PROBABLY JUST THE DREGS OF WINTER CATCHING UP

With another heavy cloud cover I found it hard to drum up any kind of enthusiam this morning.  A Jeep ride to Goderich and back would have remained photoless if I hadn't come across a few horses along the way. I guess it's the dregs of winter finally catching up with me.  A rabbit in the front yard and a few splashes of sunlight on an afternoon walk with Pheebs pretty much sums up the day.

I think it's fair to say at this point we will not be traveling anywhere south this winter.   Had we found an acceptable smaller RV we might have made it but at this time of year there is not anything suitable in our area for sale.  Lots in the States of course but with the dollar exchange between our two countries being what it is buying a vehicle in the States is financially impactable.  Plans are to continue looking for a small Class C or B for future travels here in our own area come Spring, Summer, and Fall.  Next winter??  Who knows:((  

Goderich hospital called today saying my CT Scan Monday did not turn up any abnormalities with my lungs.  Next will be a blood test for diabetes.  Oh the joys of aging eh.

WE HAD ABOUT 30 SECONDS OF SUNSHINE THIS AFTERNOON AND THERE IT IS

Update  Just before posting this tonight I read Suzie's latest update on her husband George. (Our Awesome Travels) George passed away this morning after a short but valiant battle with cancer.  Very sad.  I will have more to say tomorrow...………………...  

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Seeing her friend Marcia wearing a new locket, Ashley asks if there is a memento of some sort inside.“Yes,” says Marcia, “a lock of my husband’s hair.”  “But Larry’s still alive?”  “I know, but his hair is gone.”------------------------
Why do Morris dancers wear bells?
So they can annoy blind people as well.
-----------------------
“What did one piece of rope say to the other before going into battle? 'Shall we join the fray?'”
----------------------

=====================

ROUTINE DAY HERE BUT 'AN ARCHIVE POST' TAKES US INTO ARIZONA'S DRAGOON MOUNTAINS IN SEARCH OF COCHISE'S COUNCIL ROCKS

Up for a washroom break at 3 a.m. I noticed how bright our front yard snow looked outside and figured we had clear skies overhead with a Moon shining down and that was going to make for a sunny sunrise start to our day.  Nope, never happened as Pheebs and I rolled out under cloudy gray skies yet again.

Slipped through Bayfield checking my usual spots for any signs of change in anything.  Some kind of project going on at the shore end of Bayfield's south pier.  Also noticed at Bayfield's bridge construction site the big yellow crane has been moved from the south side of the Bayfield River to the north side so I'm assuming they will be pounding some long steel girders into the ground there.  No progress at Tim Hortons so I didn't bother taking a picture.  No point in wasting all that good film eh:))

SOME KIND OF A WORK PROJECT ON BAYFIELD'S SOUTH PIER

THE BAYFIELD BRIDGE PROJECT IS PROGRESSING RIGHT ALONG

Our usual route southeast of Bayfield netted us a few photos along the way and I was encouraged to see brightening skies to the south and those brighter skies seemed to be heading our way.

HEY IS THAT A SLIGHT SUN GLOW I SEE IN THAT PUDDLE

 

CAME ACROSS TWO MINOR WASHOUTS ON THIS ROAD WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN FILLED WITH GRAVEL

THIS WINTER COVER CROP IS STILL HOLDING ON TO IT'S GREEN

It was exactly 9:23 when a faint sun splash landed on the road in front of us and I quickly speeded up to get ourselves into it.  Nice.  Five minutes later we parked the Jeep and bailed out for a walk in one of our favorite old walking spots near Kerr's Campground.

A FAINT PATCH OF SUNLIGHT AS WE BEGIN A WALK DOWN THIS BUMPITY DEAD END ROAD

 

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN...….GLORIOUS SUNSHINE:)))))

'HEY LET'S GO THIS WAY DAD'

'UMMM I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA PHEEBS'

'I THINK YOUR RIGHT DAD'

'OKAY LET'S GO THE OTHER WAY'

Sunshine was intermittent but we scooped up every shining ray to the max.  Back to the Jeep half an hour later skies had clouded over and we never saw the sunshine again for the rest of the day.  We were home about 10:30.

