THE DONKEY’S HAVE BEEN FOUND ALIVE & WELL:))))))))

Here is the email we received this morning from Jeanie & Ray….“The donkeys came home last night!  Sheriff's car was at our gate around 9:30pm.  Donkeys were heading south out of Elfrida down the middle of Central Hwy.  The deputy herded them 3 miles to the hay place on central hwy and got them in a pen then came and got us.  So glad to have them home, sure was a job getting them loaded.  We are starting a trailer loading training TODAY.  no more bad loading experiences for them or us.  Thank you so much for all your support and help, we so appreciate you....
I'll let you know when we come by.”
Jeanie
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay:))

HEADER PHOTO WAS TAKEN FROM ATOP THAT HIGHER ROCKY RIDGE ON EXTREME  LEFT

Had a question about our header photo.  Commenter Phil asks, “Al, I am intrigued by your new banner photo. How did you get that angle? A nearby tall mountain & telephoto lens? You seem to be too high for that, and the hike would have been a real struggle. A hang glider?”  To answer that question I will refer you to my blog post on the day I took that photo…A COLD WINDY DAY IN THE AJO HIGHLANDS.  Most of the photos in todays post are from that particular day I took the header photo.

THE WHITE DOT AT TOP CENTER IS A COUPLE FROM LONDON ONTARIO IN THEIR 5TH WHEEL…. WE FIRST MET THEM IN CANNONVILLE, UTAH A FEW MONTHS PREVIOUSLY.  THEY ARE IN COSTA RICA THIS WINTER…ADVENTURES WITH MnM

 

  

 

IT WAS QUITE A HIKE TO THE TOP OF THE ROCKY RIDGE BUT BOTH CHECKERS & MOTORMOUSE CLIMBED RIGHT TO THE TOP WITH US…THE LITTLE MOUSE NEEDED A BIT OF HELP COMING DOWN…MAX STAYED IN THE MOTOR HOME RECOVERING FROM A SORE LEG.

THE FLYING W RANCH

Kept myself busy today raking up a lot of brush on the property.  I enjoy that sort of thing so I was right in my element.  My fourth hobby besides travel, blogging & photography happens to be landscape gardening, so with lawn rake in hand I enjoyed a fair few hours in the sunshine today just cleaning up a lot of dead scrub grass.

 

LOTS OF RAKING TODAY

Jeanie & Ray popped in this afternoon & we’re soooooooooooooo happy about getting their donkeys back.  Took them until midnight Friday to get Pancho, Nellie & Sarah loaded in the trailer & taken home to their cozy corral with lots of hay & water.  Jeanie said there were no signs of trauma to them but they were pretty quiet this morning.  Sarah came over to Jeanie & rested her head up against her.  Still a mystery as to what happened to them or where they were but when they were spotted they were walking down the road in the dark headed for the ranch about 2 miles away.  The gate they got out of a few nights ago was a strong steel gate & it was definitely broke down by humans.  It may never be known what happened but the main thing is, the donkeys are home now safe & sound:))

THE DONKEYS WERE WALKING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ROAD HEADING FOR HOME WHEN THEY WERE FOUND

 

We all sat in the front yard for awhile today with birds, birds, everywhere.  And, we had 3 deer come to within about hundred feet of where we were quietly sitting.  We sure fit in here & it is soooooo nice to be alone with nature all around.

I didn’t let myself get too upset Friday about my broken camera.  I bought that Nikon D50 new about 5 years ago & took thousands upon thousands of trouble free photos with it.  Never a problem with that camera.  Considering the fact I use my cameras almost every day I am actually a little surprised I have not incurred more damage to my photo equipment.  I don’t baby my equipment & these Nikons have proved very durable despite some fairly rugged handling at times.

So, what will I do now?  Well, it’s already done.  I was on the internet first thing this morning looking for the best deal on a Nikon D90 body.  Found one & it is on it’s way:))  Because of the amount of dust I had on my D50’s sensor I had to basically retouch ever single photo I took with it, especially if there was a lot of sky visible.  I will so enjoy not having to do that anymore.  I do have dust on my D40’s sensors too but at least it’s not as bad as the D50 was.  Dust is just a normal way of life out here in the southwest.

