PHOTO ASSIGNMENT…AN OLD REMODELLED CHURCH

ALL OF TONIGHT’S PHOTOS WERE TAKEN THIS AFTERNOON IN VARNA ONTARIO

Our Thursday rains brought with them much cooler temperatures & I actually pulled on a long sleeve flannel lumberjack shirt Thursday afternoon. Area farmer's are calling this a million dollar rain & it is to continue well into Sunday. One of the cottagers at Deer Park Lodge actually asked Kelly to turn some heat on. Yep, the seasons are a changing alright:))

    

LOCATED IN VARNA ONTARIO, THIS RENOVATED OLD CHURCH IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR MONTHLY, WEEKLY, OR WEEK-END RENTALS THROUGH DEER PARK LODGE 

It was a good morning to spend some time with my trusty road Atlas. Because we are likely heading for Spencerport NY when we leave here in mid October to visit Kelly's Mother, I have to find a way from Rochester New York to Knoxville Tennessee when we leave Spencerport. And, after spending some time with my Atlas, I do think I have a route figured out.  I prefer to use a paper map when first roughing out a travel route in a new area because it gives me the larger overall picture. Once I have a route concept in my head I get on the computer & generally use MapQuest for mileages, etc. We do have Microsoft's Streets & Trips but I'm kind of used to MapQuest.

 

Where to go from Knoxville will be decided at a later date but it will either be south to visit my Aunt Jean in Florida or west to Arizona. We are hoping Aunt Jean can make it out to Arizona again this year to see us. We will wait & see how her health is coming along.

 

JUST 3 DAYS AGO THIS LARGE ROOM HAD NO FURNITURE & WAS FILLED WITH JUST ONE MAN’S CARPENTRY TOOLS, PAINT CANS, TARPS, ETC…AN AMAZING TRANSFORMATION TOOK PLACE HERE IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME 

Noticed Jim over at JIMBO'S JOURNEYS landed a photo of his rig on the cover of RV Journal’s 2012 summer edition. Congrats to Jim & I know that warm feeling inside when one is lucky enough to have a photo published.

 

     Came across an article today written by Astrophysicist Adam Frank that I liked. It is based on the Mars landing of Curiosity. Thought he summed things up about our broken world very well………………MATURITY & THE MEANING OF CURIOSITY

A MIRRORED REFLECTION

Our heavy overcast day did not lead to anything exciting.  However, I did slip over to Varna, not far from Bayfield, to take some photos for DEER PARK LODGE.  Kirsten & Rob (Stella & Guinness's Mom & Dad) have just completed a superb job of renovating an old church Kirsten recently purchased.  Complete with an new outside paint job, the empty interior has been transformed into a superb, artsy, & cozy rental unit for Deer Park Lodge guests.  

 

UPPER LOFT BEDROOM & VIEWS FROM THE LOFT

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A married couple were asleep when the phone rang at 2 in the morning.  The very blonde wife picked up the phone, listened a moment and said, "How should I know, that's 1200 miles from here!" and hung up. The husband said, "Who was that?" The wife answered, "I don't know, some woman wanting to know if the coast is clear."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 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

TURNED OUT TO BE A 3 DOG AFTERNOON:))

It was the soft pitter patter of rain on our steel roof that had me on my feet about 5 a.m. this morning. Shed doors were open as well as the rig's door & the Jeep's windows were down. The rain was light & I had everything closed up in a couple minutes with no problem. That early morning hour is always a nice time to be outside anyway.
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Couple surprise visitors for Pheebs today.   Stella & Guinness dropped in for a bunch of hours when Kelly brought them home from the DEER PARK LODGE office while she ran some errands.  With today’s rains she didn’t want to leave them outside or in the office while away because puppy Guinness has a habit of leaving the office looking like a bomb went off inside.

GUINNESS, STELLA & PHEEBS

 

PHEEBS & STELLA

AND PUPPY BOY GUINNESS IS REALLY A SMALL HORSE WITH A DOGGY SUIT ON…GUINNESS IS TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THE PHEEBS:))

Park Ranger Gaelyn at GEOGYPSY caught herself some nice sunset photos at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon recently.  Clouds make for spectacular sunrises & sunsets & with Monsoon season in full swing, Arizona is showing off some of her finest scenery.

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Might want to check out Debra’s post about THE BANE OF A TRAVELING COMPANION.  We RVing Snow Birds sometimes take it for granted traveling with almost all the luxuries of home with us.  Our own washrooms, beds, showers, kitchens…..& space, etc.  Whole different story when traveling in a much smaller vehicle like a car, truck or SUV.  Debra tells it like it is…………….

