OH DEAR YOUR NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS, BUT…………………

A LARGE CROWD WELCOMES ONE OF 2 TALL SHIPS WHICH SAILED INTO BAYFIELD’S HARBOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON

Well there I was Wednesday night after publishing the post with my Benchmark Atlas, my Mr. McGoo magnifying glass & a strong reading light pouring over the States of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona & Utah.  The first stirrings of my ever present hitch-itch bug were beginning to make themselves felt.  My main focus was southern Utah.  Canyonlands & Capital Reef State Parks, Moab, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Page Arizona, etc.  Routes & roads, BLM lands, attractions & a time frame.  Just love pouring over maps.  So many memories come to mind seeing the names of towns & places we have previously traveled to popping off the pages.  Hmmmm, wonder if it's too early to start loading a few things into the rig.  Only about 3 months left before we head out once again onto the scenic highways & by-ways of North America.  Gotta love & totally embrace this Snow Bird lifestyle while it lasts:))

Well I couldn’t believe it either.  I was just out of the washroom after my shower this morning when Kelly said to me, "Here's what's new today, we're getting the Pontiac Sunfire".   Oh, Ooooooooookay.  Last I heard Wednesday was that we were not getting the car & I had been fine with that so now I had to get myself turned around right quick, line up all the ducks again & re-check my checklist as to the number of reasons we felt the Sunfire was a good deal for us in the first place & the right thing to do.  Check, check, check, Okay we're good to go.  You can sure tell who kinda wears the pants in this family eh……………..:))

OUR CARPORT IS NOW THE PONTIAC SUNBIRD’S NEW HOME

Pheebs & I had ourselves a nice relaxing country road drive this morning.  (needed some fresh air to clear my head) We didn't go too far but did manage to put a couple hours in stopping here & there to just savour the serenity of rolling farm lands & forests of our rural South-Western Ontario.  Ontario’s West Coast as it is often referred to.  If it wasn't for my  little outings I would be really hard pressed to keep my restless nature in check.

CORN & WHEAT GROWING SIDE BY SIDE

Part of our late morning & early afternoon was taken up with finalizing the Sunfire deal.  It passed it's safety inspection at the Bayfield Garage with flying colors.  We did the paperwork at Freds, shook hands on the deal & the Sunfire is now in our carport.  It's been quite a couple days going back & forth with this car thing but the deal is done now so it's off to our next  challenging change......whatever it may turn out to be:))  Oh, talked to Jerry in Hensall this afternoon & we can pick up the Big EEE Friday:))

INKING THE CAR DEAL IN FRED’S KITCHEN ABOUT 1:15 THIS AFTERNOON

Two TALL SHIPS sailed into Bayfield Harbor this afternoon shortly after 5.  The TS Playfair along with her sister ship S.T.V. Pathfinder.  Based in Toronto these 2 ships are both youth sail training vessels crewed by 13 to 19 year old teen-agers with the exception of a fully experienced adult Captain.  They will be in Bayfield for the week-end welcoming visitors aboard to tour the ships.  The Playfair was actually commissioned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1974, and remains the only Canadian ship to be commissioned by a reigning monarch.  Of course you remember my story a few days ago about me & the Queen Of England, right………………..:))

 

About 4:45 this afternoon I slipped on over to Bayfield's Pioneer Park overlooking Lake Huron & took a few photos of the tall ships coming in.  They were still quite away out so my long telephoto shots leave a little to be desired.  Slipped down to the north side of the Bayfield River & managed a couple more long shots when the ships tied up alongside the main pier.

PEOPLE BEGAN GATHERING IN BAYFIELD’S PIONEER PARK AS THE SHIPS SLOWLY MADE THEIR WAY TO THE HARBOR MOUTH

 

 

 

PLAYFAIR DOCKS ALONGSIDE BAYFIELD’S MAIN PIER (I’m assuming this is Playfair)

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man walks into a shoe store and tries on a pair of shoes.  "How do they feel?" asks the sales clerk.   "Well ...they feel a bit tight," replies the man.  
The assistant promptly bends down and has a look at the shoes and the mans feet. "Try pulling the tongue out," offers the clerk.  Theyth sthill feelth a bith tighth," he replied

A ‘LAST MINUTE’ CHANGE OF HEART CANCELS OUR 04 PONTIAC SUNFIRE DEAL

My energy levels were once again generated by cooler weather this morning.  58F works just fine for me when there are things to be done outside.  June is our lushest month for plant growth so there's no end to the trimming & weeding.  Hauled myself a utility trailer load to the dump this morning.  After our recent rainy conditions things were pretty muddy & the Jeep did a little slipping & sliding.  Of course that meant I had to again hose the Jeep down when I got back.  No problem though, I'm just happy to have something to do I enjoy doing:))

