Saturday, June 03, 2017

WITH A COFFEE AND MORNING GLORY MUFFIN IN HAND PHEEBS AND I HEADED FOR LONDON ONTARIO

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With a marvelous Morning Glory muffin in one hand and a great cup of coffee in the other I exited Bayfield's Charles Street Market & Cafe this morning around 8:45.  Under another beautiful sunny cool morning sky Pheebs and I had a destination in mind for a change and minutes later were kicking up some good old dusty gravel on our way to London. 

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FIND THE BUTTERFLY

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Henry's Camera Store near Masonville Mall in London’s north end opened at 10 but we were in no big hurry to get there so we dawdled ourselves along on a bunch of back roads simply enjoying Huron Counties rural scenery.  I was surprised at all the farm machinery on the roads and in the fields.  Probably the most pieces of of farm equipment  I have ever seen out and about working on a Saturday morning.

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SOME WALKED, SOME RODE, AND SOME GOT TO DRIVE

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THIS GAL’S GOT THE RIGHT IDEA

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TAKING A BREAK AND PULLING INTO THE YARD FOR LUNCH MAYBE

DSC_0058THERE WERE A LOT OF DUST CLOUDS IN FARMER’S FIELDS THIS MORNING

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IT’S QUITE THE CONGLOMERATION OF WHEELS AND STEEL

My purpose for heading to Henry's camera store was to have a look at a Nikon 18-300mm Nikkor lens.  I had never seen, held, or used one and I was curious to see if it would be a way for me to get down to carrying one camera with one lens rather than two cameras and two lenses all the time.  With some newer Nikon camera gear headed my way I will be in a position to sell or trade in some equipment for the new 18-300mm lens if that is what I decide to do.  I liked the lens, it had a good feel to it and they let me try it out on my D3400.  Told the nice behind the counter lady sales person I had a D7200 coming so she also let me try out the lens on a D7200 from the store.  Wow was that Nikon D7200 ever nice and it seemed like a great combination with the 18-300 lens on it.  I will wait until I have the other Nikon equipment at home here before making a decision on the lens and I will also have to have a second look at the test photos I took outside of the store today.  Basically it comes down to two things.  Quality vs convenience.  I would lose some quality with the 18-300 lens but it would sure be a lot more convenient for me and the slight loss of quality might not even be noticed here in the blog.

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SUNBURST LOCUST LEAVES

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RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR SUNROOM WINDOW BESIDE OUR SUNBURST LOCUST TREE

Leaving Henry's Camera Store our immediate priority of course was to get ourselves out of the city and back into the countryside.  Wanted to soak up as much rural Saturday morning ambience as we could.   For me the weather is perfect now with sunny skies and pleasantly cool mid 60's temperatures with no heat or hot sticky humidity.

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MONARCH BUTTERFLY

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Had me a hankering for a burg and fries so we vectored ourselves through Exeter Ontario where we popped into McDonald's for an Angus burger and small fries to go.  Luckily we sat in the parking lot to eat it because it was hugely messy.  Good burg but it was way too big for us guys and by the time we were finished it felt like I had swallowed half a dozen iron canon balls.  I'm not a big eater anymore but I sometimes I forget that and my stomach gets in the way of my face.

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YES I KNOW I AM A LITTLE HEAVY INTO THE FARM MACHINERY PHOTOS TONIGHT BUT BEAR WITH ME THE PLANTING SEASON WILL SOON BE OVER

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SOMETIMES THERE WERE JUST CLOUDS OF DUST IN THE FIELDS BUT IN THAT DUST SOMEWHERE WAS ALWAYS A TRACTOR PULLING SOMETHING

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SOME FIELDS HAD MORE THAN ONE TRACTOR WORKING IN THEM

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NOT ALL THE FARM FELLAS WERE DRIVING BIG TRACTORES TODAY

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FOLLOW THE GRASS POINTER TO THE FARMER

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We were back home by 1 o'clock and I was able to work a little bit on the patio block project until the hot sun drove me back into the house.  Outside again later when the project area was in shadow I finished laying the remaining blocks.  Of course with that now done I am thinking of extending the project around the corner of the deck and……..Awwww Geeezzzzzz!!

