FIRST RIDE OF THE SEASON:))

SET OUR BLUE GAZING BALL IN PLACE FOR ANOTHER SEASON

Looks like we are going to be into record breaking warm temperatures here in southern Ontario by the end of the week.   I think we were in the mid 60's today & for sure it would have been warmer inland.  Always a few degrees colder here by the lake at this time of year.  Kind of like living next door to a big ice berg until the  colder waters of Lake Huron warm up.  In the winter time the lake can freeze up with ice & snow for as far out as the eye can see.

Yesterday's blog dealt with getting the motorcycle up & running for another season & RANDY inquired about the make of the bike.  It is a 2002 Honda Shadow Aero 1100 & I have had it for 3 years now.  Before that I had a 1984 Yamaha Virago 750 for quite a few years & before that a 650 Suzuki.   Yes, I've always wanted a Harley Davidson but they are just sooooooo expensive up here in Canada.  Insurance is steeper on Harley's as well.

Checked tire pressures, oil levels, etc on the bike this afternoon & launched myself out onto the road for the first run of the season.  Sooooo nice to feel the wind trying to rip my face off again.

                         

As I watch my Sitemeter blog counter drop daily now that we are home, I wonder where people go.  I also have to remember that it is mainly a travel blog so no point for folks hanging around to read the blog if we're not traveling I guess.   The highest daily average we hit this past winter was 427 & that was back around the time we were in Borrego Springs, California.  I have noticed before that just before we head out in the fall our numbers begin to slowly rise & when we come home in the spring they drop.  It's easy to see where the full timers are able to keep their numbers up because they are constantly on the move to new places & new adventures.  I'm curious to see where where our numbers level out this summer.  We also have another monitoring device called Feedjit which is similar to Sitemeter.  I compared the two of them one time last summer & neither one of them was consistent with the other.  One site would show 'hits' while the other wouldn't so I'm not real sure how accurate these monitoring devices really are.  But, at least it gives you some numbers to go by & that's basically the only way a blogger knows if anyone is reading or interested in what the blogger is writing about.

THIS IS A PICTURE OF ME 2 YEARS AGO WHEN WE CAME HOME IN MARCH & I HAD TO DIG THE FIREPIT OUT:((

Had a Doctor's appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon but my work called late this afternoon & need me to do a van run for them tomorrow so I'll have to re-schedule the appointment.  That's Ok because I don't much like having to go see the doctor anyway.  Well, at least it's not as bad as having to go to a Dentist.  Now that is something I consider really bad!!!!!!!!  Luckily for me I have not been in a dentist's chair for over 30 years but I sure paid my painfully screaming dues before that......and so did my wallet!!!!

AND THIS WAS OUR 2007 RETURN WHEN WE HAD THE TRUCK & 5VER

Well, it's the end of another day & I can here the first sounds of peeper frogs down near the pond tonight.  Now, is that a sign of spring or what...........:))))))))))

AND THIS WAS IN MARCH OF 07 WHEN WE PICKED UP OUR SLIGHTLY USED 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A blind man walks into a store with his seeing eye dog. All of a sudden, he picks up the leash and begins swinging the dog over his head. The manager runs up to the man and asks, "What are you doing?!!" The blind man replies, "Just looking around."

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

IT'S TIME FOR THE ANNUAL TRADITION

AM WONDERING IF THIS MIGHT BE A PAIR OF MERGANSER DUCKS ON THIS MORNING'S POND

It's a mechanical thing so I know I will likely be beat before I get started today & I also know if I was smart I would get Kelly to do it.  But, I will once again try to do for myself something that Kelly could probably better do for me.  It's supposed to be a guy's thing anyway you know!!

