A DOG DAY AFTERNOON:))

 
Could probably take up half a dozen paragraphs to describe how great it was to saddle up the bike earlier this morning & hit the roads for a run in the country. But, not to worry, I'll keep a lid on on it. Had a few errands in the town of Clinton & a few things to pick up in the town of Goderich. Lots of nice country roads in between those towns & I was in no hurry to be anywhere:))
KELLY GETS A BIG SLURPY FROM STELLA
Kelly rolled in with Stella & Guinness about 12:30 today & seconds later tails were a waggin & the doggy circus was in full swing for the weekend. I so enjoy watching all the guys happily playing together. Toys flying through the air, doggy tug of wars, barks, yips & tussles.  Love it:))

MANY TUG OF WAR GAMES GOING ON THIS AFTERNOON
Had a great idea from HAPPY TRAILS regarding adobe straw bale fencing for our Congress house. Don't know why we didn't think of it but we just didn't. Or, if we did, we temporarily forgot. Love those adobe walls & of course it would fit right in perfectly with our house & grounds. In fact, I'm sure I could maybe do some of that straw bale piling part myself. We will definitely be looking into the cost of all this for sure & luckily we already have a foot in the door with the fellas who did the adobe job on our Ghost Town Road house just this past March. What an obviously great idea.  STRAW BALE WALLS & FENCING 

Judy, from TRAVELS WITH EMMA had an interesting question at the end of her post Thursday. She asked, "do you ever read your old posts". My answer on Judy's blog was, 'Nope, very rare for me to go back & read something I have written'. And, of course that is true. I read with a very critical eye, which of course makes me my very own worst critic. I see spelling & grammar mistakes. I see sentences that could have been written better & my mind is abuzz about where I should have added things, taken things out, & just generally have done a better job on the post. But, the real kicker comes for me when I read things I have written that could have been better left unsaid. When reading an old post for some reason it is not uncommon for me to blurt out, 'awwww nuts, why did I say that!! Or, oh geeezzzzz, I really embarrassed myself there again. Or, ‘oh crap’ I certainly should have worded that better!!  Personally, I feel the best way to write something is to write a rough draft & let that draft cook for a few hours or at least over night. Maybe even a few days or a week or two. Add to it, change this, delete that, think about what you have written & ask yourself if it’s the best you can do. Of course, none of this is really too practical for a daily Blogger though.  But, here’s the flip side…..I can just about look back at any period of time in my life for the best part of the last 5 years & know exactly what I was doing on any day & where I was.  How I was feeling & what I was thinking.  Of course I don’t know why I would want to do all that, but if I did…………..there it all is:)) 

 
DOGS, DOGS, EVERYWHERE

THAT GUINNESS IS A GROWING BOY
Neither Kelly or could remember the last time we had ordered a pizza so tonight for supper, pizza it was. Kelly phoned it in & I slipped into Bayfield to pick it up. Car sure smelled great on the way home. We're really not big pizza eaters any more & tonight's decision was kind of a spur of the moment thing so it may be a very long time before we have another one. We are both eating a lot healthier these days & the $18 price tag left us kind of shaking our heads at each other.

AN ALERT PHEEBS ON EVENING FROG PATROL
Was surprised to see our local Canadian Tire store in Goderich had CELESTRON 15 x 70 binoculars on sale for under a hundred dollars so I slipped up & grabbed a pair. These binoculars are far more powerful than my current ones & will for sure get me further out into space. Now, if I could just get myself inside those binoculars & transport myself through the magnification & travel free through the starry night skyways.  Aw, tis quite a dreamer I am:))

MY STANDARD BAUSCH & LOMB 7 X 50 BINOS ON THE LEFT & NEWER CELESTRON 15 X 70 SKYMASTER’S ON RIGHT
GROANER'S CORNER:((
Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might.
Awwww nuts......it's just another satellite.
- Living on Earth may be expensive, but it includes an annual free trip around the Sun:))
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
-  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.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

PHEEB’S PALS, STELLA & GUINNESS ARE COMING FRIDAY FOR A WEEK-END DOGGY SLEEP OVER:))

AGAIN TONIGHT, BECAUSE OF THE HEAT I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST THROW A FEW SNOW PICTURES FROM MY FILES AT YOU

Being stuck in the house by the summer's heat isn't much different than being stuck in the house by the winter's cold. Stuck is stuck, unless of course one want's to go out bundled up in a cumbersome suit of warm clothing to make snowmen, snow angels, shovel endless piles of snow & throw snow balls at unsuspecting neighbors. Guess that's one way to ramp up the excitement factor a measly notch. Not much different with the summer's heat & high humidity factors. Go outside, stand still until your clothes stick to you while counting the brow dripping beads of sweat falling before your eyes. And you can watch the number of insect bites mushrooming on your bare arms like some kind of instant measles break out.

