MY SUNDAY STORM DELAYED CATCH-UP POST AND A FEW WORDS ABOUT TODAY

LAKE HURON WATERS OFF BAYFIELD'S BEACH

This is Sunday's storm delayed catch-up post followed by Monday's current post.

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Sunday::  It was 10:15 Saturday night when I slipped very quietly out the door.  With the Jeep already parked near the door I rolled out our drive-way and headed West all by myself.  My destination was not far and minutes later I was at Bayfield's Pioneer Park overlooking the dark waters of Lake Huron from atop a 60 foot bluff. I had a reason to be there and I was looking for something not of this Earth.  Set up my camera and tripod and began scanning the sky to the Northwest.  A few skiffs of clouds partially obscured the starry sky night but I was readily able to pick out the Big Dipper.   However, it was not the Big Dipper I was there to find, it was something near the Big Dipper with a long icy tail.  Despite scanning the sky with my aging eyes I did not find what I had come to see.  Twenty minutes later I and my camera were disappointingly back in the Jeep headed for home.  Approaching the turn-off for our Park I decided to slide on by and head out into the countryside.  Minutes later parked on a dark country road I exited the Jeep and again scanned the Northwest sky.  And there it was about 10 degrees above the horizon.  Although slightly faint to my eye I spotted the long icy tail leading to the Comet Neowise.  This wasn't the first Comet I'd seen over the years but Neowise definitely had the longest comet tail I remember seeing.   My forgetful mind fumbled with the correct camera settings and after half a dozen failed attempts I finally captured an acceptable image of Neowise.  Acceptable is the word, not exceptional.  It was 11:45 when I very quietly backed into our driveway and slipped back into the house.  Pheebs never even barked.  But then again, she seldom ever does.  

THE GREEN PATCH OF LIGHT AT BOTTOM RIGHT IS THE NIGHT LIGHTS OF GODERICH ONTARIO BUT IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY BELOW CENTER YOU CAN SEE COMET NEOWISE WITH ITS FAINT ICY TRAIL

It was 70F at 6 a.m. Sunday morning so we knew we were in for another hot steamy day.   It is rare for Pheebs and I not to be in the Jeep heading out first thing every day but today was one of those mornings.  Oh we headed out alright but it wasn't in the Jeep, it was in our Winnebago with Kelly following in the Jeep.  It wasn't quite 9 a.m. when our little convoy rolled out of the driveway.  Less than 5 minutes later we were already at our destination which happened to be Richard and Gayle's place.  Richard had offered to install a new floor for us.  

OUR WINNIEGATOR WILL BE AT RICHARD'S HOUSE FOR A FEW DAYS 

Unhappy with the original cheap carpeting in our sunroom years ago we decided to replace it with a quality industrial hard wearing Berber carpet a few years back and we've been very happy with that decision ever since.   With the dinette now removed from our Winnebago it left the floor with a combination of linoleum, wood, and carpet.  After waffling back and forth between wood and carpet we decided in the end to carpet the rig's living/dining room area with the same Berber carpet we have in our sunroom.  We have our reasons for choosing carpet over wood.

THAT TUB CHAIR WILL BE COMING OUT TOO

Always good to see Richard and Gayle of course and no sooner had we rolled into their place when it began to rain so we all retreated into the house for coffee.  About an hour later Richard and I stepped outside to discuss a few Winnie renovation ideas and check a few things on our Jeep Liberty.  He showed me how to replace the torsion bars on the Jeeps back window then changed them for new ones I had picked up last week.  It was while doing this that skies darkened, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and we made a mad dash for underneath their Motorhome's awning just as waves of rain came pouring down.  A sudden wind began thrashing their tall trees around like wet noodles.   From under the awning Richard and I ducked into the Motorhome and moments later the power went out.  It was about 12:10.  We knew it was a fast moving bad storm but what we didn't know is that a tornado warning had been issued. (They are thinking today tornadoes many have touched down in the London/Exeter areas) Minutes later the winds and rain let up and skies brightened.  A number of small branches down in their yard and after rolling out of their driveway later we were immediately confronted with a tree down across the road.  I was able to get around it by eeking along the shoulder and ditch.  Noticed more tree limbs down on the way home and when we reached our Park another tree was down across the road preventing us from reaching the Park's entrance.  A kindly neighbor lady out on the road directed us into and around her semi-circle driveway to enter our Park.  Noticed a few more branches down on Park roads and were now concerned as to what we would find when we reached our house.  A nearby neighbor had branches down in his driveway but our place was fine having only a small scattering of branches laying about.  Power in our Park was out of course and it wasn't until 9:50 p.m. later Sunday night that power was finally restored.  A few rays of sunshine finally poked through the heavy cloud cover around 2 p.m. turning the rain drenched air into a tropical steam bath.  The air in our house turned muggy while I myself turned clammy.  Oh Crummy:((

THIS IS THE FIRST TREE NEAR RICHARD'S DRIVEWAY WE SAW DOWN 

OUR NEIGHBOR'S PLACE ACROSS THE ROAD

After awhile, sitting around the house with nothing to do and no A/C all three of us piled into the Jeep and drove into Bayfield for a look see at the storm damage.  We saw one tree down across power lines as well as other trees and branches scattered about.  One medium tree limb on a car but it didn't look like serious damage.  There was no power in Bayfield anywhere either.  

