FROM 'THE DREAMWEAVERS' TO 'THE BAYFIELD BUNCH':))

Not a leaf stirring, not even the hint of a cooling breeze.  It was already 72F at 7 a.m. here in the Park under the tall pine trees.  I don't know who invented air conditioning years ago but I hope they have been lifted to Sainthood.  We topped out at 84F today and temps are predicted to climb higher for the remainder of the week. 

 AREA WHEAT FIELDS ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE ON THEIR GOLDEN COLOR

CORNS UP ABOUT TWENTY INCHES

 I'M GUESSING THOSE ARE ROWS OF BEANS GROWING OUT THERE

 LOCAL FARMERS ARE BALING HAY

 THIS FARMER IS MOVING A WAGONLOAD OF BALES FROM POINT A TO POINT B

With both front Subaru windows down and the moonroof wide open, Pheebs and I cruised out into the countryside thoroughly enjoying the morning's warm air wafting through the car.  72F is a nice temperature if only it would stay there.  Our wanderings this morning took us east and southeast of Bayfield.  We could have stopped at the Bannockburn Conservation Area for a walk, but I knew the blood-sucking mosquitos and biting Deer Flys would be bad there plus two cars were in the parking lot so we mosied on past, circled back around, and stopped at the nearby Bairds Cemetery.  It was here we had ourselves a nice bug-free walk in the open air.

 PHEEBS AND I SURE ENJOY OUR MORNINGS OUT CRUISING THE COUNTRY ROADS

 STORMY LOOKING SKIES TO THE SOUTH OF US THIS MORNING

 A RATHER DIFFERENT-LOOKING RURAL MAILBOX

 ANOTHER FINE OLD COUNTRY BARN IN THE LAST THROES OF ITS LIFE

Home again, skies clouded over, and aside from a walk around with my hand clippers trimming some more overgrown greenery back and later using my weed whacker to edge a few flowerbeds, I stayed within the cool confines of our house.  And luckily I got these done before the Sun made its afternoon appearance and immediately ramped up the heat and humidity.  Thought about a walk but it was too hot not only for me but the Pheebs too.  

 HEADING TOWARDS BAIRDS CEMETERY

 PHEEBS TOODLING THROUGH THE CEMETERY

 STOPPED TO PAY OUR RESPECTS TO A FORMER RV FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR FROM OUR PARK

 A BIG DRINK FOR PHEEBS AFTER OUR WALK

Years before we were the 'Bayfield Bunch' we called ourselves the 'Dreamweaver's'.  Ever since Kelly and I had met in the summer of 1993 it was apparent that we both had a lot in common.  A sense of adventure, a desire to do something different, and a yearning to travel and see places.  Kelly came from an RVing family and I had had several campervans previously.  So, both of us had something ingrained in us called, 'hitch-itch'. Simply put, hitch-itch is a desire to head out in an RV, keep on moving, and not stay in any one place too long.  Maybe a week or two and then pack up and move on down the road.  In other words, time to 'hitch up' and get going.  I recall back in the late nineties when living on the old farm (weenie roast ranch) near Fullarton Ontario we decided to call ourselves 'The Dreamweaver' after buying an old & aging  1979 17' Class C Dodge Centurion.  It was our second RV with the first one being a 24' Prowler Travel Trailer.  We began dreaming of traveling days ahead.  Maybe Full-timers, maybe Snowbirds escaping the cold winters, or maybe just Weekenders.  Dreams of mountains and deserts of the great American Southwest were floating around in my head. The more we dreamed about it the more we began weaving our dreams into reality.  And, it was at this point the 'Dreamweaver' name evolved.  At the time there was a song out called 'Dreamweaver' by Gary Wright.  We took our inspiration from the song and you can hear it in today's 'Al's Music Box'.  Little did we know that we would eventually go on, through a series of RV's to travel back and forth to the Great American Southwest (with a couple side trips to Florida) for 13 consecutive winter seasons as Snowbirds. We were very new to computers in those days but I do remember putting some kind of 'Dreamweaver' site together on Microsoft's 'My Space.' I recall having a few pics on the site along with some kind of blurb. It was probably 5 years or so before we even knew about Blogger. In fact I'm not even sure if we knew what a blog was back then.  I don't think anyone ever saw our Dreamweaver site except Kelly & I but at least it was a start to something we knew nothing about. Those were exciting days. But I did have a slight inkling even back then that maybe something just might come out of all that darn fancy new space-age computer stuff. Digital photography was new to me at that time.  I excitedly renewed my lapsed interest in photography that I had dropped years before.   And, another long-lost interest of mine from years gone by suddenly reared up and made it's presence known.....Writing:)) So, it was at this point that my photography, writing, and traveling hobbies all came together.  Kelly's son made up some lettering for us to put on the Class C & you can see our 'Dreamweaver' name & website on the back of our little rig in the photos below.  Many RVing things were new to us but we were eager to learn & get out there & be a part of that daring lifestyle. It wasn't long before large pieces of the giant RV puzzle began falling into place and we were able to tie all our interests together and make something enjoyable out of them.   Also, at this time there happened to be a song out called 'Dreamweaver' by Gary Wright.  We took our inspiration from the song and you can hear it in today's 'Al's Music Box'.  Little did we know that we would eventually go on, through a series of RV's to travel back and forth to The Great American Southwest (with a couple side trips to Florida) for 13 consecutive years as Snowbirds:))  

