I WAS AT THE COMPUTER WHEN I NOTICED THE YELLOW ORANGE COLOR
Although tonight's photos have a yellowish sepia tone look to them, it is the natural color left behind after a storm passed over our area. The sky turned a yellow orange & cast a warm glow over our digs here in Bayfield.
If it hadn't been for the 20 minutes it took me to put a coating of clear coat Varathane on a 16"x 8' oak board this morning my day might have been a total washout!!
We have a large storm front bearing down on us (3:35PM) & I see they issued a Tornado watch for parts of southwestern Ontario. Hope it's not packing hail because I always worry about our solar panels being smashed. Noticed the other day about 80% of the leaves are off the trees alongside the roadside forests & after today's winds & rain I imagine our beautiful Autumn colors will totally disappear from the countryside. We still have a fair bit of foliage left in our front yard because it is protected by large pine trees.
Took some pics today just after the storm passed us by.
We are less than 2 weeks from departing on this year's travels. A lot of folks would be excited at this point but the word excitement just does not carry the same meaning as it did when I was a kid. I think that may have something to do with age. Let's just say I'll be darn glad to be out of here doing & seeing something different for a change & I am mighty darn glad about that!!
This has been a long 7 months since arriving home at the end of March last year. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better to have never traveled at all. At least that way I wouldn't have known what I was missing. Some say we Snow Birds have the best of both world's & I do understand that thought & believe it to be true to some extent but of course it all comes down to an individuals personality. I'm guessing most Snow Birds are just content with wherever they are. I suppose if we were able to do some traveling during the summer months I could possible fall under that 'contented' label a little bit too, but we don't, so it makes for a long boring summer if your a born traveler with a sense of adventure. Can you tell I'm having myself a dull & rainy kind of a day again!! 
FRONT YARD AROUND THE FROG POND
Not sure which route we will be taking when we leave at the end of next week because of the coach's problematic leveling system. If it was just me I would say the hell with the levelers & make do without the troublesome
things just like we did all last winter without much trouble. Kelly, on the other hand likes to be totally level & stable while parked.
The HWH company that makes the hydraulic leveling system for our rig is located on the other side of Chicago just west of Davenport & it has been suggested we take the rig right there to the factory rather than an HWH repair facility somewhere. At the present we have a two-fold problem with the system. Main one is the passenger side rear leveler which has a habit of not retracting. Not good!! And, the other problem is that I couldn't even get any power to the controls a couple days ago. Checked for loose wires in & around the gas pedal as a commenter suggested but didn't see anything wrong. Checked the fuse in the floor panel & it looked fine so I have no idea why it isn't working.........again!!!!
Oh, & an update to our big storm today.....it never happened!! Aside from
some rain & moderate winds the whole storm somehow missed little Bayfield &
moved right over top of us & continued inland. Our temps reached into the
high 60's today & a big sunny day is forecast for tomorrow:))
GROANER'S CORNER:(( How to speak about some women & be politically correct:))
- She is not a 'DUMB BLONDE' - She is a: 'LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY.'
- She has not 'BEEN AROUND' - She is a: 'PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION.'
- She does not 'NAG' you - She becomes: 'VERBALLY REPETITIVE.'
HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:
- He does not have a 'BEER GUT' - He has developed a: 'LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY.'
- He is not a 'BAD DANCER' - He is: ' OVERLY CAUCASIAN.'
- He does not 'GET LOST ALL THE TIME' - He: 'INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS.'
- He is not 'BALDING' - He is in: 'FOLLICLE REGRESSION.'
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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.
I agree with you about the Snowbird question - my preference would be 3 months out and 3 in, etc. That would spread the best of both worlds across the year.
ReplyDeleteGlad the hail didn't hit your solar panels. I suppose it could really do some damage.
Sorry you're having the problems with the levelers, because that is coloring your anticipation for traveling. Hang in there - I wish I could leave here the end of next week!
No! It would not have been better to not have traveled at all! You know that. :)
ReplyDeleteI would guess that in the long run, you will always be happy that you traveled. The knowledge of what is over the next hill is worth a lot, even if it causes some regret along the way.
ReplyDeleteYou can take some extra boards to level the coach if the jacks continue to cause problems. The jacks not storing is annoying, but not fatal. If all else fails you can manually open the solenoids and move on.
As I think I have mentioned I have been fighting mine for years. At the risk of repeating myself (can't remember if I mentioned it before). The jacks often stick due to a dry shaft. At a seminar HWH confirmed this to be a general problem and are now recommending the use of 3M non oil- dry lubricant. Since I started to use this they have improved immensely.
Perhaps "excited" isn't the right term. You're just "heavily anticipating." OR since your levelers are putting kinks in the anticipation, maybe the term is "anxiously contemplating."
ReplyDeleteSmiles.
Emjay
another groaner you could add to your collection:..god only made a few perfect heads..the rest he covered with hair!
ReplyDeleteglad the storm missed you all!!!..nice sock monkey..looks like he is all packed and ready to hit the road!!
It is better to travel than stay in one spot thinking "what if." I am so thankful for this opportunity. The pictures are beautiful. Fortunately we only experienced the winds of the storm and missed the rest. Two more weeks - YEAH!
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures.
ReplyDeleteTravel Safe
Beautiful pictures. Your place is lovely. The view from your computer is as good as you could find anywhere but I do understand your need to hit the road. We all get the itch sometimes and we are the lucky ones who can 'scratch it'!
ReplyDeleteOooohhh, your view from the computer room is soooo gorgeous! Then suddenly I wondered about your house plants...who babysits them while you are on the road? We also have had some "issues" with our levelers. Not sure about the company, and have to go look that one up. One sometimes sticks and doesn't go back up all the way, sometimes they go down differently, and just act goofy. They checked them at the RV repair place in Medford and said nothing was wrong. sigh. I sure don't wanna do the block thing again, though.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteIt was 68 degrees here on Monday and that's quite possibly the warmest it will be until next April.. can you PLEASE come through Madison and pick me up????
Donna
Al, you seem to have the "feelin' sorry for myself" blues again. While we also itch to be back on the road doing our almost-fulltime gig, we too have had to sit out a lot of the last two years, largely because of Suzy's medical situation (less so for my own). But we learned long ago that marriage is a 90-10 proposition, with both partners giving 90%. Even though our traveling is curtailed, we try not to place any blame.
ReplyDeleteI get your melancholy feeling about leaving, what with your Uncle's health issues. But, if you really think about it..aren't we sooooo lucky to be able to travel?? I'll bet Uncle Harry, my sister, and Den's Uncle Jr. and Aunt Jeanette would give anything to be able to do what we are about to. Let' just pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and put on a great big smile as we head South. Levelers can be fixed...COME ON AL, PUT ON YOUR HAPPY PANTS AND LET'S GO!!!
ReplyDeleteJust be thankful you aren't waiting to sell a house! ack!
ReplyDeleteGlad the storm didn't really hit you, got a little worried there.
When you are on the road, things will be much clearer and your perspective will be happier.
Cheers!
Loved reading your post...and then the comments! You all are such a nice group of people. Glad to hear you are getting back on the road soon. BTW your pictures are beautiful. Love the view from your 'puter desk. And...your garden looks like mine this time of year. Brian and I are heading out soon...for a trip down to Long Beach, WA. Figure at this point we will out on the road a total of two months at a time. This trip will be a week away from our property/house in Ferndale, WA.
ReplyDelete