A MORNING GLORY MUFFIN MORNING AND A DRIVE THROUGH THE HAY SWAMP

MORNING JOGGERS ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BAYFIELD RIVER NEAR THE HARBOR MOUTH

With a few filtering shafts of morning sunlight piercing through our tall pine trees Pheebs and I were literally falling over each other getting outside and making a dash for the Jeep this morning.  With 3 days of predicted solid rain beginning Thursday I knew we needed to absorb as much sunlight today as possible to see us through the dark cold rainy days ahead.  Would you believe they are predicting possible snow showers for Sunday.  I'm sure there are people out here who are in the same frame of mind from one day to the next whether the sun is shining or not but I am definitely not one of them.  Just as well I suppose or I would no doubt end up being a flat line boredom case.

NOTICED THEY HAVE A LOT OF THE FLOATING DOCKS ALREADY IN PLACE DOWN IN BAYFIELD’S HARBOR….LAKE HURON IS OUT THERE ON THE HORIZON

ANOTHER WEEK OR TWO WILL FIND LOTS OF SAILBOATS MOORED ALONG HERE

WORK REBUILDING THE WHARF ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RIVER IS PROGRESSING RIGHT ALONG

With blue skies overhead and happy little birds chirping in the trees I loaded up the little Spooger Buns and we headed off into Bayfield to have us a look down around the harbor.  Noticed most of the sailboat docks are already in place and found it interesting to see how the pilings are put into place which the floating docks are later attached to.

WATCHED THIS ORANGE MACHINE MANEUVERING THE FLOATING BARGE IT’S SITTING ON INTO PLACE

HE USES THE MACHINES LONG ARM TO PUSH AND PULL THE BARGE AROUND

IT’S A LITTLE SCARY WATCHING THIS FELLOW DRIVING THAT HEAVY MACHINE AROUND ON THAT SLIGHTLY TIPSY BARGE

I WAS HOPING THAT LIME GREEN VEST THIS FELLOW IS WEARING IS A LIFE PRESERVER

WHEN THE MACHINE OPERATOR GETS THE BARGE WHERE HE WANTS IT HE POUNDS THOSE TALL POSTS DOWN INTO THE RIVER BOTTOM TO ANCHOR THE BARGE

THOSE STEEL POSTS ON THE BARGE ARE WHAT THE MACHINE PICKS UP AND POUNDS INTO THE RIVER BOTTOM FOR THE FLOATING DOCKS TO FASTEN TO

MUST ADMIT i DON’T ENVY THIS FELLERS JOB….ONE WRONG MOVE AND HE COULD BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER IN SECONDS

Wednesday's Morning Glory muffins were just minutes hot out of the oven at Bayfield's Charles Street Cafe and Pizzeria when Pheebs and I stopped by about 8:20 this morning.  Always great muffins and coffee here and whenever heading south out of Bayfield on one of our morning Jeep rides this is my 'go-to' place to get the day started off on the right foot.

‘OH-NO’ THE MORNING GLORY MUFFINS AREN’T ON THE COUNTER YET

I ASKED JAN AT THE CHARLES STREET CAFE’ WHAT A ‘BAYFIELD FOG’ WAS AND SHE SAID IT’S AN ‘ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA WITH A SHOT OF WHITE CHOCOLATE PLUS STEAMED MILK’  SHE DID TELL ME HOW IT’S MADE, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT MY MEMORY IS LIKE

As usual we didn't really have a destination again so just kinda ambled out of town in a southeasterly direction poking along the country roads simply enjoying the marvelous weather.  A photo here a photo there.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT STORIES THIS OLD ‘CLASS A MOTORHOME’ COULD TELL….NAME ON IT SAYS ‘THE MOTHERSHIP’

THIS RIG SITS AT DJ’S AUTO PARTS AND SALVAGE EAST OF ZURICH ONTARIO

HEY I WONDER IF THAT’S MY OLD 1985 PONTIAC FIERO UP THERE ON THE ROOF

IT’S A GOOD THING I DON’T LIVE ON THE BABYLON LINE OR I’M SURE ONE OF MY READER’S WOULD SOON BE CRAWLING UP AND REPLACING THAT SIGN WITH THE ‘BABBLE-ON LINE’

