A DISTURBING PHONE CALL & PHEEBS HEADS FOR THE SPA

A disturbing phone call from Kelly's Mother in Spencerport this morning.  She had just received word that Kelly's sister Becky in Florida had suffered a heart attack & was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she remains undergoing tests & monitoring.  Readers may remember just over a week ago when Kelly & I were at her Mother's in Spencerport New York.  Becky & husband Norm were also there spending a 10 day holiday.  Becky is a nurse & luckily was on the job at a retirement home when the heart attack occurred.  We haven’t received any further word so are assuming Becky is in stable condition.

 

Pheebs was due for a nail trim so we opted to go all out & get her all spiffed up this morning.  She was needing a good bath & brushing anyway.  As an added bonus she also snagged herself a nice massage.  And on top of coming out of all that smelling like a rose she convinced Mom & Dad to get her a brand new spiffy red doggy collar as well.  What a pampered little pooch she was today.  Took about an hour or so at the groomers in Varna & she was just so overjoyed to see us when we came to pick her up.

THIS IS WHERE PHEEBS WAS FOR HER SPA TODAY…’ON GOLDEN PAWS’ VARNA ONTARIO

 

SHE SURE WAS A HAPPY LITTLE GIRL TO SEE US

 

POSING WITH HER NEW RED COLLAR

It started with our front deck.  Anyone living in a forest or an area with a lot of trees around their house knows about mold.  Summer heat combined with summer rains soon combine to grow mold in shaded areas.  Frequently on the north side of houses & we are no exception.   You know the stuff, it's green & soon begins growing on just about anything that doesn't move.  It was time once again to haul out a jug of anti-mold solution, a scrub brush & the power washer to do battle with the growing mold Monster.  From the front deck it was around to the back deck.  Then there were the patio stones, wooden steps, house siding, lawn furniture tables & chairs.  That mold is persistent stuff & the job took me the best part of 3 hours.  Kelly tried to grab the power washer & turn it on me.  Said because I’m slowing down she needed to get some of the mold off me too but I told her mold don’t grow on this here rolling stone.  Least ways not yet anyway.  And anyone using a power washer sure knows the water world one works in while using this kind of equipment.  I was about as wet as anything & everything I sprayed.  Do I look at it as work?  Not really, I'm just happy to have something to do:))

On my desktop screen I have a couple weather icons with one showing the current temperature in Bayfield Ontario while the other shows the current temperature in Congress Arizona.  Right now at 6:30 p.m. in Bayfield it is 62F.  There is a 3 hour time difference between here & Congress so at 3:30 in the afternoon our Congress house is sitting in 93F heat.  I am much happier with our Bayfield temperature than I would be with that Congress Arizona temperature.  It's an odd feeling being about 3,550 kilometers or 2,200 miles away from our Congress home.  There's our house & all our stuff just sitting there & there's nothing we can do to change anything like water some plants, open some windows, keep an eye on the ceiling when the Monsoons come, etc.  Too far to just drive on down & check things out.  We do have a neighbor keeping an eye on things but it just isn't the same as being there ourselves.  No idea how any of my plants are faring but at least this summer there are no sheep or goats wandering the property eating & stomping all my efforts into the ground.  Wow was that ever a big mistake we made the first year.  We have never seen the South-West in the summer time but the thoughts of flying down for a few weeks, renting a car & staying at the house just doesn't interest us.  It's the flying down part we don't like & stuffing Pheebs into a crate in the cargo hold of an airplane just is not an option.  Oh well, counting the days until we once again get the big wheels rolling south for our little adobe Ranchito on aptly named Ghost Town Road in Congress Arizona.

Might sound like I'm getting a little of my usual summer time hitch-itch but actually I'm doing better than in the past bunch of summers & I think it was that little trip up to the Bruce Peninsula & over to Spencerport New York earlier this month that has been instrumental in staving off that urge.  My country Jeep drives with Pheebs are also a big help as well.  But knowing myself as well as I do I’m sure that danged South-West hitch-itch will come knocking soon enough………………………..

