Kaitlyn’s 4th Birthday

 

April 19, 2009                                                                                                    Chuck’s Report

 

And now for the main reason we wanted to be here at this time, Kaitlyn’s birthday and her party.  She had been calling Nana at least once a week for the past couple of months to make sure she was coming to her birthday party, as if she would miss it for the world. 

On Sunday, Susy and Mark had a party for Kaitlyn and some of her friends at a kids place where they can play on those big blown up slides and such.  They rent this place out for parties so it wasn’t too busy they could go from one toy to another with no waiting.  She had a ball and really got tired out.  Afterwards they had pizza and cake for her and her friends.  Susy’s friend Mandy made and decorated a princess cake for her, it turned out really nice, good job Mandy.

Monday and Tuesday I picked Kaitlyn up at their house and she played all day with Nana, they sure have a good time.  Wednesday was her actual birthday, Mark took off work that morning to be with her.  We met them at their house until we left to meet Susy for lunch.  After lunch we did some running and then had a party at their house where Kaitlyn opened the rest of her presents.  After a good dinner, we had another birthday cake, chocolate this time.  

Thursday we picked up Kaitlyn from her house but on Friday, Mark had a business meeting close by and he dropped her off at our place.  After his meeting, we picked him up and dropped him off at San Francisco Airport for his trip to Seattle to visit with his dad.  His dad is still recovering, they have his pain under better control and he is at home.  We wish him and his whole family the best!!

Saturday Susy and Kaitlyn came by our coach and then the three girls when shopping and got their portraits taken for Mother’s Day. 

This week we also got some necessary work done on the coach.  On Monday we got to the service center about 8:30, this meant having to get up earlier than normal and getting the coach ready for travel.  We picked it up about 4:30, there were a couple of things still needed and some parts that had to be shipped in so we scheduled it back there on Wednesday.  Tuesday I took it about 30 miles away for a recall to have the hitch replaced, took all of 25 minutes to do the work but was all morning driving in traffic back and forth.  Then back to the shop on Wednesday to finish up with the maintenance work, but of course they found more.  The radiator overflow bottle on the generator had a hole in it and can you believe. it was still under warranty for 5 more days.  I had to take it to another shop, he checked it out and ordered the parts and will call when they get in, one more trip to make then we should be done, hope, hope.  Lorraine has to put everything away for any trip we make so this week she hasn’t put all of the normal stuff out and it isn’t “home”, if you know what I mean. 

Friday morning started out nice and sunny, forecast to be in the 80s.  I decided to wax the roof on the coach, didn’t finish before it got too hot so stopped and finished on Saturday morning.  I can tell that I’m out of shape, I’m tired, sore and I got a bit of a sunburn but glad it’s done.  I’m not sure I could do a honest, hard day’s work now, don’t plan on finding out either, ha. 

We are scheduled to leave here on Wednesday and start our trip back to Bellingham.  The only schedule we have so far is to meet with our friend Tim, from Lynden, Wash.  He is driving down to meet us at Seven Feather’s RV park in Oregon.  We want to visit with a couple of other friends along the way too, we have to work out the schedule yet so I won’t make any promises.  Boy have we met lots of nice folks in our travels this past year and a half. 

I’m still working on the timetable for our upcoming Alaska trip.  I need to make a couple of phone calls this week but it still looks like the first of June we will be driving into Alaska for a 4 month visit.  I’ve done lots of research on what to see and do while in Alaska, don’t think we can see and do all of it even in the 4 months, its a big state with lots to do, plus this is their 50th anniversary of statehood so there will be lots of celebrations for that too. 

Now, here are some pictures of our week. 

Here’s Kaitlyn telling Nana a joke.

Must have been a funny one, they sure enjoyed it.

Following are some pictures from Kaitlyn’s birthday party at Pump It Up Kids.  She really liked the big slide, especially when Mommy or Daddy would go with her.  I also included a picture of the cake that Mandy decorated, looks too good to cut,doesn’t it?

    

On Thursday, Kaitlyn was so worn out, she actually took a nap in the car.  Later, we played with her bubble machine she received for her birthday.  She sure enjoys live, huh!!

On Wednesday she was able to open the last of her presents and have her chocolate birthday cake.  What a big week for a small girl.  And you know, she didn’t change much from when she was three when she turned four like she thought would happen. 

