COLD, WET, WINDY DAY…..CONFINED TO BARRACKS:((

 

The winds blew all day Wednesday & by Wednesday night they were bringing in bouts of rain with them.  Nothing heavy duty but it kept up through the night flapping our slide awnings.  Today was overcast with cold blustery winds driving rain showers into the Valley with bouts of sleet beating on our Motor Home.  Needless to say we did not venture out & were confined to barracks for the entire day. 

 

JUDY recently inquired about some natural ‘ice sculpture’ photos I had taken last year while at the ranch so figured this cold blustery day would be a fitting time re-post some of those pics:))

 

Another odd thing happened this morning which I actually first noticed a couple weeks ago.  We have a small rarely used flashlight in a holder by the door.

Coming into the coach one day a couple of weeks ago I noticed the flashlight was on.  Figured Kelly had used it for whatever reason & forgot to turn it off.  Nope, she had not used it.  Strange.  A week later I noticed it on again so turned it off then wiggled & bumped it a few times trying to get it turn on, but nope.  Yesterday morning as I was reaching for the Jeep keys hanging just above the flashlight….it turned itself on while I was looking at it!!  Just like that, poof, it was on.  Again I turned it off, bumped & fumbled it around but no way would it turn on unless I pressed the switch.  I have a mind that works overtime trying to make logical sense out of things I don’t understand but this one really has me stumped.  Just have not been able to come up with any kind of sensible explanation yet…...but I’m thinking on it.

 

I am about half way through my documented & archived photo book, ‘Apache Wars’ & combined with previous books I have read about this area I feel I finally have a reasonably accurate idea of what actually took place here in the south west back in the late 1800’s.   It was not good.  Lies, deceptions & atrocities performed by all parties.  Whites, Indians & Mexicans alike.  And, the wars between the Indians & Mexicans were going on long before the White Man ever showed his face in the West.  Anyway, the books have been very interesting to say the least.

 

And, a few more words on our Verizon usage.  Right from the beginning we have never understood why our usage has been so high.  Numerous phone calls to Verizon over the past couple years never did resolve the problem.  We talked to other Verizon users, followed tips & advice on various forums on how to reduce usage but nothing ever worked.  We always went over our limit no matter what.  Always seemed to us like Verizon’s monitoring system for our account was somehow faulty & we still feel there was something amiss somewhere.  They nailed us for nearly 8 Gigs last month & you can just imagine what the $$$$ penalty was for that!!   Anyway, we’ll see how we make out with this newer Mifi setup.  {Update} Received a comment from Blars this morning bringing to our attention an alternative program to Verizon called, MILLENICOM.  Looks good on paper so is anyone out there familiar with this service?  My question is simply…..if this company can provide a 20 Gig cap without a contract or taxes for $59.99 or a ‘no cap’ unlimited program for $69.99 why haven’t all the Verizon customers jumped ship & gone with Millenicom??  We will attempt to find out the answers to that question, & others today.  Never a dull moment in this whacko tech world eh!!

 

CAN YOU SEE THE KNEELING OLYMPIC RUNNER IN THESE PHOTOS

From time to time I come across new blogs that catch my attention & this morning I stumbled across Bob from CHASING GRACE.  I think it was Bob’s profile picture that first aroused my curiosity & I could see this fellow had a sense of humor.   I think Bob, with his dog Nat, is just getting his blog up & running so you might want to stop by & wish the two of them well on their upcoming blog journey:))

We were surprised to see a FedEx truck at our gate this afternoon.  Despite the freezing cold wind the driver climbed out with shorts on & parcel in hand.  Brrrrrr!!  It was our Mifi modem already so you know what Kelly & I will be doing Friday morning.  Well OK, mostly Kelly!!  Maybe now I will be able to put some photo albums together & get them online again like I did a couple years ago.  Hadn’t been doing that because of the 5 Gig cap!!

