'SENIOR POWER' & GOOGLE'S PICASA TEAM SAYS HELLO TO RICK & AL:))

DESERT LILY....Tonight's pics are a mish mosh from near Borrego Springs, California

A large cloud shrouded orange orb sat on the eastern horizon this morning visually announcing it's presence with a splay of subdued light across the landscape.  It was sunrise & it was another work day as I headed north towards Goderich, Ontario.  So nice to see a town at that time of morning without it being wrapped in it's cloak of bustling daily activities yet.  Nary a car on the streets & no humanoids on the sidewalks.  Tim Horton's only had 3 cars in the parking lot.  Had the world come to an end the previous night as I slept?  No, just another early morning sleepy little town in  southern Ontario............... Canada.

AN UNKNOWN DESERT FLOWER

Before I get to rambling on & forget again, I would like to thank Dave from Dave's Travel Corner & Chuck & Anneke from GOLDENSHOE RV TRIP for grabbing hold of our Follower's list & swinging up on board with the Bayfield Bunch.  To see 2 new faces on the list at the same time surprised me yesterday.  Nice when that happens:))  Our next  blog follower will sign on as our 150th person & that will mark another blogging milestone for the Bayfield Bunch:))

RELAXING DESERT DAYS

Seems to be a lot of confusion amongst folks on using Picasa's Photo Editing program.  This is unfortunate because it is not a hard program to understand & use.  If it was, I would not be using it.  I think people are tripping over the technology end of the program & becoming way too confused by it.  Get a photo up on your Picasa screen.  Look to the left where you see all the tool buttons & start clicking those buttons to see what happens to your photo & how your picture changes.  Don't worry, you can't screw up your photo because you can always easily backtrack to your original.  Concentrate your time working with these tools & take the time to understand how they work, IF you want your photos to look as good as they possibly can.  I have to use that 'Retouch' tool on a huge number of my photos all the time because I have dust on both my Nikon camera sensors & it's very noticeable in sky or water pictures.  Nikon charges hundreds of dollars to clean those sensors so Picasa has given me an option on how to get around that.  That retouch tool has become one of my best Picasa friends.  Never mind the uploads, downloads, around the corner loads, exports, imports or old ports, files, styles, or upgrade smiles for now.  Most important thing about working with your photos is remembering to 'SAVE' any changes you make to your pics.  Any photos you see in Picasa are automatically saved on your hard drive & most likely in, 'My Pictures.'  I've been using Picasa for about 3 years now & if I can do it, there is nobody out there who can't!!

YEP, THAT LONELY FIGURE OUT THERE IN THE DESERT NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS IS NONE OTHER THAN WANDERING WILLY HIMSELF:))

AL & RICK NEAR BORREGO SPRING, CALIFORNIA....Rick's the good looking guy on the right & I'm the toad like creature on the left:))

BTW.....Both RICK & I have received favorable comments from a member of Google's Picasa team today.  They commented on Rick's blog & then came to my blog from Ricks.  From the early days of starting this blog & using Picasa, our Sitemeter has informed us that someone or something from Mountain View California has been tracking us daily.  Google headquarters are located in Mountain View Ca & it was Brenna from the Picasa team at Google who commented on our blogs.  Thank you Brenna, the nod is much appreciated:))  You can find her comment in a previous post's comment section here..... BRENNA'S COMMENT 

A QUIET EVENING SUN SPLASH ON THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS

Now, this is where I lose Brenna & the Picasa team already because I had already written the following post today & I'm sure the Google gang does not fall under my 'Seniors' idea.  Oh dear.....I'm toast:((

 

FLOWERING CREOSOTE BUSH

There has been a lot of blogger buzz lately about some of the other confusing computer technologies most of us use or attempt to use daily.  Live Writer, Picasa Web Albums, My Pictures Photo Organizing, Cradlepoint Routers,  Shrimp Sauce, Air Cards, Camera makes & models, MiFi, WiFi, Jerry's 50th, I-Pods, I-Max, I-Getting Crazy, Texting, Pizza bones, Ring Tones, Blue Tooth, No Tooth, and the list goes on & on.  Here's what I figure we gotta do.  We gotta get us some 'Senior Power' going!!

