Friday, August 27, 2010

GREAT TO HAVE KELLY HOME AGAIN:))

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NO, THAT'S NOT A PICTURE OF KELLY......IT'S A HORSE!!

An absolutely beautiful morning & the cooler 63F temp meant no bugs, flies or mosquitoes in the forest.  There is a calming & soothing magic that begins along forest trails at this time of year.  There was a feeling of peacefulness as Max, Checkers & I made our way through the still morning air of the crisp & dampened pine woods.  We just took our time along the trail taking in the sights, sounds & smells around us.  Well, Max & Checkers took in more of the smells than I did.  I still can't smell too much right now but hopefully that will resolve itself soon & I can once again be down on the trail with the guys, sniffing my way right alongside them.

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NICE QUIET MORNING DRIVE

Needed a few groceries today so hauled my carcass out of the house later, threw it in the Jeep & took myself on a long round about slow country drive through our rural neighborhood slowly savoring all of nature's wonders around me.  We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful land.

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Despite feeling a little pooky by mid morning, I did muster up some reserves & gave the Jeep a good washing.  I was surprised to find a huge load of hardened mud underneath between the skid plate & the floor.  I was able to crawl underneath & loosen it up with a metal power bar.  By the time I was finished I had a third of a wheelbarrow loaded with mud.  The garden hose with nozzle on the 'Jet' setting took care of the rest.  That mud was ram packed in there about 6 weeks ago when we took that little 'bush tour' with the Jeep guy one night after supper.  I hadn't realized the mud had been there all this time.  It made me think again about why anyone in their right mind would take a perfectly good vehicle & deliberately run it through sink holes in a swampy bush.  So, in other words, 'what the heck was I thinking!!!!'

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THIS IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR FINDING SPIDER WEBS

Kelly made it home from Spencerport NY about 1:30 this afternoon.  That is always an absolutely grueling drive through heavy Hamilton/Toronto traffic.  The situation with her Dad is very dire & grim.  Half way home she stopped to phone her Mother & see how her Dad was doing.  Shortly after she had left this morning he was taken by ambulance to an emergency Hospice center.  He will not likely return home again.  Kelly had an extremely stressful week to say the least & was so happy to get home to our quiet little forested oasis where we specialize in peace & quiet.

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I have been pouring a lot of thought into this whole blog thing again & am on the verge of making some very definite changes.  I don't think I can put it off any longer if I want this blog to survive.  I have not felt comfortable with some of my content for quite awhile. There are a lot of new & fresh RV related blog sites appearing almost daily out here in blog land & I've noticed some of them really seem to be taking off quickly garnering a fast following with many comment responses.  Most of them are good blogs I guess but a few just leave me sitting here scratching my head & wondering about their content.  I have read them over & over asking myself, how did these blog's get so popular?  It sure has me taking a long hard look at my own efforts here with regards to improving my posts.

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I know there are readers out there who think I shouldn't change a thing & would like me to keep the blog content as it is.  Maybe I can still do that but I have to get a whole lot smarter about how to do it if this blog is to continue.  Rants & opinions have their place & for the most part I do enjoy writing them but I sometimes go waaaaay overboard & end up shooting too many holes through the bottom of my own canoe.  For awhile now it seems the paddling has been getting harder for me & I feel my blog is becoming too heavy with opinions, too heavy with long rants & too heavy with just too much mud stuff!!  That wasn't my intent when I started out nearly 3 years ago & I feel I have lost a fair slice of my original focus. And I'm sure I have also lost a fair slice of readers as well, although the numbers show the opposite.

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Anyway, amongst all this gnashing of teeth & wringing of hands I was totally surprised & heartened this afternoon when I noticed we had picked up 3 new blog Supporters all at once.  I would first like to offer a big thank-you to, ME AND MY DOG  Much appreciated, my new friend.  The name, LUVGLASS   rang a bell for me & I remembered briefly seeing that name on Twitter a couple years ago.  And, as it turns out, we were actually in email contact with this person 4 years ago in regards to a Cobb Cooker.  I see we have some mutual friends & I actually did receive a couple nice emails from these folks not too long ago.  Thanks guys.  Martha & Terry over at the GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL round out our new trio of Followers.  Thanks to all you good folks for climbing aboard as blog supporters.....you folks surely made my day:))

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GROANER'S CORNER:(( Read this following email message carefully.  Maybe read it a second time.........