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A little boy and his dog were waiting outside a veterinary clinic. When asked if he was there to see the doctor, he replied, "Yes, I'm having my dog put into neutral."

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One day at the veterinarian's office where I take my cat, a man and the receptionist were verbally sparring. After a few moments a technician came to her co-worker's defense. "Sir," she interjected, "do you know what happens to aggressive males in this office?"

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A father and his small son were standing in front of the tiger's cage at the zoo. The father was explaining how ferocious and strong tigers are, and junior was taking it all in with a serious expression.  Dad," the boy said finally, "if the tiger got out of his cage and ate you up ..."  "Yes, son?" the father said expectantly.  "What bus should I take home?"

I WAS JUST NEEDING TO STEP AWAY FROM MY KEYBOARD FOR A FEW DAYS

OUR FRONT YARD JUNGLE IS FILLING IN NICELY

Long time readers know I occasionally take a break from my daily blog posting.  Sometimes I mention I am going to take a break & sometimes the break occurs before I have time to say anything.  My blog absence times over the years have been rare & my time away from the keyboard has varied with maybe a day, maybe two or three.  I don't always know when they are coming.  I just get up one day & my blog writing interest is not there.  As I have said many times I enjoy writing & photography & each day I look forward to creatively weaving my two favorite hobbies together & coming up with something that is not only interesting to me but hopefully to others as well.  There are times when the bottom just simply falls out of my interest level & I need to just walk away from my keyboard until my interest returns.  Maybe in a day, maybe longer sometimes.   Interests evolve & change with age & circumstances & do not always remain the same forever.  By noon today I felt my blogging interest slowly stirring again & I was able to once more put together a few thoughts for a post tonight.   My days are not all bubbles & rainbows & often the highlight of my day is just sitting down at the computer at the end of each day & communicating with folks in a way that is most comfortable for me.  And when I don’t do that I miss it……………………………………………….

“OH LOOK KIDS THERE’S A CROW FLYING BY”

 

“DID SOMEBODY SAY THERE WAS FREE BEER IN THE NEXT PASTURE”

NOW DON’T TRY & TELL ME THIS IS A NEW AGE HOLSTEIN COW
Not a lot happening here the last 4 days or so.  Pheebs & I have been out for a couple Jeep drives with the shortest one being a couple hours & our longest jaunt through the Mennonite countryside lasting nearly 5 hours.  Corns up about a foot now in our neck of the woods.  Humidity & a bumper crop of Mosquitoes this year have been keeping me inside & that has meant time spent watching television.  Mainly music documentaries on Netflix.  Bruno Mars, Jim Morrison & The Doors, Michael Jackson & a few others.

NOTICE THE LADY AT LEFT CARRYING WHAT I ASSUME MAY BE COUPLE PAILS OF WATER TO THE GARDEN

 

 

“I DON’T KNOW DAD BUT I THINK NELLIE JUST THREW A SHOE”

I never did end up making a decision on what products to use on restoring the rig's finish to a glossy shine on the white parts of the coach.  Didn’t pick up those Zep products back in Spencerport last week.  Not really sure anymore if I even want to get into all of that but if I do I'll keep you posted on how it's going.  Things often occur to me on the spur of the moment & your guess is as good as mine if I'll wake up one morning & get that job started.  Just have to wait for the Spirit to move me I guess.

THESE MENNONITE HORSES ARE FIELD HARNESSED FOR WORKING

 

SAW THESE ‘MARTIN’ BIRDHOUSES ON A MENNONITE FARM BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE TINY AERIALS ON TOP OF EACH ONE ARE FOR

Wondering if other RV'ers are beginning to get themselves a little concerned with the recent upsurge in gas prices.  We know that surge will continue of course & we all know gas prices are not likely to come down to previous levels.  Just not the way it works.  Jeeps gas gauge was down to the quarter mark Monday & a fill up cost nearly $70.  And I'm not about to sit down with my calculator & figure out how much it would cost to fill our 75 gallon gas tank in the rig at our Canadian prices either.  As I have sometimes said in the past, there are just some things I do not want to know.