HOW GREAT TO SEE A TOUCH OF SUN ON A CLOUDY MORNING

HEY A SNOWY SUNSPLASH 

THERE IS SUNLIGHT IN THAT ICE

PHEEBS LIKES TO GRAZE ON GRASS AND IT IS SOMETIMES HARD TO FIND IN THE WINTER

BY GOLLY I SEE THE SHADOW COWBOY'S HAT

DISTANT GRAY CLOUDS ARE THICKENING UP

Temps hung around the freezing mark for most of the day making it feel cold and damp.  Some of our snow melted and a pine tree walk this afternoon was doable although a bit slushy on the trail.

LOOKS MORE LIKE SPRING THAN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY

Every once and awhile I slip back to see where and what we were doing a year ago and when I look back a year ago today I see I was so happy to be back in the Southwest's Sonoron desert again I gave a tall spiky Saquaro cactus a great big hug:))))

Goderich Shoreline Restoration  Here's a short video by CTV News on restoration work along Goderich's Lake Huron shoreline.  Goderich, in a unanimous town council vote Monday night has declared a 'climate emergency'.  They now join over 1,000 jurisdictions in 25 countries who also declared an emergency in the past two years.  Goderich is currently spending over a million dollars on their shoreline project.

MELTING SNOW CUTS MINUTE CANYONS ON A GRAVEL ROAD

::An Archive Post::  December 20th 2010 found the Bayfield Bunch in Arizona's Cochise County on another one of their day trip searches for the old west.  A great day for us.  Our Sunday Search For Cochise's Council Rocks.  Remember to click on any of the photos to enlarge them when you get there

::Al's Musical Favs:: Pike's Nights by Schwarz and Funk.  A nice easy flowing feel good piece.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I was asking my friend at what point did Celsius and Fahrenheit become the same.  One of my other buddies quickly chimed in, "-40 degrees..."Impressed I said, "I didn't know you were so knowledgeable in weather science?"  "I'm not," he said. "But I have been to Minnesota."
---------------------
Computers are like air conditioners. They work fine until you start opening windows.
---------------------

When the saviour of Nottingham Forest got an honorary degree from Oxford, he had to wear a robe and hood.
----------------------

===================

FASTEST CT SCAN OF EVER AND I WAS HOME AGAIN BEFORE I KNEW I HAD EVEN LEFT

Guess the best thing I can say about today is that our temperature managed to struggle itself back up to the freezing mark but just barely.  Skies remained overcast so it was hard to find any outside inspiration anywhere.  Well until one looked a little closer at things.

Needed some birdseed so it was off in the direction of Clinton we headed with a stop at the Sun Country Eco store.  Decaf coffee to go at Tim Hortons and it was out around the Hullett Marsh we did go.  Most roads into the Marsh itself are closed for the season so we just scrambled around on a couple country roads bordering the Marsh.  

HULLETT MARSH ROADS CLOSED

THE MARSH IS ENCOMPASSED BY ROADS RUNNING NORTH-SOUTH-EAST-WEST AND THIS MORNING WE DROVE THE WEST SIDE AND HALF OF THE NORTH SIDE

Not much going on out there during this time of year and never saw any wildlife.  We were home again shortly after ten.

CAME ACROSS THIS BERRY LADEN BUSH WITH COLORED ICYCLES

HAD TO BE JUICE DRIPPING FROM THE BERRIES IN SUNDAY'S RAIN THEN FREEZING

A month ago or so I was talking about maybe trying out Adobe's Lightroom photo editing program.  Well, once again maybe for the third or fourth time I decided to do myself a favor and save myself a lot of anguish and not do it.  I was close to pulling the trigger on it this time but knew it would also cause unneeded grief for Kelly as well.  I know I would get stressed out, frustrated, and impatient with myself and that would blow back on Kelly in the form of stress as she would try to smooth the troubled waters and help me out.  Neither one of us need that.  So I will continue to use Picasa which has been working well for me for years.  As I've said many times in the past, I'm not a perfectionist and do not need to knock myself out agonizing over getting 'perfect photos'.  With no interest in trying to sell any of my photos it only matters that both I and my readers are satisfied with the photos I publish in my blog.  So far so good and I'm happily satisfied with that:))

