Saturday, December 09, 2017

I SAT ON MY MUFFIN AND THE ‘JOHN C HINDMARSH’ MAITLAND WOODS TRAIL PART 1

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AT THE TIME OF POSTING THIS TONIGHT IT WAS STILL SNOWING AT OUR HOUSE

Yes it’s true, I sat on my muffin this morning.  Kelly bought a package of 6 morning glory muffins at the Mennonite bakery south of Bayfield last week.  I took one of those muffins out of the fridge this morning and popped it into a paper bag.  Walked out to the Jeep, opened the passenger door and tossed the muffin bag onto the driver’s seat.  Intention was to walk around and when getting in pick up the bag and place it where I wanted it.  Opened the back door and Pheebs jumped in.  Took me probably all of 3 seconds to walk around to the drivers side of the car and in that time all muffin thoughts, memories, and locations were totally erased from my mind.  As per usual I didn’t even notice the paper bag on the drivers seat.  And even if I had I would have wondered, ‘what the heck is a paper bag doing lying on the driver’s seat.’ and then probably have sat on it anyway.   Jumped into the Jeep and off we went.  Wasn’t until I picked up a coffee in downtown Bayfield minutes later that I re-noticed the bag on the front seat.  ‘What the heck’ I thought as I returned with a coffee.  ‘Somebody must have put that bag on my seat while I was in the coffee shop’.  Then I clued in.  I had sat on my muffin.  But the little giggling Gremlins hadn’t quite finished with me yet………………….

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MY FLATTENED MORNING GLORY MUFFIN

On our Friday drive to Goderich and back the slightly snow covered paved roads were way over loaded with corrosive road salt and by the time we arrived home the Jeep was totally encrusted in the miserable stuff.  So, the next stop after the coffee shop was the Bayfield car wash.  With the correct coinage into the little box I was soon hosing down the Jeep with high pressure water.  Moving around to the passenger side I noticed a blast of water going through the half open window.  I had the window open for Pheebs who incidentally was by now in the back seat trying to cover herself up with a blanket.   With sprayer in hand I dashed around to the drivers side, opened the door, turned the key to accessory and punched the button to close the window, which it did.  Remember now the sprayer was going in my left hand which was supposed to be pointed outside of the Jeep.  Well it wasn’t and I ended up power washing the interior drivers side door.  Not my best morning but luckily that was the end of my forgetfulness for the day.

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I KEEP COFFEE MONEY CHANGE IN THIS HAND WELL IN THE DRIVER’S DOOR AND YOU CAN SEE A FEW COINS SUBMERGED IN THE POWER WASH WATER

Under cold cloudy skies it was a drab looking landscape we drove through but at least we got out and about.  These kind of starts to the day are very instrumental in getting me started off on the right foot everyday.  Barring of course flat muffins and interior pressure washer jobs!!

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WE CRUISED THROUGH TURBINE TERRITORY

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AND YES I GUESS THAT WOULD BE ‘THE BARN’ ALRIGHT

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A LIGHT DUSTING OF SNOW ON AREA ROADS AND ONE OF OUR LEG STRETCH STOPS ALONG THE WAY

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Didn’t take many photos this morning but I do have a series of photos taken last Sunday morning when Pheebs and I returned to and walked the entire length of the John C. Hindmarsh trail in the Maitland Woods located in Goderich’s south end.  Took too many photos to include them all in one post so I will spread them out over 3 posts.  Below is Part 1 of our Sunday morning walk in the Maitland Woods.  Photos are in sequence from start to finish.  An earlier walk on a different part of the Marsh trail can be seen here…..Maitland Woods.

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WE STARTED AT THE BOTTOM WHERE IT SAYS ‘YOU ARE HERE’ AND DID THE RED TRAIL ALL WAY ROUND FROM RIGHT TO LEFT

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DESPITE IT BEING A WINDY SUNDAY MORNING WE WERE WELL PROTECTED IN THE FOREST

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I LIKE HOW TREE IDENTIFICATION IS DONE WITH THESE WOODEN SIGNS

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BEING A BIT SWAMPY THERE ARE FERNS AND FUNGI

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IT’S AN EASY WALK TRAIL WITH NO HILLS OR TOUGH SPOTS

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THOUGHT THIS AND ODD TREE CUT

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A DOWNED BIRCH TREE WITH ONE OF SEVERAL BLACK FUNGAS KNOBS GROWING ON IT

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ONE SECTION OF TRAIL HAD A LOT OF BENT AND BROKEN TREES AND I CAN ONLY SURMISE A STRONG WIND DOWN DRAFT OR TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THIS AREA AT ONE TIME

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THE TRAIL IS ALMOST FAIRY LIKE IN PLACES AND ONE EXPECTS TO SEE GNOMES AND PIXIES PLAYING UNDER THE TREES

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SUNLIGHT BEAMS INTO THE FOREST ALONG THE EDGE OF A FIELD

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WE FOLLOWED THE ‘WHITE SLASH’ TRAIL MARKERS

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NICE TO SEE SUNCAST SHADOWS ALONG THE TRAIL

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THERE ARE A LOT OF BOARDWALKS CROSSING OVER SWAMPY AREAS ALONG THIS TRAIL

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It was early afternoon when the gentle picture post card snowfall began.  Large snowflakes lazily making their way down through our tall pine trees.  No winds to whip them into a frenzy so they just took their time floating earthward.  It’s the best kind of snow fall one can hope for……if one is hoping for a snowfall that is.

