Washington DC

Greetings from Washington, DC

Last Thursday daughter-in-law Bev and I left St. Louis around noon (we got upgraded to first class) and arrived in Washington, DC around 1:30 p.m. It was very hot and humid, but sunny. Our hotel is very, very nice, (Thanks Mike) and close to Reagan International. After getting settled in our room we decided to find the Metro (subway) and headed to Pentagon City Mall, where I watched Bev shop. We got back to the hotel and had dinner at Legal Seafood, which is just across the street…Of course I wanted Lobster Bisque (I had it in Boston at Legal Seafood and it was the best ever!) -- they have taken it off the menu…I pouted, then had lobster…yum! Jennifer arrived later that evening, after being delayed in Denver for a hour or so.

Friday
Up not so early and breakfast at the hotel which was very expensive -- we will have to find somewhere else tomorrow! Then we were off to the Metro and Union Station…we are getting pretty good on Metro -- very easy to use once you figure out which direction you want to go!




Metro Tunnel











After arriving at Union Station and we had to make a Starbucks stop first. Then we took the Hop on—Hop Off double decker bus tour. What fun...it takes in all of DC, plus Georgetown and Arlington Cemetary. We sat on the top of bus where you are 14 ft up…watch out for low hanging branches!!! We also heard a gazillion times to "please keep all body parts inside the bus" We did the tour through DC…only one stop in Georgetown where I HAD to stop and potty…and we ate lunch, which turned out to be a great lunch at the Daily Grill. And I finally got my Lobster Bisque, which was excellent.

Back on the bus to finish our tour to Union station. After wandering around for a while (and stopping at Starbucks again) we decided to walk to the Capitol. Lots of security around! We wound up at the back of the capital, where there is some construction going on. HMMMM...it will be the new visitors center! Did I mention the beautiful weather we are having???

These girls are trying to walk my legs off! Whew...I am tired! Oh, and few of the Bev-”isms” from today that we laughed at!!

1. Where is the Senate Building? UH, you are standing right next to it!
2. Pontiac River instead of Potomac!
3. What is that building? Oh’, it’s something!

After that we went back to Hotel for a rest, then to he hotel bar for beer. We decided to go to dinner at Mackey’s Pub, which is across the street as well…it was an Irish Pub and very good. There are so many good restaurants right around our hotel that it makes it nice that we don't have to go out and search out a place to eat or take a cab or metro.

We crashed and burned early.

Sat.
Jenn was sick all night…Something she ate and we didn’t get much sleep (I haven't had a sick baby for a long, long, time!!)
We went to Pentagon city Mall for breakfast -- much cheaper! It is only one Metro stop away, so it is easy to get to. Then we were back on Metro to “THE Mall”. No, not a shopping Mall but the National MALL. There was a huge book fair being held there and I wanted to go through it, but I controlled myself and besides I didn't want to carry them.! Jenn heads off to meet high school buddy Mike and his wife Kate. Bev and I went to National Gallery of art…west and east bldg….all day! What a great place. I have been here before, but Bev hasn't. I still love to roam around it. They had the JW Turner Display and Edward Hopper display, which I liked Hopper much, better. Of course, I had to do my "Monet" thing!! I love Monet.


















We had lunch at the Garden café at the gallery and it was excellent. Of course, I ordered the Lobster Bisque...AND THEY WERE OUT! Darn!

We finally got back to the hotel…very tired and sore from all the walking! I am not used to this! BUT, we have mastered Metro--finally figured out which side of the track we should be on to go the direction we want to!
Jenn is off to her high school reunion so Bev & I had dinner at Ted’s Montana Restaurant…owned by Ted Turner. I ordered Prime Rib, and I GIVE UP...it wasn't very good. When will I ever get a good Prime Rib???? GRRR
We came back to the hotel and collapsed again! My legs and back are trying to tell me something!

Jenn's High School reunion was tonight. She had a blast! She wasn't really looking forward to going, but as usual, she had a good time.

Sunday

Up and out not very early. Today was Alexandria Old Town. We found a Starbucks close to the hotel (Why haven't we found this one before???)

Have I mentioned it is about 4 LONG blocks walk to the Metro....and we have discovered several different ways to get there!

Alexandria was beautiful as usual. I LOVE this town...I must have lived here in a previous life! I can find things here that I shouldn't know where they are! Scary.

We had lunch at the Chart House (one of my favorites) and then took a boat cruise on the Potomac up to Georgetown and back. What fun! Saw a lot of the monuments from a different view.

