DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOUR AGING BODY CANNOT TAKE YOU TO WHERE YOUR RESTLESS MIND WANTS TO GO

Winnie the Bago beckoned to me this morning from her sheltered spot in the shaded Pines just off the end of our driveway. "Come on" she said. "Let's go for a spin". Kelly had already headed off in the Jeep for the Goderich hospital to drop off some medical stuff so Pheebs & I didn't need any coaxing to climb aboard the Winnie Wagon. Cranked up the A/C & under cloudy skies we headed on down the road for a big country cruise around the block. Winnie was just as happy as we were to be out & about on the road going somewhere.

Rolling into the south end of Bayfield on the way back we stopped to see our friends Di & Harry at STORMRUNNER RV SALES & SERVICE. Pheebs wanted to stop in & touch noses with George & Sport. They are the 4 legged half of the Stormrunner bunch. Harry & Di usually RV in one of the newer model RV's they have on the lot but 2 winters ago they rolled through the South-West in their truck camper. We met them in Bisbee Arizona for breakfast. Nice folks & if your in the area & looking for a new or used 5th wheel just stop on by & have a chat with Di & Harry.

The confusion over Kelly's Valley Fever test results continue. Dr. Heffner's office in Stratford phoned late this morning scheduling another Stratford appointment for Aug 1rst. Another round of blood tests two weeks before that appointment as well. Kelly had phoned them 2 days ago saying she was told her Valley Fever test was back at the lab in the Goderich Hospital. Dr. Heffner's office phoned the Goderich lab & were told 'no' the test results were 'not back'. So Kelly then phoned the Goderich Hospital saying she was there 2 days ago & had been told the results 'were back'. Today she was told the results were 'not back' & in fact were still at the Public Health Department in London Ontario. Kelly continues to improve but the Valley Fever folly continues. 

Note to commenter Martha on Wednesday night’s post from commenter Donna regarding switching from Hotmail to Outlook…….“In order to print email: When you have an email open across the top toolbar it will say: New Reply Delete Archive Junk Sweep Move to Categories then there are three dots. Click on the dots and more tools will show up, one of them is Print”.

Contessa over at 5C'S QUE PASA went into surgery this morning for a hip replacement. Anyone having any hip problems or facing hip surgery might be interested in how she made out & how she feels about it all when she gets home.  At the moment Contessa’s Mother is not well so she if facing some difficult times in the days ahead. Contessa is one who writes from the heart.

Had a comment question about one of my flower photos in Wednesday night's post & how did I get the black background. Photo was taken in full daylight but a few factors contributed to that purple flower shot. First & foremost, if your going to do any kind of creative photography it is best you have a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera. This gives you the option of changing lenses & it gives you a necessary view finder. When it comes to bugs, birds, frogs, flowers, etc I use a 75-300mm lens. Almost a hundred per cent of my close-up photos are done at a full 300mm. This enables me to accurately see & fill the view finder with the subject & that is important. It is the subject matter (flower) filling the viewfinder which the camera's exposure meter reads. If the subject matter is light colored or has sunlight on it the exposure meter will try to compensate for the brightness by darkening the overall photo & that is one of several factors that will darken the background in the process. There are other factors at play as well. I have my camera tweaked to underexpose my photos by one full stop making it again darker. A telephoto lens can also allow a subject to be distanced from it's background in some cases. Distance between that purple flower & the background was about 8 feet & the background was in shade. And composition is an important factor. Try to position your lighter subject against a dark shaded background.  I sometimes try to position myself between the lighter subject & a darker tree trunk maybe 3 or 4 feet in the background.  Always remember to check & see what is behind your subject.

