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/
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.

NEW TRIBES MISSION.....A LOOK BACK

INSIDE THE SPIC & SPAN SPOTLESS AIRCRAFT HANGER OF THE 'NEW TRIBES MISSION' IN McNEAL ARIZONA.................

Noticed interest in the blog has dropped off this past couple of weeks so figured I'd try generating a little interest by re-posting a hopefully more informative & interesting post from one of our Arizona day trips last winter.   Some of you might remember our visit to the NEW TRIBES MISSION 'Aviation Division' in McNeal Arizona last December 17th.......................................

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A blonde goes into a coffee shop and notices there's a "peel and win" sticker on her coffee cup.  So she peels it off and starts screaming, "I've won a motorhome!  I've won a motorhome!"  The waitress says, "That's impossible.  The biggest prize is a free Lunch.?"  But the blonde keeps on screaming,  "I've won a motorhome!  I've won a motorhome!"
Finally, the manager comes over and says,
"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you're mistaken.
You couldn't have possibly won a motorhome
because we didn't have that as a prize.
The blonde says, "No, it's not a mistake.
I've won a motorhome!"
And she hands the ticket to the manager and HE reads...
>

>

>

"W I N A B A G E L"

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IT'S LIKE DRIVING ON STILTS!!

 

"HERE'S LOOKIN AT YOU, KID".......TREE FROG ON OUR WINDOW SILL...(all of tonight's pics are file photos)

DEER PARK LODGE where Kelly works whenever we are not in the southwest has just put together a nice new website complete with a 'Beach Cam' where you can see what's happening on their beach in streaming real time video.  Just click on the sites webcam icon.  Remember, if your out on the west coast of the country & you click on the web cam at 8 p.m. it's going to be all black because in real time it is around midnight here.  Some of the photos on Deer Park's website are mine & I will be going over on Saturday to photograph a few more cottage interiors for the site.

 

DEER PARK BEACH

I have had a lot of various vehicles over the years from Mini-Minors & VW Beetles to Vans, Motorcycles & RV's, including a Motor Home.  But, nothing prepared me for the different cornering & handling characteristics of a Jeep.  Although the Jeep & my very first ever car, a VW Beetle, have many similarities, handling is not one of them.  Driving the Jeep TJ Sport is akin to driving on a long pair of wobbly stilts.   Gone is that smooth road hugging secure sure footed sports car feel I have become complacent with over the years.  It's been quite a mismatched dance the Jeep & I have been doing as we go about the business of slowly getting to know each other this past week. 

HOLLYHOCK FLOWER

A left or right turn from a stop sign has been quite a performance as I wibble wobble, hop & jerk myself through the gears (I'll blog about the gears later) in a series of steering wheel confusions & corrections to keep myself straight & level.......and upright!!  Because of the short wheelbase, high clearance, & light weight of the Jeep, a turn can be like a newbie stunt pilot practicing an aerial snap role on a windy day & every time I sneeze I almost do a complete 360 degree turn right on the road. 

OUR PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS PATCH

It's been quite a 'getting to know you' feeling these first few days that's for sure but I have already sensed an early bond building between the Jeep & myself as the cornering, shifting, & over all handling become smoother each day.  We are definitely learning to dance better together as we each anticipate each other's moves.  Me & Jeepers are fast becoming big pals because already I can feel the old time driving skills coming back.  Been a long time since I took a keen interest in a vehicle like I did way back in the crazy old days of yore.  This is going to be a fun ride for sure & we've barely known each other a week:))

EYES ARE UPON US IN OUR CACTUS PATCH

Last Monday we took our Hyundai Santa Fe over to Waterloo Ontario to pick up the Jeep.  I noticed the engine was a bit jerky & missing.  Even at an idle the engine was not running smooth.  This morning we dropped it off at the Bayfield Garage & they diagnosed a bad ignition coil & spark plug wires.  Ignition coil was done today & the plug wires are on back order to be installed next week.

