Sunday, June 30, 2013

“OH OH” JUST FOUND OUT A GROWING 1,500+ ACRE FOREST FIRE IS WITHIN ABOUT 20 MILES OF OUR CONGRESS ARIZONA HOUSE!!

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AT THE HULLETT MARSH SATURDAY & GUESSING THIS LITTLE FELLOW MIGHT BE A BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT
Again, a nice cool morning so took advantage of that to trim our Basswood tree plus a neighbor's Magnolia tree & some Lilacs. No bugs for a couple hours so it was nice to get a few outside things done without being annoyed, irritated, or pestered.
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OUR BASSWOOD TREE & OUR NEIGHBOR’S MAGNOLIA
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HUMMING BIRD IN THE DITCH LILIES AT ONE OF OUR SATURDAY AFTERNOON ROADSIDE STOPS
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I'm afraid my poor Motorcycle has spent most of it's time sitting around in the carport collecting dust again this year. Wished I could recapture the excitement I always had in the early days of riding but it just isn't there anymore. Once I do get the bike out heading down the road I do enjoy the ride but it's just getting myself into Motorcycle mode is where I run into problems. Each Spring I think to myself 'this is it, I'm going to spend the summer on my motorcycle'. But it just never seems to happen. I've never had a desire to ride with other bikers & my enjoyment has always come from my solitary journeys around the local countryside but often as not I take the Jeep now.  And yet I know if I sold the bike it's not very likely I would ever have another one at this stage of the game. It's just that $45 a month 12 months a year for insurance that bugs me. Oh well the less I drive it the less I will have to spend on maintenance & repairs and of course………….the longer I can keep it:))
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Now, having written the above paragraph earlier this morning I did jump on the bike later this morning & head on up to Walmart in Goderich for a few things. Nearly pulled the same dumb stunt I did last year when I dropped into the Supermarket & bought too much stuff to fit in my saddlebags. Seems as soon as I park the bike, turn my back on it & walk away, I totally forget I even brought the bike. Lucky break this morning as I stood in the Pet Department mulling over whether to buy a big 50kg bag of birdseed or not. No thought whatsoever that I had just brought the bike & would have no way of carrying a big heavy bag of birdseed back to Bayfield. Decided on a smaller bag simply because I didn't want to have any birdseed left over at the end of the season & the feeding frenzy will probably begin to slow down a bit soon. As it was I was still pushed a bit for space stuffing in the smaller bag of birdseed, 2 litres of milk, a pkg of flat bread, & a tub of honey into the right side saddlebag.  Yep, I get a tad discouraged with myself sometimes when I make those short term memory mistakes.
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HULLETT MARSH…WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS LARGE WILDLIFE REFUGE CLOSE TO US & I HAVE BEEN HIKING SLOSHING AROUND IN HERE SINCE THE LATE 80’S
The learning curve on my new NIKON D3100 has been gentle. A few auto focus issues I have to adjust to but other than that I have been able to understand things & with a little trial & error shooting I am getting the minor bugs worked out. Not that the camera has any bugs of course but it's operator does have a few resident cobwebs that do get in the way of the learning process from time to time. If you have been confused by all that Megapixel, ISO, Resolution gobble be sure to click on the above D3100 link & read Ken Rockwell’s no nonsense take on some of that techno stuff. He also gives you his expert & unbiased opinion on what he considers the best types of cameras & lenses to buy. He discusses both Nikon & Canon as well as all the other brands.
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PARKED ON A HILL SATURDAY PHEEBS HOLDS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON WITH HER PAW:))
Hey George, here’s the info on that house & property for sale a few minutes southeast of Exeter Ontario…..HOUSE FOR SALE.  The house sits about 40-50’ from the highway.  Some places you get a feel for & some you don’t.  For me, this place regardless of price & without even getting out of the Jeep, was a definite ‘don’t’.
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I THINK ONE OF OUR FRONT YARD BLUE JAYS IS MISSING A FEATHER
OH OH” just found out tonight we have a forest fire raging close to our Congress Arizona house.  I’m guessing maybe 20 miles or less if it’s coming down the Yarnell Hill.  Check out this YARNELL FIRE LINK.   Thanks for posting that on Facebook Mike.  Kelly just noticed it.  Got ya another windmill big guy.  It’s in my Saturday post:))
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FIRE WAS STARTED BY LIGHTNING & I’M PRETTY SURE GEOGYPSY  IS IN THE AREA THAT WAS EVACUATED BECAUSE I KNOW SHE IS RIGHT UP ATOP THE YARNELL HILL WHERE THAT FIRE IS
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Father Flannigan’s phone rang and he picked it up. The voice said,
"Good morning, are you Father Flannigan?"
"I am"
"This is the Revenue Service. Can you answer a question?"
"I can"
"Do you know a Tom O’Halloran?"
"I do"
"Does he belong to your church?"
"He does"
"Did he donate $5,000 to your orphans fund?"
"He will."
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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.