BAYFIELD’S PIONEER PARK OVERLOOKING LAKE HURON…ALSO SOMETIMES KNOWN AS SUNSET PARK

But, take heed. With the country caught in the searing grip of this miserable heat wave you would not expect one of our fellow RV'ers to be caught up in cold snowy winter conditions. But, that's just where Joe & Nancy from the RVING BEACH BUMS are or were. And no, they are not in the Swiss Alps or Antarctica somewhere. They are right there in the good old U.S. of A:)) Awwwww, the advantages of full timing eh.

MORNING AFTER A NIGHT SNOW FALL AT OUR HOUSE

Note to neighbor Monica out there in the Canadian west somewhere. Despite the heavy downpour Wednesday morning your place is totally dry. No signs of any roof leaks anywhere, including the sun porch:))

LOOKING SOUTH ALONG THE LAKE HURON SHORELINE…DETROIT IS DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE

Pheebs is pretty excited today because her doggy Pals, Stella & Guinness are coming for a week-end sleep over. Some may remember Stella & Guinness being here for a sleep over about a month or so ago. Just like old times with our original Bunch, we will have ourselves quite a joyous circus going on:))

THIS LARGE LAKE FREIGHTER SPENT THE WINTER AT ANCHOR IN THE GODERICH HARBOR

How refreshing this afternoon to spend a couple quality hours with our TV set. Instead of the usual onslaught of television garbage, I watched a Discovery channel National Geographic show called 'Earth From Space.' How nice to be educationally entertained for a change with superb graphics, photography, music, & intelligent narration. The countless hours, weeks & years that go into these National Geographic specials are nothing short of heroic. It's too bad this kind of quality television is buried so deep beneath so much other television garbage.

<<< ENTRANCE GATES TO GODERICH’S ROTARY COVE ALONG THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON

My ideas have sure changed about landscaping over the years. Gone are my golf green lawns, razor edged flowerbeds with perfectly trimmed & shaped shrubs carefully spaced. I was totally into the standard suburban yardscaping from the mid 70's to the early 90's. Even had the Stratford Lawns & Gardens club tour the grounds one warm sunny summer afternoon back in about 1978. But, it was our years spent living in the free flowing natural countryside that eventually changed all that. Gone are the days of perfectly spaced flowers & shrubs. Gone is the weed free perfect lawn & who cares if a flowerbed does not have a perfect edge on it anymore. And so what if the trees & shrubs all kind of mash in together. It's my idea of jungle gardening & I love it. Besides, we are not allowed to put up fences here so planting a thick green belt all around us was our only chance at gaining ourselves any kind of welcome privacy.

Plan to somehow do the same thing with our Arizona house as well but not sure how yet because we are not there in the summer to keep things watered. If it wasn't so expensive to throw up a 6 foot wooden fence around our entire one acre we would certainly do that. A solid fence has additional advantages to a wire fence. Nothing is going to slither or crawl through it & nothing with the exception of deer are going to jump over it. Deer are welcome of course. With a fence, one can create nice desert scapes within & I prefer the background of a solid wooden fence rather than a neighbor's house, garage or yard. I would like to try my hand at a little water garden patio type sanctuary with the hopes of attracting area birds too. A solidly fenced in yard would be much safer for all concerned & especially the Pheebs. Anyway, just a few far away thoughts, hopes, & dreams of a different place at a different time.....on a hot sultry summer’s eve.

HERE I AM WITH MAX & MOTOR IN MY PRE-BEARD DAYS ENJOYING A BACK YARD WINTER'S DAY COFFEE…FEBRUARY 2006…THE MOUSTACHE HAS BEEN HANGING ON MY FACE SINCE 1969:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( It is so hot that:

- Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs.

- Cows are giving evaporated milk

-The trees are whistlin' for the dogs.

- Even the sun was looking for some shade!