THIS IS A 5 YEAR OLD FILE PIC OF THE HURON COUNTY PLAYHOUSE WHERE KELLY & I SAT IN THAT SECOND ROW FOR 'COUNTRY LEGENDS' A FEW DAYS AGO

Kelly had a rare day off today & it was nice to have her home puttering around doing stuff a person with a rare day off gets to do when puttering around at home.

 

HEAVY WAVES ALONG THE GRAND BEND PIER

I fussed with the Jeep for awhile today & came up with a plan for a little renovation job in the area behind the front seats where I took the rear seat out.  I could do it myself but then it would look like I did it myself so think I'll get my handyman friend Bruce to do the project so that it looks professional.  Kelly also came across a Jeep tutorial video this afternoon showing how to remove & re-install the tops so we just might tackle that little job shortly too.  Is it possible to get too brave!!  If there are any newbie Jeep folks like ourselves out there you can check out that video here...  JEEP TUTORIAL VIDEO

AND YES IT'S TRUE.....THE NEARBY TOWN OF EXETER ONTARIO DOES HAVE WHITE ALBINO LOOKING SQUIRRELS...................

GROANER'S CORNER:((  It is said that a conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. And speaking of thinking,  did you know that Atheism is a non-prophet organization.  And if you must borrow money, borrow it from a pessimist.....they don't expect it back!!

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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 BACK ROADING & A VISIT WITH UNCLE HARRY

 

IT'S NOT OFTEN WE GET ALL 3 GUYS TOGETHER ON THE MORNING TRAIL ANYMORE:((

Took the rear seat out of the Jeep this morning so that gives us a bit of cargo space behind the seats.  Did the same thing with the mini-van when we first brought it home & hauled out the center bench seat leaving only the rear bench for Max to sleep on during the day.  I think we will just leave the Jeep's hard top on for now & not get in a stew about having to put the soft top up.  We haven't got a hope of doing that on our own & will just maybe wait until some other experienced Jeep people can show us how it's done.  I don't want to get in a snit about it & then risk breaking something.

COULD THIS BE THE START OF SOME SERIOUS MOUNTAIN GOATING FOR JEEPERS

Someone in our 'Shout Box' wondered about our departure date for this fall but it's way too early for us to figure that out yet & there is an outside chance we might not make it all.  With Kelly's Dad's health steadily failing & my Uncle now in a nursing home we are in a bit of quandary as to what to do.  We chanced it the last couple years but this winter is looking more iffy.  If we were out in the middle of the desert somewhere in Arizona or California & something happened we would be hard pressed to make it all the way back to Canada in time.  Or, one of us would have to fly back & the other stay put with the dogs.  Kelly & I have differing opinions on what to do about this winter so we'll have to wait & see what happens.  Just too early to make any hard & fast decisions or plans yet.

OPEN THAT DAM GATE WILL YA.....I'M A JEEP & I'M GONNA GET DIRTY!!!!

I implemented that Live Writer fix Rick suggested the other day to combat my Error 400 problem.  Kelly read that putting things like '&' in the Category line at the bottom can cause the error too so I haven't been putting any category words in at all these past few days.  We'll see how it goes.

OK, SO WHERE IS A BIG MUDDY POT HOLE WHEN YOU NEED ONE!!

Since the humidity departed our area a few days ago our weather has been about as perfect as it gets. Lots of sunshine & big puffy white clouds.  Our rural countryside is looking so beautiful & I can feel a wee photo safari coming on soon.

THIS IS WHERE THE TIRES MEET THE FLOWERS!!

Slipped down to Mitchell this afternoon for a couple hours to visit my Uncle Harry.  My Aunt Jean from Florida was there & we were able to get Harry up & into a wheelchair for a little spin around the nursing home grounds outside.  Despite the pain Harry was in today he really did enjoy getting outside for about an hour.  Nice back road drive (the highways are crammed for the long weekend) returning to Bayfield with a few Jeep photos along the way.  Oh no, not more Jeep photos!!  Bare with me folks.....the novelty will wear off soon enough:((

BACK OFF BOOGALOO I'M A COMIN THROUGH

GROANER'S CORNER:))  And here's a great little exercise program for people over 60..........

