IT'S NOT A VACATION....IT'S A LIFESTYLE

ATOP CORONADO PEAK NEAR SIERRA VISTA, ARIZONA 

Yesterday's late afternoon storm swept in a cold front so today we are shivering under cloudy skies & a noon hour high of 48F.  My internal engine does not start or run well on cold cloudy days anymore so I had myself a rather physically unproductive day:((

BRYCE CANYON, UTAH 

Seems to have been more 'Blogger' problems today with folks including myself not being able to leave or publish comments off & on.

THE GRAND CANYON'S NORTH RIM 

When I started this post today I figured my thoughts on comparing Ontario & the Southwest would maybe be a paragraph or two in tonight's blog.  I soon realized it was going to take more than a couple paragraphs to describe our two kinds of lifestyles so I will break it into two parts.  I will write about the cultural differences in a later post.

CITY OF ROCKS STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO 

I have never considered our Snow Birding 5 winter months in the Southwest as a vacation or a holiday & there are reasons for that.  Our main home of course is Ontario Canada but we consider all of the Southwest as our second home.  There is a big difference in landscapes & climate between Ontario & the States of New Mexico, Arizona & California & therein lies one of the lifestyles greatest attractions.

ARIZONA'S MITRY LAKE NEAR YUMA 

Our home near Bayfield is located in a fine area of Southwestern Ontario, Canada.  Rolling farmlands & green forests.  Our house is surrounded by both Maple & Pine trees & the Park we live in is like no other we have ever seen.  We have more room between neighbors than most urban homes do.  No crowding here & we can even keep our Motor Home right on the property.  We could easily park half a dozen cars in our driveway & we have a hundred acre forest of hiking trails at our door.  No kids or families in our Adult community & how nice is that:))  Our Park is located in the country so no urban development anywhere near us until we reach Bayfield about 2 miles away.  Malls & Big Box stores are 20 minutes up the road to Goderich.  Three minutes west of is the never ending sandy beaches of beautiful Lake Huron.

ZION CANYON, UTAH 

By sheer contrast, the areas of the Southwest we love so much are totally opposite to our Ontario home environment & therein lies one of the greatest attractions for us.   Compared to our Bayfield area there is little greenery & quite often very few, if any trees on the desert floor.  Visibility for the most part is unrestricted with sweeping panoramic views all around us for as far as the eye can see.  The crystal clear starry night sky stretches for as far as the eye can see.   Mountains ring the horizons & we see sunrises & sunsets of untold beauty.  We prefer areas of as few people as possible so the roads & highways we travel on are quiet & free from traffic.  It is not uncommon to look either ahead or behind & not see another vehicle in sight.  We can be on the hotter desert floor walking among Saguaro Cactus & a short time later be in a forested Alpine meadow sitting in the cooling shade of a large Oak or Pine tree beside a babbling creek.  I am never bored by the fascinating diversity of scenery.  It is the great differences between Ontario & the Southwest that I find so appealing & it is the main reason we prefer the Southwest over the Southeast.

HIKING IN THE AJO MOUNTAINS....ORGAN PIPE  NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA

BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA....THE BADLANDS  

The Sonoran Desert of the Southwest has a hauntingly appealing magic all it's own.  The desert beauty may not be everybody's cup of tea but for people who have spent any time in the deserts & mountains we know the true beauty & magic it posses.  

RELAXING ALONG THE COCHISE STRONGHOLD TRAIL IN ARIZONA'S DRAGOON MOUNTAINS

I will later write about the laid back lifestyle we love so much.  To us, the American Southwest has it all.....in Spades:))  And, I should mention that we have the same feelings for the Northwest as well but it's just with our short 5 winter month traveling time we can't get to the other great States in those months because of the harsh winter conditions.  I have been to most of the Northwestern States many years ago & I have to say they are every bit as wondrous & beautiful as their southern neighbors:))  And let's not forget western Alberta & British Columbia in Canada.  Here is where we get into some really fine majestic beauty.

THE WHITE SANDS OF ALAMOGORDO, NEW MEXICO 

Anyway, to sum up.....it is the complete change of lifestyle & scenery that fires my imagination & excitement as we alternate between our stationary home in Ontario & our home on wheels in the Southwest.  Yes, you could say we have the best of both worlds alright.  I just wish we could tip the scales a bit & spend a little more of our time in the traveling world.  But, that's just me......10-4:))

SUNSET OVER NEW MEXICO 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Taxiing down the tarmac, the jetliner abruptly stopped, turned around and returned to the gate. After a hour-long wait, it finally took off. A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant: “What was the problem?”
“The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine,” explained the flight attendant,” and it took us a while to find a new pilot.”