MORNING SHADOWS

I'm talking about the annual spring ritual of getting the motorcycle started.  Things made of metal that sit for very long periods of time in very cold weather have a tendency not to do the things they are designed to do. One of those things is......'start!!'  Pretty much happens to me every year.  It is just my fate in life.  If it's mechanical, I'm toast!!  First thing I struggle with is getting the charged up battery back into the bike the same way it came out.  Never wants to fit & I usually have to put it in backwards at least once.  I am one of those bumblefingers who has to repeatedly fumble with tiny things like screws so it takes me awhile to get the battery terminal wires tightened down.  Have to keep stopping to look for things I have dropped on the ground.  I generally sit on the floor & make myself as comfortable as possible because with all the fiddling it usually takes me awhile.  Assuming all goes well with getting the battery installed & I don't lose my patience & bounce the screwdriver off my neighbor's garage floor, I move on to the next step.

 

IT'S TIME TO GET THE BIKE FIRED UP FOR ANOTHER SEASON

With the key in the ignition & the choke on full I begin the seemingly endless cranks of the starter.  I swear that sometimes days actually pass as I sit upon that motorcycle cranking that starter.  I can see the sunrises & sunsets go by out the window.  Occasionally I'm forced to remove the battery, walk home, & charge it up all over again.  I generally take advantage of this downtime to use the washroom & grab a bite to eat before returning & mounting the noble steed once again.  And so it goes until one day the engine actually gives a cough & then maybe another.  If I'm lucky, those few coughs might turn into a few chugs.  If I can get more than 5 or 6 chugs going in a row I consider it my lucky day as once again the annual routine of starting up the motorcycle slips into the past for another year.  If only I was smart enough to get Kelly to do all that in the first place the bike would be purring as smooth as a kitten on the very first crank.  And she would probably put the battery in right side up the first time too.  But, couldn't ask her to do that today because.......it's Kelly's Birthday:)))))))

<<< EARLY MORNING FROST

JERRY from, 'Our Life On Wheels' had a very logical question about something I posted in my blog last night. (I like logical questions) Jerry asked....Lake Huron has no salt water, so where does the salt mine get salt?  There is a large vein of salt running underground that stretches hundreds of miles beneath the bottom of Lake Huron & extends all the way over to & under the State of Michigan.  The Sifto salt mine in Goderich is the largest underground rock salt mine in the world & it's large tunnels stretch for nearly 3 miles out under the lake. 

                              

LAST AUTUMN'S FINERY.....A LONE MAPLE LEAF & A COUPLE GOLDEN ROD PLANTS

Kelly & I were fortunate enough about 14 years ago to get on one of the last public tours of that mine.  Unfortunately I was in my photography 'down period' in those years so didn't come away with any photos that day.  I do remember how cavernous it was down there with many roads running off into the darkness here & there.   Mammoth dump trucks carried large loads of chunky salt rock to a very big & noisy underground crusher.  The salt was crushed & processed before being sent to the surface.   From there it is loaded into large lake freighters, railroad cars, & 18 wheeler trucks.

We had expected the mine's tunnel walls & ceiling to be white but they were mainly black.  It was explained that years & years of diesel fumes from large trucks & other machinery had deposited a black soot on the otherwise white salt walls.  I also remember the huge exhaust fans & the consistent 68F (I  think that's what it was) temperature regardless of winter or summer temperatures on the surface.  It is the salt from this mine that ends up on our roads & highways during the winter months.  GODERICH SIFTO SALT MINE

CHECKERS CARRIES HOME A LOG FOR THE FIRE PIT THIS MORNING

I had written the first part of this blog earlier in the day anticipating problems with starting the motorcycle.  I am happy to report that aside from having some problems getting the battery in (of course) I was able to finally get the bike started OK.  Took 7 long cranks & then a cough or two on the 8th.  A few solid chug, chug, chugs on the 9th crank & with number 10 I had the bike up & running for another season.  And I didn't even have to have Kelly come out & start it for me either...........Awwwwwww:))  

 

SHE'S JUST A LITTLE SWEETY PIE AND ALWAYS WANTING TO HELP WITH THE BLOG:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And a helpful tip to avoid injuring yourself in the kitchen...... Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

