GUESS WHO HAD PUMPKIN PIE FOR BREAKFAST!!

PORTER HILL LINE ON MY WAY TO GODERICH THIS MORNING
All day Saturday I thought it was Sunday and when Sunday finally showed up it seemed like Saturday which now makes Monday feel like Sunday.  Now, if tomorrow is Tuesday and today is really the day after Friday, not Saturday, then how far can Wednesday really be behind Thursday.  Does anybody know where half past today is?  Oh how these long week-ends can sure mess a feller up.

ONE OF MY ‘QUIET SPOTS’ ALONG THE MORNING TRAIL

Unbeknownst to me, Kelly had baked 2 pumpkin pies on Sunday and as it turns out, it's a good thing she did.  I was only away for an hour this morning but that was long enough for you know who to reach a big paw up and over the kitchen counter and snag almost half a pumpkin pie.  The second pie was just a few inches farther back and amazingly managed to escape the big marauding paw.  When I got home the empty pie plate was sitting in the middle of the living room floor along with one of Kelly's shoes and the pie wrapper.  And, not one pie crumb was to be found anywhere.
 
THIS DOGGY IS SUFFERING FROM PUMPKIN PIE OVERLOAD  
During an early morning CNN newscast I heard a woman describe herself as a depressive realist. That rang a bell for me and I rattled that around in my head for a minute. She explained it as seeing the world in a realistic way and feeling depressed about it. Yep, right or wrong, good or bad, I thought that summed me up real good:))


After reading  JEAN AND SKIP'S post this morning I was reminded of our trip through the Page Arizona area back in 07.  We had stayed in Kanab while visiting the north rim of the Grand Canyon and then rolled through Page Arizona heading for the south rim of Grand Canyon.  The night at the south rim did not turn out to be one of our better RVing memories and was the first negative encounter with our rig's troublesome hydraulic jack system.  You can read my post about that night and following day campground mishap here at, FRUSTRATING NIGHT AT THE GRAND CANYON 

It has been a long time since I have paid any attention to my Picasa Web Albums and when I dropped in there today I found a big huge mess.  I have no idea why or where the 'Live Writer' albums came from but each one has a thousand random photos in them.  I wonder how long that nonsense has been going on.   Anyone going to my Picasa web albums would have been finding a confusing mess there for what I figure must have been a long time.  I have made an address change but I really must get in there and try to find out what has gone awry.  I did see a note from Google+ so am wondering if that has had something to do with the shenanigans.   Bugs me when things go in and make changes to my stuff.  Facebook is notorious for doing that.  I don't know enough about Google+ but why 'Live Writer' is now dumping photo albums of a thousand pics apiece into my Picasa album program I have no idea!!  This is the new address for our BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS


KELLY CHATTING WITH HER MOTHER IN SPENCERPORT NEW YORK THIS AFTERNOON
GROANER'S CORNER:((  The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. 
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS (revised)
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.

A $251 GAS FILL UP TODAY:((

TONIGHT'S PICS ARE FROM THE NORTH RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON (November 21/07)

Another cold night so I was out to the rig again about 1 in the morning checking to make sure the heaters were keeping the water pipes nice & toasty.  It was a clear crisp night & I was able to identify a few constellations through the towering pine trees.  In another week we will be camping under those very stars with views from horizon to horizon.  I am very much looking forward to spending time under the beautiful night sky for the next 5 months.  I am waaaaay overdue for a good night time star fix:))

 

   

A year ago right now we were at  RUSTY'S RV RANCH near Portal Arizona & I recall how nice it was to be sitting outside with my laptop, surrounded by mountains, under the big Arizona sky.  In fact, Doug & JoAnn from LIVING OUR DREAM are at Rusty's right now as I type this.    We met Doug & JoAnn in Yuma back in December of 09.

THE NORTH RIM LODGE

Hope everyone understood that my reference in yesterday's blog about joining the new Canadian International Astronaut Program was said in jest.  At 66, the only program I am well qualified for now is, 'Weight Watchers:(('  And, the Pink Store in Palomas is located 3 miles south of Columbus New Mexico which in turn is situated south of Demming NM.  And no, we will not be going to Mexico.  Walmart in Douglas Arizona will be about as close as we will get to the border......just a few blocks away.

