LOOKING FORWARD TO 'BETTER DAYS AHEAD'

MALE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH...ALL PHOTOS TAKEN IN OUR FRONT YARD TODAY
Despite sunny sky's & slightly warmer temperatures I failed to find the right mixture of motivation, interest & enthusiasm for the day.  Aside from a motorcycle ride up to Goderich's A&W for an 'Uncle Burger' I just kind of hung around my recliner a lot.  Looking forward to better days ahead........

Noticed we have 4 new blog supporters so want to welcome JAMMIN' ALONG, LYNNE & MILLIE'S WINNIE VIEWS, Doyle & Terri Johnson's FULL TIME RV ROAD WARRIORS, & Lynn-Country Heart & Roses.  Thanks for climbing aboard folks.  Always nice to have new people along.  My blog is plowing through a little rough water right now so hope you will stick around until we are once again into calmer seas under full sails.

MALE ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK
Some readers may recall me mentioning about the heavy tax duty we got hit with (over $90) when our 6 free copies of Microsoft's Streets & Trips crossed the border into Canada about 3 weeks ago.  Joani Jones representing Microsoft's promotional agency for that free give-away promotion contacted us recently & is working on having those C.O.D. charges reversed.  Thought that was mighty nice of her to do that for us.  Four copies of Microsoft's Streets & Trips are right now in the mail to RV friends both here in Canada & the U.S.  The 5th copy we will deliver to another RV couple living near Bayfield shortly.

MALE CARDINAL
It's Saturday night & while thinking of my hometown of Tavistock Ontario today I remembered a post I wrote nearly 2 years ago called, Tavistock... Small Town Saturday Night.   http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2009/06/small-town-saturday-night50-years-ago.html
MALE ROBIN
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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

SOME OF THE OLD 1960'S GANG GETS TOGETHER:))

THE OLD 1960'S GANG.....FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, GARY BURTON, AL BOSSENCE, JOHN EIFERT, JIM EIFERT, & HELMUT HELL (seated)


GRAND BEND COTTAGE 1962 (LtoR) JIM EIFERT, AL BOSSENCE, JOHN EIFERT & CRAIG WILKER. The 3 girls had the cottage across the road from us.
Today turned out to be a special day for me which began with an email this past winter while we were in the southwest.  One of the 'old gang' from high school had tracked me down.  We all have best friends from our old high school & beyond days & over time best buddies & pals often drift away & are never heard from again.  But today, thanks to one of the guys, 4 of the old gang were re-united here at our place in Bayfield.

MY BUDDY JOHN & ME IN OUR SUMMER MILITIA UNIFORMS ABOUT 1962....JOHN'S THE GOOD LOOKING GUY ON THE RIGHT
It was quite an afternoon of old memories & stories.  We had all changed over the years but the voices & the eyes were still the same & after a short period of time we all started to look normal to each other again just like we did in the 60's.  Well, sort of.  We had a lot of laughs & remembered a lot of old friends.  Some still here & some gone now. 
                 
AND THIS JUST GOES TO PROVE THAT SOME PEOPLE DO GET BETTER LOOKING WITH AGE (HELMUT HELL)
Helmut Hell (yes, that's his name) was the fellow who pulled it all together.  Helmut was originally from New Hamburg Ontario & became part of our Tavistock gang in the 60's when he married a Tavistock girl.  Gary Burton was another Tavistock guy along with brother's Jim & John Eifert.  Gary, Jim & John, Helmut's wife, Mary Linda & I all lived within 2 blocks of each other in those days.  Yes, Tavistock Ontario was definitely a small town!!

JOHN & I GETTING READY FOR OUR 'BEST BUDDIES' CLOSE UP:))
John was my best buddy of all times as we spent those crazy, wild, difficult, & zany teenage years fumbling our way through first cars, first dates, first drinking bouts, & first......well, you know what I mean.  There were a lot of 'firsts' in those days:))  They were growing up years & they were maturing years.  The were 'American Graffiti' years & for us Canadians they were our Tavistock Ontario years. 

