Saturday, March 27, 2010

AWWW, THE COMFORTS OF OUR BAYFIELD HOME.....FOR AWHILE

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EARLY SPRING CROCUS

Our night temperatures dropped to about 25F again last night but the morning dawned clear with a big orange sun on the eastern horizon.  Well, I assume that's the way the day dawned because it's a little difficult for us to see the horizon now with all the trees.

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OH OH..........SNOW!!!!

Before forgetting again I just wanted to answer a reader's question about 'if permission is needed when staying in Wal-Mart lots,' etc for overnighter's while traveling.  Common courtesy says it is advisable to slip into the store & ask the management what their policy is regarding RV'ers spending the night in the lot.  We have a list of Wal-Mart stores who do not allow overnighter's so that is a help.  Two years ago in Bonham, Texas we asked before overnighting in a Wally World there & they said it was fine to do so.  Last week in the same Wally World we just assumed it was still fine, & it was.  We generally buy some groceries while there & that is only fair.  Kelly had read that Lowe's & Cracker Barrel welcome RV overnighter's so we didn't ask in either one of those stays.  But, if in doubt.....ask:))

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OUR ANNUAL PAIR OF GEESE ARE BACK ON THE POND

The dust is settling nicely from our 6 day return journey & we are slowly slipping back into our old comfy sticks & bricks routines.  When I say that we are sooooo glad to be home it is mainly the long grueling drive that we are so glad to be home from.  We sure wish the southwest was as close as Florida but the only way for us to make it that close would be to move to southern British Columbia.  Anybody got a nice quiet little piece of rural property out there for the Bayfield Bunch:))  Hmmmmmmm.

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ALONG THE EARLY MORNING TRAIL

As you all know, Kelly & I prefer the boondocking lifestyle when we are in the southwest for the winter & that means doing without or doing with less than we are normally accustomed to here in our home in Bayfield.  We always adjust to that very well & make do with the way things are & after awhile we don't really think about it too much.  Not until we get home that is!!  The first few days & weeks of arriving home are like being in a luxury hotel.  An endless water supply complete with hot showers that can go on forever.  And what a treat it is having a full size tub shower to move around in instead of banging elbows in tiny broom closet sized RV showers.  And a tub big enough to lay completely submerged in for hours.  No holding tanks to empty or banks of batteries to check.  Unlimited electricity with no wall monitors to keep checking on to see how many watts or minutes are left before the shrill alarm sounds saying you are about to run out of power!!  Gotta love the washer/dryer in the house instead of having to drive to some people clustered Laundromat somewhere.  Big 42" TV hooked up to a stereo system for those big bass sounds I love.   Our big cushy home recliners speak for themselves & my bigger bed is always a welcome change.  Larger computer desk in a bright pine walled sun room complete with a stereo computer sound system is pretty easy to get used to all over again too.  From my recliner & can just reach over with a hooked wooden stick & open or close the patio door letting the doggy guys in or out into a safe fenced in yard.  No coyote or snake worries.  Love the high speed internet at home with no silly 5 Gigabyte monthly limit. Bigger refrigerator & freezer & enough room in our place for Kelly to get away from me for awhile.  Pretty darn nice being home I'd say.  But, unfortunately for me, it won't last. 

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TINY VIOLETS, DAFFODILS READY TO BLOOM & CROCUS'S......BEEN WALKING THIS SAME MORNING TRAIL FOR OVER 7 YEARS NOW.

Probably within a month all these comforts of home will get to be a little routine & taken for granted.  For me the newness of change will begin to wear off & I will become aware of myself complaining again about being 'stuck in the house!!'  Same thing happens to me when we are on the road & we're in one spot for more than a few weeks.  Remember my post a few weeks ago about 'contented!!'  Actually, for us at the moment, I think we probably have the best of both worlds & if I could just content myself with wherever I am at the moment I'm sure I could make things much easier for myself.

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THIS TINY CREEK FLOWS INTO THE BAYFIELD RIVER WHICH IN TURN FLOWS INTO LAKE HURON ABOUT A MILE TO THE WEST

And regarding all the comforts of home here compared to boondocking in the deserts of the Southwest some folks might suggest we stay in RV Park's along the way with electricity, plumbing, water, big washroom showers, Wifi, clubhouse social events, etc.   Our standard answer to that simply is...........not a chance!!

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GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you hear about the careless pyromaniac who made an ash of himself & how about that frustrated cannibal who threw up his hands..

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

10 comments:

  1. Glad your settling in Al & Kelly... The flowers are all so beautiful and surely soon spring will be there in full force... Have a super day!
    Donna

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  2. Relax Al
    We always wonder why we live in such a mansion we we come home. We miss no yard and very little cleaning and the simple life on the road. We are stuck here in Anchorage until next November and wifey is on my case to get get rid of more stuff. I like your lifestyle and will take your advice. Have fun while life lasts.

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  3. Wow, Al and Kelly I love your Bayfield property. The woods are fantastic. I can easily see why you love to go home again after time in the southwest, even though you enjoy the desert. The pics of those early blooms are beautiful.

    Enjoy your time in the woods while you're there!

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  4. I think I know how you feel, and I wonder how long it will take me before I am straining to get back on the road again! It's just the gypsy in our souls, and I'd say most RVers would agree. But some of us need a home to go back to once in a while to recharge our batteries.

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  5. I still feel that, at least for us, RV'ing for as much of the year as we can and then returning to our home is the best of both worlds. I wish you hadn't mentioned your 42" TV because I do miss that on occasion. And be assured, I would never, ever recommend that you stay in a luxury RV Park - there's no park around that I know of that's big enough for the Bayfield Bunch's minimum 1/4 mile site separation!!

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  6. Beautiful place AL. I agree not a chance.
    Rojo

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  7. Stop! Stop! You're making us want to go home and it's not time for us yet! What we would do for a lonnnng hot shower and all the electricity we want.

    Oh well. A month from now we'll be there. It's still 25 degrees there in the daytime so that's the last place we want to be.

    Hard to believe you're home already. enjoy.

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  8. It's great that you are pleased with your best of both worlds lifestyle. Just as I am pleased with my fulltime lifestyle. :) That being said, I would like to bask in the glory of a very long, hot shower. :)

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  9. A moment of contentment for you. Hang on to that moment. So, the crocuses (or would that be croci?) have welcomed you home, Mr. & Mrs. Homeowner! Nice. We feel our little park trailer is our home to come home to, especially now that the casita is being updated. And we long to be on the road so we can have it to come home to!

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  10. We keep our trailer in Julian, just up the hill from Borrego Springs. We're here this weekend. And, surprise! Snow is predicted for later on this week. Borrego's forecast is for wind and rain. Again. Just thought you might like to know what you're [not] missing. Will winter ever give up in So Calif?

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