Friday, August 21, 2015

TODAY WE TACKLED SOME INTERIOR RENOVATIONS IN THE MOTORHOME:))

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AND SO OUR RIG’S LITTLE MINI RENOVATION BEGINS & THE FIRST THING TO BE REMOVED IS OUR DINING TABLE

With trusty hammer in hand plus a few screwdrivers we hit the decks a running this morning & tackled the job of making a few renovations to our Motorhome’s interior.  Been talking about it for awhile so with pleasantly cooler & refreshing workable temperatures upon us we decided to go ahead with what we have been talking about for awhile now.

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COULDN’T BELIEVE HOW HEAVY THIS CORIAN TABLE TOP WAS

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OF COURSE I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW HEAVY I AM EITHER

First item for removal was our 'too large' dining room table.  Yes it's nice to have a table to eat at but overall comfort is priority for us & the only way we were going to be able to use recliners was to remove the table.  Eight wood screws secured it to the floor & luckily I was able to remove all eight.  Four screws held the top on & I had to remove the top to get the table assembly out the door.  I could not believe how heavy that Corian top was.  I'm guessing 50 pounds.

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OK SO NOW TO GET THIS FIRST BIG RECLINER THROUGH THAT NARROW DOOR

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SO HERE’S OUR FIRST OPTION…..DOABLE BUT A BIT CROWDED

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THESE CHAIRS ARE LIGHT & WITH THAT BIG ROUND BASE ARE VERY EASY TO MOVE AROUND…..LIKE FOR WATCHING TV UP CLOSE

Next to come out was a small tub chair sitting just inside our side door.  I'm sure most RV'ers know how totally uncomfortable those small tub chairs are.  Four bolts anchored it to the floor but I was able to get the nuts off from a basement bin bellow.  However I did have to turn the air about 7 shades of blue to get at those nuts with an adjustable wrench.  Nine wrenches in my new tool kit & not one of them would fit!!

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TUB CHAIRS AS A RULE ARE SOOOOOO UNCOMFORTABLE

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WITH THE TUB CHAIR GONE WE THOUGHT OF REMOVING THIS CABINET/TABLE BUT IT WOULD HAVE MEANT DISMANTLING IT PIECE BY PIECE & WE DIDN’T WANT TO DO THAT

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MOVED THE 2ND RECLINER INTO THAT SPOT & WERE SURPRISED IT FIT AS WELL AS IT DID

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THIS WILL BE KELLY’S CHAIR & THAT TABLE PULLS OUT & CAN BE USED TO EAT ON AS WELL AS SET HER LAPTOP ON…..(SHE’S WORKING ON A LIGHT SWITCH PROBLEM IN THE STAIRWELL)

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THIS WILL BE MY CORNER & ABOUT WHERE PHEEBS IS LYING WE PLAN TO PUT IN OUR SMALL 2X2 ALL PURPOSE TABLE

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MY VIEW OF KELLY’S SPOT

Several years ago we bought a couple nice recliners from our good neighbors Catherine & the late Gerald Horton.  They were RV people as well & had taken these 2 recliners out of one of their rigs.  We have had them in our sunroom ever since.  After removing the Big EEE's table & tub chair we carried our 2 Horton recliners out to the rig, wiggled them through the narrow door & set them in place inside.  We instantly began to love our rig all over again.  What a difference those two small changes made this morning & at last after all these years we finally have a couple comfortable recliners to sit in.  We will now look for a small 2'x2' sit down table to go at the end of the couch.  One of our dining room chairs will fit under this table which can be used to eat at, set a computer on, or sit down to work at anything.  Our couch/fold out bed will stay.

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Our dining room table & tub chair will go into storage & can easily be re-installed if we should someday decide to sell the rig.  This minor renovation would be no 'biggie' for most people but for me & my impatience with these kinds of things it sure was a nice feeling to step back & see what we had accomplished this morning.  And heavy emphasis on 'WE' because without Kelly's patience & determination this job just simply would not have got done.

