A BLAST FROM THE PAST BLOG

It's Sunday night in the sleepy pine forest. Spent the day in the gardens again & I'm sitting here at the computer trying to get the old tired brain motivated to-night. Not having much luck so I've opted to pull another blast from the past blog out of the hat. I wrote this one nearly a year ago when I accidentally caused the total destruction of my right hand pal. I call it............Ode To My Coffee Cup


It happened so quickly & my old friend was gone. In a hurry, coffee in hand, I headed out the back door to-day to see what the doggy guys were barking at. Not wanting to put my coffee pal in harm's way I reached out to set him on the deck railing whilst I headed down the steps to do battle with what was probably a chipmunk making faces at little Cora. It was the "thunk" behind me & the tell tale sounds of breaking pottery that reached my ears before my brain did. I knew instantly, my favorite coffee cup had just bit the dust. No point in even looking back as I continued out into the back yard to have words with the furry cast of noisy characters. It was good I had something to focus on for a few minutes before returning to....pick up the pieces:((My old friend & I first met in the Apache Canyon Trading Post near the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico back on December 22, 2006. The Bayfield Bunch had stopped in to have a look around after exploring the Carlsbad Caverns earlier in the day. I'm not much for hanging around in gift shops too long so after a quick amble through the place I was headed back for the door when I spotted him sitting quietly with a bunch of his brightly painted pottery friends on a shelf by the window.He had a tanned adobe look with colorful markings & a name that read, New Mexico. And I liked his black glazed interior. A handsome devil indeed. I knew right away we were made for each other as I gently lifted him up off the shelf & headed for the counter. It was the beginning of a friendship that would last nearly 2 years with many memorable moments spent to-gether, relaxing hand in hand. Sometimes beside me as we enjoyed many desert campfires, sometimes riding for endless miles up on the dash of the motorhome scouting the way ahead. There were times he helped me outside in my various projects around home, & other times rode with me to work. Occasionally he went missing for a day or two until I was able to locate him again sitting on a stump in the garden or a rock out in the yard someplace, just where I had carelessly left him. But most often as not, he was right here on my desk beside the computer as I plunked away at the dusty keys day after day.I will glue him back to-gether & then set him on a shelf near my bed where he will remain a fond memory of many, many, happy days gone by...............................I am going to miss my old traveling buddy. I am going to miss him a lot.

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NOT MUCH NEW:((

CHECKERS IS WAITING FOR HER LITTLE PAL CHIPPY CHIPMUNK TO COME OUT OF HIS HOUSE UNDER THAT ROCK & PLAY BALL

It's Saturday night & the second storm in a matter of hours is upon us as winds & rain sweep across Lake Huron from the far Michigan shores. Temperatures have plummeted so I had better get my woolies out again. MAYBE HIS MOM WON'T LET HIM COME OUT TO PLAY TO-DAY

Kelly's headed off to Spencerport New York in the morning for a few days to help her ailing Mother & Father as they deal with more medical issues & Doctor's appointments. Her Dad was in the U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima in the second world war & that marine in him is still fighting hard against the harsh adversaries of illness. WELL DAD, I'VE BEEN HERE AN HOUR NOW...........

My day to-day was much like the previous couple days. Wheelbarrowing pea stone, planting ferns & hostas, lining pathways with rocks, moving firewood logs, & a ka-zillion million other little things in between. Although my muscles are howling in protest I am so glad that I have finally got back into the swing of things again. Sure took a long time to get myself active this spring. Same thing happened last spring but my down time wasn't as long as this year. I have no idea what this means but I suspect it has something to do with this miserable aging process:((

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TOOK THE BIG WHEELS FOR A SPIN THIS MORNING

GATHERING STORM CLOUDS IN FRONT OF DEEPPARK LODGE'S HUTCH

Decided to take the big wheels for a drive this morning. First time the rig has been on the road since our return at the end of March. Everything checked out & ran smooth as toast. I could tell she just wanted to keep on going & going & going. Remember Nancy Sinatra's song, "These Boots Are Made For Walking??" Well, these Motorhomes are made for driving.....10-4:)) THIS LONE SAILBOAT RACES FOR SAFE HARBOR IN FRONT OF THE APPROACHING STORM

