IT WAS THURSDAY MORNING SO THAT MEANT A TRAVELING COFFEE WITH MY BEST BUDDY RICHARD:))

BESIDE OUR LITTLE FRONT YARD FROG POND

Last time my good friend Richard & I slipped out for coffee was two weeks ago today.  We agreed at that time to meet again (although we only live a couple hundred yards from each other) in a couple weeks which of course was this morning.  It was my turn to drive so we wandered on down around Grand Bend grabbing a couple Tim Horton coffee's along the way.  A nice relaxing tour around the Bend then the long way home along our picturesque country roads.  Now them’s is my kinda people mornings.  Richard & I go back 40 years & neither one of us is ever at a loss for words whenever we get together.  We agreed to meet up again two weeks from today.  Same time, same place, different roads.  Nice to have a friend like that:))

Gene from Ohio in our Shout Box asked, 'Al, Bayfield looks like a nice destination. Are there campgrounds nearby? How long is the drive from Detroit?   Well Gene, MapQuest says it’s 126 miles from Detroit to Bayfield with a driving time of two & a half hours.  We have a really nice Provincial Park about half an hour south of Bayfield on highway 21 called the Pinery Provincial Park which is right on the shores of Lake Huron & there is one RV campground on the outskirts of Bayfield called, 'The Old Homestead.'

SPOTTED THIS CAR GOING BY IN OUR PARK THIS AFTERNOON

IS THIS A BLURRY PHOTO OF A CANADIAN MOOSE HIDING IN SOME TALL GRASS OR IS IT A BLURRY PHOTO OF A TURKEY VULTURE TAKING TO THE AIR??

Took Pheebs for a walk around our Park’s pond this afternoon.  I was again reminded of why Kelly & I like our Park so much here at the 5 Seasons Estates.  But it’s probably not for the same reasons a lot of folks like Parks.  All of the following things make our Park the thankfully quiet piece of nature we love so well.  We do not have a swimming pool or hot tub.  We do have a Clubhouse that a few folks meet in a couple times a week to play cards but other than that, there are no social activities.  No social activities equals no noise:))   Our street, or road as we call it, is not paved & we have no STOP signs except for the one leaving the Park.  There are no children’s playgrounds here.  In fact, there are no children, therefore no teen-agers so therefore again, no noise.  About 62 units spaced out over a wide area in a Pine forest means very little traffic.  Probably 90% of all residents are over 65 & a percentage of them do not drive.  Our Park is bordered by hardwood forests & farmland so no busy highways bustling by.  Not even so much as a distant train whistle anywhere.  We are quite simply, a small peaceful hidden away little community out in the countryside.  And, imagine if you can, not even having to lock your door.  Safe to walk anytime day or night.  Miles of quiet forest trails at our doorstep.   Yep, just a few thoughts I had while walking Pheebs around the pond this afternoon:))

 

ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE POND IS OUR PATH TO THE WOODS 

There is not a day goes by the Pheebs doesn't put a multitude of smiles on my face & warm feelings in my heart.  Kelly & I often remark how truly fortunate we are to have found such a wonderful little Pal 4 years ago.  Pheebe just bubbles over with happiness & love 24 hours a day non stop.  Not a mean bone in her body & we have never ever even heard her growl.  And what a smoochy little snuggler she is too.  Loves her tummy rubs.  And, every night she sleeps on my bed right beside me.  Now, how special is that.  I think she is a combination of Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse all rolled up in one & that just makes her, her very own sweet little self .  She is just the greatest & we are sooooo very fortunate to have her in our lives:))

