YOU HAD BETTER HURRY UP & EAT WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE BEFORE IT HURRIES UP & EATS YOU………….

Couldn’t seem to get myself too interested in doing a whole lot of anything today so I’m a bit short on usual blog fodder tonight.  Spent the whole darn day thinking it was Sunday too.  I am not impressed with myself!!

BIRDS LINED UP FOR THEIR SATURDAY NIGHT BATH

 

SHUTTER SPEED’S A TAD SLOW ON ALL THESE BIRD PHOTOS BUT INCLUDED THEM ANYWAY

OK DEAR, YOU HAVE YOUR BATH FIRST & I’LL KEEP WATCH

We did some more measuring in the Winnebago today & realized we do not have a lot of room to work with in replacing the air bed couch with a couple recliners.  Only 69” across & 30” deep on the slide.  Definitely have to be wall hugger recliners if we decide to swap out our couch/bed.    We do not find the leather couch/air bed that comfortable & going through the hassle of blowing that bed up does not appeal to either one of us.  The guy where we bought Winnie tried to demonstrate the bed & even he had trouble with it.  However, I think we will just go with the couch for now & see how we make out with it on our trip west.  If it doesn’t work out we will see about swapping the couch out for a couple recliners when we get to Congress.

OUR MORNING TRAIL LOOKS JUST AS ENCHANTING IN EVENING LIGHT AS IT DOES IN MORNING LIGHT

Comment from Don in Shout Box about using Google Earth maps in trip planning.  Yes, I do this as well plus use MapQuest for checking mileage sometimes.  Google Earth is so totally excellent for finding off roads, potential boondocking sites & checking terrain.  Wouldn’t leave home without it:))

  

Liked Cheryl Ann’s post over at DEEP CANYON as she talked a bit about herself growing up in & around Los Angeles.  Living in Palm Desert now she is looking forward to retiring with her husband to a smaller community & getting away from big city living & being out of all the summer’s heat & humidity.  I sure know how she feels.  Nice when folks tell you a little bit about themselves sometimes.

Mark’s got himself quite a project going on over at BOX CANYON BLOG.  Well in fact he’s got a couple projects on the go.  He’s doing fine about affixing some additional storage space to the rear of his Class C but needs a little input from readers regarding some solar panel placements.  It’s quite a cardboard template he has put together & it looks like he is quite the upside down welder as well.  Oh how I envy all these talented folks who are so adept at doing so many mechanical handyman things themselves’.  That is one very big huge financial asset to have in one’s life.  Wished I had taken an interest & paid more attention in ‘shop class’ oh those so many high school years ago.

WOW, tomorrow is September 1rst already. What a welcome turning point in the long summer that is & how rejuvenating for we Snow Birds. All those long months have finally slid on by & we birds can now begin to get down to a little serious thinking & planning about our upcoming travels. What a super grrrrrreat ‘Tony the Tiger’ feeling that is.

Don’t know why it is but I have never had any great desire to travel anywhere off the North American continent.  There are countless wonders of the world to see & experience worldwide but my interests have never really spurred me on to travel off in search of them.  My Mother traveled to Hawaii & countries in Europe years ago but I just have never had a hankering to go to those places.  I think I would find being in a country that didn’t speak the language I understood kind of intimidating.  I get the feeling many European countries are very crowded with masses of people.  Well, that sure wouldn’t work for me.  And driving on the wrong side of the road…..what’s that all about!!  No, I think I’ll just stay put here in Canada & the United States.  Lots of great wonders to see right here at home in our own 2 great countries.  We drive on the right side of the road & I can understand what folks are talking about most times.  Prefer the lifestyle & freedoms we have as well.  And for the most part I know what I’m eating.  I get the feeling in some of those countries you had better hurry up & eat what’s on your plate before it hurries up & eats you.  Nawwww, think I’ll just keep my boots on the ground, kick up a little South West desert dust, hike me some forested mountain trails, & drive me along some nice relaxingly quiet country roads right here at good old ‘home sweet home’……………….10-4:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Just a few thoughts……..

