IN SEARCH OF COCHISE’S COUNCIL BLUFF ROCK

WE CAME ACROSS SOME GREAT CAMPSITES TODAY IN OUR SEARCH FOR COCHISE’S COUNCIL ROCKS AREA

I just love it when I hear from readers who have stumbled across our blog & recognized a person or place in my photos.  It happened again when an email arrived this morning from Paula, a reader who spends part of her year in Bisbee.  She came across our blog from a link on MARY & KEITH'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE.  Second coincidence is the fact she knows our friend Rosanna from the PAWS & HOOVES ranch & has hiked with her several times.  And, here’s another coincidence…..In part, Paula in Bisbee writes, “You took a picture of my friend Tziganya walking down the street (in your November 2009 Bisbee photos). She's wearing a white sweater and hat.  I recently sent her the link.  She told me it's one of her favorite photos of herself and she's surprised an un-posed photo can look so good.  Last year I met Rosanna on a group hike with the MULETEAM HIKING CLUB and she told us about her ranch and animals.  I never thought I'd see pictures of her ranch, but there they were on your blog!   Something else I was happy to see are your photos of the ranch house where Mary Kidder Rak lived.  I read The Cowman's Wife last year and wondered if the house was still there and where it was.  Now I know!  I hope to try to find it based on your experience.”

 

KELLY PLANS TO TURN THIS AGAVE STOCK INTO A CHRISTMAS TREE

I totally love when our blog leads to these kinds of happenings.   Kind of makes some of them there frustrating days worthwhile.  Had one of those days Saturday & Paula’s email this morning just picked me right back up:))  You can see the photos I took in Bisbee the day she talks about & these pics will give you a very good idea of Bisbee Arizona with it’s many diverse people, places, & things.  Be sure to have a look at BISBEE'S CHARACTERS:)).  A fellow blogger recently referred to me as a ‘character’ & I take that as a huge compliment.  Thank you so much Judy:))

HEADING UP & OVER THE MIDDLEMARCH PASS IN THE DRAGOON MOUNTAINS

Now, as a direct result of Paula’s email this morning, Kelly & I were off on a mission this morning to find Cochise’s Council Rock in the Dragoon Mountains.

WE MEET AN APACHE INDIAN DESCENDENT  ON THE TRAIL

But first, some info on Saturday’s bird photos.  They were  taken at the WHITE WATER DRAW near McNeil Arizona which is about 20 minutes south of where we are presently located. The Hawk was shot at 1/2000 of a second at F5.6 & 200mm.  The Vermillion Flycatcher photo was taken 68 minutes later at the exact same settings.  And, how do I know all those particulars……my camera, like most everybody else’s, records absolutely everything:))

What a difference a day makes & let me just say, what a great day we had today in searching for Cochise’s Council Rocks.  I’m quoting from Elaine Seaveys Website when I say, “It was at Council Rocks where, in 1872, Cochise signed the Broken Arrow Peace Treaty, agreeing to cease waring attacks.  In return, the government granted to the Apaches a vast reservation, including the southeast corner of Arizona, including the Dragoon and Chiricahua Mountains near the Mexican border.  However, in 1876, two years after Cochise died, the government broke its promise and moved the Chiricahua Apaches 100 miles north to the San Carlos Reservation on the Gila River.”

MARK TELLS US HE IS A DECSENDENT FROM THE GREAT INDIAN CHIEF, GERONIMO

I will blog tomorrow about todays events because the blog is already too long, the day is late, Al is so tired he probably couldn’t even spell his own first name & I haven’t even begun to edit my 200+ photos yet.  It was a long day trying to find the Council Bluffs.  But, just let me tell you this.  It took the combination of two ladies on horseback, our GPS & an Apache Indian descendent to finally help us find our way to the Cochise Council Rocks area.  I will have that all put together for Monday’s blog……….:))

  

TWO LADIES ON HORSEBACK, A GPS, & A DESCENDANT OF GERONIMO

GROANER’S CORNER:)) 

Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other, and finally they got married ...

... and had a little sweet potato, which they called 'Yam.' Of course, they wanted the best for Yam.

When it was time, they told her about the facts of life. They warned her about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato,' and end up with a bunch of Tater Tots. Yam said not to worry, no Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her! But on the other hand she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either.

She would get plenty of exercise so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring cousins.

When she went off to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for the hard-boiled guys from Ireland. And the greasy guys from France called the French Fries. And when she went out west, to watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped.