There are far more places in the South-West we have not seen than there are places we have seen. But the places we have seen will remain with us forever. While spending time in South-Eastern Arizona ranch sitting for 4 years we were very fortunate to have spent time exploring around that whole area. (each colored link below represents one day in the life of the Bayfield Bunch) We have WALKED THE VERY TRAILS OF COCHISE & GERONIMO in the Chiricahua & Dragoon Mountains. STROLLED THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE ARIZONA & picked our way through the remains of half a dozen long forgotten ghost towns such as CHARLESTON & MILLVILLE, GLEESON, COURTLAND, FAIRBANK, & PEARCE.  Old western historic sites like the TEXAS JOHN SLAUGHTER RANCH, BISBEE, & the border towns of NACO & DOUGLAS. We found JOHNNY RINGO'S GRAVE as well as ONE OF TOMBSTONE'S EARP BROTHERS. Hiked into FORT BOWIE & saw the ruts of old stagecoach trails. Stopped at a Spring where Cochise & his Apache band gathered water. Walked on grounds where Indians & American Cavalry battled. Saw the graves of SEVEN CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS who lost their lives to a band of roving Apaches. Walked, driven, & hiked the Huachuca Mountains & STOOD ATOP CORONADO PEAK gazing for miles into the lands of Mexico. We have stayed in Columbus New Mexico where Pancho Villa invaded the United States way back in 1916. Walked the huge underground passageways of the Carlsbad Caverns & stood on both the NORTH & SOUTH rims of the Grand Canyon. Our list goes on & on & yet we have barely scratched the surface of what the South-Wests historic past has to offer. My only regret is that like many other RV travelers we were not able to begin our RV travels long before we did. My advice to folks with dreams of traveling some day is to make those dreams happen just as soon as you can. The earlier you begin your traveling lifestyle with good health the happier you are going to be.  You are going to be able to walk & hike to many places a younger body can take you.  Do it while you can.  If at all possible do not wait until your aging body cannot take your restless mind to where it want’s to go.  Trust me on that one.  Don’t know how many times while traveling over the past 7 years the thought has rattled through my head, ‘wished we could have somehow started this great RV lifestyle a whole lot sooner than we did’.   

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The phone rings and the lady of the house answers, 'Hello.' 'Mrs. Sanders, please' 'Speaking.' 'Mrs. Sanders, this is Doctor Jones at Saint Agnes Laboratory.  When your husband's doctor sent his biopsy to the lab last week, a biopsy from another Mr. Sanders arrived as well. We are now uncertain which one belongs to your husband. Frankly, either way the results are not too good.'  'What do you mean?' Mrs. Sanders asks nervously. 'Well, one of the specimens tested positive for Alzheimer's, and the other one tested positive for HIV(aids). We can't tell which is which.'  'That's dreadful! Can you do the test again?' questioned Mrs. Sanders. 'Normally we can, but Medicare will only pay for these expensive tests one time.'  'Well, what am I supposed to do now?'  'The folks at Medicare recommend that you drop your husband off somewhere in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him……………..

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

A GOOD NEWS BAD NEWS DAY WITH OUR 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE & PINING FOR THE SOUTH-WEST

 

By a sheer stroke of good luck our Hyundai Santa Fe's A/C broke down just in the nick of time a few days ago. Had it not done so we may very well have been in for a blown engine. A few days ago Kelly said she thought the Santa Fe sounded a little louder & different somehow. I assumed it was probably the muffler starting to go & never thought any more about. I didn't go out, start the car & have a listen for myself. The air conditioning in the car had quit late last week so Kelly phoned & made an appointment with the BAYFIELD GARAGE to have the A/C looked at this morning. She took the car in before 8 & I followed in the Jeep. Left the car at the garage & headed home.

THIS LITTLE FROGGY FELLOW STILL HAS HIS TADPOLE TAIL

 

WALKING SOFTLY ON THE WATER & CAN YOU SEE THE YELLOW BUTTERFLY ON THE PURPLE FLOWER

Couple hours later we had a phone call from the Bayfield Garage. Figured the Santa Fe was done. Nope, bad news. And good news at the same time. First, the bad news. Soon as Don at the Bayfield Garage started the Santa Fe he immediately knew there was a serious engine problem. Shut it down quick & never attempted to start it again. A closer inspection revealed the timing belt assembly with only a few gears left on something was on the verge of flying apart. They didn't know how Kelly even drove the car in. Apparently had that assembly come apart it could have permanently damaged the engine. Good news the problem was discovered when it was. Bad news is the $400+ unexpected repair bill we are facing now. And that wasn't the end of the bad news but at least the car will be fixed up & ready to go sometime Thursday.