Q. What do you do when your nose goes on strike?
A. You picket!

Q. Why is psychoanalysis quicker for men than for women?
A. When it’s time to revert to childhood, most men are already there.
- Apple Inc. has developed a new high tech toilet. The details are not yet clear, but the company is torn between two names for the new device: Either the iPood, or the iPeed.
-A man walks into a piano store and says, "I would like to buy a hairy piano." Perplexed, the sales clerk asked, "Why do you want a hairy piano?!" Nonchalantly, the customer responded, "Well, the last piano store only had Baldwins."
- A crook rented an apartment over a police station.
He feels he is "above the law, now!”
- A group of doctors were out duck hunting, when a large bird flew overhead.
The family doctor raised his gun to shoot, but then lowered his gun saying "I am not sure that is a duck."
The Psychiatrist raised his gun, but then lowered it again saying “I know it's a duck, but I'm not sure that it knows it's a duck."
The surgeon raises his gun and blasts the bird out of the sky. He turns to the pathologist and says "Go see if that was a duck."
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

PHEEBS & I HAD US A LITTLE HOUSE SCOUTING MISSION THIS MORNING

Checking her Real Estate site after breakfast Kelly happened to notice a house on an acre of land for sale. It was out of our preferred area but the price sounded reasonable. It was a one story solid brick house with a basement & that’s always a plus. Pheebs & I had ourselves mission so it was off we went on a muggy overcast morning to check it out. Located about halfway between Walkerton & Kincardine it took us about 50 minutes to get there. Although a once well built solid house it has been sadly neglected over the years & was in quite a state of dis-repair. The grounds were in equally bad shape & it was clear to me this house & property were needing much, much, more than a bit of elbow grease & some TLC. Oh well, if one doesn't make the effort to get out & look at these places one never knows what they may or may not be missing. It was a nice morning for a drive anyway & it gave me something to do with a purpose. Pheebs & I were home again by 1 p.m.

MANAGED A COUPLE QUICK SHOTS FROM THE JEEP WHILE ROLLING THROUGH MENNONITE COUNTRY THIS MORNING…NOTICE THE STEEL WHEELS

Summer's DEER PARK LODGE schedule has changed for the season so Kelly will put a few hours in on Friday's now instead of Saturdays. The big rush of summer guests will end with the Labor Day week-end & things will slow down substantially. In my opinion it is the best & prettiest time of year for anyone to stay a few quiet days in a little cabin at Deer Park. No noisy kids or traffic congestion & one can walk the beach in quiet reflection. Shops & restaurants are still open & one doesn't have to jostle with fellow tourists. Nicest time of the year at the lake starts right after the Labor Day week-end & lasts until about mid to late October when the weather begins to deteriorate, turns cold, & strips all the trees of their once colorful Autumn leaves.

TOOK THIS PHOTO FROM DEER PARK’S BEACH

DEER PARK’S BEACH HAS BEEN THE SCENE OF A FEW WEDDINGS

Whenever we leave Bayfield for the South West each fall we always leave early on a Saturday morning & we do that for a very logical reason. Two major cities block our route within a days drive from here. Indianapolis if we head south first & Chicago if we head west first. Saturdays are always better driving days than any work day during the week if one has to do a city. But Sundays are the absolute best time to slip through. No morning or afternoon rushes on either of those lighter weekend traffic days. We can reach just north of Indianapolis or just east of Chicago on our first day. We overnight in a Walmart or Cracker Barrel. By habit we are always early risers whether here at home or on the road so we are up & at em slipping right on through or past either one of the big cities before two thirds of the population is even out of their wee trundle beds. And I don't mind driving in the dark at all. In fact I've always loved driving at night. By quickly getting west of these two cities it also puts a lot of the eastern heavy traffic chaos behind us right off the bat. The further west we go the less traffic & population we see. And for us that is part of what it is all about. Our interest is in the Western & South Western States so we don't dilly-dally around until we basically have the mountains in sight. That is where our second lifestyle lives & that is where my heart is as well. So, the sooner we can get there the better we feel. And the quickest way there is the Interstates. We don't travel them because we like them, we travel them because they get us to where we want to go...........quicker:))

I really like how TOM is handling his retirement. Yesterday he was taking helicopter lessons & learning how to hover the craft. Working on the landing gear of an aircraft & just keeping himself busy with things he enjoys. Keeps his hand in with the profession he worked at for years. How nice for anyone's retirement hobbies to use & enjoy the skills one has learned over the years. Good stuff Tom.