We WALKED around Alexandria today...my feet, legs and back are starting to complain very loudly! OW, Ow, Ow! Then we walked all the way back up King St to the Metro -- 24 blocks, plus the long 4 blocks back to our hotel...I haven't walked this much...EVER!

Tonight we met my good friends Adel and Cathy Labib for dinner. Al and I met them in Saudi and we really count them as good friends. They are so nice; and refined; and well traveled; and nice; and super sincere, sweet people. There aren't enough adjectives to describe how wonderful these two are! We met at a Spanish Tapas Restaurant, which was excellent, however a bit noisy. I had a good visit with them, Bev and Jenn fell in love with them as well. Both girls commented on how wonderful these two are! I hated to say goodbye! There lived here for 18 years, now they are "nomads" as they put it. They are trying to move to Egypt, where Adel is from. However, they haven't been able to find an apartment in Cairo, so for the summer they decided to go to Paris for 3 months. Now they are back here taking care of some business, then they will once again go to Egypt and try to find somewhere to live. Hopefully they will make a trip to Tucson before they go; fall in love with our area and stay! HA!

Monday
Today was the Arlington Cemetery. After a quick breakfast, we are off on the Metro (Blue Line) to Arlington cemetery. I have been there before, but never got to see the changing of the guard or the Lee Mansion. We hopped on the tour bus (I refused to walk) and first stop was the Kennedy graves. These are very moving to me, I can remember exactly where I was when JFK and RFK were shot. Then to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This I have never seen and we waited to see the changing of the Guard as well. VERY IMPRESSIVE! I don't know why I haven't seen this before!

After a very impressive visit we headed back to Pentagon City Mall for lunch at Johnny Rockets and then back to the hotel to REST!

We had dinner at Bepo's Restaurant...a great Italian place, again within walking distance to the hotel.

Have I mentioned the wonderful weather we are having? Perfect sunny days, not to hot, but warm enough. PERFECT!

Tomorrow is back to the Capitol and who knows where else as it is our last day here. More on that in the next blog.

Birds of a Feather and other nonsense

Tucson

I must be in a "bird" stage of life these past few days. It all started with a pink flamingo.

Jennifer asked me to make a pink flamingo costume for her for halloween. Now, I have to tell you it has been at least 30 years since I have made any halloween costumes! So when I was in Seattle Jennifer and I visited the local "Joann Fabrics" store and purchased this #$%^&*# material and pink boa's to make said costume. I thought to myself...this will be a piece of cake! HA! Little did I know! The pattern is very simple...two seams! However, the material has a texture to it and when I cut out the pattern the material shed like a dog in 100 degree heat! I had pink threads EVERYWHERE...it looked like a flamingo had commited suicide in the bedroom!!! So, I hauled out '"jaws" my vacuum and vacuumed...I thought I had it all, but we are still seeing escapee's from the material all over! Then I head to the sewing machine....I have to tell you this material is slicker than snot! Two seams took forever to sew together...I finally had to put a death grip on the material! AND, I might add, it is still shedding! Jaws and I have become great friends in the last two days. Then come the feather boa's. ACHOO! ACHOO! I finally got the boa's cut (Achoo) and pinned to the collar and bottom of said costume (by this time I was questioning my sanity!) Tried to machine sew the boa's on...nope...so I had to hand sew them on. All persons, animals and dust mites in this house were sneezing at the end of it! And pink feathers everywhere! Jaws and I went to work again. Just when I think I have the house de-flamingoed, I find a thread or errant feather! And I might add I am just about blind...

And in the middle of the flamingo fiasco, I had to run to get thread. As I am driving down the road a pink flamingo crosses the street! WTH? I do a couple of rapid eye blinks, shake my head and yes it is still there! Some wise guy was advertising for a new business and used a person in a pink flamingo costume to do it! I had a thought about stopping the car, getting out and stealing the costume! Costume is finally done, packed and ready to go! WHEW! And I am still seeing pink!