Would you believe I have not seen my family Doctor in over 5 years.  Fact is.....I've never seen him.  Never met him at all.  Well at least I think he’s a him because his first name is Stan.  Guess I just haven't had any medical issues serious enough to see my family Doctor about yet.  The way things are done here in our neck of the woods is a much different way of doing things than it was years ago.  It seems nowadays a person is assigned a Nurse Practitioner (NP) who is a fully qualified registered Nurse.  Well at least it's the way it is at the Medical Center I go to in Goderich Ontario.  It is my Nurse Practitioner I see whenever I make a 'Doctor' appointment.  My NP lady determines if my case is serious enough to require an actual Doctor.  I think it's a great idea because it saves our busy Doctors having to spend precious hours of their days dealing with things like sniffles, colds, bumps, scratches, sprained ankles, bee stings, prescription renewals & people overdosing on peanut butter sandwiches.  I guess when someday my Nurse Practitioner lady refers me to my Doctor across the hall I will know at that time my condition is serious, my days are numbered & I am well beyond my usual petty complaints, sniffles, prescription renewals, & peanut butter addiction woes.  In the meantime I am a lucky guy.  I have a very caring & personable Nurse Practitioner……& her name is Sue:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Last October my wife bought a magnolia tree from the local nursery, but after only a few weeks the leaves shrivelled. It appeared to be on its last legs. My wife took some leaf samples and marched into the nursery to demand an explanation.  "I know exactly what's wrong with your magnolia," said the manager.
"Good," said my wife. "What's it suffering from?"  "Autumn," he replied.

---

A man approached a ticket agent and said, "I want to buy a bus ticket for Norwald."
The ticket agent started searching his destination book, "Norwald? Let me find that. Hmm... never heard of it. Let me see... Norwald. I don't see Norwald listed, and I can't find it on the map. Just where is Norwald, anyway?"  "Over there. He's my brother-in-law."

CLEANED SOME GUTTERS, MORE DRIVE-BY’S & WHAT WILL IT BE-FLICKR, PHOTOBUCKET, SMUG MUG, OR GOOGLE’S WAY………..

APPROACHING STORMS SEND THIS LONE FISHING BOAT SCURRYING FOR THE SAFETY OF BAYFIELD’S HARBOR THIS MORNING
Had noticed clumps of pine needles sticking out of our eaves Tuesday so this morning it was out with a tall step ladder & a garden hose to clean the eaves troughs.  Always a messy bit of business but an hour later it was done.  Thank heavens we don't have a second story house with tall eaves or we would have to have someone come in & do it.  Leaning shaky ladders against buildings & climbing up them is not something I will do.  I'm sure we all know of older fellas still thinking they are younger fellas & toppling off ladders to sometimes dire results. 

OUR LARGE SUNROOM WINDOWS ARE NOT ONLY FOR US LOOKING OUT BUT FOR OTHERS LOOKING IN
Weather was unstable all day with thunder rumbling out over the lake, rampant wind gusts, & a few pockets of fast moving rain followed by bursts of sunshine.  Saw a tornado advisory pop us somewhere early in the afternoon.  Had been totally enjoying our cooler humidity free days up until today.  It had been great for working away on outside projects.  Looks like we are headed back into hot & sticky again.  Arrrgggghhhhhh!!

Still trying to get a handle on some kind of an easily understandable photo album program.  I'm sure once I am able to wrap my head around one of the them I will be good to go & finally have this problem behind me.  Spent a fair bit of time today reading about Smug Mug, Photo Bucket, Flickr, & Google's way of doing things.  Google is out because it involves having to get tangled up in all that Google+ social media swirl & I have totally no interest in all that stuff.   Back & forth between Photo Bucket, Smug Mug & Flickr.  Flickr seems to be the most popular & Flickr Pro seems like it might be the one to go with.  Sat for awhile this afternoon banging away on the Flickr site but it's frustrating when your an impatient slow learner like myself.  Like sitting down with a thousand piece puzzle & not understanding why I can’t have it all together in 5 minutes. 