For any folks out there planning on going to Alaska sometime in the future you might want to catch up with the RVING BEACH BUMS who are traveling in the Skagway area now & experiencing lots of what Alaska has to offer.  We met Joe & Nancy a few years back at a little wayside desert restaurant & RV Park called Sandys.   We were west of the Chiricahua Mountains in South East Arizona.  A wee dusty place called Sunizona.  This is MY BLOG FOR THAT DAY.

<<< JUST KEEPING AN EYE ON Y’ALL FROM MY DESKTOP HERE:))

A few questions from readers.......PatB asks, "I'm curious.... you don't like the heat. Why don't you trade your Jeep for a vehicle with air conditioner"? Yes it's true, I do not like the heat but I love our Jeep. It's an 06 & the last year Jeep made the 'bullet proof' 6 cylinder engine & I think it might be the last year before they upsized Jeeps into a kind of SUV so we want to keep our little Wrangler for as long as we can. We did price an A/C unit for the Jeep but it was cost prohibitive.   We never need A/C in the Southwest during the winter. If we do decide we cannot live without an air conditioned vehicle in Ontario during the summer we will sell or trade in our 03 Hyundai Santa Fe at some point.  And besides, people wouldn’t recognize this as my blog if I wasn’t complaining about the heat & humidity. JANNA asks, " Al--aren't you kind of defeating the purpose of buying, "supportive, sturdy" walking/hiking shoes by removing the laces???" :)) Yes, I suppose I am in a way. I would not do any serious hiking or rock scrambling without laces tightened up for sure but just for normal daily life schluffing around the house or walking in town or local flat trails etc my no laces approach works just fine for me. Even without laces I sure have a lot more support & secure comfort than people walking around in sandals or those icky flip flop thingys. Yikes!! And CRAIG, no our Canadian shoes do not come with instruction manuals but luckily I am able to go on-line whenever I need to tie my shoes & find the following.

1) Hold one end of each shoelace in each hand.
2) Cross them, making an X.
3) Pass one end of the shoelace under the other.
4) Pull tight.
5) Fold one shoelace in half while holding laces taut.
6) Wrap the other end around the folded end.
7) Grasp it in the middle after pulling it around the folded end.
8) Bend it into a flat loop and pull through, making a bow.
9) Repeat with other shoe.

Oh boy, don'tcha just love all the neat-0 useful stuff ya can find on the Internet:))

 

A FEW OF OF OUR LOCAL FARM FOLKS SURE HAVE THEMSELVES SOME MIGHTY FINE LOOKING AUTOMOBILES

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A man walks into a shoe store, and tries on a pair of shoes. 'How do they feel?' asks the sales clerk. 'Well they feel a bit tight,' replies the man. The assistant promptly bends down and has a look at the shoes and at the man's feet. 'Try pulling the tongue out,' the clerk says. 'Well, theyth sthill feelth a bith tighth.

Knock Knock
Who’s there?
Tyrone!
Tyrone who?
Tyrone shoelaces!

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

SOME EARLY TRAVEL PLAN IDEAS FOR OCTOBER 2013

Been nearly a week since Pheebs & I have been out for a Jeep ride so figured we had better take ourselves for a little drive this morning to see if the countryside has been missing us. Knew we had to go early before the sticky heat built up again making things uncomfortable. Well, we didn't leave early enough.

With windows full down we headed out about 8:15 for the HULLET MARSH figuring on a walk by the water. We did have us a wee walk but it was a short one. Even by 9 a.m. the humidity was building. Pheebs was panting & I was grumbling. Figured if we were gonna stay cool we were gonna have to keep moving so that's what we did. Just rolled around our usual country roads snapping a few pics here & there. Only pit stop was in a shady forest where we were immediately set upon by swarms of bugs. Nice to be out & about of course but we were home again about 11 seeking some nice cooling bug free temps in the house.

STRIKING A MIGHTY FINE POSE

 

WE SOMETIMES GET OURSELVES ON SOME PRETTY FORESTED ROADS

JUST BEING SILLY

Friend & all round handyman Bruce dropped by this afternoon to take a few measurements for another book rack in the Winnie to hold our BENCHMARK MAPS & Atlas's. Previous Winnebago owner had already made some racks but I wanted another one behind the driver's seat. Bruce made several shelves & racks for our Damon a few years ago as well. Can always trust Bruce to do things right & come up with a great looking finished product.

