Friday, December 16, 2011

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH MEETS BAYFIELD’S STORMRUNNER AT THE BBC

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THIS LITTLE BANTY ROOSTER IS QUITE VOCAL ABOUT HIS PRESENCE

(THURSDAY’S POST)

It was a familiar sound in the air at daybreak this morning.  As long time reader’s know, the Ranch borders on Arizona’s WHITEWATER DRAW which is just a mile down the road.  The air is alive every day with thousands of Sand Hill Cranes flying back and forth between their night time roosting area and their feeding grounds further up the valley.  Great swirling flocks high above the ground at times and other times I have seen them at roof top level right over the Ranch struggling into the heavy gusting westerly winds trying get home for the night.  I have countless Sand Hill Crane photos from the past few years so will try to keep things down to a dull roar this year.

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EARLY MORNING SAND HILL CRANES HEADING FOR THEIR FEEDING GROUNDS UP THE VALLEY

Received an email late yesterday from some friends of ours from Bayfield.  They were in Benson just north of us.  Harry and Dianne from STORMRUNNER RV SALES AND SERVICE decided to head West this year and take a break from winters in Florida.  Dianne has been reading our blog for about 4 or 5 years now and just wanted to head west and see some of the things I have been blogging about over the years.  They were heading for Tombstone this morning so I suggested they come a little farther and meet us in Bisbee.

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PHEEBS MEETS THE DONKEYS THIS MORNING FOR THE FIRST TIME

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EEEUUUUUU, THOSE GUYS GOT BAD BREATH

As we rolled into one end of the parking lot at the big Lavender Pit mine in Bisbee around 11 a.m. Harry, Dianne, and their dog Sport rolled in from the other end in their truck and truck camper.   They generally travel with one of their large Carriage 5th wheel but decided for there western trip they would do the truck and camper.

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SITTING DOWN TO BREAKFAST AT THE BISBEE BREAKFAST CLUB (BBC)

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BREAKFAST OVER, HARRY HEADS OUT THE DOOR AND DOWN THE STREET OF BISBEE’S OLD LOWELL

Great to see them and it’s the first time we have ever met anyone here in the southwest from back home that we knew.  Chatted us up a storm & then headed the short distance to the BBC.  ‘Bisbee Breakfast Club’.  Harry sure had himself a big mess of biscuits and gravy.  I’m going to have to try that sometime.  Harry insisted on picking up the tab and we thank him for that.

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NOW HERE’S A COUPLE NICE DOLLY’S POSING FOR A PICTURE

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AWWWW YES, THE MEMORIES:))

Had us a walk down yesteryear’s Erie Street in Bisbee’s old Lowell district.  This is a really neat old street that time has just forgotten about.  It’s not a restored old street….it’s a real and authentic old street with broken windows, empty store fronts and weeds in the cracks of the sidewalks.  Real dust and dirt in the streets and some old cars and trucks that just kind of hang out there. 

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<<< YEP, THEY’RE STILL POSING

At the bottom of Erie Street and across the eastern highway leading into Bisbee lies the SHADY DELL 1950'S TRAILER PARK where old restored travel trailers can be rented for a couple days or a couple weeks.  Instead of staying at a motel you can stay in real 1950’s trailers.

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CHECKING OUT THE SHADY DELL’S VINTAGE TRAILER PARK

From there it was back up Erie Street to pick up the vehicles and head on into the main part of Bisbee just west of the big Lavender Pit.  Had ourselves a walk around a few backstreets and downtown Bisbee.   Weather was perfect and the surrounding mountains looked so nice backgrounding the vivid and varied colors of Bisbee’s many artsy buildings dating back into the 1800’s..  Dianne is like me….it is all about the scenery here in the west.

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HAD US A WALK-ABOUT ON BISBEE’S BACK STREETS

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MANY STAIRS TO CLIMB IN BISBEE AS HARRY HEADS UP BREWERY GULCH

We said our good-byes to Dianne, Harry and Sport in front of the Bisbee Coffee Roasters shop.  They were heading back to Benson & then to Tucson for a gun show on Saturday.  We may catch up with them again in Yuma next month.

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BYE GUYS, SEE YA LATER IN YUMA MAYBE…….

Kelly picked up few things at one of her favorite places, the High Desert Market and Café.  We were back at the ranch about half an hour later.  So nice to be back in Bisbee again.  Some people come here, look in a few shops, maybe have a bite to eat and leave again never having the experience that is truly Bisbee.  Some just drive through or past Bisbee but Bisbee is the type of place where you have to get out of your vehicle and get your boots on the ground and start walking.   If you have any kind of creativity about you there’s a real good chance you will appreciate what Bisbee has to offer.  Not a commercial tourist trap, just a simple little town built by a bunch of hard working miners way back in the 1800’s.  The miners are long gone but the little town is still here:))

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COULD IT BE DIANE IS CONFRONTING ONE OF BISBEE’S HOMELESS CHARACTERS……NAW, IT’S JUST ME

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SAY DI, DID YA HEAR THE ONE ABOUT…….

