I NEVER SET FOOT OUT OF THE RIG TODAY:((

The relentless rains began at 5 a.m this morning & continued with noisy patter on our roof for the entire day. I am a little concerned because we are parked on grass & if the rain continues for a few days it could be a little tricky getting out of here. Long range forecast is for a sunny Friday but rains again Saturday. Might be a good idea to roll out a day earlier & leave Friday. We'll keep our eyes on the weather & play this one by ear.
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Thought for sure last weekend this head cold of mine was on it's way out, but noticed Monday I was beginning to cough more & by Monday night the cold had gravitated to my chest. Went to bed feeling rough & woke up the same way. Never even got out of my pajamas for the entire day. Stayed inside where it was warm & dry & never set one foot outside the rig. 

Now, to explain that big white Tiger sitting on the Jeep Monday night. Kelly had a couple coupons for ABBOTT'S CUSTARD & headed off downtown to pick up a couple Sundaes after supper. On her way back she spotted that big white Tiger by the curb & first thought it a dog. Garbage pick-up today & the Tiger was sitting beside a larger pile of garbage for this morning's pick up. Kelly went around the block, stopped & immediately rescued the Tiger by stuffing it in her Mother's car. When she got back she set the Tiger on the lawn, came in & told me there was a big cat outside. I thought she meant a big domestic cat so I didn't bother getting up. She said Pheebe was outside playing with it & took a camera out to take a picture. Later, when I uploaded the pics to the computer I saw the big 'cat' on the Jeep. So now, we have a new Mascot for the Bayfield Bunch & as I'm typing, the big Tiger is sitting on my bed right beside me in his warm, safe & dry new home.  Gonna have to think of a name for this little Kitty.

Not much to write about today. I think the last time I spent an entire day inside was when I was a kid. My time today was divided between the computer, blowing my nose, playing with Pheebs, coughing, & watching television. Not much to watch on the dozen channels our aerial pulls in but I did try to watch some old dusty westerns. Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, Big Valley, & The Rifleman.  I remember them as exciting shows at a time when I was a lot younger.  They just don’t seem to hold the same kind of magic anymore they once did.  But, not much on the other 11 channels so kinda watched them between snoozes anyway.  Kelly brought me some beef stew from the house & slipped over to the Pharmacy & picked me up some more cold medication. I have my fingers crossed this is still just a lingering cold & not the same bacteria infection Kelly had. She finishes the last of her prescribed anti-bacteria pills tomorrow & is doing much better than a week ago. I'll see how things shape up tomorrow.

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We were invited over to Kelly's brothers place for supper so Kelly & her Mother kept that appointment. Pheebs stayed home to look after me & the new Tiger. Kelly had to sew up the big cat’s leg where it was loosing some of it’s stuffings.  With our green frog on the dash & orange Monkey in the Jeep, we are beginning to look every bit like a real traveling circus………. Groovy:))

KIND OF REMINDS ME OF THE SONG…’GETTING TO KNOW YOU’

GROANER'S CORNER:(( One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed.
She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?"
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't dear," she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room."
A long silence was broken at last by a shaken little voice saying, "The big sissy."

---------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

SURPRISED MYSELF BY WASHING BOTH THE MOTORHOME & THE JEEP

TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE FROM THE BACKYARD WHERE KELLY GREW UP…HER DAD SPENT MANY HAPPY HOURS HERE OVER THE YEARS & KELLY REMEMBERS ICE SKATING ON THE CREEK IN THE HEADER PHOTO

We were both up at our usual early time.  No matter whether we are at home or on the road, we are generally up every morning before 6 a.m.   Kelly was out the door about 7:45 to take her Mother's Toyota Rav 4 to the garage for an 8 a.m. oil & lube appointment.

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Sunday morning’s wet Ontario roads had sure made a mess of the Jeep & Motorhome. A dirty road grim thrown up by the Motorhome covered both in a gritty coat of muddy gray. Not much choice but to round myself up a bucket, a hose & some water early this morning & get that grime off the Jeep. Washed the back of the rig & back up camera but stopped there to go back in the rig & warm up my hands. It was only 8:30 in the morning.

