TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

AND TODAY WAS MY UNCLE HARRY'S 94TH BIRTHDAY:))

A RELAXING AFTERNOON

To-day was my Uncle Harry's 94th Birthday & once again he came all they over from Woodstock Ontario to spend it here in Bayfield with us. His friend & ours, Grace, drove him up. Until just a few short years ago Harry was always at the wheel but he finally sold his car a few years back & now lets others do the driving. And, he was a fine driver right up to the day he decided it was finally time to step aside.

SO NICE TO SIT OUTSIDE ON THE PORCH TODAY

We were happy the weather cooperated today with sunshine & warmer temps. Nice to sit outside on our front porch. Uncle Harry has always enjoyed coming here & seeing all the improvements we have made to the house & grounds over the years & he is the fellow who made it all possible for Kelly & I to buy our place here nearly 7 years ago.

SITTING IN THE SUN ROOM WATCHING THE BIRDS AT THE FEEDERS

HARRY & MAX HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BEST BUDDIES

We sat & watched the birds at the feeders & I showed him how I'm able to take the bird photos with the long telescope/lens & camera set up. For supper we had Harry's favorite frying sausage from Krug's Butcher shop in Tavistock, Ontario. Our family has been buying frying sausage there ever since I was a kid & it's always Harry's fav. Scalloped potatoes with cheese sauce cauliflower & creamed corn was followed by oven warmed apple pie & ice cream. All Uncle Harry's favorites.

HARRY HASN'T LOST HIS APPETITE FOR GOOD OLD KRUG'S FRYING SAUSAGE:))

It was sad today to see that most of his mobility is gone now & even a walker is a struggle for him. His voice is weaker & body frail, yet it was only a month ago we were playing pool together in Woodstock. He hasn't lost that twinkle in his eye or his smiling chuckle but as I helped him into the car after supper I seriously wondered if he was going to have enough strength left to ever make it back again for another visit.

A HELPING HAND FOR THE MAN WHO FIRST EXTENDED US A HELPING HAND A DECADE AGO

With Grace at the wheel & Uncle Harry looking so very slumped in the passenger seat I watched as they backed out the driveway & then made their way down the road. I watched, as I have done so many times before over the years..........................

HEADING HOME...............................

GROANER'S CORNER:(( You know, some days I get all the exercise I need just by pushing my luck!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR 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.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

A PLEASANT WEATHER & WORKING DAY

Late getting to the computer tonight so might be a short blog. Had us a great sunny day with temps in the low 70's so we are definitely headed in the direction of summer.

THIS LITTLE GARTER SNAKE FELLOW HAS TAKEN UP RESIDENCE IN OUR CACTUS GARDEN & LOVES SUNNING HIMSELF ON THE WARM ROCKS

Managed to get myself another three & a half hours of work time in again today. Picked up a couple of folks with the mobility van in a small town nearby & took them to another nearby town & dropped them off for a bit. Returned them home a couple hours later. Because of confidentiality rules with the company I drive for I can't really say too much about the people I transport or where they are going or for what reasons. But I can say that it is just general things like medical appointments, visiting, errands & some grocery shopping etc. All folks are in wheel chairs or electric scooters & that is why it is a mobility van I am driving. Been doing this for about 6 years now & probably 98% of all the people I have transported over those years are elderly Seniors. Of course they don't know me as a cranky old Cursmudgeon though. To them I am one of those bouncy, good natured & friendly 'young guys.' Yep, I like that job alright:))

TIME TO GET THE KID'S POOL OUT FOR THE SUMMER

I have half a dozen blogs or so I read every morning & another dozen or so I check periodically to see how people are doing. It's just impossible to read everybody's blog & of course I feel guilty about that when I miss things or realize I haven't read so & so's blog for awhile. We all pour our heart's & minds into these darn things & I do try my best to keep up with people's writings. One of those half dozen or so blogs I read daily is written by a lady who goes by the road name of Gypsy.