It has always amazed me how our yard outside can go from absolutely barren, gray, & desolate looking in the winter time to a lush emerald green tropical jungle look just a few months later. It is the upside of living in a land of changing seasons. The weather never really has time to get too boring & to-day was a good example of that. It was a picture perfect sunny day but about mid afternoon I thought I heard thunder out over the lake. Checked the weather map on the computer & sure enough we had a storm bearing down on us. Grabbed a camera & drove the short 2 miles over to Deerpark Lodge on the cliffs overlooking Lake Huron & snapped a few pics. Minutes later the rain was upon us & less than an hour after that we were in brilliant sunshine again. Gotta love this kind of weather. I'M DOING THE DRIVING THIS MORNING & THE BISBEE KIDS AT LOWER LEFT ARE WATCHING THE ROAD

Have you ever noticed that even though you are retired you still look forward to Fridays even though your not in the 5 day work loop anymore. TGIF:)) That is something ingrained in all of us right from kindergarten or grade one. We live our whole lives based on a 5 day school or work week with 2 days off on what we call a week-end. That is basically the rule for as long as we live. In latter years when many people retire & are no longer in the weekly grind they still look forward to Fridays & the end of the week. Makes no difference if every day is the same now, we still get that revved up feeling as the week-end approaches. TGIF....Thank Goodness It's Friday:)) MAX'S EARS ARE UP AS HE SENSES DEER AHEAD ON THE FOREST TRAIL

Funny how things work sometimes. Two days ago I was standing in our back yard thinking I should really go out to the bush & dig up some ferns to plant along the new privacy fence. To-day the phone rings & it's my friend Bruce on the other end saying his wife has just dug out a bunch of ferns in a neighbor's garden & if I don't want them she's going to take them to the dump. Have you ever seen a vapor trail behind a mini-van!! I was over there in a flash & ended up bringing home about 40 ferns. Like I said, funny how things work sometimes..........................................:)) THIS MORNING'S DEW ON A SPIDERWEB

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A VERY SOGGY DAY IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

A QUICK PHOTO OF RAINY RURAL ONTARIO ON MY WAY TO LONDON THIS MORNING

I generally start my day with Goober, Floyd, Howard, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee, & Andy at 5 a.m. Back to back episodes of the Andy Griffith Show followed by an interesting hour long program called Flightpath (about aircraft) lead into 60 minutes of laughs with Sam, Norm, Cliff, Woody, Carla, Rebecca, Frasier, & Liluth at the Cheers bar in downtown Boston. Nothing like that whistling tune of the Andy Griffith Show & the Cheers theme song to get anybody's day started off on the right foot. By 8 a.m. I'm armed with a good attitude (as long as I don't watch the morning news) & haul myself out of my recliner & take on another day of life's challenges which in turn reminds of the phrase, some days are better than other days.......sometimes!!

To advertise or not to advertise on the blog is something I've been thinking about for a long time. Personally I prefer to read blogs that are not cluttered with distracting, confusing, & uninteresting ads. I have come across some blogs that were so loaded with advertising it was hard to find the writer's actual blog. I have a short attention span for that sort of thing so just kept right on going. The advantage of advertising of course is the extra revenue for the RVing blogger. And we all can use extra income for sure. I guess if it was something I personally believed in or used I might consider it but until then I prefer the appearance of a clean non cluttered blog. Some blogs have music playing when you open them so I generally pass those blogs as well because when we are on the road with our limited bandwidth Verizon internet program every megabyte of use becomes very important & I don't want them used up by somebody else's music preferance. Besides, the music can become very annoying........very quickly!!

WAITING OUTSIDE OF UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN THE POURING RAIN

Well, I really botched that President Obama joke in Wednesday's blog. When that joke landed on my desktop it said they were moving a lump of coal to Mount Rushmore. Of course my logical mind read that & couldn't make the connection between a lump of coal & Mount Rushmore because we all know those famous Presidents were carved out of solid rock, not coal. Just figured the joke writer had chosen a poor example of rock so I went about re-writing the joke to say they were moving a large piece of granite rock. Afterall, the jokes focus was about President Obama being on Mt Rushmore......right?? Hmmmmm!! It wasn't until this morning when Kelly brought it to my attention about the connection between the coal's color & President Obama that I got the meaning of it. Now, here's the question......Would I have still included that joke in the blog if I had known the connection between the coal's color & President Obama. No, I would not have put it in the blog because it is obviously a very slanted rascist remark & I don't believe in that kind of thinking.