Not going to get into the politics of health care between our two countries but here's something interesting.  Readers may remember all the trouble I was having with a hip two winters ago while we were in the South-West.  That pain in my hip continued after we returned home so I made an appointment with my Doctor (Nurse Practitioner) to see what the problem was.  X-rays were taken & my file was sent off to University Hospital in London Ontario.  I would be notified of an appointment with a Specialist.  Today, a little over a year later I received a call notifying me an appointment date had been set up.  I cancelled that appointment this morning because my X-ray file had also been sent to a second Specialist in Stratford Ontario at the same time.   That Stratford Doctor saw me within a matter of weeks a year ago & determined my hip joint had some issues but not to the point of  any corrective surgery.  So there it is......one Doctor saw me within a matter of weeks while another Doctor took over a year to grant me an appointment.

THE AROMA OF NEW MOWN HAY IS IN THE AIR THROUGHOUT OUR RURAL COUNTRYSIDE

And speaking of medical issues we sure are having a much better summer than a year ago at this time when we were both dealing with our own problems.  Kelly especially is feeling much better & continues with the medicine prescribed at the time for her liver condition.  Nice not to be running to Doctor appointments this year. 

  

A word of thanks to readers for expressing concern over the past few days.  In the days ahead if you do not see a post from me for a day or two it just means I'm probably just taking a few more breaks.  Maybe gravitating to bi-weekly posts or something.  When the day finally arrives for me to write my last post I will let readers know......................

TIME TO HEAD HOME, MY LITTLE TRAVELING PAL IS TIRED:))
GROANER'S CORNER:((  After being retired for a couple of years and completing all the jobs my wife had lined up for me, I began to feel somewhat useless and decided to enrol in a couple of courses at the local adult-education school. I noted, upon registration, that there was no tuition fee for a person over 60.  As I handed my tediously-filled-out papers to the clerk, I announced, "I'm 68." Then, pulling out my wallet, I asked if she wanted to see my driver's license.  She replied, "No, that's okay."  A little surprised, I asked, "Oh, do I look honest?"  "No," she answered. "You look 68."

SUNSET

IT WAS QUITE A PINE POLLEN MESS WE CAME HOME TO WEDNESDAY

BAYFIELD’S BEACH

A guest in the Shout Box wondered if the couch bed in the rig was comfortable & I can happily say yes it is but I do have a full body piece of foam I roll out on top of it before crawling into bed.  Best RV bed we've had in an RV & the easiest to deploy.  Couch can be partially reclined & also configured to make it's own coffee type table.  It's a groovy design & well thought out.  And the reclining part is powered.

And I think the other guests in the Shout Box are right about the States allowing Canadians to be in the country 182 days according to the calendar year.  We have always had it in our heads the 182 days was from the time we entered the States in October until we left the States in early April.  If Peggy McDonald says it is in a calendar year then that's good enough for me.  We first met Peggy & her late husband John at an RV show seminar in London many years ago & again at a campground one time west of Woodstock.  Also met John another time in St Mary’s Ontario when I was ferrying passengers between a parking lot & CANADA'S BASEBALL HALL OF FAME.  They were full timers for many years & very influential in the RV world at one time.  Some may have Peggy's books & remember her RV Blog.

Upon returning home Wednesday we both noticed immediately what a mess everything was in from the heavy yellow pine pollen.  Folks here say it was the heaviest dusting ever.  I spent all morning with the garden hose, power washer, & leaf blower just trying to clean up everything.  Decks, porch, sheds, car & motorcycle were just a few of the things under a heavy coating of the talcum like pine powder.  It gets inside vehicles, the house & just absolutely everywhere. Even got some stuck up my nose when the leaf blower backfired.  The new cement pad in the carport cleaned up really nice.  So glad to be rid of that dirt floor. In between all that I managed to power wash the Motorhome as well.  Now I have to go around & clean all the water spots off the glass.

