MCDONALDS-HARBOR/BEACH-GAS-WALMART

FIERY SUMAC LEAVES ALONG THE ROADSIDE

Temps came up to just over 60F by noon and with the sun shining, it turned into a mighty fine October day.  Pheebs and I were up to Goderich and back this morning and did all the things we routinely do while there.  (McDonalds-Harbor/Beach-Gas-Walmart)

THE OCIEAN GOING BULK CARRIER VERILA IN PORT THIS MORNING LOADING GRAINS AT THE GODERICH GRAIN TERMINAL

 THIS IS A VERY LARGE SHIP

 THE FRONT SECTION OF THE ALGOMA BUFFALO CAN BE SEEN TO THE RIGHT DOCKED AT THE GODERICH SALT MINE

Home again I took advantage of the weather and carried on with some more outside puttering.  Fixed a troublesome light in the carport, raked up another batch of pine needles, and probably did some other stuff that I have already forgotten about.  

 IN OUR PARK IT IS NOT ONLY THE AUTUMN LEAVES THAT HAVE ALL THE COLOR

Kelly has noticed a slight improvement in her back so maybe whatever it was she wrecked up might slowly be on the mend.  My back has healed up so I'm about at the point now where I am ready to go do something stupid and aggravate it all over again.  

 OUR AREA'S CORN HARVEST HAS BEGUN

Al's Music Box:)) A Lover's Concerto is a pop song written by American songwriters Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, based on the 18th century composition by Christian Petzold, 'Minuet in G major,' and recorded in 1965 by the Toys. "A Lover's Concerto" sold more than two million copies and was awarded a gold record certification by the RIAA.  Their original version of the song was a major hit in the United States and the United Kingdom (among other countries) during 1965. It peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 2.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( While shopping in a food store, two nuns happened to pass by the beer, wine, and liquor section. One asked the other if she would like a beer.  The second nun answered that, indeed, it would be very nice to have one, but that she would feel uncomfortable purchasing it.  The first nun replied that she would handle it without a problem. She picked up a six-pack and took it to the cashier. The cashier was surprised, so the nun said, This is for washing our hair.  Without blinking an eye, the cashier reached under the counter and put a package of pretzel sticks in the bag with the beer.  The curlers are on me.

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- If you haven't grown up by the age of 50, you don't have to.

- I said I was good at making decisions.  I didn't say the decisions I made were good.

Father: Why don't you answer the door?
Son: Because it didn't ask a question!

- Vegetarian: Indian word for lousy hunter

Q: What runs around a field but never moves?
A: A fence

- The stomach expands to accommodate the amount of junk food available.

- In real life, I can assure you that there is no such thing as algebra.

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Al's Art Gallery:))

GOOD NEWS FROM FLORIDA AND KELLY'S BACK PAIN WORSENS

 IT WAS A ONE TURTLE WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND THIS AFTERNOON FOR PHEEBS AND I

Aunt Jean in Sarasota, as well as Kelly's sister, husband, and daughter in Clearwater, Florida all made it through Hurricane Milton okay.  I phoned Aunt Jean shortly after 2 p.m. this afternoon and she said aside from the hurricane's wind noise last night and the power flickering out before Sunnyside's generators quickly kicked in, they faired very well.  Her internet is still down but her TV is working fine and she has been able to keep up with the hurricane's aftermath.  She said the windows and doors are still boarded up so she hasn't been able to look outside and she still has no idea how her car made out.  And, it was still too early to tell how bad the damage may have been to the Plymouth Harbor Retirement Center out on Lido Key so she doesn't know how long all those folks will be remaining at Sunnyside Village.  She said she can hear a lot of talking in the hallways and she was going to venture on out there later and see if she could pick up what all the 'buzz' was about.  When I call her Friday night she will no doubt have more news about how things are going there:))  

 IN OUR FRONT YARD THIS AFTERNOON

 UNLIKELY TABLE MATES

We dipped down to 39F overnight but that's alright because at least it was sunny and temps would soon be on their way back up heading for the fifties.  And, 70F is predicted for Friday.

Richard's turn to drive this morning so he picked me up a 9:30.  With coffee and muffins in hand from Goderich's McDonalds our travels took us northeast of Goderich through the countryside and places like Auburn and Ben Miller.  These semi-monthly coffee runs of ours are good therapy for both of us old guys.  Richard 87 and me 80.

