraged by the conversation.  We are a long way from a final hand shake on this 40 acre ranch property but for Kelly & I, today was a giant step forward.  Depending on what ranch owner Glen & Real Estate owner Craig come back with, this may or may not be a done deal at some point.  If we have to drive away & leave this all behind then that is what we will have to do.  Time will tell & we will see what happens.  In the meantime…..you can find us west of the Swisshelm Mountains.  Turn left at the constellation Scorpios, right at the big Dipper & then just slide yourself on down down a shimmering Moonbeam to where the Bayfield Bunch is at…10-4:))

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WATER PUMP IS IN THE LARGER RED PUMP HOUSE…SMALL WORKSHOP BARN IN THE BACKGROUND

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INSIDE THE SMALL BARN/SHED

And, what was going on in the post’s first picture?  That is Craig Abbot of Abbot’s Real Estate crunching some ranch numbers this afternoon with Kelly looking on.  I was surprised at Kelly’s Real Estate knowledge.  I kind of sat there like a bump on a log as usual just nodding my head at the appropriate times.  Like I always say….”she’s the one with the most good brains in the family!!”

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CAN YOU SEE KING KONG IN THE SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS…HE IS LOOKING TOWARDS YOUR RIGHT & HIS WHOLE HEAD IS THE MOUNTAIN TOP COMPLETE WITH AN EAR, AN EYE & AN EYE BROW

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Why did the cookie go to the doctor Because he felt crummy.

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Monday, February 14, 2011

OUR DREAM IS SLIPPING AWAY:((

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MADE A CAMPFIRE RING THIS  MORNING

Where else could I be outside at 8 a.m. in the morning with pajamas on filling bird feeders & not offend neighbors or attract the attention of the local constabulary.  On a quiet peaceful Arizona ranch that’s where.

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BACK DOOR – 2 CAR CARPORT – SHEDS

We are in such a quandary here because we love this dusty little ranch sooooo much.  Of all the places we have looked at in the southwest this one spoke to us the most lovingly.  We sent a couple emails to Glen, owner of the property today to see if we could open up some dialogue on the sale of his ranch. 

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THIS IS THE BRAND SYMBOL RICHARD WIEGAND USED FOR HIS CATTLE  & HORSES HERE AT THE FLYING W

The logistics of us buying the ranch are huge.   Not only the financial commitment but the fact I am Canadian really complicates things.  Kelly has dual citizenship so that is a plus.  What to do about medical coverage is a big one we have always wrestled with & never found a clear cut answer.  What to do about our house in Bayfield?  Would we live here in Arizona for the winter & return to the Bayfield area in the summer?  With all the doom & gloom economy forecasts on the horizon is it better to just give up the Snowbird RV lifestyle & resign ourselves to stay in Canada?  Those are but a few of the many, many, questions & decisions we have been agonizing over these past few days.  We have been going back & forth, trying to decide on what the right decision is for us.  Could we actually afford to buy this ranch?  Yes we could…… if we sold our house back in Bayfield, but with the crumbling housing market in Canada it could take a very long time to sell our place.  In the meantime I’m sure this Ranch will be long gone.  Some days we just have to accept the reality of where we are in life.

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MORNING WALK AT THE OTHER PROPERTY LAST WEEK

Someone had commented a few blogs ago wondering if we we were losing our wanderlust & could our travels be winding down if we were to locate here to Arizona.  My answer to that is ‘no’ & here’s why.  We love the Southwest but can only be here for approximately 5 months of the year.  It is a loooooong & expensive drive to get here & back home again. (and I haven’t even mentioned gas prices yet)  Because we can’t leave Canada until late October or early November we cannot go to places like Colorado, Utah, northern Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon etc because of the cold weather & snow.  If we lived in Arizona we would be better located to see those places.  We would no longer have to put in those long trips from the northeast to get here.  We would already be here.  We really don’t have any interest in living anywhere east of New Mexico & we do not want to ever have to spend another winter in Canada!!!!.  It is the southwest where we want to be.  We like California but it is just way too expensive for us there.  Arizona or New Mexico are our two top choices with Arizona being number one.  And this would have been so perfect for us here.