FELLOW CANADIANS MIKE & MAUREEN BEAUNE WITH THEIR BELOVED DOG MOLLY (Molly just passed away a few days ago)

At $251, today's Motor Home gas fill up marked the most expensive fuel stop to date.  The onboard computer tells me that under ideal conditions that will take us about 450 miles, but of course nothing is ever really ideal so that number will fluctuate as we encounter headwinds, hills, heavy traffic, towns & cities.  And to think I was once able to fill up my Volkswagen Beetle for $3.50 & drive to Sarasota Florida for under $20.

 

THIS TRAIL MAKES IT'S WAY ALONG THE RIM OF THE CANYON

Spent time this morning re-installing a surge protector & trying to clean up & compact wires & plugs under the new computer station.  It's always such a garbled mess of wires behind televisions, computers, stereos etc.  Sure wished they would come up with some affordable technology to completely eliminate electrical wires.

THE FORESTRY DEPT WAS DOING A CONTROLLED BURN IN THE CANYON SO NOT THE BEST DAY FOR PICS WITH ALL THE SMOKE

Well, just 3 more hot morning showers & we will be on the road.  I am always a mixed bag of feelings right up until I pull that gearshift handle down into 'D' & get the big wheels rolling.  From that point on my attention is focused on the job at hand & we are off on another adventure.

I THINK KELLY WAS ENJOYING THE SUN'S WARMING RAYS........................   (Photo by Maureen Beaune)

GROANER'S CORNER:((   The wife and I were sitting around the breakfast table one lazy Sunday morning.  I said to her, “If I were to die suddenly, I want you to immediately sell all my stuff.”  “Now why would you want me to do something like that?” she asked.
“I figure that you would eventually remarry and I don’t want some stupid ass using my stuff.”  She looked at me and said: “What makes you think I’d marry another stupid ass?”

And remember......GOOD HEALTH IS MERELY THE SLOWEST POSSIBLE RATE AT WHICH ONE CAN DIE.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

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

A VISIT FROM SOME FELLOW DESERT TRAVELERS

MIKE & MAUREEN......FELLOW DESERT TRAVELERS

No wonder I feel soooooo tired most every day. I'm always too busy on the night shift & last night was no exception again. My RV dreams seemed centered around me pulling a very large trailer into some very weird situations. I recognized some of the people in the dream but this morning I can't remember who they were. Fellow RVers I think. Sure was busy moving that long trailer around though & I'm probably going to need an afternoon siesta later to-day. CANONVILLE, UTAH....BAYFIELD BUNCH ON LEFT & MnMnM's RIG IN THE CENTER

Kelly had to slip over to London this morning to pick up her permanent residence card. Because she is an American citizen with duel citizenship living in Canada the renewal of that card is required every 5 years. Because I am a Canadian citizen with a duel appetite living in Canada, the renewal of my Cracker Barrel restaurant card is required every 6 months:)) MIKE & MAUREEN AT THE NORTH RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON

It's not often we have visitors but this afternoon we were happy to have an RV couple drop in whom we had met at a KOA Campground in Cannonville, Utah back in November of 2007. Mike & Maureen had just pulled into that campground minutes before we did & aside from one other rig, we were the only ones in the whole park. And, as co-incidences go they were fulltimers who had called London Ontario their home. Bayfield is only a short 1 hours drive from London. We loosely traveled to-gether over to Zion Canyon later & then down to Kanab where we all visited the north rim of the Grand Canyon. They moved on from Kanab to Page & we swung down around & over to the south rim of the Canyon & we didn't see Mike & Maureen again until February of 08 when we visited them in an RV Park in Ajo, Arizona. Shortly after that we were all boondocked just off the Darby Wells road west of Ajo. On the morning of February 23rd 08 we left our boondocking site, stopped by Mike & Maureen's site to say good-bye & began our long trek back to Ontario. That was the last time we saw them until this afternoon. WEST OF AJO, ARIZONA....MnMnM's ON THE LEFT & THE BAYFIELD BUNCH ON THE RIGHT