Nice drive to London's University Hospital with the mobility van in pouring rain this morning. At one point north of the city cars were pulled off on the roadside because of poor visibility. Lots of standing water in the fields & I also noticed the newly planted corn is up about 2 inches already. That rain continued until well after I was home so didn't get much done on my backyard project. Dumped 2 wheelbarrow loads of pea stone & that was it. Looking like a great weather day to-morrow so I'll have that wheelbarrow & shovel just a smokin first thing in the morning. Well, right after Norm & Cliff leave the bar that is:)) MANAGED TO SPREAD SOME MORE PEA STONE LATE THIS AFTERNOON

And remember, as of to-day there are 210 days left untill Christmas so you had better get your list started.

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MOVIN THE STONES, DODGING THE RAIN, MOVIN THE STONES!!

LILACS IN A PINE FOREST

I knew I would have to be fast on my feet this morning when I checked the local weather on the computer. Lots of rain headed our way with short breaks between the showers. Had a lot of pea stone to move so played cat & mouse with the big rain monster. Sometimes the mouse managed to move 4 or 5 wheelbarrow loads before getting swamped on by the great waterfall in the sky. Despite a raincoat I still ended up changing to 3 dry shirts eventually. There was no rush to move the pea stones but I woke up with the bit in my teeth this morning & just wanted to get outside & get at it........rain or shine!! Between downpours I zipped into the house & dashed off a few emails until the rain quit again & then back outside shoveling furiously before the next deluge. Finished the carport & am now working on putting pea stone around the newly renovated firepit area. Managed to replant some ferns & help a friend out with his Picasa photo program for a couple hours along the way too. AND THIS IS PEA STONE

I came across Joe & Sherri's blog last night......Somewhere In Time http://speedysgreatadventure.blogspot.com/ I liked what Joe wrote about this past Monday when he expressed his thoughts & feelings about the problems of aging. The transition from younger man to older man that is being experienced by so many of us RV folks. The slow loss of independance & as Joe puts it, slipping down a rung of the ladder. NEED SOME HELP DAD?? YOUR LOOKING A LITTLE SOGGILY POOPED

Is anyone else out there as confused about garbage bag sizes as I am!!!! Ever since our local garbage collector made everyone change from green garbage bags to clear garbage bags awhile back we've had a heck of a time finding the right size to fit our garbage can. It's doubly confusing up here in Canada because of all this centimeter & liter stuff. For example what is this 66cm x 91cm or 26po x 36po stuff all about. I know what po is because that is what I am right now about all this!! And 133 liter bags. What are ya going to dump in that one, an old Volkswagon!! One lady wanted us to measure the width of our garbage can which was a nineteen & a half inches. She said a 26 inch bag would fit....it didn't!! We've got garbage bags coming out our ears & none of them fit. Whaddya do with 57,492 garbage bags ya can't use. Then we decided to get a bigger sized garbage can with a lock proof lid to keep the coons out. So what are we gonna use for bags in that one......parachutes, because we later find out the store that sold the garbage can doesn't have the bags to fit them now. "Awwww rubbish" I said to the clerk. "Isle 42 section A sir for the rubbish department" she said to me. Ya, just as I thought.....& exited the store!!OK GUYS LET'S GO GET SOME COFFEE & DOGGY BISCUITS

To-morrow morning I'm off to London's University Hospital with a lady in the mobilty van. That will give me a nice break from fencing & wheelbarrowing for a few hours & also give me a chance to see if the farmers are planting their crops right side up this year. Hey, don't laugh, last year I saw a farmer sticking car fenders in his field & it turns out he had a bumper crop:)) FINALLY GOT THE CARPORT DONE

And this traffic advisory just landed on my desktop. If your out in South Dakota at the moment & traveling on I-90 you had better listen up.......

Interstate 90 across the State of South Dakota will be closed from 0800 hrs until 1700 hours on the 28th of May 2009 while they will be attempting to haul a 60,000 ton lump of granite rock across the state so they can add President Obama to Mt Rushmore..... :))

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YA JUST GOTTA LOVE THAT HINDSIGHT STUFF!!

