TO HAT OR NOT TO HAT

MAYBE IT'S TIME TO HANG UP THE OLD HAT & JUST GET A BUZZ CUT

I have never cared much for hats over the years & remained mainly hatless up until about 3 years ago when we began spending more RV time on the road. Seemed everytime I tried wearing a hat I ended up looking like some kind of nerd pickle or something & it was rare to see me under a hat. But, RVing had a way of changing all that. There are very few RV people out there who have ever seen me without a hat. Maureen from the MnMnM's http://www.adventureswithmnm.blogspot.com/ once remarked, "if you weren't wearing your hat Al you just wouldn't look right. I didn't have the heart to tell her I'm not gonna look right with or without a hat anyway!!

So, what's the deal with wearing hats for RVing & not wearing hats while back home. Well, it's all got to do with good & bad hair days. I'm one of those people with a full head of hair that has a mind of it's own. No matter what my hair looks like when I go to bed at night it does not look the same when I wake up in the morning. I don't know what goes on in the night that wrecks my head up so bad but I'll bet if I set up a web cam it would show a speeding freight train rumbling over my skull or a tornado coming in the window & dancing on my head. My hair resembles an uncontrolled explosion every morning. I look like the proverbial kid who stuck his finger in a light socket & there is no comb, brush, or garden rake, that can do anything about it either. My hair has a natural curl to it & those errant twists & turns can be downright scary in the morning's mirror. Not nice!!

Only one solution to the problem.....water, & lots of it!! My raggle taggle moppity hair is one of the reasons for my daily hot morning shower while living here in the stick house. Water & shampoo is the only way to get my head back under control again for the start of another day. Lots of water & lots of shampoo. Now, that's all fine & good when you have lots of water to work with but when boondocking out in the desert there is no such thing as lots of water.....ever!! Showers may have to be stretched out to around the 4 day mark. If I were to stray outside in those 4 or 5 days without a hat on I would scare the barbs right off the cactus, the rattles right off the rattlesnakes, & the Gila right out of the Gila Monster. I am not a pretty sight in the morning!!

There is just enough of that old long haired hippy left in me to prevent myself from getting a buzz cut but I sure have been thinking about it lately. RVing & short hair just kind of make a lot of good darn sense when ya think about it. Might not have to wear so many hats then & I could get back to just simply looking like a nerd again instead of nerd pickle...............................................:))

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

WHY ISN'T A FOOTLONG.....A FOOT LONG!!!!

I ALREADY HAD A COUPLE BITES OUT OF MY "FOOTLONG" BEFORE I THOUGHT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF IT

It's never quite spring each year until I've made my annual trip to the south end of Bayfield for my foot long hot dog with the works. The Woodland Drive-In has just opened for another season & I was there at noon. And, just as in other years, I asked myself the same question. Why isn't the footlong hot dog a foot long?? To be sure, I once again measured the dog with my trusty tape measure from the glove box & sure enough it came out to 9 inches. Why is that!!!! If your going to call it a footlong hot dog then make it a foot long!! Why can't the butcher & the baker get to-gether & agree to match their products to 12 inches. What is so hard about that. Or, maybe the Drive-In should be advertising them as, "9 inchTube Steaks" or "Mini- Footlongs" or "Stretched Dogs" or "Shortened Pig in a Blanket" or "Swine in Nine!!" Or maybe they should just knock off 10 cents an inch or something.

And why is that everytime I go to put an electrical plug into a socket it is never the right way round. The fat prong is always at the smaller hole & vice versa. And since when did extension cords have to have minds of their own. No matter how straight I lay out a long extension cord, as soon as I turn my back it puts a kink in itself & the longer I'm away the more kinkier it gets!! Tangled extension cords can reduce me to tears in seconds:(( And garden hoses.....where do they get off thinking they're so smart. Try & walk anywhere with a garden hose in your hand & it's going to snag itself on something. Even if there's nothing there to snag on, it's going to snag itself anyway just to be miserable. And to add insult to injury, it will kink itself as well. I call that double jeopardy. A kink & snag!! Kinks & snags can reduce me to tears in seconds:(( And how about whenever you bend over to pick something up you have to drop it!! I call that...... pick & drop. Happens to me almost everytime & maybe three or four times in a row on a bad day. Hate when that happens. And why does the shovel, rake, or whatever long handled device you lean against a tree or something, have to fall over as soon as you turn your back. I have leaned garden rakes against things, stood there & stared at it to make sure it wouldn't fall, turned around to walk away......."clunk!!" And how come I can't hit a nail on the head like everybody else. Last week I was nailing up some old pine fence rails with 5 inch nails. No big deal except it would take me 10 swings at that nail to hit it twice. And when I did hit it, the nail would go in crooked or go flying off over the fence somewhere!! Hammers & nails can reduce me to tears in seconds:((

