'SUNDAY'...A RAINY START WITH A SUNNY FINISH

ST MARYS (STONE TOWN) IS LOCATED ON THE BANKS OF THE THAMES RIVER

Had ourselves a dull rainy Sunday so figured it was a good time to have another go at the new Live Writer version.  Fortified myself with an extras strong cup of coffee, strapped on my recliner chair & hobbled into battle. 

                    

ST MARYS is known as the town built of limestone.  My photos show only a few buildings in the downtown area where I spent my time Saturday afternoon down & around the Thames river.  There are many other magnificent buildings which I didn't have time to photograph so if your in the area, take yourself over to the picturesque little town of St. Marys for sure.  You will likely see the tall stately church spires towering over the town before you get there.  ST. MARYS is located a short half hour drive northeast of London, Ontario.  If I get back that way I will concentrate my lens on the rest of the beautiful stone architecture for sure.  Might be a nice assignment when the Autumn leaves are in there colored majesty:))

                    

ARTHUR MEIGHEN was a native of St. Marys & Canada's 9th Prime Minister from 1920 to 1926.  He is buried in the local St. Mary's cemetery.

 

Canada's 15th Prime Minister,  Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was Prime Minister of Canada from 20 April 1968 to 4 June 1979, and again from 3 March 1980 to 30 June 1984.  There is a popular photo of him jumping off a diving board years ago & that photo was taken at the quarry in St. Marys.  Haven't been able to locate the photo but found another one from the same place obviously taken on the same day.

MARGIE had an excellent post a couple days ago on how she feels about the RV Lifestyle in general.  A good read for all RV'ers & anyone contemplating, 'thinking outside the box:))'

Had a couple of emails from a solo RV'er who spent part of his younger years in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Arizona.   He's familiar with the McNeal, Douglas & Bisbee areas & that was of interest to me because the ranch we go to is near McNeal.  He has bicycled across America & traveled to foreign lands.  You can find Ed at THE PEREGRINATING GRAYBEARD

                 

Charley over at THE ROLLING CONDO   just got himself a new Dodge dually & would you believe they don't come with printed owner's manuals anymore.  After spending thousands of dollars for a new truck, Chrysler wants him to pay an additional $50 for a printed owners manual.  What is that all about!!!!!!!!

FISHING THE THAMES IN DOWNTOWN ST MARYS

Don't know what the big feud was all about between our desktop computer & the Picasa  Photo program last night but they have somehow made up & are once again working perfectly well again today.  Pals:))

As our weather pattern slowly begins it's early annual transition from summer to fall I can feel my thought patterns transitioning right along with it.  As the night time air cools, the dew becomes heavier on the grass in the mornings.  The crickets take on a different sound & the summer birds are not as vocal as they begin their early preparation stage for fall migrations.  The air is becoming quieter.  It is time for some of us Snow Birds to begin our early planning stages as well.  I like the tinge of apprehensive excitement in the air as thoughts begin to turn away from the boredom of summer to the planning & traveling stages of Autumn.  Although still early, I love that sense of planning.  Time to have a look at some maps & Atlas's.  MapQuest for some possible new routes.  Check the Mountain Directory.  Just sitting down with all our Southwest atlas's is excitement in itself.  The interest & enthusiasm returns as I begin lining up some projects for the rig.  Bins to be cleaned re-organized.  An external speaker project, some redecorating, a few small things to be straightened up & fixed.  New tire prices to be checked, non-working hydraulic jack problem to be looked at, broken window blind to be replaced, kitchen electrical plug not working, Awwww yes, Autumn is finally in the air alright:))

And how did I make out with Win 7 & the new version of Live Writer today??  DON'T ASK!!!!

