Saturday, March 30, 2013

MAYBE A CHANGE TO OUR DEPARTURE DATE

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PHEEB’S PALS MOLLY & TIPPY ANXIOUSLY WAIT FOR THEIR SNUGGLES, SMOOCHES, & SCRUFFLES FROM THE BAYFIELD BUNCH MOST EVERY MORNING…PHEEBS DOES THE SMOOCHING PART

Cloudy start to the day but it was warm.  And warm is all that counts after the yucky cold winter we had here.  Next winter we hope to be much more flexible & if it’s warmer in Yuma for a week or two then that’s where I hope we can head for.  We know some nice quiet little boon docking spots down around that area.  But a stop in Slab City to have Solar Mike at THE SUN WORKS install a small solar system on our rig will be one of the first orders of business before we head off to do any boondocking anywhere next Fall.

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OUR RESIDENT GILA WOODPECKER ON AN OCOTILLO BRANCH THIS MORNING…I CALL HIM MR. GILAPECKER

Topped up the rig’s propane this morning & threw a $50 bill in the gas tank.  That plus the quarter tank of gas already in there should get us well up into the Chino Valley before completely filling the tank.  Don’t want to be climbing the Yarnell Hill up the Weaver Mountains with a full tank of gas if we don’t have to.

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QUITE AN ANGLE WE’RE ON FOR OUR PROPANE FILL UP THIS MORNING

Ramped up our packing today because Kelly hasn’t just been feeling the best this last little while & there is a chance we may be rolling out for home a little earlier than planned.  We’ll see how the next couple of days go.

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LITTLE GIZMO RACES UP & DOWN THE FENCE LINE TRYING TO GET PHEEBE’S ATTENTION

Planted myself another dozen NOPALEA type Cactus pads this morning & our Mexican neighbors have a dozen or more of another kind of tall growing cactus for us as well.  Will get them in the ground Sunday morning.  Not likely all these Cacti I am planting will grow but if they do we may have ourselves a rather formidable Cactus forest growing around us in a few years.  Depending on the rains, the neighbor’s say all these cactus plants are fairly fast growers.  The kind I planted this morning do not have the thorns & barbs on them.

DSC_8989Kelly & I haven’t been been ones to celebrate Birthdays, Anniversaries, & special holidays like Christmas, Easter, 4th of July etc. these last bunch of years.   We always keep those things very low key around our house.  So, in keeping with our low key policy & not wanting to voluntarily get myself into hot water tonight I won’t tell you who’s Birthday it was today.  Nope, not Pheebs & nope not me, no sireeeeeeee.  But the folks on Facebook knew……:))

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DESPITE A CLOUDY DAY THE DESERT IS ALWAYS A PLACE OF WONDERMENT

Tammy & Art over at "IT'S GOOD TO BE US" are sure cooking themselves up some great excitement right now as I type this.  It is their first  on the road RVing day & their excitement & enthusiasm are at an all time high.  I’m sure we can all remember those days & all those mixed emotions when everything about this RV lifestyle was so knew to us.  In case you don’t remember, be sure to head over to Tammy’s blog & refresh your memory.  All the feelings are right there so grab onto their coat tails, your gonna be in for a groovy ride right from the beginning of their whole new & great lifestyle.  Watch for them on our sidebar:))

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Kelly the eternal Optimist believes we will not have one single problem when we import our Class C Sunseeker to Canada at the border in a couple weeks.  Me the obvious Pessimist believes once we reach the border we may never be seen or heard from ever again!!

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Hypothetical question:  If you received an invitation to write a guest post for a legitimate magazines RV section, I'm wondering how many folks would seriously consider doing that?  Just curious……….

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RETIRED ROD had the following comment question about my Nikon D40… “Al, as much as you use that camera with the dust in the optical system, wouldn't it be prudent to get someone to clean it out”?  Well, I was the someone who tried to clean it out a couple times 3 years ago & ended up just making it a whole lot worse.  The dust particles are on the cameras sensors & it is recommended the sensors be cleaned by professionals.  Very expensive to have done I hear.  It’s easy for me to use my ‘Retouch’ tool in my PICASA 3.9 photo editing program for removing those dust particles…...& that is why I have never paid the big bucks to have it cleaned.   All the photos I take are only for my blog anyway & not for printing into large pictures etc so I’m OK with a few retouchable dust spots.  And no, I am not going to try & clean that sensor again…..learned my  lesson!!

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A quick add on to Thursday night’s ‘off Auto focus’ in the target zone.  If your higher flying bird is in the air free & clear of trees & branches (Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Eagle etc) & it is on the move, be sure to have your ‘Auto focus on’.  Lock onto the bird with your auto focus & pan (move) with the bird for a second & fire.  Did that with Friday’s Turkey Vulture photos.  Biggest problem I have with this ‘on or off’ auto focus thing is remembering to set it back to auto focus after using manual focus.  And by the way just in case I’ve confused anyone…..I use ‘Auto Focus’ on about 95% of all my photos.  My DSLR auto focus can focus a photo far faster & far better than I can.

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AND ONE YEAR AGO TONIGHT WE WERE ALL HOOKED UP & READY TO ROLL OUT FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WHICH WE DID AROUND 5 A.M.

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And today we here at the Bayfield Bunch remember our dear sweet little Cora, aka Motormouse, or as I liked to call her in the last few years of her life, ‘Beans’.  It was one year ago tonight she passed away just hours before we began our long & very sad journey home.  We all love you Beans wherever you are & we thank you for all the timeless joy & love you brought us while you were here.

