I JUST BLENDED RIGHT IN AND DIDN'T LOOK OUT OF PLACE

ON OUR WAY TO GODERICH THIS MORNING

A pink sunrise this morning didn't last long and we spent most of the day under cloudy skies.  Despite the 37F temperature first thing, Pheebs and were still able to cruise along with her window down and the Jeep's heater going.

 WE SAW OLD LONESOME ALONG THE WAY

 EDITING THIS LONG TELEPHOTO AND SLIGHTLY BLURRY SHOT TODAY I NOTICED OLD LONESOME HAS A LITTLE PAL

 STILL NICE TO SEE ROLLING GREEN HILLS

 HEADING NORTH ON PORTERS HILL LINE WITH A FEW BRIEF SUNSPLASHES ALONG THE WAY

Needing to drop off a prescription we headed on up to Goderich, grabbed a coffee to go at McDonalds and headed down to the harbor.  I spotted a large ship heading into port so Pheebs and I waited around and watched it come all the way in and tie up at the ??

 SPOTTED THIS LARGE SHIP OUT ON LAKE HURON HEADING FOR THE PORT OF GODERICH

 A TUGBOAT HEADING OUT TO ESCORT THE BIG SHIP IN

 THE TUGBOAT  OCEAN A. SIMARD GUIDES THE OCEAN GOING LYULIN CAREFULLY TOWARDS THE OUTER HARBOR

 I WONDER IF THAT IS THE CAPTAIN I CAN SEE THROUGH A WINDOW ON THE BRIDGE

 SLOWLY MOVING PAST THE OUTER BREAKWALL

 ENTERING THE NARROW CHANNEL LEADING TO THE INNER HARBOR

We often see ships in the harbor loading their cargo but it's not often we get to see a ship actually enter the harbor and tie up to a dock.  It's a slow process but an interesting one to watch and especially so when the crew members throw down the small ropes to the men on the quay below.  Those small ropes are attached to heavier ropes (Hawsers) which are slung around steel Bollards (posts) to secure the ship tightly to the dock.   

 EASING THROUGH THE NARROW HARBOR CHANNEL

 A GENTLE SMILE FROM A SALTY SAILOR

 THE LYULIN CAREFULLY APPROACHES THE GRAIN ELEVATOR'S LOADING SHUTE

READYING THE HEAVY LINES THAT SECURE THE SHIP'S BOW TO THE DOCK

From the harbor, we headed to A&W in Goderich's east end for a double buddy burger.  I think it was way back last summer sometime when Pheebs and I last shared a double buddy burger.  OF COURSE, with a clean pair of pants on this morning, I had to go and drip a greasy mixture of mustard and ketchup on them.  And I hadn't even been to Walmart yet so with three blobs of goop on my pants off we went over to Walmart.  I didn't have to worry about that though because with all the other Walmartians in there, I just blended right in and didn't look out of place.

 PHEEBS CHECKS THE A&W MENU

 ANXIOUSLY WAITING AT THE PICK-UP WINDOW FOR OUR DOUBLE BUDDY BURGER TO APPEAR AND MY FACE HAS TAKEN ON THE REFLECTED ORANGE COLOR OF THE A&W BUILDING

 IN THE WALMART PARKING LOT WE SAW THIS FELLOW WITH HIS DOG AND I'M GUESSING THAT IS THEIR HOME ON WHEELS RIGHT BEHIND THEM 

With a few groceries in hand and a few drops of rain on the windshield, Pheebs and I headed for home.  With temps barely reaching 40F and clouds overhead I couldn't drum up any enthusiasm for heading back outside.

Al's Music Box:)) Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On by Jerry Lee Lewis.  Lewis had been performing the song in his stage act and recorded it at his second recording session for Sun Records in February 1957. Supervised by producer Jack Clement, Lewis radically altered the original, adding a propulsive boogie piano that was complemented by J.M. Van Eaton's energetic drumming and Roland Janes' "muted" guitar and also added suggestive spoken asides.  Clement, told Lewis when he entered the studio, "We don't do much country around here. We're in the rock & roll business. You ought to go home and work up some rock & roll numbers." Lewis later stated: "I knew it was a hit when I cut it. Sam Phillips thought it was gonna be too risqué, it couldn't make it. If that's risqué, well, I'm sorry."  The song was a hit and Lewis became an instant sensation.  Music writer Robert Gordon noted: "Jerry Lee began to show that in this new emerging genre called rock 'n' roll, not everybody was going to stand there with a guitar."

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I was traveling with my wife in Kanyakumari, India, one of the windiest places on Earth. Braving our way through the crosswind, we made our way to the tollbooth where I asked a bespectacled attendant, "What do you guys do in Kanyakumari when the wind quits?"  Adjusting his rims, the guy answered, "We take the rocks out of our pockets."

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- When I was a little boy, I used to be afraid of the dark...Now as an adult, I see the electric bill and I'm afraid of the light!

- They say money talks.....mine just waves goodbye.

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A man climbs to the top of Mt. Sinai and gets close enough to talk to God. Looking up, he asks the Lord, "God, what does a million years mean to you?" The Lord replies, "A minute."  The man then asks, "And what does a million dollars mean to you?" The Lord replies, "A penny."  Then he asks,"Can I have a penny?" The Lord replies, "In a minute."

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