Standing in our warm cozy sunroom Tuesday night gazing upwards through a single skylight I was transfixed by a distant clearly lit half Moon. A good Oman for Wednesday’s clear weather I thought. And how nice to see my old reliable friend up there in the night sky where I have seen it so many times before over these past 7 decades. I miss my nightly walks under the stars, planets, and constellations with moonbeams oft times lighting the way ahead. It had been a dream of mine these past number of years to once again live in the countryside free of trees blocking the night sky. Oh to step outside and nightly see an overhead canopy of jewel like diamonds stretching from horizon to horizon. Oh well, at least I get to experience that for a few months every winter in the great American Southwest.
A FLOTILLA OF CANADA GEESE IN THE GODERICH HARBOR
I aced my blood pressure test this morning with a score of 134 over 76. The small growth on my chin measured smaller than last week so with a couple quick bursts of liquid nitrogen I was good to go. Won't worry about any of this stuff now until next April.
NO THIS IS NOT ME AFTER MY BLOOD PRESSURE TEST THIS MORNING BUT IT IS A PIECE OF DRIFTWOOD I PICKED UP ON PAVILLION BEACH A FEW DAYS AGO…YES I KNOW IT LOOKS LIKE A DEAD FISH
A mixture of sun and cloud today with temps hanging around 36F. With trails still walkable Pheebs and I did make it out for another afternoon walk. Our Jeep ride to Goderich and back this morning was a shorty. Kelly updated our 12 year old Garmin GPS maps of the southwest this afternoon and also set up our Verizon internet coverage for our travels south of the border. Next she will set up our T-Mobile phones. Always so much to do in the way of preparation when one travels and especially we Canadians traveling to the States. I don’t think a lot of our southern neighbors realize all the extra work involved for we Snowbirds.
SAW THIS MACHINE BELONGING TO ‘TREE CUTTERS’ PARKED NEAR THE TRAIL TODAY AND I’M HOPING THEY ARE NOT BACK TO CUT THE REST OF OUR PINE FOREST DOWN
A couple questions from readers…..Don, way out there in that cold snowy and blowy Manitoba place asks, ‘did u get furnace fixed?? Short answer to that is no. We had planned to get that done when we returned from the Maritimes but couldn’t round up someone to look at it so after talking it over and thinking at the time we would not be going south anyway we decided that it could wait until Spring. We will probably get that furnace looked at while we are in the States this winter. There are a lot more RV places south of the border than there is around here in Bayfield. Keep in mind we have two furnaces in the rig and the rear furnace has a duct to the living room/kitchen area as well so fixing the front furnace wasn’t a big priority. And Creigh Gordon asks, ‘have you ever tried the southeastern US?’ Well, that’s a subject I’ve posted about quite a few times over the years and not wanting to sound like an old broken record I’ll see if I can come up with a quick answer to that question. Last winter on our way back from the Southwest we slipped into the Florida Panhandle to see if it would interest us for future travels. Now I’m not saying it isn’t nice but it just didn’t grab either one of us. Waaaaay too much traffic and waaaaaay too many people. The countryside looks very much like it does right here in Ontario, only flatter. We are not big water people and sitting on a sandy beach under a hot sun holds no interest for us. Maybe 60 years ago but not anymore. There are poisonous snakes and alligators about so we would never feel comfortable letting Pheebs run free. And the weather can get hot and humid and readers know only too well how I absolutely hate humidity!! And by the way the commenter went on to say, ‘Not that I'm recommending it, I'm a desert guy, don't need the humidity.’ Well, I’m a desert guy too and I love the endless sweeping vistas in the southwest, mountains on all horizons, easily seen stars, sunrises, and sunsets. Love the desert plant life with it’s Saguaros, Ocotillos, Chollas, Mesquite and Palo Verde trees. In many places the old west is still alive and well and I love being a part of that when we are there. There is not just one climate in the southwest there are many and it all depends on altitude. You can be in the beautifully warm Sonoran desert one hour and be chucking snowballs in a tall pine mountain forest the next hour. We have done that more than once. If you are an outdoors person there is way more to do in the Southwest, way more to see, and way more to be a part of. Anyone who has read my blog over the years will know exactly what I am talking about. Not saying the southeastern States are not nice because they are nice in their own way but they’re just not for us and especially me. I have made this following comparison in the past……It’s like living on two totally different Planets. Where we live here in southwestern Ontario is on the same Planet as the southeastern States with many things looking and feeling the same. The American Southwest is on an entirely different Planet that does not look anything like it does here in southwestern Ontario and for me that is a biggy. I love that complete change in environments twice a year and always look forward to it. I love the freedom and peacefulness I feel in the southwest. The freedom of space, the magic, the mysteries, and the unknown. We have walked the same trails as Cochise and Geronimo, the streets of Tombstone Arizona, stood at old rusted barbed wire fences staring into Mexico, clambered around the Carlsbad Caverns, owned a house in a dusty little western town not too far removed from the late 1800’s, driven through California Canyons where early Spanish explores came, seen ruts in the ground from old Butterfield 8 stagecoaches, and the list goes on and on and on. No, there is only one place that interests me and it is the place we have spent the past 12 winters in. For me it is our second home and has been since we first ventured out to the southwest way back in the Fall of 2006……..Well there I went and did it again. It’s best not to get me started on the great American Southwest because I have this habit of going on and on and on and on about how and why I love it so much. Besides, it brings out that little wannabe Cowboy kid in me that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember……
GROANER’S CORNER:(( The poor country pastor was livid when he confronted his wife with the receipt for a $250 dress she had bought. "How could you do this!" he exclaimed."I don't know," she wailed, "I was standing in the store looking at the dress. Then I found myself trying it on. It was like the Devil was whispering to me, 'Gee, you look great in that dress. You should buy it.'""Well," the pastor persisted, "You know how to deal with him! Just tell him, "Get thee behind me, Satan!""I did," replied his wife, "but then he said 'It looks great from back here, too!'"