 

 

And now that all that is done, it’s time to clean up.  Here’s Kaitlyn cleaning the kitchen floor, what a big help.

So once again, that was our week.  Nana hasn’t had time to do her regular post yet, too busy but if the first two pictures show nothing else, they show what she has been doing this week.  If she does write a post, I’ll add it here and send out a note letting you know but I wouldn’t count on it this week. 

With Mark in Seattle, Susy and Kaitlyn spent the night with us in the motorhome.  Kaitlyn is now up and playing with Nana and I’m finishing up this blog.  Pretty soon, we will have to make our plans for today, looking forward to that. 

So until next time - - -  - -  

Thanks  Chuck

We’re in San Jose

 

Sunday, April 12, 2009                                                                                                      Lorraine’s Report

Happy Easter to all our family and friend, we hope this finds everyone healthy and happy on this blessed Holy Day.

We are here at Trailer Tel RV Park in San Jose, CA. We got here Wednesday, having left Palm Springs Tuesday. We hit a terrific wind storm on our way up. The winds were gusting pretty hard, and down by Buttonwillow, CA, four big truck rigs were blown off the road and crashed in the blowing dust.

We’ve been busy with our granddaughter, Kaitlyn, watching her while her mom Susy, and Dad Mark are at work. She just loves for NaNa to watch her. We read, watch TV, do art work, play, eat; just your everyday stuff.

Today is the day Susy is having Kaitlyn’s fourth birthday party at Pump It Up, a play land jumping house, with all kinds of things for kids of all ages. She had it there last year and all the children loved it. Her actual birthday is Wednesday, April 15, 2009, tax day.

Friday was Chuck’s 60^th birthday and Susy’s home was all decked out with 60 everywhere. She and Mark took us all out to the Outback to have a grand birthday dinner. We went back to her home for cake and presents. Kaitlyn, and Kim, Susy’s friend Mandy, her sister Beth, and Kim, who came down for Kaitlyn’s birthday, from Bellingham, were happy to help PaPa open presents. The girls had a fun time. What a great birthday party-Thank you everyone!!!

I should let everyone know, I’m feeling quite a bit better. Yesterday, I went shopping with Susy to a big mall. We made it through the whole mall, which is great, because I hadn’t been able to do that much walking. My fingers got pink color back, not the yellow tinge they had been. While I still have good days, bad days, it feels like I’m having more good days. Hopefully that will keep up as I continue to improve.

Monday evening our friends, Tom and Dorothy came over to the motor home and wanted to find out more about our trip to Alaska this summer. They had lots of questions, which we answered. It turns out they want to go to Alaska with us, so we will have six coaches going to Alaska with us this summer. It’s Alaska’s 50^th birthday of becoming a state, so there should be lots of celebrations going on all over the state. I’m looking forward to going, it should be fun!

So that is it for me for this week. I love being here with my granddaughter and daughter. Kaitlyn is such a joy for me, I love being with her and Susy.

Here’s hoping Pat is okay from his hip surgery; Kerri, my niece, recovers from her surgery, Betty from Palm Springs, TT has good news, Bill, Mark’s dad continues to be comfortable at home from his time in the hospital, and the rest of the people I’ve been praying for continue to improve.

Till next time…Happy Easter……..Lorraine

4/12/09                                                                                                                               Chuck’s Report

First, Happy Easter to everyone!!  Hope you have a good day and can spend it with family. 

Last week I posted about my cousin Lucinda’s husband, Pat, having a hip replaced, hope everything is going good there, I haven’t heard.  Our son-in-law’s dad is now home from the hospital and they have his pain treated somewhat, hope he is resting more comfortable.  Our niece, Kerri had surgery in Bellingham this week and here’s hoping for a quick recovery for her, too. 

Lorraine seems to be getting better each day.  She sometimes tries to do too much and gets tired but at least she’s out there trying.  I think a lot of her recovery can be attributed to being with Susy and Kaitlyn this week.

We stayed in Palm Springs an extra day last week due to high wind forecast in the area.  We had very high winds for two days, the clean coach got dirty, sand was blown into every nook and crevice.  On Monday night, Tom and Dorothy came by to talk about our trip to Alaska, they decided they will go with us, good deal.  By Tuesday morning, the winds had died down so we decided to leave Palm Springs and head for the Bay area. 

