A SPRINGLIKE DAY AND 'MEMORY LANE' TAKES US TO THE AREA AROUND PORTAL NEW MEXICO

SURE LOOKS LIKE A SPRING CROP BUT NOPE I TOOK THIS PHOTO THIS MORNING.....POSTED A PHOTO OF THIS FIELD TWO WEEKS AGO AND 'CEC' IN OUR SHOUTBOX EXPLAINED IT THIS WAY 

Sunflowers and other plants are part of a cover crop - add nutrients to the soil, protect it from wind erosion - may be plowed into the soil before winter, or the crop planted into it in spring.

With a pinkish orange tint to the Eastern sky around 6:30 this morning I knew it was a good sign for a probable sunny day.  And so it was.  Despite our thermometer sitting right on the freezing mark when Pheebs and I headed out it mattered little as we drove out of our shaded Park into long shadows and shafts of sunlight.  

HIGH LAKE LEVELS ARE EATING AWAY AT BAYFIELD'S  BEACH PARKING LOT AREA

FIRST STEEL STRUCTURES ARE IN FOR BAYFIELD'S TEMPORARY BRIDGE

Country roads were still frozen from overnight freezing temps so there was no mud.  Not even any dust.  We took advantage of that and rattled ourselves around southeast of Bayfield.  I was surprised not to see a multitude of combines out working on the corn.  Never even saw one.

SUNSHINE IS ESPECIALLY WELCOME IN THE GRAY MONTH OF NOVEMBER

THIS COMBINE WAS STILL SOUND ASLEEP WHEN PHEEBS AND I TIP-TOED BY EARLY THIS MORNING

ALL THAT STEAM IS FROM A LARGE CORN DRYER AT WORK

I BET THE FARM CHILDREN HERE ARE GOING TO GROW UP TO BE FARM FOLKS TOO

I WONDER HOW LONG THIS APPLE ORCHARD FARMER HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR HIS LOST GREEN LADDER

Near Kerr's Campground there is a dead end road Pheebs and I sometimes head part way down, park, then walk the rest of the way to the end of the road.  It can be very muddy at the far end but with ground still frozen we were able to walk all the way just fine.  As George would say, had a nice walkabout.

ONLY REASON SNOW IS THERE IS BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE THE SNOWBLOWER PILED IT UP

WE'RE OUT OF THE JEEP NOW AND WALKING DOWN THIS DEAD END ROAD....SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT SOME ICE SKATES 

FROZEN SOLID

I DON'T KNOW.....MAYBE FARMER JOHN DROPPED HIS RED HANKY HERE

DESPITE ICE A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY THERE WAS STILL SOME OPEN WATER AROUND BOTH IN PHOTO ABOVE AND BELOW

FOUND THIS COLORFUL KNITTED QUILT FROZEN STIFF IN THE SNOW SO I PROPPED IT UP AGAINST A TREE IN CASE SOMEBODY CAME BACK LOOKING FOR IT

OH SO NICE TO SEE SUNNY FIELDS FREE OF SNOW

Gone nearly two hours we were back sometime after ten.  With the majority of snow melted in our front yard I wasn't long in getting myself on the end of my leaf rake and starting the Spring clean-up early:))  That cold snap we had brought down all the leaves and pine needles so this nice weather right now is great for getting all that cleaned up.  Every wheelbarrow of leaves and needles I pick up is one less wheelbarrow load late next March or early April sometime.  I'll haul all that stuff with our utility trailer to the Park's recycling area either next week if it stays dry or next April sometime.

IT WAS JUST A GREAT DAY TO BE OUTSIDE CLEANING UP THE YARD

I WHEELBARROWED UP 6 BIG LOADS

QUITE A MESS OF LEAVES UNDER OUR BASSWOOD TREE

Well my fellow Boondockers it seems news is not good regarding Borrego Spring's Rockhouse Road/Clark Dry Lake Bed area.  You can read about what has happened there on Jeff's latest post entitled, The Fate Of Clark Lake - Borrego Springs.  You can find Jeff's posts anytime on our side bar under Ruffin it with Rufus:))  And in an email this morning Jeff wrote:: "Confirmed the 160 acre parcel where we boondocked on Clark is now closed." 

CAME ACROSS THIS DUMP OF CORN ON THE ROAD SO I WASN'T LONG IN SCOOPING SOME OF IT UP FOR OUR SQUIRRELS AT HOME

LUCKILY I HAD A SMALL SNOW SHOVEL IN THE JEEP AND HAVE SINCE ADDED A BUCKET IN CASE WE COME ACROSS MORE CORN DUMPS

WHILE I WAS SCOOPING UP THE CORN PHEEBS LAID DOWN AND CONTENTEDLY SOAKED UP SOME RAYS

It was a sadly troubling update Suzie posted today about her husband George from Our Awesome Travels.  You can read it here at Suzie's Update.

::Memory Lane::  Tonight's Memory Lane covers a couple days both in Arizona and New Mexico.  November 1rst and 3rd of 2009.  Rusty's RV Ranch New Mexico, Portal Arizona, Chiricahua Mountains, Desert Museum's early days and Paradise. Our First Hike Into The Chiricahua Mountains and  Today We Ended Up In Paradise.  My photo album for these two days is here at Rustys.  I was particularly pleased for a change with a few Roadrunner photos I was able to get on November 3rd.  

OH HOW WE ALWAYS LOVED THE CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS

YEP THAT'S A REAL LIZARD ALRIGHT AND I HAD TO CHASE HIM ALL OVER THE PLACE TO GET A FEW PHOTOS

ONE OF MY ROADRUNNER PHOTOS

EVERY ONCE IN A LONG WHILE KELLY MAKES ME POSE FOR A PHOTO

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two young children stood in front of a mummy case in the museum. On the bottom of the mummy case they noticed ”1286 B.C.”  "What does that number mean?” asked the first one.  The second one thought a moment and said, ”That must be the license plate of the car that hit him.”
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Which birds are most religious? 
Geeses of Nazereth.
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Nurse: Good morning Mr. Smith, you seem to be coughing much more easily this morning. 
Mr. Smith: That's because I've been practicing all night.
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