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. 
With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.
Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags. 
Then try 50-lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level.)
After you feel confident at that level, try putting a potato in each bag:))

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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.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES:))

OK BOYS.....HERE WE GOOOOOO!!

Amazing what a decent night's sleep can do & today the energies, enthusiasm & interests were back in place leading to a much better day.  We all occasionally have down days but most folks don't publicly blog about them.  I have always felt at the end of the day it's important to talk about the realities & feelings of the day & not  just fluff things off in a fairy tale sort of way.

  

WITHIN A MINUTE OF EXITING THE HURON COUNTY PLAYHOUSE THIS AFTERNOON KELLY WAS ON THE CELL PHONE FIELDING DEER PARK LODGE CALLS

First bit of business this morning was to get that electrical connection problem in the Jeep cleared up so off to the Bayfield Garage I went.  There are advantages to living in or near a small town & our only garage is a fine example of that.  Garage owner Don came out right away & had a look at the connector, slipped back inside for some tools, (thought he was gonna get a 20 pound sledge) & then set about getting the connection apart.  This might sound odd but I was heartened by the difficulty Don had getting that connector apart.  It wasn't just me!!  Thirty seconds later the deed was done & he permanently removed the tiny locking clip so that frustration would not happen again.

HURON COUNTY PLAYHOUSE COMPLEX WITH THE MAIN STAGE IN THAT TALLER CENTER BUILDING

From there it was a short hop to STORMRUNNER R.V. SALES & SERVICE.   Along with the Bayfield Garage we are fortunate to have a full service facility that can look after all our RVing needs.  Dianne & Harry are RV folks themselves & spend their winter months in Florida.  Had a few RV questions plus I wanted to drop in & see Dianne because she often emails us while we are traveling & catches us up on some of Bayfield's news.  We always look forward to her emails.  Both Dianne & Harry are former Jeep owners so they slipped out to have a look at our little Jeepers.  Appreciated their advice & suggestions.  Harry advised getting some oil on the door hinges & Dianne suggested I blow my nose & get my hat on straight.......Ok, ok, so that last one wasn't true:))   Dianne & Harry run a first class RV business here & anyone in the area would be well advised to drop in with any RV questions & check out their large inventory of new & used RV's & well stocked RV store.............especially you 5th wheel Jockeys because they do specialize in 5th wheels.  Just tell em the Bayfield Bunch sent ya:))

              

PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE AFTERNOON PERFORMANCE AT THE PLAYHOUSE

Tried my hand at putting a Bayfield Bunch logo on the windshield of the Jeep this morning & it was a good thing I had two sets of letters because I really messed up the first one & ended up with Goo Gone & a scraper to remove the mess I made.  Second attempt went much better.  Good thing Kelly's son has a Graphic Design business & we can get some of that graphic stuff for free.  FLORENCE SIGNS AND GRAPHICS

MY SECOND ATTEMPT AT GETTING THE LETTERING ON CORRECTLY

We Jeeped it to Grand Bend this afternoon to see the first performance of 'Country Legends' at the Huron County Playhouse.  And, as usual we were treated to a superb performance by very professional musicians & Playhouse performers.  It was a packed house & the nearly two hour performance had people out of their seats clapping & singing along to the music.  Hank Williams, Marty Robbins, Ray Price, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Tammy Wynett, Patsy Cline, Statler Brothers, Willy Nelson, Hank Snow, Roger Miller, Glen Campbell & Little Jimmy Dickens were just a few of the tribute performers there today.  What a perfect way to spend a few hours on a beautiful sunny summer's day here at Ontario's West Coast.

