Sunday 30 September 2012

First things, first.....Tonight’s the Night.....Gonna be alright!”  Came home today to find this little guy sitting on my phone desk.  Not totally sure where he came from but suspect my daughter sending me my White Rabbit Reminder for tomorrow morning!  I photographed him appropriately perched, in my Lucky Bamboo Plant!

Just got home tonight so regrettably did not make it back for my school’s Terry Fox Run.  I did do my pathetic little shog around the campground though and thought about my kids running.  Dusty sent me this picture on Facebook.  I’m not certain but I think it is a picture of her daughter, Hanna.  Thanks Hannah if you are reading this!!!
You know it’s time to head home when your driver starts conversing with his GPS.  The GPS was a God send.  It got us to where we needed to go and found us gas stations, restaurants and coffee shops.  It wasn’t perfect though.  On more than one occasions she (it has a female voice) would direct us “To turn left and continue on for 25 miles to go to such and such.....”  Well, if we had followed her instructions we would be bumping through some farmers field towards a towering mountain range.  On these occasions Bill would look at the GPS and say.....”I don’t think so.....have you been drinking?”  Then today as we were travelling through Lethbridge looking for a gas station she directed us to “Turn left on Senic Drive.”  She said this at least three times.  Bill finally looked at the GPS and said...”You can’t even say it right.....It’s SCENIC DRIVE!”......Almost immediately the GPS repeated the instruction correctly....”Turn left on Scenic Drive!”  I just about fell over!

We have enjoyed an amazing holiday.  The last few days we have been “squatting”......camping for free in various places.  It really helps the travel budget when you can do this over several days.  Of course on the downside there is no internet (hence no blog) and no showers but on the positive side the places we stayed these past couple of nights have been beautiful.....secluded and best of all sans train tracks!

Yesterday was a long driving day.  We drove through much of Wyoming.  If you ever decide to do this trip my advice to you would be to avoid central Wyoming.  Sooooo boring!  Miles and miles of semi arid land covered in sagebrush. It was the one time on the trip I resorted to reading my magazine to entertain myself.  Northern Wyoming on the other hand is quite lovely.  We hadn’t planned to go to Jackson’s Hole as we had been there four years ago on our way back from Yellowstone.  As we were driving along, I said to Bill that it was a good thing we weren’t going to Jackson’s Hole because if we were I would go to the photographers shop and buy one of his pictures.  When we were last there we wandered into this guy’s shop and were treated to some of the most amazing scenery photographs I have ever seen.  The Grand Tetons are magnificent and in the summer the mountain meadows are teaming with the most amazing flowers.  I took many pictures of them myself on our last trip but nothing I took could even begin to compare with this man’s work!  He shoots his pictures using film, not digital but he can no longer find any place that can develop them to the standard he wants so he has hung up his camera and will be closing down shop once his pictures have been sold.  We always regretted not buying one of his photographs so when I made this comment Bill said “Why don’t we go.....it’s not that far out of our way.”  So......off we went.  Now the trouble with going to Jackson’s Hole is you have to go up, up, up a long, steep hill with 10% grades to get to the pass, then down, down, down, the other side (also 10% grade) to get into the town.  Stupidly, we didn’t think to unhook the fifth wheel and leave it, but rather towed it up and over the pass.  We could almost hear the truck guzzling back the diesel!  We both said how pissed off we’d be if we got to Jackson’s Hole and found the guy was no longer in business....
this, however, was not the case and we were not disappointed and came away with a beautiful picture which is now hanging in my living room.  A great souvenir and reminder of this beautiful place.

We continued on out of Jackson’s Hole and witnessed an amazing sunset.  There is a huge forest fire happening in Idaho at the moment and the air is heavy with smoke.  This smoky sky just enhanced the fabulous sunset!


Continued on to our campsite for the night, right on the Missourir River.  We shared our spot with many fishermen who reported the fishing to be absolutely fantastic!  Bill talked to a couple of guys who had sent home 26 lbs. of cleaned rainbow trout last weekend!  Needless to say, Bill has been lamenting the fact that he did not bring his fishing gear.  I’m guessing it will be the last time we go on a trip that he doesn’t throw it in....just in case!