We noticed right away that neither one of them had aged one bit. Another testament to that fulltiming RV lifestyle I'd say. It was nice to get caught up on things & reminisce about some old times although we didn't spend a whole lot of time to-gether back then. I have always noticed there is a special type of friendship & bond between RV folks even if you don't know them well. Friendships are often like ships passing in the night. There is a wave, a shout of "ahoy there," greetings are exchanged, a few words, a few laughs, & then the ships disappear into the darkness again. I remember those shouts & greetings & I remember the brief passings & there is something very special about that. Whether it is sharing area information with another passing couple on a far off mountain trail or having a 30 second chat with a fellow RVer at Flying J fuel stop, I remember those brief encounters. The meetings may only last minutes but the memories last forever. BYE GUYS......TILL WE MEET AGAIN

Mike & Maureen & Molly their dog (MnMnM) are in an RV Park over in Strathroy & plan to spend this winter in London before resuming there fulltime life on the road next spring again. Nice to see them & I'm sure our ships will soon again pass in the night somewhere. Maybe here, maybe London, or maybe far off in the land of mountains & deserts again. We may meet on a mountain trail, a quiet desert plateau, or we may pass in the night with a wave, shouts of "ahoy there", some greetings, some words & some laughter. Safe travels my friends........................................:)) SAFE JOURNEYS MY FRIENDS

TO-DAYS HUMOR: A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt , and is named 'Ahmal.' The other goes to a family in Spain ; they name him 'Juan.'Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, 'They're twins ! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal.'

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SEEING WITH A PHOTOGRAPHER'S EYE

WHITE SANDS....ALAMOGORDO, NEW MEXICO

If you have a keen interest in photography you may see things a little differently than other people. FISHING ON MITRY LAKE.....YUMA, ARIZONA

I first noticed that years ago in the old 35mm film days when I developed an interest in photography. It didn't happen right away but after a few years I began to notice things that I had never paid much attention to before. I think it is just something that slowly works it's way into the subconscious mind. I became aware of colors & shapes & how they interacted with the environment. Maybe it's how an old fencepost leans into it's background or how the rusted color of an old hubcap stands out against the graying fender of an aging derelict car in an overgrown junk yard. Maybe it's big billowing cloud formations on a bright sunny day. Gathering storms take on a new beauty if you have a photographic eye. Bird formations overhead take on meaningful shapes & a cactus bloom backlit by the morning sun suddenly becomes an object of wonder. Long shadows stretch across landscapes as gentle winds ripple across resting ponds. It's a world of beauty we live in & we just have to open our eyes & minds to see. An interest in photography will greatly enhance that world for you. Let it become an unending source of inspiration as you scan the vistas around you in a subconscious or deliberate search for nature's bounties. AJO MOUNTAIN RANGE....ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA

Some folks are able to take their photographic skills to a higher level than the rest of us & a fellow comes to mind that we met 2 years ago while boondocking near Why, Arizona. He is one of those dedicated photographers who is up before the sun most mornings & out there in the landscape with his equipment & photographic eye waiting for those first sleepy shades of sunlight to spill soft hues of pastel colors into the morning shadows. His name is Gordon Wolford & you can find his fine photographer's eye here.......... http://www.pbase.com/merriwolf/root Gordon also has his own website at....http://www.gordonwolford.com/home.htm & Gordon's wife Sandra chronicles their daily RV adventures here...... http://srmerrikinblog.blogspot.com/

GRAND CANYON'S NORTH RIM.....ARIZONA

Well, better go charge up my cameras because I'm off to Grand Bend to-morrow with the mobility van & while I have a 2 hour stop-over there maybe I can take my photographer's eye down to the new beach complex they are constructing & see what I can find...............................:))IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN AT ARCHES NATIONAL PARK.......MOAB, UTAH

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