Saturday, March 11, 2017

SUNSHINE AND SNOW SQUALLS ON A JEEP RIDE TO GRAND BEND AND BACK

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GRAND BEND’S PIER IS COATED IN ICE

Checking the Grand Bend’s Yacht Club harbor web cam this morning I noticed there did not appear to be any snow in that neighboring village 18 miles south of us.  Apparently they had escaped Friday's snow squalls coming in off Lake Huron.  Figured that would be a good area for Pheebs and I to go have us a look around.

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BEFORE HEADING TO GRAND BEND WE SWUNG DOWN AROUND BAYFIELD’S HARBOR

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SOON LOCAL FISHING BOATS WILL BE DOCKED HERE

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WON’T BE LONG UNTIL BAYFIELD’S MAIN STREET WILL BE THRONGED WITH MANY HAPPY TOURISTS FOR ANOTHER SUMMER’S SEASON

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With temperatures hovering around 18F and strong northwesterly winds coming in off the lake we pointed Libby's nose southward and off we went.  Well wouldn't ya know it……..we ran right into a blowing snow streamer again about half way there.  The lure of a carrot muffin and a hot cup of Tim Hortons coffee in the Bend was too much for us to resist so we kept on going.  Besides, the blustery snow was not as bad as the previous day traveling to Goderich and back plus Pheebs especially likes the Grand Bend Horton's because she generally gets a Tim Bit there.  And this morning was no exception.

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LAKE HURON WINDS ARE BLOWING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT

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BLOWING SNOW DANCES EASTWARD ACROSS A BARREN FARMER’S FIELD

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WIND TURBINES WERE IN OVERDRIVE

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Grand Bend's main street leading down to the lake was totally deserted of course with nary a soul out in this freezing cold.  Large angry looking waves coming ashore over the pier crashed onto brown sand encrusted icy snow banks.  Managed a few photos from inside the Jeep.  No way was I getting out into those Arctic like howling winds.

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DURING SUMMER MONTHS GRAND BEND IS PACKED WITH YOUNG FOLKS AND IT’S NOT UNUSUAL FOR TRAFFIC TO BE BUMPER TO BUMPER ALONG HERE BOTH HEADING FOR AND COMING FROM THE BEACH STRAIGHT AHEAD

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THIS EATERY HAS BEEN ON GRAND BEND’S MAIN DRAG FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER

When in the Southwest for the winter it is the Yacht Club's web cams we always check to see how the weather is doing in these here parts.  There are actually 2 cams showing the river and harbor mouth areas.  Also there are 3 other town beach cams located atop a beach pavilion we also check sometimes as well.

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ONE YACHT CLUB HARBOR CAM IS IN THE TOP WINDOW OF THAT LIGHTHOUSE WHILE THE SECOND ONE IS EITHER IN OR ON ONE OF THOSE BUILDINGS AT THE RIGHT

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THE TOWNS THREE BEACH CAMS ARE LOCATED UNDER THE ROOF OF THAT TOWER

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A BUILD UP OF ICE ON GRAND BEND’S PIER

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With our carrot muffin all eaten up and a hot cup of coffee safely tucked away in my tummy we made our way back up the main street out of town and into the countryside.  Picked us up a gravely country road heading north & began our slow journey back home to Bayfield.  Sometimes we were driving in clear air with blue skies, green fields, and sunshine while other times we were being buffeted by gusting winds and blowing snow.  All photos today were taken from inside the Jeep and I never stepped out of the vehicle from the time we left home until I had Libby safely back into our carport.  It was about 11 a.m. with another two and a half hour Jeep ride under our belts.....well my belt anyway.

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PHEEBS LIKES TO CRUISE ALONG WITH HER WINDOW DOWN SO I HAVE TO KEEP THE HEATER CRANKED UP SO I DON’T FREEZE UP

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A FEW SMALL CREEKS ARE STILL RUNNING

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WON’T BE LONG AND THE HURON COUNTY PLAYHOUSE WILL BE OPEN FOR ANOTHER SEASON OF FINE ENTERTAINMENT

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A FEW FARM TRACTORS ANXIOUSY AWAITING SPRING’S WORK TO BEGIN

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SAP FROM THESE BIG OLD SUGAR MAPLES  MAY SOON AGAIN BE DRIPPING INTO THESE PAILS

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I spent the afternoon between my recliner in the living room and the computer chair in the sunroom.  Snoozes to be had and photos to edit.  We'll sure be glad when this cold snap comes to an end and that looks like maybe by the end of this coming week sometime.  Fingers crossed of course

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GROANER'S CORNER:((  A police officer pulls over a car full of nuns. The officer says, “Sister, the speed limit on this highway is 55 mph. Why are you going so slow?”  Sister replies, “I saw a lot of signs that said 41, not 55.” The officer says, “Sister, that’s the name of the highway, not the speed limit.”  “Silly me,” the embarrassed nun says. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be more careful.” But then the officer glances in the back seat where the other nuns are quaking with fear. He asks, “Excuse me, Sister, what’s wrong with your friends?”  Sister says, “Oh, we just got off Highway 101.”

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One morning the phone rang at 3:00 a.m. in Jeff's house. He picked up the phone and a woman asked, "Is this 555-1111?" "No, this is 555-1112." Jeff replied. "Oh, I'm so sorry for disturbing you." The woman said. "That's alright," Jeff said. "I had to get up to answer the phone anyway."

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I went online to become a private detective. It was a private detective school online, and I paid online. But then I never heard from them again. I thought to myself, I either got ripped off or this is my first case.

7 comments:

  1. Love that area, have camped their the late 1990's during Christmas and New Years, at the Pinery, pretty quiet compared to the summer warmth. Nice that you got to wander about the area and brings back some wonderful memories.

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  2. Getting pretty warm in southern Arizona now. May have to consider starting to wander to some higher elevations. All that snow looks, well, chilly!

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  3. Beautiful pictures of Lake Huron.

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  4. You're awfully kind to let Pheebs ride with the window down on a day like yesterday! The pictures showing waves on the lake are all amazing!

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  5. Dang, it makes me shiver to see all that snow and ice. Since I moved to Texas, I have gotten spoiled and think it is really cold if it gets down to 60 degrees.

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  6. Hey, Al....it was in the 90's here yesterday. Our neighbors had their...gasp...AIR CONDITIONER running! Not us hearty folks, however. We toughed it out!

    Oh, and that could be MY restaurant! I also have a cousin who lived up in WA state with the same name (different last name)...They called us Cheryl and Cheryl Ann. Now we would be Thing 1 and Thing 2!!!!!
    ~Cheryl Ann

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  7. We are expecting up to 7" of snow here tonight and tomorrow...Boy, do we ever miss Florida right now!

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