THIS OLD QUARRY IS A POPULAR FISHING, SWIMMING, & SCUBA DIVING SPOT

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The Teacher & her Class: 

TEACHER:       Maria, go to the map and find North America . 
MARIA:             Here it is. 
TEACHER:      Correct. Now class, who discovered America ? 
CLASS:           Maria.
______________________________ ______

TEACHER:   John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN:         You told me to do it without using tables.
______________________________ ____________
TEACHER:        Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN:            K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER:        No, that's wrong
GLENN:            Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
______________________________ ______________
TEACHER:       Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD:        H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER:       What are you talking about?
DONALD:         Yesterday you said it's H to O.
______________________________
TEACHER:       Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE:        Me!
________________ ______________ ____________

TEACHER:      Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
Glen:       Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
______________________________ _________
TEACHER:       Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE:          I is...
TEACHER:       No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE:          All right...  'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_______________________________
TEACHER:       George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry   tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS:      Because George still had the ax in his hand.
______________________________ ________
TEACHER:       Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON:   No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________
TEACHER:       Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.   Did you copy his?
CLYDE :       No, teacher, it's the same dog.
______________________________ _____

TEACHER:     Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD:       A teacher

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

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.

A NICE FEW HOURS IN ST. MARYS, ONTARIO

DOWNTOWN ST. MARYS HAS ALWAYS REMINDED ME OF OLD ENGLAND

I have run into a huge problem tonight with the desktop computer & Picasa.  Tonight's blog is coming to you from our older laptop so may look a little different than usual.  Am only putting in two photo because I have all 3 computer's scattered about here in various states of frustration.  Will work on this problem in the morning................:(((((((

It was a working Saturday with my travels taking me on a 120 mile round trip through the small towns of Wingham, Belgrave, Blyth, Walton, Dublin, Fullarton & St. Marys Ontario.  You can see the international flavor of the area in the names of the towns where settlers, coming to this area from Europe a couple hundred years ago, built their towns.

A perfect weather day with no humidity, big white fluffy clouds in a clear blue sky.  I saw Puppy dogs, Rhinosaucerusus, big goofy faces, Dinosaurs, Castles, Elephants & just about every other shape & form a free imagination can find in those kinds of clouds.

I was driving the companies white mini-van today because the elderly fellow I picked up did not require a wheelchair.  We had a great drive through towering fields of waving corn stretching as far as the eye could see.  Smaller fields of golden wheat bordered by endless fields of soy beans.  Seems to be a lot of potatoes planted this year as well.  This is a big agriculture area with scenery second to none.  We don't have the mountains & canyons of the southwest but we have acres & acres of green, green , green.  At no place can a person stand in one spot & look around without seeing forests of green trees somewhere.  I think we sometimes take our beautiful trees for granted.  If it wasn't for the miserable summer humidity we would have one of the nicest areas of anywhere right here in rural southwestern Ontario.

I dropped the gentleman off at an address in St. Marys where he was met by a Niece & family members.  It was noon & I wasn't due to pick him up again until 3 P.M.  That gave me 3 hours in one of the prettiest towns in this entire area.  St. Mary's is an old stomping ground for Kelly & I.  We lived in an old farm house just a few miles north of St. Marys for about 7 years prior to moving to Bayfield so we spent a fair bit of time in & and around the town.  It was in these first early farm house years that we became seriously interested in RVing & bought our first rig.  A 17' 1979 Class C Dodge Centurion.

My 3 hours were spent visiting old familiar spots & reliving many great memories.  Took a lot of photos which I will spread out over the next several blogs.  Canada's Baseball Hall of Fame is here.  One of Canada's Prime Minister's is buried here & another colorful Prime Minister had one of his famous photos taken here.  And, I took pictures today regarding all that.  The old stone architecture in St. Marys sure reminds me of many old English movies I have seen.  Have always said that if I had to live in a small town in that area then St. Mary's would be my first choice.

Picked up my passenger at 3 & we were off back out into the countryside on our scenic journey north to Wingham, Ontario.  Just one of those great days.  It was nice to be a part of this elderly fellows day as he thoroughly enjoyed his outing in the countryside & I was able to get him laughing many times with my 'Cursmudgeony' sense of humor.  I like when that happens...........reminds me of my old zany self:))

FAMILY FISHING DAY (more pics of this family later once I get the problems sorted out)

GROANER'S CORNER:((  You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2.. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your small car? Think before you continue reading.
This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once
actually used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first.  Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life and
this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.  However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.
The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble
coming up with his answer. He simply answered, "I would give the car keys
to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and
wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."  Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside the Box."

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

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.

BRINGING HOME A BARBERSHOP!!