 

LATER MET THIS FELLOW WHO WAS BOONDOCKED NEAR US

We Seniors have got to wrestle all this technology stuff away from the Whiz-Bang kids & put it back in the hands of folks who know how to think & design for people & not for profit.  Seniors have the combined wisdom of countless learning years behind them & their morals & principles were groomed in the 40's & 50's when integrity & respect still meant something.  Seniors understand the needs, desires, & requirements of other Seniors.  Whiz-bang kids understand little else other than their video game 'bang-bang kill em dead' mentality Pac Man upbringing.  It's the whiz-bangers who are designing & competing amongst themselves for the one upmanship razzle dazzle world of speed, wizmo gadgetry, multi-tasking midgetry & brain frying quasi loaded mimicry.  In other words, these kids are uncontrollably loose in the proverbial techno pop store & we the Seniors are being herded unceremoniously into the relative obscurity of a 'no brainer' back room. 

I THINK THIS MIGHT BE A PURPLE FINCH OUTSIDE OUR RIG'S WINDOW

Now, in defense of the Whiz-bangers I will say this.  As a whole they are a bunch of pretty darn smart kids but their smartness is lost on & amongst themselves.  Their smarts need to be channeled into & blended nicely with..........Senior technology!!  All these big razzle snort companies need more than fancy lunch time play rooms for staff.  All new ideas & concepts should first come to a panel or multiple panels of, what else.....Seniors.  No idea goes into production without first running the Senior Gauntlet!!

 

THE BAYFIELD DESERT BUMS

We need people with common sense, logic, & downright good horse sense to look at, discuss, banter around, & come up with ways to better improve what might already be thought of as 'un-improvable by the Whiz-Bangers.  We need the wisdom of Senior input into today's technologies.  There has got to be a better way of building a TV remote without 300 teeny weeny tiny little function buttons on it.  And how about one remote instead of half a dozen to run 3 pieces of equipment.  And speaking of those pieces of equipment.....lets go back & put simple volume, bass, & treble knobs on them instead of all this internal Einstein rocketry science which of course requires another separate remote plus 3 years of additional University courses to operate. TV Remote 101!!  DVD, CDR, MP3, LOL, MIFFi, MUFFY & can you spell......B.A.W.W.W.W.W.W.W.  H.U.M.B.U.G.

DOWNTOWN BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

And how about we return to a readable size of print for things instead of downsizing everything from non readable to not existent.  We boomers are one of the largest generations ever to pass through the system so don't you think we should take back the reins from the Whiz-Bang kids & show them what it is like to design things by people...........for ALL people!!  And, whatever happened to the term....'user friendly!!'  Where did that ever go & how was that allowed to get lost so fast.  I think we have too many users & not enough friendly's nowadays!!

BOONDOCKING AT THE CLARK DRY LAKE BED....BORREGO SPRINGS

Oh, don't get me wrong.....I do love all this modern silly willy nilly techno stuff for the most part but I just think we need to get slowed down & improve the quality of what we have.  We need to take the focus off quantity & put it back on the quality issue where it should be.  How much smaller do you really want the keys on your postage stamp cell phone to be!!  And do you really want to watch Lord Of The Rings on a screen matching the size of your thumbnail.  If you do, then don't darn well tell me that you have seen the movie, Lord Of The Rings......because you haven't!!  The Whiz-Bang kids may have the techno savvy but they sure don't got no Senior savvy. (ya ya, I know about the grammar)  It is the Seniors who have the collective brain power to understand how & why to do things right.  Senior Power I tell ya......Senior Power!! 

Oh, & the mandatory age requirement for sitting on that Senior Gauntlet Panel??  Well, let's just say that if your not 50 yet you just ain't a gonna make the cut kid!!  You've got a few years of Seniorizing to put in yet & by the time you get to where we're at, we won't be at where you are, so instead of me sitting here writing this silly blog tonight, it will be you........when you get here someday!!            10-4:))

GROANER'S CORNER:))  It's been a tough year.  Did you know that I ordered a burger at McDonald's and the kid behind the counter asked,  "Can you afford fries with that?"
- CEO's are now playing miniature golf.
- If the bank returns your check marked  "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

- McDonald's is now selling the 1/4 ouncer.
- Congress says they are looking into this Bernard Madoff scandal. Oh Great!!   The guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

It's not the concept of God I have a problem with.......it's his fan club!!