  

All of today’s ice sculpture photos were taken when water from a couple dripping hoses froze up one night on the ranch last winter.  The photos below show those hoses & how all these photos came to be:))

The tiny kneeling Olympic figure was at the bottom of this Pine tree.

      

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two robins were sitting in a tree.

"I'm really hungry," said the first one. "Let's fly down and find some lunch"

They flew down to the ground and found a nice plot of newly plowed ground that was full of worms. They ate and ate and ate till they could eat no more.

"I'm so full, I don't think I can fly back up into the tree," said the first one." Let's just lay back here and bask in the warm sun," said the second.

"O K," said the first. So they plopped down, basking in the sun. No sooner than they had fallen asleep, when a big fat tomcat up and gobbled them up.

As the cat sat washing his face after his meal, he thought. ... "I Just Love Baskin Robins."

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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.

SWAPPING OUT OUR NEW CRADLEPOINT ROUTER FOR……MIFI

First let me say, we love our Cradlepoint Router set-up & it has been doing a flawless job for us.  No complaints….well, except for one.  When trying to decide the right set up for our two computers between Cradlepoint & Mifi a couple months ago we overlooked one very important, & for us, crucial factor.  The dreaded Verizon 5 Gigabyte cap!!!!  Despite our best efforts over the past couple years of trying to stay under the Verizon 5 Gigs, we blow the lid off it every single month while traveling.  We are not ‘You Tube’ people nor do we download music, play games on line, open jokes or cards or watch movies & videos.  We are not web cam people, casino junkies, or online card players, nor do we waste our time with all those Gigabyte eating Facebook applications or game requests!!  Yet, every month we exceed our 5 Gig limit big time & that costs us mucho $$$$!!  As of today for example we have over two weeks left to go & we are already two thirds of the way through our allotted Gigs.  The $$$$ we would have had to pay for exceeding the cap again this month has already paid for the Mifi Modem:))

By switching to Verizon’s newer Mifi system we can increase that 5 Gig cap to 10 Gigs & it is going to be significantly cheaper than the $$$$ penalty we have been having to pay each month.  Kelly spent a fair bit of time with the Verizon folks again today hammering this all out & as I type this, a Fed-Ex truck is on it’s way with our new ‘refurbished’ Mifi Modem thingy direct from Verizon.  As with the UMB175 Modem we are now using with the Cradlepoint, we bought the Mifi Modem outright with no signing of contracts!!  For you folks who don’t have a problem with blowing through your 5 Gig limit, your Cradlepoint set up will be just fine. 

Despite downsizing all the photos in my posts every day I am sure it is the blog that is one of our main Gigabyte eating monsters.  But, sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do & assign priorities.  We don’t have fancy schmancy cell phones etc so we do not have the expenses in some areas that other folks do.  And, we are always aware of how much money we save each & every single day by staying out of RV Parks so sometimes that is how we justify the odd expense here or there:))

Kelly questioned me about putting this Cradlepoint/Mifi topic in the blog tonight because it was going to make us look like a couple of Willywonka decision makers but I figure it’s just as important to write about mistakes, poor decisions & failures as it is to write about successes.  As you all know, I am no slouch when it comes to backing up & admitting a poor decision or two now & again:)) 

Now, what to do with our 3 year old UMB175 Modem & 6 week old Cradlepoint Router.  The guy at the 3G store suggested keeping the router in the system for reception boost.  We may do that or just simply sell the Cradlepoint Router which of course is in perfect condition.

THIS WESTERN MEADOWLARK BLENDS RIGHT INTO IT’S SURROUNDINGS

Somebody noticed in one of our rig’s interior pics a couple days ago that we have a curtain rod with curtains pulled across the driver’s & passenger section of our coach.  We close these curtains at night & that helps hold the heat in.   During warm sunny days they help keep the windshield heat out.  We seldom, if ever use our front cab seats for sitting on, except while driving of course.  Very rare for us to have company so we don’t really use them as furniture.  And would you believe that we have never ever used the oven in our stove.  Nope, we just use that space for storage.  Fortunately for me Kelly isn’t into baking or I would have trouble fitting through the Motor Home’s door!!  The BBQ is our main cooking tool.