- All the water buffalo at the zoo evaporated.

- Robins have to pick up the worms with potholders.

- Saw a fire hydrant chasing a dog.

- I want to take off my skin and sit in my bones. .

- My thermometer goes up to “Are you kidding me?!

And it's no wonder a couple of States have been imposing water restrictions.....

-Michigan:
American cars must not be washed more than once a week. Washing
Japanese cars is strictly prohibited. German & North Korean cars may be driven into the lake.
- Texas:
Illegal aliens are not allowed to drink American water. They must
bring their own.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))

- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)

- 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.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

HAD US A LOOK AT ANOTHER DOGGY PAL FOR PHEEBS THIS AFTERNOON, BUT……….

OUR SKY WAS A STRANGE YELLOW COLOR WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING

It was the cracking thunder & heavy rains that woke me us this morning but it was the totally yellow sky that really surprised me. Yellowest sky I had ever seen. So glad I had closed the shed doors, Jeep windows & the Motorhome's door last night. Sometimes we just get lucky. Rained hard & steady for about an hour & I'm sure this is going to make area farmers very, very, happy.  Rain gage showed 3.5 inches of water & that was enough to fill both our wheelbarrow & rain barrel to the brim.   Our temps dropped to a pleasant 72F after the storm rolled on & then climbed through the day to once again break many heat records.  Turned out to be our hottest day of the year & the weatherman said….just wait till Friday:((  

THE MORNINGS YELLOW SKY GAVE AN EERIE LOOK TO OUR BACKYARD JUNGLE

Sun popped out about 9:30 & began drying the roads off. Pheebs & I piled into the rig & headed off in search of a garage called 'Redline Trucks’ on highway 8 between Clinton & Goderich. No problem finding the place but it turns out they were not equipped to handle our Motorhome's twin tail pipe job. However, the nice fella there made a phone call & suggested I head on into Clinton just a few miles down the road. Said Carter's West End Garage there could handle the job & sure enough, it could. They have 3" pipe in stock & a bender. The rig goes in next Tuesday morning for two new tail pipes. Will be glad to get that little job stroked off our list. Next will be our rough riding bedroom slide.

NOT A LOT OF ROOM TO GET THE RIG OFF THE ROAD AT CARTER’S GARAGE IN CLINTON THIS MORNING…WATCH THOSE OVERHEAD BRANCHES AL!!

Sometimes with these tricky insurance companies one has to make some outside the box decisions & we will do just that when it comes time to leave next fall. After meeting with Doc Robot this coming July 17th we should also have a better understanding as to just where I stand with my kidney stone situation. Any stones left? We will then decide how we are going to handle this medical coverage stuff with the insurance company this winter. We will also begin phoning around again shortly to see what other insurance companies have to say & how they handle their kidney stone policies.

HAD TO SUIT OURSELVES UP AGAINST THE BITING FLIES ON OUR MORNING WALK

FINALLY HAD TO PULL MY JACKET RIGHT OVER MY HEAD… WE HAVE TEMPORARILY PUT OUR MORNING WALKS ON HOLD

And, speaking of Doc Robot, I think it's about time I showed a little more respect for a quality surgeon who has specialized in the field of Urology.   His bedside manner, in my opinion, may leave a little to be desired, but after watching a video of the intricate Lithotripsy procedure he had to perform on me to laser that kidney stone to bits, I have a new respect for Dr. Bernard Bukala's highly skilled talent. Henceforth, I shall refer to him in the future as Dr. Bukala & not Doc Robot. This man is a professional surgeon & deserves the respect.......10-4:))

HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH WATER IN THE PARK’S POND…THAT TREE LINE IN THE WATER IS NORMALLY AT THE WATER’S EDGE

After the kidney stone attack in Tucson last December we were left with a decision. Either cut our winter short & return to Canada immediately or continue our journey. Well, there was no way I was going to come home & sit in the house all winter so we made the decision to continue. Fortunately for me, the kidney stone pain stopped only days after getting out of the hospital & I didn't have to take any more pain pills. However, we also knew that if we continued & the pain returned, the insurance company would not cover any further medical expenses.   We were on our own. Their policy on the matter was to fly me back to Ontario & then have a driver bring our rig back to Canada if I became incapacitated. That was their stand.....or else!! It is such a tricky game we are all forced to play with these insurance companies over the years.