I do have one good thing on my side though. A darn good handy & patient wife. I was trying to put air in one of the Santa Fe's tires yesterday morning. Getting air into a tire for me has always been a major feat. I don't know why but it just has. Had the compressor going full tilt but try as I might the air just wouldn't co-operate again. Kelly walks over, picks up the hose, puts it on the valve & whoosh, all the happy little air particles merrily rush off into the tire. Same thing happened about a month ago on the ranch in Arizona when I was trying to blow up a bicycle tire. No way Jose!! Kelly comes over & whoosh, away go the little air guys again. These kinds of happenings are almost a daily occurrence at our house but instead of looking on the negative side of things & my limited abilities, I have to look on the positive side & be thankful I have a mechanically patient, calm, cool, & collected wife who understands her husband is a bit of an impatient boob when it comes to handyman things. But hey.......I'm still pretty darned good at getting stuck on lids off jars & stuff..............:))

Sorry I didn't have any better pictures than a half eaten hot dog to-day. Maybe to-morrow I'll get some clear shots of a UFO or something. And maybe one of these days I'll get enough photos to-gether to put up another web album again:))

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

A FEW SUNRISES & SUNSETS I HAVE KNOWN

Tuesday was one of those cold, damp, gray, & windy days so it was a good one for doing inside things. Hardly set foot out the door all day. Over the past few years of traveling I have taken a few sunrise & sunset photos along the way & I figured Tuesday was a good time to gather them all to-gether & work on putting the pictures into a separate photo gallery on my Smug Mug site. I have entitled the album, "A Few Sunrises & Sunsets I Have Known." The "Slideshow" button is on the upper right & when it opens you should see a film strip across the top which will go away, but before it does, look to the far left & choose a slideshow speed. I recommend "fast" or else you could be stuck in front of your monitor for awhile:)) Click the link below....................................

http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/gallery/7913561_B426M#507728670_4AUHL


We finally had ourselves a decent weather day with actual sunshine & warmer temperatures to-day. The outside water valve below our unit finally thawed out enough to turn on for another season. We have peeper frogs in our small pond out front & they sure love to get their little peepers going at night. A true sign of spring. And Robins are building nests in our carport. Lots of crocus flowers out. Ducks & Geese on the big pond across the road & Turkey Vultures are back circling on the winds overhead above the swaying pine trees. Truly the second nicest time of the year. Autumn is my favorite:))

Had an opportunity to do a little photo work for an engineering company nearby this morning. I had stopped at the work site to take some photos of the fellows digging a large hole when a man approached me & identified himself as the head engineer on the project. They had just uncovered a pipe & the engineer had forgot to bring his camera which was a 2 hour drive back to his office. It was important for them to have photos taken of that pipe before they covered it up again. I happily obliged & did a series of photos as the engineer placed markers & an identifying clipboard near the pipe. The emailed photos are already on his desk. It's always a nice feeling to be in the right place at the right time when called upon to be of assistance. I like when that happens:))

Might even be a nice enough day to clean up the motorcycle to-morrow..........:)) OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

THE DAY RAN OUT OF HOURS:((

The day just seemed to run out of hours all of a sudden to-night somehow:(( Working on a little photo project but didn't get it finished so hope to have it done for to-morrow night...........................Toodles

A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE LAPTOP & DESKTOP

INTERNET CAFE IN DOWNTOWN SILVER CITY NEW MEXICO...Saturday November 29/08

Thanks to all the folks for their input on our website photo re-sizing.