But while we were traveling up on Tuesday, the winds picked up again and we went through some pretty windy spots.  We were getting hit broadside with ~ 6omph winds, in some places we went through sand storms bad enough to almost lose visibility and the wind was trying to blow us off the road.  We decided to stop early for the night and wait out the wind storm.  We stayed in a campground and hunkered down, the winds finally died down late that evening.  Not fun driving with heavy winds hitting the rig broadside, I can tell you.  We heard that 4 big rigs had overturned on the highway due to the winds, glad we didn’t do the same!  All in all, it handles the wind pretty well but given the choice, I’d rather sit it out and wait for the wind to die down. 

So on Wednesday we got to the Bay area.  We dropped off the coach in a parking lot and checked out a couple of different spots to stay.  One was the fairground close by.  They had full hook-ups and a good price but we didn’t feel safe there so we moved on.  Next spot we checked was the local Elks, very nice but they don’t have a sewer dump there, would have to leave the lot to dump the holding tanks, plus they only had 30 amp for power.  So we decided to head on to a park we have stayed at before, Trailer Tel RV Park.  The good thing about this one is it’s close to Susy’s place, about 5 miles or so, has full hook-ups and it’s quiet.  Bad thing, it only has 30 amp and it’s expensive.  But, being close, we decided to stay here for at least a week, maybe two. 

Once we got set up, we went to pick up Kaitlyn from her school.  Boy was she excited to see Nana!! We also had her all day on Thursday and Friday, picked her up from their house and kept her with us both days.  It was raining and windy outside so Lorraine and Kaitlyn played, did art work, watched movies and rested but mostly just enjoyed being with each other. 

Kaitlyn and Papa Wednesday evening, something tickles her fancy here.

Kaitlyn with beads from NaNa, Misty watching, hoping to get some food.

Kaitlyn wasn’t feeling too well on Friday afternoon so we waited in the car while Lorraine finished up shopping.  Kaitlyn liked playing with Lorraine’s straw hats and I managed to get a couple of pictures. 

 

On Friday when we brought Kaitlyn home, this is what we saw.  Must have been my birthday or something.  Susy’s friend, Mandy, came down from Bellingham for Kaitlyn’s birthday.  She and her sister, Beth, put up the decorations Susy had bought.  Good job.

 

This is the cake Mandy made, good thing it didn’t have 60 candles, however.  Kaitlyn helped blow out the candles when they were lit though. 

We went to dinner at Outback for my birthday, thanks Mark and Susy.  Here are some pictures from dinner.

    Me with Lorraine, Kaitlyn

  Susy and Mark

  Mandy, her daughter Kim and sister Beth

Kaitlyn helping blow out the candle on our desert. 

After dinner we went back to Susy’s place, had cake and opened presents.  Thanks for a good day Lorraine, Susy, Mark, Kaitlyn, Mandy, Kim and Beth.  Also thanks to those who sent messages and/or called.  It’s good to have that over with, now we can celebrate Kaitlyn’s birthday.

Kaitlyn helping me open presents. 

This week we will be celebrating Kaitlyn’s 4th birthday.  Today, Sunday, there a party at a place close to their house where the kids can jump in those blow up jumpy things.  Her birthday is actually on Wednesday the 15th so I’m sure there will be a cake that day also.  She is sure excited about being 4, seems lots of things will happen when she is grown up.  She says “When I’m 4 I will ----“  all the time, she really expects to have some big changes happen to her on her birthday. 

We also have some maintenance work planned for the coach this week on Monday and Tuesday.  Only bad thing about that is we have to get there in the mornings and the traffic can be bad.  We only have to get the oil changed, grease the chassis and have the normal checks done once a year, want to get all that done before we head North for the summer.  We also have a recall on the coach (change out the tow bar connection) that will get taken care of during that time too. 

By the way, I have three brothers who have birthdays this week also.  Happy birthday to Gilbert (15th), Brian and Brad (17th) this week!  April was a busy month for birthdays around our house when we were kids, 4 within a week. 

With Mark’s dad still recovering from his surgery, he wants to head back to Seattle to spend time with him.  So we will be staying here to help Susy, and of course, spend more time with Kaitlyn.  We don’t have our schedule set yet but we have doctor visits scheduled in early May up in Bellingham, will have to leave here the following week sometime.  But for now, we know we will be in the area for at least another week, Lorraine is very happy about that, I’ll tell you.  More time to be NaNa and be with Susy!!

So until next time, this OLD guy will say so long. 