LOOKING AT OLD PHOTO ALBUMS ON OUR FRONT PORCH TODAY....GARY & JIM
Jim I had not seen since the late 60's.  He spent 38 years working for Chrysler in Windsor & retired just a few years ago.  I still remember driving his Mustang convertible back from Windsor the day I dropped him off at his new job & hotel room near the Chrysler plant.  Just found out today Jim ended up living in that room for the next 2 years,  John & I hadn't seen each other for many years either & Gary I hadn't seen since last summer when he rode his bicycle into our driveway one day & knocked on the door.  Turns out Gary lives in Bayfield now as well but at the other end of town.  Strange that we hadn't run into each other in the supermarket over the last few years.  Helmut, (the organizer guy) had surprised me one time back in the mid 80's when he walked up to the counter of the camera store I was working at in Stratford.

NO, THIS IS NOT ONE OF THE OLD 60'S GANG BUT WE OLDER GUYS KINDA MOVE ABOUT THE SAME SPEED AS THIS FELLOW SOMETIMES
By the late 60's alcohol had a firm grip on my life & I was doing a lot of stupid things. (didn't we all)  My best buddy John had enough of my antics & after awhile we just drifted apart.  All these years since then I have felt bad about those times & a couple of years ago I said to Kelly, of all the people I wished I could say 'sorry' to from those days, John Eifert was at the top of my list.  Today, in my own way & in my own words, I got to finally say 'sorry' to John. 

WELL, WHILE THOSE OLD GUYS OUT ON THE PORCH ARE YAMMERING AWAY I'LL JUST STAY INSIDE & PLAY WITH MY TOYS
A big thanks goes out to my buddy Helmut Hell for making today possible & for sure we will all stay in touch & probably meet again.....for round two & three, & if the wives aren't around......maybe round four:))
GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know that inside every older person is a younger person wondering..... what the hell happened.  And, did you hear about the Italian alter boys confession......?? 
'Bless me Father, for I have sinned.  I have been with a loose girl'.  The priest asks, 'Is that you, little Joey Pagano?' 'Yes, Father, it is.'  'And who was the girl you were with?'  'I can't tell you, Father, I don't want to ruin her reputation.'  'Well, Joey, I'm sure to find out her name sooner or later so you may as well tell me now. Was it Tina Minetti?'  'I cannot say.'  'Was it Teresa Mazzarelli?'  'I'll never tell.'  'Was it Nina Capelli?'  'I'm sorry, but I cannot name her.'  'Was it Cathy Piriano?'  'My lips are sealed.'  'Was it Rosa DiAngelo, then?'  'Please, Father, I cannot tell you.'  The priest sighs in frustration. 'You're very tight lipped, and I admire that.  But you've sinned and have to atone. You cannot be an altar boy now for 4 months.  Now you go and behave yourself.'  Joey walks back to his pew, and his friend Franco slides over and whispers, 'What'd you get?'
'Four months vacation and five good leads...'
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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened
OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
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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.

AND TODAY WAS MY UNCLE HARRY'S 94TH BIRTHDAY:))

A RELAXING AFTERNOON

To-day was my Uncle Harry's 94th Birthday & once again he came all they over from Woodstock Ontario to spend it here in Bayfield with us.  His friend & ours, Grace, drove him up.  Until just a few short years ago Harry was always at the wheel but he finally sold his car a few years back & now lets others do the driving.  And, he was a fine driver right up to the day he decided it was finally time to step aside.

SO NICE TO SIT OUTSIDE ON THE PORCH TODAY

We were happy the weather cooperated today with sunshine & warmer temps.    Nice to sit outside on our front porch.  Uncle Harry has always enjoyed coming here & seeing all the improvements we have made to the house & grounds over the years & he is the fellow who made it all possible for Kelly & I to buy our place here nearly 7 years ago.

SITTING IN THE SUN ROOM WATCHING THE BIRDS AT THE FEEDERS

HARRY & MAX HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BEST BUDDIES

We sat & watched the birds at the feeders & I showed him how I'm able to take the bird photos with the long telescope/lens & camera set up.  For supper we had Harry's favorite frying sausage from Krug's Butcher shop in Tavistock, Ontario.  Our family has been buying frying sausage there ever since I was a kid & it's always Harry's fav.  Scalloped potatoes with cheese sauce cauliflower &  creamed corn was followed by oven warmed apple pie & ice cream.  All Uncle Harry's favorites.

