MY WEEKLY SUNDAY MORNING MOTORCYCLE RIDE WAS RAINED OUT:((

The lingering rains pretty well washed out any ideas of heading out for a motorcycle run earlier this morning.  When the sun finally appeared in late morning the humidity level skyrocketed and that was it for me as far as going outside.  A really poor night's sleep meant I wasted most of my day dozing in my chair.  I actually did something I rarely do.  I watched a couple of DVD's from start to finish.  No, not movies, one was all about the history of Aircraft Carriers & the other one about the evolution of Jet Fighter Aircraft.  Yep, them's is my kinds of interests alright.  Oh, & I did a load of laundry & the dishes too:))

 

CORA, WHY DOES YOUR DAD CALL YOU MOTORMOUSE?

Well, here we are already at the beginning of August.  For Full Timers it may just be the end of another month but for we Snow Birds it marks one less month to a Southern departure date.  In our case, 10 weeks:))  The very welcome cooler Autumn air will roll in soon marking a change in routines & behaviors.  Squirrels will be lining nests & gathering nuts. (and my birdseed!!) Many feathered friends will begin drawing up early flight plans & AL will be dusting off his old annual checklists for loading up the Motor Home.  Even carrying a pencil out & putting it in the rig is a smiling step forward.

I THINK THIS PHOTO IS SOMEHOW SELF EXPLANATORY  

So far, our immediate travel plans & destination upon leaving Bayfield are the same.  We will make a bee line for somewhere in Southwestern Colorado.  When & where we will go from there is anybody's guess & that's one of the great things we both enjoy about our style of RVing.  No plans, no reservations & no commitments.   Oh ya....IMHO:))

A SCENIC RURAL STOP ALONG THE WAY & YES, THAT IS A LITTLE ORANGE MONKEY ON THE BACK OF THE BIKE.....HE'S MY BACKUP:)) 

Took a break from Blog reading today.  I usually spend at least 3 to 4 hours out of every day reading & trying to stay caught up with my fellow Bloggers latest posts but it just gets to be a little much after awhile.  It seems the more blogs I read the more new blogs I come across & it just becomes a seemingly never ending list.  Kelly only ever reads 3 or 4 blogs & is not in the habit of leaving comments very often.  She also reads her newspapers & financial sites on line every morning as well.   I was once kind of a newspaper guy but kicked that habit nearly 10 years ago & haven't read a newspaper since.

I LOVE THESE LITTLE QUIET COUNTRY ROAD PHOTO SAFARIS 

When we lived at the old Weenie Roast Ranch, our Stratford Beacon Herald newspaper, wrapped in a plastic sleeve, was delivered & tossed into our driveway every day.  Max liked to run up the laneway, pick up the newspaper & bring it back to us dropping it on the porch just as proud as he could be.

THE LAST PARAGRAPH(s): This is actually my second post today.  The first one was about some recent comment pettiness here in Blog Land.  Thought better about it & scrapped the post.  Nope, I told myself, you have maintained the high road all along with this person so just stay right where you are AL & keep your thoughts & opinions to yourself. 

In the end when all is said & done, opinions have been expressed, thoughts exchanged & nerve endings stepped on, the bottom line still remains the same......'We are all responsible for our own feelings.' IMHO.

'THE PIER' IN GRAND BEND, ONTARIO 

GROANER'S CORNER:((   An aged farmer and his wife were leaning against the edge of their pig-pen when the old woman wistfully recalled that the next week would mark their golden wedding anniversary.
"Let's have a party, Homer," she suggested. "Let's kill a pig."
The farmer scratched his grizzled head. "Gee, Ethel," he finally answered, "I don't see why the pig should take the blame for something that happened fifty years ago."

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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.

VERY CLOSE CALL FOR MY NIKON D90 TODAY!!

Our morning sky was as blue as blue as blue can be with not a cloud to be seen.  I was a bit concerned about my Uncle Harry so threw my cameras into the Jeep & figured I would do a little photo Safari in the Mitchell area & drop in to see him.  He seemed a tad better than just a couple days ago but he is on morphine injections now & that is making him a bit groggy & very tired.

