The greatest thing to happen in the last three months is that Bill is in remission We are living a normal life, with just a few little blips along the way. I've been keeping up on Bill's melanoma blog, but not so much with this one, but I'm going to try to enter my thoughts on this one more often. It seems that my journals have been handled this way for the past 45 years, I'll write for three or four weeks, and then won't write again for months. But, now that we really don't have any schedule, maybe I can keep up with this.
March 19
We had a fun getaway last weekend. We drove to Sacramento to stay with Joe and Gee in their new condo. They didn't have much furniture, so we took our Aerobed with us, along with all our pillows. We went to Sizzler with their son Pete and his family, Farrah, JP and Lucas. We had a good visit with them, and JP remembers the last time we were there.
After we got home, we played games until we couldn't keep our eyes open.
The airbed had a slight problem which we didn't discover until it was almost bedtime on Friday. It was leaking. Bill said we could just pump it up a few times during the night, but Gee insisted on going over to Pete's house to borrow their air bed. By the time they got home, we were asleep, but I heard the pump running in the third bedroon, so I went in to visit while they blew up our bed. After over 1/2 hour of trying, Joe had to give up, because it wasn't working. Gee wanted to go to the store to buy us a new bed. I told her not to, and that Bill was sound asleep, so we would be fine. I went back to bed, and they went to Walmart to buy us a new bed. I woke up a few times during the night to hear the sound of the pump, but both of us slept pretty well. When I woke up, around 7, I tried to get out of the bed, but I couldn't because we were both in the middle of it in a large hole. Bill tried bouncing to help me get out, but all he was doing was throwing me up against the wall. I was laughing so hard, I was afraid I would wake up Joe and Gee. Finally I was able to get out, and I had to take a picture of Bill as he fell back to sleep.
On Saturday morning, we went to check out a storage unit sale and they bought a couple of balls for the boys, but the item they were looking for wasn't in good enough condition to buy. We went to Costco and then we hung around their place until it was time for them to leave for a wedding.
Bill and I went over to Capitol Park and went through the Capitol Museum. We felt like we were doing something that Tony would do, so we took lots of pictures.
 |
| Museum Entrance |
 |
| Bridge from the Capitol |
 |
| War memorial |
 |
| Capitol ceiling |
Then we walked through the park, which was a lot bigger than we had remembered. For dinner, we went to Spaghetti Factory for their wonderful Mizithra. We got home at the same time as they did, and we spend another fun evening playing games and snacking on yummy things.
After breakfast on Sunday, we did some cleanup and Bill helped Joe with installing one of the TVs. Gee and I worked at cleaning the side of the building, the windows, and the small front lanai area. Then we left for home. It was a fun weekend.
March 29
We were able to attend several of Bryanna and Bailey's school volleyball games. We had to choose which one to go to each time, because they both play at the same time but at different schools. Their teams are good, and both of them have great skills to bring to the team. Bailey's team won all but one of their games. Bryanna still has her other team, that travels for play, and we would love to be able to go to one of those, too. We bought them gift cards for Yogurt Beach as a thank you for a fun time going to their games, and we are going to take them all out to dinner when they have the time to go.
We went to see Abbacadabra, the Abba tribute by Gary and Sandy, with Sally and John on March 23. It was at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, and John was good enough to be the chauffeur. The show was excellent, with all of Abba's biggest hits as well as a few songs that weren't familiar to any of us. We were surprised to see Jeanine, Gary's wife, singing back-up. She looks very good after her cancer recovery. She had one exciting moment, when she fell off the platform she was on. She came out a few minutes later and waved, but she didn't join in on the last two songs.We got back to Reno at about 10:30 and finished up the night at the Atlantis for dessert. It was a wonderful evening out.
We were able to attend several of Bryanna and Bailey's school volleyball games. We had to choose which one to go to each time, because they both play at the same time but at different schools. Their teams are good, and both of them have great skills to bring to the team. Bailey's team won all but one of their games. Bryanna still has her other team, that travels for play, and we would love to be able to go to one of those, too. We bought them gift cards for Yogurt Beach as a thank you for a fun time going to their games, and we are going to take them all out to dinner when they have the time to go.
We went to see Abbacadabra, the Abba tribute by Gary and Sandy, with Sally and John on March 23. It was at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, and John was good enough to be the chauffeur. The show was excellent, with all of Abba's biggest hits as well as a few songs that weren't familiar to any of us. We were surprised to see Jeanine, Gary's wife, singing back-up. She looks very good after her cancer recovery. She had one exciting moment, when she fell off the platform she was on. She came out a few minutes later and waved, but she didn't join in on the last two songs.We got back to Reno at about 10:30 and finished up the night at the Atlantis for dessert. It was a wonderful evening out.
April 8
We went to San Francisco on Friday
for Bill’s doctor visit. The doctor was
finished with him early, so, we were on our way to Petaluma by 11 and we got to
Brian and Monique’s house before 12. We
had a wonderful weekend, even though it was overcast and drizzly for a lot of
the time. Friday night we went out to dinner, because Monique ended up working
a little late and didn't feel like cooking when she got home. It was a
wonderful excuse to have delicious pizza and a lovely evening walk along the
Petaluma River. On Saturday, they took us to Bodega Bay and we hiked down
to the beach from a long way up.
 |
| Bill and Monique writing in the sand |
 |
| Disappearing Stream |
We found a stream that cascaded off the cliff, but disappeared into the sand before it could get all the way to the ocean.
 |
| Elephant tree |
After we had completed out grueling hike, we drove down the road a ways, and stopped at a small parking area, where we found an old tree shaped like an elephant. I thought it was beautiful, so I took several pictures.
 |
| The breakers can be seen through the tree |
 |
| This one shows the texture |
 |
| Us |
 |
| Monique and me |
 |
| Watching a dog frolic on the beach |
 |
| Michelle, Riley and Haley |
 |
| Friendly bird |
When we got home, Monique prepared a delicious chicken dinner, and then Michelle came over to drop off her girls, Haley, 8 and Riley 5 to spend the night. We had lots of fun. It was reminiscent of when Bryanna and Bailey were younger.
In the morning, Jay and Kirsten brought their kids, Eric 8 and Emily, 5 over for Mickey Mouse pancakes, and the fun really started.
 |
| Jay with Bill while Brian finishes the pancakes |
 |
| Haley made this for me |
We left around 11:00, which was
about four hours earlier than we had planned to leave but Eric checked the
weather report in the mountains for us and it predicted rain and wind.
We had a beautiful drive through Napa and picked up I80 at Davis, so the drive was different than usual. Although we enjoyed it, we probably won’t do it again, as the road is windy, narrow, and there were tons of people riding bikes on the tiny shoulder. I had to do 20 in lots of places, and it made for a longer trip. We were able to make up the time on the freeway so we got home before 4:00. The wind started here soon after, and we woke up to snow this morning. April showers are supposed to be rain, not snow.
We had a beautiful drive through Napa and picked up I80 at Davis, so the drive was different than usual. Although we enjoyed it, we probably won’t do it again, as the road is windy, narrow, and there were tons of people riding bikes on the tiny shoulder. I had to do 20 in lots of places, and it made for a longer trip. We were able to make up the time on the freeway so we got home before 4:00. The wind started here soon after, and we woke up to snow this morning. April showers are supposed to be rain, not snow.
We will be going back to San
Francisco on May 17 for Bill’s Yervoy and we will stay with the Bendzicks
again. WE are so glad they moved there
from Santa Maria, not only because it is convenient for us, but because we will
be able to see them and the rest of the family more often. We hope Kathy and Rommie will be able to make
a trip over to see them soon.
April 8
We woke up to a dusting of snow
this morning. It snowed for three
or four hours, but it was all melted
away by noon.
April 20
Joline left on her cruise up (or is it down?) the Rhine on April 10. She must be having a fantastic time. I am anxious to hear all about it.
Monday was the Boston Marathon where two bombs exploded. After four days of terror for the people in the area, one of the perps was killed and the other captured. We pray that the incident is really over. The people pulled together in Boston, and the support for them was extensive.
April 22
The month has zipped by and it has been a good one. We've been working a lot on our yard. I'm chomping at the bit to take the chance of putting the tomato plants in the ground, but I want to be cautious. We bought gallon sized heirloom tomatoes, and I have promised to give away tomatoes to several friends in a few months.
We had a heavy frost last week, which could have
destroyed our peach and cherry trees, but we had found a spray called
Frost Pruf, which is supposed to make the trees withstand temperatures
of as low as 22 degrees. It looks as if it worked, because the blossoms
look fine. The wisteria didn't fare as well, though. The flowers just
crumble in my hand when I touch them.
