A NICE MORNING DRIVE, A SCENIC CEMETERY, PHEEBS GOES TO THE VET & A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT ‘HOUNDS & RVs’…………..

I just love these warm sunny Autumn days. It is such a great time of the year. Had a feeling we wouldn't see any tree cutting guys today so rather than sit around waiting to lend a hand Pheebs & loaded ourselves & the cameras into the Jeep shortly after 9 & off we went. Tracked ourselves off in a south easterly direction for a change. Landscape's a bit levelled out but just as scenic in it’s own flatter way.

It's not only the peaceful nature of the countryside that is an allure to me but it is also the nostalgic feeling I experience each time out. Rural Ontario has basically remained unchanged since I was a kid growing up & I think that is where many of the nice memories I have come from. Old farm house's & barns remind me so much of my childhood. I didn't grow up in the country but I did grow up right next door to the country in a small village. Driving 3 or 4 minutes away from the village of Tavistock in any direction immediately puts one into the countryside. My nostalgic feeling was especially strong this morning & I knew the time of year had everything to do with that. For me Autumn is always a time of reflection, a time of remembering, & a time for quiet thoughts.

Pheebs & I sometimes stop at little rural cemeteries.  Nice quiet places to get out & give Pheebs a run while I stroll around looking at some of the history on the stones.  This morning we stopped at a long time favorite cemetery of mine northeast of Exeter Ontario.  I have always liked the looks of McTaggart’s Cemetery high on a hill with it’s tall stands of stately Cedar trees.  I once came here long ago to photograph the tombstones lit by a full moon.  I will always remember how beautiful the surrounding countryside views were bathed in Moonlight that night.

McTAGGART CEMETERY ATOP A HILL IN THE QUIET COUNTRYSIDE

SOME OF THESE IRISH FOLKS WERE BORN WAY BACK IN THE LATE 1700’S

   
We have never RV'd anywhere without a doggy on board. Even from our early RVing days we always had a best Pal with us at all times. Max was our number one border Collie mix RVing buddy for the first couple years. He went to Big Bend Texas with us in December of 04 plus week-end camping trips in our area. Max was never a relaxed traveler but he was a well behaved traveler & never caused us much concern.  As long as the RV was moving Max would never sit or lie down.  He stood all the way to Texas & back between our two Class C front seats.  In the fall of 06 our family had grown to include our pure bred border Collie Checkers & our little Chipugamug Cora. aka Motormouse. We found ourselves in a financial position to begin some serious RVing so in choosing an RV we had to consider what would be best for our doggy family as well. We decided to go with a truck & fifth wheel set-up but after a couple months on the road we knew that had not been our wisest decision. Back seat of a pick-up truck was not the best place for two big dogs & little Cora was always on Kelly's lap. Because of the higher truck we had to always use a ramp to get the guys in & out too. By the time the Fall of 07 rolled around we had traded the truck & fifth wheel in on a Class A motorhome & that immediately solved a bunch of traveling doggy problems for us. Motoring down the road they all had lots of room to move around & stretch out. There was always water handily available for them as well. I especially liked the fact the whole Bunch was together in a relaxed spacious atmosphere. And it was easier for all of them to do the steps into the Motorhome for most of the years the guys were with us. In the last couple years of Checkers life we had to help her up the steps each time & in the last 6 months of Max's life we had to help him as well. And he never did like anyone helping him.

Traveling with 3 dogs did have it's frustrations & trying times over the years but overall we did manage to make things work for the betterment of all. I especially enjoyed the kibitzing that went on & between Max, Checkers, Motor, & I we would have poor Kelly going around in circles sometimes with our zany antics. While Ranch sitting we would often have the 2 big black Ranch dogs, Pearce & Gleason in for a sleep over on cold nights. I just loved that when all 5 doggy guys were piled up sleeping & snoring all over the place.  Guess I’m just an old dog at heart myself. 

It is much easier traveling with dogs/pets if there are two people keeping things under control. Especially at rest stop areas where there can be many dangers for small animals. Cars & trucks thundering by, other aggressive dogs, nearby Coyotes & in some cases in the southeast, Alligators. We have always been fortunate to have our dogs trained reasonably well enough to walk off leash in most places. But that's where it works best with 2 people riding herd on the guys as they sometimes would head off on their own independent & natural ways.
Traveling with 3 dogs was also another major factor in leaning us towards the boondocking lifestyle early in our travels. We were as green as green can be when we left Bayfield in December of 06 heading for the South West. But within weeks we had our eyes opened to some very major problems right off the bat. It became quickly clear that RV parks required that all dogs be leashed. Well, that wasn't our style but I did understand the need for dogs to be leashed. Walking the gang on leashes at ROCK HOUND STATE PARK was our first experience with an RV Park & I thought to myself, 'Oh Oh, this isn't going to work. Days later at PANCHO VILLA STATE PARK in Columbus New Mexico we again encountered the same thing. Luckily we were able to get through a perimeter fence each morning & take the gang walking off leash through the adjacent desert. But the writing was on the wall & we knew if we were going to continue our RV life in the lifestyle we preferred we were going to have to make some very major changes.
 