HARRY HASN'T LOST HIS APPETITE FOR GOOD OLD KRUG'S FRYING SAUSAGE:))

It was sad today to see that most of his mobility is gone now & even a walker is a struggle for him.  His voice is weaker & body frail, yet it was only a month ago we were playing pool together in Woodstock.   He hasn't lost that twinkle in his eye or his smiling chuckle but  as I helped him into the car after supper I seriously wondered if he was going to have enough strength left to ever make it back again for another visit.  

A HELPING HAND FOR THE MAN WHO FIRST EXTENDED US A HELPING HAND A DECADE AGO

With Grace at the wheel & Uncle Harry looking so very slumped in the passenger seat I watched as they backed out the driveway & then made their way down the road.  I watched, as I have done so many times before over the years..........................

HEADING HOME...............................

GROANER'S CORNER:((  You know, some days I get all the exercise I need just by pushing my luck!!

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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.

KIND OF A FRONT YARD BIRD DAY

Seven Golden Finches, a Downy Woodpecker, 6 Red Wing Blackbirds, 2 Mourning Doves, 1 Cardinal, about a dozen Black Capped Chickadees, a smattering of Nuthatches, a Blue Jay & about a dozen Juncos are what I am looking at right now in our front yard while sitting at the computer in our sunroom.  Rearranged & replenished the bird feeders this afternoon & we pretty much have a full house for supper tonight.  

I have a feeling I missed the highlight of the afternoon though when a black squirrel must have ended up in the frog pond.  I had hung up some bird suet in a small metal cage over top the pond because black the squirrels were totally devastating the suet pacs where I had previously had them hanging.  I used last years binder twine to hang the suet which in hindsight turned out to be a good thing.  About half an hour later hanging the suet pac I noticed the suet cage was no longer hanging on the end of the twine.  Upon further investigation I saw the suet cage was at the bottom of the frog pond.  Ahaaaa, only one conclusion here.  The pesky black squirrel whom I had noticed an hour before at the suet cage had obviously climbed up my old dead pond tree structure & made a flying leap out onto the suet cage.......... & plummeted, cage & all, right down into the frog pond when the old rotted twine had broke.   Have not seen any of the black squirrels since.  Guess word got around pretty quick about the cold Saturday night bath!!

In last night's blog I probably didn't make it clear enough about the difference between the blogs theme & the photos.  The pictures were taken here in Bayfield where we live.  Earlier in the day I had taken a drive east of Bayfield to my old home town of Tavistock about 50 miles inland.  The photos & blog theme were two different places.

Have had several comments & inquiries about the black & white photo with the yellow daffodils in Friday's blog.  Let me first say that there is no rocket science to do that & anyone can have the same results with just a few clicks of the mouse in their PICASA 3.6 PHOTO PROGRAM.   Picasa 3.6 is a free download from Google & one of the easiest photo program's you will ever use.  I think most of my fellow bloggers are using Picasa.  When you have the program open just look for the word 'Effects.'  Click that & look for the picture square that says, 'Focal B&W.  That's all there is to it.  Just click that & you will see how easy it is to do that color highlighting stuff.  Try clicking on the other squares as well & you will be well on your way to improving your already great photos.  And don't worry, you can't wreck anything because everything is redo able as you go along.  I did a post about some Picasa features last August which you can read here at,  TWO THUMBS UP FOR PICASA. 