May 23
As shown in Bill's blog, he had surgery for the blood clot in his leg. The clot couldn't be removed, so Dr. Hansen did an arterial bypass. He was in the hospital for six days, and his leg has been taking its time about healing, but after three weeks, he is starting to get around almost normally.
This week, we had eleven Chase Bank ATMs to clean and audit. It isn't hard work, but his leg made it more challenging. I wonder how much longer we will want to do the job. The pay is good, but it can be a pain in the neck having to be very precise about what order we take the pictures.
On April 27, I got an email from Princess about a Bon Voyage lunch for family and friends. I immediately called our "travel agent" to make arrangements to take Monique and Brian to the lunch, which includes a four hour tour of the ship. What a great way to get people to want to take a cruise. So, twice I contacted the travel agent to tell her that I hadn't received a confirmation, yet. She had said she would check and let me know. Yesterday, she wrote and said that she couldn't find a reservation with Princess. So, I called Princess and tried to get the reservations, but they are at capacity. I am beyond mad at the lack of incompetent travel agent who, because she didn't do her job, made us lose out on a really good way to repay Monique and Brian for their kindness. I wrote an email of complaint and sent it to the agent and her manager. I don't expect to hear from either of them.
Our yard is finally looking good. The tomatoes are doing well, as are the cucumbers, cantaloupe, cabbage, lettuce, and strawberries. The lawn has never looked better. It is a pleasure to walk out the back door.
And, today, May 27.
April 8
We woke up to a dusting of snow
this morning. It snowed for three
or four hours, but it was all melted
away by noon.
Joline left on her cruise up (or is it down?) the Rhine on April 10. She must be having a fantastic time. I am anxious to hear all about it.
Monday was the Boston Marathon where two bombs exploded. After four days of terror for the people in the area, one of the perps was killed and the other captured. We pray that the incident is really over. The people pulled together in Boston, and the support for them was extensive.
April 22
The month has zipped by and it has been a good one. We've been working a lot on our yard. I'm chomping at the bit to take the chance of putting the tomato plants in the ground, but I want to be cautious. We bought gallon sized heirloom tomatoes, and I have promised to give away tomatoes to several friends in a few months.
 |
| Waiting to be planted |
 |
| The beds are ready |
The
yard is coming along, but we still have the worst grass in town. We
drive by other lawns and see beautiful, lush green grass, and then we
see ours and wonder what we're doing wrong. We went to Kurt and Susie's
house last night for dinner, and the lawn is at least three inches
thick and gorgeous. He said he starts fertilizing early and often. I
fertilized in early March and again yesterday. We'll see what
happens.
We
are getting excited about our cruise. We've been reading up on Alaska
and trying to figure out what excursions we want to take. We are trying
not to over spend. We enjoy being on the ship and we don't really need
to do a lot of extra things. One thing we want to do is walk around in
the ports and explore.
Yesterday
was my birthday. I got lots of Facebook greetings and phone calls,
including one from my cousin Cathy. It was wonderful to talk to her.
She sounded great. Tony ran the Tough Mudder in DC. He said it was
hard and he won't do it again, but he's glad he finished. It was 12
miles in mud, ice, and electric wires hanging down to shock the person
crawling. We're proud that he did it.
 |
| Our little boy |
I
worked on the yard this morning, and I have three hours before we have
to be at Renown for an ultrasound of Bill's carotid artery, so I'm going
to join Bill in the sunroom for some down-time.
May 23
As shown in Bill's blog, he had surgery for the blood clot in his leg. The clot couldn't be removed, so Dr. Hansen did an arterial bypass. He was in the hospital for six days, and his leg has been taking its time about healing, but after three weeks, he is starting to get around almost normally.
This week, we had eleven Chase Bank ATMs to clean and audit. It isn't hard work, but his leg made it more challenging. I wonder how much longer we will want to do the job. The pay is good, but it can be a pain in the neck having to be very precise about what order we take the pictures.
On April 27, I got an email from Princess about a Bon Voyage lunch for family and friends. I immediately called our "travel agent" to make arrangements to take Monique and Brian to the lunch, which includes a four hour tour of the ship. What a great way to get people to want to take a cruise. So, twice I contacted the travel agent to tell her that I hadn't received a confirmation, yet. She had said she would check and let me know. Yesterday, she wrote and said that she couldn't find a reservation with Princess. So, I called Princess and tried to get the reservations, but they are at capacity. I am beyond mad at the lack of incompetent travel agent who, because she didn't do her job, made us lose out on a really good way to repay Monique and Brian for their kindness. I wrote an email of complaint and sent it to the agent and her manager. I don't expect to hear from either of them.
Our yard is finally looking good. The tomatoes are doing well, as are the cucumbers, cantaloupe, cabbage, lettuce, and strawberries. The lawn has never looked better. It is a pleasure to walk out the back door.
May 27
I want to keep a log of the progress in the garden, so here are some shots of what it looked like May 11.
 |
| Cherry Tomatoes |
 |
| Cucumbers and watermelon next to the fence |
 |
| Cherry Tomatoes |
 |
| Heirloom Tomatoes |
 |
| Heirloom Tomatoes |
 |
| Cantaloupe and Cucumbers |
I'm so much more into gardening than I've been the last few years. With Bill being so much healthier, I have the time, and I have been enjoying working in the yard often.
We got ten different varieties of Heirloom tomatoes. Two of them are cherry, and they are in the corner, where they don't get quite as much sun, and the other eight are in the planter box we built. The cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupes are against the fence. We also have strawberries in several different places in the flower beds, cabbage, lettuce, parsley, and of course, the cherry tree, peach tree and the blackberry and blueberry bushes. I think we're going to get a good amount of blackberries and strawberries, but I'm not so sure that the peach tree or cherry tree are going to give us any fruit this year. Last year, we got so many peaches that we were giving them away and freezing them.
The golden chain tree is looking
beautiful, for the first time.
The flowers whose name I can never remember are blooming. I will eventually remember what they are, and I'll come back and edit this.
I was worried about the roses, because they took a long time to start growing, but it looks as if they all made it through the winter. This is one of my favorite plants.
May 28
Bailey came home from camping over the Memorial Day Weekend with a bad stomach ache. On Tuesday, Bailey went to school, but went to the nurse after two hours because the pain was getting so bad. Kathy took her to St. Mary's Urgent Care who told her it was a "GI thing that is going around" and to take her home. They gave her an order for a CAT scan if the pain got any worse. Wednesday morning, Kathy took her to the hospital, where she had an emergency appendectomy. Her appendix had ruptured and was gangrenous. She will be in the hospital for five to seven days. The poor girl looks so helpless lying in the hospital bed. She can't eat anything, but she can suck on Popsicles. We took her some teen magazines and a fun kind of journal with some colored pens.
 |
| In the ER |
 |
| Tastes good |
 |
| Flowers from her team |
June 1
We plan to go over to see Bailey today. We stayed away yesterday, because we didn't want her to have too many people stopping by to see her. We got her some kid-stuff - stickers and silly putty. Hospitals are terrible places to have to stay when you're sick.
We just got home from seeing Bailey. She told us she's feeling much better. She is off morphine and taking percocet by pill. The packing has been removed from her incision, meaning she is healing well, and apparently, the infection is clearing up nicely. She was in a great mood, but we didn't stay long because her lunch arrived. Her first solid food is banana, cereal and toast. It was neat to hear the nurse talking to her, asking her questions, instead of addressing them to Rommie. I think she appreciates being treated like a person instead of a kid.
When we left, we walked around downtown for about an hour, looking at the classic cars on display for whatever the event is that was going on. We never found out what it was. We ran into Kurt and Susie, who I just talked to last night. I think they are going to come over for dinner tomorrow.
June 6
Bailey was released from the hospital on Monday, earlier than expected, because she was doing so well. We saw her at her house that afternoon, and it was great to see her looking so good. We are going to celebrate her birthday (June 11) after we return from our cruise.
 |
| Back to Geo-caching |
 | ||||
| Climbing up |
We are all packed and ready to leave for Petaluma tomorrow for Monique and Brian's house. We leave for Alaska on Sunday. Finally.
See Alaska At Last for June 9 to 19
June 20
We just had a wonderful vacation, so now it's time to get back to real life. I'm started a new blog because "I Have No Idea What To Say" was getting long. It ran from July 26, 2012 to June 20, 2013, so it covered almost a year. So far, we have no plans, other than getting ourselves home and enjoying the summer.
June 22
I think Tony should have gone into teaching on the college level, instead of law enforcement. This is what I sent to him via email.
