Wednesday, April 30, 2014

SOME CLASS A MOTORHOME THOUGHTS TONIGHT

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Our Monday evening sunshine & milder temps didn’t last & today we were plunged back into overcast windy skies & colder temperatures.  More as an excuse to get out of the house than really needing anything in Goderich little Bugsy Buns & I headed out in the Jeep. Zehr's Supermarket has the kind of Natural peanut butter I like so it was the supermarket we headed for. From there it was over to the Sub shop for a 6" Tuna Sub. Pheebs fav. Next was a run through McDonald's drive-thru for a coffee & carrot muffin followed by a gas stop across the road where the gas attendant always gives Pheebs a doggy treat. With coffee, muffin, & doggy treat in hand we headed for home. And that pretty much wrapped up another rather uneventful day.

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OUR FIRST OFFICIAL 2014 PICTURE FROM THE SUB SHOP…”I’M HOPING YOU ARE IN A VERY SHARING MOOD TODAY DAD”

I’m sure there are folks out here who have wondered about the costs of traveling about in an RV. There are no doubt many variables & different scenarios but George & Suzie over at OUR AWESOME TRAVELS have kept records over the years & last winter’s expenses are on their latest blog post. They have saved themselves a hefty chunk of change since first starting out & I’m sure George would be happy to answer any questions people may have regarding their travels & membership parks, etc.

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WE SURE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS BIGGER & MUCH CHEERFULLY BRIGHTER CLASS A MOTORHOME

We plan on returning to Sedona Arizona this coming winter to continue our exploring around that whole area. So many hiking & Jeeping trails & the scenery is second to none. Gay & Joe from GOOD-TIMES-ROLLIN are there right now & have themselves some great photos showing them Jeeping along some of those unique organ altering boulder studded roads & trails that have a rather bizarre way of jarring & re-arranging one’s aging bones.  Of course we are looking forward to that road surgery & with a bigger rig & bigger holding tanks next winter we will be able to stay longer in what we feel will be a better state of comfort this time. Seems as we age ‘comfort’ has a tendency to take on an ever growing higher priority status. At least that’s the way I see & feel it……………………

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We heard from the Triple E Commander’s owner Don today. He is currently in Halifax on business but has the next two weeks off starting Monday. We are hopeful we can wrap this deal up & bring the big E home to Bayfield early next week. Been nearly 2 weeks since we first saw it & last night I had to go over the photos I took at that time to remind myself of what it was we we had actually bought. There is no big rush for us to have it but you know what it is like when you buy something like that. You want it home in your own driveway just as soon as possible if not before.

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We owned our first Motorhome, a 33’ Damon Challenger for 6 years years & it took us back & forth to the American South-West as far as California 6 times.  Those years were spent living in our rig for 5 & 6 months of the year with 3 lovable dogs.  When we weren’t ranch sitting near McNeil Arizona we spent our time boondocking.  When we bought the house in Congress we reasoned we would be spending more time at the house & not as much time on the road traveling.  I must admit we were both becoming a little tired of traveling & spending all our time in the rig.  We were both needing some diversity, something new & different to do.  Change is always welcome.  The house thankfully gave us that.  We also reasoned we would not need a bigger RV anymore & downsizing to a smaller Class C was the way to go.  Well, not all decisions are right decisions & we did slip up on that one.  Not once, but twice.  After realizing our Sunseeker was tooooo small we figured a bigger Class C would solve that problem.  Nope, wrong again.  Ron from FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE had suggested well over a year ago the best way for us to go was to downsize to a smaller Class A instead of a Class C.  Reasons were obvious, more living space & more storage space etc.  We should have taken his advice but we were focused on Class C’s at the time.  Let me hasten to add, there is nothing at all wrong with Class C’s & they have many pluses.  All’s I’m saying is that just as a Travel Trailer & Fifth Wheel were not right for us, a Class C didn’t suit our needs in the end either.  After a few boondocking ventures this past winter the writing was on the wall.  If we hoped to continue our RVing boondocking ways & travel at a comfort level we have aged into we were going to have to go once again to an RV that best suited us.  And that was a Class A Motorhome again.