Gassed up the Motorcycle today.  Last time I put gas in it was October 2013 & this was my first fill up since then.  Guess that kinda tells you I haven't been riding my bike a lot this year again.  Did take myself for a nice 40 minute ride this afternoon checking out the wind turbine progress south of Bayfield.   We had a fine warm sunny day going on here. 

We are re-thinking our idea about slipping across Canada to the West coast in the Fall.  Price of gas rising & the lack of & hassle of trying to find boondocking spots. (except a prime spot beside JB'S grain silo:))  It would add a lot of miles to our journey as well.  We haven’t discounted the trip yet but am now thinking maybe we would just head straight for southern Utah.  We like that area & there is much to see & do there.  Utah is my favorite scenic State.  And it’s pretty much right on the way to Congress Arizona:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  When I was younger, I remember receiving the inevitable homework assignment to write an essay on "something I am thankful for". Then I'd spend a lot of time sitting in my room trying to figure out just what in the world that could possibly be; and I'd end up writing down everything I could think of from God to environmental consciousness. But after having children, my priorities have clearly changed:
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful to have been born the USA, the most powerful free democracy in the world.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for Velcro tennis shoes. As well as saving valuable time, now I can hear the sound of my son taking off his shoes -- which gives me three extra seconds to activate the safety locks on the back seat windows right before he hurls them out of the car and onto the freeway.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the recycling program which will preserve our natural resources and prevent the overloading of landfills.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for swim diapers because every time my son wanders into water in plain disposables, he ends up wearing a blimp the size of, say, New Jersey, on his bottom.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for fresh, organic vegetables.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for microwaveable macaroni and cheese -- without which my children would be surviving on about three bites of cereal and their own spit.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the opportunity to obtain a college education and have a higher quality of life than my ancestors.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful to finish a complete thought without being interrupted.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for holistic medicine and natural herbs.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for paediatric cough syrup guaranteed to "cause drowsiness" in young children.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for all of the teachers who had taught, encouraged and nurtured me throughout my formative years.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for all of the people at Weight Watcher who let me strip down to panty-house and a strategically placed scarf before getting on the scale each week.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the opportunity to vacation in exotic foreign countries so I could experience a different way of life in a new culture.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful to have time to make it all the way down the driveway to get the mail.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the Moosewood Vegetarian cookbook.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for the butterball turkey hotline.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for a warm, cozy home to share with my loved ones.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for the lock on the bathroom door.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for material objects like custom furniture, a nice car and trendy clothes.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful when the baby spits up and misses my good shoes.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for my wonderful family
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for my wonderful family.

HAMLIN BEACH STATE PARK TO BAYFIELD ONTARIO…..NICE DRIVE & NO PROBLEMS AT THE BORDER

ROLLING OUT OF HAMLIN BEACH STATE PARK THIS MORNING

In Tuesday’s post I mentioned about tornado warnings in South-western Ontario & I see this morning one did touch down in the town of Angus.  What we didn’t realize was that same storm cell was heading directly to our area of Munroe County.  Kelly had turned on the TV to check the weather & sure enough we had a storm warning flash across the screen.  Quickly checked the live radar on our computers & sure enough we were in the bulls-eye of the same fast approaching  Ontario storm.  Skies darkened, wind picked up substantially, a few drops of rain on the roof & then down it came in torrents.  Thunder roared & lightning flashed but we were as snug as a bunch of bugs in a pile of rugs.  Storm lasted about half an hour before letting up.  That is except for strong gusting winds.