PHEEBE LOVES GETTING IN THE LONG GRASS & HERDING THE FROGS INTO THE POND
And don't forget SONGS TUBE as a fabulously great music site to keep handy. Happened to click on ZZ Top's 'Sharp Dressed Man' video this morning which had me rocking right out of my computer chair. Kelly & I saw ZZ Top years ago in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. How can just two guitars & a set of drums come up with all that great sounding heavy pounding Tex/Mex rock:)) I love dat groovy stuff:))

<<< MY MOTHER’S GLIDER ROCKER CHAIR WITH MATCHING GLIDER ROCKER FOOTSTOOL BESIDE THE CHAIR

While reading Mike’s post this afternoon from MIKE & PAT'S TRAVELS, I spotted a blue chair in their living room.  The rocker looked familiar to me so I commented on Mike’s post that we had a near identical chair in our sun room.  Mike emailed me saying the blue chair in their living room was his Mothers.  Co-incidentally, the blue chair in our sun room was my Mothers too.  Mike & Pat’s summer residence is in the Black Hills just south of Custer South Dakota.  Their winter residence is just a few miles from our digs in Congress Arizona:)) ---

Happy to mention we have another Blog Follower on our list.  The Bayfield Bunch welcomes REBECCA PLAHCINSKI to our travels.  Thank you so much for the lovely email this morning Rebecca & how nice to hear of your pleasant memories at DEER PARK LODGE over the years.  Maybe Kelly & I will get to meet you there next time you are in the area:))

Had another call from our Vet this morning saying they had another stray we might be interested in so this afternoon we slipped over to Zurich to have a look at the Border Collie/Burnese Mountain mix.  Nice personality & got along with the Pheebs just fine but we had not been thinking of such a large dog.  This female was 67 pounds & still growing so with a bit of sadness in our hearts we decided to continue our search:((

PHOTO DOESN’T SHOW IT BUT THE DOG ON RIGHT WAS MUCH LARGER THAN PHEEBE…WE WOULD PREFER A DOG MORE PHEEBE’S SIZE SOMEWHERE AROUND 45 POUNDS 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Doggy Dictionary:     
LEASH: A strap that attaches to your collar, enabling you to lead your person where you want him/her to go.

DOG BED: Any soft, clean surface, such as the white bedspread in the guest room or the newly upholstered couch in the living room.

DROOL: A liquid that, when combined with sad eyes, forces humans to give you their food. To do this properly you must sit as close as you can and get drool on the human.

SNIFF: A social custom used to greet other dogs, similar to the human exchange of business cards.

GARBAGE CAN: A container which your neighbors put out once a week to test your ingenuity. You must stand on your hind legs and try to push the lid off with your nose. If you do it right you are rewarded with margarine wrappers to shred, beef bones to consume and mouldy crusts of bread.

BICYCLES: Two-wheeled exercise machines, invented for dogs to control body fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit, you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a few yards. The person then swerves and falls into the bushes, and you prance away.

DEAFNESS: This is a malady which affects dogs when their person wants them in and they want to stay out. Symptoms include staring blankly at the person, then running in the opposite direction or lying down.

THUNDER: This is a signal that the world is coming to an end. Humans remain amazingly calm during thunderstorms, so it is necessary to warn them of the danger by trembling uncontrollably, panting, rolling your eyes wildly and following at their heels.

WASTEBASKET: This is a dog toy filled with paper, envelopes and old candy wrappers. It is important to evenly distribute its contents throughout the house before your person comes home.

BATH: If you find something especially good to roll in, humans get jealous and they use this degrading form of torture to get even. Be sure to shake only when next to a person or a piece of furniture.

LEAN: Every good dog's response to the command "sit!" especially if your person is dressed for an evening out. Incredibly effective before black-tie events.

BUMP: The best way to get your human's attention when they are drinking a fresh cup of coffee or tea.

GOOSE BUMP: A manoeuvre to use as a last resort when the regular bump doesn't get the attention you require...especially effective when combined with the sniff. See above.

CHILDREN: Short humans of optimal petting height. Standing close to one assures some good petting. When running, they are good to chase. If they fall down, they are comfortable to sit on.