So, what is the scoop with the house & property here where we are staying.  Well, lets just say Kelly & I did a lot of chin wagging & brain storming again today & I can tell you this…..we have postponed our area departure now for a few more days…..or maybe a little longer.  Sunday I will continue my natural exercise program by continuing with the yard work.  With 40 acres here at the Flying W it just might take me a couple extra days:))

The Bayfield Bunch welcomes a couple new blog followers today.  Thanks for climbing aboard Donna K:))  TRAVELS IN THERAPY.  Russ Krecklow rides in as Blog Follower 228 &  big welcome to you as well Russ.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

- What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef.

- What do you call a man who drinks and falls off his horse? The wine-stoned cowboy.

- What do you call a rabbit with fleas? Bugs Bunny.

- What do you call a veterinarian with laryngitis? A hoarse doctor.

- What do you give a person with water on the brain? A tap on the head. 

- What is a newly hatched beetle? A baby buggy.

MOVED THIS MORNING, JIM & RENE ARRIVE, BROKE A CAMERA & FUTURE DECISIONS

WISHED YOU GUYS WOULD KNOCK OFF THAT WARBLING!!

It was a busy morning as we bustled about the rig readying ourselves to get the big wheels rolling.  I had been concerned about our problematic rear passenger side hydraulic Jack.  Would it retract?  It did:))  Only glitch we had was when the living room slide would not come in.  A bit of finagling in the fuse panel seemed to do the trick & the slide finally powered up & came in. 

OUR NEW BUT TEMPORARY DIGS

It was exactly high noon when we rolled out the laneway & through the gate on our journey to our next destination.  Weather was good, rig ran well & the traffic was light as we finally reached our next destination a half mile away & 2 minutes later.

ROLLING OUT THE LANE THIS MORNING >>>

From here on in I am going to refer to Glen’s house where we are now as the Flying W Ranch.  That is the name carved into the wood fireplace mantle by the man who built this house in 1977.  His name was Richard Wiegand & he was Ingrid’s Brother.

Didn’t take us long to have the chairs set out, the satellite dish set up, BBQ in place & Mexican tapestries hung.  Sure felt like home.  And we could tell the doggy guys liked it too.  Tired from our big move we just basked in the sun & watched the multitudes of birds around the feeders.  Even some Gambles Quail came in very close.  From the time Richard Wiegand began building this house nearly 35 years ago he made it a priority to look after the many birds in the area.  And, all those birds descendants are still here in the front yard with a steady whirr of little wings & a continuous chorus of bird songs.  How wonderful it is to be in the constant surrounding presence of nature.

MA & PA KETTLE DOWN ON THE FARM

Jeanie phoned to say they were on their way with Jim & Rene to the property we had just vacated so we slipped on over & awaited their arrival.  Wasn’t long & the little green Jeep led the following truck & fifth wheel through the gate & onto the property.  Last time we saw Jim & Rene & their big dog Wyatt was Borrego Springs CA when we were both boon docking at the Clark Dry Lake Bed.  Nice to see them again.  Some of you may remember Jim & Rene & their previous 3 legged dog Jerry when they appeared on the Nature Channel with their touching story about Jerry’s cancer.  JERRY'S STORY.

We all did a walk around of the property & house then Jeanie & Ray came over to the Flying W for a look around.  They had never been here before but knew Ingrid’s Brother Richard.  Jeanie was able to give us a little history on the house & property.  Both Jeanie & Ray fell in love with this little place just as we did.  It’s not new & it’s not fancy schmancy but we sure do like it.  Fits the dusty old Bayfield Bunch to a tee.  We sure had a lot to talk about today regarding our future.  Nuff said about that for now.

