NICE MORNING FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDE

NO, THAT IS NOT A SPIDER IN THE TULIP

The humidity over the past few days has put that summer warmth back in the air & with today's sunshine we in southwestern Ontario had ourselves another totally beautiful weather day. 

BUMBLE BEEN IN AN AZALEA FLOWER

Saddled up the motorcycle about 10 this morning headed out for coffee at Tim Horton's in Goderich.  Following that I hit the country back roads for a leisurely drive through the farmlands of Huron County.  The aromatic smell of blooming lilacs permeated the air as farmers busied themselves on their land with spring planting.  Cattle lazed in the fields & Mother Nature had on her finest coat of lush Spring green.  Just one of those special kind of mornings for meandering slowly along on the bike.

It's quite an ongoing battle of wits I have here everyday with the half dozen squirrels who conspire daily to thwart my best efforts of making our bird feeders.....squirrel proof.  Hanging the feeders from branches on our Sunburst Locust tree with fishing line has been a big help because the furry little monkeys can't get a toe hold on the thin lines to scurry down.  It is amazing how far they can leap as they continuously attempt to make pin point landings on the feeders from the tree trunk or higher branches.  Their antics are totally comical as I sit at the computer & watch all the shenanigans playing out before me.  It's a merry-go-round as they figure out how to get to a feeder & then I go out & adjust it's location.  They figure out another angle & I figure out another solution.  I tried to hang some peanuts out for the Blue Jays but the Cirque du Soleil high flying squirrel trapeze act got them too!!  On & on it goes.  Me & the rascally black squirrel gang.  What a bunch of mischievous Monkeys.

 

Tuesday I will be back to work first thing in the morning with the mobility van again & I'm looking forward to that.  Going to be a bit of back & forth scrambling between tight schedules in neighboring towns to get several people to various hospital appointments on time but that just adds a little excitement & challenge to the job & I love when things get busy like that.

OUR FERNS ARE GROWING WELL AGAIN THIS SPRING

Kelly's Dad over in Spencerport New York is barely holding his own & grows weaker by the day if it is possible to grow any weaker than he already is.  I never thought the human mind & body could take so much punishment & keep functioning.  He has been in & out of the hospital several times in the past few weeks again & is expected to undergo another surgical operation this week again.  Just a week & half ago he was in with congestive heart failure but made it  through & headed home again.   Like I blogged about before, Frank was one of those Marines fighting on the Island of Iwo Jima & wounded there during the second World War.  He is over 90 now & he's still fighting hard to stay alive just as he had to do all those many years ago in the South Pacific.

                         

                      KELLY & HER DAD

A fellow RVer & Facebooker sent me an email yesterday from an RV Park in Sierra Vista Arizona saying they were heading over to Bisbee & Douglas to have a look around & wondered how to find Belle Starr & her Silverado Ranch.  Emailed Joe back some directions & today he emailed back saying they had dropped in to see Belle on Sunday.  He was quite taken with Belle's spunk & enthusiasm just as we were when we met Belle last winter.  Sounds like they had themselves quite a chat.  Belle is still wheelchair bound but holding her own & still keeping an eye out for some good reliable & trustworthy help on the ranch...................

BELLE & HER GOOD FRIEND HOGAN

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

OUR LAST DAY AT THE RANCH & A GOODBYE TO BELLE

We started the morning knowing it was our last day at the ranch.  I knew there would be many 'lasts' today & that always fills me with a sadness.  I have a habit of becoming attached to places & with our 7 weeks at the ranch earlier in the spring & our current 12 weeks now ending we have spent nearly 5 months of the past 12 months  right here on this great ranch in Arizona's Cochise County near McNeal Arizona.  We have made a few friends, had a really great time, & created enough memories to last a lifetime. 

     

OUR LAST MORNING WALK ….. GLEASON & PEARCE PLAYING

Took a last walk around the ranch after supper tonight saying goodbye to the chickens, the donkeys & Charlie the cat atop the hay bales.  Gleason & Pearce will do a last sleep over in the motorhome tonight before we leave in the morning.  Ranch owners Jeanie & Ray will be here early & it will be like a shift change with one crew coming on & one crew leaving.  We know Gleason & Pearce will really be happy to see them & that makes leaving a bit easier for us but I still always find it hard because I become so attached to the animals & especially the doggy guys.  Now, I had better get myself out of this sad mood or my whole post is going to become very soggy.