Tony,
Your photography has inspired me to see things differently. I took these pictures thinking that you might have taken the same ones.
Love,
Mom
...and this is his answer. I can't even express how this made me feel. That he took the time to give feedback on my pictures wasn't unusual, but the feedback itself is so eloquent. That's our boy.
I thought I’d go through these shot by shot. I first saw this e-mail on my phone and couldn't see the pictures so my comments below are from my first time viewing each shot:
 |
Sail-away from San Francisco
A
great starting shot as is shows the passengers trying to get a good
vantage point to see the bridge that will only be the first of many
wonderful sights along the way.
Some bridge - June 9
One of my favorites. I like shots of things being engulfed by fog.
Promenade Deck
Very
clean (meaning no people) just like I like most of my shots to be.
Unless people are a subject or pertinent to the shot, I usually like to
keep the random ‘walker-by’ out of my frames. I like this one, not just
for that, but also for its symmetry with the lines of the chairs, deck,
railing, overhang, and sea all leading the eye to one point off in the
distance. I used to draw pictures based on this and I always appreciate
the look. Nice job!
Pier near the ship in Ketchikan - June 12
The
thing I like about this one is you know it’s a pier, but you keep the
eye from seeing it causing use of the imagination as to just what the
pier looks like.
Azalea in Ketchikan - June 12
The flowers almost look like they are bursting out toward the camera!
Becker Street in Juneau - June 13
This
one really gives a sense of height and depth. I don’t know if you
turned the camera on purpose to keep the shot from being perfectly
symmetrical, but it gives a nice dizzying effect to the shot.
Fence guarding a wall on Becker Street - maybe a former window? June 13
It
does look like a bricked-up window. I like shots like this because: 1)
it makes me think about what used to be— who built the window and
looked out through it for years, and who decided there was no further
use for it? And 2) most people walk by things like this all the time and
never take notice, let alone take a picture. I’m betting there are not
too many shots of this window out there. Everybody takes pictures of
the various statues and touristy things-- I like to capture the things
nobody else does. Very nice.
This
plays to my love of things that have come and gone. The way you took
the shot is great as you got the ruins, framed by all the green, and
still got the mountains and clouds— and just a little snow. I like this
one.
Even in Alaska - Juneau June 13
I guess where there is a blank wall, there will be someone wanting to paint it.
On the way to Skagway - June 13
You picked a good one for your favorite. I’m always a fan of sun shots. You framed it nicely with the large tree on the right and just a bit of the smaller tree on the left. Each goes well with its associated mountain as the mountain on the right, although farther away, is much larger than the one on the left. This is a nice shot.
You picked a good one for your favorite. I’m always a fan of sun shots. You framed it nicely with the large tree on the right and just a bit of the smaller tree on the left. Each goes well with its associated mountain as the mountain on the right, although farther away, is much larger than the one on the left. This is a nice shot.
Jet trail with moon - 10:15 pm
 |
| Tony's edit with that dratted spot removed |
The
combination of the moon with the jet trail really works for me. I
don’t think I would have thought to capture this shot in this manner.
The mountains are clean and I immediately think of cold, crisp air
looking at this picture. Great shot, this is my overall favorite!
(Tony's version has not only removed the spot, but increased the
clarity)
Sunset with the ship's wake - 10:55 pm
OK,
that last one WAS my favorite, then I saw this one! This is a great
shot. I really like the cloud bank on the left and the fact that you
didn't center the sun (following the rule of thirds). This is my new
favorite!!
Same night - second sunset - 11:15 pm
Another great sun-related shot. Nice coloring.
Return to San Francisco - June 19 5:30 am
Having
a random person in this shot really works. At first this was a picture
of the pool, deck and flag, but shortly it turned into a shot of a
solitary watcher observing the scenery, possibly reflecting on his
voyage. I like pictures that make me think about what is going on, not
just ‘show something’.
Approaching the bay - 5:40 am
Awesome
shot! Back to the clean lines leading off into the horizon I noted
earlier, mixed with the bridge in the background. These nicely contrast
for me. The deck being wet and the flash off of the railing give a nice
effect to the foreground of the shot. The rule of thirds is in effect
also as a major portion of the shot is off to the left and the right is
sparse.
Bridge with the ship just going under
Nice,
and mixed with your earlier bridge shot, brings the series of photos
full circle. The bridge represents the commencement of your trip, as
well as its terminus.
Not a hint of fog as we sail under the bridge
Another good one, but this one ended up a little blurry, likely due to the low light.
Great
San Francisco shot. Too bad you weren't a little bit later arriving as
you could have seen the city lit up by the morning sun. What this
shot does do is instead of showing the ‘golden-hour’ of the rising sun,
is make the viewer want to see those buildings lit up. I probably
thought more just now about what this shot would look like lit up, than I
would have if it actually was. Again, another shot that makes the
viewer think. Nice work!!
All
in all, great shots! I’m glad to see you enjoying taking pictures as
it’s something that you can do easily anywhere, and with cell phones-
anytime! I’m also glad you guys had such a good time on your cruse!!!!
We're
thinking about our next adventure, which right not is going to be our
trip to Maui in October. But, that is three months away, and who knows
what might come up that we just can't resist. Mozambique, anyone??
June 23
The
cruise line sent us an email with a link to send in a review of our
cruise. We gave them mostly high marks for everything, and they asked
for comments. I had lots of things to say, both good and bad, but the
comment section would only accept 1000 characters. Anyone who has been
reading my blogs, knows that I can't say much in 1000 characters, or
even 1000 words, so, yesterday, I wrote a letter to the cruise line
about our cruise experience on the Grand Princess.
Princess Cruises
24305 Town Center Drive
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
24305 Town Center Drive
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
Dear Customer Relations,
My
husband and I just returned from our wonderful cruise to Alaska, aboard
the Grand Princess. We received emails with the opportunity to take a
survey about our cruise. This a great idea. However,
the survey form did not allow enough room for us to provide all our
comments about the cruise, so I am sending this to you, hoping that our
concerns and questions will be addressed.
As licensed mystery shoppers in the state of Nevada for 20 years, we approach every experience with a very critical eye. While
we enjoyed this cruise very much, we saw quite a bit of room for
improvement, based on previous wonderful cruises we have taken. We expected Princess to be a level above Carnival, Norwegian and Caribbean, but that was not the case.
The
entertainment quality was excellent. The Rhapsody Trio, in the Atrium,
drew a large crowd every time they performed. It was often difficult to
find seating because they were so popular with young and old alike. Kevin Hughes gave top-notch performances and we plan to look for him in other venues so we can enjoy more of his humor. The magician, Martin Lewis, was also extremely entertaining.
The staff was incredible, with only one exception. After
leaving the De Vinci, my husband, who is slightly disabled, was
surrounded by running teens, who were playing a game run by a staff
member. He was run into twice, and, although he did not fall, he could easily have done so. There
were a large amount of elderly people as well as people with physical
limitations on the ship, and a fall could have been disastrous. My husband went to the Explorer’s Lounge to ask the staff member running the game to advise the kids to be more careful. The
young lady was belligerent and said children are told not to run, and
that parents need to supervise their own kids. He agreed, but said that
when parents are not watching their children because they are taking
part in a different activity, (ie the casino,) and the children hurt a
guest, someone needs to take responsibility. Our suggestion is that children be told that if they do not follow the rules, they will not be allowed to take part in the game.
Another
issue, regarding the elderly and disabled guests, is to have chairs to
sit on while waiting for elevators and entry into the dining rooms. The elevators often take several minutes to arrive, especially when there is an activity going on nearby, and at mealtimes. When
waiting for one’s party to gather before entering the dining rooms,
only one of the rooms has chairs on which to wait. Some folks have
difficulty standing for an extended period, but they are not disabled
enough to need to use a wheelchair or a scooter. At times, the
Michelangelo has four chairs (at others only one chair,) and there are
lovely waiting areas just a few steps away, but the De Vinci, being on a
different floor, has no place for people to sit while waiting.
The quality of the food at the Terrace Buffet was not up to our expectations. The hot foods do not stay hot and the cold foods are not cold enough. There were few choices of cold cuts. The ham was very fatty. The turkey looked and tasted pressed rather than freshly sliced. There was a good variety of foods served, including the taco bar on the last day.
The Pub luncheon at the Crown Grill was wonderful, and a good idea to introduce people to a different dining room. The tea, served every day, was a fantastic treat. It
was not well attended, but those of us who did attend, found it a
delightful time to relax and visit with our new-found friends. Many of
us went to the tea every day.