About 6 o’clock tonight I was moving a box off a table on the front cement porch when an electrical cord snagged my D50 Nikon with my new 300mm lens attached & dropped them to the concrete floor.  The lens separated from the camera & I immediately saw broken pieces.  I won’t bother to tell you the feeling I had in my stomach.  The front part of my camera had snapped right off so I knew immediately that was the end of my old faithful Nikon D50.  My main concern was the lens & I feared it was finished too.  After a 3 foot drop onto hard concrete, that kind of equipment generally does not survive.  From all outwards appearance the lens looked undamaged.  Snapped it onto my other Nikon & hit the shutter button.  The lens auto focused OK & when I later downloaded the pics they still looked sharp.  Tomorrow I will run the lens through all it’s functions & keep my fingers crossed.  As for my D50 I figure trying to get it repaired would cost as much as another camera body so I will now begin the hunt for another Nikon DSLR.  Maybe new, maybe used.  I’ll have to start reading reviews & see what I can find.  Anybody out there selling a Nikon body??

  

Jeanie & Ray think the donkeys were stolen to be used as pack animals for the drug runners.  It’s a common way of moving heavy drug bundles at night through the Valley & over the Mountains here.  There have been other horse & donkey thefts in the area over the past few months.  But, none of us has given up hope that they will be found…………..

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know Submarines are safer than airplanes. Proof in the fact is there are more airplanes in the water than submarines in the air!  And how do you sink a submarine full of blondes?  A: Just knock on the door of course.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

 
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The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
 
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

MOVING TO SOME NEW DIGS IN THE MORNING

ALL TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE ON THE PROPERTY WE ARE MOVING TO FRIDAY MORNING

Wished I could start this blog off  by saying Pancho, Nellie & Sarah have been found….but I cannot.  There has not been one single sighting of them despite the number of people in the area.  Border patrol has been notified to keep an eye out for them as well.  It is looking more & more like they have been stolen & here is something odd.  Just 2 days before they went missing a lady stopped into the Ranch & asked Jeanie & Ray if they would like to sell the Donkeys.  Thinking nothing of it they didn’t get a license number.  In some ways it is still like the old West here in Cochise County with cattle & horse rustling going on.  Donkey rustling as well it appears.  Hopefully they are just off grazing somewhere.

 

GONNA NEED JUDY’S HELP IN IDENTIFYING ALL THE BIRDS IN TONIGHT’S POST.

Mornings generally start out pretty quiet here at the Bayfield Bunch.  Me in my chair, computer on my lap & Kelly over at the little computer table by the door.  Quiet that is……until the Motormouse finally wakes up around 8.  A little furry head slowly lifts up from our other chair, a big yawn & our day begins to ramp up.  Checkers is immediately on her feet watching the Motor’s every move as the she hops over onto the bed & walks up beside my chair for a morning scruffle.  Checkers quickly grabs one of the toys & tosses it up on the bed for the little Monkey Face & we are off & running with a zany game of toys underway.  Lots of barking, jumping around & toys flying through the air.  It is one of my favorite times of day.  This play time usually goes on till Mom hollers over her shoulder, “will you guys knock it off!!!!!!”  Well, we tone things down for a minute or two & then we are all right back at it:))

It has been awhile since I expressed my appreciation to all you blog readers out there for taking the time to sit down & wade through my long rambling posts most every day.  It’s not always easy coming up with interesting subject matter sometimes but I do try to vary the content & mix in a modest helping of thoughts, ideas, feelings, humor & opinions as I go along.  The occasional rant makes it into the blog as does some heart felt emotional feelings some days.  Judging from the many comments & emails received, that formula appears to be working.  It is the readers of the blog that happily keep my hobbies of writing, photography & travel alive & for the most part I thoroughly enjoy putting the blog together every day.  Thanks again to all you folks out there for giving me a daily focus & purpose.   Very, very, much appreciated by all 5 of us here at the Bayfield Bunch:))

Wished I knew how to make my ‘linked’ pictures bigger.  Knew how to do it on the first Live Writer but have not figured it out on this newer version.  When a photo in the blog is clicked on I would like it to appear in the ‘large’ format.