This morning I reached a compromise regarding the website photo fitting the laptop & the desktop & it all has to do with the number that is inputted in Picasa's Export menu. The size number that worked for Rex was 945. The number I'm using right now for the current picture is 910. When I first started out a couple days ago working on this little project I was using the laptop & found that by increasing that 945 number I was able to stretch the photo perfectly across within the yellow border parameter lines. Think I was using 1045 or 1200. However, when I checked the desktop the photo had bled off the right side of the screen. This morning I worked those numbers again & got the photo to fit perfectly on the desktop with 910. But, this meant the laptop picture no longer fit the border format perfectly & was smaller with wider gray borders at either end. Figured that was OK & looked better than having it bleed off the screen on the desktop. Therefore a compromise was reached. Also should mention both laptop & desktop screens should be maximized for best results. Now, here's a tip if you decide to work on your blog header picture. I crop a lot of my photos which in turn alters the size of the picture & that's why I had to work with the numbers to make the photo fit. I will probably have to do this most times I change pics. And, I will do it on the desktop next time which will ensure the better fit on the laptop right off the bat. I'm happy we were able to figure this out because the next step would have been a trip to the drugstore for a tube of Preparation X. Would have had to put the oversized photo on the monitor & then smear Preparation X all over the screen to shrink the photo down. Messy, messy, messy!! I would not recommend this procedure if you have small children, pets, or pesky in-laws at home..........:))

The photos I have been using lately for the website header are from City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico just southeast of Silver City. If you are in the area be sure to stop there & have yourself a look around. It's truly a city of rocks & is aptly named. Great place for kids with lots of fun rock scrambling. And it's Senior friendly too. It rained one of the days we were there & that added up to a great photo opportunity with stormy skies & wet rocks holding small desert rain puddles. Great place, don't miss it:)) The following links are to our web album & the photos of our 3 day stay at City of Rocks State Park New Mexico in November of 2008.........................

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ADAYATCITYOFROCKSSTATEPARKNEWMEXICO
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ACOLDRAINYDAYINSILVERCITY

http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/SATURDAYINSILVERCITYSUNDAYSEMORYPASS
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/NOVEMBER26

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

STILL TWEAKING THE WEBSITE

TO-NIGHT'S SUNSET AT DEERPARK LODGE ON LAKE HURON....BAYFIELD ONTARIO

I'm still working on that picture format for the top of our blogger website. I downsized the oversized picture to-day. (city of rocks) On my laptop it fits within the yellow borders with a small gray space at either end. But.........on the desktop the picture is still large & bleeds off the right side past the border. The laptop & desktop screens are different sizes so maybe that has something to do with it. I'm kinda stymied again. Laurie from http://laurieandodel.blogspot.com/ mentioned that our site was slow to open this morning so I suspect the larger format photo at the top. Wondering if anyone else is having that problem & does the photo fit within the yellow blogline frame on your computer or bleed off to the right side??? Ohhhhh, the trials & tribulations we bloggers face...............................

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

THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING RANT:))

"SMOKIN" THE KEYBOARD!!

Well, some of you may have noticed that last night's blog about CNN kind of disappeared to-day. Don from Manitoba sent an email wondering if someone had told me it was politically incorrect. Well, yes somebody did.........Me!! As sometimes happens after writing a blog, I have second thoughts about either the subject matter or the way I wrote it. Last night & this morning it was really bugging me about some of the words I had used & a couple of phrases were not sitting quite right either. But, I do stand behind the subject matter!! So, after reading some emails from a few more followers I have decided to re-post it. I did change a few words & took out a few phrases. Don't think it's right for me to refer to somebody else as stupid, even if.......well, you know.

And a big thanks to Rex from The Happy Campers http://www.rexandmary.blogspot.com/ for sending along a tip on how to re-size that top photo on our blog. I've got a little tweaking to do yet but basically his tip worked. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I passed it along here........

"I GO TO PICSA3 PICTURE EDITING, A FREE PROGRAM FROM GOOGLE, EDIT MY PICTURE AND THEN HIT "EXPORT" A LITTLE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM. WHEN THE NEXT BOX COMES UP ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN CLICK RESIZE AND TYPE IN "945" PIXELS. CLICK "OK".
GO TO MY PICTURES, OPEN THE FOLDER PICASA EXPORTS AND THEN UPLOAD THAT PICTURE TO YOUR HEADER."

Ok, now for last night's re-appearing rant................

TICKED OFF AT CNN NEWS!!
Probably all the news channels use this "bait the viewer" ploy in their newscasts but since we mainly watch CNN News my complaint is with them. Like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey's nose to get him moving, newscasts regularly use the same bait ploy to drag viewers through a whole newscast. They will often say something like, "coming up after this" then cut to a million commercials. You end up sitting there waiting for the "coming up after this" story right to the end of the newscast. It's an accepted part of duping viewers on the news channels but to-day they really ticked me off!!