---

Found a frying pan but couldn't find any eggs, so that meant one thing......loaded little Spooky Pook in the Jeep & off we went to find a McDonalds, which just happened to be two blocks away. Hmmm, wonder how that happened. Pheebs & I split a hungry man's mouth watering spinach & broccoli salad topped with asparagus wings & celery bits. And, if ya believe all that………..you shouldn’t:))

A NICE BACK YARD FOR A KID TO GROW UP IN:))

From McD's, Pheebs & I cruised around Spencerport for a bit, having us a look at the town, it's old architectural buildings, stately homes, the Erie Canal & of course, ABBOTT'S FROZEN CUSTARD, where of course we did not stop. Didn't want to throw down a load of frozen custard on top of all that Spinach salad you know. Spencerport is a pretty little town all dressed in her Autumn finery.

---

With the sun shining & temperatures rising, Pheebs & I headed back to the rig, dragged the hose & bucket out again, & in a rare burst of shinery I washed the entire Motorhome.  Now, with a bit of luck, I won't have to wash either one of those vehicles again until we get home in the Spring:))

ALL SHINED UP & READY TO RUMBLE

We do have, & we do use, our Garmin GPS from time to time & we did use it Sunday to find us a nearby gas station when we were low on fuel. Problem was, the gas station was located in a small town nearby & when we found it, the station was way too small for us to get a large Motorhome & tow vehicle squiggled in. Second problem was, the GPS didn't tell us the size of the bridges in the area that spanned the Erie Canal & many of those bridges were too small & had low weight limits & that added to our problems. As it was, we did haul ourselves over a small 3 ton weight limit bridge before we even had time to stop & think about how heavy we were. Just one of the many little haphazard conditions one runs into when plying about on secondary roads in a big Motorhome. I can write about it today with a chuckle, but the air sure was blue in the rig when we found ourselves temporarily misplaced & low on fuel Sunday. 

My 33 year sobriety date blew right by me a few days ago. I generally mention it every year because it marked a major turning point in my life back on October 19th, 1979. Anyone interested in my very first AA meeting, can read about it here...  A TURNING POINT.  Keep in mind, I wrote this article back in 2010.
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It was nice to see some old familiar names in our comment section these past few days . Shout box as well. Always nice to know a few of our long time readers are still hanging in there. You are indeed very patient folks to put up with all my Bossence nonsense from time to time. Much appreciated here at The Bayfield Bunch.

For all you cool boondocking folks out there, I suggest you tag into Nina's site at WHEELING IT. You can read her latest post & enjoy her enthusiasm for the lifestyle. She meets fellow boondocker RV SUE & HER CANINE CREW & has some posts coming up in the near future regarding boondocking & boondocking sites. They are presently in one of our favorite south-west areas, Lone Pine California.

I was surprised at how smoothly we slid right into our Verizon connection once Kelly activated it again. No glitches at all. With various systems we have had, connecting to the internet was always a bit of a crapshoot years ago. When we first started out RVing we went with a Hughsnet satellite system & that thing was problematic right from the word go. We have been very satisfied with our Verizon set-up these past 4 years & I still remember how happy we were the day we had our Verizon system initially set up & activated in Silver City, New Mexico.

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LUCINDA just joined the Bayfield Bunch as Blog Follower 533. Almost needed her to help push the rig on Sunday when we nearly ran out of gas. Better keep your shoes tied Lucinda in case we get low on gas again. Welcome aboard:))

OH OH…..WHAT THE HECK IS THIS ALL ABOUT?????

GROANER'S CORNER:(( This guy takes his van and brings it to the Louvre, a big art museum in Paris, and robs it. Now this guy has serious skill. He easily gets past all the security and all that, but when he starts to drive away with the police in hot pursuit, he runs out of gas. Of course he gets caught, and while the police are locking him up, one of them says "You had the skill, you had it all going well for you, and you ran out of gas. What happened?" The thief says "I didn't have the Mone to buy De Gas to make the Van Gogh."

--------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

“ARE YA GEOGRAPHICALLY CHALLENGED,” he said….:((

WE ARE IN SPENCERPORT NEW YORK:))

We had the big wheels rolling at 8:05 this morning & you know I don’t have to tell you what a great feeling that was. At last, at last:))

A LAST PHOTO OF OUR HOUSE AS WE PULL AWAY

Roads were wet but at least the rain had ended. Cloudy skies with a bit of mist on the surrounding horizons. Kept a close eye on things for the first few miles checking to see everything was running & towing right. It was, but again, I could tell we were on the heavy side. Great to be back in the driver’s seat once more watching all the beautiful scenery sliding by the window. Didn’t take long to get all the cobwebs out & back into the swing of driving a Motorhome. Just comes natural I guess.