A reader recently left this comment saying, "Al, For the past several weeks, each day I log on to your site, as soon as it is loaded, a "sponsors" box fills the screen with a 30 second count down. I don't know if your aware of this and it's very annoying, so I wanted to let you know".........Thanks to the reader for that comment.  Always appreciate folks letting me know if there is anything amiss on my blogsite somewhere.  Not sure if anyone else has had this problem but Ed over there at the THE PEREGRINATING GRAYBEARD responded to reader Bob's comment with his own comment saying, "I think it is you. (meaning Bob) I don't see any "sponsors' box.  You have made Al aware of it but I don't think it is anything that he can fix"........... I am inclined to agree with Ed:))

Well it was a decision I knew better than to argue with today.  Kelly decided late this afternoon that she was not comfortable with the decision to give up our Santa Fe.  She has always really liked this car & especially the convenience of it's large hatch-back cargo carrying capacity.  There were pros & cons of course but in the end it was Kelly's call & I agreed with her feelings about the deal.  Kelly called Fred & also cancelled the 2 safety inspections we had lined up.  There's no doubt the Sunbird was a good deal but I'm sure we will find another good deal when the right time comes along to look for another vehicle.  Actually we both have a preference towards another mini-van at some point in the future anyway.  And that's it for that.  Nothing like 'changes' to keep our aging adrenalin levels up to par eh..............:)) 

KELLY’S LITTLE HIPPY WAGON IS STAYING WITH US:))

I'm a little short on thoughts & day's activities tonight so I'll leave you with a story of an event which occurred back in October of 2008 entitled 'A Convert Operation Under The Cover Of Darkness'.

ARCHIVE MEMORY::  Under the cover of darkness I quietly moved my darkened van into position at the side of the street & shut off the motor. In the back were 3 large boxes containing 50 objects that had to be hastily deployed before drawing any attention from nearby houses. This was not an easy mission because 2 metal rods had to be affixed to each object & the holes for the rods did not match. The rods then had to be carefully pushed into the ground. But, there was no turning back. Two days earlier I had received a telephone call from a shadowy figure in Nova Scotia who was in need of help. She outlined her plan & said it was imperative that this mission be executed late Sunday night. She said, "this is your mission Al, can you handle it?" I ran it through my cranium & immediately thought, no this is not something I can do so I quickly said to her, "yes, I'm the right guy for the job!!" I code named the mission, ‘KayakAttack’ after the person who had called.  Sunday night arrived soon enough & I dispatched myself to the target area.  Moving swiftly it took me 27.6 minutes to deploy all objects one at a time being careful not to leave any metal rods lying on the ground. Didn't want anyone unnecessarily injured!! Turns out not all the rods had been shipped so I had to carefully place some of the objects in trees & shrubs. At one point I detected cigarette smoke in the air so quickly launched a night vision scan (I have excellent night vision) & immediately detected a dark figure standing beside a vehicle about two hundred yards away. I quietly deployed 2 more wire objects into the ground & re-scanned. The figure was gone. Someone down the street had just slipped outside for a smoke & then slipped back into their house. Minutes later I hooked the wires to the last object & strategically placed it near a darkened window. Within seconds I was back in the van & rolling with lights out. Minutes later I was home & silently slipped into the driveway. Well, not quite silently enough for our 3 super watch dog guys because they immediately sensed a driveway intrusion & let out an uproar which probably woke up every neighbor for about a mile around. So much for my super stealthy covert operation..........................

 

Now, here's the rest of the story:))
The phone call from Nova Scotia was from my friend Bruce's daughter Shannon. Bruce's Birthday was Monday & she wondered if I could pick up 50 pink Flamingos at a store in Goderich (Balloons To You) Saturday afternoon & put them all over Bruce's lawn late Sunday night. Of course that was my covert operation.  Kelly swung around that way this afternoon & took a few drive-by pictures of my shenanigans the night before. I would have gone over & took the pictures myself but I didn't want Bruce chasing me down the street shouting loud obscenities & throwing pink Flamingos at me. Could have been most embarrassing seeing two old guys hobbling down the road under duress with pink Flamingos flying through the air!!