Ok, here is the scoop on what’s going down over the next few days.  Our travel departure day may change.  Some of you folks may know Jim & Rene from LIVE. WORK. DREAM.  They are on their way to Jeanie & Ray’s Ranch.  They were going to do some ranch sitting but with everything that has been going on at the Ranch this week Jeanie & Ray have decided not to head out in their Motorhome.  Coincidentally, just two days ago a couple (Glen & Martha) had to move out of their house across the road from where we are now because of Glen’s job transfer to Idaho.  Their house is now for sale & they were worried about leaving it empty.  Enter the Bayfield Bunch:)) We are going to move over to that property in the morning so Jim & Rene can come here to where we have been since November.  This is perfect for them because they are basically boon dockers as well & love their privacy just as we do.  It’s a win, win, win, win situation for everyone.  Glen has security on his property for a few days….or maybe longer:))  Ingrid & Tom will continue to have security on this property with Jim & Rene being here & Jeanie & Ray will feel much more comfortable about staying home now.

THERE IS ALWAYS A CLOWN IN EVERY GROUP….CHECK THE GUY ON THE VERY LEFT

Of course I totally fell in love with the house & property across the road as soon as I walked up the lane this morning.  If it was in our price range we would think seriously about buying it.  However, not so.  This desert tumbleweed property is right out of the old west with 3 aging sheds plus a fenced in area for chickens & stuff.   This property has 40 acres with a small 2 bedroom solid adobe brick house that was hand built by Ingrid’s Brother.  This dry desert environment is definitely not everybody’s cup of tea for sure but it’s just the kind of place Kelly & I love because of it’s old rustic southwest feeling.  

 

HEY BILL, ARE YA OVER THERE??

Owner of the house, Glen, was the District Wildlife Biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture & Coronado National Forest Service at the Douglas Arizona office prior to his job transfer this week.  I slipped over there this afternoon & filled the birdfeeders & water dishes.  Even more birds over there than here & we have anywhere from 50 to 100 birds in the yard first thing every morning.  Glen’s place is within walking distance of where we are.

SITTING ON THE COVERED FRONT PORCH FACING THE SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS TO THE EAST

Of course this can all change at anytime but for right now that is the plan.  We may be in Ajo Arizona or Borrego Springs next week at this time……or we may still be here.  And, that is precisely one of the  many reasons we prefer the lifestyle that we do……….10-4:))

 

NO IDEA ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS BELL

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Taxiing down the tarmac, the jetliner abruptly stopped, turned around and returned to the gate.
After an hour-long wait, it finally took off.
A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, "What was the problem?"
"The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine," explained the Flight Attendant, "and it took us a while to find a new pilot."

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

 
BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM
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The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
 
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

SEARCHING FOR THE LOST RANCH DONKEYS PANCHO, NELLIE & SARAH:((

AL HELPING THE LADY FERRIER WHILE SHE RE-SHOES THE 3 RANCH DONKEYS…PANCHO, SARAH & NELLIE  (File Photo)

Our gusting winds dissipated sometime during the night & we dawned another sunny & beautiful warm Arizona day.  How nice it is to step out of the rig each morning to the sounds of many birds at the feeders & long panoramic views to the mountains on the horizons.  This is truly a land of wonderment. 

REMEMBER TO CHECK THE HEIGHTS OF THOSE LOW OVERHEAD BRIDGES AHEAD  (Internet photo)

We got a call from Jeanie over at the Ranch this morning about 11:30 saying their 3 Donkeys were missing.  A gate was down & Pancho, Nellie & Sarah were no where to be found.  Ray was out trying to pick up their tracks.  Didn’t take us long to fire up the Jeep & head over.  Gate may have been broken down & Jeanie is worried the Donkeys were stolen in the night.  Kelly & I criss crossed a number of roads & fields in the Whitewater Draw area for a couple hours but didn’t see any sign of them despite using high powered binoculars.  The Donkeys have totally vanished.  Some of you readers may remember those Donkeys from our times at the ranch these past couple years.  They are the same Donkeys I had a picture of in the blog just two days ago on Monday.  I’m afraid it is not looking good for them…..especially if they have been stolen.  The Donkeys were not working ranch animals, they were/are Jeanie & Ray’s beloved pets.  Police, neighbors & area stock yards have been notified.

