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.

WELL, IT SOUNDED GOOD IN THEORY

WE HAVE LOTS OF PERIWINKLE HERE

We are into our third straight day of rain but that's ok this time of year because it will really spur on the spring growth of buds, leaves, & flowers.  Good start for greening up all the grass as well.  Keeps the frog pond full of water & the bird baths overflowing so all is well in the front yard.  Lots of bird action out there already this year.

SPRING RAINS ARE GREENING THINGS UP

In Karen's blog today,  SMALL HOUSE-BIG BACK YARD,  she talks about RV storage bins & how they have them utilized.  She adds photos & captions showing how their motorhome's storage space is organized.  I have found that storage space & traveling is a good example of theory & practical applications.  The trick is in keeping your theory practical.  Coming from a 5th wheel to a motorhome we were overwhelmed by all the extra storage space available to us.  Seemed like acres & acres of room to lose every imaginable thing you could think of.  I could see right off the bat that the rig had a far bigger capacity for storing things than my brain did.  I knew there was no possible way I was going to ever remember where everything was. 

FRONT YARD MALE CARDINAL >>>

In my younger days I had worked for a few stores like Eatons & Sears in warehouse capacities so knew the importance of inventory, labeling, & organization.  Figured I would put that knowledge to use.

First thing I did was to get some of those small sticky-back numbers & starting from the first bin on the passenger side I gave each bin a number from 1 to 13.  Thirteen was the bin closest to the front on the driver's side.  I then got myself a 3 ring binder & began recording everything I put into each bin.  I even inventoried the toolbox so I knew what was inside without having to open it.  I was pretty pleased with myself for being so orderly & my system worked flawlessly............ for about a week!!

                          
Everything looked well & good sitting at home in the driveway but within a week or two of traveling my whole inventory was pretty much upside down.  Didn't take me long to forget about making changes to the inventory book as I rearranged things.   Going from a nice neatly organized  stationary bin arrangement in the driveway to the reality of the road with it's many last minute overnight stops, weekly campsites, & monthly stays, it was inevitable I would forget to record the dozens & dozens of changes along the way.  I was already behind the 8 ball after the first week & despite my efforts at trying to update my changes I just fell further & further behind until I finally didn't even know where my inventory book was anymore.  So much for my logical theory!!

  

AM WONDERING WHAT KIND OF BIRD THIS IS

For full timers this isn't as great a problem because they live with their stuff each & every day but for us snow birders it's kinda difficult with that long 5 & 6 month dry stretch in between travels.  Just when I'm getting my head wrapped around to knowing where things are while traveling it's time to head home in the spring again.  Six months later when it's time to hit the road once more I'm lucky if I can remember where I've even left the motorhome!! 

 

(click pics to enlarge)

And, one last thought about storage.  That first year with the motorhome we jammed anything & everything into the rig's bins we could think of.  And why did we do that?  Because the space was there & we felt we had to fill it with something.  I am still mentally inclined that way & have to keep telling myself, "no, you do not have to do that!!"   This past year heading south we probably had a good 25% of our storage space empty with nearly the same numbers !!back.   We're getting better:))

And what did Al have for supper tonight......you really don't want to know........10-4!!

HEY, WASSUP OVER THERE

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Joe Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 a.m. While his coffee pot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG). He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA).  After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY) and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB. At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day, Joe decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in.....AMERICA!!

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.

IT WAS 3 YEARS AGO THIS APRIL THAT WE MADE THE BIG SWITCH

IT WAS ABOUT THIS POINT IN APRIL OF 2007 WE DECIDED WE HAD TO MAKE A CHANGE (Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus, New Mexico)

Another cool rainy early spring day here so not a lot going on.  It was in April of 2007 that we made the switch from a truck & fifth wheel trailer to a motorhome & no I'm not going to bash back & forth about which is better because when it comes right down to the bottom line it just depends on the personal preferences & circumstances of each & every RV'er.

A PAIR OF CARDINALS DISCUSS THE RAINY WEATHER TODAY                        

For years we had often talked about which kind of RV we would get someday if the opportunity presented itself.  Well, in late summer of 06 that opportunity did present itself & we were off on our hunt.  Back & forth we went between motorhomes & 5'vers.  So many pros & cons.  So many preferences, desires, wants, & needs.  We certainly did not want to rush into anything & make any big mistakes so with that foremost in mind...... we rushed right out & made a big mistake.