As I sat outside with my coffee this morning I realized how peaceful it is here (If you ignore the noise of the cars on Lago del Oro). The weather is starting to really get nice...mid 60's this morning, nice breeze and all the wild life around. I was listening to the birds this morning and the different sounds they make. There is the Cactus Wren, which makes a barking sound at times; another bird (not sure what it was) made a "mew" sound (and no, the cats weren't out side); the Thrust with it's whistle (same one Al uses to call the dogs...confuses them when the bird makes the call!); the quail and woodpecker making what ever their sound is; and "Fast Freddy" our resident road runner, which doesn't make a "beep-beep" sound but more like a pathetic hum. The cactus wrens were scolding me for sitting on my deck in "their" territory. The gold finches are back at the feeder and they are so fun to watch. All this from a person who really didn't like birds for years! Of course, we also have the coyotes to contend with and the Javalina's and every once in a while a bob cat (which had babies in our culvert) is spotted. The evenings are nice as well, sitting on the deck watching the sunset and then the stars appear. Yes, it is really nice this time of year!

We are flying to St. Louis tomorrow. Al will spend 10 days there with his son Mike, while daughter-in-law, Bev and I head to Washington, DC to meet up with Jennifer for a week of "vacation". Jennifer's 20th high school reunion is being held in DC. She attended The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) her junior and senior year in high school as we were in Saudi and there were no school for girls there. Al is doing much better, doesn't seem to be retaining as much fluid and he says he feels really good. He is looking forward to the time spend with Mike as well.

Until next post probably from WDC, hope everyone is happy and healthy.

The Wroamin' Wraspirs...only Al and Jo this time. All animals stay home!

WHOA...

Tucson

Well, our travel to Colorado and Washington and Al's hope to deer and elk hunt are KAPOOT! Al saw the doc yesterday and he said, under no circumstances should Al even attempt to hunt and he should not attempt any elevation over 3500 feet. Apparently, elevation and congestive heart failure are not a good mix. And Al is teetering on CHF again! He has been coughing a dry, hacking cough for a few days and his feet/ankles are swelling again, so I knew he was retaining fluid. Doc confirmed that. He doesn't want him taking any long road trips and especially over high elevations. When he learned we were planning on visiting Colorado Springs he said "I don't think so.........." Al is very disappointed over not getting to hunt, and I can understand his feeling, but I am a bit relieved as I was very worried about it. I want to keep him alive.

However, the doc did say we could FLY to St. Louis and keep that part of our trip. So we have revised our travel plans and we will be flying to St. Louis on Sept. 25 and Al will stay there with Mike while Jenn, Bev and I go to Washington DC for a week of R&R. Jennifer's 20th high school reunion is in Washington DC this time so Bev and I decided it would be a good chance for us to go as well and see the sights. Jenn hasn't been to DC since she was 2 and she says she doesn't remember it (I can't imagine why!!) and Bev has never been. I, on the other hand, have been plenty of times while working for Boeing, but never really got to "visit". We will return to Tucson on Oct. 5.

While we have been in Tucson we have noticed how nice the traffic is....NO SNOWBIRDS clogging the roads! Believe me, we are enjoying it while we have it. And yes, we are snowbirds as well, but we hope our driving habits are a bit better than our usual winter visitors!

The work on the other house is beginning. The contractor is starting to get things moving. The a/c heater unit we brought from Dan and Billie's did not work in this house...it was too small and it was an "updraft" and we, of course, need a "down draft". We finally bit the bullet and bought a new unit, which will be installed next week. So we are starting to see some progress.

The weather has been hot, but once we adjusted to it, we haven't minded it to much. Of course, we aren't out in it much. Anything we do outside is done in the early morning or late evening, when it is under 100. The weather guesser on TV said tonight that cooler weather was on the way....cooler??? Hmmmmm. I talked to my brother in Alaska today and cooler there is 40 degrees! BRRRRRRRRRRRRR

On a good note, we booked our Panama Canal cruise for April. We have been on one Panama Canal cruise, but it didn't go through the canal, it just went through the locks and into the lake and turned around and came back out. This cruise goes all the way through and up the west coast. It is a 19 day cruise, leaving Ft. Lauderdale and ending in Seattle. It is on Norwegian, a cruise line we have never been on. We are both looking forward to it.

So, until next time, we are wroamin, kinda. Hope this finds everyone living life the way they want and healthy and happy. Let us hear from you!

Ric's Journey!

Youngest son, Ric ........... we are so very proud of his accomplishment!

I finished the walk!!!!! 60 miles in 3 Day!!!! What anamazing journey!!!Thanks to you I have raised over $8,000. This total doubled my original goal of $4,000 back in March. Thank You for your $upport!!!!

What an inspiring group of people to be around. Most people would be jealous of the experience I am just now completing. Can you imagine being with 2,800 people who.........1) have one goal 2) strive tohelp everyone succeed 3) come together due to reasons of the heart 4) are all competing against the same enemy 5) share each others pains and celebrations. If we could only carry this into our daily/work lives. This team has raised over $6.4 million dollars.