The advertising for all the sales and the photo opportunities was tedious. Those
people who want to shop, do not need to be constantly reminded, and
those of us who do not want to shop, don’t want to see advertisements
every place we go. Even the Princess Patter had overwhelming advertising daily. The
Patter is used by almost everyone to plan their day, and listing the
sales by time along with the other activities is redundant. Receiving multiple sales flyers in our mailboxes daily is also not welcome. Does anyone really want Spam on a cruise?
Clearer name-tags for the dining and bar staff would be very helpful, as seniors often do not see as well as they used to. We
like to acknowledge the staff who is so helpful to us by name without
having to stare at their nametag trying to read it, or ask them to tell
us what it is.
We would love to have more outlets in our staterooms. The one in the bathroom is only for razors, and there is only one other. In this day of electronics, people need to plug in their computers, readers, ipods and phones to keep them charged. Outlets in public areas were also in short supply.
There
were several other minor issues, but I don’t want to come across as
overly critical. We are already doing our research toward planning our
next cruise. We hope to take a Princess cruise through the Panama Canal
or to Hawai’i, and we welcome any input from you regarding ships that
might better meet our expectations than the Grand Princess did.
Sincerely,
Billie Garrow
It will be interesting to see if we get any kind of answer from them.
Heat Wave Is Coming
Wednesday, June 26
I have no trouble getting to sleep at night, but I can't stay asleep past 3 or 4
am most mornings. So, this morning, I made myself stay in bed until almost 5.
I got up very quietly and took a walk all by myself. I enjoyed the solitude, for
the most part, but I found it awfully boring after a few minutes. I would like to
continue to go out early, before it gets so hot, so I can get my day started with
some exercise. I plan to go to the pool later today.
 |
| Wheelbarrow Garden April 20 |
 |
| Wheelbarrow Garden June 22 |
 |
| Main Tomatoes May 27 |
 |
| Main Tomatoes June 22 |
I wish the tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries
would grow faster. We have been enjoying the little cherry and pear tomatoes
since we got home from the cruise, but the rest of the plants are so slow to
get big. Our plan was that we would be eating our own fruits and veggies by
the beginning of August. We have one month to reach that goal, and I think
the watermelon and cantaloupe will be running far behind that time line.
I can see progress but they will have to grow much faster if we're going have
delicious produce before the first frost. We're expected to get 100 degree days
for the next week, so that should give them a boost. Also, I fed all of the plants yesterday.
We noticed that the tomatoes at the Villa are growing impossibly fast. I wonder how often they feed them.
 |
| May 27 |
 |
| June 22 |
Tony gave me a lot of help on my blog, and I think I finally have the idea. There are just some fine points I need to work out.
We had a few errands to run, so we went to Oxbow park to walk. Oxbow is adjacent to the Truckee River in west Reno, and it has been there for many years.
Lately, it has been sadly neglected, but we did see some signs of progress. The dirt path used to end much sooner than it does now. We walked way past where it used to end, and I would have liked to go all the way to the end, but it was getting hot and Bill was wearing out, so we turned around. We liked the way the trees seemed to be reaching for the sun.
We had a few errands to run, so we went to Oxbow park to walk. Oxbow is adjacent to the Truckee River in west Reno, and it has been there for many years.
Lately, it has been sadly neglected, but we did see some signs of progress. The dirt path used to end much sooner than it does now. We walked way past where it used to end, and I would have liked to go all the way to the end, but it was getting hot and Bill was wearing out, so we turned around. We liked the way the trees seemed to be reaching for the sun.
 |
| Oxbow Trees |
We've been trying to eat healthy foods, so yesterday, we went to one of the farmer's markets to buy some fresh produce. We ended up getting only a couple of peaches and four plums. The prices are prohibitive, and the fruit at the market has been good lately. We had corn on the cob, and a salad with lots of veggies and a little bit of turkey last night. For tonight I made a potato salad, and we'll have a small dish of baked beans and watermelon. The hot weather has started, so for the next couple of days, we'll be having cold meals whenever possible.
June 27
Bill’s
throat has been hurting since the weekend, and he is more tired than
usual, so we got him in to see our nurse practitioner today. He has
strep, and has started on antibiotics. I called Susie to let her know
because we had planned for them to come over for dinner on Saturday.
After dinner, we want to go to the pool. She said they still want to
come, because the antibiotics should have started their work by then.
June 28
I had a phone call from Victoria, a customer relations specialist with Princess Cruises. We talked for several minutes, and she said that Princess appreciates such detailed feedback. Unfortunately, she didn't offer us a free cruise so we could experience a different ship, Oh well.
July 5
Why are there ants? We've been plagued with ants in the house for the last several years during the summer. The pest control people spray with the newest and best chemicals, but they still come back. I had to clean the kitchen and entry this morning - not my favorite thing to do any time, but especially at 4:30 in the morning.
We've gotten through the heat wave and have been promised high temperatures in the nineties instead of the low hundreds. Bill got over his strip and is feeling good. We've been swimming every day, trying to keep healthy.
Susie and Kurt are going to come over for dinner tomorrow evening and we'll go to the outside pool to swim when the sun is low enough to not need sunscreen. The outside pool usually closes at 5:00 on weekends, but the association approved having it opened on Saturdays until 8:00 for six weeks. We've been trying to go every Saturday so they will see that people are using it. The first time there were six other people there, but last Saturday there was only us and one other person. While we like it empty like that, we wish it would be used more so they will keep it open late all summer.
It's rather strange for a large dog like Mackie to be afraid of thunder and fireworks. You'd think she would be tougher. Miele doesn't even bat an eye when we have a storm, but as soon as Mackie hears the wind, or when it clouds up, she starts panting and trying to sit under my recliner. Tony told us about the Thunder Shirt for scardey-dogs but they are kind of costly, so I tried making her a Thunder Shirt for the storm and the fireworks yesterday, but it wasn't really tight enough, so I gave her a Xanax, too.
 |
Miele Unconcerned and Mackie On Alert |
She slept well last night and didn't get upset when the fireworks started. The storm left us without any thunder and lightning.
I found some old photos so I scanned them to our desktop computer. Now I need to move them to this computer. That's the problem with having more than one computer - when you want to work with something, it always seems to be stored on the other computer.
July 7
We had a wonderful time with Kurt and Susie. We served hamburgers, hotdogs, and I made baked beans and potato salad. Susie brought rum, coke and a yummy lemon cake. We rushed through dinner a little bit so we would have more time to spend at the pool. And it was lovely...so cool and refreshing. We stayed in the water for about 40 minutes and then we went inside to the hot tub for a little while. Susie and Kurt both have had some back pain, and the hot tub always feels good on Bill's leg. When we came back to the house, we had cake and played five phases of Phase 10, but we were all yawning, so they left at about 9:00. We cleaned the kitchen and were in bed by 9:30, and I think we were both sound asleep within five minutes. Now that Susie has retired, we hope to be able to get together more often.
Today, we had a nice, lazy morning before heading to the pool at 10:25. I did my 40 laps and we played catch with a cool little ball I found in my drawer. I think it is the ball the physical therapist gave Bill to do squeezing exercises, but it works perfectly in the pool because it is so light. Tossing it really helps us to stay in the water longer, so we get a better workout.
This afternoon, we went to the Nugget for dinner. Toscana has a program with the Nugget so that residents get food vouchers for $6.00 on Sundays. All we have to do is sign up. So we decided to do it today. We had a great early dinner for only $9.00. And, we found out that they don't have to be used right away, so we are going to sign up every Sunday, go in to get the vouchers, and then leave, saving the vouchers to use later. In only one month, we will have enough to take Kathy and Rommie and the girls out for a free dinner. The cuisine at the Nugget has always been one of our favorites.
July 8
July 19
I've really gotten into walking in the early morning. I wake up, without benefit of an alarm, between 4 and 4:30, just about every morning. I get up, and gather my clothes, which have been left on the dresser, and I go out of the room, closing the door. If it is close to the hour or half hour, i get my phone and put on Sirius radio, so that I can catch the beginning of whatever mystery is coming on the Radio Classics station. I get dressed, give Mackie her morning pill, and go out to the garage to put my shoes on. I walk out the front door, and get the Map My Walk app turned and I'm off. I started out with about one mile, and today I went two miles. It is so nice out at that time of the morning - cool, still dark, and quiet. I would like it if Bill would go with me, but he had such a hard time getting to sleep, that if he got up that early, he would only have gotten four or five hours of sleep.
When I get home, I feed the dogs, get a cold drink, and sit in my chair to check the emails and Facebook. I keep the radio on and listen to the end of the story I was listening to. Bill rolls out of bed between 7 and 8, and our day starts.