 STANDING AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY WAITING FOR RICHARD I NOTICED THESE MORNING SHADOWS CREEPING UP THE ROAD

 WE HAD TO STOP AND WAIT FOR THESE FARM GEESE TO CROSS THE ROAD ON PORTER'S HILL LINE

Kelly's back is still hurting her and she said it was worse today than yesterday.  She had a similar thing happen to her not that long ago and an X-ray showed a 3 vertebrate compression fracture due mainly to Osteoporosus which Kelly also has.  She worries that her back condition might impact a liver transplant......if she ever gets to that stage.  I can tell she is discouraged.

 KELLY ON HER COMPUTER

Low on photos for today's post, Pheebs and I headed off for a walk over to the Park's pond and beyond to see what we could find.  A nice early 55F October sun and cloud day with no wind.

 OUR PARK'S FOUNTAIN AND CLUBHOUSE

 A GNARLY OLD WILLOW TREE ALONGSIDE THE POND

 I PLANTED THIS BAMBOO GRASS BESIDE THE PARK'S POND ABOUT A DOZEN YEARS AGO

 HEY, IS THAT AN OTTER IN THE PARK'S POND??  NOPE, JUST A WOODEN STUMP WORN SMOOTH BY TURTLES SUNBATHING ON IT

Al's Music Box:)) Dang Me is a song by American country music artist Roger Miller. It was Miller's first chart-topping country hit and first Top Ten pop music hit, whose "jazzy instrumental section" helped make it "the quintessential example of Miller's lighthearted humor, which brought him many more hits."  In 1998, Roger Miller's 1964 version of "Dang Me" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Newly signed with the Mercury Records subsidiary Smash Records,Miller gathered on  January 10–11, 1964, with music producer Jerry Kennedy, music arranger Bill Justis, and session musicians Ray Edenton and Harold Bradley (guitars), Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano) Bob Moore (bass) and Buddy Harman (drums) at the Bradley Studios on Nashville, Tennessee's Music Row.  On the second day, they recorded a run-through of "Dang Me," with Miller giving rehearsal direction (such as "one more time" at the end of the first chorus). The run-through was the final version released to radio. Miller, in his official biography, recalled writing the song in four minutes in a Phoenix Arizona, hotel room. Johnny Cash in his last major interview claimed Miller wrote the song at Joshua Tree in California when Miller got out of the car with pen and paper to go write the song. Cash asked Miller what he was doing to which Miller replied "I'm writing a song. You can't come look."  Kennedy had already started work on many other of that session's songs before he eventually brought the recording of "Dang Me" to his home. Upon playing it, he recalled, "My kids came screaming down the stairs when 'Dang Me' came on. They thought that was the greatest thing they'd ever heard. I started playing it over and over and over again...".  Kennedy and Mercury Records chose "Dang Me" as the first single of the May 1964 LP Roger and Out. The album was shortly retitled and rereleased that year as Dang Me (Smash SRS-67049)  The song spent 25 weeks on the Billboard country-music chart, reaching number one, and peaked at number seven on the magazine's pop chart. It went on to appear on numerous Miller compilations. On film or tape, Miller performs it, with other songs, in the 1966 concert film the T.N.T. Showc, and as part of a closing-number medley on season three, episode #21, of The Muppet Show in 1979.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and says to the first man he meets, "Do you want to go to heaven?" The man said, "I do Father." The priest said, "Then stands over there against the wall."  Then the priest asked the second man, "Do you want to get to heaven?"  "Certainly, Father," was the man's reply."Then stand over there against the wall," said the priest. Then Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole and said, "Do you want to go to heaven?" O'Toole said, "No, I don't Father."  The priest said, "I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?" O'Toole said, "Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now."

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- You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there.

- What's the difference between a pigeon and a banker?  A pigeon can still leave a deposit on a Ferrari.

- What happened when the hyena swallowed an Oxo cube?  He became a laughing stock!
- How do young wizards and witches correct their homework?  They use a spell-checker.

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"I am overjoyed! Soon I will be able to payoff all my loans and at last be debt free.  I'm on my way to the bank, thrilled to know that in a very short while I will finally have all the money I need to begin enjoying life for once.  I am so excited I can hardly get my ski mask on!"

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Al's Art Gallery

AUNT JEAN IS IN GOOD SPIRITS AND FEELING CONFIDENT SHE WILL SURVIVE HURRICANE MILTON

How nice from my sleeping recliner to see nature's early morning golden sunlight making its way through the tall pine trees and green leaf canopy.  With temps at 50F and a strong wind blowing the windchill was down into the 40s.  Pheebs and I slipped into Bayfield for a drive down around the harbor and beach area and then up through the Village.  No point in heading to the cemetery for a walk.  It was simply too windy and cold, plus my back was still tweaking and twinging.  Not as bad as yesterday though.  And unfortunately this morning, Kelly hurt her back.  Due to a possible water problem in our Park we are currently not supposed to use any water for 12 hours as our water system undergoes a chlorine shock treatment.  The Park owners have offered free cases of water for the residents which is available at the clubhouse in the back of a pickup truck.  Kelly, on her way into Bayfield this morning decided to stop and pick up a heavy case of water.  Lifting it from the truck to the car, she turned and wrenched her back.  She has been in a lot of pain ever since then.  So that's two of us now with back pain but Kelly's is more serious and painful than mine.        