A few miles west of Exeter Ontario is the Hay Swamp and that is where we found ourselves about an hour later.  With all the recent rains the swamp was truly swampy.  Always lots of photo ops here if one has an eye and an interest for it.  Usually a heavy infestation of mosquitos flying about but with recent cold weather we were actually able to stop alongside the road and get out without being set upon by hordes of the flying menace.  With bad weather ahead I took extra photos today to tide me over being stuck in the house again.

SPRING TIME IN THE HAY SWAMP WEST OF EXETER ONTARIO

DOGGY IN THE SWAMP AND IT’S THE VERY FIRST TIME OF EVER I HAVE SEEN HER WITHOUT HER USUAL HAPPY FACE ON

NICE NOT TO HAVE SWARMS OF MOSQUITOS IN THE AIR

I'm thinking it was around 10:30 when we arrived back home and rolled into our driveway.  Bruce was here finishing up an overflow pipe on our rain barrel and with that in place now it completes the whole deck and rain barrel project.  Excellent job Bruce and a big thank you.  I can’t even imagine the mess I would have out there right now had I attempted to do this project myself.  It’s always important to know one’s weaknesses.

WHEN PHEEBS ROLLS OVER ON HER BACK LIKE THIS IT MEANS SHE WANTS A TUMMY RUB…..SHE GETS ABOUT A DOZEN TUMMY RUBS A DAY

Energized by today's sunshine I didn't waste any time getting on with our back yard project.  Boy oh boy I just love playing in the dirt making and planting things.  Heavy patio stones to move and relocate and luckily my left arm continues to heal well.  I just have to be careful in how I move it.  Sore right wrist seems to have completely healed already so my moaning and groaning complaining time has been substantially reduced.

I THINK I FINALLY HAVE THE BACKYARD GATE ENTRANCEWAY FIGURED OUT

Driving along in usual thought this morning I got myself to thinking about Tuesday’s post and my mentioning how music affects me.  Here's how I have it figured out.  Music from the mid 40's to the mid 60's is happy music for me with nothing but pleasant memories.  From the mid 60's right up to late 1979 was a dark period for me and it is the music from that time frame which still to this day so emotionally affects me.  But it’s also some of my very favorite music.  Contrary to some I loved the Disco era. From late October 1979 until sometime in early 1982 I literally overnight turned my back on music and never listened to a thing, nothing.  I was newly sober in late 79 and one of the things about my sobriety was to get myself away from music for awhile.  I had a lot healing to do and a lot of old memories to keep at bay. 

It was the Dire Straights 'Sultans Of Swing' that finally broke through my self imposed non music fog and hauled me back out into the wonderful sunshine of sound again and from that day to this I've never been more than a few hours away from listening to my beloved music.

MAYAPPLES

Loved the 80's music.  So many great groups, so many great sounds.  I'm not a big fan of today's pop music but that's Okay because my listening pleasure has evolved over the years to where I much prefer the newer instrumental ambient electronic stuff now.  No words, just instruments and oh how I love what extremely creative musicians and technicians are now able to do with so many new and exciting sounds.  And it's not the music you hear over and over and over again on local radio stations.  Every day when I turn on my favorite ambient music sources I hear never heard before music.  Almost every piece of music is fresh, innovative, and best of all it's alive and it's new.  Love it, love it, love it:))

RED WING BLACKBIRD

GROANER'S CORNER:)) A kind of weird college professor asked his class a question: "If Philadelphia is 100 miles from New York and Chicago is 1060 miles from Philadelphia and Los Angles is 2177 miles from Chicago,... how old am I?"  One student in the back of the class raised his hand and when called upon said, "Professor you're 44."  The Professor said, "You're absolutely correct, but tell me, how did you arrive at the answer so quickly?"  The student said, "Well professor, I have a brother; he's 22, and he's only half nuts."