Yesterday, we went to west Reno to do some geo-caching. We went to the Truckee River and found two caches rather quickly, but we went late, and I had promised Bill that we would go to the Coney Island Bar for corned beef and cabbage, and they close at 2, so we didn't do much walking.
So, today, we got the Garmin loaded up with eight caches and went over to the river in Sparks, intending to walk from the car to the farthest cache and then catch all the caches along the river on the way back to the car. I thought the path would be much more shady than it was, so when Bill said to leave the water bottle in the car, I did. That was a big mistake. We walked from the car to a park, 1.46 miles east. We looked for the cache that should have been easy to find, but I was having trouble because I was getting light headed, and dizzy, and my legs were feeling like rubber. The park didn't have any drinking fountains that we could see, Bill said he would walk back to get the car but I didn't like that idea, so we started the trek back. When we got to the highway that crossed over the path, we walked up to it, and then we went north a little bit to a restaurant, where we got some water. That helped immensely. We sat there for a few minutes before getting to-go cups, and we finished the trek to the car. I vow to never again go for a walk in 98 degree heat without taking the water. It's amazing how terrible one can feel and then a glass of water makes it all better.
Our garden is not growing as well as we had hoped. I have photos from June 22 and I took photos this morning, and I don't think the progress is what it should have been.
We do, however, have an heirloom tomato that is almost ready to pick and we've been eating cherry tomatoes and pear tomatoes for a couple of weeks. They are so delicious. The cherrys in the corner
The rest of the yard is beautiful, but I'm already thinking of the fall when all those leaves are going to need to be raked and bagged.
We, who are pretty much, stay-at-home slugs, are going over to Sally and John's for swimming and dinner on Saturday afternoon. We have had an open invitation to drop in for a swim anytime since they moved there several years ago, and I think we have been over twice. I don't know why we don't take advantage of their generosity. We are taking pizza, and Sally is making a salad, so none of us has to slave in the kitchen. Oh, and we're making an apple pie, too. Their daughter, Kristy, is staying with them for a while because she has been having some major health issues, so she will be there. In fact, she is the one who wrote to me via Facebook and asked if we could all get together. I'm so glad she did. We last saw them a few months ago when we went to see the Abba group up at South Lake. And we enjoy their company so much.
Tony has pulled a disappearing act, again, and is absent from Facebook. It just isn't as much fun without his input, especially his pictures.
Not only are we doing something fun on Saturday, but we're also going to a party on Sunday. Susie and Kurt are having a baby shower for Chris and Charli Briscoe. That will be fun, too. We love Chris. He was one of my brood when I did day-care and we are happy that he is happy. Next weekend, there is a party for one of my other kids. Heather Shannon is moving to Spain. Her mom, Sherri, is having a going-away party for her and a couple of weeks later, she is having a baby shower for Jennifer, Heather's sister. Our social calendar is filling up rapidly.
July 20
My thoughts on the Trevon Martin tragedy...
I think that if I were walking alone at night, and came face to face with a person any age, of any color, wearing gang-looking clothes, I would feel some trepidation. People of all ages should be able to walk un-accosted at any time, but that has not been a reality in most places for many years. In this case, George Zimmerman had the right to defend himself, but (I wish I could italicize and underline "but") he put himself in the situation in the first place by getting out of his car and engaging Trevon, making him the most obvious person who could have avoided the situation. Probably nobody will ever know exactly what happened, but the confrontation didn't have to happen at all. Trevon would still be alive, and George wouldn't be as hated as Casey Anthony and Susan Smith are. Crazy people all over the country are having protests and ralleys about the verdict of not-guilty. But, most of the people who are out there"protesting" are really just idiots who will use any excuse to hurt people and property.
July 22
I finally remembered to take pictures of the giclees that Bryanna and Bailey bought at the Maui Tropical Plantation last year. They chose well, and the giclees look nice with the decor of their rooms.
We had a good visit with Sally and John and Kristy on Saturday evening. We sat inside until almost 7 because the temperature was above 100. The pool looked inviting, but it is in full sun, and we were enjoying the cool of the house. We had pizza, a huge salad filled with delicious vegies and the apple pie I made on Saturday morning, which turned out very well.
On Sunday, Kristy came over to swim and exercise with us, and she is going to come over this evening at 6 for more torture.
The baby shower for Chris and Charlie was fun. There were many people we didn't know and lots of little kids. Nick's son, Pierce, was there but his older brother, Landon, went out for the afternoon with his other grandmother. Pierce has grown a lot since we last saw him. He's almost four. It was good talking to Chris and Nick, even though we didn't have a chance to talk much. Nick said he misses the interaction between me and Tony on Facebook. I hope Tony gets back on it soon.
July 30
Tony is back on Facebook, and I've been enjoying his DC photos.
I was going our early every morning to walk, and last week I did over 14 miles. Then, on Friday, I got a blister on one toe, so I put a Band aid on it. The next morning, I got a really bad blister on my big toe from rubbing on the Band aid that was on my second toe. So, I have had to stop walking for a couple of days. We're still going to the pool and we've found that we like going in the evening.
We went to the bon voyage party for Heather, who is moving to Spain. Heather was one of our first day-care kids, way back in 1981. She is moving to be with her love, Dominique, and they are planning to get married in London next summer. We probably won't be going, but it sure would be fun.
We are actively planning a trip to Houston in February to see Scott and Jenn and the boys. It will have been a year and one-half since we saw them. That's way too long. While we're there, we hope to see Aunt Vera and Uncle Norm, who live in Rosenberg, about one hour southwest of Scott. We haven't seen them or Bill's cousins in a very long time. We've never met most of his cousins spouses and kids. We''ll take some time to see Rollie and Donna, too. They live about three hours northwest of Norm and Vera.
July 31
I picked our first Heirloom tomato today. We'll have to wait a couple of days to eat it because it isn't totally ripe, but it was getting sunburned, so I couldn't leave it there any longer. Bill discovered a baby watermelon hiding under one of the tomato plants. It seems the watermelon has decided it likes the shade.
August 1
Bill
is almost finished reading Stephen King's "11/22/63," an 849 page book.
It has taken him three days, and he is at that point where he doesn't
want to finish it because then he won't have it to read anymore. I love
books that make you sad when you are finished reading them.
Our trip to Petaluma and San Francisco was a good one. We had a great time with Monique and Brian, as always. We took baked mostaciolli and salad, and Monique made her first solo apple pie, which turned out perfectly. On Thursday, after seeing the doctor in the morning, we went to Boudins to buy a loaf of sour dough bread to have with the prime rib for dinner that night. Before dinner, Monique, Bill and I took a two and one-half mile walk around a nearby lake, so we were very ready for a nice relaxing meal.
I surpassed my goal of walking 60 miles in August. When I loaded the Nike+ app on my phone, I really didn't have a goal, but when I reached 15 miles in the first week, I thought I should set a goal for the month. With the fires raging near Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, the smoke has been terrible since the second week in August, which limited walking outside, but I still tried to do two miles in the mornings, and Bill and I went to the mall several times. Once around the mall, going through all the legs, equals just about .79 miles, so we go at least two times. Anyway, I will keep up with the walking, and, at this time, I don't forsee being able to do the same amount of miles this month, but, I'll see. I'm working on increasing my speed a little bit. My average alone is 21 minutes per mile, and that goes down to about 25 minutes when we walk together.
The next day, we did something we haven't done for such a long time that I can't remember when we last did it. We took an impromptu trip. It was great to just throw a few things into a suitcase and go. Of course, it wasn't as simple as all that. We had to gather up all the medicines and such, and thank goodness Kathy and Rommie are always so great about taking the dogs for a few days. We left home at 6:30 Friday morning, and we drove up to Battle Ground, Washington, to visit long time friends, Craig and Jackie. We were dismayed to find out that the speed limit was 55 all the way through Oregon, which made it take longer than we had planned. We had lunch in Bend, Oregon, and I checked-in on Facebook. About an hour later, I saw that Kathy and Paul, from Maui had commented on my post, that they live in Sisters, which we had to go through.
We sat in the gazebo and just gazed at the lovely yard until dinner time.
Different neighbors came over for dinner They had just returned from a trip, so they showed us photos of that. The ribs were outstanding and we had another fun evening.