   

AROUND THE YARD

We had hoped the Santa Fe's A/C problem was low coolant & it would be as simple as topping it up with fluid. Nope. Turns out the clutch assembly on the compressor was shot.  It’s a $700+ fix we decided not to go ahead with. The Santa Fe is 10 years old. With the necessary timing belt repair we decided the dozen or so humid days we have each summer just doesn't justify spending money on the Santa Fe’s A/C repair. Especially when the car is not being used every day anymore. If push came to shove & it was an unbearably hot humid day we can always take the Winnie Wagon anywhere if need be. Both dash & coach A/C work just fine in there. All & all the bottom line is that despite the Santa Fe's timing belt repair cost at least the engine wasn't wrecked & that ended our day on a positive good news note.

SSSSHHHHHHH, PUPPY IS HAVING AN AFTERNOON SNOOZE

Sun was out full force today so that brought our heat & humidity levels back up resulting in another inside day. I suppose there is a positive side to that as well in that my sore leg/hip has been getting a lot of rest & has not been bothering me like it had. Only used my cane a couple hours to get around in the past two weeks. But I do think my days of doing THE TWIST, the Limbo Rock, the WAH-WATUSI, & the Boogaloo are over. Well if I know what's good for me that is.  And of course all this sitting around inactivity isn’t doing anything to help my weight problem either:((

Wondering if anyone has tried out that new OUTLOOK.COM.  Noticed it in our in-box Tuesday. I think it is replacing Hotmail or something. We happen to use Hotmail a fair bit & I would hate to transition a familiar email account to something radically different again. I know we will have to do it sooner or later but just wondered if anyone has made that Hotmail to Outlook transfer & what they thought about it.

JUST HANGIN OUT IN THE SUNROOM THIS MORNING

Thoughts & even memories of our winters in the South-West over the years seem so far away right now.  Almost hard to comprehend we actually have a house & an acre of land in Arizona.  But the same thing happens when we are down there.  Ontario & our life here in Bayfield always drifts out of our minds & becomes a hazy memory as we take on our totally different South-West lifestyle.  And so different it is too.  I have posted many times my thoughts on how much I love the South-West.  When I reach into my mind & press the ‘best memories’ button for the past 7 years it is always our travels south that fill the giant screen.  Places we’ve been, things we’ve seen.  The mountains, the valleys, & the canyons.  Sunrises & Sunsets.  Those beautifully quiet & sweeping landscapes.  The glittering diamonds scattered across a pitch black night sky.  Campfires & those beautiful boondocking spots we always seem to find.  No human sounds anywhere, just the lonesome wail of the Coyotes & desert winds whispering through tall giant Cactus arms.  The hikes, the rock scrambles.  And I so much love our daily morning desert walks. There is something spiritual about the desert & I feel it every time we are there.  It’s like a calling, a beckoning, a welcoming.  I can feel it growing inside each year as our annual southern journey swings us ever further westward.  I can feel it inside as we first catch sight of mountain ranges ever so slowly looming up out of a hazy horizon.  And then it is into, up, & over the mountains & down the other side.  It is here where the transition firmly takes hold & ever so peacefully slides me into the type of lifestyle I so much love.  And it is here right now where I have to wrap up this post before I get myself downright depressed.  Next thing I know I’ll be out in the driveway loading up the Winnie Wagon.  Maybe tomorrow night I will tell you a few more reasons why we, & especially me, like the great American South-West so much.  Maybe, just maybe……..:))     

OUTSIDE OUR SUNROOM WINDOW TODAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A young Grandson asked his Grandfather how old he was, and the Grandpa teasingly replied, "Well, I'm not exactly sure how old I am."
The little boy advised, "You have to look in your underwear, Grandpa.  Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

AM ALWAYS EMOTIONALLY MOVED BY READER’S KIND THOUGHTS

A BACKYARD PHOTO

After spending the majority of Monday trapped in the house by the day's heat & humidity my goal this morning was to get outside & do something, go somewhere, get some fresh air, see something different. Air was heavy again with a thick cloud cover & the threat of rain was close. Kelly headed off to Goderich early for more blood tests & to pick up some medical paraphernalia for additional upcoming tests. While there she asked a few questions and………………..discovered something!!