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

LIVING NEAR THE BIG WATER

LAKE HURON'S ENTRANCE TO THE GODERICH HARBOR

Took most of the day but we are finally in sunshine with record breaking warm temps predicted for the end of the week.  Yes, we are Canadian, & yes, we do talk about the weather a lot up here:))

STORMS CAN WHIP THIS LAKE INTO A FRENZY AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE

I have blogged about our two different lifestyles before & I was reminded of that again this morning as I stood atop a small cliff face in Goderich, Ontario Canada looking out over the vast expanse of blue/green water known as LAKE HURON.   It's the third largest fresh water lake in the world with the 4th being the Caspian Sea.  23,010 square miles of water with an encompassing 3,825 shoreline to boot.  This lake's maximum depth in spots is 750 feet with an average depth of 195 feet & to the unsuspecting eye it is akin to looking out over any of the world's large oceans.

And, by the way.....I'm from the old school with a brain which still prefers to function in miles, feet, inches, acres, & Fahrenheit.  I understand all our Canadian centipeders, kilomaxinators, celciousologies, hectariouses but what the heck, I'm 65 & don't really care!!

THE INNER GODERICH HARBOR WITH LARGE GRAIN SILOS ON THE LEFT & THE GODERICH SALT MINE AT FAR CENTER

For the past 5 months we had lived our daily lives in the desert regions of the American southwest where the largest body of water encountered each day was probably in the bottom of our toilet bowl & there certainly was no average depth of 195 feet there.  Here in our northern latitude summer home we live about a mile from a body of water that has a length of 206 miles & a breadth of 183 miles.  And no, we cannot see Michigan on the other side.

THE SALT MINE'S TUNNELS STRETCH FOR MILES OUT UNDER THE LAKE

This morning's lake was smooth with calming colors of aqua blues & greens.  No signs of white cap waves & no signs of the fury these great Lakes can churn into chaos & peril for unsuspecting ships & lives upon the water.  Remember the Edmund Fitzgerald!!  There are no tides upon these lakes & no salt in their waters.  Mysterious sea creatures are not found along their shores & they do not stretch from polar ice cap to polar ice cap.  But, from nearly any point of any of the great Lakes shores you would swear you are looking out over the ocean.

GODERICH SALT MINE AT BOTTOM RIGHT

Visitors & guests from other countries who visit DEERPARK LODGE where Kelly works have a natural tendency to call Lake Huron, the ocean.  People from England & surrounding countries find it hard to believe that our Lake Huron shores are not actually playing host to ocean waves.  So, for over half the year we live, play, & work, beside a body of water so huge that we occasionally see large ocean going vessels plying the waters up the coast for stops in the nearby town & port of Goderich Ontario & beyond.  And the other half of the year we have to content ourselves with floating the rubber duck you know where!!

SUN SPLASHES ALITE ON LAKE HURON'S SURFACE

Quite conceivably from where we live here in the 5 Season's Estates we could hoist a canoe over our heads, walk out the driveway & make our way through the pine & maple woods to the Bayfield River about half a mile south of us.  We could then put the canoe in the river & drift the short mile long distance down to Lake Huron.  With a bit of paddling & a generous smack of good luck thrown in we could paddle to the south end of Lake Huron & enter the St. Claire river which in turn would take us to the small Lake St. Clair, & into the Detroit River.  From there it is into Lake Erie & with a turn to the northeast we head off to the other end of the shallowest great lake where we would by-pass Niagara Falls via the Welland Canal & paddle into Lake Ontario from the west end.  A bit more paddle work in the water would put us at the Lakes northeast point whereupon we would enter the St. Lawrence River & that would take us all the way up & out past the Provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, & Newfoundland into the very Atlantic ocean itself.  From there the rest of the world is our neighbor.  Reverse that journey & you can see how the ocean going vessels of the world can end up off our shores here along Lake Huron.  Always nice to occasionally see the big freighters far out on the lake making their way to or from various ports all around the great Lakes. 