 

GLEASON & PEARCE WAITING FOR THEIR SUPPER TONIGHT & PEARCE WON’T EAT UNTIL I GIVE HIM HIS SMOOCH           (click pics to enlarge)

Had us a nice clear sunny morning going for us as we headed over to Belle's place to say goodbye around 11.  Belle's lady cousin, Willy & her friend Betty had arrived a few days ago from the east & we were glad we got to meet them.  It makes us feel much better knowing Belle is in capable & caring hands for the next month or so.  Two young fellows are in place for now at the ranch feeding & caring for the animals so we've got our fingers crossed that all will work out.  Belle was her usual beaming self when we came in & she always makes us feel so welcome.  She just loves Canadians:))  She had a few issues with her email program on the computer so Kelly set to work straightening things out again.  It's an old computer & I'm afraid Belle is fighting an up hill battle with it.  But she sure does well for 83.  Motty was able to get a lot of things corrected with it last week but the computer is just simply too old & too tired.  The computer is Belle's lifeline so I hope it hangs in there for as long as possible. We will be in touch with Belle via emails though & that is always a positive thing. 

                                

OK GUYS, SEE YA LATER…………

We chatted about the ranch, had us some laughs, some words of encouragement & some words of wisdom.  We talked a bit about Belle's health as well.  With Willy's & Betty's help she is finally going to give the Doctor a call Monday about her ongoing painful hip.  We were heartened by that & hope Belle can receive the proper medical attention now.  She broke that hip last August & had another fall after that.  Told her next time we see her we want to see her out of that wheelchair & outside in the fresh air.  While talking, her sparkling eyes suddenly lit up & she said, " I want to show you something."  Willy slipped into the other room & came back with a beautiful hand knitted afghan.  It was spun from goat hair & had all the vibrant colors of Belle's Peacock outside.  The blues, purples, & greens so perfectly blended together just like the Peacock itself.  A very big warm & sincere thankyou goes out from all of us here to our email friend Renee up in British Columbia for doing this for Belle.  Renee, I wished you could have seen the joy & excitement in Belle's face today.  She was bubbling like a little school girl at the thought of a stranger from afar taking the time to make that for her.  She is also looking forward to seeing you on your travels to Arizona soon.  Thankyou for being so thoughtful & thankyou to all the other folks as well who have taken an interest in Belle's life & have sent her letters & emails of encouragement & help.

 

BELLE’S NEW AFGHAN WITH THE COLORS OF BELLE’S PEACOCK

We stayed for a little over an hour & then it was time to go.  It was time to say goodbye to Belle Starr.    Seems it was only yesterday that we were saying hello to Belle for the first time but now here it was time to say, "OK, see ya later."  And see her later we just might, depending where our travels take us over the next few months & if it's anywhere near here on our return trip we'll definitely stop in to see her.  If not, maybe we'll make it back in the fall.  We'll still be able to be a part of her life though & stay informed as to how she is doing & how the ranch is coming along.  It has been quite a whirlwind of emotions & activities these past 6 weeks with seldom a dull moment at the Silverado Ranch but despite the ups & downs I am a better person today for having met Belle.  She has taught me something & I know it will take time for it to sink in & become sorted out in my mind but she has definitely planted some new software in this old tired hard drive head of mine.........and I thank you for that Belle.

Didn't want to wait until morning to hitch up the car so upon arriving back at the ranch I moved the motorhome ahead a bit, wiggled the car in behind & hitched it up.  Dumped the gray & black water tanks & stowed the gear.  Added water to the fresh water tank & disconnected the water hose.  Only thing left to do in the morning is pull in the slides, take down the Star Choice satellite dish, & pull the electrical plug.  That's it and we are gone.  No idea where yet but maybe we'll have that figured out by the time we get to wherever it is we are going to. 

ALL HITCHED UP & READY TO ROLL IN THE MORNING

And I want to welcome the FREELY LIVING LIFE family & John R to our travels.  Thankyou for taking an interest in the Bayfield Bunch & their daily activities.  Much appreciated:))

OK, better wrap this up or I'll be typing more sad stuff into this post.   I'll be OK once we get a few miles on down the road but until then I've got a couple old ranch Pals to spend some time with now because tomorrow morning I have to tell them...........OK guys, see ya later:((

GROANER'S CORNER:((  As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way!!

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

TODAY WE MET MOTTY & PATTI:))

OK, I GOT THE BATTERIES IN……NOW WHAT????

The winds abated about 5 minutes after we put the slides in about 9 P.M. last night.  We left them in though because we knew how wily that old west wind is.  Rained all night & the ranch's rain gauge showed over half an inch this morning.  Half an inch a couple days ago brings the total rainfall here to just over an inch.

  

A solid gray cloud cover greeted the dawn as rain continued it's steady drizzle  Slipped down to the hay shed & grabbed a bale for the donkey guys & almost lost myself & the cart in the Arizona mud.  This stuff just sticks to ya like glue!!  Had put the donkeys into the shelter yesterday again so they were dry, happy, & hungry.  Had also brought ranch dogs Pearce & Gleason into the rig earlier as well so it was one big happy but muddy family in here this morning.  Ya just gotta love it:))))))

SITTING ON THE FLOOR PLAYING WITH GLEASON & PEARCE THE RANCH DOGS.  STILL GOT MY PAJAMAS & HOUSECOAT ON:))

Check out WANDERING WILLY'S BLOG.  He broke an axle on his travel trailer way down in southern Mexico a few days ago & had to leave his unit there while he drove a thousand miles back up to Texas in search of another axle.