Surrounded by family and friends, I crossed the finish line at MemorialStadium on Sunday (9/9) at about 1:45 p.m.

Cheers from a crowd of over5,000 filled the stadium at Closing Ceremonies. Walkers, Survivors,Volunteer Crew Member, and Supporters (family and friends) all joining together to celebrate. For everyone in attendance, an emotion filled and tear inducing ceremony capped the end of the 3-Day journey.

Back to work on Monday, wearing slippers (due to blistered feet) and walking a little slower than usual...........filled with the annoying foot pain, filled with extreme pride. The feet are improving each day.The pride grows with each recounting of my encounters over the 3-Day event.As I said, the Breast Cancer Battle Continues...................if youhave not taken the chance to donate, you still can. Mail your donationto me or enter it on the website (in signature footer) which will still be active for another week or so.

My next challenge comes on Oct 7th with the "Walk for Hope" (City of Hope) which takes place in Seattle at Magnussen Park. This will be a shorter walk (5K) my family has done for about 4 years. If you would like to join me, just give me a holler. We need to end breast cancer forever.............Thank you again for all of the emotional and financial support...............I could not have done it without you. I carried all of your names and motivating words with me throughout the 60 miles.I am truly blessed to have you in my inner circle of family and friends.................Thank You!!!

Ric Wraspir Walked 60 miles in 3 Days to Stop Breast Cancer. "Everyone Deserves a Lifetime" Contact me at (savingsecondbases@comcast.net) Please donate at website (http://www.the3day.org/seattle07/ric_wraspir)>

Open letter to Dogs

I thought this was cute and in some cases, ver appropriate!!! Listen up Beau and Schuster!

Dear Dogs of Mine,


It seems that lately things have gotten a smidge slack around here. I feel it is time to remind you of the rules that heretofore we have operated under. You are both cute dogs, but your continued cuteness in no way negates our previous agreement. Let me remind you of a few details of this agreement.

1. In exchange for room and board, you are to guard the kingdom. That would be guarding the kingdom from any and all bad guys, robbers, serial killers, etc. Feel free to bark maniacally at any of those that should appear in the yard. Guarding the kingdom does NOT include barking maniacally at bunnies, squirrels, cows, sheep and invisible things that only you can see, especially between the hours of 5am (when I stumble out of bed to let you out) and 8am (when I actually want to get up). (And let me take a moment here to remind you that the pizza guy is a potential bad guy. He is not your friend. Just because he comes bearing food does not allow him free and easy access to the kingdom. He is potentially way more dangerous than the bunnies that you threaten to tear limb from limb.)

2. All of the stuff that lives in the toy basket is yours. Everything else is mine. Yours includes squeaky balls, random bones, partially unstuffed stuffed animals and chew ropes. Mine includes any and all shoes on the floor (especially the expensive leather ones), underwear that missed the hamper, bras, socks, dishtowels, the remote, the cell phone, the legs of my grandmother's antique chair and the vacuum. Did I mention shoes? ALL the shoes are mine. They come in pairs, not quads, for a reason.

3. The cat gets to sleep on the bed. You do not. You each weigh 50 pounds. The cat weighs 12. You sleep smack dab in the middle of the bed with all four feet spread out covering approximately 12 square feet apiece. The cat sleeps in a neat little ball covering about 2 square feet. The cat does not bring fleas into the house. You do. You, dogs, will never be allowed to sleep on the bed. Quit sneaking up when you think I'm not looking. Your 50 pounds of dogginess negates your stealth superpowers. I know you are up there!!

4. Speaking of the cat- when he hunkers down into that little mound, lays his ears back, squints his eyes and growls way back in his chest, HE IS NOT A HAPPY KITTY. Leave him alone. He does not want to play with you. What he wants to do is poke your eyes out and shread the skin around your face. He can do that, you know. Five of his 6 ends are really sharp and pointy. He has previously shown very little restraint. Clearly he enjoys smacking you upside the head with a paw full of claws. Do not aggrevate him. When he takes your head off after you have cornered him, I will let him. You have been forewarned.

5. The cat is mean. He will lead you down a path to destruction. He likes to tear around the house winding you up. He does this knowingly and intentionally. When you chase him, I will only yell at you for careening into walls and furniture. He knows this. Quit falling for it.

6. If you find something in the garbage can, assume that I intend for it to be there. Plastic tampon shells are not chew toys. Don't eat them.