LOVE: A feeling of intense affection, given freely and without restriction. The best way you can show your love is to wag your tail. If you're lucky, a human will love you in return.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))

- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)

-  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.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

NO WAY JOSE….NOT GONNA DO IT

HOLLYHOCK

It was a few weeks since I had been in the habit of checking for comments after removing my comment section but I must say, it was nice this morning to see some readers & old blogging friends had dropped by once again to leave a few thoughts. Thanks Guys:))

 

ROBIN TAKES A COOLING DIP IN OUR BIRDBATH

Had an email from JIMBO a couple days ago about the memories my Canyon De Chelly (pronounced ‘De Shay’) photos brought back for him. He was there in October & hiked down to the Whitehouse Ruins. Here is my post & photos the day Kelly & I hiked to those same ruins as well.  HIKING THE WHITEHOUSE RUINS TRAIL   And, be sure to check out Groaner's Corner while you are there. It's a real tongue twistin tooty:))

A PURPLE MARTIN HOUSE

No point in me going on about the days activities because basically there weren't any, with the exception of driving to Mitchell and visiting with my Uncle Harry. He's doing fine. Kelly has a few day's off. Humidity has backed off with a few showers rolling through the area. Pretty exciting stuff so far eh.

<<< THINK THIS MIGHT BE A NORTHERN CRESCENT BUTTERFLY IN OUR FRONT YARD

Kelly phoned our travel insurance company (Sanderson) this afternoon to get some kind of idea what the medical insurance is going to be for me this coming winter. They already have had to pay a couple Kidney Stone claims for me so we expected to really get clobbered with a high quote this year. Yes, my rate has jumped a couple hundred dollars but here's the kicker. In order to be covered for any kind of kidney stone problem I would have to remain problem free in Canada for 6 months beginning on the date of my kidney stone procedure this past May 28th. That takes us to November 28th. So, they are saying, in order for me to be covered for kidney stone problems we cannot leave Canada until November 28th. Well, you can bet your dammed best pair of green & purple striped socks that is not going to happen!!!!! No way Jose, not gonna do it.  If it means no kidney stone insurance then that is just the way it will have to be. At this age & stage of the game I am not going to waste 6 valuable weeks just sitting on my can in the house waiting to head south because of some silly insurance policy clause. And, especially not in the miserable month of November. Did that last year!!

Got a tip on a garage nearby that may be able to do the tailpipes on our Motorhome so Pheebs & will head over there with the rig in the morning & let the fellas have a look. We still have a bedroom slide we think needs adjusting too, but one thing at a time. Expensive summer again:((

Is it just me or has television stooped to yet another all time low.  Tell me it isn’t so.  Saw something the other night called ‘Swamp People’.  Beam me up Scotty, I want off the Planet!!

DAPPLED SUNLIGHT IN A SWAMP

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Just a bit of trivia tonight............ -'Stewardesses' is the longest word typed with only the left hand
-And 'lollipop' is the longest word typed with your right hand.
-No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.  (unless of course, some good old Canadian Maple Surple…………..for your pancakes:))
-'Dreamt' is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.
-The sentence: 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' uses every letter of the alphabet.
-The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.
-There are only four words in the English language which end in 'dous': tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous
-TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
-The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
There, I bet everybody is gonna sleep better tonight:))

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))

- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)

-  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.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

I AM JUST NOT A BEAN GUY

Thought maybe the cooler temps this morning might keep us bug free on the Pine trail but no such luck.  The swarm of Man & Dog eating Forest Sharks, thinly disguised as Deer Flies, ambushed Pheebs & I as soon as we entered the head of the trail.  No choice but to beat a hasty retreat again.  Looking forward to bug free Autumn:))  Needed a few things in Goderich so Little Miss Most Best & I fired up the Jeep & headed out.  Wanted to get there & back before the days heat built up.  We were home again well before 10 a.m.  Pheebs sure likes her Jeep rides & I sure like any old excuse for a leisurely drive through the countryside.  We are a good like minded team.