 

 

MAP RACK WILL GO ON THAT SECTION OF BLANK WALL & LOOK THE SAME AS THE RACKS BY THE DOOR

A short month from now we will be in the early stages of our annual colorful Autumn. I always look forward to my favorite time of year as the seasons change. Tiny invisible crickets have a different chirp to them, once lush green leaves take on a harder edged look, days become noticeably shorter, & our ever present resident pond frogs are quieter now as they contemplate their long winter's hibernation. Who's going to get the best spot in the mud this year will be determined by my frog catching prowess as I net them, put the little croakers in a bucket & carry them to the big Goose pond a few hundred yards away. Our front yard pond is too shallow & they would never survive the harsh winter.

Autumn nights mean cooler nights & soon an Autumn crispness will be in the daytime air. The exciting freshness of spring is long gone & summer's steamy rush will soon be a memory. Autumn is a time for quiet reflection. Everything seems to slow as we shift to a lower gear. In a few days from now kids will be back in school, the Labor Day week-end will be upon us & a few trees will be showing some slight brush strokes from Mother Nature’s colorful Autumn paint brush.

Let me borrow a paragraph from one of my previous August posts several years ago & say Autumn is also a time of anticipation, reflection, & preparation for the long cold winter months ahead. It's a cozy time as we scurry about like little squirrels getting ourselves organized & hunkered down to await the chilling winter winds. (except for we Snow Birds of course) It's also a time of new learning. I've always had a theory that I think is probably true. Ever since we were kids first starting school we have become programmed to begin an educational process every September. This continues for many years in our early life & becomes embedded in our very beings & I think it lasts forever. Even though I've been out of the school system since the early 60's I still feel that learning process beginning to kick in around mid August. Over the years I have enrolled in various night classes starting in September. Half a dozen photography related courses, a beginners computer course, Tai Chi exercise classes & probably a few others I've forgotten about. It's always a nice feeling to be learning something new & especially at a time of year when we have been programmed to do our very best learning. It takes me back to my early public school days & that fresh smell of new books, erasers, new ink in the ink wells & fresh apples in our pockets. I'm sure many readers will have similar fond memories as well:))

WE HAVE LOTS OF THESE LITTLE FELLERS AROUND RIGHT NOW

Cracked open my big Walmart Rand McNally Atlas today & had me a look once again at routes West.  Still a bit early to be making any hard & fast plans but I’m thinking we might just slide out I-80 west of Chicago & head across the Plains.  Been that way a couple times before. Again, we would probably Interstate it all the way until about Limon Colorado.   Not really interested in a whole lot until we have mountains in sight.  Last time in Limon I came down with my first kidney stone & ended up in the emergency room of a hospital in Hugo just south of Limon.  Still remember how nice the staff was there.  HUGO EMERGENCY ROOM IN 07  That time we continued west through Denver with Moab Utah as our destination.  This time I’m thinking we might swing straight south from Limon down 71 & pick up 350 to I-25 at Trinidad & maybe slip on down through Santa Fe New Mexico.  We have never been that way or seen those parts of the country before.  Or if the weather was looking real good in the Rockies maybe we could slip around Colorado Springs over to the Durango & 4 Corners area & make our way down through Arizona’s Monument Valley to Congress.  Just some very early travel plan thoughts tonight & a darn good excuse to get my Atlas out.  I love looking at maps & making travel plans.  One of my favs………………………:))

OUR SUNBURST LOCUST LEAVES ARE BEGINNING TO TURN COLOR & FALL TO THE GROUND

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Questions a Dog would ask God.............

Dear God: Is it on purpose our names are the same, only reversed?  And why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another?  When we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it still the same old story?  By the way, why are there cars named after the Jaguar, the Cougar, the Mustang, the Colt, the Stingray, and the Rabbit, but not ONE named for a Dog? How often do you see a Cougar riding around? We do love a nice ride ya know! Would it be so hard to rename the 'Chrysler Eagle' the 'Chrysler Beagle'?  Also, we Dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?  Oh & before I forget, how about more meatballs & less spaghetti, please.
P.S. When I get to Heaven may I have my testicles back!! 
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

PHEEBS & I TOOK WINNIE TO THE BEACH TODAY

Have noticed how our forest is much quieter now that our Summer season is slowly beginning it’s destined shift into Autumn.  Spring & early summer song birds seem to have slipped away. Geese are beginning to form up & practice a few V shaped flying patterns.  Couple Blue Jays on the bird station earlier.  Waited awhile this morning for the roads to dry after an overnight rain. No point in gooping up Winnie the Bago with road dirt if we don't have to. Our miserable humidity is persisting & if it's still here Thursday morning I will opt out of our morning walk. By the time we got back this morning my shirt was sticking to me.  Tonight’s weather report said Friday will be worse & continue into the week-end.  Great for all the kids at the beach on our upcoming Labor Day long week-end.