7. Also not for doggy consumption- anything you find in the litter box. This is why you no longer get to kiss me.

8. You are allowed to sleep on the furniture. You are not allowed to eat the furniture.

9. Yes, I have to leave the house occasionally. No, you cannot go with me when the temperature reaches above 70 -- too hot to leave you in the car. And no, most stores (outside of Petsmart) welcome you. That's why there are two of you, so you can entertain each other. Quit whining about it.

10. I have opposable thumbs. This is why I get to be in charge. I can open cans, doors, and bags of treats. I am the only one in the house that can operate the hose sprayer. I'm also the only one with a driver's license and a car. I win. Being cute is no match for opposable thumbs.

While I in no way wish to suppress your rightful dogginess, I feel that these very simple guidelines will allow us to continue to co-exist in peaceful harmony. Please know though, that should you choose to continue in willful violation of these rules, I WILL PUT THE CAT IN CHARGE. He has just been itching for a position in management. Much thanks,

The Human

Home again, Home again

Tucson

Whew... we made it. We got home around 2:30 p.m. yesterday and I have to tell you I was dead tired! Too much on my mind I guess.

The rest of Sunday was pleasant. We went over to Billie and Dan's and had a nice visit; loaded up our heater and air conditioner (they fit perfect in the back of the truck!) and then we all went to Sutters Mill in Acton for our anniversary dinner. DO NOT go there! I ordered a rare prime rib....I got a well done prime rib...I sent it back only to get a medium prime rib, which was the last piece they had! Dan and Dad got rare...I didn't. THEN, the twice baked potato was ice cold in the middle, so I sent it back (do you see a trend here??) only to get another one the same way. I gave up, ate my medium prime rib and didn't eat the potato. The salad was good.....

We pulled our of Acton at 9:30 on Monday...beautiful day there. By the time we reached Palm Springs it was 110 degree's...we decided it was too hot to leave animals in the car so we grabbed a sandwich and ate it as we drove. Reached El Centro and it was 126 degrees....we had officially arrived in hell!!!! We were going to stop to refill our water bottles, but we just kept driving! Arrived in Yuma around 3:00 p.m. I asked Dick to back the trailer in for me....it was looking a little to scary for me to put that trailer in between those two posts! We had a very enjoyable evening with Dick and Lano. The dogs LOVE it there...and we brought the cats into their house as well because we had no electric where the trailer was parked and it was 110 there...so we would have definitely had baked cats (hush Ted!)

Tuesday we headed for home .. it was 116 in Gila Bend and 103 when we arrived home. Where is all this cool weather everyone has been telling me about in Tucson? Oh, that was last week! I see!

Our road had been washed out by the monsoons, but had been repaired to the point where we can drive up ... so we stopped at the bottom of the road and put the truck in 4 wheel drive and up we came. Now, some of you have no idea where we live and how we park the fifth wheel up here. We live on top of a hill....and we don't have a lot of room up here to turn the trailer around and get it backed in. In fact for the first 4 years we were here, we didn't even try to get the trailer up the road. Well, Al drove the trailer up the road (I was chicken) and then got it turned around. Then I got it backed in....with his expert directions. It did take us about 45 minutes, but I DID IT! The dogs and cats had, by that time, explored every inch of their territory to make sure nothing was residing in it!!

Jude and Roger Hubbell had dinner ready for us last night and it sure was good to see them. By the time we got back home, we both headed for bed and slept like logs until 6:15 a.m. when the dog alarms went off...COYOTE...COYOTE...woof, woof, bark, bark. So up and at 'em we were.

Tucson is beautiful this time of year...it is so green from all the rain! The Catalina mountains are even green. The desert is green as well. We know it won't last long, but it is pretty now.

Tomorrow we start on our other house. Meet with the contractor at 7:00 a.m. and with the heater/air conditioner installer at 9:30...gotta' get this ball rolling!

We won't be here long, plans are for us to leave next Tuesday and head into Colorado and onto St. Louis and then to Washington so AL can deer/elk hunt. HOWEVER, all of those plans are depending on what Al's doctor has to say next Monday. Al seems to be doing fine, tires easily, but all in all, doing well. He sure did give us a scare tho! His legs are starting to swell again, but that could be from all of the riding and the heat. WE will find out on Monday...so stay tuned!

Antelope Valley

Acton/Palmdale, CA

We wroamed in here yesterday around noon. We finally got out of the smoke once we crossed the Tehachapi Mountains out of Bakersfield....thank goodness! We actually saw a train going through the Tehachapi Loop as well. This is so interesting to see and to read about. When we lived in Lancaster we would go up and watch trains go through the loop...Railfan have you ever seen it???

