Sunday, September 19, 2010

WALK OVER HERE, WALK OVER THERE, TWIST & BEND:))

DSC_0032

AUTUMN HAS TOUCHED A FEW TREES

It’s a quiet & cool Sunday morning as I sit here in my recliner beside an opened patio door.  The hush of Autumn is upon the land now & the air outside is still.  Gone are the squeaky cricket sounds, peeping frogs & twittering birds in the pine trees heralding the dawn of a new day.  The Canada Geese aren’t practicing their southern flight patterns yet but soon the air will be filled with honking trial runs as they lift off local ponds & circle overhead through the crisp Autumn air before landing again.  And then one morning they will lift off the still pond waters & make a honking great wide turn to the south & they will be gone.  It is the way of the Canada Geese.

DSC_3756 DSC_3751       DSC_3752

As the weeks & days begin to count down to our departure date in just under 5 weeks I am definitely getting myself into the Snow Bird groove.  We generally don’t tell the furry guys about our plans ahead of time & save that for the morning we actually leave.  But, in that final week & few days before leaving I’m sure the little Monkeys know something is up as we hustle about loading things into the rig.  And then one morning comes along that is different than the rest for the gang.  Mom & Dad are up earlier than usual & instead of heading out on our morning walk we all pile into the big white house on wheels & away we go off on another 5 month adventure.  Max assumes his position on the fold down bed in the living room, Checkers sacks out on the floor between & behind the passenger & driver’s seats while the little Motormouse is soon curled up & off to dreamland in Kelly’s lap.  The looooooong wait is over & the long journey ahead has just begun for the Bayfield Bunch:))  Finally!!

DSC_0005

But, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here so it’s back to the business of the day.  A quick blog check this morning tells me JB & BRENDA are also planning on a late October departure if the cold Alberta weather doesn’t drive them south sooner.  RETIRED ROD over there in Kansas is winterizing his Motor Home & hoping for a December take-off.  JUDY & EMMA are packing their bags for a cross country trip from Princeton Oregon to near Houston Texas & GYPSY is still deciding on her upcoming winter plans. BRUCE & MARGIE have already made the trip from Tumwater, Washington to San Luis Obispo, which is about 10 miles north of Pismo Beach in California.  RICK & PAULETTE out there on Canada’s Vancouver Island are patiently counting down the days to a late December departure for California.  Yep, some of the RV Snow Birds are beginning to stir & flex their wings a bit alright.

DSC_8345 

DRIVER'S SIDE SUN SHADE IS UP....GOT THESE IN QUARTZSITE A COUPLE YEARS AGO & THEY SURE BEAT THOSE SMALL PLASTIC VISORS

DSC_8346 

PASSENGER SIDE READY TO GO UP

Happy to say I am finally making some progress with Win7 as I’m gradually familiarizing myself with things.  I had been avoiding Live Writer’s new updated version on our newer laptop but yesterday I decided I had better ‘make nice’ with it before we get on the road next month.  I’m still not impressed with the new format but surprisingly enough things are beginning to fall into place as I finally began to make some sense of where they had moved everything.  Kind of like going into a familiar grocery store only to find out they did a renovation overnight & moved everything.  Same products on the shelves but it just takes time to find everything again & become familiar with the new layout.  That is until the store decides on changing everything again!!

DSC_0002

KAREN commented on one of my RV roof photos a couple days ago & suggested a good waterproof roof product for sealing along the cap ends called ETERNABOND.  Just wondered if anyone else out there has used this.  A bit pricey but if it's as good as it says it is for stopping leaks then it might be a handy product for RV'ers to have on board.  And RICK had a post last Tuesday about a new feature in Picasa 3.8 called Picnik.  This will take photo buffs like myself a little further into the mysterious & magical world of photo editing.  I had a look at it, found it a bit confusing of course but then again I find a plate of spaghetti confusing these days so that's nothing new for me.   I went ahead & ordered the Premium version just like Rick did so now that I have a few dollars invested (less than $25) I'm sure I will overcome my confusion right quick!!