Thanks   Chuck

We’re in Palm Springs now

 

Sunday, April 5, 2009                                                                                                      Lorraine’s Report

Another week has gone by, and we moved from San Diego Elks campgrounds to here in Palm Desert, Thousand Trails. I have to say the weather is sure a lot warmer. But boy oh boy, did we ever have two days of high, heavy winds. It was gusting up to 65 MPH. The beautiful palm trees here were bent in half. I was glad they didn’t uproot and topple over. Chuck got up the night before last at 3am and pulled in two of the slides, and even then the coach just rocked hard all night. The howling wind reminded me of the storms we use to get back on the bay in Bellingham.

Well, I have to say, it sure is good to be back on the road. Even though I’m still not 100%, it’s nice to be doing a little more than I when I was flat on my back. We’ve had to clean the coach, get some supplies, and yesterday, we took all the bedding and rugs for cleaning at the new Laundromat. Then I wondered why clean, when the sand was blowing so hard in the wind, whipping it into everything again. Oh well.

Thursday and Friday nights we went to dinner to Applebee’s and then the Desert Hot Springs Elk’s where Chuck joined in January, with our very good friends, Tom & Dorothy and Dorothy’s niece, Melissa.  It was so great to spend some time with them again.  We visited until late in the evening before we finally said our goodbyes.  We hope to see them again on Monday evening before we leave.  We’re trying to talk Tom and Dorothy into going to Alaska with us this summer.  I don’t know if it will happen, but it would sure be nice if they went.  I know everyone would have a great time.

Saturday  we sat out and visited with the neighbors for a while. Then Chuck took me up to the casino, Augustine. I ended the day up and we had the buffet, prime rib and lobster. It was delicious.

We are hoping to leave here on Tuesday and head up to the bay area for our granddaughter’s fourth birthday. She’s going to be 4 on the 15 of April. And speaking of birthday’s, Chuck will turn 60 on the 10^th of April. We will be at our daughters' home for that. I’m so looking forward to seeing Susy and Kaitlyn again. Kaitlyn has been calling and asking if NaNa and PaPa are coming to her Happy Birthday Party. She has been just worried to death that we won’t be there. I assure her I wouldn’t miss it for the world! She brings us such joy!! It’s great she has started talking on the telephone, and there are days she needs to talk with her NaNa. She is getting over being shy on the phone and that pleases me to no end.

So that is it for this week. Not much happening here, just everyday living. So until next time…..Take care and Thank You again to everyone that wrote and prayed and sent all their best wishes. Till next time…….Lorraine

 

4/5/09                                                                                                                           Chuck’s Report

Good new last week, Lorraine’s doctor checked her over on Monday and said he would release her so we could continue down the road.  Her liver functions still aren’t back to normal but heading in the right direction.  We have all the reports from the doctor in case we have to see another one on the road but here’s hoping we don’t.  We have made an appointment with our family doctor back in Bellingham and will see what the blood tests show then.  Thanks to all who sent her good wishes and prayers, it is nice to know so many people care. 

Speaking of caring, Lucinda, one of my cousins, has her husband in the hospital getting a hip replacement.  My guess is they are still in their 40s, too young to be going through this.   Anyway, good luck to Pat, hope everything turns out good and he is back to better than normal soon. 

Another one that needs our prayers and thoughts is our son-in-law Mark’s dad.  He is in the hospital in Seattle recovering from surgery and is in lots of pain.  Please keep Bill in your prayers too. 

So we left San Diego area on Tuesday, a short 3 hour trip to Palm Springs.  It felt good to be on the road again.  This park has a few pull through sites, easier to get a big rig into but they were all taken when we got here.  So we settled for a back-in site, nice with full hook-ups and 50 amp power.   We also get good cell phone and internet service so Lorraine is happier too.  We are in the back portion, the front has lots of freeway noise.  Only problem we’ve had is two days and nights of heavy winds.   One of our neighbors said they thought the wind speed was at least Mach 2, ha.  It was probably 50 – 60 MPH steady with gust higher than that.   We brought in the awnings when the wind started and even pulled the motorhome slides in one night.  But its now back to a nice, 80 – 90F with a slight breeze, very comfortable weather for sitting outside, checking my eyelids for leaks. 