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.

IT WAS A WORKING SUNDAY

'SURFING'.....BAYFIELD STYLE

It was a working Sunday & my travels took me about an hour & a half north of Bayfield to a little town that was in the Canadian news a lot about 10 years ago.  E-coli contamination had found it's way into WALKERTON'S water supply & 7 townspeople died with many more being very sick. We were living in the old farm house near Fullerton at the time & I remember the big orange & white air ambulance helicopter flying over the house on it's trip's between Walkerton & the hospitals in London.

KELLY ALWAYS HAS LOTS OF COMPUTER HELP IN THE MORNINGS

It's August 1rst already & I am totally amazed at how fast these past 31 days have flown by. A month from today we will be into September & bearing down on the Labor Day week-end. Only one holiday week-end after that & it will be just about time to head for the southwest again.  (got my fingers crossed)

D'YA THINK SILVER GREY IS A POPULAR CAR COLOR....THAT'S OUR SANTA FE ON LEFT....DEER PARK LODGE PARKING LOT

I'm not going to get into a big grumble about this long hot summer sitting at home but let's just say I am still patiently counting the days to when we can get the big wheels rolling again & get the heck out of here!! We still have to switch the towing gear from the Santa Fe to the Jeep & that means we will have to take both cars to London soon. We have had a 'Sterling Road Master' towing set-up for the past 3 years & are quite satisfied with that system. Will probably wait until late September or early October before looking at new Motor Home tires.  That will be one of the last items on our pre-trip list.

CRASHING WAVES ON BAYFIELD'S NORTH PIER

We have now had the Jeep for just over a month & I have a few more observations. I must admit, my feelings were a bit apprehensive when we made the decision to get ourselves a Jeep. We basically knew nothing about them except it was the vehicle of choice among a lot of folks in the southwest. We have no desires for cliff climbing or swamp bogging.  No need to purposely get ourselves into situations where winches, tow trucks or heavy lift helicopters will be required to get us out of situations.   We just wanted a high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicle to take us further into the deserts & mountains where our little Santa Fe just couldn't go. Many scenic sites can only be accessed by 4 wheel drive vehicles in many parts.

OUTDOORS AT BAYFIELD'S LITTLE INN

Yes, there are lots of other perfectly fine 4 wheel drive vehicles with far more creature comforts than a Jeep, but a Jeep kinda has that same mystique a Harley Davidson motorcycle does. I have had a lot of domestic sleeper vehicles over the past few years & just wanted something that was going to be a fun vehicle to drive for a change.  At this stage, I have far fewer vehicles in my future than I have had in my past.  Just wanted to gently grab hold of the fun tiger's tail again:))  Y'know, this Jeep even sounds more fun.  I've had a lot of off-shore vehicles over the years that sounded like sewing machines going down the road so it's kinda nice to hear a tiny bit of good old North American muffler for a change.

'FIELD OF BEANS'....IF YOU PLANT EM..... THEY WILL COME

The Jeep sure reminds me of my very first car which was a 1961 Volkswagen Beetle. The close proximity of the flat rectangular windshield & the long gearshift are two similarities. The quick & short turning radius coupled with a bumpier ride & small interior brings back 'old bug memories.' I can reach across to the passenger side & roll the window up or down, open the door, or lock it. Same as the Beetle. Smaller exterior surfaces make it much easier to wash plus I have always preferred small vehicles. I was driving Volkswagens when small cars were not in vogue. All the guys were driving around in their big muscle cars & families were booting about in big 4 door dinosaurs & Station Wagons. I loved my little 'bug' & subsequent bugs & now, nearly 50 years later here I am again driving a bouncy funny looking little thing with a long stick shift on the floor & roll up windows.   The removable top reminds me of the sports cars I've had too.  I'm as pleased as punch with this little Jeep & have even got used to the bumpier ride.