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  A friend hosted a dinner party for people from work and everyone was encouraged to bring their children.
All during the sit-down dinner one co-worker's three-year-old girl stared at the man sitting across from her.
The man tried his best to just ignore her, but finally it was too much for him. He asked her ,"Why are you staring at me?"
Everyone at the table had noticed her behavior and the table went quiet for her response.
The little girl said, "I just want to see how you drink like a fish!"

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

22 comments:


  1. Oh sweet little Cora, she was quite the character. Hope Kelly is feeling better soon, You are going to have a real jungle if all those cacti take.

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  2. I remember when you lost beans last year and thought to myself, I can't imagine the pain and sadness of that return trip. I lost my buddy Furby yesterday one week before I am due to take off full-timing. It is hard to get excited for the adventure without him. Tho I knew it was coming your heart is never prepared. I am so glad you have fond memories of your travels with your 4 legged kiddo. klbexplores
    avintagerollingstone.blogspot.com

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  3. I know you said you weren't going to do this again but it is fun to read about it...
    http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/2524135#forum-post-30918712

    And yes at over $100 bucks I would be ordering a kit.. Or a new camera body.... Maybe a 3100 but I don't think it has enough manual setting to keep you happy.

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  4. Holy Cow, I just looked at the kit, and they want over $200 for it... Wow...

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  5. Happy Birthday Kelly... hope you soon get feeling better!

    The Hollingers

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  6. Happy Birthday, Kelly !!! Hope it was a great day.... Feel better soon ...... Hope the maiden voyage is four star all the way around ..... Regarding the article in a RV Journal, yes, Al that would be something right up your alley ..... You need to share your expertise and spread your sharing abilities ....Needless to say, I sure enjoy and relish what you present regarding a full, life of fun and adventure along the way......
    Thanks always for sharing..... By the way, any word from Aunt Jean? Regards, SallyB and Duke sends a safe travels bark ....

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  7. Al, I did a special post for you on the palo verdes which are now blooming in our area of the desert (near Indio, CA)...hope you enjoy seeing their color!
    ~~Cheryl Ann~~

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  8. Thanks for all the Wood Pecker pic's tonight. Hope you get the Casa all set for Summer and do not forget to turn off the water heater, before you drain it.
    Safe travels back to Bayfield.

    Thanks to Rod for the D-40 sensor cleaning info also.

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  9. First I would like to wish Kelly a very Happy Birthday! And Al, darn it I was so proud of my woodpecker picture and then I came to your blog.
    Can't you take just one bad one and make some of us feel better. (just kidding of course) You are encouraging me to keep trying and to keep shooting for the best. Thank you for your kind words, on my blog and yours today. Nice to see our names on your side bar. I sure hope Kelly gets to feeling better so the trip home will be a pleasant one. And by the way your bird pictures are gorgeous. And little Cora is sure a cutie, I know you miss her terribly. :(

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  10. Sorry Kelly isn't feeling well, especially on her birthday.

    Why not write for somebody else if the pay is good.

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  11. Happy Birthday to Kelly! Sorry to hear she isn't feeling well. We keep our birthdays pretty low key around here, too! Al, we have a camera shop here called Camera West and we both take in our cameras for cleaning once a year. My Nikon especially tends to get really dirty! The Canon...not so much. The guy showed me how to do it once, but I trust them more than myself!
    Cheryl Ann

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  12. In my humble opinion, writing an article for a respected magazine is far better than putting those adds on your blog. :)

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  13. Happy Birthday, (you know who) and hope you are felling better.
    So glad that we got to meet "Beans" last winter when we finally met you guys near Quartzsite.

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  14. Sam loves big a tadoo on his birthday, I dont care for any attention, just a card from my family is enough. I's been 4 years since we lost our beloved Duke aka doodlebugs and I still tear up. Between you and Judy I am always amazed at the wildlife photo's. I was a real camera nut as a kid, me and my brownie were quite active, but everyones photos looked the same then. Manual focus on a camera, well by the time I focus, oops shot gone.
    Happy Birthday to you know who
    Donna

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  15. Al, I was going to ask you...what route do you take home? And, how long does it take?

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  16. Hope Kelly is feeling better today. It's harder on "older" folks, don't ya know? Fond rememberances of little Cora, thanks to your photos, Al. Thanks for all the good memories.

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  17. Your bird photos always seem to exceed the realms of perfection. Stunning work!!!!
    Box Canyon Mark

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  18. Please add my happy birthday wishes to Kelly. I think she's right and you won't have any problems at the border.

    Not being much into photography since my vision isn't all that great any more, I would like to see a photo with all the dust next to one that you've "cleaned up". I wonder if I could even spot the spots.

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  19. Hope Kelly feels better...Have safe travels home..That last photo of Cora brought tears to my eyes...If only dogs could live as long as humanoids.

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  20. Happy Birthday Kelly, we will all be riding along on the long trip North. Good luck with the boarder passage. I don't see how you could have big problems if all is leagal. Do you expect trouble with the US or Canadian?

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  21. Happy birthday Kelly - and hope you are feeling better. Remembering little Motormouse with you both and sending a special hug to you and Pheebs.

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  22. ..."an invitation to write a guest post..."

    The two others that have Commented on your question seem to think this means you are going to get paid to do so. I don't think that is part of the invitation but I would do it for nothing and IF I got paid that would just be a bonus.

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