Lorraine is feeling a bit better each day, although we still try to not overdo too much.  We did take our throw rugs and bedding down to a laundry mat one afternoon, went to Wal-Mart and went to dinner twice with our friends Tom and Dorothy.  They are now at least thinking about going to Alaska with us this summer, hope the decide to go, they are nice folks and we enjoy being with them.  Tom is the one that helped me join the Elks earlier this year.

This park allows you to wash your rig at your site.  I didn’t want to hit it too hard so I took two days to finish washing/drying it.  Of course, that night is when the winds picked up, created lots of dust so now its clean but has a heavy layer of dust on it (does that make sense?).  Anyway, the water is too hard here to just rinse it off without drying it so I guess I’ll leave it and hope the dust blows off as we travel down the road this week.  I still need to do the tires and wheels, may get to them today.

So that was our week, Lorraine is better but still not 100%.  She is really ready to head to the Bay area this week for our grand daughter’s 4th birthday.  Kaitlyn calls every once in a while and asks if NaNa is still coming to her birthday party, cute, as if Lorraine would miss it.  Our plans are to be in the Bay area with them for maybe two weeks and I’ve scheduled for some maintenance to be done on the coach.  We have 4 double pane windows that have leaking seals with moisture between the panes, Tiffin sent out replacements and will pay to have them replaced.  Also, we are scheduled for a hitch replacement, a recall from the coach builder.  While in the shop, we will have our annual oil chance and maintenance done.  That should get us ready for our trip to Alaska this summer. 

I’ll add a few pictures, less words that way, you know!

  Some of the hills we traveled through to get to Palm Springs. 

More travel shots.

The windmills to the West of Palm Springs. 

Our campground at Palm Springs, each site has at least two palm trees.

Some of the flowers around town. 

A nice row of palm trees down the street in town. 

Melissa and her Aunt Dorothy. 

A bad picture but the only one we took of Tom this trip. 

So until next time, be good to one another.   I’m going out now to clean the tires and wheels on the coach and enjoy the weather.  After that, it may very well be “Miller time”. 

Thanks  Chuck

Shoot, still in San Diego

 

Sunday, March 29, 09                                                                                                      Lorraine’s Blog

Well, another quiet week here at the Elk’s parking lot campground in San Diego. While I haven’t been doing very much, I’ve gone into the laboratories around here giving blood for testing, just about every day of the week. And Friday, my doctor, Dr. Brozinsky had some good news for me. On Tuesday, he tested for Hepatitis E. Hep E is a newer form of hepatitis that is in places like Mexico; that was found in the late 1980’s. The lab worker didn’t even have the procedure of how to run the test and had to call someone who did. It turns out I Do Not have Hepatitis E. The liver specialist my doctor was talking with thought that may have been why I went the way I did, turning yellow, yellow skin and eyes, orange pee etc. So now we are back to square one. My doctor talked to another liver specialist up the road and she thought it was my Celebrex.

My liver numbers were going down last weekend, then the beginning of the week they went back up, and by yesterday, they were starting to fall again. But the important thing I’ve noticed is, I feel like I turned a corner. I think I’m starting to feel a bit better. I was hungry all day yesterday, and my pee was starting to lighten, just a bit. And the pain in my gut and stomach is almost bearable. You have to remember, the doctor took me off all my prescriptions, no pain pills or anything except my thyroid and blood pressure, which he said I could start taking on Tuesday. It’s been a trial for me, and I’m ready to get on with our lives. I see my doctor on Monday morning and maybe if my numbers are still falling, he said he may release me. I’m hopeful.

So that’s it for me for now. If we get to leave, I think we are heading north to Palm Springs TT. I love that area and look forward to spending some time there. Till next time……..Lorraine

 

3/29/09                                                                                                                                Chuck’s Report

Well, as the title says, we are still in the San Diego area.  We moved from Thousand Trials Pio Pico to the Elks Lodge in Chula Vista.  This is a nice place except we are parked on asphalt at the edge of their parking lot.  We do have full hookups and can get cell and internet, that’s a plus.  There are about 20 spots here, about half are taken, the camp host told me they are full most of the time, this is their “quiet” period. 

Lorraine’s doctor wanted her to stay in the area for at least one more week.  They are running lots of tests, trying to eliminate what it ain’t.  So more blood tests for her, at least no cat scans or MRI.  She isn’t up to going or doing too much so we stick pretty close to the coach. 