CACTUS WREN

It was fun to see a few ‘nickname’ response’s to my post yesterday with people commenting about their own pet names for their Pals.  I think KAREN IN THE WOODS takes the cake with a name she had for a Sheltie one time….Kasha-Burger-Dip-Dog-YoyoHead-Spaghetti-Brain:)) 

Upon reading Tuesdays post Checkers walked over beside my chair this morning, flopped herself down & looked up at me asking, “Dad, why didn’t you tell the readers why you call me the Swamp Dog.”  Well OK, guess I overlooked that part.  Checkers loves the water whether she’s back home swimming in the 5th largest fresh water lake in the world (LAKE HURON) or going out of her way on a trail to walk through the nearest muddiest mud puddle she can find.  We have a pond near our house in Bayfield & Checkers likes to get in there when we’re not looking some mornings on our walks.  One time a few years ago on a hot summer day she slipped into the pond for a cooling splash.  The water surface was covered in Duckweed so she came out of the pond looking like she had just crawled out of murky swamp somewhere.  What a mess she was.  Well, you know the rest:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Ever wonder what would happen if you got scared half to death….twice!!

Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but the light bulb has to WANT to change.

There was a duck that went to a local store to buy Chapstick.  The clerk asked if he would pay cash and the duck said, no, just put it on my bill.

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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.

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SIR FROG-A-LOG, LADY FLOP-A-LOT & LITTLE WEINERLY BEANS:))

With bad weather approaching we figured we’d better lay in some supplies for a couple days so it was off to Bisbee’s southeasterly little burb of Warren we went.  Had heard there was a nice breakfast place called,'Mornings Cafe’ in Warren’s East end, so it didn’t take us long to find it.  Nice colorful southwestern décor & not too busy…..just the way I like it!!  Figured we would like to try another place other than the Bisbee Breakfast Club for a change.  The BBC is very popular & often times there is a wait for a table.  Because of the large number of people the BBC can seat, it is generally on the noisy side.  Noise is not something I get along with any more!!  We enjoyed a quiet breakfast at ‘Mornings Cafe’ & will probably return again if we are in the neighborhood.

  

From ‘Mornings’ it was over to the Cochise Animal Hospital where Kelly put me on the list for a distemper & rabies shot hoping it would improve my disposition.  She also had her fingers crossed I wouldn’t bite any of the staff while there either.  Had me fitted for a muzzle & picked up a package of chewable dog treats for me too.  While there we also picked up a bag of dog food for the guys:))

Ace Hardware has built a spanking brand new store across & down the Naco highway a bit from the Safeway store so we dropped in for a look see.  It’s a nice bright store in a rather tired area of the old mining town of San Jose, now part of overall Bisbee.  Store is spiffy, well stocked & likely has everything you need.  It is also new enough to generate a friendly staff still eager to be helpful.

SAFEWAY & JIMMY’S LUNCH ARE UP THE ROAD TO THE RIGHT

Groceries at my favorite Safeway store & we were back to our digs east of Elfrida by 1:30.  Although not physically taxing, these little shopping forays totally knock me out & by the time we get home I feel like I’ve been dragged backwards up & over a mountain top!!

I have always been one for hanging nicknames on people, places & things.  But perhaps it is pets that bear the main brunt of my labeling.  For some unknown reason, even to me, there seems to be a ‘Frog’ theme running through my nicknaming.  I have absolutely no idea why that is except, that it is.  My nickname for Max all these years & the one I use most is, ‘Bud.’  He is also ‘Buddy Boy,’ the ‘Budster,’ ‘Frog Boy,’ ‘Frog-a-log Dog', ‘Mr. Dog Face,’ & just plain, ‘Mr.’ 