Yam said she would stay on the straight and narrow and wouldn't associate with those high class Yukon Gold's, or the ones from the other side of the tracks who advertise their trade on all the trucks that say, 'Frito Lay.'

Mr. and Mrs. Potato sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University) so that when she graduated she'd really be in the Chips. But in spite of all they did for her, one-day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Tom Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw! Mr. and Mrs. Potato were very upset. They told Yam she couldn't possibly marry Tom Brokaw because he's just ....

are you ready?

... A common tater!!

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

BRINGING FOOD ACROSS THE CANADA/US BORDER

KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN BOYS & MAYBE WE CAN SNEAK PAST HIM

In just a few short weeks there will be a lot of Canadian RV folks heading south for the winter.  Border crossings can be a real pain if you happen to be singled out for an agriculture check.   In our last 5 border crossings into the States we have been singled out 3 of those 5 times.  It all started with a crossing at the Lewiston/Queenston bridge near Niagara Falls in the summer of 07.  We had some oranges in a bowl & that red flagged us for the next 2 years.  Here’s a site that gives you an idea what you can bring across the border & what you can’t.  And remember, these rules have an uncanny way of changing without notice.  Check out BORDER CUSTOMS.  We play it totally safe now & do not take a thing in the way of food anymore.  Nothing, zero,zip, zilch!!  We just stop at our first Wallyworld Supercenter on the States side & stock up on groceries there.

I’M  HOPING THIS IS A VERMILLION FLYCATCHER

I THINK THIS MIGHT BE A HARRIER HAWK 

GROANER’S CORNER:))   Evidence has been found that William Tell and his family were avid bowlers. However, all the league records were unfortunately destroyed in a fire. Thus we'll never know for whom the Tells bowled.

ACTUALLY, WE ARE JUST WAY TOO COMFORTABLE

WE HAVE SOME BIG CRITTERS AROUND HERE

The patter of raindrops on our roof Thursday night alerted us to the passing of a small shower.  We have our fingers crossed we will not be having any kind of major rain while we are here.  Our rig is parked in dirt & it’s a nasty glue like dirt.  When water is added to the dirt it will turn into a massive glue like solution which totally sticks & clings to everything.  Especially furry little paws!!

WE HAVE SOME LITTLE CRITTERS AROUND HERE TOO

We are having quite a time with ourselves trying to decide on our future travel plans for the winter.  We had originally planned to stay at the ranch in McNeil until the middle of December but those plans changed while we were on our way west last November.  We really have it nice here at the Elfrida property where we are now.   With all the amenities, including a whole house & large fenced in yard we have become very comfortable.  Actually, too comfortable!!   We don’t have any neighbors & how perfect is that.   And, it’s all free:))   I’m guessing most people would be totally content to stay put in one spot for the whole winter but for us, RVing has always meant much more than that.   Keeping on the move, traveling & exploring different regions & doing different things has always been our idea of the RV lifestyle.  It’s a tough decision for us this time & I have no idea how we will decide what to do.  For sure we will stay put to the end of the month & probably then some, but after that……..who knows.

     

KELLY LIKES TO SEE THE UPS TRUCK ROLL IN

There is always a lot of media hype about the Mexican border problems down here.   It is more of a problem in people’s minds who have never been here or understand life along the border.  Yes, there are areas of violence alright but there are areas of violence in any North American city.  Just as you wouldn’t drive through or hang out in a city’s crime section, you know enough to stay away from the border towns & areas where the trouble is & the drug runners are. 

We have been coming to this area for over 4 years now & aside from one careless mistake we made in the Mexican border town of SONOYTA 3 years ago the Mexican border problem is simply not a big issue for us.  And, it is not a big issue for the majority of folks who live here either.  You just have to use common sense in regards to what you are doing, where you are going & who you chose to hang around with.  Not any different from any large city or town in North America.  Anytime we go to the border town of Douglas we do not feel any different there than in going to the lakeside town of Goderich back home.  The majority of people we see in & around Douglas are Mexican folks but there are no feelings of  threat or unease.  What seems to be the norm these days though is how the ratings starved media highlights & sensationalizes the negative aspect of so many things.  Don’t get me wrong though,  there are major drug problems along the border as well as illegal alien crossings & people have to be careful, just as in many other parts of this country…10-4!!

BUSY LITTLE BIRD HAVING A BATH

Had we done anything remotely exciting today I would have written about it, but we didn’t, so I guess that’s the end of  post number 1,015:))  Maybe tomorrow eh.    

