THE DOORS, JOSE FELICIANO, AND THE VENTURES ON A SULTRY SUMMER AFTERNOON IN 1968

Cool enough this morning for me to put a light jacket on before heading out around eight.  Within a couple hours the jacket was off and Pheebs had all the windows down.  Beautiful Sunday morning and we were home before we had to fire up the A/C.  Bonus:))

A WILD TURKEY HIDING IN A FIELD

'WHERE DID THAT WILD TURKEY GO DAD'

Too hot for an afternoon walk with Pheebs but late afternoon heat began cooling down and by early evening it was comfortable enough for us to hit the trail for a stroll.  The cooler air also held the bugs down to a dull roar.

CHICORY AND SWEET PEA

Kelly's RV site had brought up an 02 Pleasure Way Camper Van for sale in Tara Ontario this morning and we got a little excited about it for awhile until we looked closer at the floor plan and realized there was no way it would work for us.  We are currently considering a 98 Dodge Road Trek 190 Versatile that does have a floor plan we could probably make work.  We intend to have a look at it this coming week when the owners return home from a car trip to their cottage.  We have first dibs on the van so we'll see what we think of it.  Yes we know these vans are small compared to the big Motorhomes we've had over the years but small is where we are at now and small is what we want.  Things have changed for us and we have to go with those changes if we want to keep our RV hats in the ring and hopefully continue to do a little traveling even if it's a short trip to the corner store with a washroom break thrown in....if you know what I mean:))

It was the summer of 1968 and I was renting a basement apartment in an old country hotel called the Red Lion Inn built at the turn of the century.  Not much of a surrounding community here but what was there was called Doon Ontario.  Doon is south of Kitchener and nearby is Conestoga College where I attended one year of college in a course called 'Creative Arts'.  Well I think that was the name of it.  A lot of drinking and carousing back in those days so memories are a little foggy all these years later.  There was nobody else living in the Inn at the time I was there.  Just me all by myself in an old dark and slightly haunted basement apartment.  I was right into the current 60's music at the time (beer, cigarettes, and other stuff too) and I recall one sultry summer afternoon sitting on the living room floor surrounded by some pretty heavy duty stereo equipment.  A big amp and big speakers.  My friend Len who went by the name of Tex back then dabbled in electronics and at the time had left his big stereo set-up at my place.  My basement location was ideal for lots of loud and raucous parties and friends were constantly coming and going.  Len was one of those friends so he figured it better to leave his stereo at my place for the parties.  With me sitting on the floor that summer's day I had a flood of music albums scattered about.  Some were mine some belonged to other people.  But it was 3 of my own albums in particular I was interested in and one particular 'same song' from each one of those albums.  I kept playing that same song on each album over and over and over.  And I played that one particular song loud enough to nearly rattle the old cobwebbed basement windows right out of their frames.  The song I am referring to is one of my all time favorites to this very day and can still stop me in my tracks to listen to it.  One of the albums was by 'Jose Feliciano', another by 'The Ventures' and the key album originating the song was by 'The Doors.  One of my favorite hard driving rock groups of all times.  The song of course was 'Light My Fire' and it had me hooked.  Still does.  I sat there on the floor that day continuously playing the Door's original song plus Feliciano and the Ventures versions.  It was Jim Morrison's always mesmerizing voice along with Ray Manzarek's haunting organ and Robbie Krieger's lilting guitar playing that had me transfixed.  Couple all that with John Densmore's solid drum background and the song became a classic.  Robbie Krieger actually originated that song.  Jose Feliciano's version is great in it's own right and I really love The Ventures driving guitars on their 'Light My Fire' rendition as well.  A couple night's ago I sat myself down at my computer, put on my headphones, brought up You Tube and located Light My Fire by the Doors, Jose Feliciano, and the Ventures, cranked the volume and just about blew my ears off.  Like I have said many times in my blog it has been the solid consistency of music for as long as I can remember that has brought me more overall enjoyment than anything else.  Never learned to play an instrument but I sure have learned how to listen to and thoroughly appreciate and enjoy many different genres of music.  And for that I am very thankful to all the great past and present creative musicians of the world.  Thanks for helping to make many of my days worthwhile folks:))  'Light My Fire by The Doors -- Jose Feliciano -- The Ventures

BEAN FIELD

BEAN PLANTS ARE UP ABOUT 4 INCHES BUT NO BEANS ON THEM YET

AHHHH YES EARLY SIGNS OF THE COMING AUTUMN

Try as I might using Google Earth Maps today I could not pinpoint Doon's old Red Lion Inn.  In fact Doon doesn't even exist anymore since being taken over by the city of Kitchener.  I have to assume the old Inn was torn down years ago to make way for Kitchener's ever expanding suburbs.  On Google Maps when I went to where I remembered the Inn to be nothing looked familiar except for the Homer Watson Art Gallery.   The whole area is now pretty much covered by sub divisions.  I only lived in that old Inn for a few turbulent summer months but some of the memories I have of what went on there in the summer of 68 are still with me:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((    Things that make you go hmmmmmm...

