A DULL GRAY DAY HERE SO 'MEMORY LANE' TAKES US TO THE SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS IN ARIZONA

WITH NO PHOTOS TAKEN TODAY I HAD TO QUICKLY CALL ON A FEW OF MY SUNROOM PALS FOR A PHOTO SHOOT TONIGHT

For the second morning in row I briefly contemplated staying put in my recliner.  It was a dull looking day outside with temps right on the freezing mark and a cold and very damp east wind.  With my mind waffling back and forth I got up, got dressed, and out the door we went.

Not much traffic on the road to Goderich but when we got to the Walmart Mall and saw the long line-up at Tim Hortons drive-thru and cars randomly ripping around willy-nilly all over the Mall's large parking area we soon got ourselves the heck out of there.  I had forgot about the boxing day frenzied madness.   A coffee to go from McDonalds at the other end of town and down to the harbor we went.  'Awww nuts', they have now closed off the area where Pheebs and I always stopped so she could get out for a short run and a 'peeps'.  Back through Goderich we went to a spot east of town, she got out for a bit, the cold east wind blew us back inside the Jeep, and we were soon headed for home.  Never took a single photo the whole time we were out.  

Home again I set up camp in our sunroom.  An email from Kelly said she would be home in the early afternoon and I was glad of that.  I had a feeling she might not stay the second day.  We both have become very spoiled living here in the quiet peacefulness that we do and it only takes a trip out of our protective little cocoon area to really appreciate where we are and how quietly private we live.

Although I would much prefer to be somewhere in the Great American Southwest right now there are things I do not miss by not going.  Number one on the list is the 'stress factor'.  Both Kelly and I found the latter years of our RVing years more stressful than previous years.  I'm sure our aging had something to do with that but right now being travel free we are stress free.  No large cities and maniac traffic to deal with this winter, no hazardous nail biting construction zones, and crumbling poorly maintained roads trying to rip our Motorhome apart from the wheels up.  No cramped quarters or trying to figure out where we were going to stay for the night.  No more break-downs or huge costly RV repair bills.  We really got hammered in that department last year.  Hydraulic lines, water pump, furnace malfunction, two new front tires, leaking rear wheel hub seal after a huge pothole, a ripped off muffler, and probably another half dozen things I've forgotten about.  Even the week long driving distance between Ontario and the Southwest seemed to get harder with each passing year as traffic continues to increase everywhere.  Nope, don't miss any of that stuff one bit but you know what......if the right little RV popped up tomorrow I'd be as excited as a little kid with a train ticket to at least have the option of getting away for awhile again this winter.  For 13 winters the American Southwest has been our second home and I still and always will think of it that way and if I could get there again I would despite all the above stress factors.   I would still look at as I always did as an adventure and a welcome lifestyle change for a few months.  A complete change of topography.  Green forests and rural farmlands in the summer and mountains and deserts in the winter.  'Oh Dear'.....got myself so revved up writing this I just might go fill myself up a big sack with peanut butter and honey sandwiches, load up the Pheebs, gas up the Jeep, and head for New Mexico, Arizona, and California.  Well, there's not much chance of any of that happening so I might as well get my feet back on the ground and get on with our current reality here.  I think it's going to be cold, cloudy, and wet tomorrow:((

Kelly arrived home somewhere around 1 o'clock and our little family was back together again.  Under the day's gloomy skies Pheebs and I did get out for a short afternoon walk again but it was pretty muddy in spots.  No complaints though, at least the trails are walkable and not impassable under a foot or two of snow.

I liked kaBloonie Boonster's post a few days ago where in his post, Don't Underestimate How Boring Desert Camping is he touches on the other side of 'delightful', 'wonderful', 'marvelous', beautiful, best ever, etc. etc.  There are always two sides to any coin and it's all too easy to talk up the marvelously wonderful side of the coin and brush away the other side.  I know because I have done it.  In a previous paragraph in this post I touched on a just a few things on the other side of that coin and in his recent post Boonie lightly touched on another aspect of that other side as well.  Keep in mind, the reality on the other side of the proverbial coin is always there so one is best not to blissfully ignore it.  Keep it in perspective where it belongs.

Contrary to probably most folks I am always glad each year to see this here Christmas thing behind me.  I look forward to Christmas a little bit but look forward to it being over even more. Christmas is winter's first marker point on the road to Spring.  Just have to round a few more corners and before we know it we'll be on the homestretch to sunny skies and warmer weather.

::Memory Lane:: It was mid March of 2010 when we made our last Southwest stop before beginning the long grinding drive home to Bayfield, Ontario.  We were east of Phoenix Arizona camped at the Lost Dutchman State Park  when we decided to hike one of the popular trails leading up and into the Superstition Mountains  You can read my post for that day here at Hiking The Superstition Mountains and my album for that day is here at Superstition Mountain.

::Al's Musical Favs:: Glamourgirl by Alex Cortiz.  Another nice easy flowing piece you are not likely to hear on ram jam radio.

THANKS FOR POSING TONIGHT GUYS

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A doctor got a phone call from one of his colleagues.  We need a fourth for poker, the voice on the phone said.  l will be be right over,  replied the doctor.  As he was putting on his overcoat, his wife asked, Is it serious?  Oh yes, quite serious, he said gravely. They've had to call in three other doctors as well.
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You have $400 and your daughter calls and needs $250. Later on you son calls and needs $100. What do you have left?$400 and 2 missed calls!
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A guy ordered a pizza and the clerk asked if he should cut it in six or twelve pieces. The guy responded, ''Six, please. I could never eat twelve pieces.''
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