ACRES & ACRES OF CORN AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE  (NIKON D90 AT 18mm) 

Our Jeepster doesn't have A/C & by the time I left the Nursing Home the air & humidity had really heated up.  Doddled along some country roads on the way home gathering together a few photos here & there. 

LOOKS LIKE THESE GREAT BLUE HERONS HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES A FAVORITE FISHING HOLE  (NIKON D40 at 300mm) 

I was startled by a very low flying helicopter that seemed to pop right out of a corn field beside me.  I quickly made a U turn & pulled off to the side of the road & jumped out with both cameras in hand to see where the Chopper had gone. 

CROP DUSTING A CORN FIELD  (ALL HELICOPTER SHOTS WITH NIKON D40)  

Spotted it approaching quickly from my left skimming a corn field.  Decided to crack off a few shots with my 70-300mm telephoto lens on my D40 first & it was here where I made one of my classic stupid mistakes. 

ANY LOW FLYER'S WORST NIGHTMARE..............POWER LINES!!!!

In my hurry to catch the fast approaching Chopper I set my Nikon D90 on the hood of the Jeep & proceeded to get a few shots off with the D40 as the Helicopter swooped up out of the cornfield right in front of me.  It was then that I saw it was a 'crop duster.'

Watched him make a tight banking U turn about a 100 feet off the deck & head back down on top of the corn field heading the other way.  I quickly decided to re-park the Jeep off the road better & wait for the Chopper to come back.  There was a cross road about an eighth of a mile ahead so drove down there, made a U turn & came back up to where I had been before & pulled off the road completely.  I reached over to the passenger seat to grab my D90.....but it wasn't there.  Of course it wasn't there AL because you had left it sitting on the hood of the Jeep!!!!!!! 

Would you believe the camera was still sitting in the exact same spot close up to the windshield right where I had left it.  I couldn't believe my luck & I couldn't believe I had not seen it on the hood!!  I said a very grateful 'thank you' to the great camera God in the sky & went about taking a few more picks of the Chopper.  I totally know enough not to make a stupid mistake like that but in the excitement & haste of the moment I went ahead & made the mistake anyway.  So, photo tip of the day.....never ever set your camera on your vehicle!!!!

Today we welcome Wasim as the Bayfield Bunch's 308th Blog Follower.  Welcome aboard Wasim & with a little bit of luck we'll have the big wheels rolling Westward by mid October.

BROWN EYED SUSAN'S ALONGSIDE THE ROAD  (NIKON D40 at 300mm)   

I particularly enjoyed JERRY'S walk down music's memory lane in his Friday post.  Remember the days when music just had a nice way of making you feel better no matter what was bothering you.  And Kelly just brought it to my attention that Donna over at TRAVELS IN THERAPY posted a blog on music as well tonight.  Donna...you go girl:))  You will not only find both these post's interesting but you may find the comments interesting as well.  

NIKON D90 

I had begun several times to write an explanation about Friday night's 'Last Paragraph' segment & then just gave up in frustration.  What's the point.  People are going to believe what they want to believe & that's all there is to it.   A commenter left this following comment & I will just let it speak for what I thought I clearly said......

"It seems that Gypsy and others have taken your statement to mean that you are not going back to the Southwest. I think I understand you have given up on the idea of BUYING a place in the Southwest.  I tend to support that decision. Leaving property vacant in that area for six months would be inviting big problems. My parents sold out and moved after 3-4 break-ins and that was back in the 1970s. It is far worse now. When I last visited my cousins, near the Ranch that you house sit, they advised me not to go walking in the early morning hours. To much danger of crossing paths with drug smugglers that will shoot first and talk later. This is not media hype but rather a warning from people that have lived there 24/7/365 since the 1940s."  (Thanks Ed)

THE LAST PARAGRAPH: Yes, we will be returning to the great American Southwest this winter & for as many winters as we possible can.  We love dat place:))

GROANER'S CORNER:))    A farmer was milking his cow. He was just starting to get a good rhythm going when a bug flew into the barn and started circling his head. Suddenly, the bug flew into the cow's ear. The farmer didn't think much about it, until the bug squirted out into his bucket. It went in one ear and out the udder.

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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.