Up and at it this boring.  Did my weights outside this morning looking at this view!
So that brings us to the end of this adventure!  Now back to the realities of home.  It was so nice to be away. There were no constant reminders about my cancer and treatment!  Of course there were my daily meds and my need to drink water constantly to compensate for the lack of hydration but there were no visits to the Tom Baker, no needles, no blood tests, no hydrations.........It was WONDERFUL!  Now I’m home.....picked up my mail with reminders of my upcoming appointments and scan.  Already I am stressing because although they agreed I could wait and have the PET scan when I got back from Hawaii it has been booked for next week on the same day that I am getting my chemo!  No way in hell I’m doing both of those activities in the same day!  Actually, I am going to stick to my guns about having the PET when I get back in November.  There is no way I want to be sequestered in an American airport because I set off the radioactivity sensors.  Our friend’s brother had this happen in the Seattle airport when he went down there a couple of years ago after having a PET scan so I know it’s not just at the border crossings they pick you up.........I can’t imagine anything worse than having the plane surrounded on the tarmac and being escorted off so they can “check me out.”  Anyways....time for bed!  It’s been a long day!  Time for some shut eye!  

Thursday 27 September 2012

We are now in Green River Wyoming.  Last night we stayed at Hot Sulpher Springs, Colorado.    We checked out the hot pools there.  There were 24 different pools ranging in temperature from 95 degrees to 115 degrees.  We thought about going but it was $17.50 per person and Bill can sit in a hot tub for about ten minutes so decided we might not be getting our money’s worth.  The town itself was a little dump and it’s hard to believe a hot pool like that could survive there.
Free isn’t always a bonus!

Wish we’d had a clear day!


 When we went up to look it didn’t appear that there was anyone in the pools and everything looked quite deserted..  The lady working there told us we could park our RV in the no charge campground across the river.  It operated on a first come, first served basis.  Nobody was in the campground!  We thought we had found the deal of the century.  Then I noticed that the train tracks ran right by us.  I wondered out loud how many trains were likely to go by overnight and Bill speculated “Not many!”.....WRONG!!!  I didn’t count but think at least a dozen roared through overnight blasting their whistles each time they went by!  Neither of us got much shut eye that’s for sure.  So much for the deal of the century!!!  We got up and decided to leave the 5th wheel and drive up to a place called Estes Park.  It kind of sounded like a little Banff and although it was raining and there was lots of low lying cloud we thought we’d give it a go.  We got the the Park gates and were informed that the road was closed due to icey road conditions.  The same had happened the day before and it hadn’t opened until mid afternoon.  The park is at 9000 feet so with the rain overnight I’m supposing the roads were a skating rink.  So...squash that plan and back to the trailer to hook up and head northward once again.  Most of the day was very drizzly so not a lot to see other than hundreds and hundreds of antelope!  Colorado has the largest number of Antelope in North America!
We stopped for lunch at Steamboat, Colorado.  A neat little touristy town and the ski hill looks amazing! From there we continued on to Wyoming.  Must confess the drive here has been quite boring.  Think I’m spoiled!!!  Nothing but miles of very desolate looking country.  We are camped tonight at Green River and will continue north tomorrow.  Unfortunately, won’t be back in time for my school’s Terry Fox Run.....too much ground to cover.  Guess I will have to Shog around the campsite tomorrow morning instead and content myself with attending the other events.  Do love those kids!  If any parents are reading this please pass on my hugs to them and tell them I can hardly wait to see them next week!

So one last “Visual Reminder” for everyone.  Monday is October 1st!  Where the heck do the days go??

Tuesday 25 September 2012

I am having a terrible time with this blog.  Perhaps it’s just the internet here in Moab but will give it another shot tonight before I GIVE UP!!!

So here goes.....take #3!!!  Up and at it today for another busy day.  We visited three parks today.  Started out in Arches National Park where we were yesterday and did the “Park Place” hike that Caroline and Don recommended.  From there we headed to “Dead Horse Point State Park” where we did a hike along the rim and viewed some spectacular scenery.  Finished there and headed over to “Canyonlands National Park” also known as “Island in the Sky.”  We spent a few hours here doing several short hikes.  Man, you could take a photograph every 30 seconds.  I am getting more adventurous with my camera and it’s manual settings but honestly I have come to realize there is so much this camera can do that I don’t know about.  The funny thing is is that almost everyone around here is walking along with a Canon Camera slung around their neck and nobody knows how to use them.  A guy stopped me today and asked me if I could show him how to “bracket” his camera.  Huh?  Bracket?  What’s that?  Then another lady asked me how to set the timer???  I knew I should know this but couldn’t remember how to do it.  Later I was fiddling with my camera trying to put it on timer....yahoo...success, however, do you think I could it back to it’s normal shooting function.  Duh!  I have taken two courses on basic SLR operation but I’m seriously thinking I have a mild to moderate learning disability!  I do not seem to retain information.....Perhaps it’s the chemo????  I won’t mention I took both of these courses pre-chemo......Yes, I am going to blame it on the chemo!  I am definitely going to look at signing up for the camera course at Sait with Brenda when I get back.  (She also has a Canon that she doesn’t know how to operate!)  Yes, I have some fabulous pictures and yes I have been testing out all sorts of the manual settings on the camera.  The problem is that when I look at a picture, I can’t remember what I did to get that great shot!  My new theory is shoot the same scene several times and try something different each time, then just save the picture you like best!  Ahhh, the beauty of digital photography!  Remember the days of film when you got your prints back and out of a roll of 24 you might have 2 good pictures!  And you had to pay a kings ransom for the developing.  Thank goodness those days are long gone! Anyways....I do have some fabulous pics for you today.