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

KELLY'S 'GROWING' JIF PEANUT BUTTER GROUP:))

  

AFTER THE STORM I ZIPPED OUT OF THE PARK TO TRY & CATCH A RAINBOW BUT IT WAS ALREADY FADING IN THE RIGHT PHOTO 

We have a live radar weather dome just east of Exeter Ontario which covers our area & we can see storms heading our way in real time.  I used that computer site this morning to dodge between rain cells & get myself a couple of Pine trees dug up in the bush & planted back home.

Sun came out this afternoon & the humidity increased.  Heard rumblings out over the lake & knew a storm was on it’s way in.  Because we live in a forest setting we cannot see storms coming until they are on top of us.  Skies turned dark enough to activate all our outside lights & I saw the turbulent clouds overhead boiling their way east.  A heavy gust of wind signaled the coming rain & a minute later the skies opened up with a torrential downpour.  Twenty minutes later the sun was shining.
  
My peanut butter of choice is the natural kind.  No additives, no salt, etc.  If I can’t find the natural stuff my second choice is Jif.  For me, anything after natural or Jif peanut butter just doesn’t cut it.  It was Kelly who turned me onto Jif many years ago.  She won’t eat any other kind of commercial peanut butter.  She is a big Jif lover………but there is a problem!!  Canadians are hard pressed to find Jif in Canada.  It is just not in the stores anymore.  That fact irked Kelly so much she set up a group page about it on Facebook a year ago & vented her frustrations.  Having done that she moved on to other things & basically forgot about the site after awhile because she had forgot to check off a box on the site to let her know of any responses.   A couple days ago she happened to click on the site & found she had over 290 people in her group all discussing their thoughts, feelings & frustrations about not getting their Jif peanut butter!! (and probably wondering what had happened to the groups founder & moderator) Kelly is now back with the Facebook group at.....KELLY'S JIF PEANUT BUTTER SITE:))

THE GARDENS ALWAYS LOOK FRESHER AFTER A RAIN   
Utah has always been one of my favorite States because of it’s majestic & rugged Canyon beauty.  Martha & Terry from the GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL were just in CAPITAL REEF NATIONAL PARK & are currently heading for MOAB.  Their boon docking site in Capital Reef would be right up our alley.  Have been to Moab & area a couple times but would so much like to head back to Utah & see the rest of it like Canyonlands, Capital Reef, etc.  Every time I see photos & read blogs of people traveling around the Western States I just want to jump out of my chair & go fire up the Motor Home & get back on the road again heading West!!  JOE & NANCY just left Yellowstone & are heading for Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Another one of my favorite areas.  Either I gotta quit reading travel blogs or I gotta go bury my head in the sand:((
 

 OUR LILAC TREES ARE IN FULL BLOOM
A question in Sunday’s blog asks if I had taken the BIRD PHOTOS in my April 30th post.  My answer to that is, yes:))  All the photos you see in my posts are mine & if on rare occasions I include a photo not taken by me I always state that it is not my photo.  Thanks for the question Daniel:))

I have a very restless traveling Spirit & it has always been with me.  Even more now than years ago.  Many Snow Birds are quite content to settle back into their home routines for the summer but I am not one of them.  Don’t mind being home for maybe a month at the most but that’s about it!!  Like I have always said, life is too short to just be sitting around the house when there are so many places to see, experiences to be had & memories to be made.  For you folks out there who have dreams of RV travels some day I say to you, “hold onto those dreams & work hard to make them a reality.  Don’t deny yourself the beauty of North America.   Just get out there whichever way you can & live the experience……..while you can!!”

THIS IS THE DEAD END ROAD MAX & I TOOK OUR NIGHTLY WALKS ON FOR THE PAST EIGHT & A HALF YEARS.........
GROANER’S CORNER:((  One bright Sunday morning the people of a beautiful small town awoke early to go to their local church. Before the service started, the townspeople sat in their pews and talked about their lives and their families.
Suddenly, at the altar, Satan appeared!! Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in their determined efforts to get away from Evil Incarnate. Soon, everyone was evacuated from the church except for one man, who sat calmly in his pew, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy was in his presence. This confused Satan a bit. Satan walked up to the man and said, "Hey, don't you know who I am?" The man says, "Yep, sure do."
Satan asked, "Well, aren't you afraid of me?" The man replied, "Nope, sure ain't."
Satan, perturbed, asked, "And why aren't you afraid of me?" To which the man replies, "Well, I've been married to your sister for 25 years." --------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

AND KELLY IS STARTLED BY A WINK:))

 

YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW STARTLED KELLY WAS WHEN SHE WENT TO MOVE THIS WICKER CHAIR TODAY & TEDDY THE TREE FROG WINKED AT HER:)) 

It was warm enough at 5 a.m. this morning to have the patio door beside my recliner open.  With the soft patter of rain on the roof I quietly listened to the birds waking to a new day.  The dark morning air was abuzz with cheery chatter.  It is a very peaceful & fine time of day.
 