TAKING A 10 SECOND BREAK

Went to sleep wondering why part of my fence fell down yesterday & woke up with the same thought. I must have been doing a lot of fence sitting in the night. Slipped outside early to have a look around before any of the neighbors gathered for their morning chuckle. ONE OF THE LILAC BUSHES IN OUR BACK YARD

I knew the last 8 foot section was wobbly yesterday but just figured it would be alright until to-day when I could secure it better. I'm still not clear on why it tipped over because it wasn't windy. Could be a small sparrow tried landing on it. I suppose I should have done the deck blocks & poles differently now that I think of it but it's too late for that so I just spent the morning adding supports along the fence. Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!! I'll put a couple more braces in to-morrow & call it a day on the fence project. Spent the afternoon working on re-landscaping that section of the backyard. I like that part:)) I MUCH PREFER SHOVELS & RAKES TO HAMMERS & SAWS

A neighbor & I decided to split on a load of pea gravel. He was needing some for his backyard paths & I was needing some for our car port plus a section of the driveway where the RV sits. Minimum load without a $55 delivery charge is 10 tons so late this afternoon the big dump truck rolled in with a big honking load of pea gravel. He dumped about 6 tons in our driveway & 4 tons in our neighbors. Now I've got to get busy with my little shovel & wheelbarrow & move 6 tons of pea gravel. (sometimes called pea stone because of it's size) I figure my neighbor & I will have arms like Popeye by the end of the week. Actually it will be good exercise & I don't mind it. And besides, with my neighbor's 4 tons against my 6 tons I should be able to out- Popeye him to bits:)) IT WAS COOL ENOUGH THIS MORNING TO GET A FIRE GOING

Like I was saying just a few blogs ago...."I am at my best when I have some kind of challenge in front me." This fence project & upcoming gravel disbursement is just what the doctor ordered & despite some aches & pains I'm feeling not so quite bored this week. Just gotta figure out a way to keep the momentum going...........:)) OK, SO IT'S ANOTHER 10 SECOND BREAK!!

I'm going to add a few more pics to the web album to-night.
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COWP......CREATIVE OUTSIDE WOOD PROJECT

REFLECTIONS

Couldn't have asked for a better weather day to start my back yard privacy fence project. We're not supposed to put up fences here in the park so I had better get used to calling this a creative outside wood project. It isn't actually a fence anyway. Figured it would not only be nice for us but the neighbors as well giving everyone a quiet privacy factor. DANDELION

Hooked up the utility trailer & slipped over to the lumber store in Clinton about 10 this morning. Five deck posts, 5 cement deck blocks, 4 privacy lattice 4x8 sheets, 8 2x4's, 16 brackets, & a pound of wood screws. Yep, that oughta do er!! Probably took me the best part of an hour just to get the first 8 foot section set up. Hadn't done anything like this for quite awhile so I seemed to be making a lot of measuring mistakes, fumbling with screws, dropping things, & just kind of making a big muddle of everything. By the time I was ready to tackle the second section, I had managed to gather to-gether enough smarts to actually get in the swing of things & from then on the project went smoother. MY PROJECT BEGINS

We have a lot of greenery in our backyard & that made working very difficult because I was trying to be careful & not break down any young trees or plants. Had to get myself into some pretty awkward positions getting the deck blocks on cement patio stones, etc. Plus trying to get the brackets screwed on while sitting on the ground wedged between Sumacs, wild raspberries, poplar trees, a willow bush, & a Gingko Biloba tree that was trying it's darndest to skewer me with it's branches. But, the hardest part is always.......getting up. It seems that at this age & stage of the game once I've got my 212 pounds down on the ground it's no easy matter getting myself up into the vertical position again. I should probably have a cell phone tied around my neck in case I have to call for a front end loader to come in & hoist me back up with it's bucket. Being entangled in all the branches around me didn't make things any easier either. Good thing nobody was around with a video camera or I could have ended up on You Tube as the laugh of the month!! IT'S THAT LAST SECTION ON THE LEFT THAT HAS APPARENTLY FALLEN OVER

Well wouldn't ya know it.......Kelly just came in the computer room with the news that part of my project has fallen over. Well, that's normal. I was a little worried when I had finished up the last section to-day & it was looking tooooooo good. Not normal. I'll deal with the problem in the morning. I"m too embarrassed to go out of the house right now. Oh dear...............................:((