 
And, while on the topic of photos I would just like to add again that I see a lot of good photos on other blogs that with just a little bit of TLC in Picasa's photo program, could become great photos.  Photography is a two stage process & In the old film days you only had control over half that process which was the taking of the photo.  Your film went away & magically came back as prints because somebody else did all that.  Sometimes it was done right & sometimes it was not.  Thankfully, nowadays we don't have to trust our photos to an unknown source.  We have total control over our efforts.  Sometimes pictures taken with cameras are just so-so depending on many variables.  Now, with just a few clicks here & a few clicks there you can have that so-so photo looking just as good as you actually saw it.  And, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to do that.  Just take a little time & get to know your photo program.........  All my photos are done using Picasa:))

                                                                        

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A Mother pigeon & her baby were flying a long distance back to the barn when the baby pigeon said, "I can't make it; I'll get too tired." His mother said, "Don't worry; I'll tie a piece of string to one of your legs and the other end to mine."
The baby started to cry.
"What's wrong?" said the mother.
"I don't want to be pigeon towed!"

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

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

THE OLD HOME TOWN BRINGS ON A REFLECTIVE MOOD

BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK OVERLOOKS THE REMAINS OF AN OLD LAKE HURON SHIPWRECK IN THE BACKGROUND

Woke up to a cold gray morning with the thermometer dipping below the freezing mark.  Didn't take long for my mood to match the weather & I knew the early stages of 'cabin fever' were beginning to inch their way into my mind. 

EVEN THE DAFFODILS WERE TOO COLD TO OPEN TODAY

Took the 2 big furry guys out for a short hike & could tell they weren't really into walking this morning.  An icy wind coming in off the lake turned us around & headed us back home.

BOATS AWAIT WARMER WEEK-ENDS ALONG THE BAYFIELD RIVER

Threw the camera bag & a couple cameras in my little blue mini-van, cranked up the heat & a few radio tunes.  Rolled out of our park about 8:45 a.m. with no particular place to go.  The heavy dark cloud patterns looked like a winter's sky laden with snow & there was no hint of sun anywhere.  Picked up a few back roads & headed east across the dull & overcast landscape.  I don't even think the birds were flying this morning.

BAYFIELD'S TWIN PIERS TO THE RIGHT

By 10 a.m. I had reached the outskirts of my old home town of Tavistock, Ontario.  Last time I was down around that way was two years ago on a sunny summer afternoon on my motorcycle.   There is a Tim Horton's in Tavy & it was time for my second coffee of the day anyway so I slipped into town & through the drive-thru.  Parking lot was full.

Don't know about anybody else but for me it's always a strange kind of feeling going back to 'the old home town.'  So many memories everywhere & so many emotions connected with those memories.  It's rarely ever a happy time for me when I drive around the streets past what used to be the elementary school or down to the old baseball park.  Probably a third of the kids I grew up with are gone now.  My imagination can still see them though on their bicycles, in what's left of the old schoolyard, on the street corners,  & hanging out at all the old favorite places.  I can see their faces & I can hear their voices.  And I can remember the good times.  And I can remember the bad times.

                  

PONTOON DOCKS STACKED ON THE BEACH AWAITING THEIR SUMMER SPOTS ALONG THE  BAYFIELD RIVER'S EDGE

Stopped at a cemetery to visit some old friends & family members.   More memories, more emotions.

I never stay long in the old home town anymore.  A passing nod to a house here, a smile at a street corner there, & then it is time to leave & let the heavy doors of time slowly close behind me until someday I pass this way again..............  Someday.

WOODEN STEPS LEADING FROM BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK TO THE BEACH & PIERS BELOW

It was a quiet meandering drive back to Bayfield with my mind in reflective thought.  Snow flakes were in the air & I saw a few brief sun splashes far off on the western horizon.  It was one month ago today we left Borrego Springs California on the first leg of our journey home.  It seems like a hundred years ago....................

  

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Very early one morning two birds are sitting at the side of a large puddle of oil. They see a worm on the other side. So ... the one flies over and the other one swims through the oil.  Which one gets to the worm first................... The one who swam, of course, because "Da oily boid gets da woim."

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

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.

JUST SOME SATURDAY NIGHT BLITHERING & BLATHERING

Some days have more built in spurts of energy than others but today wasn't one of them.  Had some plans to go into Elfrida this morning but we just couldn't seem to get off our keisters.  Well, I couldn't anyway.  We had cloud cover overhead first thing so it took a long time to warm up.  I do not get motivated well in cold weather anymore so it ended up just being a puttering kind of day.  Cleaned a few windows, straightened up a few bins & enjoyed sitting in my chair watching the birds at the seed ball feeder.  Neighbor Doug came over & installed a new battery in the ATV & that was about the height of activity for the whole day.

