A LEISURELY SUNDAY MORNING BIKE RIDE

DAY LILIES

When I woke up this morning I knew I was needing a different kind of day.  After the stresses of the past week or so I figured it was about time to get myself un-Jeeped for awhile & get myself re-Biked again.  Been awhile since I'd been out for a ride on the big Honda Shadow & knew if I left it any longer I was going to have to put the training wheels back on again.  So, with that thought in mind, I saddled up the bike, grabbed my leg, threw it over the seat, hit the starter, & with a few sputters & pops lurched my way out the driveway & off down the road into the beautiful rural farmlands of southwestern Ontario.

          

A BIG SUNDAY MORNING SKY

Corn is about 5 feet high & the wheat is nearly ready to be cut.  Acres upon acres of soybeans looked healthy as I cruised through the dog days of summer stopping for a picture here & a picture there.  Had my Canon point & shoot with me because it's much easier to handle on the motorcycle.  How relaxing to feel the wind on my face again & how nice to be surrounded by the peace & tranquility only Mother Nature knows how to deliver. Nobody around for miles & miles, just me & the bike & I could feel the stresses dropping by the roadside as I thoroughly enjoyed a long slow leisurely overdue 4 hour back roads ride:))

Early afternoon saw me home again for my 2 o'clock coffee & a short doze in my recliner.  Well, the short doze turned out to be a bit longer & I guess that's because I had got up this morning shortly before 4.  Don't know why I am an early riser but I just am.  My little nap boosted my tolerance levels so thought I'd try putting the soft top on the Jeep down.  Things went better than expected & it wasn't long before I had Checkers loaded up in the passenger seat for a short ride over to see 'Mom' at Deer Park Lodge.  I picked Checkers for the ride because she is the most relaxed one of the bunch in a vehicle.  She sat right up in the seat looking all around & I could tell she was very happy with the wind blowing in her face & through her fur.  Kelly took a few pics of us at Deer Park & then it was back home.  Just wanted to make this first ride for Checkers a short one to get her Jeepsterized in a favorable way. 

            

While at Deer Park I had noticed what appeared to be a dark storm front across the lake so after dropping Checkers off at home I grabbed the camera's & headed the short 3 minute drive back over to the lake.  Sky didn't look as threatening when I got there but I was able to crack off a few pics anyway.  I love to photograph storms because the sky takes on a whole moody & foreboding personality of it's own.  The trick is to be in the right place at the right time to catch the storm.  No easy feat!!

                     

If Kelly had not asked Pete the Jeep owner to come over Friday night & show us how to put the soft top on our Jeep we would never have got it on in a hundred years.  Had been awhile since Pete had put a top on too but he was able to figure it out despite this top being newer than an older style he was mainly familiar with.  I found the whole procedure discouraging because with my impatience & low tolerance for mechanical things I knew tugging zippers, stretching fabric, metal clamps, pins, metal bars, & things that require a lot of grunting to fit together was not going to be user friendly for Al. 

Kelly has a preference for the soft top now but after Friday night I am definitely a supporter of the more secure & hassle free hard top.  It took Pete nearly 40 minutes to figure out the sequence of procedures to get that top on & logically troubleshoot any part of the sequence he didn't understand.  I just don't have that kind of patience anymore.  I do understand the more one does something the better they will become at it & if we only had the soft top to work with I suppose I would just simply have to come to terms with that & deal with it.  But, the hard top gives me a very logical alternative to all the added stress of having to deal with the trials & tribulations the soft top brings with it.  Now, if only I can convince the other half of the more logical solution:((   Y'know, some days my recliner is my best option.

 

I particularly liked Mike's description about the American southwest in his blog today........ HOMER & LUCILLE.

