‘I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW’

After Saturdays gloomily cold and overcast day I was heartened to see a multitude of twinkling stars at 5 a.m. this morning when first out with Pheebs.  Knew those clear skies meant sunshine and that in turn meant a Jeep ride for us guys for sure. 

ALONG DATE CREEK ROAD THIS MORNING

Brewed myself up a coffee to go and hauled a Blueberry Muffin out of the freezer first dusting it off before chucking it into the microwave.  Minutes later Pheebs and I tumbled out the front door and into the Jeep.  We were soon off on another morning adventure.

THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS ARE IN THE BACKGROUND

SOME MIGHTY RUGGED TERRITORY IN THESE HERE PARTS

Just north of Congress off highway 89 is Date Creek Road heading West through a long rugged valley between the Date Creek and Weaver Mountains.  We’ve scrambled our innards along this dusty washboard of a road before so figured why not just scramble ourselves up all over again.  Actually it wasn’t as bad as in previous years so we made out alright. 

SEEN SOME STRANGE THINGS ALONG THE WAY

It’s 21 miles from the highway to a little settlement called Hillside but this morning we decided to only go half way before turning around.  Following along near the road all the way to Hillside is a main railway line and we can often hear the long freight trains rumbling through Congress along this North-South rail line.  This morning we came across a parked work train sitting on a siding.  Being Sunday it had the day off.

THIS MACHINE SAT ON RAILS ATOP 6 RAIL CARS AND I ASSUME IT COULD TRAVEL BACK AND FORTH ACROSS ALL THE CARS FOR WHATEVER REASON

LOOKING FIRST SOUTH THEN NORTH ALONG THE RAILROAD LINE…SOUTH GOES THROUGH CONGRESS TO PHOENIX AND I’M NOT SURE WHERE NORTH GOES

I was aware right away after turning onto Date Creek Road that my eyes were once again seeing.  My head was not heavy with thought, my mind not numbed by miles of weary travel.  It was the first time since leaving Bayfield over a month ago that I felt a spark of creativity coming back.  Instead of blindly following the road ahead in a Zombie like worrisome state I was once again seeing things.  Colors, shapes, shadows, mountains, clouds and critters began once again catching my attention.  Oh what a great feeling came over me to know my month long depression was finally lifting.  In my mind I kept playing Johnny Nash’s 1972 song, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’………… 

I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
(ooh...) Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies. Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies.

ONE CAN ALWAYS FIND ABANDONED RANCH HOUSES HERE IN THE SOUTH-WEST

I’M THINKING THOSE MAY BE COTTONWOOD TREES

EVERYTIME I HAVE COME DOWN THIS ROAD I HAVE STOPPED AND TAKEN A PICTURE OF THIS MACHINE

ONE OF OUR 3 LEG STRETCH STOPS THIS MORNING

I was soon reaching for my cameras as my normal world once again came back into focus after a long absence.  Pheebs and I were in and out of the Jeep looking at this and that.  How nice to feel interested in the great outdoors again.  Now if I can just hang onto that.

SPOTTED THIS STURDY WOODEN RAILWAY TRESTLE OVER A WIDE SANDY WASH

LOTS OF BIG STURDY TIMBERS IN THIS BRIDGE

NOTICE HOW ALL THE OUTSIDE TIMBERS ARE ANGLED IN

Gathering clouds followed us home and by mid afternoon we were under a solid cloud cover and it was raining.  With temperatures having slipped down into the 50’s we have trotted out our winter heaters which work quite well at keeping us toasty.

HEY NEVER MIND ALL THOSE HORSES DAD I LIKE MY PICTURE TAKEN TOO YA KNOW

We haven’t got out and about to see anyone since we’ve been here but Sarge dropped in one morning last week and Saturday afternoon Janna, Mike, and little Emmi popped in.  Always nice to see them there swell folks.

I THINK HOME IS THAT-A-WAY DAD

PHEEBS WAS RIGHT OF COURSE SO IT WAS OFF FOR HOME WE WENT

GROANER’S CORNER:(( There was a competition to cross the English channel doing only the breaststroke, and the three women who entered the race were a brunette, a redhead and a blonde.
After approximately 14 hours, the brunette staggered up on the shore and was declared the fastest. About 40 minutes later, the redhead crawled up on the shore and was declared the second place finisher.  Nearly 4 hours after that, the blonde finally came ashore and promptly collapsed in front of the worried onlookers.
When the reporters asked why it took her so long to complete the race, she replied, "I don't want to sound like I'm a sore loser, but I think those two other girls were using their arms..."