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SHE’S THINKING ABOUT IT

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SHE JUST GOT IT….:))

Not being used to taking medications it’s quite a challenge for me to remember to take my 800mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours.  I have been avoiding taking the Oxycondone and am saving those high powered guys in case of an emergency.  I’m afraid this whole medical thing is beginning to turn into a bit of a nightmare for us.

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ON A BISBEE WALL

Kelly spent a long time on the phone this morning trying to get me in to a Urologist in Sierra Vista but no go.  Also found out our trip back to Tucson is only the beginning of a 3 step procedure that will take 3 weeks and two additional trips.  We are also aware of the fact our insurance company may very well balk at having the procedure done here in the States.  They have been known to force people to return to Canada for things like this so we have ourselves a bit of a dilemma shaping up.

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PEEK-A-BOO BUS AT SHADY DELL

And the size of the Kidney Stone itself is beginning to cause us concern.  Kelly had a long talk with the Urologist’s office in Sierra Vista this afternoon and they said the size of the Kidney Stone is going to create it’s own problems.  Oh dear.  After all these years of being basically Doctor and Hospital free it looks like it just may be time for Al to finally pay the Piper.

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CHARLIE THE CAT KEEPS A WARY EYE ON PHEEBS FROM ATOP A PILE OF HAY BALES

Nice being here at the Ranch spending time with Jeanie & Ray before they head out in their Motor Home in a couple days for points west.  A couple of down to earth people like ourselves and we all get along well.  Tomorrow morning we will go through the ranch procedures.  Ray will re-orient me once again on the delicate procedure of milking the chickens.  No horses this year but I will have to share my peanut butter and honey sandwiches with the Donkeys again.  I taught ranch dog Pearce to wait for a smooch before I fed him 3 years ago and he still remembered that as I put a smooch on his little black doggy nose before feeding him this afternoon.  Yes, we always love being here at the Ranch in Arizona’s Cochise County.  And, Pheebs is just having a blast racing around all over the place with no worries to us for her safety.  We are completely fenced in by acres of Coyote proof fencing.  Even little Motor is free to wander and she is having a blast as well. 

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PHEEBS AND GLEESON

All 4 dogs get along great and it’s fun to watch Peebs and Gleeson playing together.  A couple years ago we had as many as 6 dogs here some days and I just loved getting out on the grass and playing with the guys.  We had some really great zany times:))

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RAY TAKES OUT SOME HAY FOR PONCHO AND SARAH

I will have to pay closer attention to the spacing between my posts paragraphs.  Live Writer and Blogger sometimes have conflicts of interest in how things are done.  I always leave a space between paragraphs when writing the blog but sometimes Blogger does not interpret what Live Writer is doing, or vice versa.

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MOTORMOUSE KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON MY SUPER TONIGHT

The Bayfield Bunch welcomes 3 new Blog Followers today.  Not sure if PAGE is WINNIE VIEWS: A GIRL'S GUIDE TO TOWING WITH A TOAD.  I checked PAGE’S profile and saw the above link on it.  HEINZRVJOURNEY is followed by FOXY to round out the 3 new Followers.  Thanks guys, I appreciate your interest.

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DAY’S END IN THE SULPHUR SPRINGS VALLEY…ARIZONA:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A swimming instructor at a Los Angeles university was quizzing a group of students on Red Cross life saving and water safety techniques.
They answered all of her questions easily until she posed this one: "Which article of clothing would you remove last if you fell from a boat or dock fully clothed?"
Everyone mentioned something different. It was evident that no one knew the correct answer, so the instructor helped out. "The blouse," she said, "because the air gets under the blouse and acts like a buoy!"
The subsequent uproar ended the class.

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

20 comments:

  1. Hi Al -
    This is Page and no, I am not Winnie. I had read her blog about the Toad. Not sure why it is linked to my profile - haven't really finished filling out my profile. I am following several blogs (I love RVSue's especially) Hub and I plan to sell it all in a few years and become nomadic, so I have become a serious blog lurker, soaking up all the info I can.
    I have a co-worker who gets kidney stones - I do not envy you in the least.
    Be safe and be well!