CHECKERS IS HAPPY TO BE BACK ON HER FAVORITE COUCH AGAIN

 

Actually we only had a couple of months to find something before heading off to the southwest.  Friends of ours had a really nice exceptionally clean Silverado truck & Rockwood fifth wheel for sale & we of course were knocked out by the 'Wow' factor.  A deal was struck & we brought the truck & trailer home happy as a couple little ants in a sugar bowl.  Had some doubts about the lighter truck's ability to pull the trailer in the heavy mountain regions of the southwest so traded it in for a bigger GMC truck & were soon headed off down the road for the great American Southwest.

           

FIRST TRUCK & 5VER   -   SECOND TRUCK   (click on photos to enlarge)

I think it was in Columbus New Mexico on our way home about 2 months later when it finally became apparent to us that we may have made a wrong decision.  We slowly began to realize we had not clearly thought the whole RV vehicle thing through clearly enough.  Main concern was the 3 doggy guys.  They had to ride the many long tedious miles in the small seat behind the front seats so we constantly had dog breath breathing over our shoulders for miles & miles.  I had to build a ramp before we left to get the guys in & out & they were always crowded back there too.

TEACHING THE GUYS TO USE THE RAMP:))

ROCKHOUND STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO

Had to carry a separate generator in the back of the open truck & I didn't much care for having to wrestle with that thing all the time.  Not a lot of storage space in that fifth wheel compared to the motorhome we have now either.  And, I never did care for that hooking up procedure but I did prefer the manual leveler legs on the Rockwood compared to the troublesome hydraulic levelers we have on our Damon motorhome now.  And the fact we had to drive around in a big tight suspension pick up truck when we got to where we were going didn't impress me either.  Those trucks may be fine on smooth paved roads but get them out on the bumpy back roads of the desert & the ride is like an old lumber wagon with every bump trying to eject you through the roof.  I'm sure some guys think this is really cool but I am not one of them!!!!

TRUCK WAS COMFORTABLE AS LONG AS IT WASN'T ON A ROUGH ROAD (Darby Wells road west of Ajo AZ.)

Our 28' Rockwood was also known as an ultra lite which meant it didn't have the full insulation, etc that other 5th wheels have & this was made quite apparent to us in Columbus, New Mexico when the temps dropped below freezing & it snowed for a few days.   We just could not get warm inside that thing.  I think we had pretty much made up our minds by this time & on the way home that year we ran into heavy Michigan snow storms that promptly took care of any remaining doubts in our mind.  We picked up a lot of ice & slush on the trailer & the added weight made it buck like a rodeo bronco.  I couldn't even hold a cup of coffee steady in the cab.  By the time we pulled into our driveway in Bayfield the writing was on the wall.  We had made a poor first choice & were going to have to start all over again.

   

HAD TO USE A PROPANE TORCH & UN-THAW THE HITCH TO GET THE TRAILOR OFF THE TRUCK

We spent about a month running around looking at motorhomes in the area & reading reams of info on the internet.  Thought about a bigger Class C for a bit but we had already had a couple of those & decided a motorhome was a better way for us to go.  Looked at some more rigs in London & then I remembered seeing a fellow's place in Grand Bend with 5 or 6 motorhomes for sale, so that's where we headed.

WE WERE ORIGINALLY INTERESTED IN THE CENTER RIG WITH TWIN VERTICAL WINDOWS

We were impressed right off the bat with Ron Krauter at FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE.  Ron & his wife Jan are RV'er's themselves & spend their winter's in the southwest around Parker, Arizona.  Ron is extremely knowledgeable about RV's & the whole RV  lifestyle.  Looked at some coaches but Ron said to hold on because he was heading to Florida in a couple weeks & picking up a Damon Challenger 329 that he thought would be perfect for us, and he was right.... it was:))

 

TRADING IN THE TRUCK & TRAILER FOR THE MOTORHOME

                      

DRIVING THE BIG RIG HOME TO BAYFIELD FROM GRAND BEND ON APRIL 17TH, 2007

At 33' with the Workhorse Chassis & Chevy Vortec 8.1 gasoline engine it pulls our little Santa Fe effortlessly.  If it wasn't for the rear view camera we would never know it's there.  The dogs are much happier now with all the extra room while we are moving & I love all the extra space in the big storage bins.  And, it's much more fun to drive.  Another unexpected thing I like is the fewer gasoline stops on the road.  Much bigger gas tank than the truck so we can go greater distances without refueling.  Fighting with stupid gas pumps is one of my major pet peeves by the way & I'll blog about that in another post soon.

