WELL I WONDER HOW ALL MY CACTUS PLANTINGS ARE DOING IN CONGRESS ARIZONA………….

INSIDE A TULIP

Dressed warm, loaded up little Bugster Buns & we headed off over to the Hullett-Marsh Northeast of Clinton this morning.  Skipped our Tim Hortons stop for a coffee & carrot muffin to go.  Sunshine & a light breeze made for a pleasant hour's hike on a new trail.  No sign of any wildlife so had to just settle for a few photos around our gardens later this afternoon. 
 

A BUSY LITTLE BEE INDEED
Foregoing the carrot muffin earlier meant we could stop at Subway in Clinton on the way home for a 6 inch Tuna sub & that's what we did.  Parking lot was busy so we slipped down a side street, parked in a shady spot, & wrestled over the Sub.  Because I’m bigger I always end up getting the most.  Pheebe loves Tuna subs:))  We were back home before noon.

HERE’S THE LITTLE DICKENS PATIENTLY WAITING FOR ME OUTSIDE THE SUB SHOP THIS MORNING
Our afternoon turned out rather pleasant but I had trouble getting myself shifted into 2nd gear all day.  Funny how that works sometimes.  No rhyme or reason but some days just seem to be that way.  Can't expect to come up every day smelling like a Rose I guess.

OUR IRIS FLOWERS ARE IN BLOOM

Well I wonder how all my cactus plants are making out in Congress Arizona.  Been noticing some rain in that area on our computer’s weather map so I hope my last winter’s plantings are getting some water.  That’s if the rabbits haven’t already chewed them off.  And I wonder if all my backyard bird Pals are still mad at me after one morning late last March flying into our yard & finding the bird feeder & bird bath suddenly empty.  Not anything I can do from 2300 miles away & it is one of the disadvantages of having a second home so very far distant for 6 months of the year.  Guess I kinda feel the same way about our Bayfield house when we are in Congress during the winter months.  I will once again be very anxious come the end of October to see if any of my recent cactus garden plantings have survived the critters & the weather of yet another hot Arizona summer.  Hey with any luck we should have the big wheels rolling for the Southwest in just about 5 months from today:))

KELLY TOOK A PICTURE OF THIS BUNNY BY OUR BIRD FEEDER STATION THIS MORNING

Pheebs & I did manage a short forest walk about mid afternoon back around the Park's pond & into the pine woods for a bit.  Always nice listening to unseen Spring song birds in the thickening tree canopy & tiny hidden away little Peeper Frogs around the pond.  So nice to have nature at our doorstep.

YEP, IT’S A TULIP ALRIGHT

In one of last week’s posts I had a little blurb & a few pics of the newly owned & renovated Ashwood Inn.  Latest issue of The Bayfield Breeze did a write up with photos this week as well on the Ashwood & if you scroll to the bottom of the following link’s page you can find that article.  Bayfield Breeze -- Ashwood Inn     

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Lovers of the English language might enjoy this ...

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is "UP."
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends and we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.
And this up is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the earth. When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP .
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now because my time is UP, so .... Time to shut UP!!!!!

THE STORM THAT NEVER HAPPENED & I FOUND ‘CORNER GAS’ AGAIN:))

SHEETS OF PROBABLE RAIN ON THE HORIZON

Noticed Monday night after checking our computers weather channel a small fast moving storm cell galloping across Lake Huron with Bayfield dead in it’s sights.  Grabbed my cameras, loaded up the Pheebs & headed for the harbor to see if we could get ourselves a few photos.

LOOKING OVER TOWARDS THE END OF BAYFIELD’S NORTH PIER
Dark clouds out over the lake with what appeared to be large volumes of rain were sweeping across the horizon against a deepening yellow sky.  Wind picked up substantially with flecks of rain.  Thought we might be in for a good one but it was not to be.  Nothing came of it & I suspect either the storm swung north or simply dissipated out over the lake somewhere before reaching land.  Half an hour later skies cleared as Monday's sun calmly edged closer to the horizon finally sinking slowly into the vast watery expanse of Lake Huron.

PEOPLE ON THE END OF BAYFIELD’S SOUTH PIER WATCHING THE STORM BREW UP OUT OVER THE LAKE

A FELLOW PHOTO BUFF SETS UP ON THE BEACH

WITH STORMY SKIES LIGHTENING THE 3 PIER FOLKS HEAD BACK IN & WITH TEMPS PLUMMETING I’LL BET THEY’RE FEELING THE COLD WIND BLASTS
Thankfully for me Monday night's weather drove out the day's miserable humidity & dropped our temperatures into a much pleasanter zone for today.  However it did over compensate for the heat & tonight our temps are predicted to go down to the freezing mark.  Sure has been a crazy Spring.  Monday we had the A/C running & today it was the furnace!!