TUESDAY’S VACUUMING UP OF MUFFIN CRUMBS

NEVER DID LIKE OUR WRANGLER’S DASH MUCH BUT DO LIKE THE LAYOUT & SHAPE OF OUR JEEP LIBERTY’S DASH
Sure have been amassing me a pile of photos here these last few days so that means I have a lot of photo editing to catch up on.  Thinking I might get some storm photos out over the lake Pheebs & slipped into Bayfield this morning but the dark clouds dissipated & that was that.  We did cruise around a few streets doing a few more house/property drive-by shootings though.


AND BY GOLLY THAT’S MY FRIEND GARY’S HOUSE FOR SALE:))

Is it just me or does Live Writer seem to be publishing faster since the great debacle with Blogger.  Maybe it’s just my wishful thinking again but it does kinda seem that way to me.
<<< THIS BIRD IS PERCHED ON THE BALCONY OF A MARTIN HOUSE SO I AM ASSUMING IT IS A FEMALE MARTIN…IF NOT A MARTIN THEN IT MUST BE AN INTERLOPER
Kelly dropped into the Goderich Visitor Center today & loaded herself up with a bunch of brochures on area activities.  Looks like we will be adding a Nuclear Power Plant & a fascinating Ice Culture Company to our growing itinerary of things to see & do this summer.  Here's a little taste of the Ice Culture Company.....'Ice Culture began 30 years ago as a hobby & today the company is one of the largest players of the ice industry around the world.  This small Ontario company operates an exciting business that takes staff around the globe attending international events & elaborate gala functions'.  Groovy eh:))

BANNOCKBURN CONSERVATION AREA
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 anaesthesiologists 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!!

AN OLD TRAIN CAR, A RADAR DOME, FLOOD WATERS, & A FEW MORE PICS OF BAYFIELD ONTARIO CANADA

A FEW OF TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE FROM THE EAST SIDE OF BAYFIELD’S MAIN HERITAGE STREET

With the amount of rain that has come down in the past 48 hours & a comment in our Shout Box mentioning how it has not been a good thing for local farmers I figured Pheebs & I had better head out this morning & have us a look.  Did see some water pooled in low spots & all the area creeks & rivers are over their banks but overall most fields we saw looked intact.  Another comment in the Shout Box said, what farmers'.  If I'm not mistaken I think Southwestern Ontario here is known as the dairy capital of Canada so in simple terms that means farmers & lots of them.  Our rural countryside is crisscrossed with farm fields for as far as the eye can see.  Probably more farms here per square acre than anywhere else in Canada.  Yep we are a large population of farm type folks alright:))

KELLY LIKES TO BUY MUFFINS HERE ON BAYFIELD’S MAIN STREET

 

A FAVORITE DESTINATION OF MANY A TRAVELER

 

AND BY GOLLY HERE’S A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY FOR SAIL ON THE MAIN STREET & YOU EVEN GET THAT COLORFUL BARN:))                            
Before hitting Clinton's Tim Hortons this morning Pheebs & deeked down to the south end of town to have a look at a time schedule.  In Sloman Park there is parked a single train car complete with a school room & living quarters inside.  I wanted to check out when it's open.  It's been quite a few years since I've gone through it so I want to do some photos & a little write up about it sometime in the near future.  Bit of a fascinating story behind this train car.  Stay tuned.

IN NORTHERN ONTARIO THIS WAS ONCE A SCHOOL HOUSE ON WHEELS

Clinton Ontario was founded in 1831 & was known as Canada's home of radar and has a huge radar antenna in the downtown due to its association with RCAF Station Clinton during World War II.  There are still some remnants of the old radar base & this morning Pheebs & cruised around taking some photos of what is recognizably left & what the air base has since become.  I will also be doing a little write up with photos on this little project as well.

AN OLD RADAR DOME & QUONSET HUTS FROM THE 40’S STILL REMAIN

From Clinton it wasn't far to a conservation area called Bannockburn.  It was cool enough this morning to head off for a hike without being bothered by swarms of pesky bugs.  Bannockburn has a marshy section with a shallow creek running through it.  Imagine my surprise this morning when I found not a slow shallow meandering clear creek but a raging full blown muddy river ripping through the marsh.  I had forgot about our deluge of rain over the past couple days.  We didn't get too far before the trail was totally underwater so we had to cut our walk short.