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A BLACK CAP CHICKADEE SQUEAKS BETWEEN THE BARS OF OUR SQUIRREL PROOF BIRD FEEDER FOR SOME DRY SEEDS

A year ago right about now we were in the process of taking possession of our 2011 Winnebago Class C & I’m sure I blogged about all the reasons we liked the Class C concept at that time.  And they were all good reasons but that was a year ago & priorities, whims, fantasies, & good old fashioned hard based logic have a habit of changing sometimes.  Who knows maybe a year from now I will be sitting here typing away all the reasons we decided to trade our (yet to arrive) Triple E Motorhome in on a sailboat or something.  Or maybe we will be selling everything we own to board a tramp steamer & sail off to Australia with the idea of hitchhiking across the outback.  Um, I don’t think that last one is going to happen but priorities is priorities & we are all prone to bouts of fantasy based realities from time to time.   

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Here’s what we missed about our first Class A Motorhome & here’s what we are looking forward to by returning to a Class A once again.  Definitely like the driver’s seat visibility advantage of sitting higher than surrounding traffic.  Driver’s height is a big plus when traffic thickens up around big cities.  And breathtaking scenic views coming through that big front windshield are like no other vehicle.  I feel much safer riding on larger 22.5 inch tires as well.  Class A’s are intimidating in size but they are not hard to drive, they only look like they are.  Don’t let the size scare you.  Like anything, with practice it doesn’t take most anyone long to feel comfortable driving it.  And Class A Motorhomes with all their bigger windows & windshield are much brighter inside.  You can get more of nature inside the coach by simply having bigger & brighter windows to look out of & let that nature flow in.  We hadn’t realized that until we had our 2 Class C’s.  We felt enclosed in them because they were darker & smaller.  Although both our C’s had adequate storage with very large rear bins we really missed the full basement a Class A has to offer.  One does not have to fill all those bins just because they have them & that was something that took us about 3 years to realize.  Even if one travels with bins half empty it’s nice knowing you have the space just in case something has to be loaded up.  A full basement also means the coaches main floor is much higher off the ground giving folks inside a better insulation factor from the cold ground below.  Or any Critters below too.  Of course the spacious corner shower & the fact I will not need to climb a ladder into bed were also both contributing factors in our decision as well.  And then there are the larger tanks.  A bigger fresh water tank will enable us to stay out boondocking longer. A big plus. Both gray & black tanks are larger also contributing to longer stays in the desert. And a bigger hot water tank means no startling cold water shower surprises. Not as many gas stops with a 75 gallon gas tank either.  Bonus because I absolutely hate gas pumps!!  I have heard it said Class C’s & Class A gas Motorhomes whether Chevy or Ford engines get about the same gas mileage.  Kind of hard to figure but that is what we have been told my knowledgeable people. 

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One thing Class B’s, C’s & A’s have in common is something both Kelly & I really love.  No matter how cold or hot the temperature is outside when we stop for the night or mid day traveling breaks the temperature inside the rig is always perfectly where we want it.  Without ever going outside in the rain, wind, or snow we can simply climb out of our seats & go back to sit in a favorite recliner, couch, or at the dining room table.  Use the washroom, fix a snack, watch some TV, do some internet surfing, whatever.  No need to to go outside & be assaulted by the harsh elements.  Motor Coaches also provide the easy convenience of a washroom just a few steps away at all times and we aging Seniors know how important that can be.  Remember me mentioning priorities:))  Anyway those are just a few of the reasons we decided to go back to a Class A Motorhome.  Yes, there are cons as well & in a future post I will list some of them because it is only fair to have a look at both sides of any coin.  There is no such thing as a perfect RV.   When choosing a rig it’s a matter of tipping the scales to the pros side & that all depends on the individual needs & wants of the buyer.  If we all thought alike the whole darn bunch of us Planet humanoids would still be huddled around smouldering fires in dark, damp, mouldy caves somewhere wearing little more than the furry hides of about 6 dozen skinny Kangaroo Rats…………………………………..

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MAMA GOOSE IS SITTING ON 4 EGGS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two young boys were spending the night at their grandparents. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers when the youngest one began praying at the top of his lungs.

"I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE...
I PRAY FOR A NEW IPAD...
I PRAY FOR A NEW PAIR OF NIKES..."

His older brother leaned over and nudged the younger brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf." To which the little brother replied, "No, but Gramma is!"