Wolf Blitzer started off the usual 5 o'clock top of the hour with news bites of what's coming up in the next hour. One of those stories was about the Conficker Virus now infecting millions of computers. He indicated that it was a scam & eluded to the fact computer users were being taken. The newscast then led off with all the days news & dozens of re-runs they have been playing all day. This went on for an hour & every once in awhile between endless commercials he would say something like, "and coming up, new details on the Conficker Virus." By this time I was soooooo livid because I knew they were dragging the viewers through the newscast with the donkey's carrot.

Normally, this is a harmless, if not questionably ethical way of doing things and it was 5:57 P.M. before they did the Conficker story. A full 56 minutes after they first mentioned it. Story went on to say that people were being scammed by a pop up on the screen saying they could rid their computer of the Conficker Virus for $49.95. (not sure if that was the exact amount) By clicking on that banner or site or whatever it was, it just spread the virus further. And that's what the scam was. People were unknowingly infecting their computers by clicking on that ad.

Now here's my rub!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why in the screaming hell didn't they lead off with that story in the first place if they had that information in their hands. How many people in that hour fell victim to that scam because they didn't know. How many more computers were infected that didn't have to be. There may have been people on their computers in that hour watching CNN as well. That scam might have popped up on their screen & they may have fallen for it simply because CNN in their "bait the viewer" way of doing business chose to air that story dead last in their newscast. CNN seems to be sooooooooo focused on how many commercials they can possible jam onto the air between their snippets of news coverage. And how many times do you have to re-run the same old clips over & over all day long before the word ridiculous comes into play. And who makes those decisions. And what top paid fancy ass executive at CNN made the decision to-day to put that Conficker warning on at the end of the newscast instead of the beginning. Computer virus's are deadly serious to absolutely everyone & for Wolf Blitzer to stand there for a whole hour with the information he had in his hand to help stop or slow the virus down, & withhold it through the whole newscast was just plain wrong. Either change your tactics CNN or just roll over into the infomercial world.

By the way, I just finished reading Walter Cronkite's book, A Reporter's Life, & I strongly suggest ALL of to-day's news agency's read that book & seriously take to heart & re-learn the ethics of Journalism.

No, I didn't fall for that Conficker scam. I or the public simply do not like being treated as Donkey's, so stick that carrot where the sun don't shine CNN & get on with the business of treating your viewers with the intelligence they deserve!!

Geeeezzzz, gotta go get a fire extinguisher cause my keyboards on fire again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE SECOND COMING OF SPRING:))

COLORFUL BEACH CHAIRS AWAIT SUMMER GUESTS ON THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON AT DEERPARK LODGE http://www.deerparklodge.com/

Well, I sure wish I had something interesting to write about. One month ago to-day we hiked our way into old historic Fort Bowie near the Apache Pass in Arizona. http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2009/03/through-apache-pass-to-historic-fort.html
To-day, I puddled around raking leaves & cleaned up sticks & branches for a few hours. Doesn't really compare to our day at Fort Bowie but at least Spring has returned again after Old Man Winter took a final poke at us a few days ago.
Our snow is all but gone & I'm certainly hoping that was winter's last gasp.

ALONG OUR MORNING WALK

Weatherman has a nice Easter week-end lined up so maybe it will be a good time to begin the big clean up in the motorhome. All the bins have to emptied, cleaned, & re-organized. The inside has to cleaned from stem to stern & the carpet should probably be steamed cleaned. If I was handy I would pull that carpet out of there & replace it with a tile or wood laminate floor. I said......IF I was handy:(( And WHY would the manufacturer ever have put carpet in the bathroom!!!! Dumb, dumb, dumb. OUR FRONT YARD POND BUDDHA IS WEARING A WHITE HAT THIS MORNING