By the time we arrived back home that winter in the Spring of 07 we already had the wheels of change in motion. The truck & fifth wheel were quickly traded in & we knew if we were going to be independent we would have to have a solar power system installed on our new to us Class A Motorhome. This would enable us to avoid RV Parks & we could not only attain the freedom we so desired but the freedom we so desired for our dogs as well.  In December of 07 we had our solar system installed at Solar Mikes in Slab City California & from that day forward RVing became a whole lot easier for the Bayfield Bunch.

For now in 2013 we are very comfortable with just the Pheebs. So much less worry & work only traveling with one dog. A second best Pal is certainly not out of the question but it's unlikely we would have 3 dogs again. We did meet 3 or 4 potential best Pals last summer but things just never quite came to-gether. I guess if & when the time is right to find a playmate for Pheebs then that is what we will do. In the meantime we'll just keep on doing what we're doing & enjoy our travels one most bestest doggy Pal at a time. 

<<< SNAIL ON A TOMBSTONE
By the way, I was inspired to write tonight’s post by another Blogger’s comment.  I read this fellow’s latest post earlier tonight & was very impressed with his writing style.  What happened to him on a recent 1100 mile round trip with his 3 dogs & the way his thought processes worked while dealing with difficult decision making problems reminded me very much of how my own mind works & tries to logic things out.  For all you RV’ers out there traveling with pets & especially dogs, be sure to read bhounds A 524 MILE TRIP FULL OF EXCITEMENT.  I sensed the discouragement at the end of bhounds post though when he states this will be his last post until he gets his RVing priorities sorted out.  I have included bhounds blog on my sidebar & maybe with a little encouragement from fellow Bloggers & readers we could all drop around & pick up his spirits a bit.  He had quite a challenging trip.  Maybe some folks have some ideas & suggestions on how he can pull together some RVing plans that not only benefit him but his 3 doggy Pals as well.  I can tell he is anxious to get on the road but just needs a solid solution on how to do it.  Be sure to read his post:))  

TONIGHT’S BUTTERFLY PHOTOS WERE TAKEN THIS MORNING ALONGSIDE A PEACEFUL COUNTRY CEMETERY
We had Pheebs to the Vet this afternoon. Time for a rabies shot & to get her papers ready for the border although nobody has ever asked to see her papers. Been shaking her head a lot lately so had her ears checked & cleaned. Vet wondered if she was a 'water dog' & we said no, Pheebs doesn't like water. Vet thought that was good because that is where the majority of ear infection problems come from. Vet was very pleased with Pheebs overall condition & the fact she hasn't gained any weight since her last check up a year ago around this time. In fact she lost  a pound. Yaaaay Pheebers:)) 

LOTS OF GROOVY NEW SMELLS AT THE VET CLINIC IN ZURICH THIS AFTERNOON
And MAX WILLMANN joined us today on our Blogger’s List.  Welcome aboard Max & thanks for bringing us up right close to the 600 mark on our list.  One month from tonight with a bit of luck we should be on the eve our 2013/2014 trip once again to the great American South West:)) 

LEAVES ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE ON A BIT OF COLOR ALONG THIS QUIET STREET IN ZURICH ONTARIO
GROANER'S CORNER:(( My wife's jealousy is getting ridiculous. The other day she looked at my calendar and wanted to know who May was.
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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 RIG’S COUCH RECLINER IS NOW SECURE & OUR BIG PINE TREES ARE DOWN:))

Nice to wake up this morning knowing we had somewhere to go & something to do. Beautiful sunny start to the day as we headed south to Grand Bend in Winnie the Bago. Pulled into Ron's FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE driveway a few minutes after ten. Ron was in our coach immediately & the securing of our loveseat/recliner to the floor was under way in a flurry of power tools, extension cords, & a surprising number of broken drill bits. The steel frame on the couch turned out to be much tougher than Ron had figured on. Ron's Buddy Scott rolled in minutes later & between these two Energizer Guys they had quite a tussle securing the couch to the slide. But undaunted they didn't take no for an answer & a dozen drill bits later saw the couch securely anchored to the floor.  Have to say something here that I hope doesn't embarrass Ron but Kelly & I long ago agreed that we have never been treated more fairly or met anyone more caring, friendly, & personable as Ron. He sure has been good to us over the years.  He’s always there on the other end of the phone or email no matter where we are, willing to help us with anything he can.  He was very helpful with knowledgeable info when we imported the Sunseeker from the U.S. to Canada this past April.  Just a super guy.  And his buddy Scott is cut from the same cloth. Just as friendly, friendly, as can be.  And one thing is for sure at Ron's place, If you take a vehicle there for any kind of work you can be guaranteed your vehicle will be returned to you cleaner than when you brought it in. And that's a fact:))

