KELLY AND I TEAMED UP TO RUN SOME ERRANDS IN GODERICH TODAY AND SOMETHING FROM MY HEART ABOUT YESTERDAY

With our temps dipping into the mid-50s (Fahrenheit) overnight I was inclined to put a T-shirt on under my warm flannelette PJs.  The thought of snapping on the furnace for a few minutes early this morning occurred to me but I held off.  Had I bin here by meself I'da snapped er on fir shure.

 THIS IS MY VIEW EACH MORNING FROM MY OVERNIGHT RECLINER IN OUR LIVING ROOM

It was just Kelly and I in the Subaru heading off to Goderich about mid-morning.  Pheebs was sound asleep when we slipped out the door.  Our first stop was the Dynacare Lab where Kelly had some blood work done.  Next stop was Zehr's Supermarket where I went in with Kelly in case she needed some help with anything.  From there it was over to Walmart where Kelly slipped in to stock up on some protein drinks.  At Pet Value I again went in with her to pick up some doggy food.  Our next stop was Wendys for a sit-down lunch complete with a couple Frostys.  Our last stop before heading home was the Goodwill Store where I couldn't find any pants three weeks ago.  Within three minutes Kelly had four pairs of pants in hand for me to try on.  I did that and kept three of them.  Buoyed by my good fortune I was on a role so also picked myself out three new to me shirts.  It makes a big difference to a fella when he has some help with these kinds of things.  We were back home shortly after 2 p.m.  Kelly right away slipped into her room, and climbed into her PJ's for a big afternoon rest.  I headed for my living room recliner to do the same thing but without my PJs.  I had intended to clean Subie's interior when we got home but I was already overextended on my daily quota of energy units.  Oh, don'tcha just love all this growing older baloney!!

A FEW AFTERNOON PICS FROM AROUND OUR FRONT YARD

 HOSTA FLOWERS

However, it was late afternoon when the thought of an afternoon walk jolted me out of my lethargic state, and Pheebs and I soon had ourselves out the door heading for the Park's pond and beyond.  It was a beautifully cool sunny afternoon with a refreshing breeze coming in off Lake Huron about a mile to the west of us.  Again, the early stillness of early Autumn was in the air.  No dragonflies flitting about, no bird sounds in the air, and no signs of any frogs or turtles anywhere.  It's the long slow lull leading us all toward Autumn's beautiful days.   