AND TO THINK THERE IS JUST A NORMAL BABBLING LITTLE BROOK RUNNING THROUGH HERE

THIS IS NORMALLY A DRY LAND AREA

IT’S A GOOD THING THEY HAVE A SOLID IRON WALKWAY THROUGH HERE

THIS IS WHERE OUR WALK ENDED AS WATER CUTS ACROSS THE WALKWAY…YOU CAN SEE THE OTHER SIDE WALK WAY UPPER RIGHT

I WILL GO BACK IN A FEW WEEKS & TAKE A FEW PHOTOS OF WHAT IT NORMALLY LOOKS LIKE HERE

WE WERE SOON MAKING OUR BACK TO THE JEEP ALONG THIS BOARDWALK THROUGH THE MARSH
Back in Bayfield 10 minutes later we cruised a few streets while I took more photos of homes & properties for my 'Bayfield File.'  A stop at Pioneer Park high atop the cliffs overlooking Lake Huron brought another surprise due to our recent rains.  Tons of earth washed out of farmers fields had turned area creeks & rivers a chocolate brown color & that chocolate brown water had tumbled down the Bayfield River & out into the pristine blue green waters of Lake Huron.  The emptied brown earth & silt laden river water stretched for nearly as far as the eye could see out into the lake.  I had never seen that before.  Even all the sailboats at their moorings along the river were sitting high up against their docks.  Yes, quite a rain indeed.

HERE YOU CAN SEE MUD & SILT POURING OUT INTO LAKE HURON FROM FARMER’S FIELDS VIA THE BAYFIELD RIVER

JUST GOTTA LOVE SOME OF THE GREAT STYLISH ARCHITECTURE IN BAYFIELD

LOOKS LIKE THESE SAILBOATS ARE SITTING IN CHOCOLATE MILK

In my Monday post Linda A. asks…..’What a pretty village is Bayfield ! Are the pictures you are showing from the 'old town' section of Bayfield or is this it....... The village’?  My photos were along the west side of Bayfield’s main street which is basically about 3 blogs long.  This is the original town site which today is designated as a Heritage street.  Some buildings here in the core date back to the 1800’s.  From this center hub Bayfield branches out with many homes located between between the town & Lake Huron about half a mile to the west.  Two blocks east of the main street highway 21 rolls through in a north/south direction & along this highway are the town’s main everyday business’s.  Bayfield’s core where I took & the photos is the town’s main attraction with it’s artsy shops, fine dining, boutiques, arts & crafts, etc.  During summer months people come from miles around to walk & browse the main street.  Bayfield’s natural harbor is also a huge draw for sailboat folks with both sailboats & powerboats coming in from far distant shores. Many boats sail in from Michigan across the lake.  In my Bayfield photo project which I now have underway I intend to do a bunch of photos down around the harbor area as well.  You can see why I am anxious to get this whole ‘photo album’ thing figured out.

Tina in our comment section left the following comment in my Monday post….."I LOVE the photo of the outdoor patio with the brightly colored privacy screens (orange flowered, orange and white, green and white etc). Could you tell me the name of the place that had these in their decor? We are looking for something like that for a privacy screen for our garden in Arizona and would love to track them down by calling the establishment and asking where they found them”.  Name of the place is the Artsy Cafe & was one of Kelly’s favorite eating places when she worked at Deer Park Lodge.  Photo below shows a man sitting outside the Cafe.  I had no idea who this man was & took the photo because I liked the composition, his orange shirt, & the big map.  Turns out he is the owner of the Artsy.  When Kelly saw this photo she knew who it was right away & put this photo in on her Facebook page.  She later bumped into this fellow today & is going to go back to the Cafe & ask him where they got those colored privacy screens.  So stay tuned Tina & maybe we’ll have an answer for you shortly.  And before I forget Stewart (Furry Gnome) I did remember today your question about the sailing schedule for great lakes boats coming & going from the Goderich harbor.  A fellow in Goderich told me the site a few weeks ago but I’ll have to get in touch with him again because I forgot it.