NOTICE THAT SQUEEGEE LAYING ON THE HOOD.....I had used that squeegee to press out any air bubbles on the windshield logo.  That was this morning at home & this picture was taken this afternoon at the Huron County Playhouse near Grand Bend about 20 miles from our house.  I had failed to notice that squeegee on the hood & it remained there without blowing off despite the 60 mph trip.  Last time I did this sort of thing was on I-10 in New Mexico west of Las Cruces.  Left a small wrench on the hood of the Santa Fe while towing it behind the rig.  By chance I spotted it when we stopped for gas east of Demming!!

WATER DOGS

And, I discovered something really neat-o about the Jeep today.  For many years all our vehicles have have had power windows but you always had to go through the routine of pressing a button to either move the window up or down.  I was puzzled at how to roll the Jeep windows down so pulled out the manual.  On one of the pages I discovered a very clear set of instructions for operating the windows.  Seems there is a handy handle crank on the door right beside the driver's left hand.  By simply turning this handle one way or the other, the window can magically be either raised or lowered.  Now, how coooooool is that.  No more AUTOMATIC & pesky labor intensive finger buttons.  Awwww yes, I just love this new techno age alright:))

NO PROBLEM FINDING OUR VEHICLE IN A PARKING LOT ANYMORE CAUSE IT LOOKS KINDA DIFFERENT THAN THE REST:))

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Here's a letter little Jimmy wrote home to his Mom & Dad from his first week at Scout Camp........Dear Mom & Dad, Our Scoutmaster told us to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and are worried. We are okay. Only one of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned
because we were all up on the mountain looking for Adam when it happened.
Oh yes, please call Adam's mother and tell her he is okay. He can't write because of the cast. I got to ride in one of the search and rescue jeeps. It was neat. We never would have found Adam in the dark if it hadn't been for the lightning.
Scoutmaster Keith got mad at Adam for going on a hike alone without telling anyone. Adam said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so he probably didn't hear him. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas will blow up?
The wet wood didn't burn, but one of the tents did and also some of our clothes. Matthew is going to look weird until his hair grows back.
We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Keith gets the bus fixed. It wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked okay when we left. Scoutmaster Keith said that with a bus that old you have to expect something to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance.
We think it's a neat bus. He doesn't care if we get it dirty and if it's hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the fenders. He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the highway patrol man stopped and talked to us. It gets pretty hot with 45 people in a bus made for 24.
Scoutmaster Keith is a neat guy. Don't worry, he is a good driver. In fact, he is teaching Jessie how to drive on the mountain roads where there isn't any cops. All we ever see up there are logging trucks.
This morning all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out to the rapids. Scoutmaster Keith wouldn't let me because I can't swim, and Adam was afraid he would sink because of his cast, it's concrete because we didn't have any plaster, so he let us take the canoe out. It was great. You can still see some of the trees under
the water from the flood.
Scoutmaster Keith isn't crabby like some scoutmasters. He didn't even get mad about the life jackets. He has to spend a lot of time working on the bus so we are trying not to cause him any trouble.
Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit badges. When Andrew dived into the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.
Steven and I threw up, but Scoutmaster Keith said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken. He said they got sick that way with food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out and became our scoutmaster. He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing his time. By the way, what is
a pedal-file?
I have to go now. We are going to town to mail our letters & buy some more beer and ammo. Don't worry about anything. We are fine and tonight it's my turn to sleep in the Scoutmaster's tent.
Love, Jimmie

----------------------------------------------------

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 VERY UNPRODUCTIVE DAY:((

ALL OF TODAY'S PICS ARE FROM THE 'BEN MILLER INN' GROUNDS LAST SATURDAY & ALL DONE ABOUT 300mm WITH THE NEWER LENS

I don't know why my brain figures it has to wake me up early all the time but it had me out of bed at 3:15 a.m. this morning  and did not let me go back to sleep again!!  Aside from a few doze off's I have basically been awake in a zombie like state for the whole rest of the day.

Tried my hand at getting that socket plug in the Jeep unplugged again but my over tiredness, impatience, & low tolerance levels only allowed me 10 seconds of frustration time on that miserable annoyance & that was enough of that..........and the rest of the day didn't get much better either.