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When's the last time you had your rig stuck in a ditch? Never, you say. Geeezzzzzz, wished I could say that.  We were RVing Newbies & had only had our Motorhome a few months when this incident occurred while in Lindsay Ontario to get a satellite system installed back in 07.

 

GETTING OUR RIG OUTFITTED WITH A SATELLITE SYSTEM FOR INTERNET & TV…LINDSAY ONTARIO 2007

I knew the mistake I made as soon as it happened & I knew right away without getting out of my seat we were gonna need a tow truck!! I had read about this happening to other RV'ers, especially upon entering or leaving a campsite road & especially at night. It wasn't a campsite I was turning off the road into, but a large parking lot on a dark street in an industrial section of Lindsay, Ontario Canada.

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We had arrived in Lindsay Tuesday night Oct. 3/07 about 8 p.m. & thought we would take a drive past the TECH MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS place where we were going to have our satellite TV & internet installation & lesson the following morning. We missed the corner near their location but there was a parking lot just up around the corner & up the road on the right with a wide entrance. I could see there was a second entrance & decided to turn into that one assuming it was equally as wide. WRONG!!! It was dark & hard to see so I eased to the left of the road to make a wide sweeping right turn. What I failed to see was the supposed entrance I was turning into was a narrow ramp type road for exiting the parking lot to the west. Everything was fine as we swung round & entered two thirds of the way up into the driveway. And then....... a bump, a scraping crunch sound & we stopped. A little pressure on the gas pedal & nothing. Into reverse, step on the gas a bit, nothing. We were hung up high & dry.

YOU CAN SEE THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR’S FEET STICKING OUT BEHIND THE BACK WHEELS AS HE TRY’S TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION FOR OUR ‘STUCK’ PROBLEM:((

I immediately remembered some of the RV forums where I've read about people getting into this situation so I knew what was wrong, we were in trouble, & needed a tow truck. What a sickening feeling it was as I stepped out the side door because the bottom step was only inches above the ground. The rear passenger side wheels had dropped into a ditch beside the driveway & the rear end of the coach was now sitting right smack down on the road. As I walked around the unit my heart sank even lower because I could not see any way of getting the motorhome out of it's predicament without causing a lot of further damage. Towing it out from the front or back was going to do some real serious bad stuff for sure. It was a really dumb mistake I had made & I knew it. I was ready to give up RVing right there & then & just simply take up basket weaving & stay home forever. No doubt about it I figured...... we were in a rut!!
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Meanwhile, as I am surveying & fretting over this doomsday scenario Kelly was on the cell phone talking to our E.R.S. (Emergency Road Service) people, explaining our situation & location. The dispatcher had a tow truck scrambled within minutes. (Gaynors Towing Service-Lindsay) They even called back to see how we were doing. Now, that's friendly & efficient service I'd say & we had a tow truck there in less time it takes to drink a quick coffee.

As all the negative thoughts were rolling around in my head I had already made a second miscalculation by assuming the worst. (I usually do that) What I hadn't figured on though, was.....the positive thinking tow truck driver. He was a young fellow, baseball cap, friendly & looking every bit like a capable mechanic type guy as he strode over from his truck. I didn't have to explain the situation, the problem was very obvious to say the least. He didn't say too much at first so I took that to mean we were really up the creek for sure. He got down in the ditch & crawled in behind the back tires for a look see. That's when I took the picture & you can see his legs & feet sticking out. In a muffled voice I heard him say something like, "hey, you got load levellers on the coach." Did I detect some optimism in his voice & maybe, just maybe, a ray of hope here??

WHITE EGRETS AT THE HULLET MARSH ABOUT 20 MINUTES FROM WHERE WE LIVE

He climbed back out & instructed me to go into the coach & put the rear passenger side hydraulic load leveller down. Well, that instantly got me real nervous for sure because I had only ever put them down once before at home in the driveway when I was trying to figure out how they worked. (which I never really figured out too good anyway) I remembered to put the emergency brake on, plus the hydraulic on/off switch but of course I dumped both valve levers & put all 4 levellers down. WRONG!! I could here him holler something at me from out the side door so I quickly managed to retract the front levellers & get us back down into earth's orbit again. I also quickly retracted the rear drivers side leveller too. Well, at least I think I did. Now, we were back in business & the tow truck driver fellow was probably wiping his brow & breathing a sigh of relief as he was thinking something like, TOURISTS!! He had me carefully move that last leveller lever into a down position & I could feel the back end of the coach lifting, & lifting, & lifting. Any higher & I figured we would be in orbit. When it seemed almost certain we would, he hollered, "STOP!!