WE EVEN HAVE A TOUCH OF THE SOUTHWEST IN OUR BACKYARD.....PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS:))

And, can you imagine my surprise when I first awoke to discover the World was still intact this morning.  I will never understand how so few can bafflegab so many!!
   

OUR BACKYARD GREENERY IS FILLING IN NICELY  
On Saturday our friend Rosanna from the Sulphur Springs Valley in Arizona posted this note on Facebook about the Chiricahua Mountain Fire……  “It's a very sad time for us watching our beautiful Chiricahua Mountains burn -- without much hope of containment -- reports say the fire won't be out until July when Monsoon comes -- the fire came over the crest today at 2 p.m. so now is in our Turkey Creek watershed. :(((((((((( Over 35,000 acres burned in 12 days! I hurt so for all the precious animals and plants and trees.”
Kelly & I were just Jeeping with friends Jeanie & Ray in that TURKEY CREEK area this past winter & you can see from my photos how fast a fire could spread through those acres & acres of dry grass land.
 

ROSANNA OF THE SOUTHWEST......HAVE JEEP WILL TRAVEL 
Carl, aka ‘TinLizzieDriver’ in our Shout Box wondered if I had any more photos of the Model T’s like the one’s in my Saturday blog.  Well Carl, I just happen to have a photo album of more TIN LIZZIES that you can see by clicking the link.  Bayfield hosts various car rallies during the summer & 'Vintage Cars is one of them.  Corvette & Thunderbird enthusiasts also gather in Bayfield’s Clan Gregor Square annually for their one day events.  The shows usually take place in the months of June & July.  CORVETTES & THUNDERBIRDS.  And, just some GROOVY OLD CARS from yesteryear.

The Bayfield Bunch welcomes TRAVELS WITH KEVIN & RUTH to our site.  Ever wonder what a Blog Follower was or how to sign on to someone’s blog?  Kevin explains that in ANONYMOUS.

WE HAVE A VERY PRIVATE & COZY BACK YARD:)) 
Counted 6 Blue Jays in our yard yesterday morning & 4 Red Winged Blackbirds on the bird station at one time in the afternoon.  More Baltimore Orioles & Rose Breasted Grosbeaks than other years but have noticed we do not have as many Woodpeckers this year for whatever reason.  It is so nice sitting in our sunroom watching all the bird activity in our front yard.

ALL SUNROOM PICS ARE FILE PHOTOS FROM 09 BUT EVERYTHING IS BASICALLY THE SAME EXCEPT FOR SOME FURNITURE MOVED AROUND & WE NOW HAVE A BIGGER COMPUTER MONITOR....AND AL'S NEARLY 2 YEARS OLDER.  OH, & HIS OLD FAVORITE SHIRT FINALLY DISINTEGRATED:((

Most of our sunroom by the way was once a part of another house nearby.  It had never been built right & always leaked so the owners of the log house it was attached too just wanted to be rid of it.  Kelly saw it for sale on a poster so we bought it for $500 & I set about dismantling as much of it as I could about 6 years ago. 

We had a fellow putting a new roof on our place at the time so we asked if he would be interested in disassembling the rest of the sunroom & reassembling it at our place.  His name was Mike O’Brian, an excellent carpenter fellow & he said he would do it.  Between Mike & I we dismantled the Sunroon on the log house & transported the windows etc to our place.  Mike did a marvelous job in building the new sunroom for us using as many parts from the old construction as he could.  We were able to use all the windows & sliding patio door plus some lumber.  The rest of it was newer materials & Mike suggested the Pine interior.  We pretty much gave him a free hand to build the Sunroom as if he were building it for himself & the quality of work he put into it shows.  He guaranteed us the skylight panel he installed would never leak & it never has.  Thanks Mike, wherever you are, we have been enjoying your fine craftsmanship ever since:))

And, another Facebook update on the Chiricahua Mountain fire from Rosanna a few hours ago….“ the fire is heading in the direction of the Chiricahua National Monument, but they are desperately trying to keep that from happening. They are making backburns at Rustler Park and Onion Saddle which is up Pinery Canyon Rd.  Also, backburns from Rucker Canyon to try to save the buildings at the campground.” 