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TABLE WILL GO WHERE THAT CHAIR IS & CHAIR WILL SLIDE UNDER IT

It was a bit of a short struggle this afternoon but we finally compromised & agreed on a South-west departure date of October 24th.   That's pretty much in line with our usual departure time with last year being the exception when we left earlier & went up over Lake Superior & out onto the prairies before heading south down through the States.  Last year we were hoping to catch some nice Fall weather with an abundance of colorful Autumn foliage in the North but were plagued with bad weather in the form of high winds & rain for much of the way.  A stop at TRIPLE E RV in Winkler Manitoba to visit the factory where our rig was made & a final stop in Rouleau Saskatchewan to visit the 'Dog River' site where my favorite TV sit-com of all time was taped for it’s TV series…….CORNER GAS.  Not our best trip last year but it's all part of the adventurous life of a travelling Snow Bird couple & their super wonder dog Pheebe……..Da Pheebs:))

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I CAN MOVE THESE 2 SMALL TABLE WHEREVER I WANT THEM TO SET CAMERAS ON ETC. (BOTH TABLES ARE THE SAME COLOR BUT ONE’S IN SHADE & ONE’S IN SUN

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Even with today’s lying down, bending & crawling around in upside down difficult positions I did not have any dizzy spells.  All parts seem to be back together & working well again:))

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GROANER'S CORNER:((  Traveling through New England, a motorist stopped for gas in a tiny village. "What's this place called?" he asked the station attendant.  "All depends," the native drawled. "Do you mean by them that has to live in this dad-blamed, moth-eaten, dust-covered dump, or by them that's merely enjoying its quaint and picturesque rustic charms for a short spell."

Thursday, August 20, 2015

BOY OH BOY DID OUR DRIVEWAY EVER SMELL GOOD THIS MORNING

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JUST A RANDOM SAMPLE OF PHOTOS TAKEN OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS

Washing the Jeep in our driveway this morning I became aware of the nicest of smells.  Seemed to me someone somewhere baking something very scrumptious nearby.  Dare I head into the house in anticipation those fresh baking smells might be wafting out of Kelly’s oven.  Well in I went & sure enough there on the counter sat a baking tin with a dozen freshly baked bran muffins right out of our very own oven itself.  Can't remember ever eating more than one muffin at a time but I wasn't long in wolfing down two of the 'best ever' bran muffins I've ever tasted.  And bran isn't even my most favortist.

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AN OLDER COUPLE ENJOY SOME QUIET MID MORNING TIME AT GODERICH’S COVE BEACH

It was the noisy clatter of heavy rain on our metal roof that roused me out of a deep sleep around 5 a.m.  A much anticipated cold front had finally arrived blowing out our hot & humid weather.  Well at least for awhile anyway & with that cooler air this morning I was energized not only to wash the Jeep but to wax a large section of the Big EEE's front end.  Fired up the genny for a bit & cleaned some bin doors on the rig as well. 

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Nice to feel some travel urges beginning to stir.  Been tossing around some ideas on how to make the rig's interior more comfortable.  It's all very nice of course but as most RV'ers know the furniture that comes standard with many RV's is definitely not always the best practical furniture for one's maximum comfort.

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PHEEBS & i STOP FOR A BITE TO EAT AT AN EATERY IN SEAFORTH ONTARIO

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LIKE HOW THIS PLACE HAS SO NICELY DECORATED THINGS WITH COLORFUL FLOWERS

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Talked over some travel plans Wednesday regarding our route to the South-west in a couple months.  First thoughts a few months ago were to head straight to Congress from Bayfield.  We're now looking at a couple options.  Due to problems with our rig & Kelly's health last year we had to cut our trip short mid way & fast tracked our way to Arizona from southern Saskatchewan.  A brief stop in Custer South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore & we were back on the road heading quickly south again.  We said at the time maybe this year we could return to South Dakota via the U.S. route & take in additional highlights around Custer missed last year.  We had also planned to take in Utah's Capital Reef National Park a year ago as well but had to by-pass that too.  We may put Capital Reef back into this year's travel plans.  Just some early thoughts at the moment & as readers know our travel plans have a habit of changing even as we're rolling down the road.  Sometimes we don't know where we're going until after we have actually ended up somewhere.

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AND A FEW MORE BARNS FOR MY COLLECTION

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LIKED THE SIGN

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Haven't had any dizziness for 5 or 6 days now & bending over has not been a problem.  Have not had a feeling of wooziness either.  Been taking things slow & am still comfortably sleeping in my recliner.  I actually get a much better sleep in my recliner than my bed.  No rolling around.  Have not tried laying down flat yet & am in no hurry to do so until I feel comfortable enough to do so.