Kelly's Valley Fever test had been done in Goderich May 30th. Yesterday we were told in Stratford the test results were not back yet. After her blood work this morning Kelly walked from the Medical Clinic across the road to the Goderich Hospital to inquire about why her Valley Fever tests were not back yet. A quick check showed the results were back & may have been back for awhile!! Somewhere communications lines had broken down & Dr. Heffner in Stratford had not received those results. Kelly asked the lady at the hospital if she could tell her the results. Answer was no. Kelly phoned Dr. Heffner's office in Stratford to notify them the results were sitting in a file at the Goderich hospital. Said they would look into it & call us back.  At the time of publishing this tonight no one has yet called…………………

  

Pheebs & I drove our usual route to Goderich about 8:30 this morning, picked up some gas, grabbed a couple Burritos at McDonalds & once again headed out for a short jaunt through the countryside. Made a mental note not to buy Burritos anymore. Luckily the heavy cloud cover prevented the Sun's hot rays from reaching our moist air & the morning's drive turned out nice with the Jeep windows down. About the only thing I don't like about the Jeep is the gas mileage. Not the best. Don't need to intentionally depress myself by knowing how many miles it get's to the gallon but whatever it is I sure wish it was better. Same as our RV's. No need for me to know miles to gallons numbers. Just one of those little things it's best to accept it is what it is & motor on. However, as it was, after putting $70 in the Jeep’s gas tank this morning I just couldn't get myself too interested in a long drive. We were home by 10 which was not the best because it just made the day seem longer. Sun came out around noon & things warmed up again.

I don't like TV commercials or those dreaded infomercials any more than anyone else. Maybe I dislike them even more than most. But there is one type of infomercial that catches me & sets me down quietly in my chair to listen. Even if it's a whole half hour long. I never have or likely ever will buy the product but my like for the product carries me through all the customary sales pitches. It's always a pleasant type of infomercial filled with many, many, old memories. It’s those Time/Warner type music Infomercials where they play snippets of songs from the 50's, 60's, 70's etc. Could be the golden age of Country Music, could be the Doo Wop era or the Motown sound. Maybe the heavy age of Rock or romantic ballads of the 50's.  Big Band.  Doesn't really matter because it is all memory music for me. Each song brings back a different set of nostalgic feelings. People, places, events, good times, not so good times. It 's all there in each snippet of music that is played. Not the whole song, just snippets with accompanying old film clips, or still photos. Each snippet lasting for maybe 3 to 10 seconds or so. Just long enough for my mind to access itself & swing open the old music vault door & play out yet another scenario or set of past circumstances in my mind’s eye. And then it's off to the next music clip & the next whole set of memories. Nope, not all infomercials are extremely annoying, just most of them. Except for the ones that pleasantly whisper in my ear the days of music long ago………………..:))

NICE TO SEE & SMELL NEW MOWN HAY IN FARM FIELDS AGAIN

For all intents & purposes I had intended the above paragraph to be the last one for this post.  That is until an email landed on my desktop just after supper.  Reading the email I was once again very moved by a reader’s thoughts.  A very big warm heartfelt thank you to the reader from Florida & all the readers over the years who have taken the time to write me regarding my blog.   Tonight’s email, like so many others, was filled with kind words, encouragement, & concern.  I would really like to write sometime why these sincere emails always move me emotionally.  But of course I can’t.  No matter how carefully I would chose my words, no matter how carefully I would chose my phrases, & no matter how carefully I would arrange my thoughts, I would probably not get my feelings across the way I intended.    Instead let me just once again offer to all my friends, readers, & supporters, a great big thank you to you all.  If it were not for the inspiration you kind folks freely offer, there would be no reason for me to write my blog or take the photos I do.  A big thanks to each & every one of you for supporting this great writing, photography, & travel hobby of mine.……………………:))             