REMEMBERING OUR LITTLE MOTORMOUSE…PHOTO WAS TAKEN ONE YEAR AGO TODAY
I am just not a Bean guy.  Guess that is why I don't care much for Mexican food.  Those people with the big Sombreros put some kind of beans in just about everything they eat.  Bet they even have beans in their ice cream.  Beans beans the musical fruit, the more you eat....the more ya need a new suit.  Kelly is a Beaner & we seem to have jars of beans here.  Spotted another one this morning just packed full of colored beans of some kind.  Have a feeling they came from near south of Wilcox, Arizona & for sure every last one of them will end up on Kelly's plate.  Don't get any of those yukky mushy beans near my plate please.  And what's with 're-fried beans'!!  If those people down there fried them right in the first place, why would they have to re-fry them again.  Remember being in Puerto Vallarta a couple times years ago walking the streets looking for a good old hamburger joint before I starved to death.  Found one, wolfed down a big juicy burg & ended up at the end of the day with just about the worst case of Montezuma's revenge possible.  I think somebody slipped a bean in my burg.  That cost me about 3 days out of a 7 day holiday:((  Beans....bah Humbug!!  And, don't even get me started on any of that creepy crawly Seafood stuff:((

BAYFIELD BEACH
Ever since suffering my second Kidney Stone attack in Tucson Arizona this past December (first one was in near Limon Colorado in 07) I have been following everyone's advice about drinking lots of Cranberry Juice.  Didn't much care for the taste of Cranberry juice on it's own but found if I mix two thirds Cranberry juice with one third Ginger Ale, I have myself a mighty fine thirst quenching & enjoyable drink.  I have successfully replaced my heavy milk drinking habit which I have had for my entire life, with this Cranberry-Ginger mix.  And, I never have to buy any other kinds of juice drinks anymore either.  I easily go through 3 litres of Crankberry juice a week now.  I call my mixture 'Crankberry Juice' cause it does seem to crank me up a bit.  And it has just about the right amount of Ginger Ale to put a nice friendly fizz on my face:))


Noticed this morning that Chinle over at SPOTTED DOG RANCH has re-instated her comment section.  I was happy to see that because I had wanted to leave a few comments on a couple of Chinle's previous posts.  Also felt kind of 'out of touch' with her there for a bit & this has given me a different perspective on this whole commenting thing.     Removing my comment section has had some favourable results but it has also left a void.  In one of our recent emails a reader wondered why I had dropped the comment section & wrote, " "The comments section is where a sense of community starts, that's where the 'conversation' back and forth happens". To that reader I answered in part, ‘I have to admit I have not been too communicative this last while whether it be through comments, emails, or the reading of Blogs. I have taken a step back from Blogland's community table to re-access & mull over my blogging future. Maybe this temporary step back is not in line with everybody else but I felt I needed some temporary space if I was going to keep my blogging hat in the ring’.  Been a couple weeks now, but with some recent positive developments I am reconsidering the whole 'comment' thing again.  Oh, I am such a Waffler.  Reading over a few of the sincere emails I received, I especially liked this line from Mark at BOX CANYON BLOG.  He said in part, "Writers (artists in general) are an insecure lot :))" (he meant that in a positive way)  My answer to Mark was simply,   "Yes, it is a well known fact, accepted by so few, and confused by so many".  I am honoured to be thought of as a member of that artistic insecure group:))  The thought fits me well.  Mark's email, along with others, made my day:))  And, after much mulling about again tonight…….I did re-instate my comment section :))

And, I thought this YouTube clip was very well done.  Some great editing went into this.  'SINGIN & DANCIN'  Hollywood film footage of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth & many more set to the Bee Gee’s classic tune from Saturday Night Fever………………. ‘Stayin Alive’.

WATERING OUR FRONT YARD THIS EVENING
GROANER'S CORNER:((  There was a bit of confusion at a Sandwich Illinois supermarket this morning.  When Donna C. was ready to pay for her groceries, the cashier said, "Strip down facing me."  Donna made a mental note to complain to her congressman about Homeland Security running amok, but did just as she had been instructed.
When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, she found out that the cashier was referring to her credit card.
She has been asked to shop elsewhere in the future...............
I think they need to make their instructions to us seniors a little clearer!! 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

  

RIGHT THROUGH THE TOP OF THE ‘HAPPY METER’:)))))

SOME PEOPLE KEEP ME IN THE DARK & JUST FEED ME……MUSHROOMS:))

I sure had better not be complaining about our heat & humidity when I see what is going on across the States to the south of us.  And all those poor storm ravaged folks with no power in this heat wave now.  Hard to imagine that level of discomfort when one is especially not used to it. 