 

SCOTTY WATCHES AS RON BARRELS THROUGH ANOTHER DRILL BIT THEN CHECKS UNDER THE COUCH TO SEE IF RON HAS DOZED OFF

THAT’S WINNIE IN THE SHADE OF RON’S DRIVEWAY
We were home again shortly after noon & Gord the tree cutter guy was busy on another big pine tree beside Winnie’s parking area, the one that dripped pine sap & dropped needles all over our rig.  Pheebs & I busied ourselves with more utility trailer loads of logs & branches to the recycle area.  Park owner Ken came in to do the heaving chain sawing & dropping of two large pine trees after Gord had trimmed & topped them.  Ken’s good with a chain saw & can pretty well drop the trees where they need to be dropped.  We did have guide ropes on them anyway as a precaution as Ken cut them.  Ken sells the logs & some of them end up in the making of log homes in the area. 

GORD WATCHES AS KEN CHECKS THE CHAIN TENSION ON HIS BIG 100cc CHAIN SAW

KEN TOPPLES THE FIRST TREE…GORD & I ARE OFF TO THE RIGHT PULLING ON A ROPE ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF IT

NEXT ONE TO COME DOWN IS THE ONE ON RIGHT…PHOTOS BY KELLY

KEN CUTS THE SECOND TREE…I AM ON THE END OF THE ROPE ON LEFT PULLING WHILE GORD IS ON THE ROPE AT RIGHT ACTING AS A BRAKE

INSPECTOR PHEEBS CHECKS OUT THE TWO FALLEN TREES

 

 

MIGHTY GLAD TO HAVE THESE TWO BIG 70’ TREES DOWN

Reading JEAN & SKIP'S post today about Skip building a dog ramp for Jake I was reminded of the time when we first started out RVing with a GMC truck & Rockwood 5ver.  The cab didn’t have a full back seat & that was the only place Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse could ride.  Problem was getting them up into the higher truck & into that small seat.  Only thing I could do was make some kind of ramp for them & that is what I did.  Below are some photos of me training the guys to use the ramp getting in & getting out.  They weren’t too sure about it at first but with a wee bit of coaxing & training all 3 of them took to the ramp like ducks to water.  Every rest area we came to I would haul the ramp out of the back seat floor space, set it in place, & the guys would come rumbling out & down the ramp 1,2,3.  Worked great.

 

 

MOTOR IS SAYING, ‘COME ON CHECKERS MAX & I MADE IT’

 

NOTICE THE SNOW ON THE GROUND, YEP IT WAS DECEMBER BEFORE WE GOT ON THE ROAD THAT YEAR

HERE’S THE ORIGINAL ‘BAYFIELD BUNCH’ AT ROCK HOUND STATE PARK NEAR DEMING NEW MEXICO IN JANUARY 07

A shorter post tonight.  Eyes are tired.  But it’s a good kind of tired.  The good tired comes from knowing one has physically & mentally accomplished something during the course of a day.  I sometimes think a lot of my restlessness & discontent simply comes from not keeping myself actively interested in things enough.  I would probably do myself well having some kind of part time summer job I enjoyed.  A small vehicle delivering cookies to small towns in south-western Ontario would be right up my alley.  Anybody out there got a cookie factory & is looking for a part time summer driver??  I just happen to know this guy that………………………………….well you know:))

<<< THIS IS PHEEBS NEWEST PAL FROM JUST UP THE STREET & HIS NAME IS RASCAL…WE THINK HE’S IN LOVE WITH PHEEBS

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A young man in love with two women could not decide which to marry. Finally, he asked his buddy for help. "One is a great poet, but the other makes the world's best pancakes," he explained. "Oh, I see," his buddy responded, "you're trying to decide whether to marry for batter or verse!"

----------------------------------------------------------
- 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 TREE CUTTING RESUMES SO PHEEBS & I HAD A FEW LOADS OF PINE BRANCHES & LOGS TO HAUL AWAY THIS AFTERNOON

THESE ARE OUR BACK YARD PINE TREES IN THE EVERGREEN FOREST WE LIVE IN JUST MINUTES FROM BAYFIELD ONTARIO

Here we are over half way through September already. For we Snow Birds each day takes on new meaning as we all begin flexing our wings, making travel plans, & checking out some last minute maintenance on our rigs. Maybe a few things already loaded up. Anticipation builds as we think of coming winter adventures in favorite far away places. It is the change of pace I look forward to. A change of scenery, a change of weather, a change of lifestyle. Won't be long somewhere west of the Mississippi when I'll don my big brown cowboy hat for the next 6 months or so. I'll have the 'Sons Of The Pioneers' on the stereo & each day as we travel further west I will be scanning the horizon for the first tell tale signs of mountain tops. Watching the ditches & fields for the first sightings of Cactus. And then somewhere our first Saguaro. Ahhhhh, it will be great to be home again for another winter in America's great South West.