DONE!!!  Not too sure where we are tomorrow......will blog if I can.

Monday 24 September 2012

Up and at it this morning.  Decided to hit Arches National Park for a hike or two.  After looking at the choices we settled on  Devil’s Garden.  It was rated as a “difficult hike” but after reading the description we decided it was definitely within my range.  Drove the 18 miles to the trailhead and were not disappointed!  Awesome views and although there were lots of people there, the further away you got from the trailhead the fewer people you saw.  There were several times when you actually had the sensation of being alone on the trail.  Took lots of amazing photos.  Yes, I huffed and puffed my way up the inclines but I noticed lots of people were doing the same and I’ll be they didn’t have an esophajectomy a few months ago!  We hiked for about 4 hours and arrived back at the parking lot.  We were walking to our vehicle and I was looking at this woman eating an orange and thinking to myself how good it looked when it suddenly occurred to me it was Caroline!  How amazing is that?  Yesterday I wrote in my blog that I thought Caroline and Don were here today and wouldn’t it be cool if we ran into them.  You have to understand how incredibly lucky this was.  There are literally thousands of people here and there are a multitude of hikes so the possibility of us encountering them was infinitesimal!  We decided to meet and go out for supper later in the day!  It was such a treat!
Caroline and I go back a long long way.  When I was little I took piano lessons from Leonard Leacock as did Caroline and her sisters.  Mr. Leacock used to have these horrid Sunday afternoon recitals that my Mom just loved.  I detested them!  The hall was always hot and he arranged his students to play in order of ability.....from worst to best.  You had to bow and play your music from memory and God help you if you forgot.  He would make a scene of walking to the front of the auditorium to place your music in front of you so you could carry on.  I must confess I do not think I was one of his favourite pupils but I can tell you the Dofoo girls were.  There were and still are fabulous musicians and they always played last.  My mother just loved to listen to them while I would sit there and pray it would end and we could just get out of there.  I didn’t know the girls at all but I used to dread it when they would play because it always seemed like their songs went on forever, they never made a mistake and then I had to listen to my Mom rant and rave for days after the recital about how wonderful those girls were!
Well, my piano lessons soon came to an end and I was allowed to pursue my true love......sports and horses!  A few years passed.  I graduated from university and got my first teaching assignment at Sir John A. MacDonald Jr. High School up in Huntington Hills.  Arrived at the school on the first day and went into the staffroom.  Just about fell over!  There in front of me was the new music teacher!  Caroline Dofoo (now married and a Parker).  I couldn’t believe it!  Well, once given the opportunity to get to know and work with Caroline we forged a fast and solid friendship that has endured for over 30 years!  I, like my Mom, have come to appreciate Caroline’s fabulous talents and feel lucky to call her my friend!

Just wanted to share that little side bar with you but will get back to the day which was really terrific!
We wandered around the devil’s garden and as usual I was snapping pictures galore.  Bill said a couple of times that Kelli would probably kill him for taking me on this hike.  I’m pretty sure he got some pretty strict instructions on my care and control before we left Calgary.  At one point I wanted him to snap a picture of me on a high point.  As I stood there with arms extended upwards there was a huge crack of lightening!  Later Bill confessed his first thought was “Oh great...Kelli will kill me if Leslie gets struck by lightening and I was the one photographing it.”
We saw several stunning arches.  There are over 2000 of them in this park!
Yes, that’s Bill at the top of the arch!  He scrambled up there for this picture!

I have so many great photos but they are sooo slow to load tonight and I’m falling asleep at the table.  Love the hiking but I’m pooped at the end of the day.  Mind you, it’s a healthy kind of pooped!  Like you’ve had a day of exercise and fresh air!

Tomorrow we will do a couple more excursions in Arches National Park and then will head over to see what there is to see at Canyonlands.  A person could spend lots of time here and stay pretty busy!  I see you can go skydiving......might just consider that one too!  (kidding, Kelli!)