Did I like nut another to it send do to better anything  have doesn't that person a like this reading time sweet your took you since.

Were you able to make any sense out of it.........No?  OK, try reading it backwards then:))

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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.

(Now read it backwards)

19 comments:

  1. Please don't be too hard on yourself. I find your blog very interesting, your photos incredible and appreciate the tips on interesting posts in other blogs.

    And your Groaner's Corner is a hoot!

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  2. Al, one thing to consider...multiple blogs. You don't need to post every day to each one but each one can serve a different purpose. Like, one for RVing, one for photos, one for personal thoughts/opinions, etc. Then folks can follow the one(s) they want or all of them. Just a thought...as for me, I'm just glad you guys are blogging while in Canada!!

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  3. Hey, I figured out the backwards sentence before reading the following tip! Yay for me!
    How creative you are! I follow lots of bloggers but I must admit yours is one of my favorites. Your writing paints stories. It's interesting and fun, informative and witty, and your photos are insightful.
    Change things if you will, but only because it suites YOU better, not just those of us who choose to have a peek into your life. :) K

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  4. Well, suit yourself in what you blog about. I think folks will tune in to your posts anyway. It isn't always so much about what you are doing, but how you are doing it sometimes that I find interesting. You know that once you get on the road again, you'll get your blogging spirit back again. You've had a tough home stint with Uncle Harry and Kelly's Dad being ill and ailing. Very troublesome stuff.

    Whatever you do or write, folks like me will be tuning in.

    Glad Kelly made it home safely. Sorry to learn that her Dad is not doing well at all. Good thing she went for this visit.

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  5. Good thoughts about blogging. You have to be you and that is what brings your readers into your blog. Change if you feel it necessary, but change because you are changing and not to meet expectations of readers. After all the blog is about you and Kelly and your perspectives. I love your pics and reading your entry today, I could almost feel the coolness in the air... what a rebirth the fall season gives.
    So sorry to read about Kelly's dad. I remember when my dad went to hospice with him and us knowing he would not leave in this world. PLEASE tell Kelly our thoughts are with her and you!
    Take care and be safe.
    Mike & Gerri

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  6. Al, I'm wondering where you picked up this fixation with readership, "followers", and "hits"? Why would you surgically carve your words to please others? Are you really that into the number of readers you have?

    I'm fascinated by this RV blogging world... how it seems like a clic of groupies that read and comment on each other's blogs every day. Isn't it better to spend your precious time living your own life rather than reading about how others live theirs?... and then taking the time to comment on each of their blogs besides? In the big scheme of things... who cares?

    Com-on! Be your own person. Write what you feel like writing and when you feel like writing it. Don't be fixated on getting something... anything... out there each day... just to say I've posted daily for x number of years.

    I read your blog because once in a while you have something to say that strikes a chord with me. I enjoy your humor. I appreciate your point-of-view. In many ways we're both "old hippies that don't know what to do" and I like knowing there's someone out there that thinks a little like me.

    If an ever increasing readership is most important to you... give it up now. You'll kill yourself worrying about why someone dropped off... or why the numbers aren't where you think they ought to be.

    But if you write for the sake of writing... because you love to put your thoughts down in words and have them "out there" for whoever wants to read them... well, work at it, and don't worry about the numbers.

    There are plenty of people that will tune in even if you piss us off once in a while.

    luv ya man...

    T

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  7. Hey Al, you might want to start your new blogging style by not telling us that picture of a horse isn't Kelly!! Sure hope she's too tired to read this post!

    Why folks read some blogs, leave comments and don't read others and leave comments is one of the more intriguing mysteries of blog land to me. We've talked about this on many previous occasions, mostly out of idle curiosity. For me, anyway, that's about the extent of any analysis I want to get involved in - idle curiosity. It doesn't matter a whit to me really as it's nothing I have any control over nor do I wish too.

    I still like Margie's post about blogging where she quoted Rick Nelson saying "you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself".