 A LATE AFTERNOON WALK AROUND OUR PARK'S POND

 THE 'REST-A-BIT' BENCH

 SPARKLY WATERS

I have a few extra pics from Monday's Rebecca, Ricardo, and Ella visit.  And, I have a little something from my heart as well.  Over the years I have always had difficulty communicating with younger people, and especially children.  I never had any brothers or sisters to grow up with.  Family for me growing up was my Mother, my Stepfather, My Uncle, and my Grandfather.  I grew up with adults.  And, I have never been a Father.  Yes, I have a son who I first saw when he was few hours old and briefly held him in my arms a week later.  I never saw him again for twenty years.  So, I don't consider myself a Father with any experience of raising children.  The only little person I ever got to know really well and absolutely loved so much was in the mid-eighties when her mother and I were together for four years spanning this laughing little girl's age from six to ten. (I think I may have written about this before but I'm getting at something) Kelly's daughter Sabra and her husband have two boys and her son Ben has two boys but over the years I was never able to communicate with them.  Not their fault, my fault.  I just never knew what to say.  After a while they just ignored me and I didn't pay them the attention I could have.  It also happened with Rebecca and Ricardo's daughter, Ella.  I just never knew what to say to her over the years.  I remembered oh so well that little girl of the mid-eighties and all the crazy and zany things we used to do to drive her mother bonkers and then we would end up laughing together.  I would take her places and one time she and I hopped an east bound train to Kitchener,  browsed some shops on main street, had lunch, climbed back aboard the westbound train, and headed back to Stratford.  She was only about 9 years old at the time.  I would often pick her up and drop her off at school.  We took her to Puerto Vallarta Mexico one time, and I'd often take her with me if I had to get something at the store.  Her and I were like two peas in a pod and she was the only little person I ever got to know and love in my life.  But, that was then and this is now.  I would see flashes of that little girl I once knew in Ella but I could never seem to make contact, until yesterday.  It only lasted maybe twenty minutes but it was a 'breaking of the ice' for me.  Being in transition from being a little girl to being a young teenager in a couple years, I sensed a maturing and curious mind in Ella.  She has a little Polaroid type camera which pops out small pictures.  She was sitting alone in the sunroom late yesterday afternoon when I walked in so I made it a point to see if I could strike up some kind of a meaningful conversation.  I asked her a few questions about Spain and then I don't know how it came up but the next thing I knew we were talking about cameras.  Now in my element with a topic I know a little bit about and sensing a curiosity in Ella, I was soon showing her some of my cameras and lenses and how easy it was to use the free Picasa photo editing program.  I knew she was interested by the questions she was asking and I was happy to answer those questions and show her on the computer the creative side of using a digital camera and a simple photo editing program.  I felt her mind was beyond the little polaroid camera she had.  Nothing may come of this but maybe I have planted a seed in her mind and maybe someday that seed may begin to grow.  Photography is a wonderful hobby with many benefits in many ways.  It sure trains the eye to be on the lookout for beautiful and unusual things.  I think some of the greatest photographers today are women.  It's an honorably artsy and creative profession and especially so for those who are good at it.  Anyway, that twenty minutes talking with Ella and showing her a few things about cameras and photo editing sure turned out to be the highlight of my day and not only that, it almost brought tears to my eyes in thinking of it later back to a time when I knew a little person who I had so much fun with and who I knew so well and felt so comfortable being with.  I think buried under all the heavy debris of life I carry with me there is still a big kid underneath it all whose mind still runs and frolics with all the little children he never got to meet and play with all those years ago.  I guess it is why I have found so much joy in Lucy Maude Montgomery's books.  I feel a part of all the children's lives she writes about.  I feel like I am one of them..................

SOME CAMERA TALK FOR ELLA AND I

 YOU CAN'T IMAGINE HOW EXCITED I WAS HERE TO SHOW ELLA A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A DIGITAL CAMERA AND A PHOTO EDITING PROGRAM

 THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST PICTURE I TOOK YESTERDAY AFTER OUR COMPANY ARRIVED

ELLA CHECKS HER IPAD WITH MOM LOOKING ON

 RICARDO, A FITNESS COACH DEMONSTRATES SOME HELPFUL EXERCISES FOR KELLY

 ELLA TRYS OUT ONE OF HER DAD'S SINGLE LEG BALANCING TECHNIQUES

 PHEEBS SUSPECTS ELLA IS HIDING A SNACK

And, mentioning Lucy Maude Montgomery for perhaps the last time now I have just sadly finished the last in a long series of books she wrote over the years.  I am so going to miss all the creative stories and adventures that came out of this woman's mind.  With a world seemingly going madder by the day, these books for me came along at the right time starting a year or two ago.  What a helpful, although temporary escape route from reality these books have given me starting with the Anne Of Green Gables series, following through with Emily Of New Moon and all the other books........and now sadly ending with The Golden Road.  Keep your tissues close at hand.  Maybe in a few years, I could begin reading them all over again and let the troubled mind but beautiful words of Lucy Maude Montgomery whisk me away to never-never land yet one more time......................      