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Then.... nothing but silence for about 10 seconds. Had he left & gone home, was it coffee break time, did Lindsay have a 9 o'clock curfew?? Finally I heard, "ok retract the leveller all the way up." I nervously put the dump lever in the up position & the coach descended, but not as far as before. Hmmmmmm. "Ok, back up real slow & try not to spin the wheels" he said. What's this, could it be, could it be. YES, as I ever so slowly stepped on the gas the coach very smoothly backed right out onto the road. 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY:))" I quickly parked the rig & got out to see what wondrous miracle this young fellow had performed. "Short planks" he said. "Always a good idea to carry a couple of short sturdy planks with ya." He had them in the tow truck & when the leveller raised the passenger rear side of the coach he simply put 2 sturdy planks under the rear dual wheels. When I retracted the leveller the tires came down firmly on the planks & I was able to back straight out onto the road. Wow, talk about a feeling of relief.....but, then it got even better.

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As we inspected the coach underneath with flashlights it was apparent that there was no damage & a following closer inspection the next morning confirmed this. Thank heavens for peanut butter & smart tow truck operators:))))))) Too bad about some motorhome driver's though:((

WE ALWAYS HAVE CURIOUS LITTLE CRITTERS POPPING UP IN OUR GARDENS

GROANER'S CORNER:(( One day, a little boy wrote to Santa Clause, "Please send me a sister." Santa Clause wrote him back, "Ok, send me your mother."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 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

OUR FABULOUS PHEEBS…365 DAYS OF HAPPY:))

ALL OF TODAY’S PHOTOS ARE FROM PHEEBS EARLY DAYS WITH US A YEAR AGO

Pheebs & I don't really need a good reason to go Jeeping. We've got lots of viable excuses that work just as well as any old good reason does. This morning's excuse number 412 was a new spool for my battery operated Black & Decker weed whacker. Had set out in hot pursuit of some pesky weeds earlier when I noticed my sweeping ground hugging whacker motion wasn't weally whacking many weeds anymore. Quick inspection revealed all the line had finally been used up on the year old spool. Into the Jeep & off we went. Could have waited, but nope, an excuse is an excuse. And, in my world, a flimsy excuse is always reasonable grounds for a drive in the country.

With both windows full down & doggy fur blowing in the wind we landed ourselves at Goderich's Canadian Tire Store 20 minutes later. I was in & out of that store in under 5 minutes. In this cell phone day & age with nearly everyone poised with their fingers on their speed dials to instantly call in a 'dog in the car' alerts or a 'tin can' seen by the side of the road' or 'someone wearing a pair of mismatched socks'.  I am always quick returning to my vehicle. No doubt, calls have been made that have saved dogs, got tin cans removed from roadways, & sent people scurrying off to seek counselling after being sternly admonished for their mismatched socks.  Pheebs & I were soon back home & I was once again doing a little admonishing of my own to our front yard weeds:))

But, not before I had myself a ‘Senior Moment’ while still in Goderich!!  A second quick stop at the Supermarket there had netted me a couple jugs of Cranberry juice & a lady rushing out of the store behind me in hot pursuit shouting, 'Hello, Hello'!! Yep, I had left my direct debit card in the machine. But hey, at least I had remembered my groceries this time.  One out of two ain’t bad on a good day……………

Pheebe wasn't the first dog we looked at on this day a year ago. On our way to see Uncle Harry we had stopped at a farm where a lady advertised a dog needing a good home. As I recall it was a large, young, & very exuberant dog....and not very friendly towards our little Cora whom we had taken along. We had brought Motormouse with us because we had a second dog to meet after seeing Uncle Harry & if the dogs we were meeting were not friendly to the Motor, then we weren't interested.

It was early afternoon in Zurich Ontario when we first met a friendly little dog by the name of Evie.  Our Vet had called us saying he knew of a local dog needing a good home & gave us a contact phone number. Kelly phoned that number in the morning & set up an appointment to see Evie in the afternoon. Evie already had a good home but things were just not working out.