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

CRUMMY WEATHER DAY BUT WE WATCHED A GOOD MOVIE

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BECAUSE OF OUR BAD WEATHER DAY PHEEBS BECAME THE MAIN FOCUS FOR MY CAMERA

Looking through a rain soaked East window seeing tall Pine trees bent over in the wind told me we were in for a looooooong inside day. A morning walk was out of the question. Checked my outdoor options & found only one slightly doable project. I had dumped about dozen wheelbarrow loads of pea stone in the carport about 8 years ago & there was still a smattering of that pea gravel left. All that along with about 6 inches of sandy clay dirt will be dug out of there in a few weeks anyway so figured I might as well save as much of the pea stone I could. Pea stone is always good for levelling or filling in small ruts in the driveway.  With wheelbarrow & shovel in hand I went to work in the rain & wind protected carport. Cranked up my storage space stereo with a few western tapes. Country music always seems to go hand in hand with work projects. With the howling wind & rain beating on the steel roof above I wasn't worried about anyone being outside & bothered by my music. Cranked er up good:))
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ASLEEP WITH HER FAVORITE DUCKY ON THE FLOOR
First moved everything to one side of the carport then shovelled up & wheel barrowed the stones outside.  I then moved everything to the other side & repeated. Managed to haul me out half a dozen wheelbarrow loads of pea stone gravel generously mixed with copious amounts of good old dirt.  Also managed to gain myself a sore back when I manually moved the utility trailer out of & back into the carport.  I know better but I’m a slow learner I guess.
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WHO SAID CANADA GEESE CAN’T WALK ON WATER
Mixed in with my carport project this morning were cushy recliner breaks in front of the television in a warm house. As the day wore on my work segments became shorter while my rest breaks became longer.  I think my recliner has become my new best friend.
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SEA GULLS ENJOYING LAKE HURON’S REMAINING ICE FLOES

Not sure if these folks still have their Fifth Wheel for sale but their ad reads, “Is anyone shopping for a 39.6ft fifth-wheel toy hauler RV? It has a garage, three queen size beds, a full size loft bed with tv hook-up, 1 and 1/2 baths, a fireplace, three flat screen tvs, hook-up outside for a flat screen tv, inside/outside stereo system, fuel pump, etc., etc”.  You can contact Mary Ann & William at, IN THE WIND ADVENTURES.  Mary Ann is a fellow RV Blogger.

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PHEEBS HAS CLUED IN TO OUR MICROWAVE & SITS PATIENTLY WAITING FOR IT TO BEEP & SEE IF ANY YUMMY SNACKS WILL COME FORTH FROM IT >>>

Been a long time since I saw a movie I liked.  Maybe it has something to do with the types of movies I have picked to go & see these past few years.  This afternoon with our ‘pay on demand’ program we decided on & picked a movie.  Had seen it was nominated for 6 Academy awards.  It was in Black & White but no matter, the quality was there.  Couple swear words & one guy got socked but that was it.  Now how refreshing was that from the usual blood & guts violence usually seen on screen nowadays.  Name of this movie was NEBRASKA starring Bruce Dern.  Liked this movie for it’s simplicity & realism.  Two thumbs up for this one:))

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ALWAYS SO NICE SEEING SIGNS OF SPRING POKING THROUGH EVERYWHERE

Amazingly enough we ended our day with warmer temperatures under sunny skies.  Pheebs & I did a second walk after supper & that enabled her to scramble a few bunnies along the trail.  She sure loves to run.

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GROANER'S CORNER:(( The doctor's office was crowded as usual, but the doctor was moving at his usual snail's pace. After waiting two hours, an old man slowly stood up and started walking toward the door. "Where are you going?" the receptionist called out.
"Well," he said, "I figured I might as well go home and die a natural death."

Monday, April 28, 2014

GOING AHEAD WITH THE CONCRETE PAD IN THE CARPORT & ‘ALFRED HITCHPOP’??

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A CORMORANT WINGS IT’S WAY LOW OVER THE FRIGID WATERS OF LAKE HURON

A fellow showed up this morning to have a look at & give us a price for pouring a 20 x 20’ concrete slab in our carport.  We are going to go ahead with that & I suspect they might get at that project in about 3 weeks.  Will be glad to see all that uneven dirt & gravel finally out of their.  Will be much easier to keep our storage area’s wooden floor cleaner.

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NICE TO SEE & HEAR RED WING BLACKBIRDS BACK IN OUR YARD AGAIN

Despite the cool windy morning I kept myself busy raking pine needles out of flowerbeds.  Decided to re-locate some of our driveway’s pea stone so that had me also busy with my shovel & wheel barrow.  As long as one kept moving & wore something nylon to block the gusting winds it was Okay to be outside.

