WASHING THE MOTOR HOME ROOF

OUR DIGS AS SEEN FROM ATOP THE MOTOR HOME...big roof at right is our 2 vehicle carport.

It was one of those perfect September weather days with sunny sky’s & temps in the low 60’s.  Just the kind of day that energizes us older fellas, so with energy levels peaking I was able to get the rigs roof scrubbed today.  I had gone up on the roof to WD40 the working parts of the rig’s Winegard TV antennae when I noticed how dirty the roof had become over the summer.

DISCOVERED A PRETTY DIRTY ROOF ONCE I GOT UP HERE

Our Motor Home sits in the shade of tall pine trees & a green/black mold had set in.  It took me a couple hours of scrubbing & hosing down the roof & then hosing down the whole Motor Home.  I even had enough energy left over to get a little waxing done on the rig’s front end too.  These sure are different days from just a short month ago when I was fighting a daily battle against a miserable virus bug.

HERE YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLEAN & DIRTY

AND DON'T FORGET TO CLEAN UNDER THE SOLAR PANELS!!

After reading Jedsmom's comment in our Shout Box this morning I realized just how far behind the times I have slipped.  I thought that cell phone thing in classrooms was a new problem here in Ontario but if you read Jedsmom’s comment you will see it seems to be common place in schools now.  Even 5th graders are packing cell phones into school rooms.  Well, there is a lot more I could say about all this but what’s the point.  I might just as well join the masses & go bury my head in the sand & give my head a break.  Nothing I can do about the decline & decay of our society anyway........it’s already to late!!

VIEWS OF OUR PLACE FROM ATOP THE MOTOR HOME

Someone asked if the picture of me sitting on the ground working on some outside speakers a few days ago was taken by Kelly.  No, I usually take those pics myself using the camera’s self timer.  Most of my photos do not have people in them & since I don’t care to have a lot of people hanging around in my world I sometimes use myself to give photos perspective.

I’m trying very hard to get along with Windows 7 but we sure are having our differences.  Got myself into a real schmozzle with that magnifier thingy this morning.  I much prefer the simplicity of XP’s CTR+ for enlarging things but hey, I'm the kid who failed grade one so what do I know!!

SHARING:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A college class was told they had to write a short story in as few words as possible.  The instructions were:  The short story had to contain the following 3 things.  Religion, Sexuality & Mystery.  Only one short story received an A+ in the entire class.  It read........"Good God, I'm pregnant; I wonder who did it."

----------------------------------------------------------------

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/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it's his fan club that causes me grievous concern:((

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

JEEP BABY GETS NEW BOOTY'S

                 

OLD & NEW TIRE.....NEW TIRES HAVE A MORE AGGRESSIVE TREAD DESIGN

I was at the Huron Tire shop fifteen minutes early this morning for my 8 a.m. appointment.  It was a cool mid 50's rain soaked start to the day.  By 8:04 they had the Jeep in the garage & Al in the waiting room leafing through horribly boring magazines for what seemed an eternity.  "Your all done," boomed the voice from behind a counter & 5 minutes later at 9:10 I backed the Jeep out of the bay & I was on my way.....new tires & all:))

 

LOTS OF BUZZARDS ON THE BARN ROOF THIS RAINY THURSDAY MORNING

Noticed right away the ride had smoothed out a bit.  Decided to treat myself to a mess of bacon & eggs not too far down the road at a place called Kate's Station.  Doesn't look like a station & I ain't never seen no sign of Kate either.  It's the first time in memory that I declined a coffee with a hardy breakfast.  And guess what, I didn't flop out of my seat in convulsions, the waitress never had a heart attack & the world never turned dark & ended.  Kept an $1.50 in my pocket and an ounce of cream out of my blood stream to boot.  I'm home now, it's 11:30 in the morning & I am drinking my second & last cup of coffee for the day:)) 

BACKYARD SHOWING PART OF A WOODEN SHED I BUILT & OUR BURNING BARREL FOR BURNABLE WASTE

Oh ya & despite a recent comment on my blog.....I had a Tim Horton's decaffeinated coffee this past Monday morning & guess what.......it did not taste like dishwater.  It totally tasted like a regular coffee to me.  I do the lions share of dishes here at home so I know what dishwater tastes like!!  I am soooooo glad I am not a food & drink connoisseur because I'm sure it would make mine & Kelly's life more difficult.  I'm what you might call, 'a low maintenance kind of guy:))  Well, in fact, we're kind of an all round low maintenance couple if you haven't already guessed.  And we love it that way...............10-4!!