PROTECTING THE GODERICH HARBOR

The thermometer in the Jeep told me it was 58F at 6:15 this morning as I headed into work.  The cool air just felt sooooo great for a change & added an extra few units of 'ooomph' to my recently charged overnight batteries.  The whole eastern horizon was aglow in a deep orange as the sun lumbered it's way up to the tree line.  I noticed old Sol & I had something in common this morning.  I too was aglow.....in my orange clam digger pants:))

NOT EVERYBODY GETS TO WEAR ORANGE PANTS TO WORK:))

In last night's blog I had a sepia tone picture of a log cabin on the grounds of the Goderich Museum.  Children can be seen sitting on some logs eating their lunch.  This is not an old photo.  I took the colored photo just after a couple of other photos showing a project the kids had just finished.  JERRY in Benson inquired about the photo & the sepia (old time look) effect.  Again, with just the click of a tool button in Picasa I was able to turn the color photo into an instant old time looking photo.  Total time it took me to do that was about 1 second.  Years ago I would spend endlessly long hours in my darkroom sepia toning prints by hand with trays of absolutely obnoxious & foul smelling chemicals.  (I remembered Jerry's question but have a nagging feeling I have forgotten some others)

Also in last night's Groaner's Corner I put in that piece about a man & his dog.  I should have put 'author unknown' at the end of that.  I did not write it:((

ANCHORED ON THE MAITLAND RIVER IN GODERICH, ONTARIO

Kelly & I slipped down to Mitchell this afternoon to visit with Uncle Harry for a couple hours.  Took him down a table for beside his chair.  He's doing well & loves his piped in TV music channels.

KELLY HELPING HARRY UNDERSTAND THE TV REMOTE

Slipped into Wal-Mart early this morning to buy myself a simple little electric hair trimmer for doing my beard.  Saw some on the shelf in my price range so grabbed one & away I went.  I don't spend any more time in retail stores than I have to.  When I got home & opened up the package I realized I had not only bought a hair trimmer.......but it looked like I had brought the whole darn Barbershop home!!

LOOKS LIKE I BROUGHT THE WHOLE DARN BARBERSHOP HOME!!

I knew our desktop computer was getting low on memory again despite adding more Ram last summer.  Was surprised to see we had only 2.26 GB's left.  Have used 78.2.  Not being too technically minded I would suspect we are in a 'critical' situation here with our desktop so I began moving photo files to our external hard drive & was able to recover about 18 GB's of memory.  Hopefully that will keep our aging desktop afloat for awhile longer.  Most of our computer space is taken up with photo files.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 

THE ROOM WAS FULL OF PREGNANT WOMEN WITH THEIR PARTNERS. THE CLASS WAS IN FULL SWING.

THE INSTRUCTOR WAS TEACHING THE WOMEN HOW TO BREATHE PROPERLY AND WAS TELLING THE MEN HOW TO GIVE THE NECESSARY ASSURANCE TO THEIR PARTNERS AT THIS STAGE OF THE PREGNANCY. SHE SAID "LADIES, REMEMBER THAT EXERCISE IS GOOD FOR YOU. WALKING IS ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL. IT STRENGTHENS THE PELVIC MUSCLES AND WILL MAKE DELIVERY THAT MUCH EASIER!" JUST TAKE SEVERAL STOPS AND STAY ON A SOFT SURFACE LIKE GRASS OR A PATH.

SHE LOOKED AT THE MEN IN THE ROOM, "AND GENTLEMEN, REMEMBER -- YOU'RE IN THIS TOGETHER --- IT WOULDN'T HURT YOU TO GO WALKING WITH HER."

THE ROOM SUDDENLY GOT VERY QUIET AS THE MEN ABSORBED THIS INFORMATION. THEN A MAN AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM SLOWLY RAISED HIS HAND.

"YES?" ANSWERED THE TEACHER.

"I WAS JUST WONDERING. IS IT ALL RIGHT IF SHE CARRIES A GOLF BAG WHILE WE WALK?"

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

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.

A PLEASANT DAY & A TIRED 'GOODNIGHT'

The person I was to pick up with the mobility van in a neighboring town this morning was a 'no show' so my nice leisurely drive to Stratford Ontario was canceled for the day.

ONE OF THIS WEEK'S SUNRISES.........