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A sizeable chunk of the afternoon was spent dozing in my recliner.  All that fresh air work stuff sure has a habit of tiring me out sometimes.  But it’s a good kind of physical tired & I don’t mind that.  And of course the nice thing about those shallow dozes are the nifty little dreams that usually accompany them as the mind just kind of wanders off to la-la land for short periods of time.  Groovy:)) 

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BUFFLEHEAD DUCKS TAKE TO THE AIR

Sue’s post from BIGDAWG AND FREEWAY* caught my attention this morning.  In it she talked about her early blogging days 6 years ago & wondering if anyone would read anything she had written.  I think we all have gone through that phase where we wondered if anyone would be interested enough to read our posts.  Leastways we all hoped friends & family would read our efforts but as many of us found out it was complete strangers who would eventually make up the bulk of our readers.  I didn’t have a lot of family left & the friends I had seemed uninterested in my musings which of course I thought was perfectly understandable given the fact I only wrote about things I was interested in & not so much about stuff they were interested in.  No, the bulk of readers would eventually come from perfect strangers with like minded interests & it would be those readers who in time would become our new friends. 

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WATCHING THE BUFFLEHEADS TAKE OFF

I may be wrong here but it seemed harder for Bloggers to become noticed back in the time when many of us first started blogging.  I’m sure some folks probably just packed it in after awhile but a few of us kept on taping away on our keyboards & publishing our posts regardless.  Posts of course that just seemingly went flying off into the far outer reaches of space where they were immediately swallowed up by the great vacuum of nothingness.  I can still go back & randomly pick a post I wrote in those early few years & there will be no comments.  None, zero, zilch.  Sometimes 1 or maybe 2 & OMG every once in a long while maybe even 3.  And from perfect strangers.   I saw that as a huge accomplishment back then & it was enough to spur me on to write more. 

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OUR MISCHIEVOUS BLACK SQUIRRELS ARE BACK FOR ANOTHER SEASON TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE THE BIRD FEEDERS

I think Blog recognition is a bit easier to come by nowadays since more & more RV folks have dusted off their closet writing skills.  User friendly platforms like Blogger & Live Writer have made things much easier than years ago as well allowing people to be creative not only with the written word but their creative artsy skills & ideas in putting their blogsites together.  As frustrating as that can be at times it is all part of that great feeling one has when it finally all comes together in the shape of a successful & good looking Blog. Because more & more people are writing, ‘blog recognition’ has become much easier to attain over the years as well.  And there are some sure fire ways to do that.  My blogging experience tells me one of the best ways to get your blog efforts recognized quickly is to read as many RV blogs as you can & leave as many comments on those blogs you can.  It won’t take long for your name to be recognized & remembered around the RV circles & you will soon see fellow RV Bloggers responding to your site.  From there it is up to you to keep those folks interested enough in coming back.  But that’s a whole other blog post in itself of course…………… 

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A TINY PINE TREE HAS SURVIVED THE WEIGHT OF WINTER SNOWS

And speaking of new Bloggers……… While reading Sue’s Bigdawg & Freeway post this morning I noticed she had a link for another RV Blogger couple just in the throes of starting out on their new full time RV future.  As I read the link’s post I noticed they had a nice looking Class A Motorhome.  Little did I know Kelly & I had already been in that very same Motorhome several times.  Reading further I noticed they were calling their rig, Scoopy.  Now that rang a distant bell somewhere but I just couldn’t pull it together as to where I had heard that name before.  I few lines later the distant bell gave a loud & clear ‘clang’ as the names Laurie & Odel were mentioned.  OMG, these are the very same folks who bought Laurie & Odel’s rig a year or so ago.  Their names are Steven & Linda  & their blog is called, THE CHOUTERS.  I backtracked a few posts to see who these folks were & came up with their post entitled, A (not so) Brief History.  Anyone creatively clever enough to name their pop up tent trailer ‘Alfred Hitchpop’ deserves a further looky see I’d say.  I have popped them on my sidebar:))

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  "Hello Mrs. Miller," said the bearded guy behind the counter at the bagel shop.  My husband and I looked at him but drew complete blanks. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?" I asked. "Yeah, you was my English teacher."
Leaning over, my husband whispered, "Good job, Honey, good job."