How come wrong numbers are never busy? 

Do people in Australia call the rest of the world 'up over'? 

Does killing time damage eternity? 

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard? 

Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips? 

Why is it that night falls but day breaks? Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand? 

Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the radio? 

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons? 
Can you buy an entire chess set in a pawn-shop? 
Day light savings time - why are they saving it and where do they keep it? 
Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as '4's'? 
Do you think that when they asked George Washington for ID that he just whipped out a quarter? 
Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations? 
How can there be self-help 'groups'?
--------------------
A four-year-old girl was learning to say the Lord's Prayer. She was reciting it all by herself without help from her mother.  She said, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail." 
===============

OKAY SO WHAT ABOUT OUR PLANS NOW TO GET ANOTHER RV

A big thank you to everyone for your concerns, advice, and helpful thoughts.  Very much appreciated and I will definitely read up and consider all suggestions offered.  The more one is armed with the facts the better the chances one has of the outcome.

ANOTHER NICE QUIETLY PEACEFUL SATURDAY MORNING DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY

A warm sunshiny morning meant we were in for a hot day but early this morning it was a quiet  Saturday morning in the countryside south of Bayfield.  A few farmers out and about in their fields.  Always nice to see cows leisurely grazing in a patchwork quilt of rural fields and  fertile farmlands.

WOW SURE LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE IS GETTING THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE DELIVERED EARLY THIS YEAR

HERE'S A NICE FARM PROPERTY FOR SALE AND IT'S ONLY A MILLION DOLLARS TOO

Kelly headed off about mid morning to her daughter Rebecca's house in Kitchener where Becky, Ricardo, little Ella and Gramma Kelly attended an afternoon funeral in Cambridge.  I stayed home with the Pheebs.  Took our battery powered mower for a spin around the yard, whipper snippered some weeds, and fired up the leaf blower to rid our front porch of accumulated pine needles, etc.  With more miserable humidity in the air those few outside activities soon turned me into a big ball of sticky paste so had to come in and throw myself under the cooling waters of a shower.

I THINK THESE GALS WERE GIVING ME THE 'BUMS RUSH' HERE

OH COME ON GIRLS NOW REALLY, IS THAT YOUR BEST SIDE

'OH-OH' I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT....LOOKS LIKE I AM FACING THE 'CHARGE OF THE COW BRIGADE'

This latest Kindle book I am reading called Anatomy Of A Song has me really hopping back and forth from the book to the computer.  As I read the backstory of each song I bring it up on You Tube and listen carefully for the unknown things that went into the making of that particular piece of music.  For example on the Young Rascals song 'Groovin' there is a harmonica part.  On the day they recorded the song they didn't have a harmonica player but somebody in the studio remembered the maintenance/janitor guy in the building played a harmonica.  They rounded him up and that is who played harmonica on the song.  The backstory on many of the songs I've read about so far are like that.  They have come together sometimes at the last minute by crash, crush, and crumble.  A few of the songs I've read about so far are 'Light My Fire' by the Doors, 'White Rabbit' by the Jefferson Airplane, 'You Really Got Me'- the Kinks, You've Lost That Lovin Feeling'- Righteous Brothers, and 'My Girl' by the Temptations.  Those are just some of the few.  Coming up are songs by Steppenwolf, Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, Gladys Knight, The Allman Brothers, Tammy Wynette, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, and Merle Haggard, etc, etc, and etc.   

A FEW CATCH-UP PHOTOS FOR G & C WAY OVER THERE ON CANADA'S EAST COAST

So Okay what has this prostate cancer diagnosis done to our future RV plans.  Well not too much really.  We have talked about it a bit and decided not to slam the RV Travel door shut on our toes just yet.  We will continue to keep an eye out for a smaller RV such as an older Pleasure Way van.  Something simple and easily driveable for Kelly too.  Something that will go through a McDonalds drive-thru, take us up Montezuma's Grade in Borrego Springs California, or weave us nicely through Florida's manic traffic.  As long as we have an onboard washroom, shower, fridge, stove, microwave, and a comfortable place to sit and sleep we just might be able to make it doable for us.  The last two things are the biggest challenges for us.  Road Treks have a lot of possibilities but we think the wide body Pleasure Way vans offer a little more comfort and roominess.  We'll keep our eyes open and see what happens.