Figured I might as well grab a small coffee at McDonald's before heading back & wouldn't you know it, the older drive-thru lady commented on the humid weather as she handed me my change & said, there you go 'dear:))'  Well, to say I drove out of there under a huge cloud of guilt about last night's blog would be an understatement.  Say, you don't suppose she read the blog do you??  Now that would be an awesome thought:))

    

A CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP OUTSIDE THE OLD LOG CABIN AT THE GODERICH MUSEUM

Another mobility van run materialized this afternoon taking me on a great 4 hour cruise through the countryside between a couple of hospital stops. 

A big thanks to Lisa & Bill for having the time & interest to add themselves to our Blog Follower's list.  You are brave people indeed.  With Chuck & Anneke's 150th you have come in as our 151rst followers & completed a final goal for me.  I thank you for that.

I have another 'Crack of Dawn' start tomorrow so that's it for me tonight.  My blogs have become waaaaaaay too long & waaaaaay to involved lately & I think my head, & yours, need a break.....................10-4 

In lieu of Groaners Corner tonight, I leave you with this.................

(Although our name is on this painting it is not ours)

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that his dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and his dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man... 'Do you have any water?'
'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump.'
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to his faithful dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.
'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too..'
'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates?  ''Nope. That's hell.'
'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that," the traveler said.

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

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

NOPE, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME SAY........'THAT WORD!!'

OUTSIDE THE 'PARK HOUSE EATERY'

I wheeled an elderly lady in a wheel chair up to the reception counter at one of our local Hospitals this morning, handed the receptionist the ladies health card & awaited instructions as to where to take her.  She made a few entries onto a computer screen, handed me back the health card & said......."you can drop your wife off at the X-ray department first door down the hall on the left, Sir."  Did I mention this was a very elderly lady in the wheel chair!!  And I should also mention the last 5 minutes standing in the washroom staring at myself in the mirror wondering 'what happened' hasn't helped my once youthful ego either!!

MORNING BOAT RIDE ON THE MAITLAND RIVER

I had a few blocks of waiting time between the folks I transported around this morning so all photos in tonight's blog were taken in & around Goderich between wheelchair stops.

THESE TRACKS LEAD TO A.....SALT MINE!!

Ever notice how people say things to you without ever thinking about what they are saying.  And they will say the exact same thing to the person they meet before you or another person in line behind you.  I swung into the McDonald's drive-thru line this morning & ordered up a Burrito & coffee.  When I rolled up to the cashier window she said, "I must be dyslexic this morning."  She was half talking to herself as well as me as she seemed to fumble with a roll of quarters.  I wanted to reach out, put my hand on her shoulder & sincerely say, "thank you so much for an original greeting."  Doesn't it just bug  ya when people say, "Hello, how are you today."  It's a programmed response we all have that comes out as an automatic saying & do most people really care when they say that to a passing stranger.  If they did they would stop & wait for your response.  But they don't & just blow right by & lay the same saying on the next person.  Wouldn't you just like to turn around some time, grab hold of a person & say, "Soooo, you really want to know how I am today do you!!!!"

NICE OF THIS LITTLE SWALLOW TO POSE FOR ME ON A BOATS STURDY BOW ROPE

As I rolled up to the second pick-up window at the same McDonalds another lady fried my brain with the standard high pitched, "Have a nice day."  That decades old worn out insincere saying is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me.  It's another one of those habitual programmed responses that doesn't mean a hill of beans.  That busy window lady couldn't care less if I ate my Burrito backwards or drove over a flock of lost fish worms. 

OUTSIDE 'THE PARK HOUSE'

Have you ever been in the wrong lane at a grocery store & crashed your cart into somebody & have them tell you they're "sorry."  My fault, but they say they're sorry.  What's with that.  I'm the one who should be saying, 'sorry' but of course I never do because the other person has already apologized for my mistake.  No point in two of us standing there trying to out-sorry each other because before long somebody else would come along, bump into us & say......well, you know!!