 

PANCHO, NELLIE & SARAH ARE A FAMILY…MOM, DAD, & DAUGHTER

  

SEARCHING FOR PANCHO, NELLIE & SARAH

Had some questions about the ‘sky alien’ photo in Tuesday’s blog.  The actual cloud pattern of that ‘face’ is real but I added the two little yellow eyes with Window’s Paint program & then used Picasa’s ‘Focal B&W to highlight the natural orange color of the sunset around the cloud pattern.  I took the photo December 6th of 2009 at 6:26 P.M. from the Ranch in McNeil Arizona.  Mountains below are the Mules.

For you folks out there interested in Golf & sports figures, check out what JOE & NANCY are up to on the greens of the Pebble Beach AT&T ProAm in Calfornia this week.

PLAY DAY AT THE RANCH  (File photo Dec. 09)

Now, here is something very different that has a double whammy family connection for Kelly.  This true life Doctor in the following ‘You Tube’ Manchester Tennessee video is actually Kelly’s ex Brother-In-Law.  Kelly has been telling me stories about this guy for years.  Kelly’s husband at the time was John, Doctor Dave’s Brother.  The flamboyant Doctor Dave would sometimes fly Kelly & John to Tennessee for his lavish parties.  Kelly remembers a Halloween Party where she thinks the legendary pool player Minnesota Fats was in attendance.  Doctor Dave would fly in music stars & hire helicopters to give people rides at the parties etc.  Kelly did get up for a helicopter ride at that particular Halloween Party.  Now, here is the second family connection & then I will tie the two together.  Kelly’s Son-In-Law Bradley, from Vancouver, has his own Video Production Company called M20. (Bradley has the past Canadian Olympics to his credit plus he can be seen on Global TV’s ‘Connected Life’ segment every Friday in Vancouver.)

<<< BRADLEY, SARAH & TWINS GABE & ADARA

Doctor Dave came up with the idea to create a reality TV show about his life awhile back & recruited Bradley to fly down to Tennessee last summer & put together what is known as a trailer in hopes of a possible reality series.   We watched the short video this morning & Kelly said Doctor Dave was not acting in the video.  That is actually what he is like.  DD is the official Doctor for the women’s prison there & also the local football team so you can see where there could possibly be some kind of meat & potatoes for a reality series.

 

DOWNTOWN ELFRIDA ARIZONA TODAY….NICE HORSE

With today’s viewing public going bonkers over all these reality type shows filled with wild & whacky shenanigans, Doctor Dave’s time may very well have arrived.  We think Bradley did a great job putting this short promo together…..Check out DOCSTAR:))  (Docstar can also be seen on Bradleys M2O site.)

THIS IS THE EXACT LOCATION & EXACT TIME ON MARCH 16/09 THAT KELLY & I DECIDED IF WE WERE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR TRAVELS TO THE SOUTHWEST FOR THE WINTERS WE WERE GOING TO NEED A JEEP…WE WERE ATOP THE CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS IN ARIZONA HEADING FOR PORTAL AT THE TIME -15 MONTHS LATER WE HAD OUR 2006 JEEP TJ WRANGLER SPORT:))

We have us a bit of an RV shuffle coming up in a couple days involving another RV couple whom we know & another Ranch location for a couple days.  Plans are always on the move in these parts & plans are always changing.  As soon as we know how things are shaking out I’ll let you all know what is happening here……10-4.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  And here are some answers to a few dog questions you have always wondered about…………

-Why did the poor dog chase his own tail ? He was trying to make both ends meet !

-What happens when it rains cats and dogs ? You can step in a poodle!

-What has four legs and an arm? A happy pit bull.

-Why did the cowboy buy a dachshund? He wanted to get a long little doggie.

-If there is H2O on the inside of a fire hydrant, what is on the outside?  K9P.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM
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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
 
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
 
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

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