Sunday 23 September 2012

A long travel day today but incredible scenery along the scenic byway route we drove.  At one point we were driving along a narrow ridge at 9500 ft.  The fall colours were magnificent up there!
We went through some different types of landscapes today as you can see below.  In the Red Rock Canyons even the road was red!

The Escalante Basin.  Here the rock was white not red but still quite stunning!
More views from Boulder Pass.  A bit cloudy today but still very warm and none of the forecasted rain.
Stopped at a viewpoint with the bonus being there was a coffee house there.  Kiva Koffee House!  Great Latte with a fabulous view! Please excuse the bad hair day and appreciate there still is hair to complain about!!!

Started the day early as we knew we had a long travel day.  I packed my weights in the fifth wheel but have avoided using them until this morning.  Finally decided I had better get back at it so hauled them out of the drawer and headed outside to fling them around for a bit.  It is so embarrassing.  They are such little light weights and when a guy walked by with his little dog I wanted to crawl under the picnic table.  Oh well....I will adopt my cousin Trish’s philosophy that I will never see him again so what does it matter???  Finished my workout and we headed down the road to the Spotted Dog for breakfast.  Raylene and Dave had the breakfast there and recommended it.....good tip!  It was a really nice buffet breakfast and break is the one meal I seem to be able to eat a fair bit at!  The bacon was delicious!!!
Left there and headed on to the tunnel.  On top of the $25 park fee you have to pay another $15 to travel through the mile long tunnel.  They are making a killing at this!  Oh well, I guess with the way their economy is going down here this is one way they can maintain the roads and parks.
Made lots of stops today and enjoyed the drive.  Much nicer on the scenic byways than on the interstates and hardly any other cars to contend with.  The Highway Patrol down here is active though. We see cops every day handing out tickets.  I heard a lady at the coffee shop complaining that she got a ticket in Nevada for going 75 in a 70 zone and it cost her $109!!!  Bill figured it was bull shit but that’s what she told me.

We are now in Moab and will be here for a couple of days.  There are a couple of parks around here to explore.  Caroline and Don are here somewhere too but don’t know if we will be able to hook up with them or not.  It’s a big place but who knows....you bump into people in the strangest of places.

After our couple of days here we will start home.  I am kind of hoping to be back by Friday as it is the school’s Terry Fox Run day but don’t know if we will make it by then.  If I’m home, I’m going.....if not, I’ll be there in spirit.  I’ll certainly be thinking about them.


Saturday 22 September 2012

Arrived in Zion National Park yesterday.  Another fabulous place and if you love to hike a great place to be!  There are so many hikes here you could probably spend a couple of weeks exploring.  Unfortunately for me, many of them are quite “vigorous” hikes with lots of elevation gain.  We did however find a great hike today called the Narrows.  We walked for 6 1/2 hours up the Zion Canyon, crossing back and forth and up the middle of the “Virgin River” the entire way.  It was magnificent!  The best part was I wasn’t even puffing.  Granted the elevation gain was minimal but we did cover quite a bit of ground and I would have to say it is the best I have felt yet!  Unfortunately I didn’t take my camera and Bill took his little one, however the card doesn’t fit in my computer so I can’t post any of the great pictures we took.  Oh well....just know it was more of the same amazing scenery.

Must be something about this place that makes you reflective but I was in a very thoughtful mood as I hiked today.  Couldn’t help but think how important it is to pack a little life into every day!  Granted, what that means to each of is quite different but as long as you feel like you are living your life the way you should, that’s what matters!  I have always thought this was important but at this point in time it seems even more critical to me!

Got an email from my friend and teaching partner, Rebecca today bringing me up to date on the Terry Fox Run.  I must confess I have been thinking about it a lot this past week.  I am so glad the school went ahead and ran the event this year.  It has become such a tradition for those kids and for me too! This is the first time in 17 years I have not been a part of it!  The school run is this Friday and if I should happen to be back home I will be there wearing one of my many “vintage” Terry Fox T shirts and my Terry Fox shoes!!   If not,  I am planning to be at the head shave and the wind up!  The only thing that might keep me away is my treatment and I’m not sure when I’m scheduled for that!  Will cross my fingers that there is no conflict here!

Tomorrow we head to Mohab.  The weather is supposed to change but we cannot complain.  We have been blessed with phenomenal weather throughout this entire trip!  The good news is we do not have to cut any trees down....we should be able to pull out of here without incident!

Heading northward and homeward......I’m actually missing my kids......and my Boomer!