THE FELLOW IN THIS CANDID PHOTO HAPPENS TO BE THE OWNER OF THE ARTSY CAFE
Again Pheebs & I were home before noon & how nice to once again be under clearing sunny skies.  Figured it was a good time to vacuum the multitude of muffin crumbs out of the Jeep.  First I emptied my shop vac & gave it a good scrubbing cause I figured I could suck up enough muffin crumbs to build myself another whole muffin.  And I did but what I hadn’t figured on was all the dog hair I sucked up as well.   Oh what a time I had picking all the dog fur out of the muffin crumbs before I could assemble myself a new muffin & re-heat it in the micro-wave:))

AND THIS IS KELLY’ FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP IN BAYFIELD

GROANER’S CORNER:(( And remember, Never explain yourself to anyone  because the person who likes you doesn't need to hear it and the person who dislikes you won't believe you anyway.....And for sure you know your getting older when you & your teeth don't sleep together anymore!!

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

- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

A FEW PHOTO PROJECTS UNDERWAY & WHAT A CHARMING VILLAGE BAYFIELD REALLY IS

A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE WEST SIDE OF MAIN STREET IN DOWNTOWN BAYFIELD THIS MORNING

Thunder, lightning, & heavy rains came in the night bringing cool temps & blinking our power off & on.  Foliage, drooping under the weight of continuing raindrops looked extra lush & green.  I'm sure area farm folks will be happy with all this extra water for their fast growing late Spring crops.  With Mother Nature stirring up her proverbial weather pot neither Kelly or I managed a good night's sleep which in turn led to a tired day.  In my head was the childhood tune, 'rain rain go away come again another day'.  But there was a big upside to our overnight rains in that it washed all the pine pollen off the Big EEE & Jeep Liberty.  When storms again returned in late afternoon I quickly backed our pollen laden Sunfire out of the carport & it too ended up sparkly clean:))

I THINK THIS LADY MIGHT BE GIVING HER HUSBAND THE DICKENS…”YES DEAR, YES DEAR”

Back in August of 2008 I had taken a bunch of photos in & around Bayfield & put together a photo album of the Village.  Been in the back of mind to do that again sometime so this morning after the rains let up I headed into town & parked on Bayfield's Heritage Main Street.  Being Monday some shops were open & some shops were closed.  Not many people on the street so it was a good time to wander around uninterrupted with a camera.  Only had one fella come out & ask me why I was taking pictures of his place.  Turns out he grew up in Stratford & the more we chatted the more people we realized we knew.  He was called back inside by a staff member & I continued on my way snapping here & snapping there.  Bayfield truly is a nice picturesque little Village atop the cliffs of Lake Huron & dates back to 1832.

I have also started compiling photos of Bayfield homes around the Village.  On my evening drives with Pheebs I have been randomly snapping pics of houses & properties as we slowly roll by.  (It’s my kind of ‘drive-by shooting’)  Bayfield is made up of beautiful individually designed homes from old original rustic cottages to a few architectural marvels.  Close to the heart of the village nothing resembles a sprawling subdivision.  Each property is unique & with Bayfield’s abundance of century old trees home owners have blended their landscaping in to give the whole village it’s charm.  