GRAND BEND'S BEACH AS SEEN FROM THE PIER

Somebody recently enquired as to what a Mossmagator was.  I use that word in my blogs occasionally & remembered blogging about how that word came about awhile back.  With the help of the search bar on our blog I was able to locate my post from last October & you can read about MOSSMAGATOR here.

STORMY SKIES & ROUGH WATERS OVER BAYFIELD'S PIER

With all the on -going medical & technology advancements I wish they could come up with a simple computer chip that could be inserted into the human brain to take care of memory functions.  How nice would that be to have instant recall.  Maybe they could figure out how to use a persons finger as a mouse & their forehead as a mouse pad.  Close your eyes, blink twice & a computer screen appears in the darkness of your mind just behind your eyeballs somewhere.  Simply scroll your finger across your forehead to check your brain cells for memory files or whatever else you have stored on your super cranium chip.  The possibilities are endless & the advantages are many.  Awwwwww, what a marvelous un-bumbling life we could lead eh:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((

A man appeared before St Peter at the pearly gates. "Have you ever done anything of particular merit?" St Peter asked.
"Well, I can think of one thing," the man offered. "Once, on a trip to the Black Hills out in South Dakota, I came upon a gang of high-testosterone bikers who were threatening a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen.
"So, I approached the largest and most heavily-tattooed biker and smacked him on the head, kicked his bike over, ripped out his nose ring, and threw it on the ground." I yelled, "Now, back off biker boy or you'll answer to me!"
St Peter was impressed. "When did this happen?"
"Oh, just a couple of minutes ago."

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

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

It's not the concept of God I have a problem with.......it's his fan club!!

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.

'BLOG EVOLUTION'.....AND SO IT GROWS:))

Our sunny long week-end weather has turned unexpectedly rainy putting a big damper on week-end boaters & beach people.  Our daytime temps have dropped to 70F making for nice outside gardening weather though.

Yes, I know just a few days ago I said, no more blogging topics for awhile but this one is ok & it's something I have touched on several times before.  After some recent comments & emails I thought I would touch on it again because it does concern everyone writing a blog.  Relax, it's not a 'do's & don'ts blog like before & this topic is survivable.

I, like most other bloggers started blogging with the thought in mind of keeping family & friends informed of traveling whereabouts & activities.  One of the side benefits would be in having a record of dates, adventures & places traveled.  That was all well & fine......in the beginning.  It soon became apparent that most friends & family members were not interested & very few of them ever checked the blog & still don't.  (my Aunt Jean & cousin Norma do though:))  And, it seems, this is a very common occurrence for RV bloggers.  Well, that presented a bit of a problem because if nobody was interested, why write a blog (and Publish it) in the first place.   Therein began the early evolution stage of this blog.

I have always had an interest in writing, photography & traveling & with the advent of the blogging idea it all just magically fell into place.  But, if family & friends weren't interested, who was.......if anybody.  I belonged to an online forum group at the time called 50+ & every once & awhile I would write a little something & put it in the forum.  That was enough to get me further interested & before long the blog idea was born.  We weren't traveling at the time but every once & awhile I would reach into my memory vaults & write about something I had experienced at one time or another along the highway of life.  Had a few more responses & that spurred me on to write more. 

As our travels increased, so did our readership.  Very slowly at first but at least it was a start & most responses seemed to be coming in from other RV people.  Not the family & friends as first expected.  The blog also evolved into a platform for my photography hobby as well.  Noticed people were beginning to comment on some photos I included & that of course spurred me on to take more photographs. The blog concept was slowly growing.

I blogged occasionally at first while at home & then every day of our 07/08 trip.  When we returned home for the summer in 08 I dropped back from the daily travel blogging routine but noticed within a week or so the comments, emails, & responses were encouraging me to keep the blog going.  Well, encouragement was all I needed (never had much of that as a kid) and by the end of that summer I was blogging full tilt every day & have pretty much continued with that ever since.  The evolution of the blog from beginning to present has had a lot to do with motivation.  I was no longer inspired to do the blog for friends & family like in the beginning but I was motivated & encouraged to write the blog & take the photos by all the people responding to the blog.