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  2. morning Al, looks like a great day yesterday touring and visiting a great place...bless your heart for making lemons out of lemonaid..sure hope the insurance takes care of the kidney stone problem and you don't have to travel back to canada to have it taken care of :( fingers crossed on this end for you...hope your feeling better and hope its all rectified really soon...

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  3. Oh NO,,,,your not gOING BACK!!! You can't leave!! State law: You can't leave AZ and go back to Canada,,,,,,,,
    We just aren't going to allow it, good Buddy!! 10-4??

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  4. Kelly will get it all worked out I am sure! We will think positive thoughts on this end!

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  5. Good luck on your kidney stone situation! I think I can see the building in the background where the arts and weaving center was that I toured when we were there. Glad to see that Pheebs likes those big fuzzy donkeys, and give them an extra pat for me?

    Gosh, you are making me homesick for the Arizona desert again!

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

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  6. And Mike wants to know what happened to your "good" hat Al??

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  7. That kidney stone may take a few blasts, and then ya gotta still pass the fragments..I supposedly still have one in my right side, which means it can move and cause problems at any time..GRRRR! However, be glad your health is otherwise fine, and this, too, shall "pass" :-/

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  8. Positive thoughts, everyone. Keep Al and Kelly here and healthy.

    Emjay

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  9. Don't know when we will be back in Bisbee, but perhaps sooner rather than later after seeing your photos and the reminder of BBC! And I loved the photos of Pheebs first encounter with the donkeys. :)

    Glad to read that you need just the Ibuprophen for now. If you DO have to return to Canada for treatment, can you return to the west coast instead of Bayfield? A little warmer, maybe, or at least less snowy? And certainly closer! But let's just hold the simpler solution in our mind's eyes: a short series of trips to Tucson with a trouble-free outcome.

    Big hug to Jeannie and Ray for us! We have happy memories of our times there at the ranch.

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  10. So nice you got meet up from people back home that you know, and able to tour about Bisbee.
    Hope saga of the kindney stones pans out for you!

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  11. Hi Al (and a warm welcome to Page!)-- Actually WinnieViews is my site that Page had just joined too. Thanks anyway for the shout-out! I absolutely love the area you're stayed right now... I didn't realize the ranch was so close to Whitewater Draw. I overnighted there one night last winter and had an amazing time with the cranes! Really liked Bisbee too, but totally forgot to search out the Shady Dell while I was there-- guess I'll just have to go back :-) Best wishes for a speedy recovery with the kidney stone...hopefully, everything will work out with the insurance co too.

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  12. Good thing you are getting by on just the ibuprofen. I don't think you're supposed to drive when taking oxycodone.

    It's good to read about your being back at the ranch, in Bisbee, etc. I think I would like that area better than any other in AZ.

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  13. That oxycodone is really powerful stuff so it's great you're able to hang onto it for those crises times. Sure hope you can get things worked out so you can stay in AZ for whatever they decide to do to get rid of that stone.

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  14. Right now, I am sending sonic blasts through my thought waves aimed at your ... hey! Quit moving around! I'm aiming the sonic blasts at your ... seriously, you need to stop squirming.

    Best wishes for getting that thing outta there pronto. OW! Not like that!

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  15. Gosh, I really really hope you're able to stay and get the kidney stone procedure down in the SW so you don't have to speed back up North. We're not toooo far away if you need help. We'll be in San Diego until Jan 15th and then heading back into the desert -> Bisbee is a real possibility. So if you need help at that time (driving, ranch-sitting, dog sitting etc.) just let us know.

    Nina

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  16. Lets hope for Lithotripsy and not the more invasive procedure. That invasive procedure is what I am facing here in KC again, but I will know more after today's doctor visit.

    As far as returning to Canada for the procedure, that's just nuts! What did you buy US insurance for?

    Anyway, I have way more Urologist experience than I ever wished for, so here's hoping you can get on top of all of it in a timely fashion.....

    Rod

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  17. Hoping you can stay, here, for treatment, Al.

    Why not tell your insurance company you can't drive because of pain meds. It's the truth, and surely they wouldn't go against the advice about not driving under the influence.

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  18. Hey Al. Sorry to hear about your kidney stones. You could try dissolving them with vinegar or also lemon juice & olive oil to pass them. If you google natural remedies for kidney stones, you'll have lots to read. This might not be the place to ask, but I'm concerned about Michael (Wanderwolf). If you know, could you tell me if he's okay? Thanks. Linda

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  19. Like everyone else, I sure hope you don't have to go all the way home to get that pesky stone taken care of. Keeping you in my thoughts.

    Love the photos of Pheebs with the donkeys. Your captions were perfect.

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  20. That three week procedure kind of messes stuff up for you. If your insurer makes you go home will they fly you home and back down again?.

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