SKIES BEGINNING TO LIGHTEN AFTER A DELUGE OF RAIN & HIGH WINDS

Don’t know what time it was in the night but we were both awakened by the sound of crashing tree coming down somewhere nearby.  Didn’t land on us so we were soon back asleep.  This morning I figured I had better have a look around because I knew there was a tent camper just a few sites down from us.  They were OK & no tree had fallen on them.  Never did find the tree & we suspect it came down in the woods somewhere behind us.

NICE CLEAN WASHROOMS WITH DOUBLE SHOWERS IN THE CAMPGROUND AREAS & ALL HANDICAP FRIENDLY
Although I woke up feeling much better (think it may have been something I ate or tooooo much of something I ate) we decided to head ourselves back home this morning.  After last night’s storm our campsite was in a state of moocho muddiness & home was only a five & a half hour drive away.  And another thing to consider is that each day we Canadians spend in the States takes a day off our overall stay in the winter.  Doesn’t sound like much now but come next March we will have to leave the South-West earlier depending on how many days we have spent south of the border previously.  By heading home today we save ourselves another day or two at the end of our winter travels.

ASIDE FROM NEEDING SOME RE-SURFACING WORK DONE THE LAKE ONTARIO STATE PARKWAY IS A GREAT STRETCH OF SCENICALLY QUIET ROAD

There was no point in hurrying to leave early & finding ourselves in the morning rush especially on the Canadian side of the border between the major cities of Hamilton & Toronto.  Took ourselves for a short leisurely walk on dry paved roads as opposed to muddy trails & we didn’t hurry our packing up.  Could see we would be under a heavy overcast for the drive home.

THE  PARKWAY RUNS PRETTY CLOSE TO LAKE ONTARIO IN SOME SPOTS & TORONTO ONTARIO IS OVER THERE ON THE OTHER SIDE
We were on our way by 8:40 a.m. & met with very little traffic all the way from Hamlin Beach to the border at Lewiston, a 65 mile trip.  The 35 mile scenic LAKE ONTARIO STATE PARKWAY running parallel with Lake Ontario reminded me of the Natchez Trace.  A four lane divided highway with no commercial traffic allowed.  We were basically the only vehicle on the Parkway with only 1 vehicle passing us.  The Parkway led us into highway 18 which again had a low traffic flow.  Nice. 

WE SURE DO ENJOY THE VIEWS OUT A BIG CLASS A WINDSHIELD AGAIN

The only traveling I have ever done in the State of New York has been between Lewiston & Spencerport & I must say I have always been impressed with the neat & tidy look to most all the houses, towns & properties I have seen.  People really take a lot of pride in their homes & grounds.  Nicely mowed lawns, creatively designed flowerbeds with trees & shrubs trimmed.  Houses & buildings well kept.  Nice architecture & choices of color.  And I am always surprised at how many homes fly the American flag out front.  A nice touch we don't see too much of in Canada.

AND THIS WAS A SPENCERPORT PIZZA BEFORE WE DEMOLISHED IT TUESDAY NIGHT
One car ahead of us at the border at 10:15 & we had about a 30 second wait before we were at the checkpoint.  Half a dozen questions by a nice smiling young lady & we were on our way.  Now why can't it always be like that eh.  Traffic seemed lighter than our journey down last Thursday & we never had any problems but must say it is good to have a great navigator because if not I'm sure I would have missed some exits & entrances again today.  A few drops of rain on the windshield but not enough to turn the wipers on.  We were home by 2:30 & right away busy unloading.  Air was very humid & skies looked threatening.  Within an hour I was in the shower & soon stretched out in my recliner for a few brief zzzzzz’s.  Always great to be going somewhere & always great to be home:))
  

CATCHING A FEW BACK SEAT WINKS ON THE WAY HOME TODAY
GROANER’S CORNER:(( A research team proceeded towards the apex of a natural geologic protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement of a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which was unspecified.   One member of the team precipitously descended, sustaining severe damage to the upper cranial portion of his anatomical structure; subsequently the second member of the team performed a self-rotational translation oriented in the same direction taken by the first team member.   TRANSLATION:
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.