AWWWW MOM, DO I REALLY HAVE TO HAVE MY SPRING BATH

I think it was a year or two ago when I first came across GYPSY'S BLOG out here in RV blog land. Her postings caught my attention right away because she was down to earth with her writings & talked about how she felt about things. It wasn't just a run of the mill 'nice-nice sugar & spice' blog that would fit quite comfortably into any glossy travel magazine. I liked how Gypsy talked about the down days, the challenges, & hardships, of being a single lady RVer alone on the road driving a big truck hauling an even bigger 5th wheel trailer. Although off the road now for awhile she continues to blog about her daily happenings & more importantly, how she feels about life from day to day. The ups as well as the downs. She approaches each day with the reality of challenges it holds for her. No glossing over the difficulties with big happy face Cheshire grins or skipping through phony non existent never ending wondrous days. No, Gypsy will give you her honest opinion & is not afraid to tell you how she feels. If she's grumpy, she's grumpy & if she's happy she will tell you about that too.

YES, THIS IS DEFINITELY A POND OF FROGS

I have great respect for people who face reality & who understand & accept the realism around them. I admire those folks who have the courage to break from the herd & think for themselves. They are definitely in the minority but I feel they are definitely on the right track. Keep up the good work Gypsy....you go girl:))

A LONE CANOE AWAITS A LONE PADDLER

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Irishman Patrick Finnegan came home drunk every evening toward ten. Now, the Missus was never too happy about it, either. So one night she hides in the cemetery and figures to scare the beejeezus out of him. As poor Pat wanders by, up from behind a tombstone she jumps in a red devil costume screaming, "Patrick Sean Finnegan, sure and ya' don't give up you're drinkin' and it's to Hell I'll take ye'". Pat, undaunted, staggered back and demanded, "Who the hell ARE you?". Too that the Missus replied, "I'm the divil ya' damned old fool". To which Finnegan remarked, "Damned glad to meet you sir, I'm married to yer sister."

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

OUR 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.

Monday, May 17, 2010

IT WAS NICE TO BE WORKING TODAY:))

OUR FRONT YARD TREE FROGS ARE BACK

JUDY confirmed my mystery bird guess yesterday as a female Baltimore (Northern) Oriole.

Judy also wondered how I did that self portrait of myself in the pond too. I used a 200mm lens for that shot Judy. ISO 640 F5.6 at 1/500 of a second shutter speed. I later added a bit of contrast, saturation, & sharpening, in the Picasa photo program. I used the 'sharpening' tool because I figured that was the only way to sharpen myself up a bit!! Oh, & I had to use the 'Retouch' tool to remove my white beard & mustache too. For the actual photo itself I mounted the camera on a tripod & set it on the pond bank, activated the self timer, & then scurried down the bank & hopped in the water quick as I could. Just got myself flippered around in time to face the camera.

Sooooo nice to be working for a few hours today. Only three & a half hours but it was nice to get out of the house for a drive though the beautiful spring countryside. I'm off again in the morning & with a bit of luck I'll get another 3 or 4 hours in & that should darn well keep my mind off myself for awhile:))

POPPA GOOSE STANDS WATCH ON THE OLD SILO WHILE MAMMA GOOSE SITS IN THE GRASS BELOW......DAY AFTER DAY. This is the couple who had their nest eggs eaten by the Muskrat.

Noticed a fair few people clicked on the photos of our television renovations from two summers ago so figured I better take a few new pics today to show the the TV & where we finally had it mounted & how.

THIS SHOWS TV EXTENDED OUT... Cupboard door was taken off & our handyman friend Bruce made 3 new pieces of wood to fill the space & the TV is mounted on the center piece. The other two pieces flip up so there is still storage behind.

I LEFT ONE OF THE TROUSER BELTS IN THE PIC. NORMALLY WE NEVER HAVE THE TV EXTENDED OUT THIS FAR

THE CUPBOARD DOOR FROM BEHIND THE NEWER TV WAS MOVED OVER HERE TO THE CENTER WHERE THE OLD CLUNKY TV USED TO HANG DOWN. BRUCE DID A GOOD JOB IN FIXING UP THE BIG GAPING HOLE THAT WAS LEFT

And thanks to JANIE & JOHN for some kind words in their blog. Never thought of myself as that way guys so the reference did send me scrambling through the dictionary pages to look up that 'P' word you used. It has given me some ideas & opinions for a future blog sometime.