UNSETTLED STORM CLOUDS MOVE INLAND OVER BAYFIELD

BAYFIELD’S PIONEER PARK ATOP THE CLIFFS OVERLOOKING LAKE HURON IS WHERE MONDAY NIGHT’S SUNSET PHOTOS WERE TAKEN (LAKE IS BEHIND ME)

IN SUMMER MONTHS PEOPLE CONGREGATE HERE TO WATCH OLD SOL SLOWLY SINK INTO LAKE HURON EACH NIGHT

Kelly headed off to Goderich to do some banking & stuff so Pheebs & I headed off to do some gravel running.  Not too far mind you but we were out long enough to grab us carrot muffin & go for a walk in an old gravel pit.  Sure was glad I had a warm jacket in the Jeep. And it was nice that Monday's pesky gnats & mosquitoes were grounded because of colder weather today.  I love it when the insects are grounded.

A WALK IN A GRAVEL PIT THIS MORNING & A TRILLIUM FLOWER ALONGSIDE A NARROW FORREST ROAD

The more I am driving the Jeep Liberator the more I am liking it.  Out of an old manual downshifting habit I still have a tendency to rest my right hand on the automatic gear shift when slowing down but I have not lifted my left foot to depress the clutch yet.  Certainly am enjoying the better sound system as well & oh how I love those two extra doors & that extra space behind the back seat.  Pheebs now has her own back doors to either enter or exit the vehicle as well.  Makes me wonder why we didn’t maybe move to this kind of a set-up sooner.  Also am enjoying the smoother ride which I credit the larger tires with.  I guess the true test will be to see how Libby performs in the deserts of the Southwest later this year.  With basically the same 4x4 off road system as the Wrangler I think she will do just fine.

Most week day mornings at 8 a.m. I can now be found in front of our television.  Yep, discovered a few weeks ago that all the Corner Gas re-runs are now on in the mornings.  Despite seeing probably most if not all the episodes over the years I still enjoy dropping in on the Dog River gang whenever I can.  It’s a great way for one to take one’s mind off all the worldly woes for half an hour each day:))  Here is a link to my post about the day we dropped into Rouleau (Dog River) Saskatchewan on October 8th 2014.  A SAD FEELING COMES OVER ME AT THE CORNER GAS SITE

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A father spoke to his son, "It's time we had a little talk my son. Soon you will have urges and feelings you've never had before. Your heart will pound and your hands will sweat. You'll be preoccupied and won't be able to think of anything else." He added, "But don't worry, it's perfectly normal ... it's called golf."

I KNOW SOME WILL THINK IT SILLY TO HAVE FEELINGS FOR A VEHICLE

OUR LILACS ARE IN FULL BLOOM & OH NOW NICE THEY SMELL

With screwdriver in hand I took the license plates off our Jeep Wrangler this morning.  With weed whacker in hand I walked around the property & stirred up some dust.  Burnt some garbage then took Pheebs for a toot up to Goderich in the Libbygator.  Down along Lake Huron’s shoreline where today's hot humid temperatures met cold winter lake waters cooling wisps of fog rolled in blowing a light almost transparent mist inland across the rocky shores & sandy beaches.

A PATHWAY NEAR THE WATER’S EDGE

PHEEBS CHECKS OUT A HERD OF COWS THIS MORNING

I know some will think it silly to have feelings for a vehicle but I have always been a person who generally becomes attached to most everything & that includes vehicles I have owned & liked.  I don’t know if being an only child has something to do with that or not but once I have something in my possession for any length of time I seem to bond with it.  Could be a favorite pair of old tattered socks, maybe a worn wallet I’ve carried in my back pocket for 20 years, a stone I picked up the beach while walking in deep thought one day, every photo taken is memory for me, any stuffed animal I pick up I instantly bond with & want to bring it home.  And that includes live ones too.  Old shoes become friends as do any books I read.  Ever tried to throw away your favorite pair of blue jeans.  I still have an old College jacket hanging in the shed circa 1969.  On our morning walk I pass a tree I bonded with years ago & sometimes Pheebs & I on an afternoon walk head for that tree to say hello.  I have feelings for the mountains & deserts of the great Southwest & am bonded with many places there.  I say hello to my favorite country roads & I say goodbye to my favorite vehicles………and today was a good-bye day.

I’M GUESSING IT WAS A VERY FOGGY MORNING FOR THE FISHING BOATS EARLY THIS MORNING

THIS MORNING’S FOGBANK SITS ATOP THE SIFTO SALT MINE ELEVATORS
Jeeper's new owners (John & Marilyn) arrived about 3:45 this afternoon & affixed a dealer plate.  Papers were signed, money was exchanged & Jeepers was gone about 25 minutes later.  I was glad to see our Jeep go to an older responsible fella & not some young kid who would beat it into the ground.  Nice folks those Sarnia people.  All the best Jeepers & thanks for all the great memories……………….. Tonight I am sad but tomorrow is a new day & who knows, maybe I’ll bond with a stick.