Wednesday afternoon we are off to the Huron County Playhouse just outside of Grand Bend to see the musical, Country Legends.  These are top rate performances & over the years we have attended over half a dozen plays here with every one of them being absolutely first rate.  My favorite was the Buddy Holly story about 4 years ago.

And before I forget....has anyone emailed me a question & never received an answer?  Just trying to catch up some loose ends here & get myself off this guilt wagon.  Ok, ok, one at a time please.......

                

At least the weather front that came in last night blew all of Monday's humidity out of the air making for a much cooler & pleasant day.  My time was spent with short periods of unconsciousness in my recliner interspersed with short bursts of unproductive energy resulting in just about the whole square root of nothing.  And that silly little burst of words is about all the blog material my over tired lame duck brain is going to give me tonight..................10-4:((

GROANER'S CORNER The old couple was sitting in the living room and the man asked his wife to "Make him a peanut butter sandwich with grape jelly and to make sure she used grape jelly and not the peach jelly".
She replied she would and asked did he want one slices or two. He replied two slices and make sure you use the grape jelly not the peach." He continued, as forgetful as you are would you write it down so you won't forget!"
She said: "I don't need to write it down because I will remember grape jelly and not peach.
After a while she came out with two eggs scrambled, a bowl of grits, two pieces of toast and a cup of coffee.
He looked at his meal and said:"I knew it, I knew it. I asked you to write it down because I knew you would forget the damn biscuits!" 

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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.

OUR JEEP COMES HOME:)))))))

PUTTING THE LICENSE PLATES ON IN WATERLOO THIS MORNING:)))))

First things first tonight.  Thanks to everyone for sending in suggestions, probable fixes, & possible causes for my ongoing 'Error 400' blog problems.  By the time I went to bed Sunday night I was so frustrated with this whole blog publishing thing that I resigned myself to just packing it all in.  Considered doing the posts using blogger again but after using Live Writer for about a year I had no interest in going back to the old blogger ways.  Even if my Live Writer program isn't functioning correctly I still think it's the best blog platform out here for bloggers.  Ease of use & creative benefits are it's strong points.

By the time I woke up this morning around 5 the magic night time fairies had restored my head to some sort a semblance of reasonable sanity & the thought occurred to me of trying to publish the post on a different computer.   So, with that thought in mind around 6 a.m. I flopped myself into my recliner, hauled out our Win 7 Toshiba lap top, & copied & pasted the blog text into the laptop's Live Writer format. I then plucked out yesterdays photos from the desktop with a thumb drive & popped then into the Toshy laptop as well.  Inserted all the exact same pics as the night before, held my breath & hit the 'Publish' button.  Only took about 20 seconds & the post was successfully published with no dreaded Error 400 message.  That told me our desktop computer itself may be the fault.  Had forgot to put the tag lines in the bottom so no problem as I typed in some key words & re-hit the 'Publish' button, but....ERROR 400!!!!  It was OK though because the blog had already published previously, but that set to thinking maybe the problem lies with that tag line at the bottom.  Sooooo many variables.

THE JEEP IS DEFINITELY SMALLER THAN THE SANTA FE

RICK sent me over a possible fix this morning which I haven't tried yet, but I will shortly.  Other folks sent some site addys to look at & RETIRED ROD figures it's a Google problem & suggested there may be a limit on content.  I do put a lot of high resolution photos in my blog so I have always kind of suspected that might be the culprit too.  Anyway I am going to try what has been suggested & maybe do the next few posts on the laptop.  Maybe less photos too.

We were out the door headed for Waterloo Ontario by 8:15 this morning & what a beautiful morning's drive it was.  The terrain north west of Kitchener-Waterloo is Mennonite country with endless acres of rolling farmlands bordered by forests of  shaded green.  Cattle lazily grazing in fields with big white puffy clouds overhead in a deep blue sky.  Truly a peaceful & tranquil scene.  One only wonders how many short years it will be before the cities eventually creep out this way crushing & flattening everything in it's steamroller path.  All this natural beauty will one day be devoured by parking lots, big mega shopping malls, & miles upon miles of.......suburbia!!