---

For some reason, the bookstore clerk couldn't get the computer to recognize my preferred customer card. Peering over her shoulder at the screen, I said, "There's part of the problem. It shows my birth date as 12/30/1899."
"That's right," my husband chimed in. "She was born in June, not December."

---

Matt was on vacation in Atlantic City, playing the slot machines. It was his first time in a casino, and wasn't sure how the machines operated. "Excuse me," he said to a casino employee. "How does this work?"  The worker showed him how to insert a bill, hit the spin button, and operate the release handle. "And where does the money come out?" asked Matt. "Usually at the ATM."

Sunday, April 27, 2014

A NICE SUNDAY MORNING GRAVEL RUN FOR PHEEBS & I

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PAPA GOOSE LAYS LOW IN A GOLDEN POND OF MORNING REFLECTIONS

With sunny skies overhead & a cold morning going for us I had a choice. Spend time cleaning up & re-organize our wood storage shed or load up the Pheebs & head on out for a Sunday morning back roads cruise. With rain predicted every day next week I decided to have a go at both options.

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PHEEBS WITH HER VERY MUCH MOST BEST BOYFRIEND PAL OF EVER…….DEXTER:))

All our outside summer garden ornaments are stored in the wood shed so I loaded up 3 wheelbarrow loads of stuff & stacked everything outside near our front porch for placement around the yard later. That took care of about two thirds of the shed's clutter & I figured that was good enough a start for this morning.
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About 10 a.m. little 'Muffin Face' & I piled into the Jeep & headed off to Goderich. Quick stop at McDonald's & we headed on down around the harbor & beach area. Still some tiny ice burgs along parts of the shoreline. Gonna be awhile before anyone dips their toes in the lake this year. Headed North out of Goderich for a short distance & swung in-land.
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GOING TO BE AWHILE BEFORE ANYONE DIPS THEIR TOOTSIES IN ICE COLD LAKE HURON THIS YEAR

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Knew Pheebs was wanting to get out & do some sniffing around so we stopped at one of our favorite stopping places where the country road runs between 2 sizeable ponds. Soon as we got there I saw we had a mission. A small painted turtle was slowly making it's way across the gravelled road so we quickly went to it's assistance before any traffic came along. Set him down at the water's edge & he was a happy little guy as he skee-daddled into the pond he had been heading for. Stopped, turned his head looking back & gave us nod of thanks. I like when we are able to do good Samaritan deeds in the animal Kingdom:))
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WE STOPPED TO MOVE TUTTLE THE PAINTED TURTLE OFF THE ROAD BEFORE HE GOT SQUISHED
Pheebs & I were home again shortly after noon. Ron from 4 SEASONS PERFORMANCE had sent a couple emails & called saying he has had calls coming in from people interested in our Class C Winnebago. Ron's ad for our rig can be seen here, 2011 WINNEBAGO ACCESS PREMIER CLASS C.  He suggested we switch out our residential loveseat for a standard RV couch so we will do that & bring our loveseat home & put it back in our living room. The older leather couch we have in that spot now will be moved to the sunroom. It's a win/win situation because it gives Pheebs a couch in the living room as well as the sunroom. 
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Our cool sunny morning actually morphed into a nice afternoon & I was invigorated enough to get myself outside & re-hang the bird feeders, clean out a few more flower beds & rake up another 65 million trillion pine needles. The annual Spring clean up is always a good thing not only from a mental point of view but of a physical point of you as well. The clean-up has always been a time to re-awaken long tired & little used muscles gone dormant over a long winter's cabin fevered inactivity. So refreshing to get out in that early Spring fresh air & get oneself in tune with Mother Nature. I know some folks are happy not to have a house anymore with all those Spring chores but I am sure not one of them. My happiness comes from being outside with things to do & clean-up projects on the go. Of course not everything is enjoyable & cleaning windows is definitely not one of my favs!!

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A FEW SMALL REMAINING ICEBERGS GATHER AROUND A GODERICH HARBOR FISHING BOAT

Rain forecast for almost every day this coming week so not a lot to look forward to in that department. Friday morning we have to be up early & on our way to London's University Hospital. Kelly has an appointment to see a liver specialist. She has been feeling great these past 7 or 8 months since running into trouble a year ago around this time. We'll see what this fellow has to say & go from there.