A LAST PHOTO OF PHEEBS & I WITH JEEPERS

NEW OWNERS JOHN & MARILYN

PREVIOUS OWNERS…..US GUYS:))

JOHN STRAPS ON THE JEEP

GOING

GOING

AND FAREWELL MY FRIEND………………………

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A man had a ticket for the theater but when he was seated by the usher, he found that he was too far from the stage.  He whispered to the usher, "This is a mystery play, and I have to watch a mystery close up. Get me a better seat, and I'll give you a handsome tip."  The usher moves him into the second row, and the man hands the usher a quarter.  The usher looks at the quarter, frowns at him, then leans over and whispers, ............ "The wife did it."

---

Here are a few good examples for Blog writers why one should be brief & not use big words!!

In promulgating your esoteric cogitation or articulating your superficial sentimentalities, and amicable philosophical or psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity.

 
Let your conversational communications possess a compacted conciseness, a clarified comprehensibility, a coalescent cogency, and a concatenated consistency.

 
Eschew obfuscation and all conglomeration of flatulent garrulity, jejune babblement, and asinine affectations.

 
Let your extemporaneous descanting and unpremeditated expatiation have intelligibility and voracious vivacity without rodomontade or thrasonical bombast.

 
Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profundity, pompous prolificacy, and vain vapid verbosity.

 
In short: "Be brief and don't use big words."

THIS WAS LITTLE JEEPERS LAST DAY WITH US

With cool temps & overcast skies I figured it was a good morning to tackle the Motorhome wash job.  Had myself psyched to go.  Moved the rig up close to the house, out with the garden hose & bucket of suds.  Had my tall step ladder in place & no sooner had I topped the ladder with my hose & scrub brush when down came the rain.  I had forgot to check the weather:((

RAINING!!

TOLD YOU I PULLED THE RIG UP CLOSE TO THE HOUSE

Fortunately our little downpour lasted less than half an hour & I was soon back outside & right at it.  Having to wash a big RV is one of those things I will not miss someday when our RVing days are behind us.  Oh if only we could have started our RV travels at a much younger age how many more things we could have done, places we could have seen, & adventurous roads we could have travelled.  And I’m betting I am not alone with those thoughts. 

JUST ONE SIDE LEFT TO WASH
After publishing Saturday night's post Pheebs & I took another drive down around the Bayfield harbor & through the little village itself snapping a few more photos as we cruised along main street a distance of maybe 3 blocks & a total traveling time of 48.2 seconds.  Lots of cars parked on both sides of the street with people casually browsing along the sidewalks taking in small town Bayfield's bustling Saturday night ambience.  As the crow flies we live maybe 2 miles to the northeast of Bayfield in a small mobile home community tucked nicely away in the neighboring rural country side.

IT WAS DUSK WHEN PHEEBS & I TOOK A DRIVE DOWN TO THE HARBOR

SATURDAY NIGHT ON THE BAYFIELD BEACH

HEADING SOUTH ALONG BAYFIELD’S VERY WIDE MAIN STREET

THE LITTLE INN OF BAYFIELD

ONE OF TWO FAVORITE ICE CREAM SHOPS OF OURS

LOTS OF FINE OLD ARCHITECTURE IN BAYFIELD & THIS IS THE POPULAR ALBION HOTEL WHICH COMES WITH IT’S VERY OWN GHOST STORY

The Sarnia folks are coming to pick up little Jeepers Monday & I’m sad to see her go but needs & priorities change & it was time for us to move on to another vehicle.  Many times in my posts I have said that little Jeep Wrangler was my most fun favorite vehicle of all times & it’s true.  I’ve had many, many vehicles but this Jeep is the one I will remember the most.  Always reliable & always pretty much took us to any place we wanted to go.  Not modified in any way it was a tough little nut traversing many a desert jeep trail & winding mountain road.  Took Pheebs & I on many a gravel back country road right around here where we live in Bayfield Ontario.  Nothing fancy on Jeepers & it sure didn’t have anything resembling modern day bells & whistles.  It was simple & that is what I liked about it.  Reminded me so much of my very first car back in the early 60’s, a 61 VW Beetle.  That one didn’t even have a gas gauge. I can only hope the fella who bought it who incidentally is maybe around my age or a bit younger will have as much fun with Jeepers as we did these past nearly 5 years.  Thanks for the memories Jeepers & thanks for being such a good friend all those years.  Yes, we are all going to miss you here at the Bayfield Bunch.  And I have a feeling all your many friends out here in Blogland are going to miss you as well……………………………..

THIS WAS JEEPERS LAST DAY WITH US

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The cruise ship docked at a Mexican port during a very high tide. Everyone on board was forced to use the ship's narrow gangplank as a passageway to the dock far below.  The staff stood motionless when a passenger in her 70's appeared at the top of the plank. There wasn't room for anyone to assist her, so she edged along slowly and finally made it to the dock safely, to everyone's relief.  As she stepped down, she turned, looked back to the top of the gangplank and shouted, "It's okay, Mother, you can come down now."