RAINBOW IN THE VALLEY TODAY

A few months ago a couple joined our blog follower column & over the ensuing months we received a few emails from them.  About 3 weeks ago an email came in saying they were heading west & would like to meet us & Belle Starr.  They had been following our blogs on Belle & wanted to stop by & see how they could help.  Today at high noon in Bisbee we met MOTTY & PATTI  for lunch at the BBC.  (Bisbee Breakfast Club)  RV'ers always have lots in common to talk about so it wasn't long & we were into rigs, routes & campgrounds.  They were especially interested in how Belle was doing so as soon as we finished lunch & picking up a few groceries we headed southeast out of Bisbee for Belle's Silverado Ranch with Motty & Patti following in their truck.  The rain was beginning to let up & the broken cloud cover was allowing through a bit of sunshine finally.

MOTTY & PATTI  AT THE BBC

Red was just heading out on the gator to feed the critters when we got there & I think he was happy that Patti & I volunteered to do that & let him get back to some of the electrical work he has been doing for Belle in the house.  Kelly took Motty in to meet Belle because Motty is a computer software guru & wanted to have a look at Belle's Dell.  The wind picked up with a bit of rain in the air so it wasn't the nicest weather as Patti & I headed for the alfalfa bale storage area & quickly loaded up the first 3 of 5 bales.  Air felt cold so thought of putting my gloves on but noticed Patti didn't have any so I didn't want to appear to be a wimp.  Wind kept blowing my hat off so had to ditch that at the car as we went by. 

      

PATTI FEEDS THE CRITTERS TODAY  (click pics to enlarge)

With all the rain lately the horse & donkey corrals were pretty muddy.  Not a dry spot anywhere to drop the alfalfa sheaves in but the critters didn't seem to mind & eagerly gobbled everything just about as fast as we threw it in.  Patti had brought a big bag of carrots along so a lot of the guys got some extra treats.  Fed the dogs & all the birds as well.  Patti is very familiar with horses so enjoyed getting back into feeding the critters.  Took us a little over half an hour to make the rounds & then it was back to the house for Patti to meet Belle.  By the time we went in Motty had already straightened out a lot of the minor computer problems Belle had but said he would later re-install Belles operating system & start anew.

   

A FRIDAY AFTERNOON CHAT WITH BELLE, RED, JEANIE, MOTTY, PATTI, KELLY, & AL

Belle was just beaming with all the company & was delighted to meet two more new friends.  I could see there was a connection between all of them & especially Belle & Patti.  Red finished up a few things & then he & Jeanie came into the kitchen for a chat before heading off to Douglas.  Some of Reds tools had got caught in the rain & he was needing a new volt meter.  They headed out & we stayed for another half hour chatting with Belle before leaving.  We did a little walk around outside looking at various things & then Kelly & I headed for home just as another rain cloud began dumping some of that wet stuff on all of us again.  We'll be in email touch with Motty & Patti over the next few days & will probably meet them again either at Belles or maybe here at the ranch.  They definitely want to go back to Belles & help her out & we were so glad they took a concerned interest.  These are truly nice genuine caring people.  Reminded me a lot of Cindy & Dave.

 

A WALK-ABOUT AT BELLE’S SILVERADO RANCH

By the time we got back to the ranch the sun was out again highlighting the surrounding shadowy mountains.  We saw tire tracks in the driveway mud & knew the UPS truck had been here because after checking on our GPS  unit shipping status this morning we knew it was on a UPS truck leaving Sierra Vista.  Sure enough, as we swung around by the house we saw the little package sitting by the door.  Our Dolorme Earthmate PN-40 had arrived.  I later figured out how to put the batteries in it (before falling asleep in the chair) so now it's up to Kelly to do the lions share of figuring it all out.  My brain used to be pretty good at that stuff but these last few years it just seems to seize up at the very thought of tackling anything with a sharp learning curve to it.  Also, morning is the best time for me to take on things like that because the brain seems to be more alert & receptive to learning.  By the end of the day it has usually returned to it's relative state of mush.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Daffynitions:  
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Alarms:  What an octopus is.
     Crick:  The sound that a Japanese camera makes.
     Dockyard:  A physician's garden.
     Incongruous:  Where bills are passed.
     Khakis:  What you need to start the car in Boston.
     Oboe:  An English tramp.
     Pasteurize:  Too far to see.
     Propaganda:  A gentlemanly goose.
     Toboggan:  Why we go to an auction.

FACEBOOK READERS GO HERE TO SEE OUR ACTUAL WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH PHOTOS & MORE INFO.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.