INUKSHUKS…..ARE THEY ‘INUKS’ OR ARE THEY ‘SHUKS’ & A PLEASANT MORNING DRIVE THROUGH AMISH COUNTRY

STOOKS OF WHEAT ON AN AMISH FARM

Didn't take long for Pheebs & I to head out the door & get ourselves on the road this morning.  After 4 cloudy rain soaked days behind us another one ahead of us on Saturday we knew today was our only chance to get out & get us some good old back road country road dust on ourselves.

SOME FOLKS OUT FOR A PADDLE ON HURON COUNTIES LAKE WAWANOSH TODAY

PHOTOGRAPHERS OFTEN KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE CLASSIC ‘S’ CURVE IN A PHOTOGRAPH & OFTEN IT IS A ROAD WANDERING IN ONE SIDE OF A PHOTO & OUT ANOTHER SIDE…..THERE IS  AN ‘S’ CURVE IN THIS PHOTO BUT IT’S NOT THE ROAD…..CAN YOU FIND IT:))

Our usual swing through Tim Hortons this time in Goderich, a drive down around the harbor area with a walk at the end of the beach road for Pheebs.  Again surprised at how fast those shoreline Inukshuks are growing & there seems to be some talk of those stone structures being a liability & may have to be taken down.  Someone questioned about them being called Inukshuks in the first place.  Maybe they are just ‘Inuks’ or just plain ‘Shuks’.

A LADY STANDS AMONG THE INUKSHUKS

SOME OF THEM ARE EVEN WEARING HATS

HANDSOME LITTLE DEVILS I’D SAY

Wandered through Amish/Mennonite territory enjoying all there is to always see up there in that neck of the woods.  A stop near Dungannon for Pheebs to see her Alpaca Pals but there seems to be only a few left.  The property is for sale & I think all the animals are probably being sold off.  After a stop at Lake Wawanosh for a leg stretch we pointed Libby's nose south arriving back home about four & a half hours after we had left.  Just an overall relaxing morning spent doing things I like to do in an area I like to do them in.

 

AN AMISH SAWMILL

A FEW MORE BARN PHOTOS TODAY AS WELL

Not a whole lot more to write about tonight so rather than sit here staring blankly out the sunroom window trying to think of something I'll cut this post loose & let it go........................:)) 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( After a long day out, my Mother and I stopped at our local grocery store on the way home. I ran in to pick up just a few things, leaving her in the car.
As I approached the checkout, I was surprised to find her standing there, waiting for me.
"Mom," I said, "what are you doing here? I left the motor running."
"I know, dear," Mom replied, "and it's all right. I locked the doors."

A PHOTO LOOK BACK AT LONE PINE CALIFORNIA, THE ALABAMA HILLS, & THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS

SHORT OF CURRENT PHOTOS AGAIN TONIGHT I’VE HAD TO DIG INTO MY FILES….MARCH 2011 WE WERE CAMPED IN THE ALABAMA HILLS JUST WEST OF LONE PINE CALIFORNIA  & THOSE ARE THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

JUST US & THAT’S HOW WE LIKE IT:))

THESE ROCK FORMATIONS ARE SO TYPICAL OF THE ALABAMA HILLS

Today being the second Thursday since our last mobile coffee morning two weeks ago my good friend Richard & I were again on the road for a talk filled 2 hour cruise around our local rural roads.  Richard's turn to drive & we spent the majority of that two hours on wet pavement between intermittent rain showers.  Two hours very well spent again & I do look forward to our next coffee break in a couple weeks:))

SUNRISE TICKLES THE TOPS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS

One of the nice things about living where we do here in South-Western Ontario next to some of the largest fresh water lakes in the world is our often changing & sometimes unpredictable weather.  Endless sunny days with same-same temperatures can get a little boring after awhile & the best way to appreciate those sunny days is to break them up with a few overcast rainy days thrown in for good measure.  We have been under cloudy skies & rain for 4 days now & what a lift to one's spirits to see an occasional shaft of sunlight pierce those gray clouds from time to time today.  Knowing we will be in for sunny skies again shortly it just gives one such a good feeling inside with something to look forward to & appreciate.  I think we have just the right combination of sun, cloud, & rain & if it wasn't for summer's miserable humidity we'd have what I would call just about the most perfect climate & weather region one could ever hope for.  Looking forward to a promised sunny Friday.  Pheebs & I will be out the door so fast in the morning…………:))

