WE WENT TO VOLKFEST TODAY & KELLY CAME HOME WITH A HULA HOOP

ALL OF TODAY’S PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WITH MY NEW SIGMA LENS

I was anxious to take my new boots for a walk this morning so we not only headed around our pine tree trail we continued on up into an adjoining hardwood bush as well.  Boots are well built, very light weight, & waterproof so passed their trail test with flying colors.  Even had me on a new pair of socks to boot.  (to boot…….get it:))

Nice sunny morning so Pheebs & I headed off to Goderich for a McDonald's Burrito.  Off down around the harbor to the beach & stopped at the dog walking area at the far end.  Had ourselves another half hour walk there.  Winds picked up a bit & I noticed a large cloud cover moving up from the south.  Sun was soon hidden so figured we'd just head for home. 

LOOKING SOUTH ALONG THE LAKE HURON SHORELINE

IF YOU LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THIS PHOTO YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SEE A FISHING POST ANGLED OUT OVER THE WATER

SPOTTED THIS ANGLER BY THE LAKE

I THINK THIS FELLOW IS JUST HAVING HIMSELF ONE MIGHTY FINE RELAXING SUNDAY MORNING

 

Seeing how Saturday's weather channel had predicted Sunday night's blood Moon eclipse to be cloud covered Pheebs & slipped out Saturday night & took a couple Moon photos.  With a little help from Picasa we managed to turn a Saturday night blood Moon into a likeness of Sunday night's blood moon we couldn't see.

 

Kelly reminded me Bayfield's very first Volkfest was on today in Clan Gregor Square so we took a drive into town to have us a look see.  Volkswagens played a big part in my life years ago from late 1963 when I bought my first Beetle to the mid 80's when I had my last Volkswagen which happened to be an orange camper van.  Altogether over the years I've had 7 Volkswagens.  Four Beetles, 2 camper vans, & 1 Carman Ghia.  In order to remember all those I had to go to a post I wrote a few years ago entitled, A LIFETIME OF OLD CLUNKERS (and some nice ones too)  I wrote this original post in 2007 & have since updated the vehicle list but cannot find the update.

 

I have driven VW's all across Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia & as far south as Sarasota Florida & for sure have more zany VW stories than I care to talk about however I have written about some of them though & they are scattered throughout my posts over the years here & there.

I HAVE HAD ALL THREE OF THESE TYPES OF VW’S…..CARMAN GHIA, BEETLE, & VW CAMPER

Bayfield's first Volkfest had a great turn-out today & I'm betting it will quickly become a successful annual event just like Corvette & Thunderbird Days which take place in June.  Vendors were also on hand so Kelly headed over to check out their wares while I walked around looking at vehicles that to this day hold many old memories for me.  Oh how I would just love to take an older VW Beetle for a drive again.  Rather than try to fit all my Volkfest photos in here I’ll put together a Live Writer photo album………………..

Bayfield's Volkfest September 27th 2015 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

To view the photos in a slideshow format open the album then double click the first photo.  Screen appears with photo enlarged against a black background.  Move your mouse around a bit & look to the top left corner to where it says ‘Play slide show’.  Click on that & away you go:))

HEY THIS IS VOLKFEST NOT WOODSTOCK

Heading back over towards the vendors area I spotted Kelly in discussion with one of the vendors & I saw what looked like a money transaction.  Sure enough Kelly had bought herself a schnazzy new sporty looking Hula Hoop.  Going to use it for exercising & said I could use it as well to Hula myself around the house. 

KELLY BUYS A HULA HOOP……….GROOVY:))

HEY WHO’S THAT CUTE LITTLE HIPPY GIRL WITH THAT CUTE LITTLE HIPPY VAN

:))

Update on the weather......clouds have cleared & we are under clear skies so Pheebs & I will head out later & see if we can get us a few 'real' blood Moon photos for Monday's post.  And speaking of Monday I have a 9 a.m. appointment with my Nurse Practitioner to go over my blood test results.  I'm not anticipating any snags but with each passing year now we are all well aware of how those bags of snags can trip us up when we least expect it.

THIS VW CAMPER IS VERY MUCH LIKE MY CAMPER i TOOK OUT EAST & BACK IN 86 ONLY MINE WAS ORANGE, A FEW YEARS OLDER & HAD MORE RUST ON IT:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Faced with hard times, the company offered a bonus of one thousand dollars to any employee who could come up with a way of saving money.
The bonus went to a young woman in accounting who suggested limiting future bonuses to ten dollars.