We are staying at one of our favorite RV Parks again...after traveling as much as we do, we usually try and stay at places we have been before and know what they are like. Best of all, this one isn't far from Billie and Dan's house.

It was hot when we arrived yesterday and we were setting up in 101 degree weather. We got the A/C going ASAP and put the dogs in the trailer and we were off to "Crazy Otto's" restaurant for breakfast/lunch. Crazy Otto's is a legend in this area....they serve a great breakfast and we always try to eat there when we are in the area. After getting back to the trailer Al took a rest and I did a shopping trip to Wal-Mart to get a new cable for our new TV. I still haven't gotten the cable problem resolved in this trailer...but I am determined to solve it...or maybe have Dan help me today! :-)

We had dinner with friends last night in Lancaster. It was our 26th anniversary yesterday and we were commenting that is has been 22 years since we were here "at the scene of the crime" or where it all began 28 years ago, where we met!

We can't beleive how much this area has grown just in the last two years. Of course the housing slump is affecting the growth now, but this place has become another bedroom community for LA. Who'da thunk?

Tomorrow we are off for Yuma ... then home on Tuesday is the plan. Al has a doctor appointment on Wednesday morning. We will see where and what we do after that. So until next blog...we are still wroamin'!

The Wroamin' Wraspirs....
Al, Jo, and animals..............

Smoke Gets in your Eyes and other travel notes

Bakersfield, CA

WHEW!!! These last two days have been really something! We left Canyonville early on Thursday morning; however, we stopped in Grants Pass for an hour or so and then in Medford for lunch, so we really didn't get wrolling until about 1:00 p.m. Up and over the Siskiyou's, across Lake Shasta, which is, by the way, very, very low! We wrolled through Redding and into the Sacramento valley and into SMOKE! California is on fire! Apparently there are fires all around the valley and I have never seen it so smokey. I felt like I was sitting next to a campfire! Cough, cough, sputter, sputter. We finally stopped for the night at one of our favorite little RV parks, the Camper Inn and Golf Resortin Dunnigan. We have stopped here several times and like it. I managed to drive 338 miles yesterday....so much for taking it easy! And we have arrived in hell...it was 107 today and didn't cool off last night very much.

Up this morning and off we go...I was a little concerned about having to drive the rig through Sacramento, but it was a piece of cake...didn't even have to use the brakes traffic was so smooth. We drove to Santa Nella and stopped at Andersen's Split Pea Soup restaurant...another one of our favorites. In the parking lot I discovered I was going to have to back the rig up into a parking spot....ulp...backing the rig up and I don't usually go in the same sentence. But, what the heck...and I DID IT! I was so jazzed after I did it...I actually backed up this behemoth rig and didn't hit anything and got it where it was supposed to be! WOO HOO! I am getting more and more confident in my ability to drive the rig and being able to handle it. After a big bowl of soup (yum, it is sooo good) and a break, off we go towards Chowchilla to visit my parents.

For those of who don't know, my parents retired to Chowchilla many years ago, and this is where they are buried. Everytime we get near here we make a detour to go to the cemetary and put flowers on the graves. For some odd reason, it always makes me feel good to visit here...almost peaceful.

Then we hit Hwy 99...and we were very surprised to see it had been resurfaced since our last trek down it. We were both dreading it as it has in the past, been very rough. Of course it is still choked with trucks, but since we were one of them, we were comfortable driving it. And yes, it is still smokey...very smokey! When are we going to get out of the smoke??? Who knows! We are in Bakersfield tonight and I don't know where the fires are around here, but it is smokey. I drove 350 miles today....didn't intend to, but I was feeling good and so was Al so we just kept going. We pulled into our RV park at 7:00 p.m and it is hot, hot, hot! 101 at 7:00 p.m. ARG! Doesn't it ever cool down? Not until Janurary apparently! And of course, our RV park is very near the railroad tracks...I mean, honestly, where else do you put an RV Park???? The one last night wasn't real close to the tracks, but we were right on I-5 and across I-5 are the tracks. However, after living in Odessa for so long, trains don't bother us! We are immune I think.

Tomorrow we will be in Palmdale/Acton for a couple of days visiting Billie and Dan and seeing some friends for dinner tomorrow night.