The lady with the Jeep already had the plates off so we quickly exchanged paper work & headed for the license bureau.  I was surprised at how lite the traffic was in Waterloo.  Of course I always expect the worst of everything so when things go well, life is a bonus, & when it doesn't, I can turn to the person nearest me & smugly say, "see......told ya so!!"   Kelly busily filled out the paperwork sitting in the car while I quickly zipped into the license bureau & embedded myself in the long line-up.  I was number 23 & they were still coming in the door behind me.  Of course if I'm not number one in any kind of a line up I'm just a jumpin!!  Noticed the clerks behind the counter were very fast & efficient & about 20 minutes later Kelly & I took possession of our new Jeep license plates & of course the Government took possession of our hard earned monies in the form of taxes.

Plates in hand & paper work behind us we were buoyed by our good fortune at having everything go so smoothly this morning.  Celebrated that with a quick Tim Horton's stop & then back to the Jeep ladies place to put the new plates on.  Spilled a bit of coffee on the driver's seat so that instantly put the Bayfield Bunch stamp on the Jeep & made it all official:))  With a hand shake & a hardy 'Hi-O Silver' we were off down the street, round the corner & west bound heading for the sanctity of the serene countryside.  The serene part didn't last long for me though as I slipped my ZZ Top CD "Eliminator' into the player again, tweaked the bass/treble/balance/fade, cranked the volume & let Frank, Dusty, & Billy, chase me down the road just like the good old rock 'n' roll days.  Kelly was following me about half a mile back in the Santa Fe & had to roll her windows up.  My music listening tastes have greatly changed over the years but after all..... this was a Jeep, I was a kid today, & ZZ Top just went with the territory:))

                   

HEADING HER HOME WITH ONLY 110,621 KILOMETERS (70,186 MILES) ON THE SPEEDO

We stopped at the Ritz Villa in Mitchell on the way home & met up with my Aunt Jean from Sarasota Florida whom we hadn't seen in a couple years. Some big hugs & in we went to visit my Uncle Harry in his room.  So far, Harry continues to do well in his new surroundings.  We were finally back in Bayfield about 4.

BROTHER & SISTER MEET AFTER A LONG COUPLE OF YEARS

The Jeep has 2 tops so we had the previous owners take the soft top down & put the hard top on because it was the only way to get the hard top back to Bayfield. Of course the first order of business was to take that hard top off & get the soft summer top back on.  Well, so much for that.  There is a simple wire connector plug which connects to the hard top for running the dome lights, washer, & rear wipers.  Do you think we could get this simple plug unplugged.  Not a chance!!  Not even head honcho mechanical wizard Kelly couldn't figure out how to disconnect the darn thing.  It's one of those simple mossmagators that has a knack to it.  Once you know the knack the disconnect is simple.  Because we don't know that 'knack,' the hard top could remain on the jeep for decades to come so it's off to the Bayfield Garage in the morning to be totally embarrassed by someone with 'the knack' who will undoubtedly unhook that connection in about seven tenths of a second!!

  

OUR JEEPERS IS HOME & I THOUGHT THIS OWNER'S MANUAL POUCH WAS A NICE TOUCH

To give what's left of my blog confidence a boost I will keep the photos in tonight's post to a dull roar, keep my finger's crossed & hope the blog publishes.  Maybe I'll apply Rick's solution first.  And again, thanks to everyone for the positive comments on my ongoing blog problems.  Hope none of you get inflicted with that miserable Error 400 thingy!!  Not ever, not never!!

OUR 3 LITTLE ROBIN GUYS ARE GROWING

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know an Archeologist could be described as a man whose career lies in ruins & an Atheist as a person with no invisible means of support.  But, not to worry because middle age is a time in everyone's life when actions creak louder than words.
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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.