AM GUESSING THIS ‘KING OF THE CASTLE’ FELLOW  IS A CORMORANT
 
Kelly was off to the Maitland Medical Clinic to leave them with some more blood again first thing this morning. At least she didn't have to do that fasting thing this time. Bumble Buns & I fired up Winnie the Bago about 9:30 & headed out as well. Picked up some gas & topped up the propane tank. Felt sorry for the girl at the gas station who had to sit on the pavement to get at the low propane tank. And then it only took $8. Shouldn't have to fill that tank again until we are somewhere in the South West a few months from now.

WINNIE AT THE BEACH IN GODERICH
 
WINNIE, PHEEBS, & ME CRUISE THE LONG SHORELINE
From the gas station we headed out around a few Goderich back streets just getting used to Winnie's 26' flexibility. She did fine but we decided not to try & slide her into the Subway parking lot. So, it was a foodless trip for us guys this morning. Headed on down to Goderich's south harbor & beach area with a stop at the southern end's dog walking place. Lake was smooth with Ducks & Cormorants lazily hanging out on rocks jutting from the water. Pheebs had a good sniff around while I took a few photos.  Made sure I kept myself in the shade as much as I could.  From the beach we headed to Goderich's east end & Walmart. Few things picked up & we were on the road home. Sure felt nice having all that dash A/C air wafting over us. We reached into the low 80's today with a humidity factor of 37. Needless to say I spent the rest of my day inside staying cool.

 
NICE BEACH WEATHER FOR FOLKS Tried out one of my new hiking/walking shoes without laces this morning. Trying to decide which way I want to go. I normally pull the laces out of shoes as soon as I get them. Don't like that tight feeling on my foot. Same reason I never button up the top button on a shirt or button up long shirt sleeves. If I have to wear a long sleeve shirt I generally roll the sleeves up. Don't like the routine of lacing up shoes either. Have to sit down to do it, sometimes use a shoe horn & then spend another 20 minutes reading the instruction manual on how to tie my shoes. Nope, just don't got the patience for all that kinda stuff.

HEADING HOME ON PORTER’S HILL ROAD THIS MORNING
 
PHEEBS FAVORITE SPOT IN THE WINNIE WAGON IS THE FRONT SEAT
I have always had a positive outlook & respect for people in the medical profession.  Still do.  It’s not an easy field to work in I wouldn’t think.  Despite mistakes, oversights, & lack of judgment at times I have to understand these people are all human just like the rest of us.  They are all in the business of helping other people as best they can.  Most are well trained & skilled at what they do while others maybe not so much.  Luck of the draw sometimes.  I’ve always felt confident I was in good hands during any of my medical visits or procedures over the years.  Well, except for that trainee Paramedic who kept chopping & hacking away at the back of my hand a year ago trying to insert an IV before my laser kidney stone procedure.  But, I have to understand she was in training & it wasn’t her fault that I volunteered to have a trainee do my IV.  Because of that I do not look down on the whole medical profession.  Neither do I look down on the medical profession because of mistakes made with Kelly’s liver biopsy.  Sometimes, like I said, it’s just the luck of the draw & mistakes are made.  Unfortunate that Kelly had to endure that & still not end up with accurate test results.  Yes, we’re disappointed in what happened but there’s nothing we can do about it except accept it & move on.  Nobody’s perfect.

Once again would like to thank readers for all the wonderful emails they send us.  Very, very, much appreciated by all of us here at the Bayfield Bunch & I read every one of them to Pheebs too.  They get her tail to waggin so fast it wiggles her whole bum:))


LOOKS LIKE WE KINDA HAD OURSELVES A BIT OF A DUCKY DUCKSTER DAY…AND LOOK AT THAT CLOWN ON THE LEFT DOING A HEAD STAND FOR THE CAMERA:))
GROANER' S CORNER:(( I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.
I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.
I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips thanks to my friends, family and work.
I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.
I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.
I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.
Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.
One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!
And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not!
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.