AFTER NEARLY 7 MONTHS', THE BIG WHEELS ARE ROLLING AGAIN:))

About 9:45 we hit ourselves a big blast of gorgeous sunshine just west of Brantford Ontario & it was sunny for the whole rest of the way. Been awhile since I've mixed things up in the heavy traffic department but it was just like the old days when I used to do that for a living for awhile.  Like riding a bicycle…..one never forgets.

NIAGARA RIVER FLOWING BETWEEN LAKES ERIE & ONTARIO AS SEEN FROM ATOP THE LEWISTON-QUEENSTON BRIDGE

We were half an hour in the traffic line-up at the border & we were both surprised at how easily we got through. The border fellow hardly had any questions for us before handing our Passports back with a "have a safe trip." I almost said, "hey wait a minute, we're used to way more questions than that Mister". Ya right!!.

ABOUT A HALF HOUR WAIT AT THE BORDER

Soon as we crossed the border we headed up onto the Robert Moses Parkway. Kelly had never travelled this way to Spencerport & back before & we heard it was a nice scenic drive along the southern shores of Lake Ontario. And, with all the fall colors it was indeed scenic, & would have been even more scenic had we drove the full length. But, we had a problem.

KELLY FIELDS HER FIRST DEER PARK LODGE CALL OF THE TRIP

I had miscalculated our gas. Knowing we were on the heavy side this trip we did not leave Bayfield on a full tank of gas. Figured we had enough to reach the border, which we did, but hadn't figured on not finding any gas stations along the Parkway. Wasn't long before our gas gauge was into the red zone. It was Sunday & the few little towns along the way, if they had a gas station, were closed. Reached the little town of Kuckville & the 'low fuel' audible buzzer came on. Pulled off to the side of the road & for only the second time in nearly 8 years of RVing I had to haul out our big spare can of gas. About a 5 gallon can I'm thinking. Very heavy to lift & hold while pouring gas in. But, it saved the day.

YEP, STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A DIRTY OLD JEEP AGAIN

Retraced our steps for a few miles back as Kelly plotted us a new route & headed south in an effort to find a larger town with gas closer to Kelly’s familiar route. Stopped at a farm's roadside Pumpkin stand & picked up some directions. Problem was we had to get over the Erie Canal & not all bridges were big enough for a Motorhome. Those directions sent us off in a direction which brought us to a T-intersection. Which way, which way?? An old tumble down house stood on the other side of the intersection so Kelly walked over & knocked on the door. Young fellow came out, talked for a bit then walked up to my window, looks up & says, "are ya Geographically challenged". "Yep", I said, "sure am". He gave us a few new directions & 10 minutes later we were in the town of Medina at a Sunoco station filling up the rig......and, empty gas can. Not one of our better RVing afternoons I can tell you, so we just gots to gets our travel heads back on a little tighter.......10-4.

OH OH…..ARE WE GONNA FIT??

Rolled into Spencerport about 3 p.m. & by 3:20 we were parked on Kelly's Mom's lawn out front the house....exhaustamacated. Well, pretty tired at least. It had turned out to be a 7 hour driving day. Not unusual for us but we will have to work at getting ourselves re-tuned & up to speed.

OUR HOME FOR THE WEEK

Nice to see Kelly's Mom again. I hadn't seen her for about 4 years. Kelly's Brother Peter & his wife Leslie brought pizza for supper & we finished everything off with Abbott's ice cream. Groovy. No idea what's happening with Monday but we'll deal with that when we get there. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

YEP, WE’VE GOT A BIT OF RE-ADJUSTING TO DO THIS WEEK

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into. She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: "They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake
pedal and even the accelerator!" she cried.
The dispatcher said, "Stay calm. An officer is on the way."
A few minutes later, the officer radios in. "Disregard." He says. "She got
in the back-seat by mistake."

--------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

WE’RE READY TO GO:))

We both woke up feeling much better. Kelly's cough is totally gone & I'm sure the medicine she brought home for me Friday was a big help. This short head cold was not as bad as the one I had this past summer when I got back from the Stratford Hospital.  That one lasted nearly a week. 