GROANER'S CORNER: Did you know skipping school to bungee jump will get you suspended.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

AFTER KELLY’S DOCTOR APPOINTMENT THIS MORNING WE ARE STILL IN MEDICAL LIMBO

FOUND ME A FEW CRITTERS AROUND THE GOOSE POND ON A SHORT EVENING WALK EARLIER TONIGHT
Humidity was heavy in the air as Pheebs & I once again set out in search of the Supermoon Sunday night. Double checked our areas Moon rise time & headed for atop a hill about 3 miles northeast of us. Set up my tripod & telescope lens & waited, & waited. I knew any photos I was going to get were not going to be clear. Way too much haze. It was such a nice warm summer night Pheebs & I stuck it out anyway. Pheebers had a blast racing around all over through the fields & up & down the country road. When I finally spotted the Moon it was already about 20 degrees above the horizon line coming out of a low cloud bank. It was very ochre in color & very faint. Certainly not that big bright crisp looking Moon we are accustomed to seeing in Arizona's clear winter skies. I did take about a dozen photos anyway but they turned out as expected, not so good. Didn't really matter though because it was just the fact of being out in the country on a warm summer's night doing something I enjoy.......and with my very much most bestest Pal too:))
 
ALL SET UP WAITING FOR THE MOON TO RISE…D90 IS ON THE TELESCOPE LENS ATOP THE TRIPOD WHILE THE NEW D3100 IS ON THE HOOD OF THE JEEP WITH TELEPHOTO LENS ATTACHED
Because of our current stretch of humid weather we had planned on taking the air conditioned Santa Fe to Stratford this morning. Of course the car's A/C quit working 2 days ago so we took the Jeep. We were on time for our meeting with Dr. Heffner & I can't say we came away from that meeting not knowing a whole lot more about Kelly's condition than when we went in. There is still some fluid around Kelly's heart so she is scheduled for another Echo-cardiogram of the chest area in a couple weeks. Also an abdominal ultra-sound. Doctor did say Kelly’s Liver enzymes were elevated so another barrage of blood tests are scheduled. Valley Fever tests are still not back. Lupus test was Ok. The words 'Auto-Immune' were mentioned a couple times but as it stands, still no hard & fast diagnosis as to the cause of Kelly's problem. Doctor said if Kelly's condition worsens she is to call his office. So basically, we are still in kind of a medical limbo..............

HEY DAD, WHERE’S THAT SUPERMOON YOU SAID WE WERE GOING TO SEE
The drive back to Bayfield was soooooo hot & the weather people said it is our hottest day of the year so far. So great to get home & walk into cool air. Didn't even get Pheebs out for a walk this afternoon. For me, the heat is just too stifling & with my oily skin the humidity just turns me into a big walking ball of sticky paste. That oily skin thing works great for me during our Arizona winters though when a lot of folks have problems with dry skin from the desert's dry air.  Luckily it doesn't bother my skin so the winter climate is fine for me.

Thought for sure Sunday I was going to have to take my Nikon D3100 back to Henry's Camera store. When I affixed my older 18-55mm lens to the new camera I had a lot of difficulty getting the camera to lock onto 'auto-focus'. Maybe twice out of a couple dozen tries. I rely heavily on auto-focus because it is far more accurate than my aging eyes. Not having auto-focus working properly was totally unacceptable!! Figured for sure it was a malfunction of the new camera. Went on-line & saw some other D3100 owners were having a few similar problems. Tried a few fixes but nothing worked. Has to do with the contact points between the camera & the lens. The lens I have is definitely the correct lens for the camera but the two of them just simply disagreed & would not get along. Decided to try my 75-300mm lens on the new cam. They worked perfectly together with the auto-focus being quicker & faster than before with my D40. So that told me it was not the camera's fault but the older lens. Been using that lens since day one nearly 8 years ago so figure one of the auto-focus contacts in the lens is probably the problem. So what to do.