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AN OLDER BLOG BUT STILL CURRENT & UP TO DATE

OUR IRIS FLOWERS ARE IN BLOOM

I was really stuck for a blog to-night so reached back through the cobwebs & came up with one of my earliest blogs written back in September of 07. It is still current & up to date so thought I would re-blog it. Yes, that is really me sitting in the Triumph & atop the Carman Ghia in the pictures. Click on the following link & it is the very first blog..................................
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2007_09_01_archive.html CHECKERS & HER PET ELEPHANT

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HAD A BOWL OF ENTHUSIASM FOR BREAKFAST

GOING TO GET RID OF ALL THOSE PILED LOGS FOR STARTERS

Found some energy this morning & more important than that.........I found some enthusiasm. I like when days begin that way. Noticed last year that one of the area's in our back yard was beginning to look a little tired & knew that one day I should get busy & re-do it. All of a sudden while having a cup of coffee in the backyard this morning a couple of enthusiastic brain cells finally linked up creating an idea. The cells quickly checked with the energy department residing in another section of my head to see if there was enough fuel there to even start the project. Yup there was but definitely not a full tank. The creative cells immediately sent out an all points bulletin to the rest of the body to round up all the retired local muscles & prep them for action. Reserve cells were called up & put on stand by. A hasty conference was called & even sleeping & dormant cells were hastily called into the board room. Plans were quickly drawn up & put on the table for approval. Yup that'll work. The special forces team was assembled, briefed, & armed with some heavy caliber enthusiasm!! Operation "Backyard Renovation" was underway at last:)) RE-LOCATING SOME HEAVY CEMENT SLABS

And so began my positive day around 10 a.m. this morning. Kelly even grabbed the camera to take some pics of me & my brain troops in action. Fair bit of work involved in my little project so I'll keep a pictorial record of my progress over the next bunch of days. It should be a good mission as long as none of the troops decide to desert. It's those heavily armed special forces enthusiasm guys I have to worry about. It seems the older I get the harder it is to spur them on to action sometimes................................NOTICE THE PROJECT SUPERVISOR KEEPING AN EYE ON ME

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ONLY 3 STOP SIGNS BETWEEN US & WALLY-WORLD

CABOOSE.....SURE DON'T SEE MANY OF THESE ANYMORE

Quite often it is while I'm taking my morning shower that a blog idea pops into my head for the day. Maybe it's the hot water running in my ears that somehow stimulates the brain cells to spark at one another creating a few new thought patterns to work on. Well, hot water was running over my head into my ears alright this morning but it failed to ignite any creative sparks so here I sit staring blankly at the computer screen. NOT MUCH LEFT INSIDE

It was the second screen I stared at blankly to-day with the first one being at Wal-Mart's Pharmacy department in Goderich this morning. The only medication I ever take is a daily pill called Arthrotec which seems to help with the arthritis in my legs. Been on it about 12 years now. If I don't take it my legs become very stiff & achy by the end of the day & I kind of seize up like the Tin Man in Wizard of Oz. I knew I had one last fill up on my prescription left so figured I'd get that filled to-day. When the cashier rang it in I stood staring blankly at the $190.00 number on the display. What the.......!!!! Seems I had 2 fill ups left so that's what I got dinged for. Oh well, that should carry me through the next 200 days which will put me just past my 65th birthday whereupon my next fill up should be a lot less expensive. When the Doctor first prescribed Arthrotec for me I was to take it 2 times a day but due to the always ongoing economic factors I was forced to cut that down to 1 a day. I have kept it at that ever since. Like I've said before, I'm not able to leap over tall buildings or run faster than a speeding bullet anymore but I do manage to get where I'm generally going most of the time:))
On my way to Goderich this morning I was thinking how lucky we are to be living where we do. We can reach any one of 2 McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Zellers, Radio Shack, Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons, a major Pharmacy, 2 major food chains, 3 gas bars, Home Hardware, Harveys, Swiss Chalet, A&W, plus a whole number of smaller retail outlets without ever having to go through a traffic light. And most of them with only 3 stop signs or less. And all of them within 20 minutes of where we live in this quiet country setting. It's also a peaceful paved country road drive between here & Goderich with very little traffic. Why would anyone ever want to leave here & go away huh. One word......WINTER!!!!
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FROM BEETLE DRIVER TO DINOSAUR DRIVER.....REAL QUICK!!