Too hot and humid to take Pheebs for a walk this afternoon and too many biting bugs in the air.  Especially those miserable Deer Flys!!  I am so much looking forward to Autumn's cooler and much healthier air.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( As a sergeant in a parachute regiment I took part in several night time exercises. Once, I was seated next to a Lieutenant fresh from Jump School.  He was quiet sad looked a bit pale so I struck up a conversation. "Scared, Lieutenant?", I asked. He replied, "No, just a bit apprehensive." I asked, "What's the difference?" He replied, "That means I'm scared with a university education."

-----------------------

“I asked the doctor how my check-up went.  All he said was, 'Get will soon.'”

--------------------------

What's the difference between a duck and George Washington? One has a bill on their face and the other has their face on a bill.

=================== 

MY UROLOGIST'S OFFICE CALLED WITH THE RESULTS OF MY PROSTATE BIOPSY

Well I guess there is no point in beating around the bush.  My Urologist's office called Thursday afternoon with the results of my prostate biopsy a couple weeks ago and I have tested positive for prostate cancer.

The lady on the phone said she would send a requisition to the blood clinic at Goderich's Maitland Valley Medical Clinic right away and I was to get that blood work done as soon as possible.  She also said she will get back to me with the dates of two scans I now need to have.  One is a Bone Scan and the other is a Cat Scan.  It will depend on the results of these two scans as to what happens next.  Lady on the phone also said Doctor Bukala would speak with me at that time to discuss my options. 

Okay, so how do I feel about all this??  First let me say I was not surprised by the diagnosis.  I had kind of expected and had a feeling it was going to come back positive.  I've been gearing myself up for that eventuality for quite awhile now.  Some other symptoms besides my high PSA numbers had made themselves known awhile back.  As I have said many, many, times in my posts over the years I am a realistic thinker and know enough not to fool myself by sugar coating things.  Not a matter of positive or negative thinking for me, just a matter of thinking realistically about where I am, where I am going, and how I am going to handle things.  So, from that standpoint today I begin an unknown journey and we'll see where it takes me.  It is still my intention to share my thoughts and feelings about all this just as I have been doing with most everything else these past number of blogging years.

Okay, enough about all that stuff for now so let's get on with our usual ho-hum daily happenings.  Temperatures really plummeted Thursday evening and I think we may have even dropped into the high 50's overnight.  What a pleasant relief from the past few days heat and miserable humidity.

Because I had to go to Goderich for bloodwork later this morning it was a shorter drive for Pheebs and I.  Slipped out around our usual route Southeast of Bayfield for an hour or so.  Reason for not doing the bloodwork earlier in the morning was to avoid the crowd.  Most bloodwork folks pile in there first thing in the morning and it's standing room only sometimes in the little waiting room they have.  

NICE LOOKING MORNING AT BAYFIELD'S BEACH EARLIER TODAY

'OKAY AGNESS WHO'S THIS GUY HANGING AROUND OVER HERE'!!

'OH ALBERT DO I DETECT SOME JEALOUSY HERE'

Home again we picked up Kelly who had a few errands in Goderich and we all headed off under cool cloudy skies.  Took care of Kelly's errands first then headed for the blood clinic.  I was surprised there were only 4 people ahead of me and doubly surprised when they took me right in ahead of the others.  I have no idea why but I sure didn't look at anyone in the waiting room on my way out.  I am sure they were all glaring daggers at me.

Our next stop was A&W for a couple Teen-burgers then over to Wendys for a couple Frosties.  We were back home shortly after 12.  

The un-named pink flowers in my Thursday post have been identified Sweet Pea.  Thanks to an email from blog reader Les and a blog comment from fellow Blogster Stew at The Furry Gnome for their response.  I just can't seem to retain flower names from season to season.  Birds and shrubs and a whole bunch of other stuff fall into that same category as well.

SWEET PEA

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man is skydiving, enjoying his free-fall, when he realizes that he has reached the altitude where he must open his parachute. So he pulls on the rip cord, but nothing happens. “No problem,” he says to himself, “I still have my emergency chute.” So he pulls the rip cord on his emergency parachute, and once again, nothing happens.  Now the man begins to panic. “What am I going to do?” he thinks, “I'm a goner!” Just then he sees a man flying up from the earth toward him. He can't figure out where this man is coming from, or what he's doing, but he thinks to himself, “Maybe he can help me. If he can't, then I'm done for.” When the man gets close enough to him, the skydiver cups his hands and shouts down, “Hey, do you know anything about parachutes?” The other man replies, “No! Do you know anything about lighting a gas stove?”
=====================================