Dr. Minor was in and out of the room in about four minutes, but I guess when the patient is continuing to be healthy, there is no reason to stay very long. We set up Bill's scans for late October and the next infusion will be November 8. We had a good visit with Monique and Brian last night and got on our way home at noon today. We had rain all the way and the traffic was very heavy in several places like Vacaville, Fairfield and Dixon, but we were making pretty good time until we started seeing the signs saying, "Chains must be carried over the summit." What? This is September, just the first day of Autumn. We figured they were being overly cautious, and the temperature was still in the high 40s as we got to Auburn. From there, it just kept getting colder and sometime after we passed Blue Canyon, the snow started. The road was still fine, but the traffic was going at a crawl for a few miles, when all of a sudden, it just stopped. We were a few miles short of Kingvale, and we sat there, not moving for over an hour. Finally, we crawled forward about one-tenth of a mile, and we could see an off-ramp ahead. I persuaded Bill to take it, and we turned left to Donner Pass Road and drove about four miles to the Soda Springs on-ramp.
That took about 20 minutes and it felt good to be
moving. Every time we could see the traffic on the freeway, it was at a
standstill. As we drove over the freeway, could see that there were
some trucks approaching. It appeared that they were letting just a few
vehicles through at a time. If we had stayed on the freeway, we would
probably still be sitting there in line (it is now 7:55, and we've been
home for about one hour.) Instead, we made it home in just under seven
hours when it should have taken four hours. We will be sure to have our
chains with us for the November trip, and we will remember the
wonderful detour, so maybe we will be able to get by not even having to
use the chains. It's amazing how the traffic backs up for miles and
takes hours to get going just because of one inch of snow on the road.
October 4
Just like that, Fall is here. The trees are turning everywhere. Only one of our maples has started, but it is lovely.
The lawn has really never looked more lush. I'm not sure why, except I was more careful with the watering schedule, and I fertilized in the spring and two weeks ago. But, I have always fertilized twice a year, so...
We added a new blackberry bush because we have been enjoying ten to 20 blackberries every day for a couple of months, and we want to be able to get more next year.
The tomatoes plants are showing the effects of 36 degree nights, but we are still getting great heirlooms from it. We will be sad when they are all done for the year. We still haven't picked our two watermelons, and we will have to do that before we head off to Maui next week. We have had some wonderful cantaloupes. We have had only one tiny zuccini from our plant, and we've had three yellow squashes, which were delicious. The cabbages are beautiful, but we are just leaving them in the ground because they are very tough.
I've been doing a lot of walking since about May. I've used different phone apps to track and I've finally settled on Nike+ . It's the most user friendly. From August 2 to October 3, I tracked...
On Tuesday, Christie came over to walk three miles with me, and yesterday morning, Veronica came over and we walked around the, now dead, DeAndrea Golf Course, which is terribly uphill, a distance of 3.5 miles. When we got back to the house, we went another half mile so it would be a total of four. We set the goal of walking to Maui, so from Sparks, I have gotten a to Dixon, California. After we get to San Francisco, we won't have any landmarks to use, so Maui will be our next stop.
I have posted a few pictures of the house, but I found some old ones, from when we first bought it, back in 2005. I will put them up, along with some showing the change.
Same views today.
November 8
So, we're back from Maui. What a great time we had! It was so much better than last year, because we both felt great. We stayed for 29 days instead of 20. As wonderful as it was to be there, it was really good to get back to our own house. Our house may be small, but it is a pretty good place to be. We had a good night's sleep after unpacking and putting away some of our stuff. We got home at 12:30 and didn't get to bed until after 2. We have the laundry all done and most of our things put away now (at 1:15 pm.) We went to the market and picked up our doggies from Kathy's house.
The pictures only show part of the pile. We filled three of those huge bags with leaves and we still have a lot to do, but we feel good that we got that much done on our first day home.
December 3
We went to Petaluma on November 21, one day early, because weren't sure of the weather. Sometimes the fog on the pass can be really bad, and we hate to have to drive in fog when it is dark. We had a great visit with Monique and Brian. We took them geocaching in Napa and had lunch there, and we played Pictionary one evening. Monique made delicious dinners. They always make our stay with them very special. Bill's treatment was on Friday, and we drove home on Sunday. The drive went very well, with no weather or traffic problems.
On Tuesday, Bill started having a reaction to the treatment, which landed him in the hospital for a few days. That part of the story is in his Cancer blog.
On Saturday, November 30, we picked Mickie and Maxine up from the airport and they told us a little bit about their cruise and their time in Orlando. Then we went over to Sherri Shannon;s for her post-Thanksgiving party. We were sorry to have to miss Thanksgiving with them, but we were glad Bill was well enough to go to this one. Kathy and Rommie and the girls were there. Kathy helped with the dinner preparation, but they left just before dinner because it was their 17th anniversary, and Rommie had made surprise dinner reservations at PF Chang.
Heather and her fiance, Dominick, had flown in from Spain, and Jennifer and Mathew were there, with their new little guy, Mads, and her son, John, who is already eight. There were a few other people, too, but most of them had gone to the Thanksgiving dinner, so they didn't go to this one. We hadn't planned on staying very late, but we were having such a good time that we stayed until almost 9:00. Sherri said she would like to have another get-together soon, so we are going to talk about it in the next week.
This morning, we got about two inches of snow. It started at 8 and it is still flurrying a bit at almost 4. We had to go out to the market, but the roads had been driven on enough that they weren't bad. Now we're holed up in our semi-warm house planning to stay here for a few days, because the high temps are supposed to be around 32 and the lows will be 5.
December 22
My goodness, I will have to start a new post in a few days. We have continued to have cold, but not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago, after we had our first good snow. This is what our street still looked like four days after it snowed on December 3.
We stopped at the Truckee River one afternoon and found it frozen most of the way across, with just a small stream down the middle. It was really awesome.
We went to Susie and Kurts on Sunday, Dec 15 for a night of fun. We played a couple of different kinds of games and we had enough food for everyone to take home leftovers. Bill got sick that night and spent the next few days in the hospital, but he is home again, and looking forward to Christmas.
On Thursday, we will be going to see one of Bill's doctors and then we will leave for Petaluma to spend a couple of days with Monique and Brian. San Francisco will be our destination on Friday, but it is just a "meet and greet" so we will be able to spend a lot of time having fun with them.
We are going over to Sherri's for dinner tomorrow night to see Jennifer and her family. I am going to make an apple pie, so I'd better go get busy.
While we were in Maui, my sister received her copy of the book I wrote. Here she is enjoying it.
This is me reading when it is too cold to do anything else.
Christmas
We only shopped for the grands this year, with a few little things for our kids. Bailey's main present was a Canon Rebel F3 camera, but it was from all of us, because it was rather expensive. Bailey and Bryanna got clothes, and soft electric throws. Brendan and Carson got science kits, which we thought would be fun for them. All the grands got copies of my book, autographed, so they can put it away to read to their own kids someday. We also have a few things to take with us when we visit in February.
This is Bryanna and Bailey at Grace's house on Christmas Eve, counting the money that was collected all year for the games.
We had a wonderful time with Kurt and Susie. We served hamburgers, hotdogs, and I made baked beans and potato salad. Susie brought rum, coke and a yummy lemon cake. We rushed through dinner a little bit so we would have more time to spend at the pool. And it was lovely...so cool and refreshing. We stayed in the water for about 40 minutes and then we went inside to the hot tub for a little while. Susie and Kurt both have had some back pain, and the hot tub always feels good on Bill's leg. When we came back to the house, we had cake and played five phases of Phase 10, but we were all yawning, so they left at about 9:00. We cleaned the kitchen and were in bed by 9:30, and I think we were both sound asleep within five minutes. Now that Susie has retired, we hope to be able to get together more often.
Today, we had a nice, lazy morning before heading to the pool at 10:25. I did my 40 laps and we played catch with a cool little ball I found in my drawer. I think it is the ball the physical therapist gave Bill to do squeezing exercises, but it works perfectly in the pool because it is so light. Tossing it really helps us to stay in the water longer, so we get a better workout.
This afternoon, we went to the Nugget for dinner. Toscana has a program with the Nugget so that residents get food vouchers for $6.00 on Sundays. All we have to do is sign up. So we decided to do it today. We had a great early dinner for only $9.00. And, we found out that they don't have to be used right away, so we are going to sign up every Sunday, go in to get the vouchers, and then leave, saving the vouchers to use later. In only one month, we will have enough to take Kathy and Rommie and the girls out for a free dinner. The cuisine at the Nugget has always been one of our favorites.
July 8
July 19
I've really gotten into walking in the early morning. I wake up, without benefit of an alarm, between 4 and 4:30, just about every morning. I get up, and gather my clothes, which have been left on the dresser, and I go out of the room, closing the door. If it is close to the hour or half hour, i get my phone and put on Sirius radio, so that I can catch the beginning of whatever mystery is coming on the Radio Classics station. I get dressed, give Mackie her morning pill, and go out to the garage to put my shoes on. I walk out the front door, and get the Map My Walk app turned and I'm off. I started out with about one mile, and today I went two miles. It is so nice out at that time of the morning - cool, still dark, and quiet. I would like it if Bill would go with me, but he had such a hard time getting to sleep, that if he got up that early, he would only have gotten four or five hours of sleep.