It was a cold rain drenched morning that saw us on the road heading over to Mitchell to see Uncle Harry. He was doing pretty good but said it was going to feel like a long winter with us gone. He is really going to miss the Pheebs. Assured him we would return in the Spring & he was to stay out of trouble until we got back:))

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We normally leave before the crack of dawn, but not so this time.  We only have to go as far as Spencerport NY which is just west of Rochester.  Probably a 5 or 6 hour drive so no rush.  The time always depends on how things go at the border.  We are not under the illusion that things are always wonderfully tutti frutti at the border.  To date, we have been ‘pink slipped’ for 3 separate agriculture checks.  Not nice!!  Learned our lesson after the first time though.  We do not take any meats, fruits, or veggies of any kind.  And, you better make sure your pet food is made in the States & that it is not open.  It is an ever changing gray area as to what can be taken across the border & what cannot.  My advice to folks is not to chance it.  First time at the Lewiston/Queenston crossing we had some oranges in a bowl sitting on the dinette table & that was enough to land us in the border’s computer files as ‘food smugglers’.   We were ‘pink slipped’ & pulled over both following years in a row at the Port Huron crossing.  An agriculture check will probably cost you about an hour & you won’t be allowed inside your rig for most of it………. 

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I don't think the day could have been any yukkier for loading all the last minute things into the Motorhome. Just poured down a cold rain all afternoon. So much to do & no good weather to do it all in!! We are both in the process of getting over being sick & the idea of getting ourselves cold & wet was not a good idea. No choice, we had to get the rig loaded & Jeep hooked on anyway. For all we know, it could be raining harder tomorrow.

GETTING THINGS HOOKED UP
It is hard to believe we will once again be on the road. After sitting around waiting to go for over 6 months I almost have to give my head a shake & my arm a pinch, just to to see if this is all real. I always get a little nervously apprehensive each year just before we go & the only way to deal with that nervous apprehension is to just get in the rig & head it on down the road.  It clears up right away.  Checking the rear view mirror I can see our Bayfield lifestyle slipping away behind us. Looking out the windshield I can feel our South-west RVing lifestyle gently taking the reins & oh how I look forward to that change every year at this time. I can see the mountains, the plains & the deserts. Starry nights with fiery sunrises & sunsets. Big blue skies, endless winding roads, tall Saguaros & rocky canyons. Desert campfires & lonely howls of distant Coyotes. Just so much to see, & so little time left to see it all. Oh how I wish we could have started this lifestyle 20 or 30 years ago. But, not to worry, we're doing it now & that's all that matters:))
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Now, there may be a post Sunday night or maybe not. Sunday will be the day we switch everything over to the mobile side of life. Have to activate our Verizon account & set up the hardware in the rig. I'll also switch over to my lap top’s Live Writer. One never knows where the little techno bugs are lurking after being dormant for over 6 months. Kelly's good at figuring out any problems. I'm good at figuring out how to get the lid of my peanut butter jar.  See ya down the road:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

 READY TO ROLL OUT IN THE MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A priest wanted to raise money for his church, and being told that there was a future in horse racing, he decided to purchase a horse and enter him in the races. However, at the local auction, the going price for a horse was so steep that he ended up buying a donkey instead. He figured that since he had it, he might just as well enter it in the race. To his surprise, the Donkey came in third. The next day, the racing sheet carried this headline: "PRIEST'S ASS SHOWS". The priest was pleased with the donkey and entered it in the races again. This time it won. The paper read: "PRIEST'S ASS OUT FRONT". The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the priest not to enter the donkey in anymore races. The newspapers read:"BISHOP SCRATCHES PRIEST'S ASS". This was just too much for the Bishop and he ordered the priest to get rid of the donkey. The priest gave the donkey to a nun at a nearby convent and the headlines read: "NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN". The Bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to dispose of the donkey. She sold it to a farmer for $10.00. The paper stated: "NUN PEDDLES ASS FOR TEN BUCKS". They buried the Bishop the next day.............