ON A BAYFIELD STREET WE SAW THIS TREE DOWN ON POWER LINES

PIONEER PARK

MAIN STREET BAYFIELD

A LIGHT STANDARD TOPPLED INTO THE FRONT OF RENEGADES DINER

ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE OUR POWER COMPANY ON THE JOB

JUST AROUND THE CONER FROM OUR PARK

WE TOOK A SPIN DOWN AROUND BAYFIELD'S BEACH AREA

Not wanting to go home and just sit in the heat and humidity doing nothing we headed ourselves north up to Goderich in air conditioned comfort to see if the storm had clobbered them too.  Yup it had but not as bad and we didn't see as much damage.  Power was on in Goderich except at a few places in the east end of town.  Boogied around for awhile then hit A&W for a couple burgs.  Said to Kelly, with the power out that might be the last hot meal we have for awhile.  We were home again shortly before 5.  

PATIO DINERS IN GODERICH AT THE BEACH STREET STATION ALONGSIDE THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON

ALMOST A FULL HOUSE HERE BUT THERE APPEARS TO BE ONE VACANCY LEFT

HERE IN GODERICH'S HARBOR THE COAST GUARD HELPS OUT A BOATER

ALL IN A DAYS WORK FOR OUR FINE COAST GUARD CREW

ONE CAN GENERALLY FIND 'TRAIN CAR ART' IN GODERICH 'S NORTH HARBOR

Power company sent out a text Sunday saying power may not be restored until 11 p.m. MONDAY NIGHT!!!!  So with the power out we just sat quietly with the doors and windows open wide trying not to move around too much in the humidity.  At least we had us a nice breeze going through the house.  We had pretty much resigned ourselves to an upcoming uncomfortable hot and humid night when suddenly at 9:50 p.m. with a whizz, whir, pop, and a flash, our power kicked back on.  Oh what a wondrous feeling that always is when that happens.  I was so happy I said to Kelly we should run around the house and turn all our lights on.  When she asked why we should do that, I repeated the words of the late great fellow RV Blogger George Yates saying, 'Because We Can':))))))

Monday::  Waking up this morning in cool comfort, the result of our central air I couldn't help but think how truly fortunate we are.  I'm sure there are many unfortunate folks without the benefit of A/C suffering through this summer's record breaking heat spell.   Sunday's 10 hour power outage really made us aware of that.

ANOTHER FINE EARLY SUMMER'S MORN

IT'S THE OLD COWS ON A HILL GANG

Seemed a tad cooler to me this morning when Boogers and I slipped up to Goderich's Walmart for a few things.  If I thought following the arrows on the floor was difficult before, now with a mask on I can hardly see where I'm going.  No complaints though, we have to do what we have to do if we're ever going to get things back to anywhere near normal some day.  We did our usual swing down around the harbor and beach areas taking in the marvelous lakeshore scenery.

WE SURE INJOY LIVING NEAR THE THIRD LARGEST FRESH WATER LAKE IN THE WORLD

THE ALGOMA NIAGARA IS OUTBOUND FROM GODERICH'S HARBOR AND IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S GOT MOST OF HER WEIGHT IN THE STERN

SPOTTED A SECOND OUTBOUND FREIGHTER BUT COULDNT MAKE OUT HER NAME

Home again I finally got our carport into some semblance of reasonable neatness.  Tried changing a burnt out tail light bulb in the Jeep but of course with my mechanical track record it didn't work.  Mowed some grass, whipper-snippered some weeds, trimmed a few shrubs and put the garbage out.  A much better day than Sunday............

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man in a Volkswagen Beetle pulls up next to a guy in a Rolls Royce at a stop sign. Their windows are open and he yells at the guy in the Rolls: “Hey, you got a telephone in that Rolls?” The guy in the Rolls says, “Yes, of course I do.” “I got one too… see?” “Uh, huh, yes, that's very nice.” “You got a fax machine?” “Why, actually, yes, I do.” “I do too! See? It's right here!” “Uh-huh.” The light is just about to turn green and the guy in the Volkswagen says, “So, do you have a double bed in back there?” And the guy in the Rolls says, “NO! Do you?” “Yep, got my double bed right in back here… see?!” The light turns and the man in the Volkswagen takes off. Well, the guy in the Rolls is not about to be one-upped, so he goes immediately to a customizing shop and orders them to put a double bed in the back of his car. About two weeks later, the job is finally done and he picks up his car and drives all over town looking for the Volkswagen. He finally finds it parked alongside the road so he pulls his Rolls up next to it. The windows on the Volkswagen are all fogged up and he feels a little awkward about it, but he gets out of his newly modified Rolls and taps on the foggy window of the Volkswagen. The man in the Volkswagen finally opens the window a crack and peeks out. The guy in the Rolls says, “Hey. Remember me?” “Yeah, yeah, I remember you. What's up?” “Check this out… I got a double bed installed in my Rolls.” “AND YOU GOT ME OUT OF THE SHOWER TO TELL ME THAT?!

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