A couple of times we’ve headed out for a car trip, once even stopped at a Casino for awhile but she’s just not up to doing more.  We’ve also had to do some shopping but that’s pretty much our excursions.  Another thing that may not be helping her get better is my “cooking.  So if you are feeling bad for her, add that to the list too.  They are serving breakfast at the lodge this morning, we may head there soon. 

So with that, we have spent another week.  Not a lot to write about and no pictures.   Once again, we hope to leave here on Tuesday, after a doctor’s visit on Monday of course.   If he lets us leave, we plan on heading to Palm Springs Thousand Trails for a week before we head for the Bay area.  If we have to stay in the area, we can stay here for another week. 

Thanks   Chuck

2nd week in San Diego

 

Sunday, March 22, 09                                                                                                         Lorraine’s Report

Another Sunday and Chuck handed me his computer for me to post.  We are still here at Pio Pico in San Diego. I got out of the hospital on Thursday afternoon, with directions from the doc to take it easy, don’t take any of my current medications except for my Thryoid pill and come back to see him on Monday in his office.  I must say this is taking longer to get over than I originally thought.  I’m still yellow tinged, my eyes are still yellow and my urine has not cleared.  I don’t know what else I can do to help me get better.  It still hurts to eat food, my stomach muscles are all sore and my whole mid section is bloated.  Off and on, I still get that terrible headache, only there’s not much I can take for it.  The doc said I could have Tylenol, 325mgX2 once every eight hours, that is all. It still  hurts to go to the bathroom, so I’ve been eating very little.  I’ve been trying to drink lots to flush my system out.  Tomorrow I go into the doc’s office for blood work and hopefully a release to leave the area.  If not, we will be staying for more testing; a liver biopsy and who knows what else.  The other doc said when he did surgery on Tuesday evening that he saw no cancer or blockage, so we do not know what this is.  They did talk about Hepatitus A, but the test came out negative; I’m wondering if they missed the window of it showing up. 

Yesterday, Saturday, Chuck took me for a long drive.  We went and found several RV Parks, should we have to stay here longer.  It was nice to get out.  I guess there’s not much else to talk about.  I appreciate everyone’s prayers and good wishes. Thank you all for all your kindnesses.  So until next time………..Lorraine

Following is an Email that Lorraine sent out while she was in the hospital this week.  

Hi all, 
Just wanted to up date everyone on what's been happening with me. I did have bronchitis, a urinary track infection, and this was the biggest problem. I'm currently in the hospital in Chula Vista, CA. Chuck took me to a specialist, Dr. Bronsky. He then took me for an ultra sound. Dr. Bronsky then sent me to the emergency room here in Chula Vista. I was entered into the hall in front of the office of the emergency room. Dr. Bronsky had another specialist, Dr. Mickhail, look at me. I then had an MRI. From the tests taken and blood work, Dr. Mickhail decided we should operate and check out my bile duct in my liver. I had surgery last night on what we hoped was stones in my liver, specifically the bile duct. All signs pointed to it being blocked by stones or something else. An operating room opened up and around 8 PM, I was in surgery. It went well, but no stones or other blockage, and he did open the bile duct further; no known reason for all my pain. I spent the night in the hospital.

I woke up this morning with no pain. My throat is sore from the camera going down to the liver. I was hungry, but all I could have was a clear liquid diet. They finally gave me food after my doc came in. It was 42 hours on clear liquid. But the doctor thinks we may have found the cause for my pain. I'm taking Celebrex for my arthritis, which I started again while we were in the bay area in December. The doctor said he had had a woman in his office whom he said did what i have just been through. He said I have to stop taking Celebrex NOW. Hopefully, this is the problem and it getting fixed. If my liver numbers keep dropping, hopefully, I'll be going home tomorrow.

Of all the places for my liver to stop working correctly, this happened in a good place. The doctors have been wonderful, the nurses and aides here have been wonderful. I'm so thankful for the initial walk in clinic doctor. She sat knee to knee with me and listened to all my symptoms. I'm grateful for the support of such a loving husband who supports me 100%.

So that's it for now. We still don't have cell or internet service at the campground at Pio Pica, that really sucks.

 

 

3/22/09                                                                                                                              Chuck’s Report

Happy first day of Spring, it’s raining here and in the mid 50s, not what I signed on for.  Guess I can’t complain too much, this may be the 5th time we’ve had rain since New Year’s day.  We expected it to be much warmer here for the past two weeks but still better than some area in the USA, that’s for sure.  We are still at the 1000 Trails park near San Diego, no cell phone or internet access unless we go to the lodge. 