WALKING ALONG THE FOREST TRAIL THIS AFTERNOON

 SIGNS OF TREE CUTTING EVERYWHERE

 WE PASSED BY THIS MUSHROOM ALONG THE WAY

A Blast From Our Past:)) 'Elvis Has Left The Building'....But, He's Waiting Outside

Al's Music Box:)) Tallahassee Lassie is a song written by Bob Crewe, Frank Slay, and Frederick Picariello and performed by Freddy Cannon (Picariello's stage name). The song was featured on his 1960 album The Explosive! Freddy Cannon. The song was produced and arranged by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay.  It reached #6 on the U.S. pop chart, #13 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #17 on the UK (United Kingdom) Singles Chart in 1959.  The song was ranked #40 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1959. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a Gold Disc by the RIAA. (Recording Industry Association of America)  

BACKGROUNDED BY THE PARK'S POND THIS CLUSTER OF LEAVES HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY EARLY AUTUMN

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Little Johnny was caught swearing by his teacher.  "Johnny," she said, "you shouldn't use that kind of language. Where did you hear such talk, anyway?"  "My daddy said it," he responded.  "Well, that doesn't matter," explained the teacher. "You don't even know what it means."  "I do, too!" Little Johnny retorted. "It means the car won't start."

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- How many racists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?  None -- they don't want to be enlightened!

- Good judgment comes from experience.  And experience?  Well, that comes from poor judgment.

- It's strange to think that before Facebook all this nonsense just stayed in people's heads.

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To get his mind off his losing streak at the racetrack, I took my friend horseback riding. Being a novice, he freaked out when his horse took off.  "How do I get it to slow down?!" he yelled.  "Bet on it!" I hollered back.

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WE HAD COMPANY TODAY FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

A welcome overnight weather front brought in much cooler air under cloudy skies this morning.  With a stiff breeze blowing I think our wind chill factor was in the upper 50sF.  Energized by the cooler air, Pheebs and I headed into Bayfield for a drive-around and then off to the cemetery for a walk-about.  How nice to be surrounded by energizing cool air again instead of that energy-draining miserable heat and humidity.  

A COOL CLOUDY MORNING AT BAYFIELD'S BEACH

 LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE BEACH GOER HAS GONE HOME WITHOUT ONE OF HER SHOES

 COULD THAT BE A HURON COUNTY HARBOR SEAL ON A SURFBOARD OUT THERE

'HMMMMM'

 'WHOA' THAT'S NO HARBOR SEAL!!

 I THOUGHT THIS AN ODD LOOKING LITTLE BOAT TIED UP AT THE NORTH SIDE PIER

 LOOKS LIKE A KAFLOOBERATION OF FISHING BOATS

THE MONDAY MORNING COFFEE KLATCH ON BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

OUR PARKING SPOT AT THE BAYFIELD CEMETERY

 PHEEBS AND I WALKED AROUND A LARGE FIELD ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE CEMETERY

 PHEEBS KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON ME AS I STEP OUT OF THE CAR TO TAKE A FEW PICS OF SOME CONE FLOWERS

Home from our walk I hauled out my swede saw and cut down a Sumac tree growing at the corner of our metal shed.  I had been waiting for a cooler day to do this and today was that day.  On a whim while walking past our backyard firepit I decided to whip up a campfire.  I hadn't had a campfire since way back last year sometime and I think today's cooler air just lent itself to a campfire.  With our leaf blower, I blew fallen leaves, etc. off the front deck and porch.  Followed that up with my weed whacker chasing some weeds around and it was about this time that our company from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean arrived.

 MY ONLY BACKYARD CAMPFIRE THIS YEAR

It had been a year since we last saw Kelly's daughter Rebecca, Ricardo, and (little) Ella.  Except little Ella isn't so little anymore.  She's as tall as I am now and I've no doubt she will break through the 6' mark.  And she's only 11.  They are home from Spain for the month of August and actually Kelly had seen them a couple weeks ago when they dropped into London's University Hospital to see her.  I was the one who hadn't seen them for a year.  I have a bunch of teddy bears (many readers will remember Spencer) on my bed and Ella wasn't long in getting the whole gang out to the living room.  For a mid-afternoon lunch, Ricardo and I slipped into Bayfield and brought back a load of Subs from Bayfield's Subway.  It was a great visit and how nice to get caught up with them.  They will be heading back to Spain in a couple weeks. 

