KELLY MAKES IT TO SPENCERPORT

FRONT YARD FLOWERS

It was 8:10 a.m. with heavy overcast sky's this morning when Kelly backed the Santa Fe out the driveway & began her 5 (turned out out be 6) hour trek east on her saddened sojourn to Spencerport, NY.  Depending on her Dad's condition she hopes to remain until Friday.

THREE BOTTLES OF WATER, CARS LOADED & SHE'S OFF..........

I'll be chief cook & bottle washer for the week & we will all be fine here despite the usual worried looks I am getting from some furry little faces.

NICE TO SEE PEOPLE'S CREATIVITY WITH NATURE

After 8 basically sleepness nights I was able to stitch together, in three different segments, a total of 5 hours sleeping time last night.  The line has been blurred all week as to just what has been causing what in regards to my condition.  The 'bug' I have or the deprivation l of sleep I have experienced.  I do feel better today & the eye problems, headaches, & lethargy that have been dogging me have lifted.  If I can get a few more hours sleep tonight & just might finally be on the road to recovery.....again.

I took the 2 big furry guys for a walk this morning around 11 & we were able to do the complete Pine Forest trail.  Took us an hour but we moved along slowly because I had my clippers with me & worked a bit at clearing back overhanging branches & wild raspberry plants.  Max & Checkers love moving along slower because it gives them lots of time to explore all the wondrous smells along the trail.  And now that Checkers just came home all spiffed up from the Groomers a few days ago she was able to get herself into a patch of burrs this morning & get looking like her old self again!!

MY TRAIL GROOMING HELPERS THIS MORNING

All RV folks at one time or another have to make the transition from driving an ordinary sized car to something much bigger.  Some of those transitions were probably done slowly & calmly.  My transition from a small vehicle to a larger vehicle came rather suddenly.  FROM A VW BEETLE TO A BIG SQUARE GREEN DINOSAUR.

ALONG THE MORNING TRAIL           >>>

GROANER'S CORNER:((  When the doctors were told to contribute to the construction of a new wing at a hospital:

The allergists voted to scratch it.
The dermatologists preferred no rash moves.
The gastroenterologists had a gut feeling about it.
The micro-surgeons were thinking along the same vein.
The neurologists thought the administration had a lot of nerve.
The obstetricians stated they were laboring under a misconception.
The ophthalmologists considered the idea short-sighted.
The orthopedists issued a joint resolution.
The parasitologists said, "Well, if you encyst".
The pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!"
The pediatricians said, "Grow up".
The proctologists said, "We are in arrears".
The psychiatrists thought it was madness.
The surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
The radiologists could see right through it.
The internists thought it was a hard pill to swallow.
The plastic surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter".
The podiatrists thought it was a big step forward.
The D.O.s thought they were being manipulated.
The urologists felt the scheme wouldn't hold water.
The anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas.
The cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.
And the otologists were deaf to the idea.

Obviously the hospital's new wing never got built!!

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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.

A SHORT BLOG TONIGHT

BUZZARDS ON A BARN ROOF  (A hasty Canon A720 shot from the Jeep:))

Well, I don't know how I did this but it seems I may have missed someone on our Followers List.  Noticed them today & when I clicked on their site it did not look familiar.  Then, I remembered a note coming in from somebody by the name of MeowMomma a few days ago asking me a technical question.  I forwarded it to Rick right away because I knew he would be able to answer the question for this lady far better than I could.  (which he did)  So, with apologies to the good folks over at CATHOUSE ADVENTURES I will include their link here.  Looks to me like some great photography talent in this family & you might want to stop by & check out their site.  Welcome aboard folks:))

Blog is short tonight.  I seem to be still running into a few problems with this darn respiratory thing so I'm just going to take myself off the computer early & maybe by tomorrow night I will be back in my chair pounding the keys again.

Kelly heads off to Spencerport New York first thing in the morning to see her Mom & Dad.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A man asked an American Indian what was his wife's name.  He replied, "She called 5 horses."  The man said, "that's an unusual name for your wife....what does it mean?"  The Indian answered, "It's an old Indian name."  "It mean.....NAG, NAG, NAG, NAG, NAG!!"

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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.

GREAT WEATHER......WISHED I COULD BE A PART OF IT:((

RURAL SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO, CANADA

All the photos I have used this past week for the blog are file photos.  As soon as I get feeling better I'll be out working on some new stuff:))  Some of today's pics were taken here at home.