ABOUT HALF A MILE FROM OUR PLACE ON GHOST TOWN ROAD, CONGRESS ARIZONA
But for right now it's back to the reality of today. A sour looking Monday started out completely overcast, cold, & damp. Just about the time Gord the tree cutter showed up a northwest wind blew in taking our overcast away leaving us in a shower of warming sunshine for the rest of the day. Gord finished up trimming & topping one large tree & started on another. The second big pine is the one that drips sap onto the Winnie Wagon. I'll be glad to see it down plus it will give us a bit more sunlight in the area where we park the Winnie Wagon. That tree being down should help with dampness in that area as well.  Pheebs & I kept ourselves busy hauling logs & branches to the Park’s recycle area.  Good old working exercise, the best kind:))

PHEEBS SNAGS A GRASSHOPPER ON OUR AFTERNOON WALK

EEEIYOUUUU THAT DON’T TASTE SO GOOD!!

I did try to figure out a way to anchor our loveseat recliner to the floor in the rig but came up short. Thought maybe we could somehow use the seatbelts in the area but no go. It's best to have it secured to the floor in case of a sudden stop or accident. Don't want that loveseat sliding forward into the slide wall & possibly knocking the slide askew. Like I have said many times before, when I want some things done right I have to get somebody else to do them. Ron at FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE had offered to help us with that couch installation last time we were there so we called Ron this morning & he said, 'bring the rig on down Tuesday morning." Ron also sold that couch/inflatable bed so he said he had a fistful of cash for us as well. Always nice to have a fistful of cash coming in instead of a fistful of cash going out.

I let my SMUG MUG photo account expire. Despite making half a dozen attempts to organize my thousands of photos I finally gave up. Smug Mug updated itself & launched a brand new re-vamped program touting it as simple to use. Well where have I heard that line before. I did migrate my old account to the new format & immediately found my self in the proverbial forest of confusion. That was the last straw & despite a few attempts at understanding their new program the writing was on the wall & I just let it go. Had an old Flickr photo account from years back so went & had myself another look at that but couldn't seem to get to first base on that one either. Maybe I’m not trying hard enough or not allowing myself enough patience.  But one thing I have totally given up on is trying to figure out my Picasa Web Albums. Probably been a couple years or more since I last put a photo album together. Seems like the great Google Gargoyle is rapidly rolling over me ingesting everything I once felt familiar & comfortable with. I have no interest in social media sites anymore & can't help but think at some point Google will completely swallow up my blog, my photos, & me all in one fell swoop. So maybe that is how my blog will end one day. The great grinding gears of Gargantuan Google's massive techno machinery will rumble through one night in a great cloud of Bravado change & 'poof' I will be gone in a techno nanno second.

And by golly I watched me a second DVD movie this morning while it was cold & overcast out. And again I liked the movie a lot. Yes, there was some fire, a couple guns, & one feller did get clunked with a board or something but no matter, all those things played a part in the movie & were not added for the usual Hollywood schlock effect. Movie was called GET LOW & starred Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, & Sissy Spacek. Again I could identify with a few traits the Robert Duval character had. Great acting by everyone & I especially liked the the way sets were lit in this movie.  But 2 movies in a row I actually liked.........amazing.

Came across a blog tonight I liked the look of.  Nice photography in an area of the country we love so much.   And I like these folks energetic outdoor hiking spirit, attitude, & sense of adventure.  And besides, ya just gotta love the profile picture of Jim.  Well I’m assuming it’s Jim……….Might just want to keep an eye on these full timing folks & their travels.  LIFE'S LITTLE ADVENTURES.

Richard E.Primeau President and CEO of BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD TRANSPORT joined our Blogger's list today. Nice to have you riding along with us when we get ourselves on the road next month Richard. Thanks for dropping by. Appreciate it:))

COME ON DAD HOW’S ABOUT WALKING A LITTLE FASTER
And an explanation in Sunday night's comment section about how those Mennonite/Amish buggy wheels have a tendency to wander. MIKE says, "With regards to the crooked wheel path, the buggy wheels do not have the caster set. Think of a shopping cart and how the caster wheel is set a little behind the attachment area to the cart. This makes the wheel follow the front of the cart. When the caster is off, you get a wobble in the wheel and it does not follow straight.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Murphy's wife borrowed his car and parked in the supermarket car park. Just as she came out laden with shopping, she saw a young lad break into the car, hot wire it and drive off. Naturally she reported the matter to the police.' What did he look like?, the sergeant asked. 'I don't know she replied, but I got the license plate number'.

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