On Monday, Lorraine had another doctor’s visit to see if they could figure out what’s going on.  They set her up to visit a gastroenterology specialist and get a cat scan on Tuesday.  When she met with the doctor, he set her up to go into the emergency room and have a MRI.  Between the doctor’s visit and the hospital, we had to return back to the coach and let Misty out.  Once we got to the hospital, they set her up for more blood work and the MRI.  The doctor also had a surgeon come by to check on her.

The emergency room here is very busy but they did a pretty good job of getting her going.  Once they started to fill out the paperwork for the MRI, they asked when she had last had anything to eat or drink.  Her doctor had told her she could have a light meal before going to the hospital but she only had some water.  They told her she would have to wait another 4 hours to have the MRI, lucky she hadn’t eaten anything.  Anyway, she had the MRI about 7 pm and they scheduled her for surgery following that. 

She got to the surgery room about 8 pm, was scheduled to last about an hour.  I had to return back to the coach to let Misty out once again and she was in the recovery room before I got back to the hospital.  The doctor said they didn’t find any stones (they were sure she had some but they didn’t show on the x-ray or MRI) or tumors.    I couldn’t see her until she got admitted to her room about 10:30 that night. 

Next day, the doctor came into her room for more consultation, reviewed her chart and tried to figure out what was wrong.  Her blood test showed her liver function was getting better (normal is around 15 – 20, hers was about 1900, lowered to 1500) and she wasn’t feeling pain in her liver anymore.  Doctor decided one of her medicine could be causing her problem, especially since she is allergic to sulfa or sulfur.  So she can’t take her Celebrex ever again.  I had read about this medicine before and it isn’t good for the heart or liver anyway so its a good thing she is off this one.  Doc said she could eat lightly, it was almost 40 hours since she had anything solid to eat and she was hungry. 

She stayed in the hospital until Thursday, they ran more test and still couldn’t find anything else.  So we pretty much just set in the coach, taking it easy.  Yesterday, I took her out for a drive in the area to let her see/do something.  Other than that, she has stuck pretty close to home and not able to do much.  Her skin color and eyes are still yellow but getting better, she says her pain level is manageable.    

This morning, I took her up to the lodge for breakfast, I’m not much of a cook.  I’ll add a couple of pictures here, just because. 

Jim/Annie, a very nice couple we met here.  I asked Jim if he would walk Misty for me while Lorraine was in the emergency room on Tuesday.  Of course, he said yes.  We are glad we met these nice folks.  Jim is a retired Military and Airline pilot. 

Territorial view between Yuma and here.

Bad picture of large rocks that make up some of the hills around here.

Lighthouse in the hills, not sure why as it is many miles from the ocean.

 

Some flowers along the road and the type of palm tree that Lorraine likes, not sure of their name however. 

So that’s another week.  We see her doctor tomorrow for more blood work and to see if we can leave the area on Tuesday.  If are able to leave, we will head towards Palm Springs for two weeks.  If we have to stay here, we checked out some other campgrounds that we could move to.  So lets all hope for the best, here’s hoping we head towards Palm Springs. 

Thanks   Chuck

We ended up in San Diego

Lorraine’s Report

Sunday, March 15, 09

Well, it finally happened, it wasn’t planned, and it was totally unexpected, and I find it totally unreal.  I got ill, not with just one thing, nor two, but three things at once.  I have bronchitis, a urinary track infection, and either a bladder infection, or I’m passing kidney stones.  I started feeling not well last Wednesday. 

We finished up our week in Yuma with a quiet day on Sunday; we cleaned up the coach and packed up to leave on Monday, I did laundry, and we went to dinner with Larry and Kathy and Joe and Alice.  We went back to Papagayous’ for Mexican.  It was very good, but I wasn’t very hungry. I took home over half of my dinner for lunch the next day. 

Monday was moving day, so we finished packing, saying our goodbyes to Larry and Kathy and then we were off.  We drove over to Pio Pico, a Thousand Trails park, here by San Diego, CA.  Actually it is about 15 miles or so out here in the hills.  It has sewer, water and 50 amps for power, but this park has NO phone service or internet, so we have to drive over to the main offices to get internet.  We got her by 3:30 or so and set up.  Monday night was spent quietly at home.