THE BOUNCING BAYFIELD BURRITO BUMS STRIKE AGAIN

RAIN & FOG HAS STOPPED THIS COMBINE FROM PROCEEDING ANY FURTHER INTO THE WET WHEAT  FIELD (CANON SX210)
The big bad Thunder Monster came in the night & once again totally traumatized our little Motormouse.  Max was never bothered by thunder but Checkers was.  The little Motor becomes frantic & scurries about the house in a hyperventilated state looking for an escape from the loud booming Monster who I am sure she thinks is chasing her.  As a rule she generally ends up under Kelly's bed because no amount of holding & snuggling with her helps.

PLEASE DON'T LET THAT THUNDER MONSTER GET ME DAD  (CANON SX210)
Until Kelly told me this morning, I hadn't remembered that this is a long week-end for us here in Canada.  That means scads & scads of people in Bayfield & our little Supermarket would be totally overrun.  Once again that meant a hit & run raid to Goderich by the two Burrito Bums.  A gas fill up followed by a quick grocery excursion through the Food Basics store led us right across the road & into McDonald's Drive Thru line up. 

I could hardly get a word in edgeways as the Kid completely took over the ordering of 2 Burritos & a small coffee.  How the girl on the other end of that microphone knows what all that barking means I don't know but sure enough it was only minutes later when she handed me a bag of concealed Yummies out the window. Me & the Kid were off like Jack the Bear down the highway & quickly off onto a country road whereupon we got right into our cheesy Burritos.  The Kid likes the tiny meatballs & I eat the rest.  Aw yes, another lightning raid & successful mission for the two Jeep headed bouncing Bayfield Burrito Bums:))  And yes, when you drive a Jeep Wrangler, you bounce!!

OK MOTOR, JUST KEEP IT QUIET & I'LL DO THE TALKING!!
  
'BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK'.....SHHHHHHH!!
 
CAN YOU DRIVE A LITTLE FASTER DAD.......OK, OK, WE'RE ALMOST THERE
 
WHY ISN'T OUR BURRITOS READY MA'AM........OK LADY, WHAT THE HECK'S THE BIG HOLD UP,  DO I HAVE TO COME THROUGH THAT WINDOW!!!!!!!!!   (CANON AF750))
One of the absolute best ways to view the night sky is through a reasonably good pair of 7x50 binoculars.  I ordered my Bausch & Lomb binos through the Canadian astronomy magazine SKYNEWS about 15 years ago & they have proven to be one of my better investments.  Binoculars will get you out into space immediately with little effort.  Nothing to set up except for a tripod which I highly recommend.  With binoculars I can clearly see the Andromeda Galaxy which happens to be the closest Galaxy to earth.  It is actually visible to the naked eye if you have a dark night & 20/20 vision.  It will be especially visible in the clear Autumn sky soon.  7x50 binoculars will show you the craters on the moon & mountain ridge lines, but it is essential to have the binos rock steady on a tripod.  And, a full moon is not the best time to view the moon.  Too bright & the lighting is too flat.  Catch the moon in it's crescent  to half full stages for the best viewing.

IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT A MORNING FOR SUNGLASSES  (CANON SX210)
There are a lot of great point & shoot cameras on the market.  Lots of options, zoom factors, megapixels, mossmagators & just about anything else you can think of.  For the most part they do a fine job & I used two of my point & shoots for some of tonight's photos.  BUT, if you are at all serious about improving the quality of your photography you are going to have to move up to a DSLR.  (Digital Single Lens Reflex)  I would suggest either Canon or Nikon.  You need to have a camera with a viewfinder!! 

Holding a camera out at arms length, unsteadily weaving around trying to compose a serious photograph in an LED display just doesn't cut it.  I know that because my Canon SX210 is one of those cameras.  You need to get a camera snug up against yourself with your eye in a viewfinder so the only image you have in front of you is the image you are composing, nothing else.  This is essential to composition & essential to keeping your camera steady & for sure it is essential to keeping your camera safe.  Have your camera tucked in close to your body at all times & never pick up your DSLR without first hooking the camera strap around your arm.    Well, 'in my humble opinion' anyway.  IMHO:))