THIS GODERICH HARBOR TUG TAKES FOLKS FOR RIDES

Rick made mention of a word yesterday in his blog that has been sticking in my craw for the last bunch of years.  When I saw it bugged him too I knew I wasn't the only one & it was time to write about it.  Behind the most used, abused & meaningless word in the English language, which I happen to think is 'SALE,' this other word is in fierce competition for second place if it is not banished from the Kingdom forever.  It has been used to describe a fly walking across a counter, paint drying, any piece of clothing designed since man first walked upright, any picture, photo or painting, regardless of who did it or how absolutely awful it was.  The word has been used with every noun known to man & will go into the history books as the most used adjective of all times.  Some would use the word to describe 'road kill' while others would use it to describe their best friends recent but totally horrible hair do.  Every thing from toenails to nose rings.  Horse radish to Squid lids.  Stuffed bikini's to brain salad soup.  It is a word I absolutely refuse to ever use whether writing it or saying it aloud.  A whole gaggle of stampeding Buffalo couldn't pull that word out of me.  Not even a last minute peanut butter & honey sandwich in front of a Mexican firing squad would entice me to use the word in describing my one ounce of upcoming lead poisoning.  In fact, this word bugs me so much I can't even tell you what it is now because I would have to type it in here & that would very surely cause me to throw up all over my keyboard.  So, I'm just going to let it go & simply say, "don't you just think this last paragraph has been simply...AWESOME!!"

AWWWWWW NUTS!!!!

(the pumpkin pic is not mine...got it on the net)

The humidity has totally knocked the stuffing's out of me again today.  I don't know how Kelly stands it over there at Deer Park.  No A/C in the office & she's generally outside helping people with BBQ problems, getting extra towels for people or fixing this or that, etc.  If I did half the work in this heat she does I would probably be cooling my heels in the local morgue by now.  She takes after her Dad, who despite how gravely ill he is at the moment, just refuses to take it easy. It is just not acceptable to him that he can't be out cutting the lawn or planting beans in his garden or something.  It is just not humanly possible for a person to be as sick as Kelly's Dad & still be alive.  I have never seen or heard of anyone having to endure the absolute cruel tortures of aging as much as this man.  Kelly's Dad is an incredible walking medical miracle.  And yet, something about all that daily suffering this man is enduring just doesn't seem right to me!!  But, that's another whole blog post some time.........................:((

AUTHENTIC LOG CABIN LIBRARY OUTSIDE THE GODERICH MUSEUM

I just got another 'bk or bx' error message when I tried to leave a comment on RICK'S BLOG about taking his Canon off it's auto setting so I will just add a comment here.........Auto settings on camera's generally do a satisfactory job for most people & the quality can be very acceptable.  But, if you want your already reasonably good photos to look better you are simply going to have to take the time to understand a little bit about basic photography before coming off 'auto.'  Just no way around it.  Read & understand your camera manual.  Lighting & composition are two of the biggies.  I see a lot of people's photos in blogs that are OK, but could be a lot better with just a little effort, interest, & understanding of their cameras, photography basics.....and Picasa:))  You just have to decide where your priorities are & how much time & effort you want to put into your blog photos.

Got another early morning start tomorrow whereupon my travels will take me through our wonderful rural countryside again:))

LARGE EARLY MORNING STRAW BALES

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Tales from the Doctors office.........................

Let me tell you about my doctor. He is very good. If you tell him you want a second opinion, he will go out and come in again.
He treated one woman for yellow jaundice for three years before he realized she was Chinese.  While he was talking to me his nurse came in and said, "Doctor, there is a man here who thinks he is invisible." The doctor said, "Tell him I can't see him."

Another time a man came running in the office and yelled, "Doctor, doctor, my son just swallowed a roll of film." The doctor calmly replied, "Let's just wait and see what develops."

One patient came in and said, "Doctor, I have a serious memory problem."  The doctor asked, "When did it start? " The man replied, "When did what start?"

I remember one time I told my doctor I had a ringing in my ears. His  advice: "Don't answer it."

My doctor sure has his share of nut cases. One said to him, "Doctor, I think I'm a bell." The doctor gave him some pills and said,  "Here, take these. If they don't work, give me a ring."

Another guy told the doctor that he thought he was a deck of cards. The doctor simply said,  "Go sit over there. I'll deal with you later."

When I told my doctor I broke my leg in two places, he told me to stop going to those places.  You know, doctors can be so frustrating. You wait a month and a half for an appointment, and he says, "I wish you had come to me sooner."

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

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.

