MORE STORM DAMAGE CLEAN UP & COUNTING THE DAYS TO DEPARTURE NOW……WEATHER LOOKING GOOD:))

BEEN AWHILE SINCE I HAD A GOOD OLD PHEEBERS COUCH POTATO PHOTO IN THE BLOG

Overnight rains & rising temperatures took care of any remaining snow on the ground.  A mighty fine sun & cloud morning enabled me to continue cleaning up from the wet snow storm Sunday morning.  Took my Swede saw & tree pruners across the road & started cleaning up neighbor Monica's hard hit Magnolia tree.  Sawed the downed branches into shorter pieces & dragged them out to the road.  The tree will survive but it will not have the nice shape it once did.

BEFORE & AFTER PICS OF THE MAGNOLIA TREE CLEAN-UP

BEFORE & AFTER PICS OF A MAPLE TREE BRANCH REMOVAL AT MONICAS

YOU CAN SEE THE YARD BOSS OUT THERE KEEPING AN EYE ON ME

MANAGED TO GET MOST OF THESE HANGING SUNBURST LOCUST BRANCHES CUT AWAY FROM THE FROG POND AS WELL

TO US THIS CORNER OF OUR HOUSE SURE LOOKS BARE NOW WITH OUR BASSWOOD TREE CANOPY GONE

Finished up Monica's tree then started on our own front yard Sunburst Locust.  No way I can do anything about the higher broken branches but was able to cut off some of the lower limbs hanging out over & into our frog pond.  Picked up some more small branches here & there & that was about it.  Somewhere around noon it began raining again so that was it for the outside stuff.  Just as well because my legs felt like they were about ready to fall off.  Carried a few more things out to the rig later on between light rain showers.

THIS IS OUR SUNROOM COMPUTER STATION

SPOTTED THESE DUELLING STEAM ROLLERS LAST WEEK EXCEPT THEY DON’T RUN ON STEAM ANYMORE…..I THINK THE ORANGE ONE WON

Kelly, the energizer bunny kept herself busy all day & even found time to bake an apple pie this afternoon.  She’s been doing a lot of cooking for our journey & today she even phoned the U.S. Customs folks at the border with a few questions about what we could bring across the border this year with us.  If in doubt about what you can take it’s always best to call ahead. 

THIS APPLE PIE TONIGHT WAS JUST SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD:))

Noticed today MAPQUEST has upgraded their site.  I've used this on-line MapQuest program for planning our travels since we first began traveling back in late 06.  I know there are lots of other programs people use but I've always liked Mapquest simply because it's easy for me to understand & I've been familiar with it for a long time.  Well at least until today when I clicked on their web page & things had changed but I think Ill be Okay with their new look.   When we pull out Saturday I'm thinking we will basically stick with one of our old routes for the first few days until we get ourselves through Chicago, Davenport, Omaha & out to Lincoln Nebraska.  We won't know where we will go from there until we get there.  Maybe Moab Utah or straight to Congress Arizona.  Depends on weather & how we're feeling at the time.  For us travel destinations are not always a sure thing & we prefer the freedom of being able to change our minds as we go.  And we do change our minds as we go too……………………………..

GOT ME TO PLAYING AROUND A BIT WITH THE ‘MACRO’ SETTING ON MY SIGMA LENS THE OTHER DAY

Late this afternoon I heard a tractor running out front & heard a chainsaw running.  I was glad to see all the tree limbs from our place & Monica’s I had dragged out to the road were being picked up by our Park's owner & another resident.  That saves me about 3 utility trailer loads to the dump.  They took everything in one load in the large tractor bucket.

YEP THOUGHT I HEARD A TRACTOR RUNNING SOMEWHERE ALRIGHT

OUR PARK IS OWNED BY MARIE & KEN HUGHES & THIS IS KEN WORKING ON THE BIG CLEAN UP TODAY

AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY LOADED WITH ALL THE BRANCHES I HAD DRAGGED OUT TO THE ROAD THIS MORNING

No idea where we will be a week from tonight but we usually don’t dilly dally around until we are well into the western half of the States.  The South-west is our second home & I’m always anxious to get there every year.  Just love it when on the distant horizon I can again catch my very first glimpse of distant mountains slowly emerging out of the haze.  It is like coming home for me & I get a big case of the warm fuzzies inside.  Happens to me every year & I always so much look forward to that moment.  When I see those looming mountain peaks it’s as if we have just journeyed across long storm tossed seas & our safe harbor home has finally hove into sight.  I’m guessing one week from tonight we will be about half way to wherever it is we end up………………………:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((   Toward the end of a particularly trying round of golf, Jack was the picture of frustration. He’d hit too many fat shots. Finally he blurted out to his caddie, “I’d move heaven and earth to break a hundred on this course.” “Try heaven,” replied the caddie. “You’ve already moved most of the earth.”