DOWNTOWN LONE PINE AT THE MUSEUM OF WESTERN FILM HISTORY

 

KELLY WALKS WITH MAX, CHECKERS, & LITTLE CORA…..THE ORIGINAL BAYFIELD BUNCH

 

WHAT A GREAT PLACE FOR ROCK SCRAMBLING

Here's a paragraph I wrote a year ago about this time which still holds true for me today........" Sure is depressing watching or reading worldly news every day & I wonder why it is I am drawn to it.  A habit developed over the years I suppose, a curiosity, a feeling of wanting to be informed.  My news source is television.  I haven't read newspapers for years & reading or watching news on my computer holds no interest for me.  It's just too comfortable for me to flip back in my recliner & habitually snap on the news channels.  Too many times I come away angry at what I see going on the world.  It leaves me at times with a hopeless feeling about the future of the human race.  I suppose the easy solution is to not watch the news but Is ignorance truly bliss because if it is I have certainly not found it to be so.  Well not yet anyway but I’m working on it". 

JUST GOTTA LOVE THE ALABAMA HILLS

FOR ANY OF YOU UNDECIDED WANNABE RV’ERS I SUGGEST YOU GET IT TOGETHER, GET YOURSELVES ON THE ROAD, & HEAD FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTHWEST BECAUSE THERE’S A WHOLE LOTTA BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY GOING ON OUT THERE

IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO LONE PINE….PUT IT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST

 

ALABAMA HILLS IN THE FOREGROUND WITH THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

Been noticing our shorter daylight hours & here we are less than a week from September already.  Hoping to get out soon & try some more night photos.  Well just hoping to get out & get some more photos period.  These past few rain soaked days have seen my cameras sitting on the desk collecting dust.  Well, due to inactivity I have been collecting a bit of dust myself…………………

MY WHITE COWBOY HAT MARKS THE SPOT FROM THE MOVIE ‘THE TALL T WHERE RANDOLPH CROUCHED BY HIS CAMPFIRE TALKING TO RICHARD BOONE WHO LATER PLAYED TV’S ‘PALADIN

Sifting through my dusty old photo files tonight looking for a few pics I came across our stay in LONE PINE California back in March 2011.  One of the most interesting & fun boon docking days I’ve had was the day I went looking for old western movie locations in the Alabama Hills just west of the town of Lone Pine.  Here is the post I wrote that day……….IN SEARCH OF RANDOLPH SCOTT'S CAMPFIRE.....54 YEARS LATER.  Lone Pine was host to many, many, old western movies back in the day.  Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Tom Mix, Errol Flynn, Gregory Peck, Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant were just a few of the great names who filmed here in these oh so picturesque Alabama Hills.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A Short History Of Medicine:

I have an headache.….. 
2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root.
1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2000 A.D. - That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.

JUST A BIT OF REMINISCING ABOUT OUR RV LIFESTYLE TONIGHT

HAD MY MIND ON THE SOUTHWEST AGAIN TONIGHT…..THIS IS THE CLARK DRY LAKE BED LAST DECEMBER NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA

Despite sleeping with my fingers crossed for sunny skies Wednesday morning it was not to be as we awoke to cloudy skies & the sound of rain on our roof.  Knew it was going to be a challenge coming up with something productive to do for the day but also knew sitting around the house for a 2nd day was not a preferred option.  Decided to concentrate my efforts on straightening up our car port's storage area & re-organizing some Motorhome bins between rain showers.  With Libby in the carport out of the rain it was also a good time to vacuum out the latest collection of muffin crumbs & doggie fur.  Alas all that took only an hour or so & with increasing rains I was stuck back in the house again:((  But not to worry I'm not going to complain about it.  Sunny days ahead Friday they say:)) 