A LONG DRAWN OUT DAY....BUT, IT'S GETTING BETTER

THE MORNING POND ACROSS THE ROAD

I began today's blog about 4 a.m. this morning & re-wrote it again about 11.  By the time I got home late this afternoon & found an email waiting for me from a western friend I knew I had to re-write the post for a third time.  So, here I am, after a poor night's sleep & a long hot humid work day, hanging off the keyboard once again.  But, as any blogger knows, that is all part of this great blogging experience............... and it is A-OK:)) 

HEY RICK, IS THIS TOTALLY COOL OR WHAT.....I'M IN MY WORK VAN THIS AFTERNOON & YEP......THAT'S A FUNCTIONING BLACKBERRY ALRIGHT.....  JUST CALL ME MR. MULTI-TASKINATOR:))

Well, now to the business of Monday night's blog.  I should have added a note to the end of the post stating that I wrote that whole silly thing as a humorous spoof based on a bit of fact.  However, I didn't do that & for some, the blog kind of nosedived into the dumpster.  For others it came off as a silly ranted spoof while yet more are probably still scratching their heads, going......what??. 

WE LIVE IN FARM COUNTRY

It's a chance bloggers like myself take in trying to keep our blogs entertaining, enlightening & definitely different from the norm.  We walk a tad closer to the cliff edge than what might be considered comfortable for most blogging folks & every once & awhile a chunk of that cliff face gives way & we have to do a bit of scrambling to get a foot hold back on the straight & narrow again.....temporarily:)) 

A DEEP SKY OBJECT AS SEEN THROUGH MY TELESCOPE, OR........A LARGE CARP IN A MUDDY CREEK?

Sometimes a post works out the way it was intended & sometimes it just seems to end up in a cornfield somewhere.  So, with that all said now, it's time to move on & have a wee peak over the cliff edge to get an idea of how deep the next precipice is going to be.

TIS THE SEASON FOR SUN FLOWERS

Noticed RETIRED ROD  is over in Colorado's Garden of The God's area & toured that scenic site recently.  I left a comment on Rod's blog this morning about how I became connected to Colorado's Garden of The God's nearly 60 years ago & how that connection still affects me today........"As a small boy I was given one of those View Masters that you could insert a round 3-D disc into. Think they might have had a dozen or more pictures on each one.  I had 5 disc's with it. A Bugs Bunny cartoon, Hopalong Cassidy, & two I don't remember. But, the 5th one was the disc that had the biggest impact & impression on me & planted the very early seed that eventually grew into this whole great RV lifestyle. It was the disc entitled, 'Garden of The Gods.' I remember looking at those beautiful 3-D photos over & over & over, dreaming & longing to go there to that land of beautiful rocks & mountains.   I still have some of those disc images in my mind today, after all these decades."

GUMO  is in an area of Texas that brought back memories for me when he mentioned being at the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains.  Kelly & I attended a very frosty & memorable Star Party there one night in early January of 2005.  We had just spent some very enjoyable time In Big Bend National Park & were beginning our journey home before stopping at the Observatory.  I would like to return to that Davis Mountain area some day & see all the things we missed in our short overnight stay in a nearby State Park.

BAYFIELD FISHING BOATS ACROSS THE RIVER

Just when I thought we might be turning a cooler corner on this summer's hot weather, the humidity is back today.  Not nice!!  Sounds like I could have another long day tomorrow too but that's OK because I'm just happy to have something to do.  The weather should noticeably begin to turn in a couple weeks & actually I have already noticed a few tell tale signs of the coming Autumn.

A LAKE HURON VIEWPOINT IN BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK

OK, that's it for another post & I have gone back, checked & rechecked to make sure I haven't ruffled any feathers.  No attempts at confusing humor & no questionable opinions for a change.  Nice:))  And ya know, I just might have a good chance of bringing this post in under the radar tonight. D'ya think....................

ALONG THE PATH OF OUR MORNING WALK >>

GROANER'S CORNER  To get away from their high-stress jobs, a couple decided to spend weekends relaxing in their motor home. But after finding their peace and quiet disturbed by well-meaning, but unwelcome visits from other campers, they devised a plan to assure themselves some privacy. Now, when they set up camp, they place this sign on the door of their RV: "Insurance agent. Ask about our term-life package."

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

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.