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WE OFTEN MEET DEXTER ON THE MORNING TRAIL WHEN HE HAS HIS DAD GERALD OUT FOR A WALK

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A group of Alaskan housewives had gotten together for morning coffee and, since several were pregnant, the talk drifted to babies and doctors.
One of the women announced that she was now going to a woman doctor.
"At least," she said, "I'll be able to depend on my doctor being around during Moose season!"

Saturday, April 26, 2014

TOUGHED OUR WAY THROUGH ANOTHER COLD & GLOOMY OVERCAST DAY

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PAIR OF MALLARDS ON THE POND THIS MORNING

Turned out to be another inside day with our furnace running. Just couldn't reach quite far enough down into my motivation bag to pull out anything of interest. I'm sure the cold 35F overcast dull looking day had something to do with that. Still lots of outside work awaiting but I'll save all that for warmer sunnier days. No big hurry.
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SPRING FLOWERS ALONG THE TRAIL
Watched parts of a couple old movies, ‘Red Badge of Courage’ with Audi Murphy & ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ with Marlon Brando. Hadn't seen either one of them before but had heard of them many times over the years. Had the weather been least ways nice I would have skipped the movies & been outside.
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A MALLARD MALE DUCK LIFTS OFF THE POND
Heard Kelly answer the phone a couple days ago with the words, 'Pepi's Pizza.' Call display had alerted her to the incoming 800 number sales call. Person on the other end was befuddled & offered a 'sorry' for calling a commercial number. Score one for our side. Pizza anyone:))

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How nice to see sunshine pouring threw our Pine trees early this evening but it was too little too late to save the day.  Maybe Pheebs & I will wander some scenic back roads in the morning just to give ourselves a break from being cooped up in the house these last few days.  In all honesty I do not know how we would ever survive having to stay here at our Bayfield house for another winter.  In reality the day will come of course but it is so unimaginable that I can hardly comprehend the thought when it occasionally rears it’s ugly head.  I’m sure many folks who have never had the opportunity to travel or spend their winters in an actively healthier warm southern climate may not understand my line of thinking.  I suppose there was a time long, long, ago when I didn’t understand it either but I’m thinking I had my sights set on the American West ever since I was old enough to read & look at pictures.  Kelly & I have always noticed how much better we feel in a warmer dry winter climate.  Both mentally & physically.  Just so many more things to see & do, places to go, trails to be walked & hiked, rocks to be scrambled on, & bouncy Jeep rides through the desert to be had.  Just so many more opportunities & options when one is not being held captive in their house day after day by icy cold winter snows & seemingly endless stormy days.  It is so important in these Senior years now to keep ourselves as active as we possibly can.  Yes, when the time finally comes & we are not able to return to our beloved South-West again it will truly be one very, very, sad day for the Bayfield Bunch just as I’m sure it has been for countless thousands of folks before us.  But enough of that kind of thinking for tonight.  Sunny warm Spring days ahead & we are sooooooo looking forward to picking up ‘The Big E’ as soon as it has cleared it’s mandatory safety inspection.  No idea what day that will be yet but we’re anxious to get er home:))
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MALE CARDINAL
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Dept. of the Army Regulations For Operation Of Aircraft
Commencing January 1920

1. Don't take the machine into the air unless you are satisfied it will fly.

2. Never leave the ground with the motor leaking.

3. Don't turn sharply when taxiing. Instead of turning sharp, have someone lift the tail around.

4. In taking off, look at the ground and the air.

5. Never get out of the machine with the motor running until the pilot relieving you can reach the motor controls.

6. Pilots should carry hankies in a handy place to wipe off goggles.

7. Riding on the steps, wings, or rail of the machine is prohibited.

8. In case the engine fails on takeoff, land straight ahead regardless of obstacles.

9. No machine must taxi faster than a man can walk.

10. Never run motor so that blast will blow on other machines.

11. Learn to gauge altitude, especially on landing.

12. If you see another machine near you, get out of the way.

13. No two cadets should ever ride together in the same machine.

14. Do not trust altitude instruments.

15. Before you begin a landing glide, see that no machines are under you.

16. Hedge-hopping will not be tolerated.

17. No spins on back or tail sides will be indulged in as they unnecessarily strain the machines.

18. If flying against the wind and you wish to fly with the wind, don't make a sharp turn near the ground. You may crash.

19. Motors have been known to stop during a long glide. If pilot wishes to use motor for landing, he should open the throttle.