When I get home, I feed the dogs, get a cold drink, and sit in my chair to check the emails and Facebook. I keep the radio on and listen to the end of the story I was listening to. Bill rolls out of bed between 7 and 8, and our day starts.
Yesterday, we went to west Reno to do some geo-caching. We went to the Truckee River and found two caches rather quickly, but we went late, and I had promised Bill that we would go to the Coney Island Bar for corned beef and cabbage, and they close at 2, so we didn't do much walking.
So, today, we got the Garmin loaded up with eight caches and went over to the river in Sparks, intending to walk from the car to the farthest cache and then catch all the caches along the river on the way back to the car. I thought the path would be much more shady than it was, so when Bill said to leave the water bottle in the car, I did. That was a big mistake. We walked from the car to a park, 1.46 miles east. We looked for the cache that should have been easy to find, but I was having trouble because I was getting light headed, and dizzy, and my legs were feeling like rubber. The park didn't have any drinking fountains that we could see, Bill said he would walk back to get the car but I didn't like that idea, so we started the trek back. When we got to the highway that crossed over the path, we walked up to it, and then we went north a little bit to a restaurant, where we got some water. That helped immensely. We sat there for a few minutes before getting to-go cups, and we finished the trek to the car. I vow to never again go for a walk in 98 degree heat without taking the water. It's amazing how terrible one can feel and then a glass of water makes it all better.
Our garden is not growing as well as we had hoped. I have photos from June 22 and I took photos this morning, and I don't think the progress is what it should have been.
We do, however, have an heirloom tomato that is almost ready to pick and we've been eating cherry tomatoes and pear tomatoes for a couple of weeks. They are so delicious. The cherrys in the corner
 |
| Heirlooms July 19 |
 | |
| Watermelons and cukes against the fence June 22 |
 |
| Watermelons and cukes July 19 |
 |
| Cherries June 22 |
The photos don't do a good job of showing the difference, but the cherry tomato plants have gotten lots bigger. I wonder if they like the shade part of the day.
 | ||
| Cherries July 19 |
The rest of the yard is beautiful, but I'm already thinking of the fall when all those leaves are going to need to be raked and bagged.
We, who are pretty much, stay-at-home slugs, are going over to Sally and John's for swimming and dinner on Saturday afternoon. We have had an open invitation to drop in for a swim anytime since they moved there several years ago, and I think we have been over twice. I don't know why we don't take advantage of their generosity. We are taking pizza, and Sally is making a salad, so none of us has to slave in the kitchen. Oh, and we're making an apple pie, too. Their daughter, Kristy, is staying with them for a while because she has been having some major health issues, so she will be there. In fact, she is the one who wrote to me via Facebook and asked if we could all get together. I'm so glad she did. We last saw them a few months ago when we went to see the Abba group up at South Lake. And we enjoy their company so much.
Tony has pulled a disappearing act, again, and is absent from Facebook. It just isn't as much fun without his input, especially his pictures.
Not only are we doing something fun on Saturday, but we're also going to a party on Sunday. Susie and Kurt are having a baby shower for Chris and Charli Briscoe. That will be fun, too. We love Chris. He was one of my brood when I did day-care and we are happy that he is happy. Next weekend, there is a party for one of my other kids. Heather Shannon is moving to Spain. Her mom, Sherri, is having a going-away party for her and a couple of weeks later, she is having a baby shower for Jennifer, Heather's sister. Our social calendar is filling up rapidly.
July 20
My thoughts on the Trevon Martin tragedy...
I think that if I were walking alone at night, and came face to face with a person any age, of any color, wearing gang-looking clothes, I would feel some trepidation. People of all ages should be able to walk un-accosted at any time, but that has not been a reality in most places for many years. In this case, George Zimmerman had the right to defend himself, but (I wish I could italicize and underline "but") he put himself in the situation in the first place by getting out of his car and engaging Trevon, making him the most obvious person who could have avoided the situation. Probably nobody will ever know exactly what happened, but the confrontation didn't have to happen at all. Trevon would still be alive, and George wouldn't be as hated as Casey Anthony and Susan Smith are. Crazy people all over the country are having protests and ralleys about the verdict of not-guilty. But, most of the people who are out there"protesting" are really just idiots who will use any excuse to hurt people and property.
July 22
I finally remembered to take pictures of the giclees that Bryanna and Bailey bought at the Maui Tropical Plantation last year. They chose well, and the giclees look nice with the decor of their rooms.
 |
| Bryanna's |
 | ||
| Bailey's |
We had a good visit with Sally and John and Kristy on Saturday evening. We sat inside until almost 7 because the temperature was above 100. The pool looked inviting, but it is in full sun, and we were enjoying the cool of the house. We had pizza, a huge salad filled with delicious vegies and the apple pie I made on Saturday morning, which turned out very well.
On Sunday, Kristy came over to swim and exercise with us, and she is going to come over this evening at 6 for more torture.
The baby shower for Chris and Charlie was fun. There were many people we didn't know and lots of little kids. Nick's son, Pierce, was there but his older brother, Landon, went out for the afternoon with his other grandmother. Pierce has grown a lot since we last saw him. He's almost four. It was good talking to Chris and Nick, even though we didn't have a chance to talk much. Nick said he misses the interaction between me and Tony on Facebook. I hope Tony gets back on it soon.
July 30
Tony is back on Facebook, and I've been enjoying his DC photos.
I was going our early every morning to walk, and last week I did over 14 miles. Then, on Friday, I got a blister on one toe, so I put a Band aid on it. The next morning, I got a really bad blister on my big toe from rubbing on the Band aid that was on my second toe. So, I have had to stop walking for a couple of days. We're still going to the pool and we've found that we like going in the evening.
We went to the bon voyage party for Heather, who is moving to Spain. Heather was one of our first day-care kids, way back in 1981. She is moving to be with her love, Dominique, and they are planning to get married in London next summer. We probably won't be going, but it sure would be fun.
We are actively planning a trip to Houston in February to see Scott and Jenn and the boys. It will have been a year and one-half since we saw them. That's way too long. While we're there, we hope to see Aunt Vera and Uncle Norm, who live in Rosenberg, about one hour southwest of Scott. We haven't seen them or Bill's cousins in a very long time. We've never met most of his cousins spouses and kids. We''ll take some time to see Rollie and Donna, too. They live about three hours northwest of Norm and Vera.
July 31
I picked our first Heirloom tomato today. We'll have to wait a couple of days to eat it because it isn't totally ripe, but it was getting sunburned, so I couldn't leave it there any longer. Bill discovered a baby watermelon hiding under one of the tomato plants. It seems the watermelon has decided it likes the shade.
 |
| Bowl of cherry tomatoes with two heirlooms |
 |
| Our new baby |
August 1
Bill
is almost finished reading Stephen King's "11/22/63," an 849 page book.
It has taken him three days, and he is at that point where he doesn't
want to finish it because then he won't have it to read anymore. I love
books that make you sad when you are finished reading them.
Kristy and Sally Spinola are going to come over for sappy girl movie day. We're going to watch the 1039 version of The Women, by Clare Booth Luce, one of my all time favorites. Bill has seen it with me several times, so he is going to hole up in the den and read. It started out that I was going to make popcorn, but, because we all love tea, I am going to serve a tea luncheon, with cucumber and cream cheese, tuna, and egg salad sammies. I am also going to make English scones and Devonshire cream. It has been a very long time since I had anyone over for such a special meal. I wish my sister could be here. I think it would be so much fun with her.
Our trip to Petaluma and San Francisco was a good one. We had a great time with Monique and Brian, as always. We took baked mostaciolli and salad, and Monique made her first solo apple pie, which turned out perfectly. On Thursday, after seeing the doctor in the morning, we went to Boudins to buy a loaf of sour dough bread to have with the prime rib for dinner that night. Before dinner, Monique, Bill and I took a two and one-half mile walk around a nearby lake, so we were very ready for a nice relaxing meal.
We left their house around 9 am on Friday, and got a call from Brian at 12 ish. He said he was looking at a very nice computer sitting on their desk! It was too far to go back, so he sent it to us. We stopped for a mile walk in Truckee.
