Friday August 24- October 31, 2018 Most Recent Posts
Charlottesville, Virginia Saved the Best for Last: Ramsey Cascades
The Closest Trail to Home: Roundtop
After all the detailed posts of hiking the Great Smokies, this one is going to zoom right out of summer and through most of the fall.
I spend the day after hiking to wonderful Ramsey Cascades making soup and waiting for David to come. The day is lovely so I’m able to sit out in the shade in the afternoon and enjoy the bit of view in my back yard. I am reading a great book on the park as I wait.
It’s a long drive and David arrives late and tired.. He’s been looking forward to dong some hiking but recent severe pain in his left leg when standing or walking may compromise what we can do.
The next day, Saturday, we go out for breakfast which is usually guaranteed to perk David up. Hiking turns into a drive on Saturday and by Sunday he has a fever. He was supposed to stay here until the end of August but I decide to leave early, on Monday, to get back to a doctor.
Monday night, we stop at Walmart in Wythville, Virginia to break up the Trip. When we arrive on Tuesday I take him straight to the hospital for blood work. It is 95 degrees in Charlottesville. What a wonderful welcome.
On Friday the 31st David’s in the hospital for IV fluids
SEPTEMBER
There isn’t a lot to say about the entire month of September that hasn’t already been said as we were living it intersperced with my posts on the Great Smoky Mountains as I tried to finish up documenting my wonderful summer. Those posts helped to keep me sane during September. Thanks to those of you who stayed with me all the way through and commented. You have NO idea how much those comments meant to me.
The short recap of September is:
On Saturday September 1st our Grandson Colin Harrison is born but we can’t go to see him since David is so sick. I‘m pretty sad about all of this. I did do a post on his birth at the time and this is its link.
Over the next few days, he doesn’t improve and on Thursday September 6, he’s admitted to the hospital where he stays for 11 days while they try to find out what infection has laid him low. I have also already done a post on this not so pleasant news. More details about all of this can be found here.
The rest of the month of September is spent on David’s recovery. until finally on Saturday the 29th he is well enough to travel to Maryland to visit Colin, his big sister Celia and their parents.
There are lots more pictures of our darling grandchildren (no bias here) and our stay in Maryland here on the post I did about that visit..
OCTOBER
The Divine Miss Tessa was first to greet us, as it should be and then we spent several hours with her staff, Bill and Jodee. We are all so on the same page although we probably spent too much time talking politics. It felt like we’d known them forever. Being from California, they are mostly out west and headed into and out of Florida before we are so I have no idea when we’ll see them again. That’s too bad. I would enjoy spending more time in their company.
On Saturday October 6th I participated in the first leg of A Pilgrimage of Transformation which followed a longer pilgrimage from Charlottesville to Montgomery Alabama in July, these events come in response to the hate filled week-end that catapulted the little town of Charlottesville into the national spotlight. This meaningful event deserves a post of its own but I want to note it here in my record of this October.
In the evening, the day of the Pilgrimidge, David’s older brother Roger and his wife Carol stopped to see us on their east coast tour. They had lived fairly near by in Maryland for many years but have since retired and moved to Texas. So seeing them is a rare treat. On Saturday we take them out to David’s favorite spot, Blue Mountain Brewery. The borthers have a laughing good time but . The next evening they take us out to the Petite Pois on the downtown mall where again we eat outside in the lovely weather and I take not one picture unfortunately. We had a great waitress who was in full blown Halloween costume so I’m sorry that isn’t recorded.
A visit to my dermatologist reveals two squamous cell carcinomas on my face, the result of a careless youth spent in the sun. She refers me to a doctor for Mohs surgery to remove them. I have it done and this is the marvelous post op picture of me on October 26. I would NOT recommend this for your face.
From my vantage point now and the resulting scar across my nose, I recognize that my dermatologist should have recommended a plastic surgeon for facial surgery. As a result she’s going to get some negative reviews and be fired at least as my dermatologist.
Just FYI, the product “Scar Away” does not work. That’s what the Mohs doctor told me to use.
Anybody else have experience with squamous cell removal?
I take my bandaged face to Rady Park in Warrenton on Wednesday October 17 and meet up with my favorite people, Carrie, Celia and Colin drive to meet me there. It’s half way between us.
It’s a nice fall day. Carrie and Colin who is all of 6 weeks old take advantage of a nice creek side bench.
Celia is excited to see the water.
We do the slides and the swings and over and over.
Colin peeks out from under his jumbo hat.
We travel into Warrenton for lunch and for some reason I take pictures before but not during the food. Oh well.
Back at the park, we take one more walk around before they have to leave to beat the afternoon beltway traffic between here in Virginia and their home in Maryland.
Celia likes Nana’s sunglasses but isn’t so thrilled about having to leave the park. “why?”
No goodbye pictures. Too sad. It will be two months before I see them again.
In preparation for that holiday meeting, I get some help with an early gift.