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SOME OF OUR COUNTRY ROADS CUT RIGHT THROUGH PICTURESQUE SWAMPS

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Had to slip into Clinton this morning with a slow leak in the Jeeps driver side rear tire.  Didn’t take Pheebs because I had no idea how long I’d be waiting.  Turns out they took me right in.  Nothing serious but it still relieved us of another twenty five dollar bill.  We thought there were 4 new tires on the Jeep when we bought it back in the Spring but the tire guys said only the 2 front tires were new.  Said the passenger side rear needed replacing.  Said it would be $215+tax for a tire.  I picked myself up off the floor & slunk off home.

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Have noticed for awhile now a problem with our sidebar's 'Blog Followers/Friend Connect list.  We have had about a half dozen new Followers over the past few months but every time I click on one of the them all the thumbnail pictures disappear.  That is why I haven't welcomed each & every one to our site like I have been in the habit of doing over the years.  I generally like to add each persons link in my welcome.  However this no longer seems to work but despite that I would like to welcome Sondra, Larry, Manoel, Havanadan, Deb, Hong Long, Budhi & Cyndi.  Thanks for dropping by folks.

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Long time readers know every once in a long while I generally go though a short writing slump.  Sometimes a day, occasionally two & maybe once or twice over the years a 3 day slump although I don't recall a 3 day slump since becoming a daily Blogger a number of years ago.  Every once & awhile my interest temporarily slips & my mind goes blank.  In case anyone was wondering I do enjoy writing & taking photos every day & have no plans of giving my hobby up any time soon.  As long as there are readers I'm hoping there will always be a writer & vice versa:)) 

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GROANER'S CORNER:(( While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6 pieces.  He thought about it for some time before responding. "Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces."

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I was on vacation, playing the slot machines. It was my first time in a casino, and I wasn't sure how the machines operated.  "Excuse me," I said to a casino employee. "How does this work?"  The worker showed me how to insert a bill, hit the spin button, and operate the release handle.  "And where does the money come out?" I asked.  He smiled and motioned to a far wall before saying, "Usually at the ATM."

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

MAYBE TOMORROW

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SEEN ALONG LAKE HURON SHORES THIS AFTERNOON

Everything is fine & I’m feeling good.  Just couldn’t get myself interested in writing anything tonight or taking many photos today.  Maybe tomorrow…………………

VIEW OF UPPER COTTAGE FROM THE HEAD OF THE STEPS LEADING DOWN TO BEACH

SCOUTING OUT A LAKE FRONT PROPERTY NORTH OF GODERICH FOR SOME FRIENDS TODAY

GROANER’S CORNER:((  You know you live in a small town when...

...The "road hog" in front of you on Main Street is a farmer's combine.

...The local phone book has only one yellow page.

...Third Street is on the edge of town.

...You leave your jacket on the back of the chair in the cafe, and when you go back the next day, it's still there, on the same chair.

...You don't signal turns because everyone knows where you're going, anyway.

...No social events can be scheduled when the school gym floor is being varnished.

...You call a wrong number and they supply you with the correct one.

...Everyone knows all the news before it's published; they just read the hometown paper to see whether the publisher got it right.

Monday, August 17, 2015

KIND OF A NOT MUCH MONDAY

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Needed to pick up some prescriptions at Walmart in Goderich & knowing we were in for another stifling hot day Pheebs & I were out the door shortly after 8 a.m.  Pharmacy not open till 9 so we headed ourselves down to the harbor to put in some time.  Drove along the beach & noticed even more Inukshuks than just a few days ago.  Stopped at the dog walking area for a walk then headed for Walmart at 9 to pick up my stuff.  Not feeling just a hundred percent & with the day's heat & humidity building we made our way back to Bayfield stopping to take a few photos along the way.  Thank heavens we have a Jeep with A/C now.  Six o’clock news tonight said the humidex record was broken today.  So much for my mid August annual cooling down prediction & pleasant like early Autumn weather rolling in.  What a kick in the pants this is!!!!

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DOG WALKING AREA LOOKING SOUTH…..LAKE IS OFF TO THE RIGHT

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DOG WALKING AREA LOOKING NORTH & BY GOLLY HERE COMES A DOGGIE RUNNING NOW:))

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GROANER'S CORNER:(( The small town's sheriff was also its veterinarian. One night the phone rang and his wife answered.  An agitated voice inquired, "Is your husband there?"
"Do you require his services as a sheriff or as a vet?"
"Both. We can't get our dog's mouth open, and there's a burglar in it."