Al is feeling very good....of course, he isn't driving at all. No driving for him for a while, at least until he see's his doctor in Tucson next week. I am enjoying driving....I even got a couple of "thumbs up" from some other drivers today!

Ric started his 60 mile breast cancer walk today. We are so very proud of him and he has raised $7800 for the cause. He walked 20 miles today, 20 tomorrow and 20 on Sunday....good for him. He has really trained for this walk and has done so well.....I can't imagine walking 60 miles in 3 days. I am told there is a web cam that is active for this walk, however, I can't find it.

Dogs and cats are surviving well....a little hot for the cats in the trailer in the afternoon, but they seem to be doing okay with it. We stop and check on them every so often to make sure we don't have "baked cats". So until next time...we are wroamin'.

Wrollin' again

Canyonville, OR

We are finally on the wroad again. We left Portland this morning and by the time we got here we were both tired. Canyonville is about 40 miles north of Grants Pass and we are in a great RV "Resort" here....Seven Feathers! I remember this area fondly as I was born in Grants Pass and lived there until I was 10. Of course, none of this was here, but the scenery is the same...beautiful Oregon!

I had an experience today that I never want to have again. About 15 miles north of here is a Rest Area...and I had to stop! As I was about to go into the WOMEN'S (for Rowland) restroom a little garden snake slithered in front of me. Now, as all of you know, I am scared of snakes...big time. However, my needing to go to the bathroom over rode my fright...yes it scared me, but it didn't stop me from going to the bathroom. Now, this is the part that gets interesting! As I was sitting down in the stall, I look down and here comes that damn snake! Slithering across the floor right in front of my feet!! Oh, what to do??? It wasn't a pretty picture, let me tell you....here I am on the toilet, with BOTH feet up on the door of the stall. Well, then I got the giggles thinking how ridiculous this must look (now, tell me, who is looking???) -- however, I still am in the bathroom and that snake is to! Finally, after trying to look around (remember I am in a bathroom stall), I very quickly put my feet on the floor, pull up my big girl panties (as Mike would say) and RAN out of the bathroom...not even stopping to wash my hands....I wasn't about to give that snake a third chance at me! Why me?????

The weather has been great for travel...not too hot, but sunny. I suppose once we get over the Siskyou mountains and into Redding, CA and the Sacramento Valley, we will be getting some hot weather. And I don't expect to see any cool weather after that!!!!

We will be stopping in Acton probably over the weekend. We will see Billie and Dan and some other friends there and pick up our heater/air conditioner unit that we will install in the new house in Tucson. Long story, but the short of it is that Dan managed to find us a FREE one...and free is good! We hope to be home by Tuesday...

Al is feeling pretty good....good enough to pick on me, so everything seems to be getting back to normal! My life in a nutshell!

Until next time....we are Wroamin'.

He's Home

Portland

I got a call from Al this morning asking me to bring his clothes...he was going home! Oh really? Did the doctor say that? No, he has had it and want's to go home. Hmmmm...must be better?

I got to the hospital around 11:00 a.m. and talked to the doctor. He said that he felt Al could go home today if I was ready to take care of him. Hmmm...okay. So I brought him home this afternoon and he seems to be doing very well. Doctor said we could travel on Wednesday if I felt Al was up to it. Otherwise, wait a day or so. From all I see, we will leave Wednesday; however, I will make the final decision tomorrow. We will be only traveling 200-250 miles a day, but that is usually what we do anyway. And not many stops to visit. We will stop in Palmdale to pick up the heater/air conditioner and probably over night with friends in Yuma on our way to Tucson, but other than that, we stop when we get tired. Al will have to see his doctors in Tucson when we get back.

Al is tired tonight, but he said he hasn't been sleeping in the hospital...that is understandable!! However, he did want to go with me to buy the new TV today...but then he waited in the car. So now, all is pretty normal in the trailer...new coffee pot and new TV, and Al snoozing in bed!

I will keep you all posted on when we move out...until then, thanks again to all of you!

Better today

WHEW! After a very sleepless night last night I called Al this morning and was so happy to hear he was feeling much better. After I had a cup of coffee (no easy feat, since our coffee maker took over an hour to brew a pot today...it is now RIP in the trash!) I went to the hospital.