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OUR MORNING TRAVELS TOOK US RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE HAY SWAMP WEST OF EXETER ONTARIO

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A SWEET SMELLING PATCH OF WILD PHLOX ALONGSIDE THE ROAD

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NOTICE THAT YELLOW THING IN THE PHLOX

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THAT YELLOW PIPE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FIELDS IRRIGATION I SUSPECT AND NOTICE HOW THE PHLOX HAS GROWN UP AROUND THE PIPE

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CAN YOU SEE THE ONE SINGLE YELLOW FLOWER AMONGST ALL THE PHLOX

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DSC_0022I have no idea why our Shout Mix box isn’t working.  Kelly suggested uninstalling it and re-installing it but I think I will wait until she is home to make sure that procedure is done right.  I don’t trust myself to get it right and I don’t want to screw stuff up here.  Oh and what did we have for supper tonight you ask.  Well Pheebs had her regular yummy dog food of course and I had……..’nothing”.  Felt like I still had those half dozen big iron Angus cannonballs rolling around in my stomach………….Maybe a little peanut butter and honey sandwich before I to to bed.  Whaddya think eh:))

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DRAGONFLY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" had reached the final plateau. If she answered the next question correctly, she would win $1,000,000. If she answered incorrectly, she would pocket only the 32,000 milestone money. And as she suspected it would be, the million-dollar question was no pushover. It was, "Which of the following species of birds does not build its own nest, but instead lays its eggs in the nests of other birds?  Is it A) the condor; B) the buzzard; C) the cuckoo; or D) the vulture?" The woman was on the spot. She did not know the answer. And she was doubly on the spot because she had used up her 50/50 Lifeline and her Audience Poll Lifeline. All that remained was her Phone-a-Friend! Lifeline. The woman hoped she would not have to use it because ... her friend was, well .. blonde. She had no alternative. She called her friend and gave her the question and the four choices. The blonde responded unhesitatingly: "That's easy. The answer is C: The cuckoo." The contestant had to make a decision and make it fast. She considered employing a reverse strategy and giving Regis any answer except the one that her friend had given her. And considering that her friend was a blonde, that would seem to be the logical thing to do. On the other hand - the blonde had responded with such confidence, such certitude, that the contestant could not help but be persuaded. I need an answer," said Regis.  Crossing her fingers, the contestant said, "C: The cuckoo." "Is that your final answer?" asked Regis. "Yes, that is my final answer." Two minutes later, Regis said, "That answer is ... absolutely correct! You are now a millionaire!"  Three days later, the contestant hosted a party for her family and friends including the blonde who had helped her win the million dollars. "Jenny, I just do not know how to thank you! ," said the contestant. "How did you happen to know the right answer?" "Oh, come on," said the blonde. "Everybody knows that cuckoos don't build nests. They live in clocks."

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In the men's room at work, the boss placed a sign directly above the sink. It had a single word on it: "Think!" The next day, when he went to the men's room, he looked at the sign, and right below it, immediately above the soap dispenser, someone had carefully lettered another sign which read, "Thoap!"

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An attorney telephoned the governor just after midnight, insisting that he talk to him regarding a matter of utmost urgency An aide eventually agreed to wake up the governor.  "So, what is it?" grumbled the governor.  "Judge Garber has just died" said the attorney, "and I want to take his place."  The governor replied: "Well, it's OK with me if it's OK with the undertaker."

Friday, June 02, 2017

ANOTHER CREATIVE SUPPER FROM MASTER CHEF AL’S KITCHEN

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Another fine sunny morning but cool enough that we had to have the Jeeps heater on at times when our windows were down cruising through the countryside.

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GRASS IS ALWAYS SWEETER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE

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ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SHARE IT WITH SOMEONE SPECIAL

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PHEEBS ALWAYS LIKES TO STOP AND LOOK AT ALL THE FARM ANIMALS

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Not a long Jeep ride this morning but long enough for me to scrape together a few photos for tonight’s post. 

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SOME FARMERS HAVE BIGGER HOUSES THAN OTHER FARMERS

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BIGGER MACHINERY TOO

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AND MORE OF THOSE BIG MACHINES AS WELL….THERE ARE 3 BIG JOHN DEERE TRACTORS HERE

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I BET THIS GUY’S EVEN GOT A HOT TUB AND TV IN THERE

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DO YOU SUPPOSE IF HE GETS UP ENOUGH SPEED WITH THAT WINGSPAN HE’LL ACTUALLY GET THAT THING OFF THE GROUND:))

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Home around 11 I microwaved a couple hot dog wieners for lunch and followed that up with a peanut butter and honey sandwich.  Looking at my little cement patio block project I decided although adequate it should be extended another four feet or so and maybe it would look a bit better.  So with that thought in mind I started on that and will probably finish it Saturday morning when it’s cooler.