OUR OLD RAIN BARREL >>>

One of the main reasons for putting that 'bra' (silly word for something on the front of an automobile I'd say) on the front of the Jeep was to gain protection for the radiator.  Those Jeep radiators are totally exposed to bugs, rocks, birds or anything that wants to come through the grill & nail it.  The bra has a tough finely woven mesh that covers the whole grill area.  The bra also protects the paint job from stones & grit flying up from the rig's tires plus the small air deflector on top creates an updraft channeling small bugs up & over the windshield.  It almost channeled me out the back window yesterday!!

THIS AGED WOODEN BARREL HOLDS ROCKS BROUGHT BACK FROM THE SOUTHWEST....I need to blow off the pine needles!!

I was browsing through some old stuff on the computer this afternoon & came across an old blog site of mine on Microsoft’s My Space.  I had all but forgotten that I originally started out on this blogging road as far back as January of 06.  It was quite a find & I got quite a kick out of those very early posts.  So, looks like my blogging roots go back nearly 5 years now instead of the 3 years I had previously thought.

TOO WET FOR A CAMPFIRE TODAY

Saw something on the news last night that just left both Kelly & I standing here shaking our heads.  The idiot tail is wagging the befuddled dog again.  School kids are telling the Ontario School Board they want cell phones allowed in class rooms.  This has got to be totally beyond stupid.  It angers me to no end when I see what is becoming of our society but here’s the kicker.  The Premier of Ontario has come out on the issue saying he thinks it’s a good idea because in this day & age communication is important.  #*!!%^*# Cell phones in class rooms.....are ya totally nuts McGinty!!   I’ve got to use the STUPID word here again.  In fact, SUPER STUPID!!!!  Ok, SUPER SUPER STUPID!!  Can you imagine being a teacher these days & the days leading up to these days over these last bunch of years.  Teeny boppers in educational class rooms being allowed to sit & play on their stupid little twinkle toes cell phones!!!!  Will the madness ever stop!!  Well guess what folks........it’s going to get a lot worse & that is just the simple reality of today's society.  And anyone thinking it isn’t has quite successfully buried their head in the sand at the beach of positive thinking.  Kelly & I often remark about how fortunate we are to be at this end of the life cycle & not just starting out at the other end. 

I HAVE PLANTED NUMEROUS SUMAC AROUND OUR PLACE

Our day turned out to be cloudy & cool so it was perfect for staying inside & getting caught up on computer stuff.  I still have a list of people here I have been meaning to email.  I remember a few years ago before I got into this blogging thing I was very fast & efficient with my email correspondence but since starting the blog I find it really hogs my computer time & folks I should be in touch with, I'm not:((  I think I am waaaaaay overdo for a long stint in the Blogger's Re-Hab home out there somewhere in southern California!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And never underestimate the importance of walking!!

Walking can add minutes to your life.  This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $10,000 per month.

---

My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60.  Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where the hell he is.

---

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

---

The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

---

I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

---

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there.

---

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise,' I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

---

I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

---

The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say, 'Well, he looks good, doesn't he?'

---

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

---

I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years - just getting over the hill.

---

We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

---

Every time I start thinking too much about how I look, I just find a Happy Hour and by the time I leave, I look just fine.