Weatherman says some bad weather is heading into Arizona starting about Tuesday so we may be getting wind & rain.  Wind means tough sleeping & rain means 6.4 tons of Arizona mud in the motorhome.  And we have become aware of something else this past week.  The winds of travel are beginning to stir:))

With the exception of maybe 4 or 5 days at the end of last March when we returned from the southwest I have now been blogging daily now for well over a year.  First started blogging in September of 07 & my blogger dashboard counter tells me I have made 676 posts.  That's a lot of keystrokes.  I have always been one of those people who have kind of kept records on & off over the years.  Diaries so to speak or just daily recordings in a school notebook.  I still have those books at home & came across them one day this past summer.  I have several scribblers dating back to the mid to late 50's when I sometimes wrote out my daily activities.  I was growing up in Tavistock Ontario at the time & a typical entry would look like this....."Went down to Bob's today & we traded some comic books.  It was warm this morning so we walked up town to Joe's Place & split a milkshake.  Bob always has more money than me.  Roy came in & said he heard John sold his old bicycle.  Bob, Roy, & I went back to Bob's & watched television because his Mom & Dad went to Stratford shopping"..................and so it went & so it went.

Some of the diaries I looked back upon were more serious, like back in 1967 & 69 when things were really beginning to get out of control in my life with the alcohol & drugs.  Only one bad experience with the drugs so I consider myself very fortunate to have dodged a major bullet in those years.  A lot of my friends at the time didn't.  That one bad experience was enough to put me off that short lived lifestyle & steered me clear of drugs ever after that.  The alcohol addiction was another story but I'm getting off track here.  Just started out to say how happy I was when this blogging craze started a few years ago because for people like myself it's a great outlet at the end of each day to sit down at the computer & merrily blather on about the day's activities.  It's a way to throw out ideas, express feelings, record events, state opinions, let the creative side roll, bubble up some humor, offer advice, information, & just generally enjoy an enjoyable hobby.   And, for somebody like me with a basic fear of people (I think there is a medical term for that) it enables me to communicate in the only style I am comfortable with.

I think the success of any blogger is in the readers.  How many of us would continue to do this every day or week if nobody was reading. I'm betting most if not all of us would gradually pack up our keyboards & just fade away.  There are basically only 2 ways for a blogger to know if anyone is interested in what they are writing about.  One is the counters like Sitemeter or Feedjit that keep a record of every hit or visit on a person's blogsite.  These meter monitors tell the blogger how many people have visited their site each day.  Some tell the amount of time a visitor spends on the blog, & some show what photos have been viewed.  Feedjit shows from what website the visitor came from & what blogsite they go to when they leave.  Both Sitemeter & Feedjit often show what city the person has visited from as well.   The other way a blogger knows if anybody is reading their blog is by the comments, shouts, & emails.  If a blogger isn't receiving any feedback from people but his metering counter is showing 75 people are visiting his site everyday it may mean that people are not interested enough in the content to comment.  It may be time for the blogger to rethink his subject matter.  So, if your out there reading my fellow blogger’s sites, send them a note & say hello from time to time.  Let them know your out here.  Let them know they are not just blowing smoke into the wind everyday:))

Some blogs like mine are always way too long but I've always been a blithering blabberfingers anyway.  Remember those journals from the late fifties.   Tioga George has it figured out though.  Just a few sentences or maybe a paragraph 2 or 3 times a day.  People don't get bored & come back to his site several times a day to see what he's up to.  It's a good way to chalk up the number of hits on a website too.  I think George is way out in front of the pack with over a million hits on his blogsite & yep, we got the Tiogaman on our desktop as well.

Well, for not having anything to blog about tonight it sure looks like I have blathered on as usual so with that I will quickly exit myself out of here...........stage right!!

 GROANER'S CORNER:((  Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft.. Today, it's called golf.

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