Had a big 4 hour coffee blow out last night with an old friend at a nearby coffee shop. In our case a coffee blow out now consists of one medium Tim Hortons coffee for me & a half pint of milk for my buddy Jim. He actually quit drinking coffee altogether a few years back. I'm down to 4 a day now & have been at that level for nearly 10 years. It's a far cry from years ago when we would seemingly drink the stuff by the pail full in our long chats in the many coffee shops in the Stratford Ontario area. Jim & I have been best friends for nearly 30 years now & in our coffee shop heyday used to meet every Monday & Thursday nights for coffee at 7 P.M. Jim broke an alcohol dependency habit about 34 years ago & I'm coming up on 30 years in October. I met Jim in my first week of sobriety & we've been best friends ever since. Up until last night we hadn't got to-gether for a good old round house chat in about a year & a half. As usual it didn't take us long to solve all the world's ills & establish ourselves once again as just a couple of wild & aging guys. Remember the Muppet Show? Remember the two old guys in the balcony, Statler & Hilton? Yep, that's me & my old buddy Jim alright:)) I STOCK THIS POND WITH FROGS EVERY AUTUMN

Another friend emailed this week bringing to my attention that I had spelled the word Curmudgeon wrong on our website. He noticed I had an S in there. Well, that is intentional, simply because I've always liked the sound of the word better with an S in it. Cur-smudge-eon. Good one Fred, you sharp eyed old devil you.

Ron from the Shoutbox noticed that since re-doing the format of the website, the top picture doesn't stretch all the way across the page. I wished it did but suspect a problem with the photo format not matching the blogger format may be the culprit. I have tried different photos but all with the same results. If anyone has a solution for that I would be happy to hear from them. I did initially have a lot of problems getting the wording to fit because it kept bleeding off into the gray area to the right. Had to not only reduce the size of the printing but also had to take out most of the text. I like the newer look better than what we had, but yes there is room for improvement. A LITTLE EARLY FOR PICNICS AT THE 5 SEASONS ESTATES, BAYFIELD

And thanks to Don out there in Brandon Manitoba once again for bringing to my attention the brake recall notice for the Workhorse Chassis. He spotted it on RV Net. http://www.rv.net/ You Workhorse drivers can check it out here..... http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22625788.cfm

The snow you see in to-day's blog pics is gone now. The pics were taken yesterday & I didn't have any new photos for to-day. Besides, how exciting can a picture of somebody raking leaves be...................:(( AS MUCH AS I DISLIKE WINTER......IT SURE CAN BE PRETTY

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

OLD MAN WINTER HAS DONE US A NASTY!!

A VERY COLD LITTLE PORCELIN BIRD


On Sunday, birds twittered in the forest near the pond, sunshine filtered through the pine boughs & I was merrily raking leaves & pine needles in my neighbor's yard.
To-day that tranquil early spring scene has been replaced by gray skies, icy cold winds, & trees bent low under the heavy weight of snow. Old man winter has done us a nasty!!
CONTRASTS....TROPICAL SCENE ON LAMP vs WINTER SCENE OUTSIDE

Electricity went out about 10:30 & stayed that way to nearly 1:30. I was out in the motorhome at the time it came back on firing up the systems for what I figured might be a move back into the rig before the house became too cold. Seems almost everytime we have some kind of storm here....our electricity goes down in this area. NO, THOSE ARE NOT REAL SUNFLOWERS

Kelly's back from Spencerport so she headed over to the Lodge to begin organizing things for the busy tourist season fast approaching. Also, the electricity was on over there & they had heat!! She phoned a couple of times to see if the electricity was on here yet.....nope!! Sat in the big chair with my warm security blanket & Motormouse on my lap as a heat source. Got myself caught up on my RV & Astronomy magazines that had piled up over the winter. The house was stone silent & I always find that a little eerie because we always have music playing in the background. I don't like silence.....it makes me think!! MY WHEELBARROW IS RIGHT WHERE I LEFT IT SUNDAY!!

Weather is looking the same for to-morrow but one whole day of sitting in the house is enough so I'm going to pull a rabbit out of the hat & find me something different to do. Two days in row like that is too much..........has a tendency to, well you know...............................make me think eh !!
NO PHOTOS FOR THE WEB ALBUM TO-NIGHT

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

NO BLOG TO-NIGHT....THE BRAIN IS PLAYING HARD TO FIND AGAIN!!

THEM DARN TRAVEL URGES ARE STIRRING AGAIN!!

Haven't even been home a week & already I feel the travel urges stirring. My ancestors must have been Nomads or something. Same thing happens to me when we're traveling. About 2 weeks in one spot & I'm itching to move on & see something new. Had I never traveled at all or been a part of the RV lifestyle I might be more content doing this domestic suburban house thing. But, having lived on the road on & off over the past 5 years the RV bug has got a hold of me real darn good!!