A BONUS SATURDAY FOR AL….NEW BOOTS, NEW SOCKS, NEW CAMERA LENS, & SOME NEW SCENERY

PHOTO TAKEN WITH NEW LENS THIS AFTERNOON

Ever since my Nikkor VR 70-300mm lens began chattering & vibrating a few weeks ago & especially since I found out it could cost me in the neighborhood of $250 to have Nikon look at it & a turn around time of approximately 8 weeks I have had camera lenses on my mind.  Another thing on my mind for a long time has been my having to carry 2 weighty DSLR cameras with attached lenses slung round my shoulders for years if I wanted the 18mm wide angle to 300mm range covered.  The Nikkor VR 70-300 lens although my favorite is a heavy brute but I never minded & just slugged it along with me wherever I went anyway.  I have always liked the steadiness a heavier lens can offer.  Figured it might be a good time to solve the 2 camera dilemma by finding a lens that would cover the full mm range I wanted.  Off to the internet I went & did a bunch of reading on different lenses & manufacturers.  I knew right away Nikons Nikkor lens covering that focal range was going to be way out of my price range & it was.  Back in the old 35mm film days I had a couple Pentax cameras with Tamron lenses & I really liked those.  Hadn’t paid much attention to Sigma lenses over the years because I always thought them not the best but in my research I kept coming across good reviews on the SIGMA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM lens.  Of course wanting a ‘close-up’ lens for years the word Macro caught my attention right away so I read on a little further. (macro meaning very close up)  So to make a long story short Pheebs & I hopped in the Jeep this morning & headed for HENRY'S CAMERA STORE in London Ontario.

COUPLE TRACTORS WORKING UP A DUSTY FIELD JUST WEST OF HENSALL ONTARIO 

It was a nice morning for a drive & I was happy to have somewhere to go.  MARK'S WORK WEARHOUSE (those are my hikers on the right if you go to the site) just happened to have a 50% off sale on HI-Tec Hiker boots for a couple days as well & I knew there was a Marks just a block from Henry’s Camera Store.  Henry’s had the lens I was looking for & it was on sale for a savings of $60.  I liked the feel of the lens right off because it had some weight to it.  Didn’t have to chat it up with the sales clerk because I had already read up on the lens so picked up an additional 62mm protective lens filter & away I went with the next stop being Mark’s Work Warehouse.  Found the high top hiker boots on sale & threw myself a package of socks in on the deal.  Socks were on sale too.  Back out in the parking lot I hauled my new Sigma lens out of the box & strapped it on my Nikon D90.  Cracked off 2 pictures & headed out of town to try the lens from a moving vehicle on some barns.

 

MY 2 VERY FIRST PHOTOS TAKEN WITH NEW LENS…..18mm WIDE ANGLE ON LEFT & 250mm TELEPHOTO ON RIGHT

Heading North-west out of London Pheebs & I even managed to find us some new country roads that I had never been on before.  Another Saturday morning bonus as we plodded along taking pics & stopping for a couple leg stretches.  Just a totally beautiful morning again & the following photos were taken from the driver’s seat while rolling through the countryside.  I especially like the first photo with the farm kids on the front lawn with their dog & Mom coming over in the background.  Thought the Sigma lens did a great job of capturing this 50mph photo fired through my side window going by.  (ISO 800 at F11 at 27mm & 1/500th of a second shutter speed) 

YEP IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

I THINK SOMEBODY MAY BE GETTING SOME TRACTOR DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS HERE

Routed ourselves over towards & through Grand Bend because I knew there was a Subway there & us guys was feeling the need for a 6” Ham sub.  A few more country roads & we were finally back home in Bayfield somewhere around 1 o’clock.  It wasn’t long before Pheebs & I with my D90 camera & new lens were out the door & around the trail taking a few photos here & there along the way to see how the lens performed.  How nice carrying only one camera instead of two & how nice to be carrying a lot less weight.  It’s no wonder I am round shouldered:((  And only one camera strap to deal with now as opposed to two.  Liked the results I got from the lens & could quickly see where I had made a few mistakes here & there with it.  Got to back off a bit on moving subjects like bees etc & not try to photo them too close up in Macro mode.

PHOTO ABOVE & BELOW ARE A TOUCH OUT OF FOCUS BUT WITH A LITTLE PRACTICE MAYBE NEXT TIME I CAN GET IT RIGHT

Overall it is the convenience of this lens I like best.  Maybe not the superb quality of a Nikkor lens equivalent but it’s plenty good enough for what I do which is simply taking photos for my blog.  Not being a professional photographer & not trying to make a living, market, or sell any of my photos I do not have to spend a thousand dollars on a lens.  And would you believe I don’t even have one single photo of my own hanging on a wall anywhere.   Now with the new lens on my D90 I have switched cameras around once more.  My D40 has once again gone into retirement while my D3100 takes it’s place on my tripod for some upcoming night photography if I can just get off my can & get myself out the door at night.  I occasionally see some nice night sky shots on the GODERICH SUNSET & LAKE HURON SKIES sites by local fellow photo enthusiasts so am hoping to have a crack at that.  I gotta just quit talking about it & get out there & do it………….10-4:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A stockbroker received notice from the IRS that he was being audited. He showed up at the appointed time and place with all his financial records, then sat for what seemed like hours as the accountant pored over them.  Finally the IRS agent looked up and commented, "You must have been a tremendous fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."  "Why would you say that?" replied the broker.  "Because you've made more brilliant deductions on your last three returns than Sherlock Holmes made in his entire career."