21 comments:

  1. Until you get a sidecar for Pheebs to ride in, your biking days are probably over.

    That is an amazing photo of the hummer among the lilies.

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  2. Al, this site will give you fire updates:

    http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3461/

    I doubt if the fire would cross the desert to Congress, but with this heat, who knows. They're evacuating Yarnell.

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  3. Love the butterfly! I've never seen anything like that.


    We found the same thing with our motorcycle. We were dragging this trailer behind the MH, always concerned about getting a long enough pull through. Worrying about how we get out of the park, etc. And we hardly rode anymore. The thrill was gone. So we pulled into Bakersfield, CA listed the trailer and bike on Craig's List and sold it the next day. Of course, the buyer got a great deal but we were thrilled to be rid of it and the hastle after two and half years. Now we had a car that couldn't be towed four down! No problem...we always wanted a Jeep so off to Bakersfield Jeep. Best move we could have made. We have been having more fun in our Jeep. Hooking up is a breeze. Might be time to let the bike go and you and Pheebs just enjoy the Jeep!

    Hope that fire stays away!

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  4. we watched it from our front porch...since Thursday night!! Why they didn't do something about it before now is beyond us! FINALLY this afternoon they brought in some planes dropping retardant...a little late. The wind shifted this afternoon and we watched the flare up go up this side of Yarnell hill....Congress is ok but not sure about Yarnell.

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  5. I'm thinking you don't use the bike as amuch becasue Pheebs can't ride along. Hate to leave your pal at home?

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  6. Hoping your Congress home stays safe. All the heat and fires is just horrible...

    The butterfly pictures are so clear...and the orange ditch lilies....oh my...just beautiful.

    You will make the right decision about the bike...we are sort in the same place you are...just not enjoying it like we used to!

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  7. Too bad about the fire. Hope it doesn't get any closer. Always hate to see the damage when those wildfires get going.

    I enjoyed your butterfly pictures - very, very nice.

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  8. Pheebs is a smart gal,teach her to ride with you. in our old neighbor a guy had his dog on his bike, little goggles and a helmet. He must have taught the dog young because he would balance perfectly and you could see him shift his weight on the curves.
    Hope everything goes well w/ your az home

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  9. The Yarnell fire has taken 18 lives according to the local paper:(


    http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=120733

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  10. I just read it is now 19 lives of firefighters perished....so terribly sad.

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  11. Great pic's from your new D-3100. I have not ridden my bike for two years now. It will get a tiny bit of ride this Summer or it may go bye bye.

    Sad to hear about those fire fighters.

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  12. I was going to offer to drive up this week (I work weekends) and check the house for you, but it seems there are others already closer than Phoenix. May head that way anyway.

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  13. Loss of the 19 brave firefighters who valiantly worked to save our town of Yarnell breaks my heart. Many homes gone. Probably where I lived as well.

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  14. hope the Congress house escapes the fire! enjoy your Canada Day tomorrow!

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  15. Al, thanks for the link, a fixer upper similar to the last house we rebuilt in Plattsville over 20 years ago.
    Sad about all the firefighters who lost their lives in it.

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  16. Was watching news this AM and when they said 19 firefighters lost in Yarnell fire, I just KNEW that was very close to your house..Sure hope the winds blow away from it..We are praying for the lost firefighter's families..Sometimes it is overlooked what a very dangerous job firefighters have...

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  17. Found another link...
    http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3461

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  18. Devastating news about the fire and loss of life in and around Yarnell. Truly hope your winter home is out of harm's way. The butterfly shots are beautiful. Are these with the D3100? I'm looking into buying a Canon 24-105 lens to add to my Rebel EOS XTI (Costco version), in case anyone has had experience.

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  19. You just need a bigger bike with a side car or a trike.... That way Pheebs and the big bag of bird seed could all ride along.... That might help the enthusiasm too...

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  20. Al, thanks for the link, a fixer upper similar to the last house we rebuilt in Plattsville over 20 years ago.
    Sad about all the firefighters who lost their lives in it.

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