FLOTILLA OF CANADA GEESE  (NIKON D40 at 300mm)
One of the prettiest star clusters you will ever find with your binoculars is the Pleaides, sometimes called the Seven Sisters or Suburu.  This constellation will be in the Eastern sky soon & will remain aloft traversing the night sky from East to West through the winter.  Don't miss it.  Binoculars will open up a whole new & fascinating world for you & I suggest a good set of binoculars before moving on into the world of telescopes.  Besides, binoculars are easy to use, easy to carry around & have multiple day time uses.  Compared to telescopes, I can't express enough the ease of use that binoculars are.  They will transport you many, many miles out into space in just seconds & leave you aghast at all the shimmering diamonds in your new found world:))

NOTICE THE BEE AT BOTTOM RIGHT JUST FLYING INTO THE FRAME AS I WAS TAKING THE HOSTA BLOOM PHOTO (NIKON D90)
Continuous rainy weather I find depressing just as continuous sunny weather I find boring.  We are so fortunate in Southwestern Ontario to have a perfect 75-25 mixture of the two with sunny weather falling into the 75% category.  The 4 prominent Seasons also bring on changes in weather patterns 4 times a year & that keeps things interesting.  I find the nice mixture of lightning & thunderstorms in our area takes the edge off endless sunny days.  I love to see weather changes & all that it brings. 

A COUPLE OF OUR AREAS WEALTHIER FARMS AS SEEN THROUGH MY 300mm TELEPHOTO LENS:))  (NIKON D40)
Last nights thunder storms led to a picturesque fog this morning.  Shafts of sunlight pierced the heavy cloud cover in the afternoon & probably tomorrow we will be under bright clear sunny skies again.  I may not be to hip on the never ending changes to computer software etc but for the most part I am a creature of ongoing change & I like that.  One of these days I may even change my old well worn short sleeved summer shirt for another old well worn short sleeved summer shirt.  Of course the key word there was.........'might':))

NOTICE THE CLEVER DOCK AT THIS FARM PROPERTY ALONG THE MAITLAND RIVER  (NIKON D40 at 300mm) 
And speaking of bright & sunny you might want to hop on over to JANNA'S blog & check out what bright & sunny now means to her & Mike today after a long trip & a purchase in Boise, Idaho Thursday:))

NEVER KNOW WHAT KINDS OF VEHICLES YOU MEET ON THE BACK ROADS...FIGURE THIS OLDSMOBILE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 1956 VINTAGE  (NIKON D90 at 18mm) 
Found a couple pieces of paper beside the computer this morning with a bunch of names on them.  It's in Kelly's handwriting & I'm wondering if this is something a husband should be worried about.  Well here, see for yourself as I scroll down the names...............Moky, Opie, Paddy Wink, Pepper Phoebe, Piper, Sage, Sassy, Storm, Chickie, Dusty, Razzel, Samara, Sammy, Toby, Snoopy, Ripley, Sadie, Samba, Mattie, Scampy, Abby Maggie, Chloe, Cinder, Daisy, Dakota, Josie, Kimbra, Libby, Lilly & Mia.  Now, d'ya think this could be a list of some former boyfriends, or could it be.........................Hmmmmmmmm:))  Say, I bet that Dusty guy could be a real concern!!

THE VERY SHALLOW BUT MIGHTY MAITLAND RIVER LAZILY ON IT'S WAY TO LAKE HURON & EVENTUALLY OVER NIAGARA FALLS, UP THE ST. LAWRENCE & INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN  (NIKON D90 at 18mm) 
THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  With all the ongoing & escalating turmoil south of the border we have pretty well dispensed with any further hopes or plans of finding ourselves a quiet little winter get away place somewhere in the American Southwest.  We stay in touch with what is happening in the U.S. at a ground level & we know for a fact & understand how the overall situation is deteriorating.  None of that takes away my love & desire to live in the Southwest but we are once again drawn back to reality & made aware of how truly fortunate we are to live right here in Canada.  The most we can hope for is to Snow Bird for as long as we can & enjoy our beloved Southwest home away from home as best we possibly can while we are still able to go there & while it still lasts...........10-4.
  
THIS OLD IRON BRIDGE WAS BUILT OVER THE MAITLAND RIVER IN 1885  (NIKON D90)
GROANER'S CORNER:((  On a rural road a state trooper pulled this farmer over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?"  To which the farmer replied: "Thank God, I thought I had gone deaf!"
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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.

