Sunday, July 18, 2010

OUTRUNNING A FEW RAINDROPS TODAY

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Finally, a break from the humidity.  Cloudy skies this morning so it's also a break from the hot piercing sun.  A very welcome change indeed.  Checked the computer weather map & it looks like some rain headed our way maybe overnight & clearing by morning.

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AL'S ON THE HUNT FOR BIRD'S AGAIN

We decided not to put the roof on the Jeep this morning because the weather is looking ok for Monday now.  I have to work tomorrow so didn't want to drive to Clinton & leave the open Jeep parked outside for 5 or 6 hours when not sure about the weather.  If one of those gully swamping rain fronts came in across the lake it would fill the Jeep full of water in no time & I would have to put on a scuba suit just to drive the Jeep home.  And, if my legs were any shorter I would have had to use a snorkel as well!!

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DUCK WEED SWAMP

Kelly's working today so with an eye to the sky I Jeeped myself down to Mitchell to visit my Uncle Harry for a couple of hours.  I debated whether to take the bike or the Jeep but figured if I was going to get caught in some rain it would be better to have a Jeep with no roof rather than a motorcycle with no roof.  Harry's doing pretty good & we watched some golf for a couple hours.  When I left, it was sprinkling rain but the further west I traveled the less sprinkles came down & I was fine.  Didn't even get my hair wet. 

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I WOULD TELL YOU THIS IS A FULL GROWN MALE DWARF BALD EAGLE BUT JUDY & EMMA WOULD BE RIGHT ON MY CASE:))

The Jeep did teach me another lesson today though.  I like traveling the gravel country roads & in a 'normal' vehicle with 'normal' suspension a series of pot holes doesn't present a problem but with a short wheel based vehicle & a tight suspension it is a whole different story.  I didn't see the potholes until I was into them & in a split second I was nearly airborne, inverted, & headed off north to Alaska.  Regained control in the second split second & slowed down.  Lesson learned......no likkity split driving on bumpy country roads with a Jeep TJ....No Sireeeeeee!!IMG_2450

DODGING A FEW RAINDROPS ON THE WAY HOME TODAY

A year ago this week-end was the Ford Thunderbird car show here in Bayfield.  I was reminded of that today when I saw a couple of T-Birds on the road.  You can see my photos of last year's Birds here... THUNDERBIRD

And it was a year ago last week-end that I took a bunch of Corvette photos at the same place.  Clan Gregor Square, Bayfield.  Check out ...CORVETTE

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MY SON SEAN & I LAST SUMMER (I'm the shorter guy:))

Randy, from THE ROAD RUNNER CHRONICLES is staying in a beautiful area about 3 or 4 hours north of where we live here in Bayfield.  He recently toured the Cypress Lake area in the Bruce Peninsula National Park.  The Georgian Bay shoreline is beautiful along there with it's high cliffs, inlets, crystal clear water,  grottos, caves, forests & large rock formations.  We have camped at Cypress Lake several times & one time when up there on a photo shoot with some fellow Fanshaw College photo students years ago I had a bear encounter.  No bear pics but I did get pics of 2 shredded tents.  I did do a blog about the 2 bears brushing up against my Class B van in the night but can't locate the blog.....not even with my own search bar:((   Back in those days there was no such thing as digital photography so all my photos were done on 35mm slide film & yes I have about 47 ka-zillion million slides stored in carousel's scattered around here.  Can't show you any pics from that great scenic area but Randy can, so be sure to check out his site for a look at the Georgian Bay shoreline.

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I THINK AN ASTEROID PLUMMETED INTO THE POND BESIDE ME THIS MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg even though you are slightly cracked.  And, last week engineer's Bubba and Ray were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up.  A woman walked by and asked what they were doing. 'We're supposed to find the height of the flagpole,' said Bubba, 'but we don't have a ladder.'  The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a few bolts, and laid the pole down.  Then she took a tape measure from her pocket, took a measurement & announced, 'Eighteen feet, six inches,' and walked away.  Ray shook his head and laughed.  'Ain't that just like a woman!  We ask for the height and she gives us the length!' 

Bubba and Ray are currently doing government work supervising some major projects in Washington.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

10 comments:

  1. Nice photo of the Duck Weed Swamp!

    I seem to remember bumping around a farm in my friends old Jeep years and years ago! It didn't have seat belts and I thought for sure I was going to be thrown right out!

    Sounds like a lot of fun riding around in a Jeep though!

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  2. The butterfly photo is absolutely beautiful!

    I find I get a very bumpy ride on some roads because of the duallies on my truck. I hate speed bumps for that reason!

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  3. Al,
    I can't tell you how much I enjoy your nature/animal pics.. they are really good. I also really enjoy the humor you put in your blog.
    Gerri & I can identify with the bumpy/ bouncy jeep ride, you just gotta love it!
    Take care and be safe.
    Mike & Gerri

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  4. Your son is a nice looking young man....and you guys are almost wearing the same shirts.

    Watch out for those potholes, Al.

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  5. You know Al, they just happen to sell a gizmo whereby you can copy your slides to your computer. Just in case you were looking to do something in your spare time LOL.
    Actually I have been, very slowly, scanning all my old 35mm photos onto my pc. Big job, about 2/3 done. Did some slides too.
    Absolutely beautiful butterfly shot.

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  6. Alright, you got me. WHAT are the three purple things growing outta the green ground?

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  7. Ha ha! Male dwarf bald eagle indeed! Looks like a pretty scruffy red-breasted nuthatch to me. :)

    It's my pleasure to keep you on your bird toes. :)

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  8. You and your Jeepster thingy have a lot to learn about each other, and you've learned a lot so far. Good thing you didn't have the hard top on when you catapulted out of the pothole. You'd have a sore head for sure. But if you'd had the soft top on, you'd have likely gone through it. Keep the tops in the garage!

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  9. The butterfly pic is my favorite. "Farfallina" was my nickname as a teenager. It means little butterfly in Italian :)

    Nellie
    http://midlifecruiser.blogspot.com

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  10. Hey Al..I heard via the "used car grapevine" that the Jeepster is getting "honked" off that you still have the Hynndai in the picture with the Challenger at the top of your blog..Your gonna have to hook her up, or just park her behind and say "smile"..Jeepster will be sooooo happy!!
    After looking at all of the beautiful pics of the area around Ontario..Den and I need to head NORTH again someday!!

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