MANY AREA FARMERS NOW MOW THE DITCHES ALONG COUNTRY ROADS

For any of you folks out there using or have questions about Picasa, Live Writer, Blogger, Wifi, Air Cards & Broadband Routers you will want to hop over to RICK'S blog because he has just put all his tips & techniques into a free downloadable PDF file.  Many of us have relied on Rick to bail us out from time to time with various computer questions & problems.  I had saved some of his tips from time to time but of course can't remember where I saved them too.  (it's the age thing!!)  Now, we can all access Rick's tips & techniques in a well organized book form.  He has brought everything together with chapters, topics, illustrations & pictures & can now be freely downloaded to one convenient spot on the computer.  And it will be printable as well:))  Thanks Rick.....you are one smart Dude alright:)) 

WELCOMING CHECKERS HOME FROM THE SPA ON THURSDAY

Our waning summer days are transitioning seamlessly now into some of the most beautiful early Autumn weather I have seen for awhile.  Despite not being able to be outside & be a part of it this past week I have been watching if from our sunroom.  Cooler days followed by cooler nights are gently setting the stage for Autumns splendor beginning in September.  I was able to take Max & Checkers for a short walk around the pond this afternoon & that was encouraging.  None of us moved to fast but it sure was nice to get the legs moving & be outside for a walk again.

This morning I was feeling I needed to accomplish something.  This laying around sick all week is enough to get a feller down so I fired up the Motor Home & took it for it's monthly 10 mile cruise through the countryside.  All systems were go & it ran like top.

WARMING UP THE RIG THIS MORNING FOR IT'S MONTHLY SPIN

Kelly's Dad has started Hospice Care today & Kelly is going to head for Spencerport first thing Sunday morning.  She phoned today & her Dad was pretty happy she is coming down for a few days to see him.  I heard her say on the phone, "hang on Dad, I'm on my way."

<<< A COUPLE PALS SHARING THE COUCH

Don't forget to check out RICK'S TIPS & TECHNIQUES

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Home computers are the perfect thing for women who don't feel that men provide them with enough frustration.

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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.

NEVER MADE IT OUT OF MY PJ'S TODAY

It was one week ago tonight that I first noticed the telltale signs of something medically amiss in my body.  I do feel I have made a bit of progress today.  Nose has cleared up a bit, the coughing is less & not as severe as a few days ago.  My voice level has come up a bit & hopefully within a few days I will be back to yelling at myself again.  My eyes sealed up yesterday but that has cleared up as well.  Remember as kid how some mornings you would wake up & your eyes were stuck closed with a crusty solution of crud.  Happened to me yesterday & persisted all day.  Gone now.  And thankfully the sore throat has not returned.  That was the most painful & worst part of this whole thing followed closely by the uncontrollable coughing. 

 

Managed to put together about 3 hours of sleep last night plus a couple more this morning & that has been a big help.  Kelly brought home some more medicines today that I am sure were specifically designed to gag a Walrus.  Took a big swig of Robittuson something & nearly wrenched up my slippers.  Popped an unflavored extra strength 'Fisherman's Friend' & popped it right back out again.  You would think if we can put a man on the moon we should at least be able to make medicine taste better.  That technology hasn't changed one bit since I was a kid.  At least the stuff Kelly brought home from the health food store was palpable.

I am typing this tonight in my PJ's.  I never even got out of the darn things all day & if I spend any more time in my recliner Kelly is going to have to call a moving company to have the chair & me taken to the hospital whereupon me & my best Pal will have to surgically separated.

I think if I can stitch a few more hours of sleep together tonight I might have a chance of getting ahead of this thing.  I was even able to get one of my Soy Shakes down this afternoon for the first time so for sure that has sent fresh troops into battle.  Also on the positive side, I have lost 5 pounds.   Any loss of weight for me is a good thing.  And, a big thanks to everyone who has sent in suggestions & remedies.  Even the one about sticking my head up an elephan...........well, guess they were only trying to help. 

Hasn't been anything in this post about RVing so let me leave you with this fine day from our travels in Arizona back on December 13th of 09...........TODAY WE FOUND THE CORNONADO CAVE.

GROANER'S CORNER:(  As we Seniors age we become more valuable in many ways.  We have............

Silver in our Hair

Gold in our Teeth

Stones in our Kidneys

Sugar in our Blood.

Lead in our Butt

Iron in our Arteries

And an inexhaustible supply of portable Natural Gas.

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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.

STILL DOING BATTLE WITH THIS MISERABLE RESPIRATORY THING!!!!

SOME EARLY SIGNS OF AUTUMN

I will be so glad to make it through a blog without having to mention this miserable respiratory problem I am having right now.  It has dominated my days this past week & after another totally rotten night I have been curled up in my recliner for most of the day.  I thought when the sore throat cleared up yesterday I was on my to recovery.  Not so!!  It seems respiratory stuff is worse at night & I hardly got any sleep again because of the constant coughing.  If I have another bad one tonight I will have to make an appointment with my own Doctor tomorrow morning for a second opinion about what is going on here!!