---------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

ROUGH NIGHT, BUT A BETTER DAY…..REALLY HOPING TO GET OUT OF HERE SUNDAY MORNING

AND ANOTHER SEASON COMES TO AN END AT DEER PARK LODGE 

A rough night & a tough morning, but must say by late afternoon I was feeling a tad better.  Kelly felt well enough this afternoon to slip up to Goderich for a few groceries.  Brought me back some extra strength sinus medication & a bottle of of something called, Silver Solutions.  No, not for my hair.  Apparently it is an anti-biotic mineral supplement.  Kelly’s cough is nearly gone & she is feeling better than a couple days ago. We have been quite a pair as we have hobbled, sniffled, & coughed our way around the house.  If I’m all right in the morning, we will slip down to see my Uncle Harry & hopefully fly the coop Sunday.  That means Saturday will be a whirlwind of a day with all the last minute details to be taken care of.  Say, was that a couple butterflies I just felt in my tummy:))

Thanks to folks for their cold remedies. I kinda liked Russ K's solution about eating lots of peanut butter. I immediately went to the kitchen, got my peanut butter jar out, & immersed myself in it right up to my arm pits. That was a great suggestion Russ:))  And Gaelyn, yes, those were Milkweed pods.

This is my second cold in 6 months. Before that I had not had a cold for 20 or more years. Nor the flu. The day following my kidney stone procedure this past summer I came down with a doozer of a cold which I'm sure I picked up in the hospital. The second cold which I am experiencing right now has obviously been picked up from Kelly. Why 2 colds in 6 months after such a long period without one? I have a theory. Long time readers have heard me mention many times about my daily morning soy shakes. Mixed them up & drank em every morning for about 15 years. This past April I decided it was time to make a change to some of my eating habits & I started off by giving up my morning soy shakes. Funny enough, it was about 3 months later when I caught my first cold & 3 months after that, my second cold. Many times in past posts I have mentioned the fact I attributed my cold & flu free years directly to the healthy benefits of my yummy a.m. concoctions. I now think I would probably be very wise to resume my morning 'shake' routine. You can see what that is by clicking my SOUNDS YUKKY - TASTES YUMMY recipe link, or my short VIDEO:))

I’m sure most Snow Birds will know what I mean when I say, it’s kind of an unreal feeling sometimes when you walk out of your house knowing you will not return again for half a year.  The change, which has been a long time coming, is suddenly instant.  You walk out your door in October with all the pretty Autumn colors in your yard, & return sometime in April, with a completely different looking landscape.  I always find it rather surreal just a day or two before departure.  Always kind of a strange feeling……………

 

THIS WAS OUR HOUSE AT CHRISTMAS 2005

Despite a 'Quarantine' sign hanging on the door we did pick up another new Blog Follower over night. LINDA DAWKINS was not deterred by our present health conditions & swung up on board anyway. Welcome aboard Linda, you are a brave soul. Got any cold medicine with ya.........preferably peanut butter.

REMEMBERING OUR DEAR GIRL ‘CHECKERS’ TONIGHT

GROANER'S CORNER:(( What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs hanging on the wall? Art. What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs in a boiling pot? Stu. What do you call a girl with no arms and no legs hammered into a piece of wood? Peg.

---------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

AWWWWW NUTS…….NOW I’M FEELING LIKE AN OLD BAG OF DIRT MYSELF:((

We may have to back Saturday's departure up to Sunday or next week now. The cold like symptoms of Kelly's bacterial infection are trying their best to get a hold of me but so far, aside from a scratchy throat along with some nasal congestion my body is desperately trying to fight off the invasion of cold germs. Kelly is not out of the woods yet either & we're thinking maybe holding off for one or more days would be a good idea to see how we're feeling. What a piece of rotten timing this all is & I think I may have been a bit premature in Wednesday’s post about Kelly feeling better…………It was not a good day for her:((

Pheebs & I drove the Motorhome over to Clinton this morning to have the tire pressures checked at our tire dealer. All 6 tires were right on target. I am still having trouble with my right leg & bending over or getting down on the ground to air the tires is not something I was wanting to get into. We definitely have a much heavier than normal load in the rig this year & I am beginning to second guess our Rochester to Knoxville route through the Appalachian Mountains.

