FINALLY.....A NEW CAMERA LENS:))

THIS WAS THE WAY OF THE OLD WEST

Tonight's photos are a random sampling of pictures from the day we dropped into RATTLESNAKE CRAFTS near Gleason & Tombstone Arizona this past winter.

 

SELF PORTRAIT IN A GLASS BALL

With the exception of some weed whacking this morning I didn't get much done around home today but I did get a few things done a whole bunch of miles away.

CHATTING IT UP WITH THE RATTLESNAKE MAN HIMSELF..................... JOHN WEBER

I have been thinking for over a year now about trading my 55-200mm  Nikon camera lens in for a new 70-300mm lens.  Been watching the prices on a particular lens for quite awhile & finally it went on sale so it was out the door & off to Henry's Camera Store in Masonville Mall, London Ontario this morning.  I did have an alternative reason for going as well because yesterday I while on the way to & from London with the mobility van I had spotted a Jeep Wrangler for sale in the little town of Hensall.  

 

MY NEW AF-S VR NIKKOR 70-300 f4.5-5.6 G IF-ED ZOOMERGATOR LENS:)) (fully extended)

AN ANTIQUE BROWSER'S PARADISE

The Jeep turned out to be a 2001 with a ka-zillion million miles on it plus rust spots so that was the end of that.  Proceeded on to London.  I have blogged before about dealing with some of the 'kids' in retail stores so I didn't go through the door with a lot of optimism going for me.  Computer & camera type stores usually have those young wiz bangs behind the counter who no doubt know their 'technical' stuff but don't seem to have a lot tact when dealing with older folks.  Luckily, this time I dealt with an older fellow by the name of Mike who didn't talk to me like I was some kind of old homeless geezer who just crawled in off the street & didn't know which end of a camera to look through anyway.  I traded in my 55-200 lens plus a 2x Tamron converter.  I didn't expect to get much for them.....and I didn't.  In retrospect I probably should have kept that lens as a spare because there was nothing wrong with it.  It had a lot of miles on it for sure but still worked fine.  Like I've said before.....I'm not the brightest crayon in the package sometimes!!

IT WAS JUST NICE TO STAND HERE LISTENING TO ALL THESE HANGING ANTIQUES TINKLING IN THE DESERT WIND

The new 70-300 lens is much bigger than I had expected but that's fine.  I'm from the old school where heavier feels better.  I know I'm going to love this lens & I'm hoping to get in a bit closer on those bugs & bird shots now.

Leaving the camera store I got the brainwave to head on over to a Stratford Ontario auto dealership that had some Wranglers on the lot.  Looked at a couple nice 2007's but the prices were enough to pull your pants down & I could not believe the low ball price the guy offered me for the Caravan.  It was $1,300.00 lower than the lowest offer I have had on the van so far. 

Headed on back to Bayfield stopping at a few car lots on the way but no Jeeps in sight.  Also stopped in Goderich to take that red 2005 TJ for another run.  It's a 4 cylinder 6 speed & I like it but Kelly is not keen on it.  This is the only place that will take the bike on a trade.  Yes, I could maybe get a few more dollars for the motorcycle if I tried selling it myself but I absolutely hate all that 'bargaining & stupid dickering crap' you have to go through with everybody coming to look at whatever your selling.  Some people enjoy that BS but I am not one of them.  Nothing like haggling over money to bring out the worst in people!!

The big spring rush is over at our front yard bird feeders for another year.   Activity is way down as the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red Breasted Grosbeaks, Orioles, Nuthatches, & others have all but disappeared.  Still a few Goldfinches at the feeders, some sparrow type birds & of course the ever present all time front yard scavengers....the squirrels!!

I unplugged our troublesome external hard drive from the desktop computer & hooked it up to our newer Win 7 Toshiba laptop this afternoon & it worked perfect.  Re-plugged it back into the desktop tonight using a different USB port this time & so far so good.  I'll know when I go to publish this thing in a few minutes.  Maybe it's not the X-drive after all.  Maybe it's just the color of my socks or something.

NO, THE CACTUS IS NOT FOR SALE!!

I have finally decided to include my SMUG MUG photo gallery on the bottom tag line now.  It is nowhere near done, nor will it probably ever be done because I just have way too many thousands of photos to sort through.  But, it is a work in progress for sure.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Suburbia: where they tear out the trees and then name streets after them.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it......

