TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Sunday, March 16, 2025

I'M NOT SURE WHOSE TURN IT IS TO DRIVE THOUGH

OUR FIRST CROCUS SHOOTS OF 2025

A cloudy start to the day as Pheebs and I rolled out around a couple of country blocks. Farm fields are now about 98% clear of snow and many are already turning green. By the time we got home, skies were beginning to clear and I wasted no time getting hold of my lawn rake and began raking up more snow-free areas. It didn't take me long to spot two separate patches of Crocus leaves poking through the cold ground cover. Early buds on our front yard White Magnolia tree can be seen too. And, I can hear Robin's in our backyard. It has been a long winter waiting for these early days of Springlike weather like this

iT'S NOT OFTEN ONE SEES AN OLD FISHING BOAT IN A FARMYARD

SO NICE TO SEE GREEN AGAIN INSTEAD OF WHITE

KIND OF REMINDS ME OF ACTRESS LAUREN BACALL

Before heading home to Stratford, Woodsy and I slipped up to Walmart in Goderich. I was running low on a few things. Coffee at Hortons Drive-Thru and down to the harbor we went. Glad to see the road to Rotary Cove is snow-free and open again. Back to Bayfield, we went and a couple hours later Lorraine headed for home. She'll be back soon. She doesn't like me living on cornflakes and peanut butter:(( I of course see absolutely nothing wrong with that:))

THREE LAKE HURON CROCODILES LURK IN THE ICE-FREE WATER AT GODERICHS ROTARY COVE

I called Aunt Jean this morning and as difficult as it is for her at the moment, she is holding her own. Her voice is still weak but with the help of oxygen, she is determined to get through this medical setback. Her spirits are good and there was a bounce in her few chuckles. She told me that at her facility she has picked up the nickname, 'Tenacious'. I find that a very fitting name for Aunt Jean. I will be phoning her again in the morning.

WINTER STORMS HAVE BROUGHT DOWN A LOT OF BRANCHES

I was not shocked by Richard's passing a few days ago because it was something we had talked about the last time we were out for a coffee cruise nearly two weeks ago. Actually, Richard and I have talked a lot about death, dying, and 'the other side' these past couple of years, His health has been steadily declining for the past 6 months. I find myself in kind of a limbo state now. I know he's gone and yet I still think of him being a short 6-minute drive away and that we'll be heading out for another coffee run this coming Thursday morning. I'm not too sure whose turn it is to drive though.......

RICHARD WITH PHEEBS AND THEIR LATE DOG BUBBA

A Blast From Our Past On this day in 2009 Kelly and I drove Up And Over the Chiricahua Mountains To Portal Arizona.

Al's Music Box Running Scared is a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison. An operatic rock ballad, the recording of the song was overseen by audio engineer Bill Porter and released as a 45 rpm single by Monument Records in March 1961 and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold over one million copies in the US alone. The song was included on Orbison's 1962 album Crying as the final track on the album. Noted for being a song written without a chorus, the song builds in the lyrics, arrangement, and vocals to a climax that, without vibrato, demonstrates the power of Orbison's clear, full voice. It is written in the bolero style; Orbison is credited with bringing this to the rock genre. Fred Foster, producer of the session and of Monument Records, did not want the powerful high note that ends the song to end in falsetto but in full or natural voice. According to Foster, the last note that ends the song is G above (G5) High C (C5) in full natural voice. The note is actually high A (A4), over Middle C (C4). While "Running Scared" was an international hit, the B-side "Love Hurts" also picked up significant airplay in Australia. Consequently, chart figures for Australia show "Running Scared"/"Love Hurts" as a double A-side, both sides peaking at number five. This makes Orbison's recording of "Love Hurts" the first version to be a hit. "Love Hurts" later became better known in a version by rock band Nazereth, who had an international hit with it in 1975.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man was walking in the street when he heard a voice: "Stop! Stand still! If you take one more step, a brick will fall down on your head and kill you." The man stopped and a big brick fell right in front of him. The man was astonished. He went on, and after awhile he was going to cross the road. Once again the voice shouted: "Stop! Stand still! If you take one more step a car will run over you and you will die." The man did as he was instructed, just as a car came careening around the corner, barely missing him. "Where are you?" the man asked. "Who are you?" "I am your guardian angel," the voice answered."Oh yeah?" the man asked... "And where the hell were you when I got married?"

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"Would you continue to love me if I were completely bald?" she asked. "Absolutely, my dear," he answered. "What if I had no ears? Would you still love me?" "Just as much as I do now, sweetheart." "What if I had no arms at all?" "Even then, my love."

"What if I had no toes?" "Ew, no!" "What?!?" "Darling, you know I'm lack-toes intolerant"

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Harry and his neighbor Joe often borrowed things from each other. One day, Harry asked to borrow Joe's ladder.