A VISIT WITH UNCLE HARRY TODAY

EMPTY HAY WAGONS AWAIT THEIR BALED HARVEST...ALL OF TONIGHT'S PHOTOS ARE FROM THURSDAY MORNINGS DRIVE

So nice sitting quietly this morning listening to the fall of gentle rain.  Even the air takes on a lush smell when rain mixes with dry dusty earth.  Water dripping from the eaves set up a steady pitter patter on the corner of our rear deck.  No matter, our soggy little Cardinal happily chirped in another fine start to another fine day.

 

I THINK THE GUY WITH NO SHIRT MUST BE THE FOREMAN 

Kelly, myself & the Motormouse slipped down to Mitchell this morning to see my Uncle Harry. We noticed his health had slipped from the last time we were there about a week & half ago.  At 95 years old any downturn in health is not a good thing.

A GAGGLE OF CANADA GEESE TOUCH DOWN ON A SUMMER'S POND (CLICK TO ENLARGE)  

I'm not much of a shopping guy.  Just don't seem to have the patience for that sort of thing & especially if it's for something I'm really not to interested in.  Some guys will go to great lengths in order to get out of having to go shopping with the Missus.  Check out MIKE'S blog & see how he cleverly 'used his head' in an attempt to get out of a recent shopping trip:))  

PHANNIE & MAE  are heading out on their shakedown cruise.  Mike is a flyer & talks about the importance of check lists.  I remember the first time Craig, a boyhood friend took me flying.  Taxied out to the holding area of the runway where he proceeded to read something on a small keyboard by his seat.  That unnerved me a bit because I thought he was reading the instructions on how to fly an airplane & of course that is exactly what Craig told me he was doing.  He was always quite a jokester that Craig guy was.  Mike, in his post, also talks about engine & transmission tweaking that will be of particular interest to Tiffin Motor Home owners.  Kinda glad we just got a simple old gas puffer in our rig.

Sherry & Charlie from, RETIRED, FULLTIMING & LOVIN IT have just joined us on our Blog Followers list.  Welcome aboard folks, nice to have you along:))

Our front yard is eerily calm now as we are about to slide into the month of August.  The colorful birds of Spring have long departed, our frog pond is silent & our bird station stands unattended.  Not even a Squirrel or two.  The bustling growing season is over & there are already signs in the gardens of the coming cooler months ahead.  In a few weeks there will be a barely noticeable shift in the weather.  I will notice it though because I always watch for it................Oh, & by the way, regarding last night's post.....I remembered the correct name for those pots that were under everyone's bed many years ago......chamber pots, not pee pots:))     

THE LARGE ROUND STRAW BALES ARE MEANT TO STAY IN THE FIELD, BUT SOMETIMES THEY TAKE TO WANDERING

    

AND SOMETIMES, THEY JUST FALL APART IN THE FIELD...I SEE A REPOSING LION HERE WITH A VERY ROUND & FLAT FACE 

Karyn sent me the following update this morning on the trial of the guy who was responsible for the deaths of fellow RV'ers Bruce & Margie nearly a year ago in Pismo Beach, California... OCEANO MAN PLEADS NO CONTEST

THE HOUSE OF BUZZARD......... 

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Many years ago I heard this saying, 'I complained I had no shoes......until I met the man who had no feet.'  That is a saying that has always stayed with me & was playing in my mind today as we left the Nursing Home in Mitchell.

 

OH OH, LOOKS LIKE I HAVE COME ACROSS A SWAGGERING GOOSE CROSSING.......  

GROANER'S CORNER:((   

A husband and wife were driving down a country lane on their way to visit some friends. They came to a muddy patch in the road and the car became bogged. After a few minutes of trying to get the car out by themselves, they saw a young farmer coming down the lane, driving some oxen before him.
The farmer stopped when he saw the couple in trouble and offered to pull the car out of the mud for $50. The husband accepted and minutes later the car was free. The farmer turned to the husband and said, "You know, you're the tenth car I've helped out of the mud today."
The husband looks around at the fields incredulously and asks the farmer, "When do you have time to plough your land? At night?"
"No," the young farmer replied seriously, "Night is when I come back here & put more water in the hole."

 

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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OUR

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

The

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