THE RIG HAS LANDED.....HOME SWEET HOME:))

Again, this post is not meant to ruffle any feathers in the ever ongoing debate between which is the better RV to have.  Like I said, it all boils down to each individual RV'er's wants & needs.  For us at this age & stage of our RVing life a motorhome works best for us.  In the  future, who knows.......maybe a tent & sleeping bag again.  Ya right!!!!

TONIGHT'S YUMMY SUPPER....Large flake oatmeal with a smattering of 5 grains granola thrown in.  Topped off with raisins, brown sugar & banana slices.  Skim milk finished off the masterpiece:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know that when the TV repairman got married the reception was excellent or that a cardboard belt would be a waist of paper.
But, not to worry because the little old woman who lived in a shoe wasn't the sole owner - there were strings attached.   And besides, when the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U C L A.  And, just in case you think I'm getting a little to smart alecky here, just keep in mind that those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.  Ok, & don't tell anyone about the dog who  gave birth to puppies near the road and was ticketed for littering.

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.

BETTER TO HAVE RAIN THAN SNOW!!

RELAXING ON A RAINY DAY

Rained all night & the computer map shows we are in for a few rainy days.  That is totally acceptable compared to a year ago today when we had.....snow!!!!

View Full Album

IT WAS A SNOWY APRIL 6TH IN 2009

Often times traveling throughout the American southwest in the past few years we have come across places that we thought would be nice to live.   New Mexico, Arizona, & California come to mind.  New Mexico is probably the most cost effective while California is the most expensive.   For RV folks like ourselves who live in the harsher winter climates of the north it only makes sense to look for a more moderate year round climate further south & New Mexico would be the logical place to begin that search.  

THE GILA FOREST IN THE MIMBRES MOUNTAINS EAST OF SILVER CITY NEW MEXICO

We have always thought an ideal situation would be to live in northern New Mexico or Arizona during the hotter summer months & then spend the winter's a few miles away in the warmer south.  We saw some really nice pine forested areas east of Silver City in the Gila Forest area a couple of years ago that we liked.  It was just one of many regions we found interesting.   A short hop, skip, & a jump, to the warmer deserts of the low country for the winter months.  It would mean no more tedious long grueling drives two thirds of the way across the country just to get where we're going.  And, much easier access to all the northern States for summer travel.  Well, easier said than done of course but it is one of those pots of interest we keep on the back burner along with our southern British Columbia ideas.  It is these simmering pots that keep me positive about the future.  I always welcome the challenge of acceptable change.

WE OFTEN CHECK REAL ESTATE PRICES IN AREAS WE LIKE  (near Hillsboro New Mexico)

Our motorhome seems lonely these days sitting outside in it's  quiet spot beside our carport.  Once again this past winter it had been our warm cozy home every single day for over 5 months.  The hub of all night & day activities.  It moved us from one spot to another, kept us dry in the rain & secure in the wind.   Warmed us up on cold nights & cooled us off on warm days.  Our rig is an integral part of the Bayfield Bunch & I can't help but feel a little sad when I see it sitting out there all alone.  No barking dogs or talking people inside.  No early morning or after supper games of toys going on with the furry guys.  The satellite radio is silent & the black television screen remains off & strapped to the wall.  No awnings flapping in the wind or the sounds of flags dancing in a stiff afternoon breeze.   It sits in it's dormant state patiently waiting.  Waiting for the first stirrings of activity in early fall.  An armful of clothes coming in, a box or two, maybe a few tins of soup into a kitchen cupboard.  It patiently awaits the return of life when we will once again breath new excitement into it's expectant waiting heart...............:))

 

RESTING UNTIL IT'S TIME TO HIT THE ROAD AGAIN

Welcome to blog follower Sheila who makes our 123rd follower.  I think we have another animal lover here:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know the only way to get holy water is to boil the hell out of it!!

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.