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

A LITTLE BIT OF ENVY & A LITTLE BIT OF JEEP

HAPPY JEEPERS.....We rode with this couple on the Borrego Badlands tour

Today's blog photos are of 2 Jeep tours we were on while in Borrego Springs California the last couple of years.  Check out 4 WHEELING IN GRAPEVINE CANYON & the PALO VERDE & BORREGO BADLANDS Jeep tour.  On both those rides we were totally squished into the tiny back seats of Jeeps.  Figured the only way to overcome this was to someday get our own Jeep!!!!  That day just might be close at hand:))

ENDLESS MILES OF OFF ROADING IN THE DESERTS, MOUNTAINS, & CANYONS NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

I am finding it increasingly hard to read blogs lately & especially in the mornings.  The past few weeks I have reverted to using the magnifying glass because my reading vision is becoming increasingly blurry & it seems mornings are the most difficult.  Last October my Optometrist guy told me I had the start of cataracts in both eyes but not to the point where any medical procedures were required yet.  Said to come back in a year.  Noticed my long range vision is not up to par anymore either but not nearly as bad as the shorter vision. Am beginning to wonder if maybe I will have to go back to the eye guy sooner than that. 

 

NOT MUCH ROOM IN THE BACK OF A JEEP FOR SURE

I have a second reason for finding it hard reading some blogs as well & it doesn't have anything to do with vision.  I guess it has more to do with envy.  As much as I enjoy seeing where fellow RVers are & what they are doing it also brings home the fact they are out there enjoying & experiencing the physically & mentally active RV lifestyle traveling from one interesting destination to another..... and we are not!!    FROGGI DONNA & STU are wandering around up in Oregon while both MOTTY & PATTI and BRUCE & MARGIE are in Moab Utah.  I am really envious of JUDY &  EMMA heading out on their maiden voyage to Custer South Dakota with their newer rig.  The LITTLE HOUSE ON WHEELS ladies  are enjoying themselves driving through Nebraska while LAURIE & ODEL continue their long sweep into Ohio on a great circle tour of the United States.

 

THE JEEP TOUR GROUP CHECKS OUT THE BORREGO BADLANDS IN CALIFORNIA (our desert friend Butch is second from right)

Yes, I know I shouldn't be envious & all that stuff, & yes, I know I should be more grateful to even have the opportunity to travel in the winter.  And yes, I know I shouldn't complain about all this but it is quite simply, the reality of how I feel......period!!  And that's enough out of old Grumble Guts for today so let's get on with some positive stuff!!

Some of you might remember the caption I had under the picture of that red Jeep in last night's blog.  It read, 'Awwww nuts, here we go looking at Jeeps again!!'  I was informed first thing this morning by the CEO here that the caption would make people think it was just Kelly's idea to get a Jeep & not mine!!  Well, for heaven's sakes we wouldn't want people thinking that now would we, so I quickly went in & changed the caption.  Whewwww, close call for Al there.  But yes, it is a joint decision & all major decisions we make are always done together.  Always!!

         

THE BORREGO BADLANDS ARE A REALLY ROUGH PLACE

Now, about the Jeep.  I went up to Goderich this morning & took that red Jeep for a run.  Very nice & I liked how it shifted & handled.  Found me a bumpy gravel road & some train track crossings & there were no rattles.  It is a 4 cylinder engine with a 6 speed transmission & was bought new by a lady in Goderich back in 2005.  She traded it in for a bigger pick-up standard shift truck.  The Jeep has not been abused or driven off any cliffs or over any mountains.  Has a trailer hitch plus both soft & hard tops.

                      

THIS IS THE 2005 JEEP TJ WE ARE NEGOTIATING ABOUT

The young sales fellow made me an offer on our 99 Dodge Caravan which of course was low so we will have to talk a little more about that.  But, I have decided to trade something else in on the Jeep as well.  Something I actually tried to sell last summer for a short period of time & something I have not been using a lot this past couple of years.  The Motorcycle.  It just does not make any practical sense for me to hang on to something I am not using.  I really enjoyed my early motorcycling days years ago but the excitement has gone out of it for me & it's not something we can take south with us anyway.   It just makes sense to take this opportunity & trade it in on the Jeep.  I will be taking the bike to Goderich Wednesday afternoon for the fellow to have a look at & we will see how we make out from there.

Had a great working & driving day with the mobility van through the countryside this afternoon & tomorrow morning I am off early again.  I am a happy guy these days being kept so busy......"jeep jeep:))"

THE GROUP IS OUT OF THEIR JEEPS & ON THE MOVE...Kelly is the third one from the end & I think she just stepped in some Coyote poop!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know Tom Sawyer was the first novel to ever be written on a typewriter & it is impossible to lick your elbow.  And by the way, despite what you first may think, you will actually be able to read the following..........."I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?"  See, told ya so, & stop trying to lick your elbow!!!!:))

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

                                 and

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"

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.