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A marine biologist developed a race of genetically engineered dolphins that could live forever if they were fed a steady diet of seagulls. One day his supply of the birds ran out, so he had to go out and trap some more. On the way back, he spied two lions asleep on the road. Afraid to wake them, he gingerly stepped over them. Immediately, he was arrested and charged with transporting gulls across sedate lions for immortal porpoises.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

WHY IS EVERYBODY ELSE’S COOKING BETTER THAN MINE!!

A brisk southerly wind kicked up a little dust today but sunny sky’s held our temps in the high 60’s.  Definitely better all round weather here this year than last year.  We were about 20 minutes down the valley staying at the ranch a year ago at this time & the days & nights were definitely cooler.  In February we had a storm come in with low dark clouds late in the day & the following morning as the clouds began to lift off the mountain tops we could see they had left a frosting of snow on all the mountains around us.  The Dragoon & Mule Mountains were white but it was the Swisshelm Mountains that lived up to their name looking every bit like a Swiss skiiers paradise.  

 

SWISSHELM MOUNTAINS ON Feb. 8/09

  

SNOW ON FEBRUARY 2ND OF 2007 &  NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WAS A BIG COLD SURPRISE!!

Noticed we crossed the 200,000 visitor’s mark on our blog this morning so I checked back in Sitemeter to see where that particular visit had come from.  Someone in Salt Lake City Utah clicked our site at 08:30 A.M. & remained for 10 minutes & 8 seconds reading 2 pages.  They were using a Mac Computer with the Safari 3.1 Browser.  Thanks for dropping by Salt Lake:))  Visitor number 199,999 came in from Las Cruses New Mexico & visitor 200,001 dropped by from Kitchener Ontario, Canada….might have been my cousin Norma & husband Jim:))  A few other locations close to the 200,000 mark were, Los Angeles & San Francisco California, Orlando Florida, Leasburg Missouri, Denver Colorado, San Antonio Texas,  Mechanicsville Virginia, Baton Rouge Louisiana & Sarasota Florida, just to name a few.  I think Sarasota might have been my Aunt Jean.  Always extra nice to see family members for sure:))  And, just to keep our 200,000 visits in perspective, here’s a Lady RV’er with nearly 3 million visits to her site……WENDY USUALLY WANDERS

When I first started the blog a few years back I had a habit of writing the whole darn thing in one big blonk.  No paragraphs!!  If I did, it was very few.  Wasn’t long & a comment came in suggesting I break the blog up into paragraphs to make it an easier read.  So, thanks to that comment, that’s what I have done ever since.  Turns out that comment came from a fellow in Silver City NM by the name of Boonie at, OCCUPATION OF INDEPENDENCE.   While in the Silver City area a couple years ago we looked Boonie up & he was the very first real live RV blogger person we ever met.  Nice of Boonie to leave us a comment on yesterday’s blog & that’s what reminded me of the paragraph thing.

ARIZONA SUNRISE

Some folks sent us some wintery scenes of our house back in Bayfield this afternoon.  Sure glad we are in Arizona.  Thanks Maureen, Jan & Bruce:))

  

   

I wonder why it is that whatever I make to eat it never tastes as good as when somebody else makes it.  Kelly can make a ham sandwich & I can make the same ham sandwich but her ham sandwich always tastes better.  Why is that!!  The greasiest spoon restaurant on the block can probably boil better tasting water than I can.  If I make bacon & eggs they never taste as good as Kelly’s bacon & eggs.  She can even make a better bowl of corn flakes than me.  D’ya suppose it’s got something to do with the pinch of peanut butter I put on everything……..:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Sounds like there are some big corporate mergers coming up soon in the business world. 

• Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush and W.R.Grace Co. will merge and become Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.
• Polygram Records, Warner Bros. and Zesta Crackers join forces and become Polly, Warner Cracker.
• 3M will merge with Goodyear and issue forth as MMMGood.
• Zippo Mfg., Audi Motor Car, Dofasco and Dakota Mining will merge to become, of course, ZipAudiDoDa.
• Federal Express is expected to join its major competitor, UPS, and consolidate as: FedUP
• Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become: Fairwell Honeychild.
• Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become: Poupon Pants.
• Knotts Berry Farm and the Nat'l Org. of Women will become: Knott NOW!