FIELDS ARE STILL FLOODED

Also decided I may as well stay with the Blogger format rather than Live Writer.  Even though Live Writer is the superior program it is prone to sudden break-downs and unexpected errors.  Clumsy Blogger at least has a good 'no break-downs' track record.  Well at least as long as I have been with it.  (touch wood of course)

A heavy wet snow began falling around noon but soon turned to a light rain.  Roads became a slushy mess as I made my way to Goderich for my CT Scan.  From the time I entered the hospital to the time I exited the hospital was less than 10 minutes.  My time in the CT Scan machine was maybe 4 minutes.  Zip-zip and away I went.  I was home again before I hardly even knew I had left.  

STOPPED AT THIS BRIDGE TO CHECK THE WATER LEVEL WHICH IS USUALLY A TRICKLING LITTLE WALK ACROSS CREEK

'WOW' WHERE DID THE GENTLE LITTLE STREAM GO....THIS IS THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BRIDGE WITH WATER COMING TOWARDS ME OUT OF THE MARSH

NORTH SIDE OF THE BRIDGE WITH WATER FLOWING AWAY FROM ME....BY THE WAY, ANYTIME I'M AROUND ANYTHING LIKE THIS I DO NOT LET PHEEBS OUT OF THE JEEP

ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF THE CREEK THIS FARMER'S FIELD IS TOTALLY UNDER WATER

ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE CREEK THIS FARMERS FIELD  IS ALSO UNDER WATER

ALTHOUGH TEMPORARY IT'S A GREAT PLACE FOR THESE CANADA GEESE TO HANG OUT

::Memory Lane:: December 2nd 2008 found us in New Mexico at the Gila Cliff Dwellings.  These were the early years of our Snowbirding RV lifestyle and in retrospect these were our best years when everything was so new for us. We were younger and eager to go places we had never gone before and everything was still so exciting. My post for the day is here at The Gila Cliff Dwellings and my photo album is here at Cliff Dwellings.

AN OLD HOMESTEAD LOT WHERE ONCE HOUSE AND BARN STOOD PROUD

::Al's Musical Favs::  Wintertime by Haygood Hardy.  With the dregs of winter hard upon us now midway through January here is a really pleasant piece of music that I am sure will take many folks back in time to frozen ponds, gently falling snow, skater's waltz, hot coco, warm mittens, and special winter friends. 

GROANER'S CORNER:((   Ed Miliband walks into a bank to cash a cheque. “Good morning”, says Ed, “could you please cash this cheque for me?” Cashier: “It would be my pleasure Sir, but could you please show me some identification?” Miliband: “Truthfully… I did not bring my ID with me as I didn’t think there was any need to. But hang on! I’m Ed Miliband, Leader of the Opposition and of the Labour Party!!!”  Cashier: "Yes Sir, I know who you are, but with all the regulations and monitoring of the banks because of impostors and forgers etc, I must insist on seeing some identification”. Miliband: “Just ask any of the customers here at the bank who I am and they will tell you. Everybody knows who I am!” Cashier: “I’m sorry Sir, but these are the bank rules and I must follow them”. Miliband: “I am urging you please, to cash this cheque for me”. Cashier: “Look Sir, this is what we can do. One day Colin Montgomery came into the bank without any ID. To prove he was Colin Montgomery he pulled out his putter and putted a ball along the floor and into a small cup. With that sort of skill we knew it was Colin Montgomery and we cashed his cheque. On another occasion, Andy Murray came in without any ID. He pulled out his tennis racquet and lobbed a tennis ball straight into my teacup with such a spectacular shot that we all knew it was Andy Murray and we cashed his cheque. So Sir, what can you do to prove that it is you and only you, as the Leader of the Opposition?”  Ed Miliband stood there thinking and thinking and then finally says, “To be honest, there is nothing that comes to my mind. I can’t think of a single thing that I’m any good at.”Cashier: “Will it be large or small notes you require Mr Miliband?”
--------------------------------------

===================