----------------------------------------------------

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/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it's his fan club that causes me grievous concern:((

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

ENERGY LEVELS ARE COMING UP.....SOON I WILL BE LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOUND AGAIN:))

HEADING HOME THROUGH RURAL ONTARIO THIS AFTERNOON

Over the past couple of weeks I successfully reduced my coffee intake from 4 cups a day to no cups a day.  I was able to do this by slowly introducing decaffeinated coffee into my regular stuff.  By choosing this route I was able to avoid the headache & scratchy eye withdrawal grunge & all was well for a couple days.  The decision was now totally mine if I wanted to stay off coffee or not.  Noticed I had 3 really draggy days going on so wondered if that could be coffee related.  Brewed myself up a cup & noticed my energy level immediately picked up.  Following day, same thing.  So after 4 coffee’s a day at 4 predetermined times in the day for the past 10 years I have settled on a new coffee routine.  One coffee first thing in the morning & a second coffee sometime before noon.  No coffee after 12 anymore & if I feel the need for a coffee I will drink decaf.  I have had 6 good nights sleep in a row & I am directly attributing that to my new coffee routine.  Thanks to my Nurse Practitioner for strongly suggesting I do that.  See, men aren't always too old to listen and learn new stuff!!

AFTERNOON BACKYARD CAMPFIRE

Took the Motor Home to HURON TIRE in Clinton this morning to have the rig’s tires assessed.   It was recommended both front tires be replaced so that is what we will do.  Haven’t felt comfortable with the Jeep’s tires either so took it to the same place this afternoon & made the decision to replace them as well.  I have to be at the tire shop first thing in the morning.  Kelly was in touch with Ron at FOUR SEASON PERFORMANCE in Grand Bend this morning & we’ll be taking the rig in next week to have our malfunctioning hydraulic levelers looked at.   They have been busticated for over a year now.  Four Seasons Performance is where we bought the rig in April of 07.

HOOKING UP SOME EXTERNAL SPEAKERS

Since returning from the Southwest at the end of March I have been in the habit of using our older laptop & desktop computers which both are running Windows XP.  I have become a creature of habit in the past few years & simply find it easier for myself to use things I am comfortable & familiar with.  Makes my life magically easier.  That’s a lot different from a few years ago when I was into downloading this, upgrading that & just generally bombing around the internet trying out all kinds of new stuff.  Of course we had a lot more computer problems in those days too, thanks to my adventurous curiosity.  I would carelessly get myself into a jam & Kelly would patiently get me out.  I'm good at taking the garbage out.  We're a good team:)) 

ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE LOTS OF WATER JUGS ALONG FOR BOONDOCKING

Just seems to make a little more sense to me these days in computer land to to stick with what is tried & true.  Now, after saying all that, I have pulled out our newer Toshiba Laptop loaded with Windows 7.  This will be our main computer on the road so I had better suck it up & get on with Microsoft’s new operating system.  I can’t get Live Writer’s old format back with Win 7 so I have no choice but to come to grips with figuring out their new format.......regardless of what I think of it.  The format that is, not the program.  I happen to love Microsoft's Live Writer program itself.

 

SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO....FARM COUNTRY AS SEEN FROM THE RIG:))

 

THIS IS THE ROAD WE LIVE ON.....TOP LEFT PIC SHOWS THE FOREST WE LIVE IN ON THE LEFT....OUR PLACE IS LOCATED JUST A FEW HUNDRED YARDS INTO THE FOREST IN SECOND PIC AT EXTREME LEFT.....THIRD PIC SHOWS THE '5 SEASONS SIGN & TURN IN ON THE LEFT (click pics to enlarge)

           

WE ENJOY THE PRIVACY OF OUR JUNGLE LIKE BACK YARD

It is so nice to finally feel the momentum building for our southwest journey this winter.  Have had 2 good energy days in a row & I think that is a direct result of both my mental & physical well being coming back into line after a difficult month.  For a guy who was a bit cocky about never getting sick I sure got knocked on my ass pretty quick!!

HEY, IT'S CAPTAIN HYLINER BRINGING AL A FRESH BOATLOAD OF FISH STICKS:))   >>>

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Let me share a little bit of what I have learned in life...................

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in...

I've learned that one good turn gets most of the blankets.

I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just Jackasses.

I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.

I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.

I've learned to not sweat the petty things, and not pet the sweaty things.

I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and
all the less important ones just never go away.  And the real pains in the ass are permanent............. (Authors Unknown:))

----------------------------------------------------------------

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/

It is not the concept of God I have a problem with.....it's his fan club that causes me grievous concern:((

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