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

THE OLD WEST IS STILL ALIVE IN THIS LITTLE BOY’S MEMORY

ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO RIVER NEAR THE GHOST TOWN OF CHARLESTON, ARIZONA

NOTE:  I was minutes away from publishing the blog when I somehow did something that wiped out all my photos which I had so painstakingly gathered up for tonight’s blog.  At this point I am just to tired to go back & redo all the photos again.  Remember Tuesday’s blog about being tired & making mistakes…..well, I rest my case:((

I would have to say the most exciting part of today was our short jaunt to the local dump this morning.  No garbage pick up here like back home so it was a good excuse to take the little Motormouse for a ride in the Jeep & explore around a few dusty neighborhood roads.

We have had night visitors……..inside our fence line!!  Noticed the tracks Tuesday morning while filling a small water trough in front of the house.  The recently installed & strong metal perimeter fence is a deterring 4 feet high but that has not stopped a certain type of rascally critter from leaping over the fence & coming in for a drink of water.  Fresh deer prints were visible in the soft sandy like soil around the water trough.  I have since located an old plastic picnic cooler, filled it with water & placed it on the outside of the fence where we have seen Javelina, Gamble Quail & Deer.  The local bird population sure likes the idea as well.

Finished my, ‘Log Of An Arizona Trailblazer’ book today by author J. A. Rockfollow, one of Arizona’s early pioneers.  Another fine example of Arizona’s history from the latter 1800’s into the early 1900’s.  The western frontier was a wildly exciting place in those times & I’m always surprised at many of the things that took place, both good & bad.  There was a certain degree of lawlessness alright but there was also a great deal of comradeship, good deeds, & gentlemanly ways.  Certainly was a different world than we know today.  Harsher in many respects but kinder in many others.  I do like all the modern conveniences of today but sometimes I wonder if maybe I was born a hundred years too late:((

Below is the cover, & all that is left of a book I had as a small child.  I remember the book well & would spend many hours imagining my way through it’s big colorful pictures of the old west.  Indians, stagecoaches, mounted soldiers, cattle herds & cowboys rode the Sagebrush trails across the pages.  Behind the riders were always the dark & mysterious mountains that imprinted themselves on this small boys memory.

It would eventually take me many years to make my way across the land to finally catch site of my first real mountain.  Still, to this day when we travel west in the fall I strain my eyes to catch the first tell tale sign of the great mountains looming out of the distant haze.  The small boy in me is still in wonderment of this land I first saw in the pages of my, ‘Big Book Of The Wild West.’  I have been very fortunate all these years later to have now walked in the same footsteps as General George Armstrong Custer up in Little Big Horn Montana & Butch Cassidy in Panquitch Utah.  I have also walked the same streets as Wyatt Erp, Doc Halliday & the boys in Tombstone Arizona.  I have hiked the very trails & been to the very watering holes used by the legendary Indian Chiefs, Cochise & Geronimo.  Hiked into the very heart of the COCHISE STRONGHOLD in the Dragoon Mountains as well.  I have seen the old stagecoach ruts worn in the ground at Apache Pass near FORT BOWIE & stood in a buildings ruins where Geronimo was once held in captivity.  We have walked through the old BUTTERFIELD STAGE RUINS in both Arizona & California, located the grave of JOHNNY RINGO at the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains & gazed into an old tumble down Saloon in the ghost town of GLEESON ARIZONA.  We have also walked the overgrown streets & picked our way through the long forgotten ghost town ruins of CHARLESTON, Millville, COURTLAND & FAIRBANK.  We have also been fortunate to have attended another historic ghost towns annual remembrance at, PEARCE HERITAGE DAYS.  

EAST OF TOMBSTONE LOOKING WEST TOWARDS THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS

The old frontier is still alive here in the west if you just take the time to feel it’s presence.  It may not be as obvious & wild as it once was but it is still here if you take the time to feel it’s presence.  Real cowboys on working ranches herding cattle is still the way of the west.  Cowboy hats & boots are the norm & if you look carefully you can still see some of the fellas carrying real guns in holsters.

Mountains on the horizons, cactus on the trails & ghosts in the wind.  Yes, the west is still alive for this little boy as it rides it’s way every day right out of the pages of his long lost big old cowboy book…..:))

GROANERS CORNER:((    A tough old cowboy told his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a pinch of gun powder on his oatmeal every morning.
The grandson did this religiously to the age of 103. When he died, he left 14 children, 30 grand-children, 45 great-grandchildren, 25 great-great grandchildren, and a 15 foot hole where the crematorium used to be.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

MARTY ROBBINS, HANK WILLIAMS, PATSY CLINE & JOHNNY HORTON ALL DROPPED BY THIS MORNING

Above is this mornings view from the Grand Bend web cam near Bayfield.