 THE FURRY SIDE OF THE ORIGINAL BAYFIELD BUNCH....MAX, CHECKERS, AND LITTLE CORA aka MOTORMOUSE

Al's Music Box:)) Dream Weaver is a song by the American singer Gary Wright, released as the first single from his third studio album 'The Dream Weaver' in December 1975.  The track features Wright on vocals and keyboards and Jim Keltner on drums. According to Wright, the song was inspired by an Autobiography of a Yogi, which was given to him by George Harrison.  Paramahansa Yogananda's poem "God! God! God!" made reference to "the idea of the mind weaving dreams". The expression "Dream Weaver" was popularized by John Lennon in 1970 in his song "God", taken from his solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. This song depicts Lennon's declaration that he was the dream weaver of the 1960s, breaking away from the influences and dogmas that influenced his life.  All instrumentation was created using keyboards except for Keltner's percussion. Gary Wright re-recorded "Dream Weaver" twice, first in 1986 (spelled "Dreamweaver" this time) for the Fire and Ice movie soundtrack, then a longer version for the Wayne's World movie soundtrack in 1992.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, "Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated."  "And what," his friend asked, "do you want me to do with your ashes?"  The businessman said, "Just put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service. Write on the envelope, "Now, you have everything."

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A man goes to the doctor complaining about stomach problems, and he asks him what he's been eating.  "I only eat billiard balls," he says. "Red ones for breakfast, orange and yellow ones for lunch, blue for afternoon snacks, and black and purple for dinner."  "I see the problem," says the doctor. "You're not getting enough greens."
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This woman rushed to see her doctor, looking very much worried and all strung out. She rattles off: Doctor, take a look at me. When I woke up this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my hair all wiry and frazzled, my skin was all wrinkled and pasty, my eyes were bloodshot and bugging out, and I had this corpse-like look on my face! What's WRONG with me, Doctor!?  The doctor looks her over for a couple of minutes, then calmly says: Well, I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with your eyesight.... 

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'HOUSTON'.....WE HAVE A JEEP PROBLEM

 A SUNDAY MORNING SUNSPLASH ON A PEONY FLOWER

'YAY':)) Google's Blogger has finally fixed the annoying glitches that have caused me stress and extra workarounds these past three weeks.  Anything that makes my life simpler is always a plus for me these days.  Thank you to Google's Blogger crew:))

OUR ANNUAL LILY SEASON HAS BEGUN

 ALL FLOWER AND ORNAMENT PHOTOS IN TONIGHT'S POST WERE TAKEN IN A NEIGHBOR'S FLOWER GARDEN

ORNAMENTAL BUTTERFLIES IN FLIGHT

I'm really enjoying this cooler weather we have upon us at the moment and I have been making the best of it.  However, hot sticky days are on our doorstep, and heat warnings are being issued so I will ride that out inside with my nose stuck in my next book which incidentally is entitled, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.

 THERE ARE THREE HORSES STANDING HERE

Pheebs and I under pleasantly sunny Sunday morning skies headed out in the Subaru instead of the Jeep this morning.  'Houston.....we have a Jeep problem'!!  A couple years ago I began noticing oil drips on the cement floor in our carport.  The Jeep's engine had an oil leak somewhere.  When I had it in for one of its oil changes in 2022 I had them have a look at the problem and give me an estimate on a repair.  They said the oil pan was in bad shape and leaking as well as the engine oil pressure switch.  To repair and replace the oil pan, gasket, and switch, plus labor would be $ 1,317.41.  Of course with it being two years later now I'm sure that estimate would be substantially higher.  At our last oil change a month ago they also said, the oil pressure sensor is leaking, the transmission lines are very rusty, and the brake flex lines are in poor condition.  For the last couple of years, I have checked the oil every three weeks and add a small amount of oil each time.  It was only ever down an eighth of an inch on the dipstick.  But last week when I checked the oil it was down well over a quart and there was more oil on the floor.  'Houston, we have a Jeep problem'.  Decision time.  Couple those costly oil leak and other repairs with the fact that the Jeep is steadily rusting out we have decided to park the Jeep for now and try our hand at getting along with one vehicle instead of two.  With Kelly not needing to head down to Spencerport New York for lengthy periods of time anymore, we just might be fine with one car.  We've decided to give it a try, alter our routines when necessary, and see how we make out.  Certainly would be a lot cheaper for us.   

Al's Music Box:)) Chances Are by Johnny Mathis is one of the compilations by the Stillman-Allen team that were chart hits in the 1950s. It was listed on Billboard's "Most Played by Jockeys" survey for Johnny Mathis, charting in 1957, and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.  The song, released on both 45 RPM and 78 RPM formats, was also included on the 1958 Mathis compilation Johnny's Greatest Hits. The album was certified a gold record on June 5, 1959.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A cat dies and goes to Heaven. God meets him at the gate and says, "You have been a good cat all of these years. Anything you desire is yours, all you have to do is ask."  The cat says, "Well, I lived all my life with a poor family on a farm and had to sleep on hardwood floors."  God says, "Say no more." And instantly, a fluffy pillow appears.  A few days later, 6 mice are killed in a tragic accident and they go to Heaven. God meets them at the gate with the same offer that He made the cat. The mice said, "All our lives we've had to run. Cats, dogs, and even women with brooms have chased us. If we could only have a pair of roller skates, we wouldn't have to run anymore."  God says, "Say no more." And instantly, each mouse is fitted with a beautiful pair of tiny roller skates.  About a week later, God decides to check and see how the cat is doing. The cat is sound asleep on his new pillow. God gently wakes him and asks, "How are you doing? Are you happy here?"  The cat yawns and stretches and says, "Oh, I've never been happier in my life. And those Meals on Wheels you've been sending over are the best!"

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- Have you heard about the elephant with diarrhea?  It's all over town!

- Three years ago my doctor told me I was going deaf...  I haven’t heard from him since

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A wife started doing her makeup as soon as she woke up.  Her husband asked the reason.  She replied, "I have locked my phone with facial recognition and it's not recognizing me without makeup."

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If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.  The world has enough critics!!