Wednesday, September 15, 2021

THERE MIGHT BE SOME LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

 AN OLD TIME DRIVE TO THE BEACH
With a strong gusting wind blowing from the southwest I didn't hear the approaching airplane until it was very close.  Quickly glancing up to the northeast I saw the older white Piper aircraft about a hundred feet off the ground slowly angling downward.  I recognized the plane right away as that of the farmer who owns the land I was standing beside.  Pheebs and I were near the Jeep on our morning walk and knew the pilot was coming in for a south landing at his grass airstrip in a field about a half-mile away.  I could see by the airplane's wingtips bouncing that he was fighting a tricky cross-wind gusting from the southwest.  Those same sudden wind gusts kept blowing my hat off.  As he approached the field he looked like he was too high to attempt a landing and yet the plane continued to sink towards the ground anyway and I lost sight of him below a forest treeline.  I knew his landing strip was right on the other side of that forest's tree line.  About the same time I lost sight of him I heard his engine power up and figured he overshot his landing and was doing a go-around.  Pheebs and I right away piled into the Jeep and headed south down the country road we were on then turned left on Bayfield River road to drive a short distance and line ourselves up at the south end of his landing strip.  I saw the plane to the east heading back north so I knew he was okay and coming around again.  Waited about a minute and then spotted him as a dot to the north approaching his landing strip.  He came in low over a hedgerow of trees at the north end of the field, dropped, and disappeared from view.  I knew there was a slight hill in the field between my vantage point and his touchdown so I waited for him to appear coming up over the knoll.  And come up over the knoll he did, rolling to a stop on the downside of the slight hill.  He turned the plane around and proceeded to taxi back up the knoll, and over the top to his parking spot which was out of sight to me.  All was okay and I later thought to myself, he probably didn't miss that first landing at all.  I'm guessing he came in the first time as low as he could without landing to check and get a feel for the heavy southwest crosswind gusts coming in over the forest's treetops on his immediate right.  I can understand an experienced pilot doing that.  And this fella has to be experienced because the corner of that field has been home to that Piper aircraft since before we moved here nearly nineteen years ago.  There are a number of 'flying farmers' in southern Ontario and I think some of them sometimes get together at local airfields for Sunday morning breakfasts.

 COMING IN FROM THE NORTH WITH THE CROSSWIND COMING IN FROM THE LEFT
 HE'S CLEARED THE TREES
THE PLAIN DROPPED DOWN BEHIND THIS KNOLL 
 ABOUT SIX SECONDS LATER HE REAPPEARED COMING UP OVER THE KNOLL
 REACHING THE END OF HIS LANDING ROLL THE PILOT TURNS HIS PLANE AROUND
 HEADING BACK TO HIS LANDING AREA
HAVING MOVED TO A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT ON PARR LINE I TOOK A FEW MORE PICS
EXITING THE AIRCRAFT
 IT'S GOT TO BE A GOOD FEELING HAVING THE WHEELS SAFELY BACK ON THE GROUND
I haven't been doing much these past few days but Pheebs and I have been keeping up both our morning and evening country road walks.  Weather permitting of course.  We've had a few storms go through the area with one on Tuesday carrying a tornado warning with it.  The bulk of that storm went north of us again.  

EVENING WALK AND YOU CAN SEE A STRONG SOUTH WIND BLOWING THE CORN STALK LEAVES ALL IN ONE DIRECTION
MORNING SKY TO THE EAST EARLIER TODAY
 SAME SKY TO THE WEST
 THREE YOUNG MOTHERS OUT FOR A MORNING STROLL ON GODERICH'S NEW BOARDWALK
 NICE RV AND MOTORCYCLE 
Talked with Kelly a few days ago and there 'might' be some light at the end of the tunnel.  They (her sisters and brother) have been working hard to get a proper care system set up for their mom.  Kelly said she 'might' be able to come home around the end of September depending on how things go.  Although her mother is still very ill she has stabilized a wee bit since Kelly went down there nearly 6 weeks ago.

SAYING 'IN CASE YOU FORGOT WHAT I LOOK LIKE' KELLY SENT ME THIS PICTURE A FEW DAYS AGO
 THIS FINE COUPLE IS KELLY'S BROTHER PETER AND HIS LOVELY NEW BRIDE LESLIE, ON THEIR HONEYMOON, AND HERE'S THE KICKER....THE CAR THEY HAD FOR A FEW DAYS WAS KELLY'S  MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE 
I'm glad to see the new Bayfield Bridge construction is back in full swing after a long delay.  I'm not sure what actually caused the delay but no matter, work has resumed.

 GLAD TO SEE THE BRIDGE BUILDER'S BACK
 THEY ARE INSTALLING THOSE LONG VERTICLE HANGER PIECES
 THE CRANE ON THE LEFT HAS THE WORKERS SUSPENDED IN A METAL BASKET WHILE THE CRANE ON THE RIGHT LIFTS AND MOVES THE STEEL HANGERS INTO PLACE
 THOSE HEAVY GIRDERS WILL FORM THE BRIDGES ROAD BED ACROSS THE RIVER
 AN ARTISTS RENDITION OF THE NEW BRIDGE COMPLETE WITH PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY
I haven't taken my usual volume of daily photos lately but here are the ones I have taken these past few days.
SOME MARSHMALLOW FARMERS PREFER THE RECTANGULAR FORM OF MALLOW
 AND WE DO HAVE A FEW VERY LARGE MARSHMALLOW FARMS:))
 HULLETT MARSH
 OUT MENDING FENCES
THESE GUYS REALLY GIVE MEANING TO THE WORD 'LONGHORNS'
I finally discovered what makes a good omelet for me.  Leave out the cheese!!  I have never cared much for cheese unless it's on a cheeseburger or a toasted cheese sandwich so why was I putting cheese in my omelets.  I don't know either but I made one without cheese awhile back and I've made and enjoyed half a dozen omelets since then:))

 TONIGHT'S HALF MOON
 MOON PHOTOS TAKEN WITH MY NIKON COOLPIX P900
GROANER'S CORNER:(( 
A guy comes home completely drunk one night. He lurches through the door and is met by his scowling wife, who is most definitely not happy.  "Where the hell have you been all night?" she demands.  "At this new bar," he says. "The Golden Saloon. Everything there is golden.  It's got huge golden doors, a golden floor, and even the urinal's gold!"  The wife still doesn't believe his story, and the next day checks the phone book, finding a place across town called the Golden Saloon.  She calls up the place to check her husband's story.  "Is this the Golden Saloon?" she asks when the bartender answers the phone.  "Yes it is," bartender answers.  "Do you have huge golden doors?"  "Sure do." "Do you have golden floors?"  "Most certainly do."  "What about golden urinals?"  There's a long pause, then the woman hears the bartender yelling,  "Hey, Duke, I think I got a lead on the guy that peed in your saxophone last night!"

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6 comments:

  1. Ha, I never thought of mending fences as repairing an electric fence, but I suppose it is! Good photos as usual. And Kelly is so very elegant. That woman has a sense of style! Even in hard times. Hope things can work out where she can come home soon.....As usual, thanks for your work.

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  2. I like the “ fish” bacon😀👍

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  3. Welcome back Al and Miss Pheebs. Wonderful photos and blog.

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  4. You can go fly with him I think I’ll stay on the ground. Plane registration
    https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/CF-VLC.html

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  5. Thanks for the saxophone mental image and belly laugh, Al!

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  6. I like to add some lightly fried mushrooms into an omelette with just the tiniest bit of cheese.

    Special hola to Kelly and sending her some comforting hugs.

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