THE 'HAPPY WANDERERS' LOST THEIR 5TH WHEEL IN A FIRE TODAY

A FEW SAILBOATS & THEIR CREATIVE NAMES AS I WALKED ALONG THE DOCK THIS WEEKEND
Here is a sad RV story that could happen to any RV'er at any time.  Today, full timers Ed & Marilyn from THE HAPPY WANDERERS lost their 5th wheel in a fire near St. Joseph MO.  They did manage to save their truck.  I imagine those folks could be using a whole lot of support right about now.

THIS CATAMARAN LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A STAR TREK MOVIE

I could have put a sign at the end of the driveway this morning saying, AL’s Car Wash. Temps were a little cooler & that energized me enough to get out the hose & bucket & set to work washing the Jeep. I’m sure the Jeep felt a little insulted to have some of the prestige's mud washed off but I was kind of in a shiny sparkly mood I guess. I was careful to leave my little patch of California’s Blair Canyon mud on the front end near the driver’s side headlight. While I had the hose out I figured I might as well have a go at the Motor Home too so managed to get the whole bottom half washed. Kelly returned home after a few hours at work & I figured, awwww shucks what the heck, & washed the Santa Fe as well.

 

I ALWAYS FEEL SOOOOOOO GUILTY WHENEVER I GO ANYWHERE NOW IN THE JEEP & HAVE TO LEAVE THAT SAD LITTLE FACE IN THE WINDOW...TAKE ME DAD, TAKE ME...
I sometimes turn on CNN for a few minutes in the morning if for no other reason than to get myself caught up on all the bad stuff that is happening in the world. You can imagine my surprise when the ‘Arizona fires’ was the second story after the lead story complete with videos & an interview with Senator John McCain on the probable source of the Monument Fire. I had a look at CNN’s 4 o’clock news & again more coverage of the devastating fires complete with a CNN reporter on the ground in Sierra Vista with a live report. Kelly was laughing saying they must have read my post last night. 
 

 
And this quote from the Sierra Vista Herald today: "Conditions are so bad in Arizona that the head of the U.S. Forest Service paid the area a visit today, declaring the Monument Fire the highest-priority fire in the country."
An ‘Anonymous’ reader left this comment on yesterday’s post…."The fire in Arizona is simply nature taking its course and there isn’t any loss of human life associated with it. The news media appears to be giving this fire the attention it merits. (referring to my Saturday post about little coverage...AL) You appear to have a special interest in this area but that doesn’t mean everyone else does or should. What exactly would more news coverage accomplish anyway?”....... Well, Mr Anonymous commenter person, there is much I could say here about your comment but I will let the commenter's who came after you say it best, if you care to go back & read their thoughts in my Saturday post. I hope you will rethink what you said & understand the seriousness of the fire situation regardless of where it is. I suggest you read this….MONUMENT FIRE.
 

MORNING SAIL BOAT CHORES BEFORE HEADING OUT ONTO LAKE HURON FOR THE DAY 
And, one last thought about Anonymous commenter's. Are they really always Anonymous or could they be people we may actually know sometimes. Just a thought.

LOOKS LIKE MOM HAS THE KIDS OUT FOR A MORNING PADDLE

The Bayfield Bunch welcomes a new blog Follower today.  Looks like MARK & CHRIS'S PHAETON PLACE has some mighty fine professional photography happening over there.  Nice looking stuff guys & welcome aboard.

I THINK THESE TWO SQUABBLERS ARE FINALLY BECOMING PALS

A few blogs ago I mentioned about maps bringing back many memories. I think the ultimate map trip down memory lane is Google Earth which you may actually have on your computer right in front of you. Using my Google Earth machine I spent nearly an hour last night cruising around my old home town of Tavistock Ontario & surrounding area without ever leaving my recliner.

A BLACK SQUIRREL CALCULATES HIS JUMPING DISTANCE TO THE TOP OF THE BIRD STATION BUT THINKS BETTER OF IT....TO DATE I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE SQUIRREL ON THE NEW STATION BUT I DID SEE A BIG RACCOON IN OUR BACK YARD LAST NIGHT!! 
Typing Tavistock into Google Earth flew me straight to the village. I circled around over the town at various altitudes looking for old familiar spots. I could zoom down to a street corner & remember things that happened there. Friends houses brought back many faces & good times. I flew out west of town along an old abandoned railway line to a forest where we once built a double decker tree house. The bush & trees are still there but the tree house is long gone. An old railroad trestle we used to call the Red Bridge stands alone amidst farmer’s fields where railway lines used to run. I could see our old swimming hole just north of the bridge.

THIS WAS MY MOTHER'S HOUSE IN TAVISTOCK ONTARIO WHERE I SPENT MY TEENAGE YEARS (THE ORIGINAL GOOGLE STREET VIEW IMAGE IS MUCH CLEARER THAN THIS COPY)

Back in Tavistock I was able to zoom down to street level & drive right up my old street, stop in front of my Mother’s house & with one control I could do a 390 degree swing round seeing not only up & down the street but both sides of the street. I was able to sit there on the road & see our house. Our front living room window, white columned posts on the porch supporting a large balcony. I could see my bedroom window, our side porch where I always parked my bicycle. There’s the bumpy lawn I always hated mowing. The steps where my Grandfather liked to smoke his pipe. I could see the Ivy covering the side of the house & in my mind's eye I could see all of us sitting on the front porch on warm sunny Sunday afternoons oh so many years ago.  My Mother, my step Dad, my Grandfather, my Uncle, our crippled little dog named Tiny Tim.....& me.  So, if you haven’t been back to your old home town for awhile, climb aboard your Google Earth machine, type in where you want to go & time travel yourself back home for some good old long ago home town memories. Set aside some time for doing this because your trip down memory lane may be a long one once you get there.  It always is for me.........................:))

I KINDA LIKED THE DARK GREEN HULL ON THIS SAILBOAT ACROSS THE BAYFIELD RIVER 

GROANER’S CORNER:((

My wife's from the Midwest. Very nice people there. Very wholesome. They use words like 'Cripes'. 'For Cripe's sake.' Who would that be -- Jesus Cripe's? The son of 'Gosh' of the church of 'Holy Moly'? I'm not making fun of it. You think I wanna burn in 'Heck'?

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