 THE WIND-BLOWN DARK WATERS OF LAKE HURON

WAVES BREAKING ON THE NORTH PIER

 NOT AS MANY BOATS IN THE WATER AS LAST WEEK

I THINK BECAUSE OF THE WIND AND ROUGH LAKE WATER SOME OF THE FISHING BOATS REMAINED IN PORT THIS MORNING

 KIND OF LIKE SITTIN ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY

 A CANADA GOOSE FLEXES ITS WINGS

 MAYBE SECURING AN EXTRA ROPE TO HIS BOAT ON THIS WINDY MORNING

 A CORMORANT RIDES THE CHOPPY WATERS OF THE BAYFIELD RIVER

Home again, I stayed inside following the developments of Hurricane Milton heading for Florida.  I called Aunt Jean about 2 this afternoon and she was in good spirits feeling confident that she would be safe through this hurricane.  She said she was told that the buildings there at Sunnyside Village were built using concrete blocks and steel.  She also said that every window and door is boarded up and nobody can see out.  Also, sandbags are at the bottom of all doors on the outside.  All necessary staff is in place and will remain there on duty throughout the storm.  All the special needs residents of the Plymouth Harbor Retirement Center are at Sunnyside now as well.  I told Jean I will call her again at 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon to see how she made out.     

 HEADING SOUTH ON BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

 ENJOYING A HOT CUP OF COFFEE ON A CHILLY BAYFIELD MORNING

 DRIVING NORTH ON BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

I've added the title 'Al's Art Gallery' to the new feature at the end of each post.  Also, because I have so many paintings, etc. saved up, I've also decided to include 3 pictures each day instead of one.

 THIS MODERN RENOVATION ON A CENTURY-OLD BAYFIELD HOUSE IS COMING ALONG WELL

I had just started my latest book, Little Men by Louisa May Alcott when a reader (Kawartha Girl) sent a note suggesting a book I might be interested in called The Smallest Lights In The Universe by author Sara Seager.  I read the reviews about the book and decided to give it a go.  I finished the book today and yes, I did enjoy it.  It's the true story of Canadian-born Sara Seager who grew up in Toronto Ontario and who has gone on to become Professor of Astrophysicist, Professor of Physics, Professor of Planetary Science, and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  (MIT)  It is the story of her struggles through life, of not fitting in, her awkward social skills, uncanny intelligence, and dealing with the debilitating hardships surrounding the death of her husband.  It is the story of picking up the pieces and struggling forward with her two young boys.  The final few pages of the book reveal a surprising revelation that will leave you thinking.

 A BIG CLOUD SHADOW ON LAKE HURON

 A VIEW FROM PIONEER PARK

Al's Music Box:)) You'll Never Find is a song written by Kenny Gable and Leon Huff and performed by R&B singer Lou Rawls on his 1976 album 'All Things In Time'. The song proved to be Rawls' breakthrough hit, reaching number 1 on both the R&B and Easy Listening charts as well as number 4 on the dance chart and number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This was the first and only time that one of Rawls' records reached Billboard's pop Top Ten.  The single went on to sell over a million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA.

 CRUSING BAYFIELD'S MAIN DRAG

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A guy gets set up on a blind date and he takes her out for dinner to a very expensive restaurant to make a good impression. The waiter approaches the table and asks to take their order.  The lady begins ordering practically everything on the menu, shrimp cocktail, pate, Caesar Salad, lobster, crepes Suzette, with no regard to the price. The guy is getting very upset, as he never thought she would order so much.  She then stops, and looks across at him, and asks, "What do you suggest I wash it down with?"  "Well my dear, how about the Mississippi river?"

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-"Hey, I like your personality".  "Thanks, it's a disorder".

- Give me a coffee to change the things I can.  And wine to accept those that I cannot.

- A shop assistant fought off an armed robber with his labeling gun.  Police are now looking for a man with a price on his head. 

- I choked on a carrot this afternoon and all I can think was, 'I bet a donut wouldn't have done that to me.

- Tired of sore thumbs from texting?  Get a skateboard and experience pain everywhere.

- Thought it was the dryer that was making my clothes shrink....turns out it was the refrigerator. 

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Al's Art Gallery:))