NEVER KNOW WHEN THAT DEER PARK LODGE PHONE WILL RING

For about 6 months of the year while in the south-west I park myself rather comfortably under my cowboy hat. Blends me right in quite nicely with the locals. When we return to Ontario in the Spring I set my cowboy had aside & re-blend myself in with the local folks here in Bayfield again by wearing a baseball cap. Decided to put my cowboy hat on Wednesday night when I took Pheebs for a walk. Felt like I had a great big pumpkin sitting on my head. Reckon it's gonna take me a few days to get myself all westernized again. Imagine I'll end up knocking my hat off half a dozen times getting in & out of the Jeep. Takes me awhile to remember the wide brim & high top!!

In a few days (hopefully) we will embark on our 8th trip to the great American Southwest. In 04/05 we made a quick journey in our Gulf Stream Class C to Big Bend, Texas. Next trip was in 06/07 in our GMC truck & Rockwood fifth wheel to New Mexico & Arizona. Every year since, we have traveled in our Damon Motorhome to New Mexico, Arizona, & California. We happen to like the American west so much we have no interest in going anywhere else. After my kidney stone problem last December in Tucson we briefly talked ourselves into the idea of spending winters closer to home, in Florida. Even looked at a lot of Real Estate with Google Earth in the Gainesville area. That line of thinking lasted about 3 weeks before we finally realized how much our hearts were truly in the south-west & we just wouldn’t be happy anywhere else. I have blogged countless times over the years about why we like the southwest so much so won't get into all that again. To sum up why we love the southwest with two simple words, I'd simply say.........scenery & lifestyle:))

 

On our first major RV trip in 06/07 we came to 2 very quick conclusions within a couple months of leaving home. If we were going to continue RVing we were going to have to make a couple major changes or else we were going to end up sitting at home for the winters. First, we knew we were going to have to change the type of RV we had. Traveling with 3 dogs at the time just didn't work well with our truck & fifth wheel set up. That, combined with other reasons saw us quickly trade the truck & fifth wheel in on a Motorhome as soon as we returned home in the Spring. We have never regretted that change. Second major change we had to make was to our traveling lifestyle. We knew we would never be happy traveling from RV Park to RV Park. . We just don't fit into that kind of lifestyle at all. I won't bother with all the reasons why, but just let me say that we knew if we didn't figure out a way to avoid that kind of RVing, chances were good that we would not be RVing at all. Neither one of us wanted to end up bouncing between RV Parks or having to sit in one spot for 6 months of the year.

MEMORIES FROM A YEAR AGO…………PHEEBS & MOTOR WERE ALWAYS THE BEST OF PALS

Decisions were made & in 07 with our new to us Motorhome, we headed for Slab City California to have a solar system installed by Solar Mike at SUN WORKS. That set us up for boondocking, which in turn has basically kept us out of RV Parks ever since.   And, that has turned out to be another decision we have never regretted. Keep in mind......'different strokes for different folks,' and no one way is right for everybody:))

Don Pat has come aboard as our latest Blog Follower. Hope you have some anti-cold & bacteria medicine with ya Don because we're kinda like a hospital ship adrift in a cold sea right now. Welcome aboard & bring some Kleenex will ya:))

 

CAN YOU FIND THE HORIZON’S RAINBOW OVER LAKE HURON
GROANER'S CORNER:(( There once was a boy called Matty who didn't have a body, he only had a head.Then it came to his 18th birthday, so his dad who felt sorry for him took for a pint down the local pub, Matty was very excited about having his 1st drink of alcohol , so the proud father came in and placed Matty down on the bar and ordered 2 pints. Then the father poured the beer into Mattys mouth, and once he'd finished, a body had grown onto Mattys head, so he kept drinking and by the end of the night he was a normal man, with arms, legs, toes and fingers, but Matty kept on drinking & got falling down drunk & obnoxious. The lesson you should learn from this is to always........ 'Quit while your a head.'   …………….(ya, I know it’s a bad one)

---------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

SCURRYING ABOUT LIKE A COUPLE OF LITTLE SQUIRRELS TODAY

Went to bed with a clear star filled sky & woke up to clouds, rain, & colder temperatures again. Friends JEAN & SKIP just rolled into the Sedona area of Arizona & are basking in warm 88 degree temperatures. Nice. We are anxious to get out of this cold & wet & get ourselves into the warm & sunny south-west:))

Kelly had a better night & did not wake up with the hacking lumber jack cough she had experienced all day Tuesday.  Congestion is still audible but better than the day before.  Unfortunately, the anti-bacteria pills have side effects & Kelly felt sick for half the day before rallying back in the afternoon. Overall, her cold like symptoms are clearing up & I think she is through the worst of it.

