SUPERB WEATHER DAY FOR EXPLORING THE MAITLAND WOODS AND A POLICE OFFICER ASKS ME “HAVE YOU HAD ANYTHING TO DRINK TODAY SIR??

EXPLORING THE MAITLAND WOODS THIS MORNING

Ingredients for my daily morning Sounds Yukky - Tastes Yummy shakes keeps me on a constant run to the supermarket for bananas, apples, carrots, and celery, ETC.  About every 3 or 4 days for bananas for sure.  So it was off to Goderich with Pheebs and I to find us some veggies.  With coffee and a muffin to go and veggies on board it was a quick trip down around the harbor where I noticed a large Lake Freighter inbound for the Port.

ON OUR WAY TO GODERICH I SPOTTED THESE FELLAS ON PORTER HILL LINE ROOFING WHAT I THINK WILL BE A PIG BARN

I TRIED THIS VERY SAME JOB IN VERNON BRITISH COLUMBIA ONE TIME AND I DON’T THINK I LASTED A DAY AND HALF

NOTICED THIS LAKE FREIGHTER ON THE HORIZON INBOUND FOR THE PORT OF GODERICH

We had ourselves a bonus weather day.  Big blue sky from horizon to horizon and nearly 60F temperatures.  Strong southerly winds kind of put a dent in things with it's wind chill factor but no matter, it was a great weather day and we took it.

I JUST HAD TO GET SOME BIG BLUE SKY IN ONE OF MY PHOTOS THIS MORNING

SAY I WONDER IF HE CAN GET ‘SESAME STREET’ ON THAT TV SCREEN IN THERE

THIS FARMER HAS ABOUT HALF HIS CORN FIELD CROP HARVESTED

With the morning being so nice I figured we had better take advantage of things so rather than a drive around the countryside we headed for the south end of Goderich to a place called The Maitland Woods.  I knew there to be a nice walking trail in those woods so off we went to the very eastern end of Huckins Road.

THIS IS ONE OF FOUR ENTRY POINTS TO THE MAITLAND WOODS

WE DID THE RIGHT HALF OF THIS TRAIL TWO SUMMERS AGO AND TODAY WE DID THE LEFT HALF OF THE TRAIL….NEXT TIME WE’LL DO THE WHOLE DARN THING:))

THIS IS A VERY EASY WALKING TRAIL BECAUSE IT’S FLAT WITH NO HILLS TO GO UP AND DOWN

NO THAT IS NOT SNOW ON THE GROUND

BOARDWALKS LEAD OVER THE SWAMPY PARTS

The John C Hindmarsh trail is very well maintained and I could see where patches of gravel had been added to bolster up some wet spots recently.  I think this may have been an old hardwood forest that maybe has been thinned a bit and now has a lot of new cedar trees growing which are doing well in the swampy like area.  Wouldn't want to do this trail in the heat and humidity of summer.  Too many mosquitos!!

 

BEECH TREES ARE BEST FOR CARVING INITIALS ON

I was glad to see they had markers identifying some of the trees along the trail and the wooden walkways over the swampy areas were in good shape.  Never saw any critters and never heard any birds but could hear sounds of a few industrial business's along the forests western edge nearby.  This walk would be especially nice in both Spring and Fall.  I'll have to make a mental note of that.

SPOTTED WHAT I THINK MAY HAVE BEEN A FEW TRAIL MAINTENANCE FOLKS WHEELING SOMETHING ALONG ON A WHEELBARROW

THESE GREEN SHOOTS REMINDED ME MORE OF SPRING THAN FALL

It was about 10:30 when we made it back to the Jeep and headed home but it was not without being stopped along the way.  We were about half way between Goderich and our place just outside Bayfield on Orchard Line when I saw the flashing red and blue lights of a police cruiser ahead.  Slowing down I figured there had been an accident but as I approached the country road intersection two officers in lime green vests waved me over.  Aha, it was a R.I.D.E. check. (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere)  The young officer asked me if I had anything to drink today and I was happily able to answer, "I haven't had anything to drink for over 38 years'.  'Good stuff' he said and waved me through.  I absolutely love when that happens. 

OH-OH WHAT’S THIS UP AHEAD??

I THINK ONE FELLA IS ASKING THE OTHER FELLA WHAT SANTA’S GOING TO BRING HIM FOR CHRISTMAS

CAUGHT THE BOYS IN MY SIDE MIRROR AS I PULLED AWAY

TAKING PHOTOS IN A DARK FOREST ON A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY IS ALWAYS QUITE A CHALLENGE GETTING THE COLORS AND CONTRASTS RIGHT

LOOKS LIKE A HURON COUNTY SWAMP GATOR TO ME

THINK I SEE AN ARIZONA GILA MONSTER IN THERE AT BOTTOM LEFT QUARTER

Kelly's Pontiac Sunfire was a tad on the dirty side so I took it to the Bayfield car wash this afternoon and gave it a good spritz.  Cleaned the windows when I got back home as well and now she can see where she's going before she even gets there.

I ALWAYS FEEL AT PEACE IN A FOREST

WE’VE DONE A BIG LOOP AND ARE NEARLY BACK AT THE JEEP

Thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the afternoon which reminded me of an April Spring day.  Weather will be substantially cooler for Wednesday but overall we have had a reasonably reasonable November and that's not bad for what I remember the month of November to be here in our area.  Long cold gray depressing days.

STEPPING OUT OF THE WOODS A STRONG GUST OF WIND GRABBED MY HAT AND TOOK OFF WITH IT…….LUCKY SOME BRAMBLES CAUGHT IT BEFORE IT GOT DUNKED IN SOME SWAMPY WATER ABOUT 20 FEET AWAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  As Bill was approaching mid-life, physically he was a mess. Not only was he going bald, but years of office work had given him a large pot belly. The last straw came when he asked a woman co-worker out on a date, and she all but laughed at him. That does it, he decided. I'm going to start a whole new regimen. He began attending aerobics classes. He started working out with weights. He changed his diet. And he got an expensive hair transplant. In six months, he was a different man. Again, he asked his female co-worker out, and this time she accepted.   There he was, all dressed up for the date, looking better than he ever had. He stood poised to ring the woman's doorbell, when a bolt of lightning struck him and knocked him off his feet. As he lay there dying, he turned his eyes toward the heavens and said, "Why, God, why now? After all I've been through, how could you do this to me?"  From up above, there came a voice, "Sorry. I didn't recognize you."

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You might be a red neck if you refer to the 5th grade as "my senior year."

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As I was trying to pack for vacation, my 3-year-old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point, she said, "Mommy, look at this," and stuck out two of her fingers.  Trying to keep her entertained, I reached out and stuck her fingers in my mouth and said, "Mommy gonna eat your fingers!" pretending to eat them before I rushed out of the room again.  When I returned, my daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face. I said, "What's wrong honey?"  "Mommy, where's my booger?"

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A farmer and his wife decided to hold a talent show for their animals in which each contestant would recite a passage from Shakespeare. The prize would be a big marquee with a glitter ball inside. The pig performed a piece from Hamlet; the cow chose Richard III and the sheep picked MacBeth. After much deliberation the farmer and his wife picked the best entry, announcing: "Cow is the winner of our disco tent." (The Winter Of Our Discontent…..John Steinbeck)

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