To-day's blog photos are for our southern non-winter friends. Took these pictures 3 years ago in Bayfield's Pioneer Sunset Park overlooking frozen Lake Huron. We obviously didn't make it south that winter:((

Up until 1974 I hadn't driven anything much bigger than an ordinary sized car. Most of my vehicles had been Volkswagon beetles & small sports cars. That all changed one sunny day in Vernon, British Columbia. It was a Monday morning & the local employment center had sent me over to a store called Bennett's Furniture & Appliances. The helper on their local delivery truck had just been terminated the previous Friday & they needed a new Swamper. (the helper person on a 2 man delivery truck) The stores truck was commonly referred to as a Ford Cabover & had a hydraulic lift on the back. To me it was a large truck because I had to climb up & into it & the whole thing reminded me of a big boxy looking dinosaur because it was all painted green. I met the driver who went by the name of Garth. He showed me around & we were soon working to-gether loading the back of the truck with the morning's deliveries. Some furniture pieces & a couple of appliances I think. I also became aware of Garth's discontent with the store as we headed out with our load. All morning long Garth went on with his concerns, complaints, rants, & ravings. Seems his previous swamper was also his best friend & Garth was unhappy that the store had let him go. We finished up the morning's deliveries & headed back to the store. Garth threaded the large truck up an alley & maneuvered it around until he was able to back into the loading dock. I wondered at the time how he was able to move such a large truck around in such a small space. Little did I know that I was about to find out........... real quick. With a flurry of unkind words about Bennett's he tossed me the keys, opened his door, & with the words, "I quit" he was gone & I never did see the guy again. The head sales fellow was my immediate boss in the store had the nickname of Sparky & as I walked back into the store with the news about the driver quitting I soon found out why he was called Sparky. Sparks flew alright!!!! He was a very hyper man & I caught the brunt of his fireworks about the driver quitting. He thrust a pile of bills in my hand & told me to get out there & start loading the truck with the afternoon's deliveries while he called manpower to get another fellow sent over. I assumed he was hiring another driver........but no, he hired a new swamper. Suddenly, I was the new driver!! There was no point in telling Sparky I had never driven a truck or anything bigger than a car before because he would have squashed me into the floor like a bug. In fact I was to learn there was no telling Sparky anything, ever!! So with that in mind I climbed up into the driver's side of the big stake truck & just sat there looking around at the vastness of mechanical space around me. Had never seen a gearshift lever that long before or a steering wheel that big. There were buttons & switches here & there that were definitely foreign. The road seemed a long way down & the far corner of the windshield seemed an acre away. Before I could get myself too scared or talk myself out of it, the passenger door opened & a young fellow hauled himself up into the cab with a big friendly, "Hi, my name's Frank & I'm your new Swamper." New Swamper?? Hell, it was only a few hours before that I was the new Swamper:(( Not wanting to let on to Frank that I had never driven a truck before I tried to look as professional as I could, but as soon as I ground the truck into some sort of forward gear & lurched away from the loading dock, the cat was out of the bag & Frank new what was up. Between the two of us we wiggled our way around & out the alley to the busy main street without breaking off any of the outside rearview mirrors or taking down any buildings. I do remember scaring the beejeebers out of some pedestrians though as we bumbled out of the alley. Managed to make our way up & down the streets of Vernon that afternoon, lurching in & out of driveways & around some of the local treacherous steep drop off roads in the Valley outside of town. By day's end though we had successfully completed all our deliveries without incident & returned the truck to the store........unscathed:)) No pats on the back from Sparky though......he was too busy snarling about the morning's deliveries already!!
I got onto that large truck pretty quickly & with Frank being a good swamper we went on to work well to-gether over the next little while. We did have a few incidents though where we dropped a brand new kitchen stove down a flight of outside stairs on Christmas Eve one day & another time when Frank jumped out of the truck as I slid helplessly backwards down an ice slicked laneway with a steep drop-off on one side. But, in the long run we did OK & never put so much as a scratch on that big old dinosaur of a truck (well, none that we admitted to anyway) despite it's intimidating size to a little Volkswagon beetle driver from a small town in Ontario..........................:))