We have had many conversations about fulltiming the last couple of years & you fulltimers out there know exactly how the talks go because you all have had them with each other. In all our travels we never met one full timing couple who had any regrets about their decision. But, it's a big decision. In fact, it's a whopper!!

We thought we had the makings of some future RV plans last fall but then, like a ka-zillion other folks, the economic melt down suddenly changed direction for a lot of us so it's kind of been like getting back to the drawing board all over again. We'll see how this summer shakes out.....................................

ABOUT THIRD GEAR THE GRIN BEGINS STRETCHING ACROSS MY FACE

(File Photos)

There is always something special about that first motorcycle ride of the season up here in the colder climates where, unlike the south, we can only ride our motorcycles comfortably about 6 months of the year. And, we still have to pay full insurance coverage for those other 6 months the bike sits in storage too!!

I was fortunate this year that I didn't have to go through the always frustrating (for me) start up procedure. My friend Bruce, a past biker himself maintained the bikes battery all winter & installed it in the bike about a week before we got home from the southwest. He had a little trouble getting it going (I can never get it going) but with his usual patience & know how he got it fired up. All's I had to do when we got home was go over to the neighbors garage where it was stored, check the oil & tires & ride the bike out the door & bring it home. Thanks Bruce:))

The night's have been cold so I started the bike a few times during the week & let it idle. Didn't want that battery going dead!! I was busy to-day with the yard clean but around 4 o'clock while walking past the bike I thought......Hey, it's time:)) The sun was shining, roads were dry, & I think we must have been up around 55F. On with the helmet, sunglasses, & leather jacket. Up with the kickstand, key on & hit the starter. "Houston, we have ignition" Let the bike warm up a couple of minutes, popped it into gear, out with the clutch, wobbled out the driveway, around the corner & up to the stop sign. This is the part I like.....nice long easy take off roll in first gear pushing the revs right up to the max & then down comes the hammer & I'm off like a herd of turtles in a cloud of heifer dust!! Love to hear that big muffler echoing off the trees as I rocket out of the forest & into the open countryside. It's about when I hit third gear going like Jack the Bear that the big Cheshire grin begins stretching across my face. Happens everytime on the first ride. No yippeeees or yabba dabba do's like years ago.....just that great big grin as I hear & feel the wind ripping through the helmet. It's an open paved road ahead of me with no traffic so I take the speed right up to the point of stupidity then back it down to a comfortable cruising speed & we are all set for another summer of enjoyable motorcycling. Big Cheshire grin & all:))

I wrote a little story about my first motorcycle experience nearly 15 years ago.
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2007/09/motorcyclefirst-experience.html
And I also wrote a blog last summer about a really dumb thing I did to my motorcycle!! It's entitled, "Is That A Diesel Motorcycle Sir??"
http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2008/08/is-that-diesel-motorcycle-sir.html
(and thanks to Laurie for the tip on inserting links into the blog)

Weatherman is predicting a miserable rainy day to-morrow so I'm going to try my hand at changing the blog's format & appearance. I like the looks of Laurie & Odell's blog. http://laurieandodel.blogspot.com/ I like the fact that it stretches clear across the screen. Laurie has sent me some instructions so if I make myself an extra strong coffee in the morning I just might be hyped & brave enough to give it a try. Wish me luck.............

There is music in my family & my Mother could play piano by ear. Music has always been one of the most enjoyable things in my life but try as I may I could never seem to figure out how to play an instrument. I'm a closet singer & the thicker the closet walls the better. However, my very talented Son Sean has taken that music bug & ran with it over the years. He not only writes & sings all his own songs but he plays keyboards & does all the production stuff himself as well. His band, The Weak Need has just released an album featuring Sean's song writing talents with Sean doing the vocals, keyboards & technical production.
Following is a review in to-day's Kitchener-Waterloo Record regarding the recent release of his album...Restitution.