KELLY FOUND A LITTLE PATCH OF HEALING SUNSHINE & SOAKED UP SOME VITAMIN D LATE THIS AFTERNOON
Scurried around all morning like a couple busy little Squirrels, darting about loading more things into the rig. We're down to the final couple days so lots of last minute stuff to do. Transferred our Sirius Satellite Radio from the Jeep to the Motorhome & am happy to say our recently installed tin can lid antennae on the roof works fine. A quick trip to Goderich netted me a couple good weatherproof locks for doubly securing our Jeep to the rig's tow bar. Rained in the night but by late morning the sun burst through the heavy overcast & totally turned our afternoon into one fine fantabulous Autumn day. Again, the word 'perfect' comes to mind:))  Tomorrow? Oh Oh, not so perfect:(( 

We are soooooo anxious to get out of here & get this long journey started.  So anxious to put ‘same old’ behind us & ‘WOWIE KAZOWIE’ ahead of us:))  And Janna….ssshhhh, it was October 7th.

Nina, from WHEELING IT has another in a series of well written posts whereupon she shares her thoughts in a post entitled, 'The Darker Side of Full timing'. I always enjoy posts by folks who write from the heart & are able to take a realistic & honest approach to not only themselves, but to their lifestyle as well. I believe it is important to write about the negatives as well as the positives. That way, everyone can identify & learn.
 
FROM THIS POINT WE ARE LESS THAN A MINUTE FROM OUR HOUSE IN THE FOREST ON THE LEFT

These days it sometimes seems the more further ahead I goes, the more behinder I gets. Somewhere awhile back I fell off the technology wagon. Not that I was ever really on it of course, but I fell off anyway. And I think it ran over me too. I'm at a point where I no longer know which area of the brain to blame. Is it the short term memory department? Could it be I left a window open somewhere west of my left ear & all my patience up & flew away?  Where did all my concentration & interest go?  Definitely something going on somewhere. When I look back a short 10 years ago I may still have been a bit short of patience but I was up for the challenge of learning new & exciting things. For a guy with very little education & no experience in the techno field whatsoever, I kinda felt I did OK there for awhile getting onto all this computer stuff. No whizbang by any means, but I was able to acquire & retain enough knowledge to get me by.  And, I even enjoyed teaching others some of the simpler fundamental basics.  But somewhere I must have blinked & the modern techno age rocketed off out of sight.  Tonight I thought I would go have a look at all this new Google & Facebook stuff again & get myself back up on the learning wagon. Nope, couldn't get to first base with Facebook & totally struck out again at trying to understand all the newer Google technology. Worse yet, when I wasn't looking, the damn wagon ran over me again…………..twice:((

No, nothing to do with feeling sorry for one's self, or any of that positive/negative stuff.  It has everything to do with having to accept the fact some things have changed & are changing in my old noodle. It is simply the natural progression of age making itself known & I have to make changes on the go, adjusting to the ways I think & do things differently from a few years ago. Just as the body weakens physically, it weakens mentally as well, & the journey gets a little harder. No going back of course, so one just has to keep an eye on the horizon, keep a stiff upper lip & keep moving forward as best one can.....................without complaining about it too much.

  
AUTUMN AT OUR HOUSE IS ALWAYS THE PRETTIEST TIME
With only a couple days to go, TRICIAANDPHIL made it aboard today just in time.  We welcome our latest Blog Followers & say thanks for traveling along with our Blog:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A woman walks into a shop that sells expensive Persian Rugs.  Looking around, she spots the perfect rug, walks over and inspects it.  As she bends to feel the texture of the rug she rather loudly passes some gas.  Very embarrassed she looks around nervously to see if anyone has noticed her 'little accident' and hopes a sales person does not pop up right now.  Of course as she turns back, there standing next to her is a salesman. "Good day Ma'am, how may we help you today?"  Very uncomfortably she asks, "How much does this rug cost?"  He answers, "Lady if you passed gas just touching it, you're gonna crap your pants when you hear what the price is."
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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 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
- OUR PHOTO ALBUMS - .https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295/
stargeezerguy@gmail.com