I had originally planned on putting my longer telephoto lens on my slightly larger Nikon D90 body & my standard lens on the new D3100 but have now reversed that which may just work out even better in the end. It is the telephoto lens I use to catch things like birds in motion so with the newer & faster working D3100 that just may be the best combination in the end. Had it not been for the load of gravel on my Nikon D40's sensor I would still be using it. Great reliable camera that never ever let me down. I will keep it is as a back up cam.  And my poor D50 still sits brokenly quiet on a shelf in my bedroom after meeting a nasty end near Elfrida Arizona about 3 years ago.  Fell off a table onto a concrete floor:((

CAMERA FLASH REBOUNDS OFF LICENSE PLATE BACK INTO THE LENS CAUSING LIGHT REFLECTIONS…EASY TO SEE HOW UFO RUMOURS CAN GET STARTED
One clear cut advantage of staying with the same brand & style of a camera over the years has been the reasonably easy transition from one camera to the other. Menus are basically the same as well as knobs & dials etc. Didn't take me long to tweak the D3100 to the way I liked it so that was a big plus for me. I will have to read up on some of the newer woozles & waazles though. Maybe something practical in there I can learn & use. And to clear up a little something about Sunday night's post. Saying folks should spend a little of that expensive camera money on a few good photography lessens was not directed at anyone out here in Blogland. But I will give you an example of my thoughts behind what I said.

<<< JUST AN OLD CROW SQUAWKING AT ME FROM A TREE
About 5 years ago we overnighted west of Casa Grande Arizona while moving from McNeil to Quartzsite. I was outside the Motorhome setting up a couple chairs. A fellow came walking down the road with a camera around his neck. He saw my camera & came over. I had a Nikon D50 at the time & this guy was carrying a D80 so we had something in common & began talking about photography. This fellow dazzled me with his camera knowledge & I had the feeling he may have worked for one of the major camera manufacturers in a sales capacity at one time. He sure knew his stuff. He suggested we walk over to their rig after supper for a coffee & he would show me some of his pictures. I fully expected so see some very remarkable photos. To make a long story short, that is not what I saw. I don't know how many photo albums he brought out but it was a clear cut case of someone being very knowledgeable about the technical end of his camera but not knowing some of the basics of photography. Nice fellow for sure & it was not for me to criticize his photos, point out anything, or make any helpful suggestions. But I have never forgot that encounter that night & it has always stuck in my memory. We all work very hard on our blogs & we write them to the best of our ability. The old saying, 'a picture is worth a thousand words' is so true so I always figure it is best to try & carry that thought right into our blogs with our photos.

 
I'm a late bloomer when it comes to good old country music. And I do mean the old country music. Don't care much for the new stuff. Think it was about 15 years ago round about the time we got ourselves our first computer. Came across several music download programs at the time & began putting music libraries together over the years. Turns out one of the largest libraries I have now have is old Country Music. In fact I've taken to the habit of listening to our cable TV's 'Old Classic Country' each morning now when I get up. Country music takes me back to when I was a kid. The old hits were on the radio but I may not have paid a lot of attention to them at that time. However I sure have remembered them. Hank Williams has become one of my favorites. Patsy Cline & Jim Reeves. Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, Hank Snow, & the long list just goes on & on. I especially like those old country music ballads. With the bunch I hung around with years ago country music wasn't cool. The singers I aforementioned were seen as hayseeds from Hicksville. I, like many other hippy inclined people were into the groovy stuff like Jimi Hendricks, The Doors, Stones, Steppenwolf, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, etc.