I was home a few hours later with about 175 photos to edit.  Taking & editing photos is the easy part.  Putting together a photo album is the hard part for me.  When Google stepped in with their Google+ stuff years ago & took over how my photos & photo albums were handled I lost touch with all my photo albums.  Try as I did I was not able to get a handle on Google's way of doing things & I soon found myself left far in the dust.  And I've been lost in that Google dust ever since.  I do need to come up with some sort of way to deal with my photo album problem.  I have far too many photos to include in my daily posts each day & I really need to organize my photos again into some kind an album form.  At least with albums I can include their links in my posts for anyone wanting to see additional photos on any one given subject.  Today's Bayfield photos really need to be albumized & I think it’s high time I got a handle on things.  I do have have a Flickr account as well as a Smug Mug account but I was never knocked about Flickr so maybe I should try & get my head wrapped around my Smug Mug account again.  I did like Smug Mug better than the other photo programs but their last upgrade a year or two ago confused me, my attention dwindled, & out of frustration I let my account drop.   Anyway, if I am to move ahead with some new photo ideas I definitely have to get a handle on my photo album problem.  More patience Al, more patience………………………..

I have still been plowing through books on my Kindle but have been lax at keeping up my book reports.  As a young fella I read a lot of books about the 2 great wars & especially liked reading of those daring young men in their flying machines in particular the fighter pilots.  A few weeks ago I finished an excellent read from one of those brave young men who flew the skies over England during the Battle Of Britain.  Author & pilot Geoffrey Wellum wrote First Light.  The book is not as much about the aerial dogfights as it is about a young man’s thoughts & feelings as he struggles with his own self doubts, guilt's, & fears.  It is an honest book with as much of the story taking place on the ground as in the air.  Hard to imagine at only 19 years of age 15,000 feet in the air fighting to just survive the next few seconds while your Spitfire is being shot to pieces by another young fellow flying a German Messerschmitt right behind you.  Hard to imagine being lost over England in bad weather & fog not knowing where your air base is & fighting the panic to stay calm.  Hard to imagine the aircraft mechanical failures, the crashes, friends dying, stressful sleepless nights & always waiting, waiting, waiting never knowing if you would ever see another sunrise.  Great book & well written.

I BEGAN READING AT A YOUNG AGE, GOT AWAY FROM IT FOR A BUNCH OF YEARS BUT AM RIGHT BACK AT IT AGAIN:))

Currently I am again reading another factual book on history called Famous Sheriffs & Western Outlaws & of course am thoroughly enjoying it.  Many of the towns & areas in the South-western United States where history has taken place Kelly & I have been & even lived in for a time while boondocking, ranch sitting, or at our house.  It was in our ranch sitting days near McNeal Arizona that we got to walk the streets of Tombstone & hike the trails of Cochise & Geronimo.  Not just once but many times over the course of a few winter seasons spent in the area.  I especially liked the book section having to do with Cochise County.  Kelly & I have have found & walked the long ago Ghost Towns of Mill Bank, Charleston, Gleason, Pearce, Fairbank & a few others which have slipped my mind.  We found Johnny Ringo’s grave at the foot of the Chiricauha Mountains, walked the grounds of Fort Bowie, & stood at the grave of one of the legendary Earp brothers in a Willcox cemetery.  This whole area was once referred to as Helldorado & when one reads the history one can easily understand how it acquired that name.  Mexican & Apache raiding parties riding up the Sulphur Springs Valley & into the Dragoon, Mule, & Chiricahua Mountains.  The book tells of the lawlessness in not only Tombstone but nearby Bisbee as well.   Bisbee by the way is one of our all time favorite western towns.  Last time I was in Tombstone I walked those legendary streets with my Aunt Jean.  Yes, I’m really enjoying this book & especially so since we have traveled this whole area & now actually own a house in another one of Arizona’s wild west historical areas near Wickenburg.  Always nice reading historical things about areas we have been too…………………………………. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  The little boy greeted his grandmother with a hug and said, "I'm so happy to see you grandma. Now maybe daddy will do the trick he has been promising us." The grandmother was curious. "What trick is that my dear," she asked. The little boy replied, "I heard daddy tell mommy that he would climb the walls if you came to visit us again."

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

- 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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.