WE HAVE A VERY BUSY BIRD STATION SOME DAYS

Looking for some writing material tonight I randomly picked a day out of my Archives from 2008 to see if there might be something of current interest.  And, coincidentally, there was.  Aside from being a little older now, the thoughts I expressed nearly 4 years ago in this post still stand true today.  Under the title 'Luckily, We Still Have A Sense Of Adventure' I wrote the following couple paragraphs.....................  "I have thought about this a lot over the past couple years as we have traveled here & there to various locations in different States. How really fortunate Kelly & I are that we share the same interests & ideas about traveling. We're convinced that there must be some wayfaring explorers in our past. Maybe a little gypsy blood & I'm sure I've got some cowboy in me from somewhere long ago too. Was always fascinated with old western movies as a kid & always paid particular interest to the majestic scenery in the backgrounds.  And horses play a major roll on my Dad's side of the family generations ago.  I think right from the first day Kelly & I met, we recognized those adventurous qualities in each other & from then to now our goals have nearly always been the same.  Except, I hope to own a Peanut Butter factory someday:))

Has always been our goal to travel free with no confining time limits, to wander at our leisure with no hard & fast destination at the end of the day. To wake up in the mornings, step out of the rig & watch the sunrise creep over the mountains casting long Saguaro cactus shadows across the desert floor. Listening to the Gila woodpeckers & House Wrens close by & the distant calling of Coyotes. No crowding here, (BLM lands) no human sounds, no pressure & no commitments. Stay for a couple of days, weeks, or months. Hike & explore all the areas near by & take short day trips by car to other points of interest. So many mountain trails to walk & so many canyons to venture into. The American West is a fascinating place with all it's history & tales to tell. Beautiful scenery all day, every day.

Well, those were our feelings 4 years ago & they are still our feelings today.  We haven't changed much.  My only regret will someday be that we didn't manage to spend at least a few years full-timing which would have allowed us to visit all the northwest States & western Canadian Provinces as well.  But, if Snow Birding is the best it can get for us, then so be it.  If it all ended tomorrow, we have been so fortunate to have seen as much of the country as we have.  But, you know what.  If we won a lottery tomorrow morning, I would be out tomorrow afternoon looking at new Motorhomes with the idea in mind of getting out there on the road again catching up with all the stuff we have been missing.  Might even be looking at a ‘toy hauler’ in order to travel with the Motorcycle. We would sell our Bayfield digs right quick & grab a rural property as a Canadian home base.   Either here in the area we are now or somewhere in southern British Columbia or Alberta.  We would sell our Congress House & grab a nice little 40 acre Ranch probably in the same area to use as South-Western home base.  And then we would.........Oh dear, I have got myself on to an improbable dream sequence here again haven't I.  Oh well, without our dreams, what would life be eh:))  And, by the way, haven't bought a lottery ticket in about 40 years..................

WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS MENNONITE COUNTRY MARKET SO CLOSE TO US JUST A FEW MILES SOUTH OF BAYFIELD

 

THE LADIES DO ALL THE BAKING RIGHT THERE BEHIND ALL THE TARTS, MUFFINS, & PIES…AND THERE IS NOT ONE SINGLE SOLITARY THING IN EITHER OF THESE 2 PHOTOS THAT I EAT ANYMORE…AWWWWW NUTS!! 

Pheebs & I ended up being a couple lazy Bums again today, but we did take advantage of a slight cloud cover causing some refreshingly cooler air this morning.   Hooked up the utility trailer & moved a pile of brush & trimmed tree branches to our Park's recycle area before beating a hasty retreat back inside for a little air conditioning.  And, I was wrong about the Corvette Week-end in Bayfield.  It is next Sunday & not today.  But, for anyone who came to Bayfield today in search of Corvettes I’m sure you will be back next week since you now know what a quaint & artsy little villa Bayfield really is eh:))

AND THERE ARE NO ALLIMAGATORS IN THESE WATERS EITHER:))

And, I can't let this day slide by without saying a special thanks to the folks who responded to my June 26th post.  Several more emails came in today that just blew me right through the top of the 'happy meter.'   Yes Toto, I see a gentle ray of sunshine beginning to appear through the stormy clouds over Blogland again.  In fact, I am feeling so good about all this at the moment that I just might slip outside & dance myself a jig around the front yard...................... 10-4:))

REMEMBER THESE REVOLVING FIBRE OPTIC LAMPS FROM YEARS AGO…MY AUNT JEAN BROUGHT US THIS ONE:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And remember, life is short, so smile while you still have teeth.
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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com