GROANER'S CORNER:((

And here's 24 Signs Showing You Might Be Canadian

1. You're not offended by the term "HOMO MILK".
2. You understand the phrase "Could you pass me a serviette, I just dropped my poutine, on the chesterfield."
3. You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.
4. You drink Pop, not Soda.
5. You know that a Mickey and 24's mean, "party at the camp, eh!!!"
6. You don't care about the fuss with Cuba. It's a cheap place to go for your holidays, with good cigars.
7. You know that a pike is a type of fish, not part of a highway.
8. You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
9. You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
10. You know that Casey and Finnegan were not part of a Celtic musical group.
11. You get excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
12. You brag to Americans that; Shania Twain, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion & Mike Myers are Canadians.
13. You know that the C.E.O. of American Airlines is a Canadian!
14. You know what a toque is.
15. You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
16. You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced "Zed".
17. Your local newspaper covers the national news on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
18. You know that the four seasons mean: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road work.
19. You know that when it's 25 degrees outside, it's a warm day.
20. You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
21. You know how to pronounce and spell "Saskatchewan".
22. You perk up when you hear the theme song from 'Hockey Night in Canada'.
23. You are in grade 12, not the 12th grade.
24. "Eh?" is a very important part of your vocabulary, and is more polite than, "Huh?"

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

AUNT JEAN DROPS IN FOR A VISIT

NOW, IS THIS ANY WAY TO TREAT A JEEP!!

By the time I had finished washing all the caked on dried mud off the Jeep this morning I knew that we would not be doing that again.  Took me over an hour!!  However, it was good experience for us Friday night as Pete led us along a local bush trail through a number of gully swamping water filled hog wallows.  And, yes we did get temporarily stuck in one of the them.  Pete made it through but we didn't.  He's got bigger tires, a whole lot more experience & his Jeep sits much higher than ours, so there we were, out in the bush stuck in a swamp bog up to our underwear!!!!  Pete started talking about getting a chain to pull us out & I started talking about how I wished I was home, stretched out in my recliner!!  Took me about half a dozen runs at that oozing mess to finally slip, slide & slither our Jeep through the gumbo muck.  I definitely understand the advantages of 4 wheel drive now.....10-4:))

THIS IS PETE'S JEEP.....& HE HASN'T EVEN GOT IT DIRTY YET!!

       

All & all it was good experience though & I have a better understanding into the gear changes, transfer case workings, 4 wheel drive, 2hi-12lo & 46 ahead, & half a dozen wheels going in 14 different directions or something.  As we bumped, banged & jolted along the bush trail I kept asking myself, "what the hell have we got ourselves into!!!!"  Also thought to myself......'nope, we will not be doing this again any time soon.  Jeeping in the southwest is a horse of a different color & I think we'll just gear ourselves for that & stay off the swamper hog bush trails around here......for awhile!!

         

You will notice all the Jeep pictures are blurry.  I never thought to bump up my camera's ISO in the darker forest with the fading light.  And, steering through mud holes with one hand, shifting gears with the other plus trying to swamp a hot coffee down & take pictures all at the same time was just a bit much even for an old multi tasking driver wizard like myself.  I would have got Kelly to take the pics but she was already bouncing around like a ping pong ball.  Yep, we sure got some things to learn & some bugs to iron out alright!!  And tomorrow I will tell you about the trials & tribulations of trying to put the soft top up on the Jeep Friday night..........................  #!!*%>>#+:#%@//

PETE'S SAYING...."HEY, WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YA HAD SO MUCH FUN EH"

Our handy guy Bruce came over to day & started work on the little project for the back of the Jeep while I began a big reorganization of our carport storage space. 

BRUCE MEASURES UP THE 'JEEP PROJECT'

My Aunt Jean visiting from Florida dropped in around 3 this afternoon & we spent a couple hours organizing some bins of stuff belonging to my Uncle Harry.  Kelly was home by 4 & we all went out for supper at 'The Docks.'  Coffee back at home & about 7:30 Jean hit the road for Tavistock where she is staying.  All & all a long kinda day & I am totally pooped, so here's the end of another day's post for........The Bayfield Bunch:))

CHATTING IT UP WITH AUNT JEAN ON THE FRONT PORCH TODAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Ever wonder why this country is in soooooo much trouble??  Well, here's why!!!!! The population of this country is 300 million.  160 million are retired.  That leaves 140 million to do the work.  There are 85 million in school. Which leaves 55 million to do the work.  Of this there are 35 million employed by the federal government.  Leaving 20 million to do the work.  2.8 million are in the armed forces preoccupied with killing Osama Bin-Laden which leaves 17.2 million to do the work.  Take from that total the 15.8 million people who work for State and city Governments and that leaves 1.4 million to do the work.  At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals leaving 1,212,000 to do the work. 
Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons. 
That leaves just two people to do the work. 
You and me.  And there you are 
sitting on your butt, at your computer, reading this silly blog again. 
Nice..........Real nice!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

