3D PIPES:))

3D Pipes have always been one of my favorite Microsoft screen savers.  It is a mesmerizing display of movement & color that can have one sitting in front of the monitor for long lengths of time staring in wonderment at how quickly the pipes are constructed.  We have the pipes on both computers running XP.  But, do we have the pipes on our new laptop running Windows 7?  No we do not!!  Along with some other neat-o things I like about XP, Microsoft has seen fit to eliminate most of their screen saver programs & that included 3D Pipes:((  I am a firm believer that newer is not always better!!

Aside from a short mobility van run this afternoon it has been a quiet day.  Dropped off yesterday's load of trash in a nearby dumpster & have another load in the works to take to the local 'Good Will' drop off tomorrow.  I will keep plugging away at the big clean up until we are finally clear of all the debris!!

Finally had a look at the gas log from our last trip to the southwest & see that we travelled for a total of 6,925 miles for $2,209.  I have no idea about how many miles to the gallon we got because I don't bother myself with that kind of stress.  Once a decision is made to go from point A to point B then whatever it costs to do that is what it costs & there's no point in stewing about it at each gas stop.  Our computerized speedometer can be set to tell us how many miles we are getting to the gallon but after watching those numbers while going down the road a couple years ago I decided that was information that was depressing & I had no control over anyway.  So that was that.  I now have the speedo set to show how many miles are left before our next fill up.

And gas fill ups for me are always a royal pain in the asparagus.  Gas pumps are all computerized now & with their faded displays & 243 different ways to enter your info I generally lose patience & end up trying to physically strangle the gas pump.  I hate gas pumps!!!!  Some places take a credit card OK while others demand zip codes, rip codes, or the second to last letter in Abraham Lincoln's most favorite nickname of his wife's sister's brother-in-law.  A lot of pumps only give you $75 worth of gas & then you have to start the madness all over again.  Some places you have to go inside & pay first.  Works fine if your a Swami with a Crystal Ball in your pocket & know how much gas your rig is going to take.  Surly pumps with attitude really fry me.  As a rule it generally takes two of us to fill up the rig's gas tank.  Kelly has to come out & act as referee & generally ends up doing the paperwork at the pump while I stand at the rig waiting for a, 'lift the nozzle' sign to show up.  If I can see it.  More than once we have stormed out of a gas station without gas only to do battle down the street with another miserable pump with attitude!!  At least with the motorhome our gas stops have been cut in half or more because of the larger tank.  I'm thinking maybe we should replace the gray, black, & fresh water tanks in the coach with gas tanks to further cut down our time doing battle with the #^*)!!%+/** gas pumps!!!!

 

And one more little statistic I've noticed here on the computer.  We have a program called Feedjit which shows us in real time the number of people visiting our site & where they are from.  About 70% of the hits come from the United States while maybe 28% are from Canada with maybe 2% or so from other countries.  America's population is much bigger than Canadas so that makes sense but I think it has more to do with the fact that probably 99% of our travels are done in the States.  Of those 6,925 miles traveled this past winter, only 134 miles were traveled in Canada.

 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And did you know that those of you who think you know it all are damn annoying to those of us who do know it all!!

LOOK CLOSELY, I TOO AM IN THE MONITOR

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

GOOSE FIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL POND

OUR NEIGHBOR'S MAGNOLIA TREE IS IN BLOOM

Each Spring we have a nesting pair of Canada Geese on the pond across the road from our place.  And each year there is a lot of honking & ruckus over there as the pair on the pond protect their territory against all comers.  This morning was no exception as two fellow geese intruders circled in over the pine trees & made a landing on the pond.  The fight was on!!!!

 A quiet morning on the pond.....Oh Oh!!        

(Click on the pics to enlarge)

The two nesting geese immediately launched a full frontal attack on the intruders.  Feathers were flying, water was a splashing, wings were a flappin, & honks was a honkin. Luckily for me I just happened to be walking past the pond & was able to crack off a few quick shots of all the shenanigans.