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The Chaplain had been assigned to the ship and he noticed how much grief the cooks caught from the crew and how they gave back as much as they got. He talked to the Food Service Officer and decided to talk to the cooks and get them to be more cheerful when they served the meals to the sailors coming down the line.  "A smile, a cheerful comment, and a willingness to serve, will all reap great benefits," he told them.  After his pep talk the Food Service Officer and the Chaplain stood back and watched the food being served.  A new sailor aboard walked down the line but he didn't like anything he saw so he just carried his tray down the line till he got to the desert section. He picked up a saucer containing a large piece of chocolate cake.  The head cook looked at him, "Is that all you're gonna eat," he asked.  The sailor said, "Yeah, the rest of it don't look too appetizing."  The cook smiled and said, "Well, in that case would you like two pieces of cake?"  The Chaplain smiled and nudged the Food Service Officer in the ribs, "I told you my talk did them some good."   The kid said, "Yeah, man, I'd appreciate it."  The cook leaned over and cut the piece of cake on the tray in half.

MADE A DECISION TODAY ON THE 2004 PONTIAC SUNFIRE

YES IT WAS A RAINY DAY

Turns out we had ourselves a big old wet rainy day going on so not a lot of activity at our house today.  Fred, the 04 Pontiac Sunfire owner called & said the A/C is working fine in the car & if we're still interested in it to come on over.  Kelly wanted to drive it again before we made a final decision so we went over & had a talk with Fred.  Kelly took the car for a drive & yes we will buy the 04 Sunfire.   Now we have to sell our 03 Hyundai Santa Fe.  The Sunfire goes in to the Bayfield Garage Thursday morning for it's safety inspection & the Santa Fe goes in for It's pre-safety inspection Friday morning.  Might be a good chance the Big EEE will be ready for pick-up late Wednesday afternoon after it’s detailing job.  I like when things are happening:))

 

TALKING TURKEY IN THE DRIVING SHED & FRED’S 36’ FRONT ENGINE DIESEL ALLEGRO MOTORHOME…THIS IS WHERE THE SUNFIRE SPENT IT’S LAST 7 WINTERS

Thought this following recent comment from a reader in our Shout Box was interesting & brought up a good point.  Reader said,  “What made you buy yet another RV? I missed all that. Do 2 houses + a big Class A = a simple life? We're retired and trying to downsize and get rid of 'stuff”. The short answer to the question of why we bought ‘yet another RV’ is simply, our previous 2 RV’s turned out to be too small for our changing comfort levels.  The long answer to that question is 'no it does not = a simple life'.  It's true, life definitely would be simpler if we followed the route our reader has chosen.  Downsizing & getting rid of stuff would for sure make things easier & less stressful.  But is that where we are at??  There is another side to this coin.  Again it is imperative we understand the fact we are all wired differently.  Okay that said here's where we are & how I see it. 

   

I have found over the years it is harder to get excited about things the same way I did when I was younger.  Those excitable years of childhood where just about anything & everything was new & thrilling are long gone.  As years passed & interests changed more things became less excitable.  For me change & unpredictability have become the two new main ingredients in the making of excitement.  In these latter years it has been the RV lifestyle which has been the biggest factor in keeping healthier both mentally & physically for both Kelly & I.  

The whole process of attaining ourselves a home base in the South-West in itself was hugely exciting simply because it was mixed with a healthy dose of uncertainty, stress & apprehension.   Yes it was a step in the opposite direction of simplicity alright but for me all the emotions involved are far more interesting & challenging than the alternative.  I feel it is important to always have something to look forward to & especially now in these Senior years.  At least it is for me.  Some folks look forward to a home-style life while others look forward to a combination of traveling & home life.  Still others prefer the lifestyle of full time RVing & that is yet another level of excitement also filled with uncertainty.  We live our lives somewhere between the extremes of a stationary home life & the freedom of mobility full time RV'ers enjoy.  And in my opinion it is more complicated living between those two extremes as Snow Birds simply because of the additional assets one is required to have.  But it is our preference, our choice of lifestyle & a level of excitement I/we prefer.  

For a restless soul like mine change is the key.  And change is definitely more complicated than same-same simplicity.  But as I approach my 70th birthday it is in change where I can still find the ever elusive excitement factor.  Yes owning a home in Arizona as well as Bayfield Ontario makes for more complications alright.  Throw a Motorhome in plus a couple vehicles & yes the stress factor goes up & some days it goes waaaay up.  But so do the rewards.  Over the past 8 years we have always seemed to be in some kind of transition.  Lots of changes going on, always something to look forward to, somewhere to go, something different to do.  Buying this & selling that.  Trading in older for newer & newer for older.  It is an energizing formula that has worked for Kelly & I ever since the day we met.  Our minds have always been together on often doing & thinking things different from the norm.

The time will come soon enough for us when our days of excitement will change & we will be forced into another phase of our lives with different priorities but we're not there yet.  Downsizing & simplicity are not yet a voluntary option for us & until the day comes when they are we will continue to pursue that ever elusive sense of excitement & challenge that has been instrumental in landing us where we are today………………….