20. Don't attempt to force the machine onto the ground with more than flying speed. The result is bounding and ricocheting.

21. Pilots will not wear spurs while flying.

22. Do not use aeronautical gasoline in cars or motorcycles.

23. You must not take off or land closer than 50 feet to the hanger.

24. Never take a machine into the air until you are familiar with it's controls and instruments.

25. If an emergency occurs while flying, land as soon as possible.

Friday, April 25, 2014

REMEMBERING A DIFFERENT AGE OF TELEVISION

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PHEEBS & RASCAL WERE SO HAPPY TO SEE EACH OTHER THIS MORNING THEY JUST HAD TO STOP & HAVE THEMSELVES A BIG HUG

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I’ve slowly come to learn over the years pea stone gravel & pine needles to not make a good mix.  Needles get into the stones & do not rake out easily.  This just leaves things looking messy all the time & especially in the Spring.  In the process now of shovelling up & moving much of that pea stone from our back yard & coming up with some new ideas.  Spring is always a good time to make changes to one’s landscaping.  Energy levels are up in the cooler weather & just the very nature of Spring lends itself to new ideas & change.

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GOING TO PLANT SOME NICE GREEN GRASS IN THAT AREA

A few readers have sent in some clever ideas regarding a name for our soon to arrive 2003 Class A Triple E Commander. We'll keep those names in mind & see how they fit once we bring the rig home & spend some time in & around it.  I might just refer to it as the ‘Big E’ for now until we get it home & see what name fits it best.  Thought ‘Tripoli’ was pretty clever by a Guest in our Shout Box.

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The gray overcast & windy cold day just didn’t have me interested in any outdoor activities at all.  My physical exertions mainly revolved around the television remote.  With all the schlock on TV nowadays it is always quite often a work-out surfing through the channels over & over looking for something even remotely resembling a whiff of human intelligence.

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I have an audio tape player, amp & speakers in our carport.   This morning while puttering around I had an Andy Williams tape playing & of course that took me back to a much different & pleasanter television age than we have now.  I remember when Andy Williams had his own TV show along with Perry Como & others.  I remember when situation comedies were simpler, easier to  understand, & funnier.  Variety shows were popular then & somehow life didn’t seem quite as complicated.  Not the graphic violence one sees today.  There was more real music to be seen & heard in those days as well.  Not the fabricated & over produced lip synced & dubbed ‘You Tube’ stuff we have today.  And thank heavens we did not have to grow up with all these hopelessly brain dead reality shows which have all but taken over the television airways.  I think we Seniors have been very fortunate to have grown up in the age of television we did.  I think it has treated us well leaving behind memories of an age we can look back on & feel proud about.  An age which will never pass this way again…………………….

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WHAT’CHA BLOGGING ABOUT TODAY DAD??

Rains began around mid afternoon & somewhere in there I lost about an hour to the zzzzzzzz factor. But it was a nice hour spent in my recliner crumpled up under a warm green blanket with a doggy contentedly stretched out sound asleep on my lap.  Dare I use the word ‘snuggles’ here:))

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN ARIZONA WHEN:

- You've signed so many petitions to recall governors that you can't
  remember the name of the incumbent.

- You notice your car overheating before you drive it.

- You can say Hohokam and people don't think you're laughing funny.

- You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.

- You see more irrigation water on the street than there is in the
  Salt River.

- You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.

- You can say 115 degrees without fainting.

- You can be in the snow, then drive for an hour and it will be over
  100 degrees.

- You have to go to a fake beach for some fake waves.

- You discover, in July, that it only takes two fingers to drive your
  car.

- You can make sun tea instantly.

- You run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so you can use
  your fireplace.

- You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of
  distance.

- You realize that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.

- Hotter water comes from the cold water tap than the hot one.

- You can pronounce the words:  "Saguaro", "Tempe", "Gila Bend", "San
  Xavier", "Canyon de Chelly", "Mogollon Rim", "Cholla", and
  Tlaquepaque".

- It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person
  is moving on the streets.

- You actually burn your hand opening the car door.

- Sunscreen is sold year round, kept at the front of the checkout
  counter, a formula less than 50 spf is a joke, and you wear it just
  to go to Circle K.

- Some fool can market mini-misters for joggers and some other fools
  will actually buy them.

- Hot air balloons can't go up, because the air outside is hotter
  than the air inside.

- No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car.

- You can understand the reason for a town named "Why."