BIG IMPROVEMENT over yesterday. Al was sitting up in bed, catheter no where to be seen, his color was good and his disposition greatly improved! Doctor came in around noon and said that everything was beginning to look normal. White blood cell count was down to around average, which means the infection is going away; glucose looked good; heart was looking much better; HOWEVER, (there is always that) Al is still having trouble with bladder control. Doc doesn't like that much, but he is waiting to see if that will improve with time. They were going to do another bladder scan this afternoon to see if his bladder is emptying completely, or if there is a problem with the prostrate. After yesterdays trama and drama, I needed those positive notes! So now we are waiting to see how it goes; then we will try to figure out what to do as far as travel. For the present, I am paid through Wednesday here.

I don't know if I mentioned in previous blog that the RV Park was going to make me move to a different space because they had a tour coming in; however, after I pleaded my case, they decided to let me stay where I was. Well, the tour came in today...I am surrounded by all of the Foretravel Motorhomes...big, expensive rigs. Makes me feel like the unwanted step child! And some of these rigs even have drivers!!! YES, I said drivers...the owners don't drive the rigs themselves! Amazing! Utterly amazing to me.

Again, I truly want to thank all of you for your care and concern. I truly appreciate all of the support we have recieved from all of you who have emailed, called and prayed for us. I can't begin to tell you how much it has helped. We really do have a wonderful network of friends. And our family is so very supportive. Our niece, Sue, who is in Cypress even called today...truly touched our hearts. Melanie and family have been so helpful and supportive here; Jennifer has been busy keeping track of what is going on and putting out updates to family and friends for us; Mike, Ric and Jerry have checked in daily; Billie and Dan have called to make sure we are both okay...Holly and family have as well. Jeannette and Gary have been my rock of strenght the past few days. And to Kathy, you have been here, done that and know what it is about. My sister, brothers and cousins have called; I have talked to friends that I haven't talked to in months as well. And to Suzi and Jack; Jude and Roger, Frank and Lynn, Kathy and Rowland, Pat and Patti, Bill and Laurie...what would we do without your friendship??? Thank you, thank you, thank you.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back...Al Update

Portland (still)

ARG! Just when things were looking a wee bit better for Al, WHAM...along comes a set back. Yes, he had a set back today. When I got to the hospital this morning I noticed he wasn't as alert as he was yesterday and he was really grouchy. I asked what was wrong and he said he hadn't slept well. About that time I saw the nurse and went to talk to her to get the story .. and she referred me to the doctor. Oh-oh!

The doctor on duty this morning was one I had never seen (Dr. Tony had the day off) so Dr. Grossnickel brought me up to speed on Al. The infection has spread to his kidneys...probably due to the fact that since AL has lost so much fluid the kidneys have been working overtime to keep up. But the doctor felt that the antibiotic's would take care of that infection, but that the UTI was being stubborn. They have identified what kind of a "bug" they are fighting, but it has been pretty resistant to the antibiotic, so he was going to add another antibiotic to help the first one. Then the doc proceeds to say that until Al is able to go without a catheter and empty his bladder completely, he won't be discharged. Fine with me. The urologist is due to see Al tomorrow, and due a complete work up on the UTI again. The doc feels that this isn't something that "just happened" but that had been lingering on for months and finally just got to the "blow up" point. I agreed with that as well. Depending on how AL does, the doc feels that a long road trip probably won't be possible and suggested we look at either 1. staying here, 2. going back to Seattle or 3. flying Al to Tucson. We are opting for #3. But again, we aren't making any final decisions right now, and are waiting to see what happens in the next few days.

That was my morning/afternoon visit. I left the hospital for a while just to help get my head on straight and do some shopping for a TV since the one in the 5th wheel has died. I got back to the hospital at 7:00 p.m. and Al was resting. He woke up and said his chest felt "tight"...so I got the nurse and told her and before I could say anything else, his room filled up with nurses, equipment, etc. They had taken him off the heart monitor this morning as he had done so well. Well, now his congestive heart failure was kicking in again. So back to the nitro patch, etc. and we are just about back to where we started Thursday. This has definitely been an ugly day! When I left the hospital at 9:00 he was resting and stable again.

Melanie (my oldest daughter) and grandson Victor had their hands full with me this afternoon. I am so glad they are here and help so much to keep me on track. Grand daughter Lori is off to a rodeo this weekend...she ran a 21 second barrel this afternoon...her first high school rodeo competion.

I did laugh at Victor this afternoon. I was driving our truck (F350) and we were at Costco and someone had just stolen my parking spot...when Vic pops up with "Don't mess with my Granny--she has a 350 and knows how to use it!"

And on that note, I will end this blog for tonight. More updates tomorrow. Again, I thank each and every one of you for calling or emailing. Your concern, care and prayers are truly appreciated.