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And a mighty fine ending to a story over at RV Sue's Camp that I am sure we were all so much hoping for.  May The Crew Be With You:))

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SOON THOSE YELLOW LILY BUDS WILL OPEN INTO BEAUTIFUL WHITE LILY PAD FLOWERS

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Also finally finished cleaning up our metal shed, a job I had started a month and a half ago.  Don’t know why it takes me so long to do things sometimes but it all seems to center on what kind of a mood I am in when I wake up in the morning.  I can’t help but think sometimes that dreams we have throughout the night possibly have some kind of bearing on what frame of mind we wake up with.

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OUR RESIDENT CHIPMUNK DROPPED BY TO SAY HELLO AGAIN TODAY

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For supper tonight I decided to raise the bar and stretch my limits.  Figured I’d have me some fried and coated chicken cutlettes.  Mashed potatoes are always my fav and you all know how much I like my corn.  Tired of the same old desserts I decided to finish supper off with a nice Brownie.  I figured this meal when done would be an excellent source of protein.  I was so proud of my supper tonight I, like George of Our Awesome Travels took a picture of it:))

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CAN YOU COUNT THE SHADES OF GREEN

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OH HEY THEY’RE CUTTING HAY ALREADY

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WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE SO MANY COUNTRY ROADS CRISS-CROSSING OUR BEAUTIFUL FARMLANDS

Read somewhere awhile back about someone out for a hike and missed a photo opportunity because they didn’t have their camera turned on plus their lens cap was still on the camera. I was out years ago with a camera club & noticed some of the folks carried their cameras in camera bags only taking them out to take a photo and then daintily putting them back in the bag again. Their priority was not photography, it was keeping their camera squeaky clean. I’m afraid I am at the opposite end of that scenario. I’ve probably got more desert dust on my cameras than Phoenix gets on itself in a summer dust storm.  When hiking and driving my cameras are always switched on and my lens caps are buried in my camera bag somewhere wherever my camera bag is. In fact I probably haven’t had my 70-300mm lens cap on in since the day I bought it. Can’t remember the last time either of my two Nikon DSLR’s have been in my camera bag. If walking or hiking my 2 DSLR cameras are slung round my neck or if driving they are on the console between the seats where I can pick them up quickly and not miss a photo fiddling with camera bags or lens caps. Just my way of doing things & that sure don’t necessarily make it right do it:))

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LOOKING SOUTH ALONG THE MAITLAND RIVER FROM BALLS BRIDGE

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FOR THE MOST PART HURON COUNTIES MAITLAND RIVER IS A VERY SHALLOW RIVER

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LOOKING NORTH ALONG THE MAITLAND RIVER FROM BALLS BRIDGE

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Oooops, almost forgot to post a picture of my masterpiece supper tonight………………..

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"A writer is a writer not because they write well & easily, because they have amazing talent, or because everything they do is golden.  A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing they do shows any sign of promise, they keep on writing anyway"...... Author Unknown

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( Parent's Dictionary

DUMBWAITER: one who asks if the kids would care to order dessert.

FAMILY PLANNING: the art of spacing your children the proper distance apart to keep you on the edge of financial disaster.

FEEDBACK: the inevitable result when the baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.

FULL NAME: what you call your child when you're mad at him.

GRANDPARENTS: the people who think your children are wonderful even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

HEARSAY: what toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.

IMPREGNABLE: a woman whose memory of labor is still vivid.

INDEPENDENT: how we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.

PRENATAL: when your life was still somewhat your own.

PUDDLE: a small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it.

SHOW OFF: a child who is more talented than yours.

TOP BUNK: where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.

TWO-MINUTE WARNING: when the baby's face turns red and she begins to make those familiar grunting noises.

VERBAL: able to whine in words.

WHODUNIT: none of the kids that live in your house.

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My wife gave birth 4 times and still fits into her prom dress from high school. I gave birth 0 times and I don't even fit into my pants from 2 weeks ago!!!!

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