Friday, July 01, 2011

THAT'S OK BECAUSE I KINDA LIKE IT THAT WAY:))

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OUR FIRST PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS BLOOM OF THE SUMMER TODAY 

Going to bed at midnight & getting up again at 4 a.m. is definitely not conducive to an energy filled day. I don’t know what is so important that I think I have to stay up every night to catch Jay Leno’s monologue at 11:35. I think it must be an old habit from the Johnny Carson days. Miss that guy.

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WE HAVE LOTS OF FUNGUS GROWTH THIS YEAR 
Downloaded some music from ITunes a few days ago so that was another first. At .99 cents a tune I think that is pretty good compared to what we used to have to pay for a 45rpm or an album years ago. I probably have somewhere around 6 or 8 hundred pieces of music here that I have downloaded from free sites like Limewire & Audio Galaxy over the years. Not likely anyone out there has heard of the two musical groups I downloaded the tunes from…Moodorama & Groove Armada:))
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I HEARD THIS NORTHERN FLICKER LONG BEFORE I SAW HIM THIS MORNING
Here we are July 1rst already & that is nearly the half way point to winter travels if we can get away in mid October this year. I sure hope the coming 3 months will be smoother than the past 3 months. It has been a very difficult period of time this year.
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A FRONT YARD DAY LILY 
Not a lot happening today so I have reached back into my mind & blown the dust off a few more blogging thoughts that have a habit of running through my head on slow days. Some bloggers will understand what I am talking about & some of course will think I have my head in the old proverbial bucket of water again. Here goes………………..
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BIRDVILLE....I CAN SEE ALL THESE FROM THE COMFORT OF MY RECLINER...UPSIDE DOWN FLOWER POT AT BOTTOM RIGHT HAS A LIGHT IN IT & SOFTLY CASTS A NIGHTLY GLOW ON THE PATH BELOW 
The very nature of blogging itself sometimes can put we bloggers in situations of disadvantage. In the world of 'before blogging,' the playing field was much leveler as we all went along our various paths of life meeting & interacting with people here & there. For the most part, people we met didn’t know any more about us than we of them. We were all basically on the same level. Enter the dawn of blogging & for many of us that level playing field quickly changed.
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A JOLLY JUMP-UP FLOWER...NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A BUTTERFLY  
Some of us have a habit of putting our whole lives on line complete with all kinds of opinions, theories, thoughts & feelings. In effect, we daily put ourselves at quite a disadvantage in the overall grand scheme of things. The majority of our readers are complete & unknown strangers. Would we walk up to a total stranger on the street in some unknown city, town or country & proceed to tell them where we live, how many kids or animals we have & the names & ages of those animals & kids.  Would we pull out photos of our loved ones & show them. Would we tell them the makes & models of all our vehicles & where we keep them parked. Would we tell them the cost of vehicle repair bills or how much it costs to heat our home for a month. What about telling a stranger your religious or political views or what hockey team you cheer for. Now there's a dangerous one for sure. How about telling a stranger about how angry or sad you are at the moment or how about telling them where you were last night, who you were with & what you did with whatever to whom. How about telling a stranger where you are going today, for what reason you are going there & for how long you will be staying at the said destination. I wonder how many of us would, or could walk up to a complete stranger & do that.  Well, in fact some of us do that to hundreds if not thousands of strangers just about every day.  Holy vulnerability Batman!! DSC_4032

THIS ONE'S FOR YOU JUDY:)) 
Well, I know I for one couldn't & wouldn't walk up to a stranger & tell them anything about myself whatsoever. Nothing, zero, zip zilch!! Probably wouldn’t even get a ‘Hello’ out of me. But, for 5 years & over 1200 blogging posts now I have been doing just that…….but not in person. And, I think many others like myself have been doing basically the same thing.
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HOLLY 
I sometimes have moments when I just quietly give my head a slow shake & think to myself....why do I do this every night!! Why do we bloggers put ourselves at risk by revealing so many personal thoughts & feelings or plans & ideas about ourselves. An opinion here, a rant there.  And then there are the occasional embarrassments.  What is it that compels some of us to blog our thoughts out over the world wide web anyway!!DSC_0013