When Carrie was first born in 1980, I made patchwork holiday stockings for the three of us with our names hand embroidered. I used my sewing machine which I no longer have. In 2016 when Celia was born I was on the road, no sewing macine so I made one for her stitching everything, every patch, by hand.
This year when Colin was born, I thought to do the stocking before hitting the road again. My friend Pam offered to do the machine work and I would do the handwork. So on Sunday we got together and what took me weeks to do for Celia took one day for Colin. Thank you Pam!!
And with that both September and October have flown by and we are heading south for the winter. Next stop Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach Florida.
Those are happy times with your beautiful grandchildren. Grandparents are fun because they have time to play....on the slide...and the swing. A 2 year old and a newborn....I remember how busy this time of life is for Carrie. The photo of the two brothers having a good laugh is just the best! Looks like you had your own hassle with medical challenges with the Moh's surgery. I know of so many who have had it...and it always seems to be in or around the nose. Hope by now your healing process is going better. Love to both.
ReplyDeleteSeptember and October may have flown by, but how great it is to land in Florida! Warm weather and ocean beaches ahead. Great choice if you ask me. I'd tell you to enjoy but I already know you will. :c)
ReplyDeleteI have had two of those same cacer surgeries this year, one on my forhead and one on my arm. Both done by my family doctor who happens to be surgery qualified. Got all of both, but now will do some chemical skin cleaning to clean up more potential precancerous areas:( Doctor recommeded Mederma Avanced skin care for scars and it seems to work well. He does great stitches and the last one done just less than a month ago and is very hard to see. Now comitted to every six month checks everywhere. No doubt growing up on a farm and 20 years of sailing played a big role in this.
ReplyDeleteSo good to get a catch up like this, Sherry, and to see that David is doing OK. The little ones are so cute, and it is wonderful that you can spend even a little bit of time with them while they are this age. As we all know, they grow so darn fast. I also had a careless youth in Southern California, but so far have only required burning of suspicious spots here and there. No scars thank goodness. I hear you about how it feels when you meet someone who thinks in a similar way as you, almost impossible to not go on and on about the political thing together...raving a bit to receptive ears is always fun. Nicki and I do it a lot as well. LOL Travel safe and enjoy Florida. We are heading that way in late January. Will be staying at Indian Pass Campground rather than St Joe State Park. Sadly, that park is devastated, and they returned our reservation. Indian Pass is about half way between Appalachicola and Mexico Beach, and was hit but they are recuperating. Such sad stuff. Of course, our fires out here are equally horrendous. Scary to see where we are heading.
ReplyDeleteThat was some fast time travel! Glad to hear you are back in FL. Hope to meet Jodie and Bill one of these days, too. Sounds like you had a fun time together.
ReplyDeleteA friend had similar surgery on her nose and she saw a plastic surgeon after the fact. They did a good job with a skin graft. Hope you are all healed up by now!
My comment just disappeared. Glad you had some quality family, and friends, time. I'm sure you're both more than ready to be on the road again.
ReplyDeleteYou were quite busy, with good and some not so good things occupying that time. I hope your trip south has been safe.
ReplyDeleteWow, you're caught up almost to the present!! I'm jealous. :-)) So glad to see the pics of David and his brother, and adorable Celia and Colin, and your visit with Jodee and Bill (yes, they are excellent people!). So sorry to hear about your skin surgery. Hope that you're healing well, and that time in Florida has been good for you both.
ReplyDeleteLove that stocking. I know it's made with love. Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteLove the stocking so sweet. Wish I was better at the machine that I recently bought for a project I never finished.
ReplyDeleteDavid looks great in the pictures with his brother and the grand babies are just so adorable.
ZIP-A-DEE-DEE-DAH...Boy did you fly through the Fall;o)) Glad you got some Celia and Colin time...they are precious!!! Hope you are both doing well and you have a ZIP-A-DEE-A time in Florida:o))
ReplyDeleteGreat way to get caught up. Nice to see David's doing better and able to enjoy a brewery lunch. Wonderful times with grandkids and daughter, can't beat it. RV blogging friends are the best, seems like we already know them before we meet them in person. Looking forward to your FL posts...maybe we'll be in the same area at some point this winter.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you skipped Fall :)
ReplyDeleteCelia and Colin are so adorable and they were absolutely your feel better pill, so precious !
I hope you are warmer where we are and looking forward to your sunrise photos!
So glad to see David is feeling better. Hope your nose is looking somewhat better, how terrible that dermatologist was! Love the picture of David and his bro laughing. Those are the best times!
ReplyDeleteOur highlight of the east coast was finally getting to meet you!! I agree we need much more time in the future. Tessa is a good judge of people :-) The kiddos are so adorable, wonderful you had a little time in the park to play. The stocking is precious. Those drums!!!! OMG, I love those.
ReplyDeleteThat stocking looks terrific! Thanks to you and Pam ❤ Celia's being so entirely handmade is truly special. The pictures of Uncle Roger and Dad are great. I love candids. Rough times and up times certainly this fall.
ReplyDelete