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A manager was being interviewed after he had resigned from a football club?  "Were the crowd not behind you" asked the reporter  "They were right behind me all right", said the manager, "but I managed to shake them off at the train station!"

OK SO HERE’S A BIT ABOUT WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON

CURVE BILL THRASHER

I know I haven’t been consistently writing my usual long winded chatty posts as of late.  The lighter side of my creative mind does not work well when under stress and I have to admit the stress levels for Kelly and I have been up lately regarding a possible ‘house sale’.  However there is finally a faint light at the end of this long seemingly endless tunnel.  I am still not at liberty to give out a lot of ‘before hand’ details but will say this……… Our house underwent a lengthy and thorough house inspection this morning and to our great relief there were no major problems found despite the house being nearly 60 years old.  By the end of next week I may have a little more to say on how things are going.  I am sincerely hoping in the meantime to once again get myself back into my old blog writing routine………barring any more stumbling blocks that is.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( And Just In Case You Forgot Here Are A Few More Affirmations Of Life::..

.. A closed mouth gathers no feet.
.. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
.. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
.. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
.. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
.. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
.. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
.. Always yield to temptation, because it may not pass your way again.
.. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
.. Eat well, stay fit--die anyway.
.. No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
.. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
.. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
.. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
.. Junk is something you throw away three weeks before you need it.
.. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
.. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
.. Thou shalt not weigh more than the refrigerator.
.. I believe the only time the world beats a path to my door is when I'm in the bathroom.
.. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.

.. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

NICE DAY

With a southern breeze blowing our low 70’s temperatures around today it was about as good as it gets for me.  Sat on our front porch reading for awhile…………

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A guy is walking down the street with his friend. He says to his friend, "I'm a walking economy." His friend replies, "How's that?"  "It's like this -- my hair line is in recession, my stomach is a victim of inflation, and the combination of these two factors is putting me into a deep depression."

HOPE Y’ALL HAD YERSELVES A GREAT AMERICAN THANKSGIVING

MORNING WALK

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Just before Christmas, an honest politician, a generous lawyer and Santa Claus were riding in the elevator of a very posh New York hotel.  Just before the doors opened they all noticed a $20 bill lying on the floor. Which one picked it up?  Santa of course, because the other two don't exist!

PICKED UP A FEW ‘ESSENTIALS OF LIFE’ THIS MORNING

Running short of one of the basic essentials of life Pheebs and I headed into Wickenburg first thing this morning to pick us up some peanut butter.  Added to that was a big jug of skim milk, 2 tins of chicken noodle soup and some Yogurt. From Bashas' supermarket it was a short hop around a couple of Wickenburg’s main streets to wing ourselves half way around a round-a-bout with a left turn into McDonalds.

IN McDONALD’S DRIVE-THRU I SPOTTED THIS DOG CRAMMED INTO A VERY SMALL SPACE IN THE BACK OF THIS PICK-UP TRUCK

HIS NAME WAS MAX AND FROM HIS BARKING AND CRYING I KNEW HE WAS VERY CONFUSED AND SCARED……COUPLE MINUTES LATER THE TRUCK STOPPED IN THE PARKING LOT AND A LADY GOT OUT AND WALKED AROUND TO TALK TO MAX

Why oh why oh why these American McDonalds down here haven’t clued into the wondrous baking of muffins yet is still one of life’s little mysteries for me.  Pheebs and I had to settle for a couple Burritos of which we ate one and saved the other for later. (I’d much sooner have a carrot muffin)  With a coffee to go as well we slipped through the drive-thru and headed out the back way hooking up with Constellation Road about a block away.  We did this same route a week ago this morning but only in reverse. 

This is for you and Google Earth Stu.  We angled left off Constellation onto Blue Tank Road and followed that to the river wash stop sign at Rincon Road.  Turned right for a short bit and briefly considered turning right again into the Hassayampa dry river bed heading for Box Canyon.  I thought better of that after noticing some slightly lower wet spots on Blue Tank road.  With rains Sunday & Monday I figured the sandy Hassayampa river bottom might not be a good place for Pheebs and I to be this morning so we by-passed that thought and continued along Rincon Road to the gravely stop sign at Scenic Loop Road.  Instead of turning left for home we turned right on Scenic Loop and puttered along out that way towards the Boyd Ranch for a couple miles before turning around and heading for home.  Scenic Loop Rd ends it’s westerly direction at highway 93 and that’s where we were back on pavement again.