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The school of agriculture's dean of admissions was interviewing a prospective student, "Why have you chosen this career?" he asked.  "I dream of making a million dollars in farming, like my father," the student replied.  "Your father made a million dollars in farming?" echoed the dean much impressed.  "No," replied the applicant. "But he always dreamed of it."

READ A BIT LOOK A BIT

MET THIS LITTLE FELLOW EARLIER TODAY

Almost without any gas guzzling thoughts this morning I loaded the furry little Giggle Buns into the Jeep & away we went.  Regardless of being on some of the same roads for the umpteenth time again it was just good to be out in the fresh country air.  Headed over to the Hullett-Marsh but there were so many duck hunter vehicles milling about the only thing Pheebs I would have got out of a walk there was a possible load of buckshot in the rear.  I am sure glad I do not have any interest whatsoever in any kind of hunting stuff unless it's with a camera & to the powers that be I say, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for those good ‘no hunting’ genes I am fortunate enough to possess!! 

THIS GOLDEN FIELD OF CORN WILL SOON BE HARVESTED

  

JUST ANOTHER RELAXING DAY IN RURAL SOUTH-WESTERN ONTARIO FARM COUNTRY

We skirted the Marsh, cleared the area & leisurely headed off on a slow-poke gravel run.  Bean fields are being harvested at the moment so there's various large pieces of rather large farm machinery plying the back roads & one has to be vigilant.  Don't want a big monstrous combine scooping us up & spitting us out.  Still not a lot of Fall colors in the trees yet compared to last year at this time.

 

THIS BIG JOHN DEERE COMBINE IS TOWING IT’S BEAN HARVESTING HEAD BEHIND IT

 

SO TYPICAL OF OUR RURAL COUNTRYSIDE & IS IT ANY WONDER I PREFER TO SPEND SO MUCH OF MY TIME HERE

Turned out to be kind of a lazy low energy afternoon with my mind feeling about as relaxed as our gorgeous Autumn day.  Calm with nothing moving. 

 

ANOTHER BEAN HARVEST UNDERWAY

SEE THE GUY LEANING OUT OF THE ORANGE TRACTOR…..I THINK HE’S HOLLERING AT THE FELLOW IN THE GREEN COMBINE SAYING, “COME ON BILL STEP ON IT WE GOTTA GET THIS FIELD DONE BY SUNDOWN EH”

LOTSA BIG TIRES OUT HERE IN THE FARMING COMMUNITY 

A DRAINAGE COMPANY WORKS ON IRRIGATING A LARGE FIELD….NOTE THE LARGE ROLLS OF BLACK PLASTIC IRRIGATION PIPE

WHERE CORN FIELD MEETS BEAN FIELD

NICE TO SEE A SLIGHT SPLASH OF AUTUMN GOLD

As much as I am not a 'foody' person it sure is great to be eating good meals again now that Kelly is home.  I sometimes think I could live quite well on peanut butter & honey sandwiches, Cheerios, & toast but after some of the fine meals Kelly has cooked up this past week since returning from Spencerport NY I may have to re-arrange my foody thoughts & priorities.

THREE INUKSHUKS IN THE MAITLAND RIVER AS SEEN FROM BALL’S BRIDGE LOOKING SOUTH

WITH EARS JUST A FLAPPIN IN THE WIND

Took our wheelbarrow around the yard & began gathering up a few yard ornaments today.  Not as many out this year as we usually have so it wasn't a task requiring a lot of my time.  Knowing at this time of year weather can be unpredictable I like to have some of these yard things done while day’s are warm & sunny.

Been walking the pine forest trail every morning again getting my legs back in shape.  How fortunate we are here at our 5 Seasons Park to have such a great forested walking area which actually goes for miles & miles.  Although we've never done it we could walk right into Bayfield along the Bayfield River if we ever took it upon ourselves to do that sometime.  And Pheebs & I had ourselves another walk this afternoon:))

Did you know I sometimes write extra paragraphs just to fit my many photos in.  Yep it's true.  I've never liked stacking my photos up in a long line so I often sit at my keyboard trying to think up little blurbs to put in between the pictures.  I find if I see a bunch of photos one right after the other I have a tendency to kind of fast forward through them.  But that's just me.  My style is to 'read a bit, look a bit, read a bit, look a bit.  Can you tell I did that with tonight's post.  Here's a clue.......short paragraphs:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Senators William B. Spong of Virginia and Hiram Fong of Hawaii sponsored a bill recommending the mass ringing of church bells to welcome the arrival in Hong Kong of the U.S. Table Tennis Team after its tour of China.  The bill failed to pass, cheating the Senate out of passing the Spong-Fong Hong Kong Ping Pong Ding Dong Bell Bill.

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- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.