    Apart from some expected griping about your respiratory ailments recently, I think your blogging has been pretty consistent, interesting and covers a wide range of topics - not just rants etc., they are only one small aspect of your blog. Take a deep breath (if you can) and just blog on. The rest of us will continue to follow I'm sure.

    I was very sorry to hear about the deterioration of Kelly's Father's health. It must be a very difficult time for her so let her know we're thinking of her, o.k.

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  8. Give Kelly a hug for us! Janna knows exactly what she is going through having done the same thing with her Dad eight years ago. Our thoughts are with Kelly and her family.

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  9. Give Kelly a hug for us! Janna knows exactly what she is going through having done the same thing with her Dad eight years ago. Our thoughts are with Kelly and her family.

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  10. Al, I like your blog just as it is, but if you change it, I'll probably like that, too. Do what is best for you. I thought of creating a new blog for just for my opinions, but that sounds like a lot of work and posting. I like hearing your opinions, even if I don't always agree with them. Your photos are always spectacular.

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  11. I say don't fix something that ain't broken Al. I love your blog and can't wait to meet you and Kelly this winter in Arizona.

    but that is just my opinion which usually dosn''t count for much lol

    Take Good Care
    Brenda Brown

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  12. I don't get it. Are you in a popularity competition? Your blog is unique, and personally, I don't think it's that controversial. But if you're in it for number of followers, then maybe you think you need to change. Whatever...

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  13. When anyone stays in a single place for a while there are more reasons and opportunities to express opinions, rants & raves, and just plain old gripes. When we travel there are things outside ourselves to write about.

    So hang in there, write about what you feel for now, and when you are on the road again you will be regaling us with stories of the desert.

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  14. Hugs for Kelly...I really don't get what and why you are changing anything...Just do what YOU want with your blog...It is, after all, merely a journal, as I see it. Keeping track of travel, life, ups and downs...somewhat like a diary, without the secret stuff..Your blog needs no fixin' in my humble opinion...

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  15. Al, I think all bloggers especially whne we are not traveling struggle with trying to come up with an idea of what will be a good subject for today's blog, what has eye & ear appeal, and all of us vent our emtions in the blog we write, that's the nature of the beats. you are blessed with a good style and personality, even when Mr Curmudgeon peaks through. Life is throwing you and kelly some bad pitchs now, but that will change. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  16. I admit I am new to your blog, but I like it just the way it is. Wouldn't change a thing. Followers or readers aren't important to me. Letting my family and friends know where we are and what we are up to is my main goal. If others get something out of it, well that's great too.

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  17. Re Blog changes.

    If it aint broke, don't fix it.
    If your numbers are increasing, then it aint broke.
    Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.

    Doug

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  18. Al, I think you just got told off by all of us readers. Don't be fixated on numbers -- who cares? You aren't losing readers, you are gaining all the time. If Joe drops off because he doesn't like to read what you write, let him go, 'cause Bill and Lila and Dale will take his place!

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  19. I read this last night when you posted it, and didn't know how to comment.

    Had to think about it for a while.

    Thom says write what you feel even if you piss us off once in a while. I'm trying to remember if you have ever peed me off. No, I don't think so.

    Do I always agree with you? No not all the time. Sometimes I shake my head and wonder where you got that idea about the world, but mad over it nah!

    Often times you cause me to think a little deeper, in order to see your view. I try to understand the why behind your ideas.

    See that stimulates my mind to understand something different than myself. And that is a good thing.

    So don't strive to be just like the next fellow, rather tell us why you think you are right with your attitude, and believe me we will take exception when you are way out there.

    But then try to understand why others might think you are way out there.

    Followers and hits are only statistics, and might make you some money, if you are trying to go for income like Tioga George. But that takes millions of hits.

    That is not why we blog, at least not why I blog.

    I only have 39 followers and 50 K hits in three years, so you are way more attractive here than me. Yet I'm not worried.

    Like you told me, I am who I am, and that isn't about to change!!!

    So carry on for Al, and we'll keep trying to understand our bolgging buddy when he comes up with more stuff, that challenges our mundane "normal" way of thinking.

    I already told you that I don't come here for a Yes Mam attitude. I can get that at sixteen other sites.

    Rod

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