GROANER'S CORNER:((    Upon receiving an award, Jack Benny once remarked, "I really don't deserve this, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either."

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Two paramedics were dispatched to check on a 92-year-old man who had become disoriented. They decided to take him to the hospital for evaluation.  En route, with siren going, they questioned the man to determine his level of awareness. Leaning close, one asked, "Sir, do you know what we're doing right now?"  The old man slowly looked up at him, then gazed out the ambulance window.  "Oh," he replied, "I'd say about 50, maybe 55."

A CHANGE OF PLANS FOR AL’S BIG POLISHING & WAXING PROJECT

Thunder & lightning in the night knocked our power off just long enough for us to re-set all the clocks & outside light timers this morning for about the dozenth time since arriving home in early April.  With everything dripping wet & threatening clouds overhead we did forego our morning walk.

First order of business for me was to wash/wax the Santa Fe.  Had a bucket of waxy water left over from doing the Jeep Sunday so rather than waste the wax & water mix I did the Santa Fe.  Looks good.

REMOVING SOME LETTERING & DECALS OFF THE SANTA FE WITH HOT AIR FROM A HAIR DRYER THIS MORNING
My change of plans for the rig's big polishing & waxing project began with a few phone calls this morning.  Kelly called Home Hardware & Napa in Goderich to see if they had the Meguiar's products needed to get started on the Big EEE's exterior finish.  Home Hardware didn't have what I needed but the lady suggested we check out the Bayfield Marina.  We have lived in Bayfield now for nearly 12 years but had never been in the Bayfield Marina.  In fact neither one of us were exactly sure where it was.  You can tell we are not boat people.  Kelly phoned them & they had the MEGUIAR'S  products I figured I needed.  Although we had driven by the Marina store many times we had just never taken notice of it.  What a surprise a half hour later to walk in the door of an older building near the dock into a big bright well lit & well stocked showroom.  Lots of Meguiar's products along with other brands as well.  They do a lot of boat repairs & refinishing at the Bayfield Marina as well.  Did you know 3M actually bought & now owns Meguiar’s.

LITTLE DID WE KNOW WE HAD SUCH A NICE WELL STOCKED MARINA IN BAYFIELD…AND WE’VE ONLY BEEN HERE OVER 11 YEARS…KELLY CHECKS OUT THE MEGUIAR’S PRODUCTS

Ron, an employee at the Marina was very helpful answering all our questions about preparing & waxing faded fiberglass etc.  Kelly hasn't been to keen on me tackling this big job & of course I have been leery of it as well.  Ladders, buffers, inexperience etc.  Kelly casually asked Ron if he knew anyone in the area who did this kind of work professionally & amazingly enough he did & gave us a fellow's card in Hensall Ontario that does detailing for boats, RV's, etc.  Hensall is only a 25 minute from Bayfield.  Kelly phoned & a short time later Pheebs & I arrived at DETAILERS' with the Big EEE & Kelly right behind us in the Jeep.  We took the Jeep in case the estimate was affordable enough for us & we could leave the Motorhome there.  And that is exactly what happened.  Incidentally the owner of DETAILERS, Jerry Smith has this motto on his business card which reads, ‘If It Rolls, Floats Or Flies We Clean It’.  

JUST MOTORING OUT OF OUR PARK HEADED FOR HENSALL ONTARIO EARLY THIS AFTERNOON…WE LIVE IN THE FOREST TO THE RIGHT 

NO CHANCE OF GETTING LOST TODAY WITH MY TRUSTY NAVIGATOR ON BOARD

We liked Jerry Smith the owner of Detailers & felt confidant we made the right decision to have this big job professionally done.   I will let you in on the price & 3 stage process he uses when we pick the coach up later this week.  They also use Meguiar's products exclusively here.  We were back home by 2:30 & that pretty well wraps up our day.  Oh, & we can now take back the heavy Simonize 8 inch heavy duty buffer/polisher machine I had bought at Canadian Tire Sunday morning.  Never even took it out of the box.  I am so glad I do not have to try & use that thing.   Machines & I do not have a good track record of getting along well with each other. And I'm so glad I do not have to try & haul that heavy polisher up a shaky ladder & teeter in the air trying to buff & polish something.  At least this way & in this case I know the job will be done right by someone who knows how to do it properly.  For sure they will do a much better job of this than I ever could have hanging onto a tall stepladder.  After this detailing of the exterior all I have to worry about from now on is yearly maintenance with easier to use spray on washes & waxes etc.  Phewwwwww, feel like I just dodged a big nasty bullet in not having to try & do this job myself:))