SCRAMBLING AROUND IN AN ATV AREA JUST OFF BLUE TANK ROAD SOUTH OF RINCON ROAD

Traffic on 93 reminded me of Whackoville.  Just a steady stream of speeding vehicles headed both ways and everybody with their foot to the floorboards.  Had to wait awhile to make a right hand turn then drive like totally nuts to keep up with all the the Whack jobs and not get run over.  I think everybody was on 2 wheels going around that last ‘big spurs’ round-a-bout north of Wickenburg.  Fortunately it was only a short distance before we got ourselves out of the maniac pre-Thanksgiving traffic and headed the final leg to Congress on highway 89.  Luckily we made it all the way without half a dozen local pick-up truck grills embedded in our rear window.  I complain about this narrow race track stretch of highway every year and rightfully so.

HEADING SOUTH ALONG SCENIC LOOP TOWARDS THE BOYD RANCH…..…..I’LL BET JIM AND BEV WAY OUT THERE IN IDAHO KNOW ALL ABOUT THESE ROADS AND AREAS I’M TALKING ABOUT EH GUYS:))

We were home before noon and that was it for our day.  More reading, some TV and computer stuff and a bit of scratching around in the dirt outside.  And that was about it………….. 

RUGGEDLEY SCEANIC COUNTRY OUT HERE IN THESE PARTS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Two old women were sitting on a bench waiting for their bus. The buses were running late, and a lot of time passed. Finally, one woman turned to the other and said, "You know, I've been sitting here so long, my butt fell asleep!'.  The other woman turned to her and said "I know! I heard it snoring!"

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There are a lot of folks who can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in America.  Well, there's a very simple answer.
Nobody bothered to check the oil.  We just didn't know we were getting low.  The reason for that is purely geographical.  All our oil is in Alaska, Texas, California, and Oklahoma while all our dipsticks are in Washington, DC.

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Two campers where hiking in the forest when all of a sudden a bear jumps out of a bush and starts chasing them.  Both campers start running for their lives when one of them stops and starts to put on his running shoes.  His partner says, "What are you doing? You can't outrun a bear!"  His friend replies, "I don't have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun you!"

MY SOCK CAME HOME TO ROOST WITH IT’S FELLOW SOCKS TODAY

OVEN WARM FROM YARNELL’S CORNERSTONE BAKERY THIS MORNING

I love the smell of the desert when it rains and our desert rains did begin Sunday afternoon around 3 o’clock much to the happy giggling of all the chuckling green plants everywhere including the hardy cactus.  Unlike Africa’s bone dry Saharan desert the green Sonoran desert of the Southwest does need it’s yearly rainfalls to survive.  That Sunday rain finally backed off early Monday afternoon but not before we had us a little blast of hail.

Feeling better about a few things this morning Pheebs and I headed off up the big Yarnell Hill again heading for Yarnell’s Cornerstone Bakery and luckily this time we struck it rich.  Waiting in line for a couple donuts and a small coffee I saw a lady emerge from the kitchen carrying a tray with 3 gorgeous looking loaves of home made bread on it.  It was evident the bread had just come out of the oven because she had oven mitts on.  Knowing I could score a lot of Brownie points by snagging one of those loaves for Kelly I quickly did so as well as some Maple and Cinnamon donuts for her.  Okay and one donut for Pheebs and I.  Cutting our morning drive short and pulling a U-turn in front of the bakery we quickly raced back down the Yarnell Hill for home while the bread was still oven warm and smelling heavenly:))

Busied myself with some yardwork and how nice to have cooler air for working around outside.  When I think of what this property looked like nearly 5 years ago when we first stumbled upon it and what it looks like now I feel good inside about all the work both Kelly and I put into all this to have things looking like the way it does today.  We both really enjoyed those first couple years fixing everything up.

Figured with nice cooler temperatures upon us it would be a good morning to work away at getting a lot of those East coast bugs off the front of the Motorhome.  I sure had to rub and scrub with a lot of water to get that big mess of tough gooey bug guts off.  What kind of hardened bugstables do they build over there on that side of the country anyway.  Even a small ding in the drivers side windshield to boot!!

I wasn’t even aware I was missing a sock until talking to Aunt Jean last week.  Said she found one of my socks in her dryer and yes I had done a couple loads of laundry while there.  Said she had already put it in the mail and today my sock finally came home to roost with all it’s mismatched threadbare fellow socks.  Not too many days I am ever able to walk myself around sporting matching socks.