SURE HOPE THE FIRE HASN'T DESTROYED ALL THIS HISTORY AT OLD FORT RUCKER 
We had expected an all day rain but the weather turned out beautiful.  Worked in the flower beds again this morning while Kelly caught up on a lot of cleaning & stuff.  My day had begun around 3:30 a.m. again so by noon I was out of energy.  Needless to say, coupled with the day’s humidity, it was a lazy afternoon for me interspersed with a few spasms of zzzzzzzz’s in my recliner:))
 

TEDDY SAYS, "NIGHT NIGHT ALL:))" 

GROANER’S CORNER:))    A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again. There was only one problem: the captain's parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick. Once he understood he started shouting in the middle of the show: "Look, it's not the same hat". "Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table". "Hey, why are all these cards the Ace of Spades?" The magician was furious but couldn't do anything; it was, after all, the captain's parrot. One day the ship had an accident and sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean with the parrot, of course! They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. this went on for a day and another and another. After a week the parrot said: "OK, I give up. Where's the boat?"
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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

UNCLE HARRY ROLLS IN FOR SOME RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE

I was in my recliner with my laptop on my lap & the television tuned to CNN this morning.  They were talking about the ‘end of the world.’  Kelly was on our desktop computer in the sunroom.  It was 6:57 when our electricity suddenly went out.   Kelly hollered to me that the ‘end of the world’ had started.  And, indeed it had.  Anytime one loses their internet connection, it is the end of the world for sure.  We went out on our porch, drank our coffee & turned on our emergency radio.  We heard the siren go off in Bayfield a couple miles away & figured that must be the big Tsunami coming in off Lake Huron.  At 7:09 we knew ‘the end of the world’ was over when our electricity came back on & the internet was up & running again.  Whewww, close call!!  The gullibility of human beings never ceases to amaze me.

CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THIS IS BUT IT GROWS IN ONE OF OUR FLOWERBEDS EACH YEAR

It's a big holiday week-end here in Canada & probably one of our biggest.  Queen Victoria's Birthday has morphed into the May 24th week-end, or more commonly referred to by the young folks as the big 2-4 week-end.  It's the time of year when people pour out of the town's & cities & head for their favorite summer haunts like Bayfield for the first big outing of the season.  Cottages are opened  & aired out, boats are slipped into the water, shops & stores are open & the liquor & beer stores do a booming business.  It's the week-end to shake off those long winter blues for a lot of folks & party, party, party.

BAYFIELD'S LITTLE INN 

Bayfield years ago was a picturesque little fishing village high atop sandy cliffs overlooking mighty Lake Huron.  It's like being at a village by the sea.  Many trendy shops & restaurants now with people streaming in from miles around.  Yachts & Sailboats dock in the harbor as travelers hike up the hill into town.  Bayfield is a bee hive of activity during the summer months & it is this week-end that kicks it all off. 

BAYFIELD'S TRAFFIC CAN BE PRETTY CONGESTED DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS & PARKING IS AT A PREMIUM 

Kelly & I have learned its a good week-end to stay off the roads & out of the town.  We get our groceries well ahead of time & make sure we do not have to go into Bayfield for anything.  Cars & people everywhere.  We are fortunate to live just a couple miles away in our hidden little Pine forest.  You can see my Smug Mug album of Bayfield right here by clicking BAYFIELD.

 

My Uncle Harry was due to come over to our place this coming Tuesday for supper but after checking the long range weather forecast this morning we could see our area is going to end up like the underwater world of Jacques Cousteau next week.  It was a nice sunny morning here so we called Harry's friend Grace & wondered if they could come today.  A quick check with Harry & the Nursing Care Facility cleared him for take off.  Grace & Harry landed in our driveway about 2:20 p.m. this afternoon.

RELAXING ON OUR FRONT PORCH THIS AFTERNOON  

For 95 years old, Harry does pretty well but has lost most of the mobility in his legs.  We were able to get him up the 3 steps onto our porch OK & we all sat outside for about an hour.  Nice for him to hear & see the many birds coming & going from the feeders a short distance away.  Had ourselves a nice visit & Harry's appetite came alive once again for supper.  We finished everything off with rhubarb custard pie baked this morning at the Mennonite bakery just south of Bayfield.

STRETCHED OUT IN MY BIG RECLINER....IT'S THE 18mm LENS ON MY CAMERA THAT GIVES HARRY THE APPEARANCE OF HAVING LONG PAUL BUNYAN LEGS:))

Harry & Grace headed headed out just before 6 p.m.  All & all, a nice afternoon with my last remaining Uncle.  Thanks for bringing him up Grace:))

MY COOL UNCLE HARRY WAVES A BIG GOODBYE AS THEY HEAD FOR MITCHELL, ONTARIO

Looks like we have rain moving in overnight so that squashes my plans for digging up some more trees in the morning.  Could be a bit of a drab day by the looks of things.

GROANER'S CORNER:((   I rear ended a car this morning....The driver got out of the other car, and he was a DWARF!! 
He looked up at me and said; "I am NOT Happy!"
So I said, "Well, which one are you then?"
That's how the fight started........honest.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.