CALIFORNIA’S MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE…..FEBRUARY 2015

Now that we have made some changes to the interior of our Motorhome I find myself just going out & sitting in it, looking around & asking myself the question, 'now why in the heck didn't we do this last year".  I'm thinking it may have been due to the fact we were hesitant to make any changes to the interior of our rig this time.  We did that with our Damon Challenger Motorhome back in 08 by replacing it's notoriously uncomfortable furniture with some Ikea stuff.  We even painted the interior a warm southwest color we liked.  All well & good for us but when it came time to trade our Damon in on a smaller RV in Quartzsite Arizona back in 2013 the RV dealer wouldn't touch our coach with a 10 foot pole.  His words to us went something like this, how in the hell would I ever sell that!!  He said when prospective buyers step into an RV they want to see it looking like the day it came out of the factory with all furniture & furnishing matching perfectly.  Especially newbies who are unfamiliar with the uncomfortable couches & tub chairs etc.  It's all about the ‘WOW’ factor when you step in the door.  We did finally sell the Damon on our own though & as it turns out we sold it to a nice lady near Phoenix Arizona who was in fact a reader of my blog at the time.  So no we will not be painting the Big EEE's interior & instead of selling the furniture we took out like we did with the Damon we have kept the tub chair & kitchen set to easily re-install if we should decide to sell it one day.  Lesson learned.

PHOTO TAKEN OF THE SETTING MOON FROM OUR BACK YARD IN CONGRESS ARIZONA…..NOVEMBER 2014

This September will mark our 9th Snow Birding year & actually I'm a little surprised we have made it this far.  We have made some good decisions & we have made some not so good decisions over our RVing years.  Probably our best overall decision was to buy an RV in the first place with the intentions of spending winter months in the South-west.  That is a decision we have never once regretted. 

SEDONA ARIZONA…..FEBRUARY 2014

With just a few years of ‘winter’s only’ in the Southwest we soon became enamoured with the lifestyle & by 08 we came close to selling our house to become full time RV’ers.  I was more for the idea than Kelly & with the big financial melt down that year we decided to stay just where we were & stick with our Snow Bird lifestyle.  It's an unknown how we would have made out as full timers but I think we probably would have been just fine & readily adapted to the lifestyle.  Well at least for awhile anyway.  What we do know is that we are quite happy with the way things turned out the way they have for us.  No complaints.

 

EAST SIDE OF CALIFORNIA’S SALTON SEA…..DECEMBER 2014 

We still feel our decision to buy a small ranch type house on an acre of land in Congress Arizona was a good decision that came at just the right time.  Our downsizing to a small Class C RV after that was not one of our better decisions & a second slightly bigger Class C after that brings an old saying to mind, 'two wrongs don't make a right'.  Nothing really wrong with either of those Class C's & they were both actually very nice rigs but they did not turn out to be the type of vehicle we thought we needed.  Despite some problems we've had with our current Class A 2003 Triple E Commander Motorhome we still think it's a quality coach which we really like but it's still too early to tell if it was a right decision for us to buy it a little over a year ago.  Only time will give us that answer.

SUNRISE OVER ARIZONA’S KOFA MOUNTAINS…..DECEMBER 2013

So all & all even with our ups & downs I think we are still in a reasonably good place despite the fact having a house in Canada & another one in the U.S. + owning an RV has over the years stretched us a bit thin.  We will continue to travel south for the winter's for as long as we can before having to move on to a few more of life’s major lifestyle decisions.  And we all know we eventually reach the end of the road one day.  One way or another……………..

SOMEWHERE IN THE GREAT AMERICAN SOUTHWEST

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Finally, the good-natured boss was compelled to call Smith into his office.  "It has not escaped my attention," he pointed out, "that every time there's a home game at the stadium, you have to take your aunt to the doctor."  "You know you're right, sir," exclaimed Smith. "I didn't realize it. You don't suppose she's faking it, do you?"