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HAPPY MOTORING AMIGO

PRIMROSE & A PINE CONE

I have had many varied jobs over the years & I attribute that to my high susceptibility to boredom. Always found new jobs challenging with an element of excitement & for me that was always the attraction. My type of personality needs new challenges to keep itself from slumping into the dregs of boredom. KELLY' S GETTING THE FRONT PORCH WHIPPED INTO SHAPE FOR THE COMING SUMMER

There is a type of job though that has always held more of an attraction for me than any of the others & I was reminded of that again to-day as I leisurely cruised through our rural countryside in my mobility van. Driving jobs have never been boring for me & I took to driving like a duck takes to water right from the first time I snuck my stepfather's car out of the garage & picked up a couple pals for a cruise around some local country roads near the small town where we lived. No drivers license, underage, & scared like nuts as I manuevered that big huge black & nearly new 1961 Ford Galaxy around the corners & curves of those dusty gravel roads. Mixed with that fear was joy & excitement & it is the excitement I have retained after all these years. But it was the joy I felt to-day cruising through the countryside taking in Mother Natures wondrous wonders. ONE OF OUR LILAC TREES

Here I was.... being paid to sit in a controlled environment on a comfortible soft cushy seat while listening to music of my choice watching beautiful scenery unfold before my very eyes. Lush emerald green fields of grasses waving in the wind & carpets of bright yellow dandelions under white flowering apple trees. Sparkling little streams alongside the road bubbling over water weathered stones with fresh colors of lime colored leaves unwrapping themselves in the trees overhead & hews of purple lilacs emerging out of the fairytale landscape. Farmers busy on their patch work quilt fields to-day disking, fertilizing & planting. Small distant plumes of dust were tell tale signs of tractor activity below. With the deep robins egg blue sky above & the greening of the junglelike landscape below it made for a beautiful afternoon drive in the country & reminded me of why I have always liked driving jobs.

A BLOOMING LILAC

If you have a love of nature, an eye for beauty, & a hankering for driving, you just might enjoy these kinds of jobs just as much as I have over the years. And if your like me this is one kind of job that isn't going to bore you. In another blog at another time I'll talk a bit about some of those driving jobs & how I ended up with them.

And best of all, if the nature, beauty, & hankering parts fit into your life you are probably well on your way to some day becoming a genuine happy camper RV person just as I did.
Happy Motoring Amigo:))

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DO IT WHILE YOU CAN

BROKEN REFLECTIONS IN THIS MORNING'S POND

Had a late afternoon mobility van run over to London Ontario to-day & just got home a short while ago so not too much time or energy left in the day to throw a blog to-gether. Most of the people I transport in the van are elderly & once in awhile it may be a young person or a child. This job really makes one appreciate one's own fortunate good health. All the more reason to get out there & travel while you can, see & do as much as possible, walk & hike while you still have your legs to take you places, eyes to show you the mountains, ears to hear the wind in the willows, & all your faculties to just simply make you appreciate wherever it is you are............................

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ME & MY 3 VERY MUCH MOST BESTEST PALS:))

ME & MY PALS NEAR HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK IN WHY ARIZONA

With my dwindling lack of confidence & trust in the people world my inner feelings steadily grow towards the light of love & honesty found only in the animal world. I know that statement will not sit well with many people but for those of us who understand & love our beloved pets you may feel the same way as I do. It is a purity of love not found in the human world!! TRYING TO GET A FAMILY PICTURE USING THE CAMERA'S SELF TIMER

Kelly noticed an ad in the Mitchell Ontario paper about 11 years ago that read, Pups for Sale $5. We were living in an old farm house at the time & sharing the space with 2 indoor cats, a couple of birds, some tropical fish & half a dozen Guinea Pigs.....not to mention the dozen or so barn cats outside that we tried to help along as well. We had lots of room in the big old house plus acres of room outdoors so felt it was the right time to bring a new best friend into our lives. STAYING WARM IN OUR 5TH WHEEL TRAILER AT PANCHO VILLA STATE PARK IN COLUMBUS NEW MEXICO