Joe said, "Sorry Harry, I've lent it to my son." Remembering a saying that his grandma often used to tell him, Harry said, "Joe, you should never lend anything to your children because you'll never get it back." Joe replied, "Don't worry, it's not my ladder - it's my dad's."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kelly's World
AUNT JEAN AND KELLY IN TOMBSTONE ARIZONA

IN A TOMBSTONE ARIZONA HAT SHOP

TRYING ON A HAT

Al's Art Gallery

Saturday, March 15, 2025

MY BEST FRIEND RICHARD PASSED AWAY

OUR FRONT YARD IS FINALLY EMERGING FROM UNDER ALL THE WINTER'S SNOW

After being taken by ambulance to the Clinton Hospital Thursday night my best buddy Richard passed away Friday morning with his wife Gayle and his son Hayden by his side. Gayle notified me of his passing this afternoon. He had been battling heart problems for a while now. I later slipped over to see Gayle and she is holding up. They had been married for 66 years and Richard would have turned 88 in August. I will have more to say about Richard in a future post. With his passing and Aunt Jean so sick right now, I am feeling overwhelmed at the moment..........I am so thankful to have Lorraine here at the moment.

I was surprised by a phone call from Aunt Jean this morning. Her voice was weak and she was on oxygen but her friend Pat was with her and able to help. She explained that she had fallen asleep Friday night and missed my call. I was sure glad to hear her voice and we had a short chat. Pat then came on the phone with a few updates. I called Aunt Jean later this afternoon and we were able to talk for a few minutes. Her voice was strained and I could tell she was weak. I will call her again in the morning.

In my pre-awakening slumber this morning I heard the garbage truck rumble up our street. "Hey wait a minute, my groggy mind muttered. "This isn't Monday, it's Saturday!! And then came the rumble again followed by a second thought, "That's not the garbage truck, that's thunder!!". And, with a faint flash of lightning came another rumble. And so it was, we had a thunderstorm going on complete with rain. My day had started with a rumble. And what a beautiful weather day it later turned out to be. The best one of the year so far. Sunshine and I think temperatures hit 60F.

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Pheebs and I headed into Bayfield for a drive around and slipped over to the cemetery to see if the snow had melted off the road enough to take a drive through or a walk. Most of the roads were clear but too muddy for a walk.

LAKE HURON'S AQUA BLUE GREEN WATER IS EMERGING FROM UNDER ALL THE ICE AND SNOW

CRUISING ALONG BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET PHEEBS AND I CHECK OUT THE ALBION HOTEL RESTORATION PROGRESS

SOME OF THE CEMETERY ROADS WERE FREE OF SNOW

AND SOME WERENT

SAW THESE EARLY SPRING FLOWERS THIS AFTERNOON WHEN WOODSY AND I TOOK A DRIVE AROUND BAYFIELD

Home again, it didn't take me long to get outside with my leaf rake. Need I say more?? No, I think not:))))))

SO NICE TO SEE THE SUNSHINE MELTING SNOW OFF ONE OF MY PATHWAYS

ALMOST LOOKING LIKE SUMMER EH:))

THE SNOW ON THE RIGHT HAS ALL SLID OFF THE ROOF AND WILL BE THE LAST OF THE SNOW TO MELT

WON'T BE LONG AND I WILL BE HITCHING UP THE UTILITY TRAILER TO HAUL BRANCHES AND YARD WASTE TO THE PARK'S RECYCLE AREA

DEFINITELY A PLEASANT SIGHT FOR WINTER WEARY EYES

OUR FRONT YARD FROG POND WILL SOON BE VISIBLE

Al's Music Box:)) You'll Never Find is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and this version is sung by Michael Buble' and Laura Pausini.

A SPARKLY SHEEN ON THE LATE AFTERNOON WATERS OF LAKE HURON

GROANER'S CORNER:(( An eccentric philosophy professor gave a one question final exam after a semester dealing with a broad array of topics. The class was already seated and ready to go when the professor picked up his chair, plopped it on his desk and wrote on the board: "Using everything we have learned this semester, prove that this chair does not exist." Fingers flew, erasers erased, notebooks were filled in furious fashion. Some students wrote over 30 pages in one hour attempting to refute the existence of the chair. One member of the class however, was up and finished in less than a minute. Weeks later when the grades were posted, the rest of the group wondered how he could have gotten an A when he had barely written anything at all. His answer consisted of two words: "What chair?"

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Teacher: Well, at least there's one thing I can say about your son.

Parent: What's that?
Teacher: With grades like these, he couldn't be cheating.

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Man: I haven't spoken to my wife for 18 months. Friend: Why, you two are fighting? Man: No, I just don't want to interrupt her.

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A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat

everything to men...The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"

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