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SNOW IS SLOWLY BEGINNING TO ACCUMULATE

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A SNOWY LITTLE SQUIRREL WATCHES ME AT THE COMPUTER FROM A TREE OUTSIDE ONE OF OUR SUNROOM WINDOWS

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  Good King Wenceslas phoned Domino's for a pizza.  The salesgirl asked him:-  'Do you want your usual?  Deep pan, crisp and even?

- Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present! '

- How many ears has Captain Kirk got?
Three: the left ear, the right ear, and the final front ear.

- When is a boat like a pile of snow?
When it's adrift.

- Did you hear about the optometrist who fell into a lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself?

- Doctors tell us there are over seven million people who are overweight.  These, of course, are only round figures.

- There were two ships. One was painted red.  One was painted blue.  They collided.  At last report, the survivors were marooned.

- Christmas: The time of year when everyone gets Santamental.

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Tissue.
Tissue Who?
All I Want For Christmas Tissue...

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Friday, December 08, 2017

BEEN LOOKING AT MY BENCHMARK ATLAS’S TODAY

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DISTANT ICE FORMATIONS ALONG THE LAKE HURON SHORELINE

A cold gray day but that’s Okay because before too long we’re going away.  Not much happening here as it turned out to be kind of a routine Friday, or Tuesday or Saturday or whatever day it is or was.  Pheebs and I did get up to Goderich and back and that was about it.  Hauled out my Benchmark Atlas's this afternoon.

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SPOTTED THE BRIDGE OF A SHIP TUCKED IN BEHIND SOME HARBOR BUILDINGS

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SLIPPED OVER TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HARBOR AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THE BOW OF THE SHIP NOSE TO NOSE WITH A CONSTRUCTION BARGE

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IT WAS THE SHIP’S NAME I WAS LOOKING FOR AND THERE IT WAS…THE CHINESE BUILT ALGOMA MARINER

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WITH PAINT MISSING ON THE BOW IT TAKES ON A LARGE SHARKLIKE APPEARANCE

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MUST BE A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SHIP AND THEY HAVE TO KEEP PUMPING THE WATER OUT D’YA THINK:))

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LOOKS LIKE THAT BOW HAS A FEW MILES ON IT

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NOT SURE IF THEY ARE ON LOADING OR OFF LOADING

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THE ALGORAIL HAS BEEN DOCKED IN THIS SPOT FOR A FEW YEARS NOW…..NO IDEA WHAT HER FUTURE IS

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THE ALGOMA MARINER MAY WELL BE THE LONGEST FREIGHTER I’VE SEEN SO FAR

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Two weeks from tonight we will be on the eve of departure so I’ve been looking at my Benchmark Atlas’s again for some new Southwest winter destinations but nothing is leaping off the pages at me like it once did a decade ago.  I’m hoping once we get our RV hats on and the big wheels rolling we’ll fall right back into traveling mode like we always used to do.

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SPRAY FROM BREAKING WAVES HAS LEFT A COATING OF ICE ON THESE TREE BRANCHES

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A SECOND ACTIVE FREIGHTER IN THE HARBOR THIS MORNING WAS THE CUYAHOGA TAKING ON A LOAD OF SALT AT THE SIFTO SALT MINE 

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NOT TOO MANY OLD BRIDGES IN THE AREA LIKE THIS ONE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HARBOR NEAR THE MAITLAND VALLEY GOLF, CURLING, AND TENNIS CLUB

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I don’t know, maybe there is a bit of an age thing going on with Kelly and I.  We first noticed a change in our traveling selves back in early 2012.  We were tiring of living in the Motorhome month after month each winter and found ourselves looking forward to heading home to Bayfield Ontario earlier that year.  Then in early March we found and bought a house in Congress Arizona.  That immediately energized us and solved our problem and for the next three winters we were enthusiastically busy working on the house and totally enjoying it.  By the fourth winter we were tiring of just sitting around the house most of the time so just about a year ago now we solved that problem and sold the house.  How great it was to be back on the road boon-docking around the Southwest again for the next couple months.  About the end of February we again, just like in February of 2012, found ourselves just kinda wanting to go home.  I had a bit of a medical scare in mid March and that was all it took for us to make fast tracks and skee-daddle back to Bayfield Ontario.  Had an unusually contented Summer and Fall and my usual nagging restlessness to hit the road in October was not nearly as strong as in previous RV years.  Same goes for Kelly.  Maybe it’s some of the on going medical stuff we’re both dealing with that has taken a little traveling wind out of our sails.  Maybe it’s other things too and maybe, just maybe it could finally be a touch of contentment with myself.  But wait a minute!!  Nawwwwww say it isn’t so, cant be, I’m not that old yet, neither is Kelly!!!!  But maybe, just maybe………………………….

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GROANER’S CORNER:((   According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.  Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.  We should have known... ONLY women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

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The 4 stages of life:
1. You believe in Santa Claus
2. You don't believe in Santa Claus
3. You dress up as Santa Claus
4. You look like Santa Claus

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- It's beginning to cost a lot like Christmas.

- This holiday season, in lieu of gifts, I've decided to give everyone my opinion.

- I had a dream about my kids finding their gifts early or as I like to call it "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

- Dear Christmas Carolers, the only thing that can bring "Joy To The World" is a "Silent Night".

- Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.

What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a new job the next day.

Knock Knock!
Whos there?
Mary and Abby!
Mary and Abby who?
Mary Christmas and a Abby New Year.

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