Checkers I call ‘Swamp’ most of the time but she is also saddled with, ‘Frog,’ ‘Frogger,’ ‘Swamper,’ ‘Swamper Hog’ or ‘Big Old Swamp Dog.’  She has a habit of walking along & just flopping down anywhere so that has also garnered her the names of, ‘Flopsterson,’ ‘Flopasaures,’ & Flop-a-lot.’

But, it is our little Cora who carries the heaviest sack of nicknames.  I never much cared for the name of Cora which she brought with her when she came to stay with us.  After watching her energized playful personality years ago, she became the ‘Motormouse.’  My current name for her now is, ‘Beans.’  That comes from the fact she wakes up some mornings raring to rip & just ‘full of beans.’  She is also commonly referred to by me as, ‘Weiner Dog,’ ‘Weiner,’ ‘Weinerly Beans', ‘Buffalo Beans,’ ‘Muffin Face,’ ‘Schnutz,’ ‘Mouse,’ ‘Beansy Bum,’ ‘Motor,’ ‘Frog Face,’ ‘Baby Beans,’ ‘Bat Face,’ ‘Beaner,’ & ‘Beanzy.’

Sometimes when Max & Checkers are walking side by each down the road I often think, there goes ‘Sir Frog-a-log’ & ‘Lady Flop-a-lot.’  As well, I often refer to the guys as the ‘Bayfield Bums’ therefore giving all of them the collective names of, ‘The Bumster Gang’ or ‘The Funny Face Gang.’  Oh, tis quite a time I have here with all my changing nicknames for my Pals:))  I’m not sure what name the guys have for me but it may not be printable anyway:))  Oh, & does Kelly use any of these names for the dogs??  Nope, just me.  To Kelly, they are simply, Max, Checkers & Cora!!

THE BUMSTER GANG

Had a very productive couple of hours at Monday’s Photo Group in Elfrida.  Through the use of Picasa’s 3.8 photo program plus accompanying photography tips I was able to help the folks in attendance make their already good photos look just a tad better.  Cropping, saturation, contrast, graduated tint, soft focus & focal B&W were just a few of the tools I was able to help people with.  What a great feeling for me when I am able to do something helpful like that.  Those couple hours just made my whole day:))

Looks like we have some bad weather coming in on us towards the end of the week.  Temps steadily dropping, rain in the forecast along with the chance of snow.  Overnight lows of 18F.  After all the great weather so far this winter, I guess it’s just our turn to head into the dumpster for awhile.  And yes, Arizona does sometimes get snow:((

A DISTANT NEIGHBOR…….BOTTOM RIGHT

How nice to have a large library of Big Band music on my laptop.  I don’t much care for night time television so while Kelly watches her shows I strap on my headphones most nights & head on down one of my many memorable music lanes.  Tonight I was in the mood for Glen Miller, The Mills Brothers, Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Vaughn Monroe, Vera Lynn, Les Paul & Mary Ford, The Andrews Sisters, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington & Etta James, just to mention but a few.  What a wonderful age of music those years were & how fortunate I am to remember that music as a small boy.  To this very day, whenever I listen to that golden age of music it has a calming effect & gently takes me by the hand & walks me back through the years to an age & a time unlike anything kids of today will ever remotely understand.  It was an age of true music.  An age of golden voices, mellow strings, horns & true masterful talent.  The song writing was sensitive, melancholy, intelligent & reflected a bygone era we will never see or feel again.   How fortunate I consider myself to be, as a small boy, to have spent my early childhood listening to what may well have been the greatest music era many of us will ever remember.  What will the kids of today have to remember……!!

GROANER’S CORNER:((  I stopped at a friends house the other day and found him stalking around the kitchen with a flyswatter.  When I asked if he had gotten any flies he answered, "Yeah, 5 .... 3 males and 2 females."  Curious, I inquired as to how he could tell the difference.  He answered, "It's easy, 3 were on a beer can and 2 were on the phone.

--------------------------------------------------------------
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.

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