Tuesday was spent exploring the area.  Chuck and I took off around 11:00 am or so and drove down to the beach and toured the whole area, deciding what to do for our time here.  I left the camera home that day and missed some great pictures from around this area.  The flowers are blooming, i especially like the bright fuchsia colored ones that cover parts of the road side.  The boats at the harbor were great as were some of the homes.  We stopped by a Costco on the way home; we hadn’t been to one for several months. I returned the GPS we had bought there a year earlier; it kept trying to shut off;  they took it back and we bought another Nuvi.   We came home and i fixed us dinner. 

Wednesday, Chuck said we needed a day to rest since I wasn’t feeling all that well.  We spent a very quiet day home.

Thursday we got up and I told Chuck I thought I should go to a walk in clinic.  I was feeling worse.  We stopped at the guard shack and they gave us the name and address of a walk in clinic close by.  So in we go.  We got there and I filled out the paper work and waited.  The doctor saw me within a half hour to forty five minute wait.  I described what was happening.  She listened and then started the tests.  I had an EKG, blood work, urine test and they gave me an oxygen treatment since my oxygen was low.  She then sent me for a chest x-ray  and a stomach x-ray.  It was their lunch hour, so I had to return after.  She put me on a strong anti-biotic, only one a day, and said I had to return the next day. 

Friday, we headed back.  That’s when the doctor told me what was happening with me. They gave me an inhaler to help with the bronchitis, and to keep drinking plenty of fluids. She wants me to go back on Monday, for another follow up.  Now I know that on the road, where ever you are, you can find compassionate and competent doctors who care how you are doing.

Since it was so early, Chuck had the car washed and then we went to Viejas Casino for a couple of hours.  I had some luck, then we headed home.  Another quiet evening reading and watching movies.

Saturday and Sunday mornings TT has breakfast here at the park.  We went and ate a delicious breakfast, came back and then went to the Adult Lounge to read our e-mail.   

That was our week.  I must say it hurts when I eat and again when I have to go to the bathroom, and I have a headache that won’t end.  I sure will be glad to get over this and feel better again.  I hate being ill.  At least the weather is okay, although it is a lot colder here than Yuma, and it got down to freezing one night here.  I’m looking forward to seeing some of the sights here in San Diego. 

Till next time, see you down the road.   Lorraine

 

Chuck’s Report                                                                                                                          3/15/09

Last week we weren’t sure where we would end up for this week, it would be based on if Susy and her family could meet up with us.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t break free and meet us so we headed for Pio Pico, a Thousand Trails park about 15 miles East of San Diego. 

This is a nice park, we have full hookup with 50 amp; however we are in the hills, without any cell phone or internet access.  There is a couple of spots, if you stand in the correct area, on one leg and hold your left arm out at a 45% angle, you can get limited cell phone.  They do have wi-fi in the adult lodge  but it’s about dial-up speed.  So unless we head into town where we can get cell phone or head over to log on, we are pretty much out of touch.  We do have good, Southern exposure for our satellite TV reception so we can watch TV.  The weather is a bit cooler than normal, not quite shorts and tee shirt but close.  We did have a bit of a freeze on Wednesday morning but as soon as the sun came out, it warmed up again.  I hear the forecast is for warmer weather next week, we’ll take it. 

So, without cell phone or internet, we have been able to get caught up on our reading.  They have a good sized book exchange plus there are lots of squirrels and rabbits for Misty to chase.  The swimming pools are open, they have some pool tables too but we haven’t done either of them yet. 

We planned on being here for two weeks, so on Tuesday we just explored the San Diego area by car.  Lorraine hadn’t been feeling up to par so we took it easy on Wednesday, hoping a day off would make her feel better.  But on Thursday she still wasn’t feeling well so we headed to a walk in clinic.  She had some tests and was scheduled to return on Friday for the results.  I’m sure she will go into more on this but the short of it is, we stuck pretty close to home as she doesn’t have much stamina.  She is wanting to go but we will wait until she feels better before we do much exploring.   

So, that makes for a short report and the only pictures are of the drive from Yuma to here.   Most of the pictures don’t need any caption, they are just scenery of the drive over.

 

There are lots of different crops being grown in Yuma.  They just finished with the lettuce harvest, not sure what all the other crops are.

 

 

  Lots of rocks in these hills.  I’m sure there are some snakes there too but we didn’t go snake hunting, that’s for sure.