I surpassed my goal of walking 60 miles in August. When I loaded the Nike+ app on my phone, I really didn't have a goal, but when I reached 15 miles in the first week, I thought I should set a goal for the month. With the fires raging near Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, the smoke has been terrible since the second week in August, which limited walking outside, but I still tried to do two miles in the mornings, and Bill and I went to the mall several times. Once around the mall, going through all the legs, equals just about .79 miles, so we go at least two times. Anyway, I will keep up with the walking, and, at this time, I don't forsee being able to do the same amount of miles this month, but, I'll see. I'm working on increasing my speed a little bit. My average alone is 21 minutes per mile, and that goes down to about 25 minutes when we walk together.
September 1
The next day, we did something we haven't done for such a long time that I can't remember when we last did it. We took an impromptu trip. It was great to just throw a few things into a suitcase and go. Of course, it wasn't as simple as all that. We had to gather up all the medicines and such, and thank goodness Kathy and Rommie are always so great about taking the dogs for a few days. We left home at 6:30 Friday morning, and we drove up to Battle Ground, Washington, to visit long time friends, Craig and Jackie. We were dismayed to find out that the speed limit was 55 all the way through Oregon, which made it take longer than we had planned. We had lunch in Bend, Oregon, and I checked-in on Facebook. About an hour later, I saw that Kathy and Paul, from Maui had commented on my post, that they live in Sisters, which we had to go through.
 |
| Before the storm |
We sat in the gazebo and just gazed at the lovely yard until dinner time.
 |
| Jackie and Bill |
Dr. Minor was in and out of the room in about four minutes, but I guess when the patient is continuing to be healthy, there is no reason to stay very long. We set up Bill's scans for late October and the next infusion will be November 8. We had a good visit with Monique and Brian last night and got on our way home at noon today. We had rain all the way and the traffic was very heavy in several places like Vacaville, Fairfield and Dixon, but we were making pretty good time until we started seeing the signs saying, "Chains must be carried over the summit." What? This is September, just the first day of Autumn. We figured they were being overly cautious, and the temperature was still in the high 40s as we got to Auburn. From there, it just kept getting colder and sometime after we passed Blue Canyon, the snow started. The road was still fine, but the traffic was going at a crawl for a few miles, when all of a sudden, it just stopped. We were a few miles short of Kingvale, and we sat there, not moving for over an hour. Finally, we crawled forward about one-tenth of a mile, and we could see an off-ramp ahead. I persuaded Bill to take it, and we turned left to Donner Pass Road and drove about four miles to the Soda Springs on-ramp.
October 4
Just like that, Fall is here. The trees are turning everywhere. Only one of our maples has started, but it is lovely.
The lawn has really never looked more lush. I'm not sure why, except I was more careful with the watering schedule, and I fertilized in the spring and two weeks ago. But, I have always fertilized twice a year, so...
 |
| New Blackberry |
We added a new blackberry bush because we have been enjoying ten to 20 blackberries every day for a couple of months, and we want to be able to get more next year.
The tomatoes plants are showing the effects of 36 degree nights, but we are still getting great heirlooms from it. We will be sad when they are all done for the year. We still haven't picked our two watermelons, and we will have to do that before we head off to Maui next week. We have had some wonderful cantaloupes. We have had only one tiny zuccini from our plant, and we've had three yellow squashes, which were delicious. The cabbages are beautiful, but we are just leaving them in the ground because they are very tough.
 | |
| Tomato Bed |
I've been doing a lot of walking since about May. I've used different phone apps to track and I've finally settled on Nike+ . It's the most user friendly. From August 2 to October 3, I tracked...
On Tuesday, Christie came over to walk three miles with me, and yesterday morning, Veronica came over and we walked around the, now dead, DeAndrea Golf Course, which is terribly uphill, a distance of 3.5 miles. When we got back to the house, we went another half mile so it would be a total of four. We set the goal of walking to Maui, so from Sparks, I have gotten a to Dixon, California. After we get to San Francisco, we won't have any landmarks to use, so Maui will be our next stop.
 |
| Backyard - no sunroom or landscaping |
Same views today. November 8
So, we're back from Maui. What a great time we had! It was so much better than last year, because we both felt great. We stayed for 29 days instead of 20. As wonderful as it was to be there, it was really good to get back to our own house. Our house may be small, but it is a pretty good place to be. We had a good night's sleep after unpacking and putting away some of our stuff. We got home at 12:30 and didn't get to bed until after 2. We have the laundry all done and most of our things put away now (at 1:15 pm.) We went to the market and picked up our doggies from Kathy's house.
We've put all our plants back where they
belong (we had put the all together in one area so it would be easier for our
neighbor to water them.) I'm very pleased with the amount of work we've gotten
done already. The yard is full of leaves
that I've already raked and Bill is going to help me bag them when he's done
with the mail. After that, we're going to take the day off and read, then
tonight, we'll start watching all the shows we recorded while we were
gone. That will take several nights,
because we have four weeks of stuff, but, with the cold coming, it won't be a
problem for us to stay inside and curl up under blankets.
 |
| There was a little bit of work to do in the yard |
The pictures only show part of the pile. We filled three of those huge bags with leaves and we still have a lot to do, but we feel good that we got that much done on our first day home.
December 3
We went to Petaluma on November 21, one day early, because weren't sure of the weather. Sometimes the fog on the pass can be really bad, and we hate to have to drive in fog when it is dark. We had a great visit with Monique and Brian. We took them geocaching in Napa and had lunch there, and we played Pictionary one evening. Monique made delicious dinners. They always make our stay with them very special. Bill's treatment was on Friday, and we drove home on Sunday. The drive went very well, with no weather or traffic problems.
On Tuesday, Bill started having a reaction to the treatment, which landed him in the hospital for a few days. That part of the story is in his Cancer blog.
On Saturday, November 30, we picked Mickie and Maxine up from the airport and they told us a little bit about their cruise and their time in Orlando. Then we went over to Sherri Shannon;s for her post-Thanksgiving party. We were sorry to have to miss Thanksgiving with them, but we were glad Bill was well enough to go to this one. Kathy and Rommie and the girls were there. Kathy helped with the dinner preparation, but they left just before dinner because it was their 17th anniversary, and Rommie had made surprise dinner reservations at PF Chang.
Heather and her fiance, Dominick, had flown in from Spain, and Jennifer and Mathew were there, with their new little guy, Mads, and her son, John, who is already eight. There were a few other people, too, but most of them had gone to the Thanksgiving dinner, so they didn't go to this one. We hadn't planned on staying very late, but we were having such a good time that we stayed until almost 9:00. Sherri said she would like to have another get-together soon, so we are going to talk about it in the next week.
 |
| 8:30 am |
This morning, we got about two inches of snow. It started at 8 and it is still flurrying a bit at almost 4. We had to go out to the market, but the roads had been driven on enough that they weren't bad. Now we're holed up in our semi-warm house planning to stay here for a few days, because the high temps are supposed to be around 32 and the lows will be 5.
 |
| 9:30 am |
December 22
My goodness, I will have to start a new post in a few days. We have continued to have cold, but not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago, after we had our first good snow. This is what our street still looked like four days after it snowed on December 3.
We stopped at the Truckee River one afternoon and found it frozen most of the way across, with just a small stream down the middle. It was really awesome.
We went to Susie and Kurts on Sunday, Dec 15 for a night of fun. We played a couple of different kinds of games and we had enough food for everyone to take home leftovers. Bill got sick that night and spent the next few days in the hospital, but he is home again, and looking forward to Christmas.
On Thursday, we will be going to see one of Bill's doctors and then we will leave for Petaluma to spend a couple of days with Monique and Brian. San Francisco will be our destination on Friday, but it is just a "meet and greet" so we will be able to spend a lot of time having fun with them.
We are going over to Sherri's for dinner tomorrow night to see Jennifer and her family. I am going to make an apple pie, so I'd better go get busy.
While we were in Maui, my sister received her copy of the book I wrote. Here she is enjoying it.
This is me reading when it is too cold to do anything else.
Christmas
We only shopped for the grands this year, with a few little things for our kids. Bailey's main present was a Canon Rebel F3 camera, but it was from all of us, because it was rather expensive. Bailey and Bryanna got clothes, and soft electric throws. Brendan and Carson got science kits, which we thought would be fun for them. All the grands got copies of my book, autographed, so they can put it away to read to their own kids someday. We also have a few things to take with us when we visit in February.
This is Bryanna and Bailey at Grace's house on Christmas Eve, counting the money that was collected all year for the games. | |||
| The chef gets breakfast ready |
 | |||
| Ready for presents |
 | |
| Rommie is reading It Was a Dark and Froggy Night |
 |
| Bailey with her camera |
 | |
| In their Christmas jammies |
 | |
| Are you serious? |
 |
| Silly Gramps |