It was in December of 1998 that we drove to an old farm about 10 miles north of us where the ad in the paper said the puppies were. A lady came out of the house & led us to a small tumble down kind off old barn where a couple of horses were lazily milling about on a dirt floor of manure & straw. In the corner of a wooden pen lay the Mother dog & four little 5 week old puppies clambering all over her. They were all dark colored except for one little fellow cowering in a corner who was all blonde & all alone. This little guy looked at me with his big sad puppy eyes & we identified with each other right away there & then. I walked over & lovingly picked him up. He snuggled into my arms & right away fell asleep because he knew he was loved at last & had just found his true home. We named him Max & we have been best pals ever since. He is our most bestest boy of ever:)) THE BUMS ARE ALL PILED ON MY BED IN THE 5TH WHEEL TRAILER

I think it might have been in the summer of 2003 when I first met little Cora. (Motormouse) Cora had been given to Kelly's daughter Sabra about 3 years before when her friend didn't want to look after her anymore. Sabra kept Cora for another 3 years until her own life became busy as well. In 2005 Sabra brought the little Motormouse to our house for some (supposedly:)) summer holidays. The little Sweetums captured our hearts right away & has been happily with us ever since. Her & Max hit it off right away & became fast friends. She is truly a lap dog & is currently curled up on my lap right beside the computer. She sleeps on my bed every night taking up two thirds of the space. I have two pillows & the little mouse is usually curled up on one of them. Sometimes when I roll over in the night we bump noses. She's just a little sweetie pie & is our most best little girl of ever:)) MOTORMOUSE WENT TO TOWN WITH MOM & THE BIG GUYS ARE MISSING HER

First time I met Checkers was at Deerpark Lodge back in 2005. She was the owner's dog but was not fitting in real well at the Lodge. She loves people & kids which was fine with some of the guests but not with others. Deerpark Lodge can be a very busy place in the summer & quite often Checkers would just kind of get lost in the shuffle. She took to wandering away & would sometimes be brought back by the local dog catcher or a kind citizen in Bayfield who knew where she lived. Kelly & Checkers had become good friends in the couple of years Kelly had been working there & Kelly was actually credited with saving Checkers from drowning one time in Lake Huron when she swam out in the waves to help get her back to shore. It wasn't long after that one day while I was working away in the yard at home when Kelly pulled in the driveway with Checkers sitting in the front seat of the car. She was truly home at last & Checkers has been an intimate part of our family ever since that day. Max accepted her right away but Cora's nose was out of joint for awhile & a few scuffles ensued. It took a little while but eventually Checkers & Cora worked out their differences & have been best of pals ever since. It took Checkers a good 2 years before she was able to trust us fully but with understanding, love, patience, & just good old TLC she has become our most best biggest girl of ever. HAVING AN EARLY MORNING GAME OF STICKS IN QUARTZITE, ARIZONA

It is a never ending source of pleasure & enjoyment watching our 3 furry little Musketeer's interacting with each other. Max is the quiet one, Checkers is the understanding Motherly type, & Motormouse is the big Boss dog of everybody. They all have their very own distinctive personalities & look out for each other. One for all & all for one. And that one for all & all for one companionship extends to Kelly & I as well making for one big happy animal house family. In another blog sometime I will write about how the dogs & I continuously interact with each other every single day & the joy they bring me in this otherwise ever increasing troubled world we all live in. THE GUYS ARE LOADED UP IN OUR GMC TRUCK AFEW YEARS AGO & READY TO ROLL....ROCKHOUND STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO

In the meantime I will leave you with this heartwarming little story that came across my desktop awhile ago.......................

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old):A veterinarian had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.The vet examined Belker and found he was dying and told the family he couldn't do anything for Belker and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.As they made arrangements, the parents thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experienceThe next day, the vet felt the familiar catch in the throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that the vet wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. they sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

THE 3 AMIGOS NEAR CARLSBAD CAVERNS, NEW MEXICO

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Also wanted to mention something about the web album I uploaded a couple of days ago. There have been photos of flowers in the blog & now in the web album that have no identification. Reason for that is I just don't know what they are. If anyone out there happens to look at the web album & knows the identity of any flowers with question marks underneath I would appreciate it if you could drop the flowers name in the comment box below the caption & if I have any of the other flowers wrong maybe you could put the correct name of the flower in the comment box as well................. Thanks:))
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