DSC_8344 

STARTED GATHERING UP SUMMER'S LAWN ORNAMENTS TODAY

The majority of my day was spent cleaning the Motor Home.  All exterior windows washed plus the bottom half of the rig all way round.  Didn't see dirt guys on the top half so I left it alone.  What a great feeling it is to be getting some physical exercise again.  My tired legs today again tell me they are getting stronger.  Up & down the ladder, walk over here, walk over there, twist & bend.  Got to get those legs in shape if I'm going to run up & down them there Chiricahua Mountains in southeast Arizona in a couple months...............:))DSC_8347

SUMAC SHADOWS ON THE MOTOR HOME

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And now for a few words from the classroom.....................

TEACHER:  Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA:   Here it is.
TEACHER:  Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS:  Maria.
______________________________ ______

TEACHER:   John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN:  You told me to do it without using tables.
______________________________ ____________
TEACHER:  Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN:  K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER:  No, that's wrong
GLENN:  Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
______________________________ ______________
TEACHER:  Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD:  H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD:  Yesterday you said it's H to O.
______________________________
TEACHER:   Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE:   Me!
________________ ______________ ____________

TEACHER:   Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
Glen:   Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
______________________________ _________
TEACHER:   Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE:   I is...
TEACHER:   No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE:   All right...  'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_______________________________
TEACHER:   George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry   tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS:   Because George still had the ax in his hand.
______________________________ ________
TEACHER:  Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON:   No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________
TEACHER:   Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.   Did you copy his?
CLYDE :   No, teacher, it's the same dog.
______________________________ _____

TEACHER:  Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD:   A teacher

----------------------------------------------------------------

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/

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

10 comments:

  1. I don't think I could leave while those trees are so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very funny groaner today, Al. Being a former teacher's aide, I can relate!

    Looks like the Bunch was having a great time prepping for the big snowbird trip. Counting the days I'm sure.

    Thanks for the shout out for us!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the shout-outs, Al, much appreciated.

    I'm a big fan of Eternabond, it's great stuff. I've used it to seal all of the vents on our 5'er's roof. I just cleaned the existing caulking with soap and water, let it dry, then cut the Eternabond tape to the proper lengths and stick it down - and boy, does that stuff stick!

    I've never had a leak problem since using Eternabond.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love your "fall foliage" & "sumac shadows" photos! Very A...rtsy! (Yes,..it is an A word, but not THE A word!!)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, Al, you're certainly waxing poetic tonight. :)

    Are you going to get your levelers fixed before you leave?

    ReplyDelete
  6. We put Eternabond around all the vents and end caps a few years ago. The caulking just wouldn't last here in the heat of the south. I no longer worry about roof leaks.

    Are those sun visors attached by suction cups? I couldn't tell from the picture. I'd like to order some, do you recall the name name of the company you purchased them from?

    ReplyDelete
  7. That Etenabond sounds great. We'll have to look into it. As for the sun shades, we have a similar set, but we haven't properly trimmed them to fit our windows. Can't seem to get "a round tuit." Do you remember "round tuits?"

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dennis starts in the fields today, which means we are on a countdown too. I have an Opthalmic appt. on Nov. 3rd, having the kid here for good-byes hopefully that weekend...AND just MAYBE on the road by Nov.8,9 or 10...I'm beginning to get anxious...but I must curb my enthusiasm...Lots could change....

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Al, using Eternabond is so comforting to know it's sealed up good. Here is the best source for the cheapest price we found: http://www.bestmaterials.com

    Just make sure you prime the area properly and push down on the tape VERY hard ... (we used a wooden rolling pin and a wallpaper seam roller) ... that pressure activates the chemical reaction in the layers of the tape to make it stick firm.

    We did ours 4 years ago and it's holding GREAT!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have heard lots of good reviews on this stuff

    http://www.epdmcoatings.com/index.html

    it's a coating that goes into the crack *rubber roof* and is highly recommended by many on the RV forums. (rv net).

    Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in.


    It looks fairly easy to apply as well. Especially in warmer weather.

    Good groaner today!!!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete