OVERNIGHT STORM KNOCKED OUT OUR ELECTRICITY FOR 11 HOURS

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU CAN SEE THIS FARMER IS A FELLOW RV PERSON:))  (Motor Home by the grain silos)

A severe band of thunderstorms & heavy rain ripped through our area around midnight Sunday & lit the sky with continuous lightning for about 10 minutes.  It took out our electricity about 12:15a.m. & many parts of our area including us were blacked out well into the late hours of Monday morning.  It's late afternoon on Monday now & our electricity has been off & on this afternoon with big trucks out front on the road working on high voltage boxes & power lines.  One load explosion sound hours ago & lesser cracks like rifle shots awhile ago so whatever the electricity boys are doing out there it sounds like they are earning their dollars today.

              

Closely checked the real time computer weather for our immediate area before leaving the house this morning & made the decision to go topless.  Parked the roofless Jeep in Clinton & picked up the Town & Country mini-van.  Had folks to pick up over in Grand Bend about a half hours drive away on the shores of Lake Huron.   While dropping off people here & there on their shopping excursions & errands I kept a very nervous eye on the foreboding heavy gray clouds loaded with moisture coming in across the lake & heading inland.....to where our topless little Jeep was also keeping a nervous head light on the very same darkened sky as well!!  In the end, the weather people were correct & the clouds held their moisture & finally began to dissipate in the early afternoon.  Upon arriving back at the Jeep I was happy to find all was dry & there was no need to unpack my scuba suit for a splishy splashy drive home. 

MIGHT BE A LITTLE TOO WET TODAY FOR TAKING OFF ANY MORE WHEAT

Many times in the past I have blogged about the huge decisions that arise with RV folks at some point in their week-end camping, snow birding, or full timing lifestyles.  We began making RV decisions as far back as the late 90's when we bought a 1970 17 Foot Dodge Centurion Class C.  Several more RV's brought us up to a point in late 2006 when we invested major money in a truck & fifth wheel followed shortly thereafter by an even bigger decision to buy a Motor Home.  It was a risky decision but we figured it would be the only opportunity for us to live a preferred lifestyle at a time when we were both able to physically & mentally do so.  It is a decision we have not regretted.  Today, I was reminded once again why it is important to get out there & do things while you still can.

YOU CAN SEE WHY I KEPT A NERVOUS EYE ON THE SKY THIS MORNING

Talked to an elderly fellow who gets around now with the aid of a walker.  Lives in a small apartment by himself because his wife is in a nearby facility suffering from Alzheimer's.  Said she doesn't know him anymore but he's thankful for the many years they had together & for the lifestyle they chose to live at an early age.  With his early retirement at 45 they spent many wonderful years traveling the North American countryside in their truck & Prowler 5th wheel trailer.  He talked about one trip taking them over 50,000 miles & as far north as Alaska.  Trips to Arizona & Florida & countless points in between.  Wonderful times together sharing & building countless traveling memories, secure in the knowledge they had made the right decision for themselves all those many years ago.  For one of them the memories are gone now, but for the other, they live on in a mind that had the courage to try something years ago that wasn't even fashionable at the time.  The clock is ticking or all of us, so work hard on your dreams & do what you think it is that seems right for you.  Remember...."The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now."

TOOK TODAY'S PICS ON MY WAY TO GRAND BEND THIS MORNING (road at left is the Babylon Line)

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A couple of elderly RV'ers who'd recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary were sitting on the sofa in their Airstream motor home, when the wife said, "Dear, do you remember how you used to sit close to me?" He moved over and sat close to her.
"Dear," she continued, "do you remember how you used to hold me tight?" He reached over and held her tight.
"And," she went on, "do you remember how you used to hug me and kiss me and nibble on my ear?" With that, her husband got up and started to walk toward the rear of the Motor Home.  "Where are you going?" she asked. "Well," answered the husband, "I have to go get my teeth now."

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

OUTRUNNING A FEW RAINDROPS TODAY

Finally, a break from the humidity.  Cloudy skies this morning so it's also a break from the hot piercing sun.  A very welcome change indeed.  Checked the computer weather map & it looks like some rain headed our way maybe overnight & clearing by morning.

AL'S ON THE HUNT FOR BIRD'S AGAIN

We decided not to put the roof on the Jeep this morning because the weather is looking ok for Monday now.  I have to work tomorrow so didn't want to drive to Clinton & leave the open Jeep parked outside for 5 or 6 hours when not sure about the weather.  If one of those gully swamping rain fronts came in across the lake it would fill the Jeep full of water in no time & I would have to put on a scuba suit just to drive the Jeep home.  And, if my legs were any shorter I would have had to use a snorkel as well!!

 

DUCK WEED SWAMP

Kelly's working today so with an eye to the sky I Jeeped myself down to Mitchell to visit my Uncle Harry for a couple of hours.  I debated whether to take the bike or the Jeep but figured if I was going to get caught in some rain it would be better to have a Jeep with no roof rather than a motorcycle with no roof.  Harry's doing pretty good & we watched some golf for a couple hours.  When I left, it was sprinkling rain but the further west I traveled the less sprinkles came down & I was fine.  Didn't even get my hair wet. 

I WOULD TELL YOU THIS IS A FULL GROWN MALE DWARF BALD EAGLE BUT JUDY & EMMA WOULD BE RIGHT ON MY CASE:))

The Jeep did teach me another lesson today though.  I like traveling the gravel country roads & in a 'normal' vehicle with 'normal' suspension a series of pot holes doesn't present a problem but with a short wheel based vehicle & a tight suspension it is a whole different story.  I didn't see the potholes until I was into them & in a split second I was nearly airborne, inverted, & headed off north to Alaska.  Regained control in the second split second & slowed down.  Lesson learned......no likkity split driving on bumpy country roads with a Jeep TJ....No Sireeeeeee!!

DODGING A FEW RAINDROPS ON THE WAY HOME TODAY

A year ago this week-end was the Ford Thunderbird car show here in Bayfield.  I was reminded of that today when I saw a couple of T-Birds on the road.  You can see my photos of last year's Birds here... THUNDERBIRD

And it was a year ago last week-end that I took a bunch of Corvette photos at the same place.  Clan Gregor Square, Bayfield.  Check out ...CORVETTE

MY SON SEAN & I LAST SUMMER (I'm the shorter guy:))

Randy, from THE ROAD RUNNER CHRONICLES is staying in a beautiful area about 3 or 4 hours north of where we live here in Bayfield.  He recently toured the Cypress Lake area in the Bruce Peninsula National Park.  The Georgian Bay shoreline is beautiful along there with it's high cliffs, inlets, crystal clear water,  grottos, caves, forests & large rock formations.  We have camped at Cypress Lake several times & one time when up there on a photo shoot with some fellow Fanshaw College photo students years ago I had a bear encounter.  No bear pics but I did get pics of 2 shredded tents.  I did do a blog about the 2 bears brushing up against my Class B van in the night but can't locate the blog.....not even with my own search bar:((   Back in those days there was no such thing as digital photography so all my photos were done on 35mm slide film & yes I have about 47 ka-zillion million slides stored in carousel's scattered around here.  Can't show you any pics from that great scenic area but Randy can, so be sure to check out his site for a look at the Georgian Bay shoreline.

I THINK AN ASTEROID PLUMMETED INTO THE POND BESIDE ME THIS MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg even though you are slightly cracked.  And, last week engineer's Bubba and Ray were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up.  A woman walked by and asked what they were doing. 'We're supposed to find the height of the flagpole,' said Bubba, 'but we don't have a ladder.'  The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a few bolts, and laid the pole down.  Then she took a tape measure from her pocket, took a measurement & announced, 'Eighteen feet, six inches,' and walked away.  Ray shook his head and laughed.  'Ain't that just like a woman!  We ask for the height and she gives us the length!' 

Bubba and Ray are currently doing government work supervising some major projects in Washington.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

ANOTHER TOUGH HUMIDITY DAY

 

A RAINBOW OF STONES

Today has basically been a repeat performance of Friday except I think the humidity is even heavier today.  Had a list of things I hoped to accomplish this morning & got off to an OK start but it didn't take long for me to run into the usual long list of snags.  At one point I had to drive over to Jeepster Pete's place & get him to show me how to totally remove the Jeep's soft top.  Decided this morning I absolutely do not have the patience to continually fight with that stretching, pulling, & grunting soft top roof getting it up or down.  Kelly & I are going to try lifting the hard top roof back on the Jeep in the morning.  The hard top is just sooooo much more practical & AL friendly.

SHOVELED A WHOLE WHEELBARROW LOAD OF MUD & PINE NEEDLES OUT FROM UNDER THE TRAILER'S SUB FLOOR

By the time I got to the computer Friday night my interest & enthusiasm for writing the blog was about zero.  Maybe it was the humidity, maybe it's the doldrums of summer, or maybe it was just the other 146 things I had on my mind.  I think it may have been the first time since I started blogging in the fall of 07 that I didn't feel up to the day's blog challenge.  Instead, I just wrote a couple of short paragraphs, pushed myself away from the computer, rounded up Max & Checkers & took the guys for a ride in the Jeep with the top down.  It's been a long time since I have done something different after supper & the guys loved it.  With the wind blowing their fur backwards we buzzed around a few country roads with their favorite Rin Tin Tin CD blaring in the player.   It was nice to see how much they enjoyed riding in the open air Jeep & boppin to the tunes.  Later last night around 10 I slipped out into the 80F air for another a drive by myself.  Can't even remember the last time I sat behind a steering wheel & was able to look up & see the moon & stars.  It felt great just to be doing something different for a change & it was a beautiful night for a drive.  I have always loved being outside at night & it seems these last couple of years I have hardly been out at all.  My astronomy interests have slipped & I now find myself having trouble remembering a once very familiar night sky.

  Hey Dad, Checkers is pulling my tail!!

     Ummm, don't ya think we're going a little fast there big Guy!!

We are creatures of habit & sometimes those habits need to be shaken up or life can become very humdrum & mundane leading to a debilitating case of.......Ho-Hum!!  I am a believer in the saying, 'a change is as good as a rest.'  Desire for change is the driving force behind RVing's hitch itch fever.  I have always been at my best when the winds of change are blowing.  When the mind is alive with thought.  When the mind is alive with planning & when the mind is alive with excitement. 

AWWWWW NUTS!!!!  I SURE MESSED UP ON THE COLOR FOR THIS WOODEN BOX THAT WILL GO IN THE BACK OF THE JEEP.  WANTED IT TO MATCH THE JEEP BUT I AM NO WHERE EVEN CLOSE.  NOW THE TRAILER SIDES WILL HAVE TO BE THIS COLOR TOO CAUSE I GOT A WHOLE GALLON OF THIS PECAN PIE COLOR:((

There has been a fair bit of talk in the blogs lately about 'comments.'  Sometimes a blogger will see an upswing in comments & then the comments may fade again.  Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for the most part.  Carefully written & entertaining posts can garner few comments while hastily thrown together one's are sometimes very popular. However, I do think if a blogger takes the time to consistently leave comments on a lot of other people's blogs he/she of course will see a marked upswing in visitor's comments to their own site.  That is a perfectly fine & totally logical way to attract visitors to your site & I wished I had the friendly type caring personality to do that.   Personally, I don't comment on every blog I read.  That doesn't mean the blog I'm reading isn't interesting, informative, or entertaining.  It could be all those three things in spades but for me to comment on Grands, food, basket weaving, quilting, cooking, horseshoe tournaments, family rebellions, fishing, sports, or somebody's tour of a stamp collection museum just isn't me & I can't do that.  As I said, wished I could but it just isn't in my personality to do that.  (well ok, sometimes I do) But, when I do leave a comment on somebody's blog I try not to make it a generic comment.  Some days it's hard to pull a comment out of myself about anything but when reading blogs I look for something a little different & try to put my own personal & creative spin on it.  Sometimes serious, sometimes humorous & sometimes helpful.  I can't call a photo 'great' if I don't think it is.  I can't tell you how wonderful your new hat looks if I don't feel that way about it.  Maybe it's the coolest hat in the country but I can't fudge my opinion. 

RED WINGED BLACK BIRD

I'm glad the 'comment' topic came up because it has been on my mind for a long time now & when I saw WANDERING WILLY express his thoughts a couple days ago about 'blog commenting' I knew I wasn't the only one with a differing opinion on the subject.

Now, one last thing about comments, just in case I haven't dug myself in deep enough yet..................I came across a comment in another's blogger's post Thursday that has me a bit puzzled.  The comment left in a fellow blogger's comment box said, " We blog when it comes to us. It makes it more interesting. Freely flowing thoughts are so much more creative than sitting there trying to come up with something to write about." Ummmm, is this person saying they feel their blog is more interesting & creative than other bloggers simply because they don't write it every day therefore making it....... free flowing.  This person says "their thoughts are so much more creative."  "We blog when it comes to us because it makes it more interesting!!"  Well, there is a lot I could say about this but I'm just not going to go there.  Maybe I have missed the point somewhere or am not understanding correctly what this blogger is really saying.  Or maybe it's just one of those mountain/molehill thingys.  Or maybe it just doesn't matter!!

 

So now, let me blow myself out of my own water by telling you that the person who left the above comment on a friends blog happens to have well over 400 Followers.  They have obviously hit upon a winning blog formula so what do I know & who am I to suggest they do or don't know what they are talking about.

Now I'm going to go take the guys for another spin in the Jeep.................10-4:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Got a tongue twister for you tonight.......

Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.
While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew.
Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.
Freezy trees made these trees' cheese freeze.
And that's what made these three free fleas sneeze.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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