TODAY WE MET RANDY & PAM WARNER OF THE ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES

RANDY & AL WITH PAM CHECKING A MAP INSIDE THE COACH

The overnight rain & slightly cooler weather front took a big chunk out of the recent oppressive high humidity & our day was slightly less muggy.  Emphasis on 'slightly less muggy.'

RANDY & KELLY DART ACROSS THE BUSY HIGHWAY

Message on Facebook this morning from Randy Warner from, THE ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES  saying they would be rolling through Bayfield on their journey north somewhere around noon.  We had been in touch a couple weeks ago so we knew they would be heading into our neighborhood.  Only place we could think of with a parking lot big enough for a large motorhome with a car on back was a place called the 'Docks' just off highway 21.  Randy phoned when they got to Grand Bend so we knew they would be in Bayfield in about 25 minutes.  Kelly & I drove over to the Docks & found the parking lot full of cars.  The Docks is a restaurant & it was lunch hour!!  We saw Randy & Pam come over the bridge & one look told him he was not going to get into that parking lot.  Randy threw a blinker on & pulled over to the side of the road.  It was a Friday & the highway was busy but he jumped out & came across the road to where Kelly & I were.  A quick handshake & the 3 of us hustled back across the highway to the safety of their Allegro Bus Motor Home.

PAM & KELLY IN THE ROADRUNNER

Met Pam inside & we all had ourselves a quick RV chin wag for about 20 minutes.  Covered a few of the normal bases such as computers, routers, phones, routes & destinations, etc.  We knew Randy & Pam had a ways to go yet today so didn't want to hold them up alongside the road.   Slipped outside for some more pics, handshakes & goodbyes.  Kelly & I were no sooner back across the increasingly busy highway & Randy had the  Allegro Bus wheels rolling.  Grabbed a few last pics as he hit the big diesel air horn & they were northbound & gone.  Been following Randy's blog for about a year now so it was nice to finally meet the person behind the keyboard.  Nice fellow.

RANDY EXPLAINING HIS ROUTER SETUP

Later in the day Kelly tracked down an unsuspecting Jeep owner.  She had noticed a jeep wrangler parked at the Tucker Communications Office in Bayfield different times during working hours & because of the problems I'm having trying to figure out the hard & soft top dilemma she went in & asked the guy if he could come over after work & help her poor mechanically challenged & totally frustrated husband to get the hard top off the Jeep & the soft top on.  And that's how we met Peter today.

KELLY TAKES ANOTHER DEER PARK LODGE RESERVATION

OK, fast forward................Now, it's nearly 9 p.m. & we just got home from a mud, water, mosquito & branches in your face kind of jeep foray through a heavily wooded forest near by & I will save  our last '3 hour Jeep lesson for tomorrow's blog.  Am just needing a little R&R at the moment.  And, another coffee...... two thirds of my 7 o'clock coffee got jolted right out of it's holder & dumped into the Jeeps transfer case & I later found my top denture on the passenger side running board:))  We went a muddin!! 

PETER SHOWS US HOW TO PUT THE SOFT TOP ON........'OHHHHHHH', WE HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN:((

AND PETE LEADS THE WAY THROUGH AN APPLE ORCHARD TO THE FOREST BEYOND

 

'OH OH'....... THIS COULD GET SERIOUS!!

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Here are 5 good tips for our fine hard working women folk......

1. It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.
2. It is important that a man makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man you can count on! And doesn't lie to you.
4. It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.
5. It is important that these four men don't know each other.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

STILL ENOUGH HAIR LEFT TO CUT AT AGE 94

STAYING COOL IN THE HEAT

Although we knew it was outside waiting for us, the humidity once again ambushed us as soon as we set foot outside the door this morning.  Kelly went into work for a few hours & I, like a big softy, stayed in where it was cool.