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On the first day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: A Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the second day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Two Happy Meals, and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the third day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the fourth day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the fifth day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the sixth day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Six chocolate milkshakes, Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the seventh day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Seven pints of cole slaw, Six chocolate milkshakes, Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the eighth day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Eight bowls of chili, Seven pints of cole slaw, Six chocolate milkshakes, Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the ninth day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Nine polish hot dogs, Eight bowls of chili, Seven pints of cole slaw, Six chocolate milkshakes, Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the tenth day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Ten baked potatoes, Nine polish hot dogs, Eight bowls of chili, Seven pints of cole slaw, Six chocolate milkshakes, Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Eleven pounds of blubber, Ten baked potatoes, Nine polish hot dogs, Eight bowls of chili, Seven pints of cole slaw, Six chocolate milkshakes, Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, My drive through gave to me: Twelve bags of Pepto, Eleven pounds of blubber, Ten baked potatoes, Nine polish hot dogs, Eight bowls of chili, Seven pints of cole slaw, Six chocolate milkshakes, Five onion rings, Four Egg McMuffins, Three Biggie Fries, Two Happy Meals, And a Big Bacon Classic with Cheese
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Al based on your comments tonight I cannot recommend my beloved west Texas area. There is lots of nice scenery but very little public land available to explore. And that is not to knock either you or west Texas. As you already know New Mexico has some pretty good chunks of public land for exploring, but most of it is not as easily accessed by a motorhome as the Arizona land. I am very glad you are getting to go there because I really enjoy your blogs centered on Arizona.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are all cleared to go, I know what you mean about the big sky , we don't have that at home either, love seeing the sunrise and sunset.
ReplyDeleteThis year we bought a plan with Metro PCS. $50 for unlimited everything on the phone plus $10 for 15GB Hotspot a month and they gave me a free phone and free Amazon Prime. Can't beat it. No more expensive Verizon Jet Pack. I can hear the excitement in your writing.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could trim a few trees to allow a better view of the night time sky. Taking out one or two trees wouldn't make that big a difference in your privacy level but it may open the night skies for you.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing you start the Big E and heading south.
Nice pic of a log skidder, the fun thing to drive. Perhaps they would let you take it for a spin. We both enjoyed our Tucson days and nights. Looking forward to your pics.
ReplyDeleteI am taking a break from blogging, no idea how long.
You sad it all about the east and the southwest.. As you we too love the with open spaces here. Last night after dark my shadow following me from the bright moonlit sky and all those amazing stars out there. Yup I can hear the excitement in your writing.
ReplyDeleteI love this post because you have described how I feel about the desert. I just cant use words like you do and I so wish I could. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePerfect description of why we love the Southwest. I have said it before and will probably say it again and again. With our winters in the Southwest and our summers near the Great Lakes we have the best of both worlds.
ReplyDeleteBesides being an excellent photographer, you also have a way with words. You described perfectly the reason why I keep coming back to the South West as well. Somebody once said to me, and I tell several people when they ask why I come here. I always say, if you want to see what Man made go to Florida. If you want to see what God made go to the South West.
ReplyDeleteMy husband, Woody, is doing a Star Party at the Visitor Center in Anza Borrego State Park on Jan 5, providing the weather cooperates. He will have his mobile observatory there and will have live video of a few galaxies. If you miss the Jan 5 presentation, check with the park for other dates. It’s cool to see the the color in the various galaxies and it is very hard to realize it’s a live feed.
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