A little weak in confidence but powerful in production
April 02, 2009 Colin Hunter
It takes a certain amount of nerve to give your band a name like The Weak Need.
Doing so is practically an invitation to music critics -- the opportunistic vultures that they/we can so often be -- to utilize the name as an easy linguistic weapon against the band in a snarky review.
"Weak," such a soupus scribe might snarl, "is precisely the right word for the music!"
Or: "I'll tell you what these guys need -- a better album!"
There shall be no such sniping here, though, since The Weak Need have a secret weapon of their own, which they have fired in a pre-emptive strike: a self-assured, beautifully produced album, Restitution.
In other words, their chutzpah was warranted, because there's nothing particularly weak or needy about this solid 10-track collection of lush emo-pop.
The band strides comfortably into the radio-friendly territory of bands like Muse and Keane, with brief glimmers of the adventurousness of Radiohead and Aereogramme.
While no aspect of this album can rightly be described as "weak," some listeners (myself included) might suggest that the album feels a little too restrained or cautious at times.
On several tracks, the band builds a crescendo that never quite reaches its peak, like a firework that launches into the air but fizzles out before the big colourful explosion.
The best tracks on the album, such as the stellar Heal You and Beyond The Stars, are the ones on which the musicians crank the volume, stomp the distortion pedals and belt out the lyrics with rockstar swagger.
Such bombastic tracks, however, are outnumbered by the heartfelt ballads that showcase frontman Sean Croley's emotive vocals and laudable talents on the piano. Some of these softer songs, like the album closer Thank You, feature haunting harmonies and evocative lyricism, but others could benefit from a bit more guitar-fuelled oomph.
The album, recorded at Kitchener's Cedartree Studio, boasts some of the loveliest production quality you're liable to hear from an indie band, and makes for a strong, satisfying listen.
The band demonstrated some chutzpah when choosing a name. If they'd only show a bit more chutzpah by truly rocking out when the time is right, they'd be nigh-on perfect.

Listen to the album here.....http://www.paywhatyouwantonline.com/Browse.aspx?opt=album&albumid=25

Here's the link to the review.
http://news.therecord.com/arts/NightLife/article/513787
The Weak Need website http://www.theweakneed.com/

AWWWWWW NUTS.....NO BLOG TO-NIGHT:((

GETTING IN THE GROOVE OF BEING HOME

WAITING FOR WARM SUNNY DAYS & ENDLESS ROADS

I had meant to include a couple travel stats in last night's blog but of course forgot. In case anyone was interested, we put a total of 5,987 miles on the motorhome this past winter. Total cost for gas was $1,552 & maybe another $300 for day trips in the car. Not bad considering how much a week would cost flying to a resort in the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, or Barbados, etc. SOME GOOSE ACTION ON THE POND THIS MORNING

Big surprise when we looked out the window this morning. Everything was white!! Had snowed in the night giving everything a very wintery look. It did remind me of Christmas though. The day remained cold & the snow is going to hang around until to-morrow when we'll be up into the low 40's. Last time we had seen snow was back in March during our stay at the ranch in southeastern Arizona. YES, IT'S JUST ABOUT AS COLD AS IT LOOKS TOO AS WE TRUDGE THROUGH THE FOREST

It has taken me 3 days but I am beginning to feel a little normal again. Nice to resume our daily morning walks around the pond, along the creek, & through the pine forest where we live. That jet lag, or in our case, rig lag really knocks the stuffing's out of a person. Brain doesn't function well, short term memory goes into the dumper, irritability levels off the chart, simple tasks suddenly become major confusion, etc. I'll be glad when my tired brain cells have been re-instated & simple tasks once again become just minor confusions!! A FROZEN BIRD'S NEST AWAITS A WARM SPRING FAMILY

Sandra commented on yesterday's blog suggesting we should name our motorhome. It's been in the back of my mind for awhile but her comment brought it to light again. I'm thinking of calling her.......Bisbee. Any ideas folks?? MAX SENSES DEER DURING OUR MORNING WALK

One year ago to-day we had a rather large event going on here at home. Click on this link & scroll two thirds of the way down the page looking for the blog entitled, The Happy Face Of........ "SURPRISE:))" http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2008_04_01_archive.html (it's the last blog on the page) A QUIET CREEK WINDS THROUGH THE FOREST BESIDE OUR PATH

For the last two years in a row we have come home to dead van batteries. Both batteries were new & had been kept inside during the winter months. Batteries had been maintained & charged periodically. To-day we had to put our 3rd new battery in the van. Luckily the batts were warrantied. Our garage man told me to-day we would be better off leaving the battery in the van for the winter & just have someone start it up & take the van for a short run every once & awhile. Better for the battery & better for the van. It's very unfortunate but batteries are not built like they used to be. In to-day's throw away society things are made on the cheap for higher company profit margins I guess. WE WALK THIS PATH EVERY MORNING WE CAN