Some folks say they write their blog for themselves & if they didn't have anyone reading, it wouldn't really matter.  Well, that's fine for them I guess but it sure doesn't work for me that way.   If I was just doing this for me I wouldn't bother to hit the 'Publish' button at the end of each blog.  It is people with an interest in reading my blog & looking at the photos that keeps my enjoyable hobby going & that is why I gear the blog towards people with like minded interests to mine.  If I wrote the blog just for myself it would not look like it does today either.  I would not bother with all the graphics, colors & sidebar stuff & it would probably not include any photos because there would be no purpose for me to take any.  My blog journal would just be a plain white background with the standard black print & look simply like an everyday newspaper article.  Not much imagination there so not much of a challenge for me.  Just a simple journal with a few simple thoughts & events I suppose.  Knowing me, I would probably get bored with that pretty quick & the whole thing would just simply slip quietly into obscurity.

If it were not for the blog I would not have the all the camera equipment I have today & what camera equipment I had would probably be sitting in a dust covered camera bag in the bottom of a closet somewhere.  Again, the evolution of the blog is apparent.  As stated before, I have no interest in photo contests or printing pics to hang on walls or putting in albums.  The blog's photo platform has given me a way to display my photos for anyone interested & I am totally happy with that.  If readers enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoy taking them, then that is good enough for me. 

In early 1993 I lost all interest in photography & packed all my 35mm equipment away simply because there just wasn't any point in wasting money on film & processing just to look at the pics a couple times & then throw them in a box or slide carousel.  Aside from doing some travelogues I just didn't have a purpose.  And, the problem with doing travelogues was my fear of having to stand up in front of a bunch of people & narrate my slide show.  Now I can get my pics out there from the quiet comfort & obscurity of my recliner chair, the Motor Home or our scenic sunroom.  And, it's all because the blog has evolved from it's original concept.  Now I have a purpose.

So, I guess what this long post (again) is trying to say is simply that your blog is whatever you want to make it as you, along with your blog, evolve with it's growth.  If you are new to blogging & are finding friends & family not as responsive as you hoped, don't give up, just take your blog in a different direction, change your priorities & let it evolve into something you enjoy doing.   Find a niche & share your interests with others. 

For Kelly & I, it has been the RV community that has been our main blog supporters & we have met more people on the road & made more friends on-line than we ever have here at home.  And, it has been the blog that has done all that.  If it wasn't for the blog we would probably not have met one single person on that 'friends we have met' list I posted last week.

So, in conclusion (thank heavens) I say to all my fellow bloggers.....keep on blogging & grow with your blog.  May your purpose & ideas evolve into something greater than what you started out with............mine did:))

And, just in case you were wondering....all of tonight's photos were caused by a dripping garden hose on a cold January Arizona night this past winder while we were staying at the ranch near McNeal, Az........................:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((

A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional booth, sits down, but says nothing.
The Priest coughs a few times to get his attention, but the drunk continues to sit there.
Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall.  The drunk mumbles, 'Ain't no use knockin, there's no paper on this side either.

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

It's not the concept of God I have a problem with.......it's his fan club!!

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.

NEWER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER!!

I think it was back around the end of March when I saw the last one.  We see them every day while traveling & generally most of them in the southwest during the winter months.  This morning on my way to Goderich to pick up the mobility van I was fortunate enough to see another one.........A sunrise:))   And, what a beautiful sunrise it was too.  Am looking forward to many more sunrises in the next 3 weeks as my days, for the most part, will begin early.

AN ARIZONA SUNRISE

Turned out to be a long day with the mobility van but there was enough 'wait time' between runs to catch a few winks & take a few pics.

I WAS THINKING OF YOUR RV QUEST WHEN I SAW THIS TODAY, GYPSY  ($14,500)

NELLIE had a question about what kind of spam we have been getting since dropping the verification tool.  Nothing gross so far but some of it has been 'computer speak' meaning unreadable symbols.  Some emails pretend to be interested in our blog but are just scammers trying to gain a toehold for their products.  Nothing real bad yet!!