IF YOU LOOK CLOSE YOU CAN SEE THE SPLOTCHY OXIDATION ON THE COACH’S WHITE FINISH…IT’S ACTUALLY WORSE THAN WHAT YOU SEE HERE

 

JERRY GOES OVER THE COACH EXPLAINING EXACTLY WHAT HE WILL DO TO RESTORE THE FINISH

HOPEFULLY THE NEXT TIME WE SEE THE RIG OUR DULL OXIDATION PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED & WE WILL HAVE A NICE SHINY COACH:))
GROANER'S CORNER:((  I failed a Health and Safety course at the Senior Center today. 
One of the questions was: "In the event of a fire, what steps would you take?"  Apparently, "Great Big Ones" was the wrong answer.
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A new hair salon opened up for business right across the street from the old established hair cutters' place. They put up a big bold sign which read:
"WE GIVE SEVEN DOLLAR HAIR CUTS!"
Not to be outdone, the old Master Barber put up his own sign:
"WE FIX SEVEN DOLLAR HAIR CUTS"

I’M THINKING MAYBE I WILL GO WITH THE MEGUIAR’S LINE OF PRODUCTS FOR THE RIG’S EXTERIOR

Some may remember a vanity Kelly had for sale about a month ago.  Never did get the price asked for the vanity so Kelly decided to give it to her daughter in Waterloo.  We loaded it in the Santa Fe Saturday & Kelly took it over to her daughter's place this morning.

Pheebs & I headed up to Goderich to look at some polisher/buffing machines & see what we could find in the way of Meguiar’s waxes & polishes to use on the rig. ‘I think’ I have pretty well decided I will go with the Meguiar’s product line.  Canadian tire carries their stuff as does Walmart although neither one had what I was looking for.  Home Hardware, Napa & Carquest also carry the MeGuiar’s line so will have a look in those places as well this week for MEGUIAR'S ONE STEP CLEANER WAX or possibly MEGUIAR'S FLAGSHIP PREMIUM WAX.  Have pretty much decided on Meguiar’s because of it’s stellar reputation & availability.

 

It was such a beautiful morning Pheebs & I took the long way home & just cruised slow along the back roads enjoying south-western Ontario’s beautiful rural landscape.  I seem to favor the peacefulness of Sunday mornings.  My quiet stress free relaxing drives go back a long way for me.

Needless to say after all the water use on the rig the past couple days the glass on the coach was quite a mess with chlorine water spotting.  Up & down my ladder again armed with paper towels & glass cleaner.  Decided to wash the wash the Jeep so got that little job out of the way as well.  Oh yes & I did remember to get that paint can can down off the rig’s roof after finishing my paint job on the 2 roof vents.

ARCHIVE MEMORY::  July 02/08.  Thought I would take our video camera for a run on the motorcycle. (keep in mind this was 6 years ago) Curious to see how it would turn out. Video only lasts 66 seconds & isn't very exciting despite what looks & sounds like a mishap seconds after turning the camera on. I should have shifted up into 5th gear before firing up the camera so what you see is my clumsy attempt to shift gears with the same hand the camera was in. Not too smart I'd say. However I did manage the shift & even got the cam turned around for a brief mug-shot. Well, that probably wasn't too smart either but I was younger then.   Stay tuned & next time I'll see if I can jump over a hundred & five end to end school buses. Any volunteers to sit on the back seat & hold the camera:))  Click here >>>  http://www.youtube.com/feature=player_embedded

Kelly was home shortly after 5 with a few photos of her youngest daughter Rebecca, husband Ricardo & Granddaughter Ella. 

 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I'm A Senior Citizen::
*I'm the life of the party ... even when it lasts until 8 PM.
* I'm very good at opening childproof caps with a hammer.
* I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going.
* I'm the first one to find the bathroom wherever I go.
* I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up.
* I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a word you're saying.
* I'm very good at telling stories ... over and over and over and over.
* I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not as bright as mine.
* I'm so cared for: long-term care, eye care, private care, dental care.
* I'm not grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, children, politicians.
* I'm positive I did housework correctly before my mate retired.
* I'm sure everything I can't find is in a secure place.
* I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.
* I'm having trouble remembering simple words like........
* I'm realizing that aging is not for sissies.
* I'm anti-everything now: anti-fat, anti-smoke, anti-noise, anti-inflammatory.
* I'm walking more (to the bathroom) and enjoying it less.
* I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days.
* I'm in the initial stage of my golden years: SS, CD's, IRA'S, AARP.
* I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150?
* I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life!