SOCK MAIL

Other than the aforementioned stuff there was not much else going on.  Since the American election I have basically stopped watching any and all network news channels and a big part of my time now is spent with my Kindle quietly sitting in my room or on the front porch reading.  I am finding it much easier on my peace of mind:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Jesus and Moses were teeing off on a 149 yd par 3, with water hazard.  Jesus pulled out his wedge and hit his first ball into the water;  "I don't understand", he said, "I saw Arnold Palmer hit a wedge to the green on this same hole yesterday!"  Again he dropped a ball on the ground and repeated the shot with the same results....  Moses said,"Get a longer iron or you'll never make it across"  Jesus dropped another ball to the ground and repeated the swing dropping the third ball in the water short of the green.  "That was my last ball!" Jesus remarked as he walked across the water fishing for the lost balls.  A foursome approached the green and one man replied, "Who does he think he is, Jesus Christ?"  Moses replied, "No he thinks he’s Arnold Palmer"

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Ever wonder why the IRS calls it, "Form 1040?" Because for every $50 you earn, you get 10 and they get 40.

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A tour bus driver is driving with a bus load of seniors down a highway when he is tapped on his shoulder by a little old lady. She offers him a handful of peanuts, which he gratefully munches up. After about 15 minutes, she taps him on his shoulder again and she hands him another handful of peanuts. She repeats this gesture about five more times. When she is about to hand him another batch again he asks the little old lady, " Why then don't you eat the peanuts yourself?".  "We can't chew them because we've no teeth," she replied.  The puzzled driver asks, "Why do you buy them then?"  The old lady replied, "We just love the chocolate around them."

WE ARE JUST SO READY TO MOVE ON AND BEGIN A NEW CHAPTER, BUT……………………

Despite it being overcast Sunday morning I knew both Pheebs and I were needing a change of scenery and something different to do.  Brewed myself up a coffee, heated up one of our Safeway blueberry muffins, tossed the cameras in the Jeep and off we went.  Without all the abundant roads of Bayfield’s Huron County back home it’s always a challenge where to go here.  Picked a route we had done just a few days ago but only we did it in the opposite direction.  Congress to Stanton, picked up the Old Staged Coach Road and slowly chugged our way up the Weaver Mountains to Yarnell and back to Congress.  Not a lot of anything new to see but it was just nice to be out putt-putting along on some quiet old dusty roads just like we so often do back home during the summer months in Bayfield………..

HEADING NORTH UP OLD STAGECOACH ROAD

LOOKING BACK SOUTHWARD TO THE ROAD WE HAVE JUST TRAVELED

WOULD LIKE TO STAND HERE DURING A HEAVY MONSOON RAIN TO WATCH THE WATER CASCADING DOWN THAT DRY WASH ON THE LEFT

PHEEBS WANTED TO STOP AND SEE HER COW PALS SO THAT’S WHAT WE DID

ONE JUST NEVER KNOWS JUST WHAT’S AROUND THE NEXT BEND IN ONE’S LIFE

WHERE WE’RE GOING

WHERE WE’VE BEEN

ENJOYING SOME AUTUMN SCENERY ALONG THE WAY

STOPPED AT A SCENIC OUTLOOK WE WATCH A COUPLE RV’S CAREFULLY DESCENDING DOWN THE LONG WINDING YARNELL HILL

FROM THE SAME SCENIC LOOKOUT WE WATCHED A FEW CARS ASCENDING UP THE 2 LANED YARNELL HILL

We’re doing Okay but this whole ‘house sale’ thing is turning out to be very stressful for us.  We are so ready to move on and begin a new chapter in the life and times of The Bayfield Bunch but until our house sells we have to patiently bide our time…………………..

GROANER’S CORNER:))  Joe sets up Michael to go on a blind date with a friend of his. But Michael is a little worried about going out with someone he's never seen before.  "What do I do if she's ugly?" says Mike, "I'll be stuck with her all night."  "Don't worry." Joe says, "just go up to her door and meet her first. If you like what you see, then everything goes as planned.   If you don't, just shout Aaaaaauuuggghhh! and fake an asthma attack."  So that night, Mike knocks at the girl's door and when she comes out he is awe-struck at how beautiful and sexy she is.   He's about to speak when the girl suddenly shouts, "Aaaaaauuuggghhh!"