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CHECKING ON THE FRONT YARD’S POND PUMP

With gas prices skyrocketing & especially in California, I am wondering why there has not been a backlash from consumers this time.  Nothing on the news & I have not read anything in any RV blogs about high gas prices.  Gas has gone up 30 cents a gallon in the past week here.  California is over $4 a gallon & we know we will be in the $5 dollar range this summer & now we are hearing talk of $8 a gallon.  Think it won’t happen?  Well, it is already happening!!  Most of of us know how expensive it is to fill up a Motor Home.  How many peoples travel plans are already crumbling underneath them and they aren’t even aware of it yet.   Where will a lot of us be next year at this time.  Home I suspect:((  For many of us the RV hay day's may very well be over.  I feel bad for the folks who are just on the verge of launching their RV dreams & what this is all going to mean to them.   Why is there no backlash about the gas prices…..Am I in the dark about something here!!

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HERE I AM TELLING JOKES TO THE DONKEY GANG….CAN YOU TELL BY THE LAST PICTURE THAT  I TOLD THEM ONE OF MY BEST GROANERS:))

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I must admit that at the time of tonight’s writing I have become very discouraged despite starting the day on a super high note:((

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know that the shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.  A fine is a tax for doing wrong & a tax is a fine for doing well.

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HAD MYSELF A TOTALLY GREAT DAY DOING YARD WORK:))

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FRONT YARD AT THE FLYING W RANCH AS SEEN THROUGH OUR MOTOR HOME WINDOW THIS MORNING

I am going to really try & keep this blog short tonight simply because if I don’t I am going to fall face forward on the keyboard sound asleep.

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BURNING PILES OF BRUSH IN THE SIDE YARD THIS MORNING

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FRONT YARD VIEWS & BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS

I was out the door this morning about 9 & spent a big part of the day on the end of a rake burning piles & piles of bone dry tumbleweed.  These dried shrubs are a bit of nasty business because of their tiny prickly stickers that get in your shoes & socks.  Behind the house these densely packed Tumbleweeds stretch for as far as one can see.  Ray tells me this stuff should be mowed & cut low during the Monsoon season to stop it from growing into the dry 3 foot high tumbleweed state.  You can’t even walk through this stuff. 

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FOUND THIS OLD TUB, DRAGGED IT OUT & FILLED IT WITH WATER FOR THE DEER

Many concerned comments on the well being of Pancho, Sarah & Nellie.    Next time over at the Ranch I will pass on all those nice comments when I’m talking to the Donkeys again.  Laurie from, SEMI-TRUE TALES OF OUR LIFE ON THE ROAD sent a couple cute baby pictures of Nellie this morning.  Laurie & Odel are friends of ranch owners Jeanie & Ray & did some ranch sitting back in 05.  Thanks for the pics Laurie:))

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WHAT A CUTIE THAT LITTLE NELLIE WAS IN 05:))

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NELLIE & ODEL

Kelly & I feel so at home here at this location that we will definitely stay on for a bit.  It is soooooo peaceful & is just the type of place we have always talked about we would like to have.  And we sure have been talking about the Flying W Ranch these past few days.

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WORKSHOP SHED ON LEFT & WATER PUMP HOUSE ON RIGHT 

I am totally enjoying myself doing some actual physical work again & it is exactly what I have needed.  I love a challenge & it feels so great to go to bed with good old tired muscles again.  Haven’t had this much fun in years.  Regardless of what finally shakes out here this week we will definitely leave at some point with a great feeling inside knowing the clean up improvements we have made to the property.  We have a habit of doing that from time to time:))

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LOTS OF ROOM FOR A WHOLE HERD OF CHICKENS HERE…THAT YELLOW STUFF IS THE NASTY TUMBLEWEED  THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARED OUT EVERYWHERE 

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ROLLING AN OLD BURNING BARREL UP THE LANE THIS MORNING

Tomorrow I will continue working on the grounds & we will continue our discussions about…..the Flying W Ranch:))

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TEST PHOTO OF TONIGHT’S MOON WITH THE 70-300 NIKOR LENS THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE NIKON D50 WHEN IT FELL….LENS IS STILL SHARP

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SPOOKY EYES IN TONIGHT’S SUNSET OVER THE MULE MOUNTAINS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

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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.

--
THE BAYFIELD BUNCH
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/