I finally revved up my motivation engine enough this morning to begin a job I have been putting off for the past couple years.  Like most people I knew we had been dragging stuff home for what seems like forever.   About two years ago we finally got a handle on our garage sale prowling & stopped checking out discount scratch & dent liquidation type stores.  We have actually done well in curtailing our 'bargoooon' shopping habits but it has left us with a lot of 'stuff' filling just about every nook & cranny we have.

Five years ago I even built a second wooden shed & 3 years ago when we had our carport built we made sure to have an additional 6x17 feet of storage space added.  We even have the rafters of the carport filled now.  It's a good thing we didn't have a 40x40 six story barn built or we would probably have that filled too.  So, today began  a job that has been put off far too long.  I already have one load ready for the dump with about 342.6 loads to go!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Of all the things I've ever lost in my life, it is my mind that I miss the most.

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

BURNING BARREL.....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

My mission this morning was to find a big metal burning barrel so my travels took me to a small store in the tiny burg of Winthrop.  A barrel was found, purchased for $12, & loaded into the mini-van.  A sticker on the barrel's side told me it had once been filled with concentrated carrot juice. 

A leisurely drive back to Bayfield took me through a little whistle stop of a place called Slabtown which of course reminded me of Slab City, California.  The only thing the two places really had in common was the word Slab!!

Although it was a bright sunny day the air was cold making a motorcycle tour too uncomfortable.  Bike needs a good washing but I do not like doing that at home because of our chlorine polluted water which leaves water spots on everything.  Chamois only drags those round chemical spots into long chemical spots.  First warm day I'll head the bike for the car wash where chemical free water is used in a final rinse & doesn't leave any spotting.

FARMERS WERE BUSY ON THE LAND TODAY

Very pleased with the new 20" HP computer monitor we got.  It is HD ready & is as clear & sharp as can be.  Big difference over the older & smaller off color sized monitor.  Really makes it nice for working on photos.  Am getting to like the new Toshiba lap top more all the time & Windows 7 & I are slowly becoming friends with the exception of it's Windows Live email program which I still totally hate!!

OLD MONITOR ON LEFT & NEW HP ON RIGHT EVEN THE TURTLES KNOW SPRING IS HERE

It was one month ago today we left Apache Junction near Phoenix Arizona on our long journey home.  That first day took us as far as Deming New Mexico & as it turns out, our second last day of heavy southwest winds.  Those big winds are one thing we do not miss about the west.  We had a side awning destroyed by a nasty Kansas crosswind 3 years ago but that was nothing compared to what happened to John & Brenda's first rig back in 07.  Check out JOHN'S blog today & see why people were asking them if they were, "the motorhome with the straps holding it together."

Ivan from ROADTRIP 2010 is scrambling around right now in Zion Canyon Utah while RICK & PAULETTE are motoring along further north somewhere near Salt Lake City on their long journey back to British Columbia.  ROD & LOYCE  are still stuck in Red Bay Alabama undergoing repairs & warranty work on their Tiffin Motorhome while BRUCE & MARGIE are over on the eastern seaboard whooping it up at Walt Disney World in Florida.  LAURIE & ODEL I   think are in Knoxville Tennessee while STU & FROGGI DONNA are somewhere in the Grand Canyon area.  Not sure where MOTTY & PATTI are but they might also be in the Grand Canyon area.  We do know where DOUG & JOANNE are though because they have been in the Florida/Georgia neck of the woods for quite awhile now.  Aw yes, tis quite a life these wandering fellow RV Nomad folks lead.

<<<< THE SIGN SAYS IT ALL

Came across a pair of new Rockport running shoes this morning that Kelly picked up for me about 3 years ago.  Totally forgot I had them so it didn't take me long to swap out my old blown out pair, hold a fitting memorial service for them, & lay the poor soles to rest in the trash bin.  I then had to quickly get out the garden hose out & mix me up a fine batch of garden mud to walk my new runners through.  Not cool if they don't look kinda wrecked up & lived in you know.  Had to do the same thing with my first cowboy hat a few years ago too.

GROANER'S CORNER:((   For tonight's groaner I've decided to add my rendition of AA's 12th step program as it might apply to many of us bloggers some day.  I originally put this in my September 30th blog last year & I accidentally stumbled across it today.  Just scroll about two thirds of the way down the blog & look for..BLOGGER'S ANONYMOUS

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.