 ELLA

 RICARDO ORDERS UP SOME SUBS

 THE GIRLS DOING SOME KIBBITZING

 KELLY AND HER YOUNGEST DAUGHTER REBECCA

 KELLYS BEEN WORKING ON A JEAN JACKET FOR ELLA

A Blast From Our Past:)) Back in August of 2011 I wrote a post called, If You Are Deciding On Buying An RV.....Beware Of The 'WOW' Factor  (I may have posted this one before) I am the kind of person who is very susceptible to the WOW factor in buying anything so it's a subject I know something about.  Keep in mind when you read this that I wrote it 13 years ago and we have gone through 5 more RV's since then.  One Class A, 3 Class C's, and a Class B Van.   

 RICARDO DEMONSTRATES ONE OF KELLY'S HAND GRIPSTER THINGS

 KELLY USES THIS GRIPSTER DEVICE TO STRENGTHEN HER GRIP

 THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW TALL ELLA HAS BECOME

 BYE GUYS, MAYBE SEE YOU NEXT WEEK:))

Al's Music Box:)) Spanish Harlem is a song recorded by Ben E. King in 1960 for Atco Records. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. "Spanish Harlem" peaked at number 15 on Billboard's rhythm and blues and number 10 in pop music charts. The song was ranked number 358 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time.".  Leiber credited Stoller with the arrangement in a 1968 interview; similarly, Leiber said in a 2009 radio interview with Leiber and Stoller on the Bob Edwards Weekend talk show that Stoller had written the key instrumental introduction to the record, although he was not credited. Stoller remarks in the team's autobiography Hound Dog that he had created this "fill" while doing a piano accompaniment when the song was presented to Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records, with Spector playing guitar and Leiber doing the vocal. "Since then, I've never heard the song played without that musical figure."  The song was arranged by Stan Applebaum, featuring Spanish guitar, marimba, drum beats, soprano saxophone, strings, and a male chorus.  The riff to the song was originally conceived by Spector and his then-girlfriend Beverly Ross. She was apparently shocked to discover the same riff a few months later in the version sung by King.Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem"   was originally released as the B-side to "First Taste of Love".  "Spanish Harlem" was King's first hit away from The Drifters, a group that he had led for several years. King's version was not a hit in the United Kingdom.  The song was re-released in 1987, after "Stand By Me" made number 1.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Here are a few ways of describing some people you may know...............

A few clowns short of a circus.

A few fries short of a Happy Meal.

An experiment in Artificial Stupidity.

A few beers short of a six-pack.

Dumber than a box of hair.

A few peas short of a casserole.

Doesn't have all her cornflakes in one box.

The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead.

One Fruit Loop shy of a full bowl.

One taco short of a combination plate.

A few feathers short of a whole duck.

All foam, no beer.

Body by Fisher, brains by Mattel.

Couldn't pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel.

He fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down.

An intellect rivaled only by garden tools.

As smart as bait.

Chimney's clogged.

Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash.

Doesn't know much but leads the league in nostril hair.

Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.

Forgot to pay his brain bill.

Her sewing machine's out of thread.

His antenna doesn't pick up all the channels.

His belt doesn't go through all the loops.

If he had another brain, it would be lonely.

Missing a few buttons on his remote control.

No grain in the silo.

Proof that evolution CAN go in reverse.

Receiver is off the hook.

Several nuts short of a full pouch.

Skylight leaks a little.

Slinky's kinked.

Surfing in Nebraska.

Too much yardage between the goal posts.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

The lights are on, but nobody's home.

24 cents short of a quarter.

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This is how my week goes. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, FridaySaturdaySunday.

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A gentleman entered a busy florist shop that displayed a large sign that read "Say It With Flowers."  "Wrap up one rose," he told the florist.  "Only one?" the florist asked.
"Just one," the customer replied. "I'm a man of few words."

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