OK, OK, ONE SUPERMOON SHOT FROM SUNDAY NIGHT (NIKON D90 WITH 700mm TELESCOPE LENS) >>>
I think it was the discovery of Roy Rogers & The Son's Of The Pioneers that really caught my ear about a dozen years ago & turned my head in the direction of Country music. Loved the harmonies & the stories of the wild west they sang about. Don't know what it is about the newer country music I don't care for but just give me Hank Williams & the boys & a few of those live Grand Ole Opry performances. Another thing I like about the music of yesteryear is the fact that each singer & each band had their own unique & distinct sound. You knew instantly who was singing & playing. The voices & instruments were real & the raw talent by all performers was first & foremost & right out front.. What they sang & played is what you got. And I like that about country music of yesteryear.

AWWWWW GEEEEEZZZZZ DAD THIS IS GETTING REALLY BORING…………………………
I remember someone asking if I would be going to see the new Lone Ranger & Tonto movie coming out soon.  After seeing the previews for the movie while at the Superman movie last week the answer to that question is an emphatic no.  Looks like more of that same money making Hollywood gloop.  Guns, fiery explosions, & more boring Hollywood fight scenes.  If your going to throw a pile of supposedly realistic fiction at me at least make the fiction somewhat believable………………… 

HEAT & HUMIDITY WERE EVEN TOO MUCH FOR DOGGY THIS EVENING
GROANER’S CORNER:((  A little 3-year-old girl was playing with her miniature tea set. Her father was in the living room and her mother was out shopping. The little girl came out to the living room and offered her father a cup of tea, which was in fact just water. He thought this was really cute, so she did it several more times.
When the mother came home, the father had the mother stop and watch the little tea ritual, as her daughter brought the father another cup of tea (water) and he drank it.
The mother said, “Very nice. But has it occurred to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?”
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

TODAY I OFFICIALLY RETIRED MY NIKON D40 CAMERA

HAD HOPED TO HAVE A SUPERMOON SHOT IN THIS SLOT TONIGHT BUT DUE TO THE HEAVY HUMIDITY THE MOON WAS WRAPPED IN A MURKY ATMOSPHERIC HAZE SO JUST  TOOK A PICTURE OF A LIGHT BULB WHEN PHEEBS & RETURNED HOME ABOUT 10…I ALSO MADE A COUPLE MISTAKES IN MY ISO & EXPOSURE SETTINGS WHICH DIDN’T HELP EITHER…………:((
Shortly after publishing ‘Saturday night's post’ Pheebs & I were out the door & on down the road headed about 3 miles northeast to a hilltop location in the country. Figured we might catch us June's big Supermoon rising up over the landscape. Didn't have my timing quite right I guess plus with the days high humidity the air was hazy & we had a cloud cover. Scanned the horizon, fought off a ka-zillion bugs, & waited about 20 minutes. No Moon, & not even a glow on the horizon so it was back home we went. Did see the Moon a couple hours later through our pine trees but it was hazy behind the clouds & soon disappeared altogether.

 

LOTS OF THESE LITTLE FELLERS AROUND THE GOOSE POND THIS EVENING
I am probably like many folks when it comes to making decisions. Some come quickly & others seem to take forever. One difference for me from other folks may be in my haste to act on a decision once it has been made. I can waffle along on something for days, weeks, & months but once that ‘OK’ green light comes on in my head it's pedal to the metal to kick that decision into action. Action now, not tomorrow or a week or two from now…………...Now!!

And so it was with my very long drawn out decision to replace my aging & sensor problematic Nikon D40 camera body. A few posts ago I included an unedited photo showing the problem I have with dirt on the camera's sensors. It's an expensive fix. Kind of like pouring money down the drain on an aging car. I have spent a lot of time these past few years retouching countless numbers of photos & I think it was the fact I posted about the problem a few days ago that I woke up this morning knowing not only what I wanted to do, but what I had to do, & just exactly what I was going to do.  And there was absolutely no point putting it off till tomorrow, the next day or maybe next week. No, if I am going get a D3100 camera body I am going to get it.....TODAY!!