I don't have a lot of energy to put a post together tonight so I dug something up from my archives.  I have posted it a few times before & here it is again because this is a 'heads up' post for other RV drivers out there.  I call it,  AWWWW NUTS...WE'RE GONNA NEED A TOW TRUCK!!!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Out of the mouths of Babes comes....WHAT DO  MOST PEOPLE DO ON A  DATE?
-Dates are  for having fun, and people  should use them to get to know each other. Even boys  have something to say if you listen long enough.     --  Lynnette, age  8

-On  the first date, they just tell each other lies and that  usually gets them interested enough to go for a second  date.  
--  Martin, age  10

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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.

THE BEGINNING & THE END OF RV'ing DAYS

BAYFIELD'S LITTLE INN

It was about 11 o'clock this morning when I noticed the first positive change in my miserable ongoing 'virus' condition.  It was as if someone had finally turned off the chainsaw in my throat & for the first time in over 4 days I was able to swallow without it feeling like my throat was being torn out.  I still have about half a dump truck load of gravel in my lungs but at least the painful throat problem has finally eased off.  I have no idea how long it will take for the lungs to clear themselves so I'm still hacking up a lot of gravel.  Head & nose still stuffed, but one thing at a time.  Have had very little sleep during this whole ordeal but feel confidant that if I can get a few solid hours of back to back sleep time under my belt I'll be well on my way to recovering from whatever it was that has wrestled me to the ground these past few days.  As I said before, it's rare for me to get sick & I certainly do not want to have to go through this again.  These past 4 & half days have totally knocked the stuffing's out of me.  I have a continuous sinus drainage problem which I'm sure made things worse & that should really be fixed some day but the thoughts of somebody getting up my nose with crowbar & a garden hose has prevented me from having that looked after & corrected. 

So, is it time for me to re-considered my mobility van job & the hazardous places it takes me?  As much as I like this part time job I will be giving this some very serious thought over the next few days.

JERRY had a good post in this morning as he & Suzy face some difficult 'end of days' RV decisions.  Is it time to hang up the RV keys?  We see many posts & read articles from & about people starting out in the RV Lifestyle but very few posts about people coming in off the road.  When starting out excitement builds as retirements are planned, futures are discussed, houses are put on the market & belongings are sold.  Excitement really begins to peak when folks are actually out looking at new & used rigs as future homes.  Travel Trailers, Class C's, Motor Homes or 5th Wheels.  A flurry of life altering decisions can be made in mere moments or after years of careful planning as the anticipation & excitement of 'hitting the road' finally begins to take shape turning people's long held dreams into reality.  It is, 'the beginning of RV days' & little thought is ever given at the time to the other end of that spectrum....'the end of RV days.'

A LATE SUMMER NIGHT'S ICE CREAM STOP

I have seen very few articles or posts written about the twilight RV years when people face the inevitable realities of their wondrous lifestyle coming to an end.  Just as the topic of aging & death are often skirted around in the busy excitement of life, so is the topic amongst RV'ers regarding when they will be faced with, 'hanging up the keys.'  We all have an entrance plan of sorts but I think few of us have a solid exit plan. 

Four years ago Kelly & I were very gung-ho on fulltiming.  Especially me & I still am, but with some mellowing.  We laid down a bit of groundwork for fulltiming but of course being a couple of, 'sometimes too logical,' people we kept coming up with nagging questions for ourselves.  The stock market ker-fuffle back in 08/09 knocked us for a loop of course & we began to take a harder look at an RV exit strategy if we were to go full time.  I think most RV folks plan to permanently settle in an RV Park one day when they come off the road.  The ESCAPEE CLUB has Parks specially designed for this purpose.  An excellent exit strategy for the majority of RV people.  However, the key word there is 'majority.'  Neither Kelly or I are 'people' people so that puts us into a minority think mode & our decisions & conclusions are generally arrived at from a slightly different angle than most folks.  Come to think of it, we are in the minority mode for a lot of life's popularly held beliefs........but, that's another whole can of worms for another kind of day.

Now, back to the topic at hand......Kelly & realized right from the start that we are not in the majority & someday retiring off the road to an RV Park would never work for us.  So, what were the alternatives?  To buy another house some day is not financially realistic & moving into an apartment wasn't going to work for us either.  We are not as flexible as other RV'ers when it comes to making concessions, living by rules, or having to interact with neighbors & social functions.  It was something we really didn't want to consider in the excitement of our beginning RV days, but consider it we had to. 

We are very fortunate to live in the country we do & have the things we have.  Yes, I would much sooner have a little place out in the countryside but for us right now we have got it pretty darn nice spot right where we are.  We did come close to selling our place 3 years ago but in hindsight now I guess I am kinda glad we didn't.  By staying here we do not have to worry about an RV exit plan some day or being forced into an RV Park or some small apartment somewhere.  Canada has excellent medical coverage & in our area we have all the amenities anyone could ever ask for.  Our lot gives us privacy & hiking trails through pine & maple forests just footsteps away.  No major cities & no major traffic.  Yes, it bugs me to no end having to sit here for 6 or 7 months of the year but I'm hoping we can make some changes to that some day soon.