         

THIS LITTLE FELLOW SITS ATOP OUR JEEP AERIAL

As with most couples, Kelly & I have our morning computer routines.  For the past few years we have just had one computer on board while traveling.  Last winter while in the southwest we bought a second Toshiba laptop in Sierra Vista, Arizona.  Although we couldn't use the 2 computers at the same time on-line it did set up some patterns for me to work at things on one computer while Kelly did the same on the other.  In another month we will look into what equipment we need to run 2 computers simultaneously on-line before we head south again this winter.  As it is now, I start my days with the laptop in my recliner while Kelly does her stuff on the desktop in the sunroom.  Just started this double morning routine in the last 4 months & can't imagine going back to sharing one computer again while on the road.  And besides,  I'm an only child & I do not like to share!!  So there...................

SAM  left a comment question in Thursday's blog which asked,  "Since I am an all XP family right now I guess I will have to wait till I either buy a Windows 7 machine or the Beta upgrade becomes the defacto standard and will support XP, hate to sound old fashioned but my XP keeps chugging along and I am used to it like an old friend."

AN ELDERLY AFTERNOON STROLL ON THE BOARDWALK

Well Sam, I guess you & I are part of a shrinking 'old fashioned' club & I know what you mean by XP seeming like an old friend.   We have two computers running XP & one with Win 7.  I'm sure Win 7 is a fine program in it's own right but I still prefer my old easy to use & understandable XP & regularly grab my XP laptop ahead of the Win 7 laptop.   If we didn't have XP I probably would be up & running fine with Win 7 now, but given the choice...................

I THINK THIS IS THE SAME COAST GUARD BOAT I HAD A LITTLE TOUR ON ABOUT A MONTH AGO

In this ever expanding technology age of whatever is newer & smaller is better, some of us seem to be getting steadily farther behind.  Too many times I have automatically upgraded different programs believing new was going to be a big improvement & too many times I have been sadly disappointed!!   Music program upgrades especially come to mind.  Since they started integrating everything with mobile phones, live video uploads, live this, live that, etc. etc. I have been left further in the dust.  The only mobile things I am comfortable with these days are my shoes.

FOUND A NICE SHADY SPOT AT THE BEACH THIS AFTERNOON FOR A FEW ZZZZZZZZZZ'S

A lot of the new wiz-mo stuff is fine for the techie guys who enjoy the increasingly complex technologies & have the right number of brain cells in place, but I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep up I just don't seem to have the patience or memory for stuff anymore like I once did.   For the most part I do love most of this computer stuff with all it's wiz-bang gadgets but my aging brain is having difficulty keeping up with everything & I find I am becoming increasingly discouraged. 

Decades ago there was a huge race between America & Russia to put a man on the moon.  Now there seems to be a big race going on amongst tech companies to see who is going to be the first company to shrink things like cell phones, cameras, I-products & computers down to the size of sand grains. 

LAKE HURON BATHERS WITH GODERICH'S SALT MINE IN THE BACKGROUND

I'm sure a lot of folks will disagree with me here Sam, but in my opinion.....stick with the Live Writer you have for as long as you can.  It works fine, is easy to use & has everything you need.  Enjoy your XP platform for as long as you can as well & remember, newer is not always better. 

'GURU AT WORK'  (File photo from August 09)

And, the truth be known.......if it wasn't for Kelly's wily computer smarts & patient problem solving ways you probably would not be reading this blog because I would likely have thrown this Mossmagator of a computer into the front yard frog pond a long time ago.......................10-4!! 

THIS DUTCH WINDMILL IS JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM US

GROANER'S CORNER:((    A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the engine of a class ‘A’ Motor Home when he spotted a well-known heart surgeon in his shop. The surgeon was there waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his RV when the mechanic shouted across the garage "Hey doc, can I ask  you  a question?"
The surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to where the mechanic was working on the Motor Home. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, repair any damage, and then put them back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I get such a small salary and you get the really big bucks, when you and I are doing basically the same work?
The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over and whispered to the mechanic, "Try doing it with the engine running."

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

Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

It's not the concept of God I have a problem with......it's his fan club!!

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.