Watching the Canadian news this morning we see that parts of Southern Ontario in & around the area we live has been declared a State of Emergency because of the relentless snow storms blasting through the area.  People stranded in their cars between Sarnia & London.  The Military has been called in with a C130 Hercules waiting for the weather to clear.  It will fly surveillance spotting, directing 2 Griffin helicopters to land near stranded motorists when the weather clears.  Local snowmobile clubs are trying to help but the snow is proving even too deep for them.  Wind chill factors are –21C or –5.8F.  Police are asking truckers via CB radio to try & help nearby motorists who may be low or out of gas.  Snowplows aren’t moving & Hydro electric crews have been called off the road with some trucks being abandoned where they are stuck.  Lines are down & many people are without power.  Highways are closed in many areas & about 40 people are stranded at Tim Hortons near highway 402.  We have our fingers crossed that the snow loads on our roof back home will not prove to be too much.  The freezing cold temps will also play havoc with our heating bill despite it being at a low setting.  Power outages in our park are common in bad weather so neighbors could already be in trouble.  Almost makes us feel guilty for being where we are & enjoying all this warm sunny Arizona weather.  However, reality keeps us in check because we know our Southwest winter lifestyle will not last forever:((  UPDATE….all folks stranded have now been rescued & the storm is going to go into the history books as the worst winter storm on record.  By the way, the storm is still raging at this hour with no let up in sight.

TONIGHT’S PICS ARE FROM MONDAY’S JEEP TOUR

For any Jay Leno fans out there you might want to have a look at where the folks over at RV LIFE ON WHEELS were last night.  Yep, right in the audience of Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.  However, on the way through Los Angeles to the show, they came across every RV’ers worst nightmare!!

A SEA OF GOLDEN GRASS

In our RV’s close quarters we sometimes stumble over them.  In the night they sometimes get me out of bed & out into the cold.  Other times we are referee’s at feeding time.  Guns & thunderstorms scare them & morning walks are now sometimes proving to be too much for them.  They bring loads of dust & stickers into the Motor Home on dry days & lots of mud on rainy days.  These guys are our furry kids & without them our days would be very gray, bleak & meaningless.  I must have been a dog in a previous life…..a real dog that is.  Well, at least I hope I was:))

RAY TAKES A CELL CALL FROM AN OLD RODEO BUDDY IN OKLAHOMA

I am finding myself starting my blogs earlier in the days now & sometimes I begin the day’s blog not long after getting up.  I used to always wait until after supper each night before starting it but have slowly been getting away from that habit since last summer.  Biggest problem I have here in the southwest is staying awake long enough at night to finish it.  Monday for example we didn’t get home until after 4 & with 204 photos for the day I had a lot of editing to do plus write a post.  As any blogger knows, it can take hours to put these things together & if you generally have a lot of photos like I do it is almost a given that popsicle sticks are going to be needed to prop eyelids open.  Downside for me is by the time I am ready to ‘Publish’ the blog I am almost too tired to proof read it for mistakes & sentence restructuring.  I find if I can get the main body of a blog done early I will always find ways of improving it later on through the day.  So, my advice to blog writers is this, try not to wait until the last minute before writing & posting your blog.   Don’t wait until you are too tired to think straight.  Allow time to go back over your post for re-writes, spelling checks, new ideas & improvements.  And yes, I have fallen asleep at the keyboard several times with a half finished post staring me in the face when I woke up.  Not good!!

Mike & Janna at TIN TEEPEE/LOG CABIN are finally underway on their long awaited journey to the warmer climes of the Southwest.  With the crazy winter weather there at their Montana ranch they are probably lucky to have got out when they did.

Kelly headed off down to Elfrida this morning to check out a small farmer’s market & pick up a few things.  Dust hadn’t cleared the laneway & I had my Son’s of The Pioneers CD just a boomin.  I’ll bet the folks up in Tucson were a runnin fer cover.  The fellas took a well earned break about lunch time when Marty Robbins, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Horton & Jim Reeves all stopped by & sang a few songs around my campfire.  We had us quite an old fashioned western Jamboree going on here for awhile:)) 

THESE DRY CREEK BEDS ARE RAGING TORRENTS IN THE RAINY MONSOON SEASON

GROANER’S CORNER:((  

• A man goes to a dermatologist with a rare skin disease. The doctor says, "Try a milk bath". So the guy goes to the grocery store and tells the dairy manager he needs enough milk to take a bath. The dairy guys ask "You want that pasteurized?" "Nah", the man replies "Up to my chin should do it."

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.