To-morrow I might slip up to our Canadian Tire store in Goderich for a walk around just to really get myself in the groove of being home..............................:))OUR CEMENT DALMATION DOG BLENDS RIGHT IN.....Look for the tiny red collar

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

THE LAST TRAVEL BLOG.....BUT NOT THE LAST BLOG:))

WORKING ON THE YARD CLEAN UP TO-DAY

They say machines don't have feelings or emotions but every time I walked by the motorhhome to-day I couldn't help but sense it's loneliness. For four & a half months we were all one big happy family traveling about, boondocking, living & playing to-gether. The rig held up it's side of the bargain by giving us trustworthy & reliable service while on the road & during our whole stay in the southwest. It gave us heat when we needed it & cool air when it was hot. The plumbing system worked fine & despite a noisy water pump it always gave us plenty of hot water to scrub our little faces. It gave us electricity & light to read by, music on the radio, internet, & television. The solar system worked perfect & it carried our bicycles & towed the Santa Fe for us. Kept us safe while on the road & gave us protection at nights. The doggy guys were kept cool by it's fans while Kelly & I were away on day trips & it provided sanctuary the few times we were in congested RV parks. I am reminded of the time in Oliver Lee State Park, New Mexico when it decided to throw me a little curve by not retracting one of it's leveling jacks. Memories of windy nights when it rocked us to sleep & cold nights with warm heaters going. Open windows with big Arizona breezes blowing through & California nights with campfires under the stars. Doggies trundling up the steps & doggies trundling down the steps. It let me know it was unhappy about the hard climb over the mountains east of Las Cruces coming home & it also let me know how happy it felt when I gave it it's head & let it run clear & free on the Interstates. Memories of the people we met who came inside to have a look at our adobe paint job & southwest decorating. Memories of Fillmore bounding inside & up on Max's bed. Max never forgave Fillmore for that!! Yes, many great memories of our best traveling season ever. Best weather of ever as well. We met more people this year than in previous trips, saw more places, did more hikes, & traveled more miles on day trips. Some of our technology changed along the way for the better too. When the modem broke down on our Hughes-Net satellite system at City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico we were forced to make some decisions. Not knowing what caused the modem to malfunction we decided not to sink money into another one & instead went the way of a different technology. Purchased a Verizon Air Card in Silver City & from then on we never looked back. (anyone want a Hughes-Net dish) WHEELBARROWING A BIG LOAD OF SPRING AIR

From egg pockets in Borrego Springs to a ka-zillion egg salad sandwich's on the way home, it was a trip full of memories that will last us many years. Some memories were a bit embarrassing like the time I had a shower & left the drain valve open which resulted in all the shower water pouring out into the parking lot of an RV dealership in Las Cruces New Mexico. And yes, there were people out walking around in the parking lot too. I think the longest & warmest memories we have are of our days at Jeannie & Rays ranch near McNeal, Arizona. That was a great learning experience for us & a memory that will be with us always. Many, many, memories & those are but a few.

But now the rig sits alone & empty in it's parking space. The radio is silent, cozy warm air is replaced by cool damp temperatures inside. The warm dial lights of appliances & night lights have gone out. The CB radio isn't crackling with truckers & the quiet whirring of fans isn't moving air in or out anymore. It rests in it's spot with a big sad face waiting for the hustle & bustle of little paws & big clumpy boots & shoes. It's waiting for the return of the Bayfield Bunch to give it life, to give it purpose, & to give it meaning once again. So, with all that in mind, I walked over to the rig this afternoon, patted her on the rump, thanked her for making all the memories possible this past winter & told her to rest up for the summer because in the fall it will once again be time to load up the whole gang & get out there on the highways & byways in search of new roads, mountains, canyons, old & new friends, & a whole great big pile of new memories. And you know what........I think I put a smile on her face:)) And a special thanks to all the nice comments, emails, & notes, from people welcoming us home. And once again thanks to absolutely everyone for being a part of our journey. It was you folks who inspired me to write the blog each day & take the photos. Thanks for being a part of my hobby........................ AL:))

OUR HOUSE & LITTLE VILLAGE OF BAYFIELD ONTARIO, CANADA http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/ I hope to upload the last album sometime in the next couple of days.