FISHING THE BAYFIELD RIVER FROM THE PIER

So, in conclusion I would have to say that we are not only living our RV entrance plan but we are already living our RV exit plan as well.  Our 'end of days' is already established.  I am still 'bugged' about not being on the road fulltime but am finally managing to gather together more days of being content with where we are & our lifestyle just the way it is.  The thoughts of having to live out our final days in an RV Park was just not an option for either one of us so I guess we will just stay right where we are for now & continue our Snow Birding for as long as we can.  Besides, it took me a long time to get our 'outside jungle' grown up all around us so we may as well enjoy the privacy of that while we can. That's our plan anyway & I'll stick to that just as long as Kelly lets me.......10-4

WE LIVE ABOUT HALF MILE ON THE FAR SIDE OF THAT COMMUNICATION TOWER TO THE LEFT OF TOP CENTER

And thanks to our newest blog follower Brenda for climbing aboard & riding along with, The Bayfield Bunch:))

SUNDOWN ON BAYFIELD'S PORT

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Everyone has a photographic memory.  Some. . . like me . . . just don't have any film.
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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.

"YOUR CHEST IS CLEAR"......SHE SAID!!

"Your chest is clear."  And, with those words the very young lady Doctor in the Goderich emergency hospital department wrote me out a prescription for a bottle of Benzydamine Hydrochloride oral rinse stuff & sent me on my way this morning with her voice echoing in the hallway, "Next Please."  As I left the hospital I kept asking myself how my chest could be clear when I've been coughing & hacking like an old cement mixer full of marbles.  Could it be she had her stethoscope on backwards or her ears have been damaged by too many high volumed Metallica concerts.  Either way, that was the diagnosis, aside from telling me my throat looked a little red.  A little red!!!!  Did she not see the McCullough chainsaw in there ripping away at my esophagus!!  She did do a swab of the area saying they will be checking that for strep throat.  Well, good luck, I expect the lab results will return a verdict of ice cream throat or something.

Kelly phoned to see how I made out at the hospital.  I told her the Doctor said the best thing for my throat would be a cream filled doughnut from Culbert's bakery in Goderich.  Kelly's home now & guess what I already have smeared all over my keyboard...........:))

I was soooooo glad last night when I got home to see an email on our computer  saying another driver had been found for my run to London, Ontario today.  I could never have done it after spending a second sleepless night hacking & coughing in my recliner.  A lot of the driver's are off right now so they were counting on me to fill in so it's too bad I had to go & get sick on them.  With the way I am feeling I imagine I'll be off for the rest of the week.  Still can't get my voice above a hoarse whisper.  No idea where I picked up this 'bug' but it had to have been in one of the hospitals or nursing homes I was in last week.  Maybe I should be considering a safer line of part time summer work!!

It looks like a totally beautiful day outside & I just wish I felt like going outside to be a part of it.  The humidity has dropped & there is a gentle breeze coming in off the lake.  We are in the early days of turning the corner from Summer to Autumn.  And, what a nice feeling that is:))

CAMERA & CASE REUNITED >>>

In last night's blog I mentioned about losing my small Canon camera case.  Would you believe a blog reader connected that up with a camera case she found on the road a few days ago.  Yep, it's true.  Our neighbor Maureen (a blog reader) is a walker & the other day not far from our Park she found a small black camera case lying on the road.  She gave it to another neighbor friend who didn't have a camera case but after reading last night's blog, Rita our other neighbor, came over with my missing camera case.  Thanks guys:))  I must have left the case sitting on the Jeep's fender last week & then drove out of the Park.  That is soooooo typically AL!!

Somebody mentioned something in their blog not long ago about learning to drive in a cemetery.  Of course that reminded me of a post I wrote back in September of 2007 about the first time I took my motorcycle out on the road and headed straight for the local cemetery.  You can read about that here at...... MOTORCYCLE....FIRST EXPERIENCE

TAKING THE BISBEE KIDS FOR A RIDE LAST SUMMER

And Holy Smokes Batman, I noticed we have a couple of new Blog Followers.  A big welcome to Lisa & Bill.  Thanks guys:))  And, THE FRUGAL TRAVELERS with Pidge & Don round out the list as our latest followers.  Much appreciated folks.

And double Holy Smokes Batman.....I just noticed we have surpassed the 150,000 hits on our site according to Sitemeter.  I knew we were getting close a few days ago but had forgot to look at the numbers until a few minutes ago.  Two goals down & one to go.  Yahooie Louie:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(  Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

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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 that will never be completed)

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