OUR STELLA DORA LILIES ARE IN BLOOM 
Well, I don’t think there is any one overall general answer to that question. I’m sure each one of us have our own reasons & motives. I have blogged about mine many times in the past & at the risk of sounding boringly repetitive I will try to be brief here on why I enjoy doing this so much.  Well, much of the time anyway.
DSC_0025For the most part the key word here is, ‘enjoy.’ I enjoy writing, photography & traveling. Each one of these things is a hobby & when you combine 3 enjoyable hobbies with the ease of today’s blogging technology you end up with the inevitable option of becoming a busy blogger. What a great way to share traveling experiences & info. How better to show this great land than with photographs. And how much nicer to see & do all this than in an RV. And, as an added bonus for people like myself with quieter personalities, it is a perfect vehicle & safer way of expressing ourselves.  And, if you feel you have something to say....what a great way & opportunity to just get out here & say it. 
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I started blogging back in September of 2006 with the express purpose of centering the blog around traveling. That is still the focal point of my blog today but being Snow Birds, the traveling part of this blog generally only lasts 5 or 6 months. So, what to do with the rest of the time.
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The first couple years I basically didn’t blog during the time we were home but by the third year the writing bug had thoroughly established itself in my blood & I was totally hooked as a daily blogger. Problem was, not traveling, what was there to write about every day, every day, every day. And, more important, what was there to write about that would be interesting enough for people to read. To this day that still remains a daily challenge.  Lots more could be said about all this but I think that is about enough out of me for another night.  Gotta go get a little doze in before Leno's monologue anyway.
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Oh, and one final thought for the day before my pen runs out of ink here. Not all, but some of we bloggers are kind of a strange brew of Turkeys. Some of us maybe a tad stranger than others. But you know what, that's OK because I kinda like it that way......10-4:))

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

People born before 1946 were called The Silent generation..
- People born between 1946 and 1964 are called The Baby Boomers.
- People born between 1965 and 1979 are called Generation X, .
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And people born between 1980 and 2010 are called Generation Y ,
Why do we call the last group Generation Y?
Y should I get a job?
Y should I leave home and find my own place?
Y should I get a car when I can borrow yours?
Y should I clean my room?
Y should I wash and iron my own clothes?
Y should I buy any food?
But a cartoonist explained it very eloquently below...

!cid_3A53139644394C4893AEB82B15D8B626@owner40ffa0ee0 

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.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.

16 comments:

  1. Re: the Generation Y cartoon... funny thing is, I see that far more frequently among the senior set (the old guy working on his RV roof we saw in Yuma, for instance - OMG) than among Gen Y... for the most part, they just show their underwear! :)

    Love your header photo, BTW.

    Safe travels,
    Laurie

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  2. Interesting post, Al. I started blogging for myself, to remind myself of places I wanted to travel to and then of the places I have traveled to. Sometimes I get sidetracked with more personal posts but I am also one of the more quiet ones. I can write what I cannot speak and so I do. I figure it's my own brand of "Therapy" and the nice thing about a blog is, no one HAS to read it if they don't want to. My urge to write is satisfied and I don't have to express myself face to face when I don't want to. Best of both worlds! Go Bloggers!!

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  3. There's another, similar question: Why do I comment on a stranger's blog? :) Just wanted to say that I enjoy your writing and photographs very much, and I'm glad you put 'em out there. (Now I'll check out Moodorama and Groove Armada on iTunes!) You and Kelly have a good evening.

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  4. Loved Groaners Corner tonight... "Y" you ask??? Because it was all true. LOL LOL
    Always love what you have to say!
    Donna

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  5. You may think you don't have much to say, but you say it so well and it just hits home. Makes my old brain start to function even when I've shut it down for the day. So once again, thanks.

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  6. Al, I liked your thoughts today. It seems easier to express ourselves in a cyber way than a one on one person. I think it is easier too because if someone is not interested, they won't read it. On the very positive note, through your/our/anyone's blog, they are being themselves and earning a respect by what and how they say what is said. That opens the door to gain a "cyber" friendship/relationship.
    I like the "Y" generation explanation. Thanks

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  7. Ya know Al, I've never met you in person but I would bet I understand what makes you be Al better than most folks you have known in person for years! And none of that would be possible without our blogs..........

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  8. OK I don't know you but from reading your blog I would like to know you. Maybe we are introverts that are just waiting to break loose!! Please keep up the great blog and consider yourself my friend.
    Marge

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  9. If we do manage to become "Any Timers" I may have a real dilemma. If fact I may have already put my home in jeopardy because I started to talk about being down in LA for the Rose bowl parade.

    I just checked and my address is on my web site. Have to take that off! It is not on my business cards because when I did shows it was pointed out that every time an artist hands out a card at a show with his or her address on it, he is telling the world he is not at home!

    In the past, when i have not been at home, I have not mentioned it until I returned.

    Gotta get my address off that web site! I trust 99% of the other RV bloggers, but you never know who lurks out there.

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  10. yet another thought provoking post!..and yes we are a 'great bunch'..gotta love bloggin'!

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  11. I have always been interested in what others observe in and about life. I think it's marvelous that here I sit thousands of miles away from you in Julian and you have some of the same thoughts and feelings I do. It's what connects us all. I for one am glad you write it down to share with everyone. Keep it up. I love your squirrel wars stories and taking virtual tours around your area. Thanks for being a wonderful tour guide.

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  12. I miss Johnny too, and try emusic for 1/2 the price or less.

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  13. Love the hummingbird header photo--stunning!

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  14. What is really amazing is that for all our sharing, there seems to be little or no repercussions.

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  15. Hey Al, You know, now that we stay home, and home is not moving, I better understand the feelings and thoughts of being a non travelling RVer at heart, the challenge of blogging when not travelling, and dreaming about the happy days of hopping around.
    Still out there, still following.
    Take care!
    Motty

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