WITHOUT SUNLIGHT THE WATERS LOOSE THEIR VIBRANT COLORS

Equally as nice to watch are the tiny white fishing boats coming in with their early morning catches of the day.  Soon the weather will be warming up & that will bring the many sailboats out of the harbor & cast them like tiny bobbing & colorful butterflies upon the ever-changing moods & hues of the sparkling waters.  Blazing sunsets will sizzle into the lake leaving long shimmering sun trails in the water before disappearing into the orange & yellow horizon.  You can almost envision a great cloud of steam when that blazing orb touches the cooling water's surface.  Another beautiful sundown in Bayfield, Ontario.

AN OLD SHIP'S ANCHOR KEEPS WATCH OVER THE HARBOR ENTRANCE

And so, it is quite a contrast we see, & live in, with our traveling lifestyles.  From fiery sunsets over looming jagged mountain ranges of the southwest to equally fiery sunsets over a vast body of ocean like water stretching from horizon to horizon, north & south here in Ontario.  Aw yes, what a life it is, what a life it is indeed:))

LITTLE MOTORMOUSE INSISTED WE GET HER A BLANKET THAT MATCHED HER EYES

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Fred got home from his Sunday round of golf later than normal and very tired. "Bad day at the course?" his wife asked. "Everything was going fine," he said. "Then Harry had a heart attack and died on the 10th tee."
"Oh, that's awful!"
"You're not kidding. For the whole back nine it was hit the ball, drag Harry, hit the ball, drag Harry."

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

RAINY DAY WITH A TOUCH OF SADNESS

DESPITE FAILING HEALTH, MY UNCLE HARRY HAS NOT LOST HIS TOUCH ON THE POOL TABLE

I had put all the bird feeders out a couple days ago & it has been nice to see & hear some early spring visitors.  This morning we had Blue Jays, Cardinals, Junco's, House Finches, Nuthatches, Morning Doves, Red Wing Blackbirds, Chipmunks, Squirrels, & Grackles.  No bird photos yet, but soon:))

UNCLE HARRY RACKS THEM UP FOR OUR FIRST OF 5 GAMES

It's a cool, gray, & very rainy day here in southwestern Ontario but that's OK because it will bring the colorful spring flowers out sooner.

HARRY HAS HIS OWN CHEERING SECTION:))

Earlier in the month I had blogged about Kelly's Dad & my Uncle both being taken to hospital by ambulance around the same time.  Kelly's Dad did a stint at re-hab after that & is back home.....but struggling.  My Uncle Harry is back at his assisted living facility in Woodstock Ontario & is also struggling.  Today we went to visit my soon to be 94 year old Uncle.  His health has deteriorated considerably since we saw him last October & he can't go far without his walker now.  But, today he pulled enough strength together & insisted we fire up the pool cues for a few games on the big quality pool table down the hall from his room.  It was a struggle for him but we played 5 games of pool & just about every game came down to the black ball so he hasn't lost his pool shark touch.  We played for about an hour with Harry resting on his walker every once & awhile between shots.  He did really well & I couldn't help but think later as I was putting the balls & cues away today that we just may have played our last games of pool.  Those 5 games left Harry very drained.  Kelly & I will be heading over again in about a week & half so we'll see how he is feeling at that time & hopefully.........we'll be racking em up again:))

       

Woodstock is an hour & twenty minutes from Bayfield & it rained all the way back adding to the sadness of the day, but I think we are in for some milder temps & some sunshine tomorrow. 

HARRY & HIS GOOD FRIEND, & OURS, HELEN

HARRY'S HEADING BACK TO HIS ROOM FOR A WELL DESERVED REST

GROANER'S CORNER:((   My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned...couldn't concentrate.

After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it...mainly because it was a so-so job.

Then I tried to be a chef -- figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.

I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.

Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax.

After that I worked in a blanket factory, but it folded.

Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in.

After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it.

My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.

I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.

My last job was working at Starbucks, but I quit because it was always the same old grind.................:))

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

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

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.

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:))

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.

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. 

     

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.

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!!

 

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..

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