Checked on-line prices & surprisingly saw HENRY'S CAMERA STORE chain had new Nikon D3100 bodies for $349. ADORAMA'S refurbished D3100 bodies were the same price so without further ado I was off to London Ontario this morning. Henry's camera store opened at 12 noon & AL was there at 12:06. It's an hour's drive to London’s Masonville Mall & a smart person would have waited until noon, then phoned Henry’s to make sure they had that cameral body in stock. But my logic told me if I phoned & they didn't have one in then what would I do for the rest of the day. So at 11 a.m. my impatience pushed me out the door & headed me for London. Heat & humidity were bad so I left the little Skeeziks at home in our cool air conditioning. No A/C in the Jeep so it was a hot trip to London & back. Highways all the way there & country roads on the way back.  My time in & out of the camera store……20 minutes.  Should explain that DSLR cameras are actually made up of two parts.  The camera body & the lens.  Each can be bought separately or together.  I already have a lens to fit the new camera so I did not need a second lens the same.  Hence, I only needed the camera body itself.

I THINK THERE MIGHT BE SOME ONTARIO ALLIMAGATORS IN HERE
 

JEEPED OUR WAY HOME THROUGH AN OOBLY GOOBLY SWAMP THIS AFTERNOON
A D3100 is not a top of the line Nikon camera. It's referred to as an entry level camera & that's all I wanted or needed to replace my D40. First, the price was right for me & second I didn't want one of the larger & heavier bodied Nikons. My cameras travel around my neck & shoulders when I'm hiking or walking & weight is an important factor. Also I do not need all the bells, whistles, waazles, & woozles that come with todays camera technologies. For me at this stage it is better to keep things simple. I sometimes think people pay way too much attention to, & get all wrapped up in camera technologies when they should be nailing down some good old standard basics of photography.  Invest some of that waazle woozle money in some good photography classes.  Just my opinion of course.  If I was a professional photographer or used my cameras commercially or for business, etc then maybe I would have to get into all that new waaz wooz stuff to compete. But then it wouldn't be a hobby anymore & the enjoyment would be out of it for me. I did experience a bit of the business side of photography back in the old 35mm days & it was one of the reasons I packed all my camera gear away one day & never touched it again for years. Anyway, my photos only appear in my blog now so no stress & it keeps things on an even keel.  And you probably will not see any difference in my pics with the new cam but I will sure notice a big difference at my end when I do not have to re-touch all the dust spots out of nearly every photo my D40 was taking.  Geeeezzzz, what am I gonna do with all my spare time now eh…………………………….

<<< ONE OF MY FIRST D3100 TEST PHOTOS TAKEN THROUGH OUR LIVING ROOM WINDOW
And today another Blog Follower.  RICK DORR has climbed aboard so a warm welcome to Rick for stopping by & finding enough interest here to jump through & over all Google’s entanglement of hoops & barrels to join us on our travels.  Whenever it is we can get back to traveling again that is.
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And Monday morning at 9 a.m. we have to be at the Stratford General Hospital to meet with Kelly’s Specialist regarding what is going on inside her chest.  She is much improved from 3 weeks ago but is still bothered with chest pains, shortness of breath, & tiredness.  We are hoping they will have pin pointed something so she can begin some kind of treatment to make things right again. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  
A couple in their nineties are both having some short term memory loss. While in for a check-up, the physician says that physically they’re okay, but since they’re having trouble remembering things, they might want to start writing things down.
Later that evening they’re sitting and reading, when the husband gets up.
“Would you like anything from the kitchen?” he asks.
“Some vanilla ice cream,” his wife replies.
“Okay.”
“Shouldn’t you write it down so you don’t forget it?” she asks.
“Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”
“Well,” she says. “A few raspberries on top would be great. You want to write that down?”
“I’ve got it, honey. A bowl of vanilla ice cream with raspberries on top.”
“And chocolate sauce, too. Maybe you’ll forget that. Want me to write it down for you?”
A little miffed, he replies, “I’ve got it! Ice cream, raspberries and chocolate sauce. I don’t need it written down, for gosh sakes!”
He waddles out to the the kitchen. A half hour later, he comes back with a plate of ham and scrambled eggs, and gives it to his wife.
She looks at the plate a few seconds, then says, “You forgot my toast.”

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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.