TOOK THESE PICS ON OUR WAY TO VISIT MY UNCLE THIS AFTERNOON

Sold our mini-van today.  When we bought the Jeep a week ago I immediately contacted our friend & neighbor Bruce who lives here in the park.  I knew his small standard shift pick up truck was not in the best of shape & I also knew Bruce's lower back problems were not getting any better.  He spent too many years flying in Canadian helicopters off Canada's east coast in a search & rescue capacity.  It took a toll on Bruce's back.  Our mini-van is automatic so there is no having to push on a clutch all the time.  That is definitely not good for an injured back!!  Comfortable seats & power this & that make it a back friendly vehicle to drive.  Ran the idea by Bruce a week ago, & today he dropped by to say we had a deal.  Bruce is also a handyman so the van is perfect for his tools & projects.  He has done some excellent renovations in our RV & looks after our place in the winter.  Having Bruce own the van kind of keeps it in the family so to speak & he said we can have visitation rights.  Always makes me happy when a well intentioned plan comes together in a good way:))

OUR MINI-VAN IS SOLD

Kelly & I slipped down to the Ritz Villa in Mitchell today to visit my Uncle Harry.  My Aunt Jean from Florida was there & we were able to make further arrangements regarding Harry's ongoing care.  He has pretty well lost all mobility in his legs now but we were able to get him up & sitting in his walker while Kelly cut his hair.  It is always so sad to see loved ones deteriorate in their Senior years.

STILL ENOUGH HAIR TO CUT AT AGE 94

We left the nursing home in a thundering rain storm but soon drove out of it & were disappointed to see it had not rained at all back home.  Computer weather shows a good healthy dose of water headed our way tonight though.

RAINING HARD WHEN WE LEFT THE NURSING HOME

Some of you folks may remember a few weeks ago when Kelly & I encountered an injured Great Horned Owl on the trail.  Despite our efforts & the efforts of others the little fellow didn't survive.  A few days later, Gypsy from ON THE ROAD AGAIN sent us the following email which she had just found in her email account...............

'Wisdom of the Owl'
Owls are the holders of wisdom, capable of seeing the unseen. With keen eyesight they glance into the soul and are totems of truth.  For as long as humankind has recognized animals as teachers, wise men and women have recognized traits worthy of respect in both wild and domestic creatures. The cultural and spiritual significance of certain animals transcends geographical boundaries, unifying disparate peoples. Not so the majestic and mysterious owl, which has over many millennia served as the focal point of numerous contradictory beliefs. Though owls have been regarded with awe and fascination, they have also inadvertently served as agents of fear. Since owls are nocturnal, human-owl encounters tended to occur at night and likely when the bird was swooping silently down to earth to grapple with prey. Yet even as some shied away from the owl, calling it an agent of darkness, others recognized the depths of awareness in beautiful owl’s eyes.

In the classical Greek tradition, an owl could often be found perched on the shoulder of Athena, goddess of wisdom, while owls could ward off bad luck in Roman lore. It is in Native American mythos, however, that the owl attains its own unique identity. Owls are patient messengers, bringers of information and the holders of wisdom, and they are capable of seeing the unseen. With their keen eyesight, they can glance into the soul to discern meaning and motive, and they are totems of truth. Unlike our distant forebears, we may never encounter an owl in the wild, but we can nonetheless internalize the wisdom of the owl by attuning ourselves to its most venerable qualities. Fully integrating the medicine of the owl into spiritual existence is a matter of considering how we might open ourselves more fully to the wisdom that can be found in the larger universe.

Should you find your efforts blocked as you commune with the owl, remember that it was not always revered as an icon of wisdom. This denizen of the nighttime has overcome many prejudices in its long association with humankind. To reveal those hidden elements of the self that impact your life for better or for worse, you must often make your way through the darkest parts of your soul as if you yourself are the nocturnal hunter. There is indeed darkness both inside the self and outside the self, but like the owl you can transcend it by drawing nourishment from the insights you receive when you penetrate it.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I think health nuts are going to feel awfully stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.  And, in keeping with that theme, did you know good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. (I don't write these things folks, I just pass them along)

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.