OUR VERY FIRST PHOTO OF THE PHEEBS AT HER FORMER HOME SITTING BESIDE KELLY

I knew this little happy face pooch was the dog we were looking for as soon as I saw her. She just had that instant friendly non aggressive happy personality.  But, would she get along with our little Motormouse? I went out to the car & brought Motor in. It was Pal's at first site & the clincher came when Cora laid down on the floor & Evie walked over & laid down beside her. It was a done deal & a few hours later Evie’s family drove her over to our place.

There were some teary good-bye's 20 minutes later as the car backed out of our driveway.  Only a moment's hesitation on Evie’s part before she bounded into the house & right into the hearts, minds, & lives of the Bayfield Bunch. She was 2 years old & it was like she had been with us forever. Made herself right at home & within 10 minutes of being in the house she was sitting on my lap. And, a whole year later, it is still one of her favorite places to be.

 
SHE WAS ON OUR LAPS RIGHT FROM HER VERY FIRST DAY HERE….AND WE LOVED IT:))

It was Kelly who came up with Evie’s new name.  We felt Pheebe sounded a lot like Evie & there would be no confusion for her getting used to it.  And it kinda made her ours.  Pheebs doesn't have a mean bone in her body & we have never heard her growl or seen her show her teeth. She has one gear & it is straight ahead happy. She loves all other dogs & everyone she meets. She loves chasing bird, bunnies & squirrels but does not harm them. She caught a Grackle on the ground last year but didn't harm it. The Grackle got up, dusted himself off & flew away. It is the fast running chase Pheebe likes. About a month ago she caught a tiny baby bunny on our morning walk & right away turned & brought it to us.  Pheebe gently let me take the bunny from her & put it back into the tall grass alongside the trail. She had made no attempt to kill the defenceless little creature. She just wanted to play.

 

OUR FIRST WALK  GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

Pheebs is 3 now & unlike many dogs she does not like the water & has no interest in swimming. Checkers used to just love it when I would get the big garden hose monster going but not Pheebs. Both Max & Checkers loved swimming at the beach but Pheebs stays well back from the water's edge. Just a few drops of rain will keep her on the porch. On our walks past the pond she loves stirring up the frog[s & making them 'sproing' into the water, being very careful of course not to get her paws wet.

RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, PHEEBS HAS ALWAYS GIVEN KELLY A ‘HIGH 5’ WHEN SHE GETS HOME
Whatever room we are in, Pheebs is in. She follows us like a little shadow. If I walk from the sunroom to the living room she is right behind me & if I go into the bathroom she waits right outside the door. At night she is either on my bed or on her doggy bed at the foot of my bed. When I go to bed, Pheebs goes to bed & when I get up, Pheebs get's up. And, so it goes, all day long. If I'm not home she does the same with Kelly, following her everywhere just like a little shadow.

WAS ALWAYS SO GREAT WATCHING PHEEBS & LITTLE CORA PLAYING TOGETHER
Every time one of us goes outside, whether it be for 5 minutes or 5 hours we are greeted each time when we come in by a totally ecstatic little tail wagging dog. It's like we had been a way for 6 weeks or something. She is just so continuously happy all the time. And, 'the happy' just never stops. It's 24/7:))  Now, a slight correction for a second ‘Senior Moment’ I had today…….In my mind I have had it that August 8th was the day we met the Pheebs but looking back to my post a year ago I now realize it was actually August 9th the Pheebs arrived.  Well, no matter, a year is a year & what a great year it has been:)))))))))  
 

PHEEBS LOVES PLAYING WITH ALL HER TOYS

GROANER’S CORNER:((

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 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

REMEMBERING MY OLD SOUTHWEST COFFEE CUP

Cooler nights over the past several days have brought a quiet calm to the forest. We have not been plagued by the sounds & bites of flying insects for a couple days. I can hear Crickets around the pond & the air is still. Early stirrings of Autumn are upon us as morning sunlight shifts shadow patterns ever so slightly. Daylight dwindles earlier as evening air takes on a slight chill. In another month, Autumn will begin stirring her paints & colors readying herself to set our forests ablaze in reds & gold's. In coming weeks we will begin to see a few small splashes of color appearing.   But, only a few for now:))

 

I lost a an old traveling companion & confidant on September 14th of 2008. For a couple of years we had spent many pleasurable moments & travel times together. Then one day, it only took one careless moment on my part, & my old friend was gone.

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In a hurry, coffee in hand one sunny morning, I headed out the door to see what the doggy guys were barking at. Not wanting to put my favorite coffee cup Buddy in harm's way I reached out to set him on the deck railing whilst I headed down the steps to do battle with what was probably a chipmunk making faces at little Cora. It was the "thunk" behind me & the tell tale sounds of breaking pottery that reached my ears before my brain did. I knew instantly, my favorite coffee cup Pal had just bit the dust. No point in even looking back as I continued out into the yard to have words with the furry cast of noisy characters. It was good I had something to focus on before returning to....pick up the pieces:((

IT WAS A SAD ENDING FOR MY FRIEND AFTER HAVING TRAVELED SO MANY MILES TOGETHER
My old friend & I first met in the Apache Canyon Trading Post near the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico back on December 22, 2006. The Bayfield Bunch had stopped in to have a look around after exploring the Caverns earlier in the day. I'm not much for hanging around in gift shops too long so after a quick amble through the place I was headed back out the door when I spotted it.  He was sitting quietly with a bunch of his brightly painted pottery friends on a shelf by a window.

THIS WAS THE PLACE NEAR CARLSBAD CAVERNS WHERE I FIRST MET MY OLD PAL

There was a tanned adobe look about this coffee cup fellow & he had colorful markings with a name that read, New Mexico. And I liked his black glazed interior. A handsome little devil indeed. I knew right away we were made for each other as I gently lifted him up off the shelf & headed for the counter.

 

PANCHO VILLA STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO…BREAKFAST COFFEE IN DECEMBER OF 1996

It was the beginning of a friendship that would last nearly 2 years with many memorable moments spent together, relaxing hand in hand. Sometimes beside me as we enjoyed many desert campfires, sometimes riding for endless miles up on the dash of the motorhome scouting the way ahead. There were times he helped me outside in my various projects around home, & other times rode with me to work. Occasionally he went missing for a day or two until I was able to locate him again sitting on a stump in the garden or a rock out in the yard someplace, just where I had carelessly left him. But most often as not, he was right here on my desk beside the computer as I plunked away at the dusty keys day after day. Back in those days I drank 4 cups of coffee a day so don’t know what he would have thought nowadays when I only drink one.  A little dejected maybe.

DARBY WELLS ROAD NEAR AJO ARIZONA WORKING ON MY BLOG WITH MY COFFEE BUDDY ON THE TABLE…JANUARY 2008

Yes, it was a sad day indeed & I never had the heart to throw my broken little Buddy away. After 4 years he still sits, in his broken state, in our work shop shed out back waiting for me to put him back together again one day.

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Tonight, after writing this post, I went out to the workshop to take a couple photos of the cup & I think tomorrow I will glue my little Buddy back together & take him with us this year to his old home, the Southwest.  There, I will set my old Pardner on the fireplace where he can once again be a memorable part of…..The Bayfield Bunch:))

 

Surprise visit today from fellow RV'er Gerrit Van Keulen. Located in Wingham Ontario for the summer, Gerrit was in our area so popped in to say hello. They had spent the winter in Yuma. I remember Gerrit first emailing me back in 2010 with some RVing questions. Gerrit & his wife have since sold their home in Wingham & now travel full time in their 42' Motorhome. Nice meeting you today Gerrit:))

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And Wednesday August 8th marks the first anniversary of our little wonder dog Pheebe coming to live with us.  She has sure brought a lot of happiness into our lives:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( And, a little coffee humor.......AN OVERWEIGHT MAN WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW COFFEE MADE HIM NERVOUS. I SAID WHY DON'T YOU QUIT DRINKING COFFEE. HE SAID, "BECAUSE IF I DIDN'T HAVE THE SHAKES, I WOULDN'T GET ANY EXERCISE AT ALL."

-SHE'S LIKE YESTERDAY'S COFFEE... --A LITTLE WEAK IN THE BEAN.
-A MAN WENT TO HIS DOCTOR AND SAID, "EVERY TIME I DRINK COFFEE, I GET A STABBING PAIN IN MY RIGHT EYE." HIS DOCTOR SAID, "WELL, HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TAKING THE SPOON OUT OF THE CUP FIRST?"

YOU KNOW YOU ARE DRINKING TOO MUCH COFFEE WHEN..........

1 . YOU SLEEP WITH YOUR EYES OPEN.

2. YOU THINK BEING CALLED A "DRIP" IS A COMPLIMENT.
3. YOU WALK TEN MILES ON YOUR TREADMILL BEFORE YOU REALIZE IT'S NOT PLUGGED IN.
4. JUAN VALDEZ NAMED A DONKEY AFTER YOU.
5. YOU GO TO AA MEETINGS JUST FOR THE FREE COFFEE. (yep, I know about # 5 alright)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 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