Friday 21 September 2012

Phew...another slower than molasses internet but I will attempt to get this blog written.  Spent last night in the Grand Canyon.  The drive from Sedonna back to the Grand Canyon was fun.  Went through a couple of cute spots.  Jerome made me think of all of you out there who love Halloween!  It is supposedly a haunted town, was once a copper mining town and now devotes it’s attention to tourism.  The entire place is literally perched on the side of a mountain.  Good thing we weren’t towing the fifth wheel through there.  It would have been challenging to say the least.  We drove up to the crest of the hill to see the Grand Hotel (also haunted).  We were going to visit the Assylum Restaurant at the hotel but it was closed for decorating for Halloween.  It is the only day of the year they close.  Twenty four  people decorate all day and apparently it is quite the scene when finished.  Our timing wasn’t so good on this one that’s for sure.  Continued on through Prescott and then back to our fifth wheel that was parked in a parking lot in Grand Canyon Village.  Spent the night at Mather Campground.  Our unit was oversize for what was allowed but it was the only site we could get so Bill did some jockeying and got it into the site.  After it was parked he confessed he wasn’t sure he would be able to get it out!  He was even talking about cutting down a tree and had already trimmed about 3 ft of branch off of same tree!  Now you have to understand my stress here.  I am supposed to be the director so already I am stressing about getting out in the morning.  I even suggested he go out and cut the tree down in the dark so nobody could see him do it!  Fortunately, we didn’t have to resort to this.  I’m sure there would be a significant fine for cutting down trees in the National Park.  We were able to get out without incident but neither of us slept that well last night!

Left the Grand Canyon and had our last view of the Canyon from “Grand View.”  Continued on our way.  Came across a little town with a store called “Judd Auto” (as seen above).  Welcome to the USA!!!  They even had muscle shirts that had the same slogan written on them.  I was going to buy Bill a pink one but they only came in 3XXL!!!

We are now in Zion in a lovely RV Park that even has a swimming pool.  Our site is right on the river (not much water in the river though).  Tomorrow we have a hike planned up the narrows.  Plan to start bright and early as it gets extremely hot here.  It has been over 32 degrees today!  Will spend tomorrow night here as well and then will be starting the trek homeward!

Wednesday 19 September 2012


Sunset.  Took the truck up some pretty gruesome road to see the sunset.  Almost missed it again!  We don’t seem to do too well at gauging sunsets!
Took a hike around “Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock.”  Only five miles but it was hot!   No paved trails!

Busy day today.  Decided after wandering the main street for a bit last night shopping in Sedona might not be something we were too interested in.  So instead decided to find a hike that would work for me.  We chose Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock Loop.  It’s about a five mile loop with little elevation gain which was perfect.   Very scenic and Brian would have been happy.....no pavement!!!  There were others on the trail but it wasn’t what you would call busy. I had to laugh.  We really didn’t arrive prepared to hike.  Bill was wearing his golf sandals of all things and me my Birkenstocks.  We were carrying our water bottles in our hands and I had my camera slung around my neck.  Along the way, the hikers we did see looked like they were venturing onto major expeditions.....hiking poles, Tilly hats, solid boots, hiking pants and some rather large packs all with camelbacks!  Talk about overkill!  They certainly looked the role of “hiker” though!!!  Finished the hike and wandered into a nearby village for a cold drink.  After that we hit probably the worst Outlet Mall I have ever been at.  One thing we are starting to notice is the people here are just a little different than what we are used to.  They are all kind of spacey!  Friendly but kind of out there.  Lots of psychic reading spots and “spiritual healing vortexes!”  Went into a Health Food Store to see if they had Glutamine and had a 15 minute visit from the lady working there.  She was expounding on all the wonderful uses of Glutamine!  It is great for the villa in your stomach.  She had cancer last year and uses it for that.  She is also a recovering alcoholic and it helps with cravings both alcohol and also for people who are trying to stick to a diet.  It was hard to escape!  From there we headed back to town and tried wandering the main drag again.  Our impression today was just about the same as last night.  Lots and lots of junk and not much we wanted to buy.  Bill looked at me and said they aren’t going to believe us at the border when we tell them how much we have purchased!  Came back to the hotel and I went and sat out by the pool for a bit.  Was feeling a little wiped out.  We wanted to go up to Schelby Vista to watch the sunset and I needed to put my feet up for a bit.  Headed out but were surprised by the road.  Pretty much a four wheel drive experience for 45 minutes!  Not what I needed that’s for sure, although the view at the top was pretty spectacular1  Headed back down the mountain in the dark and couldn’t help but think about the jeep we saw in Nepal that had gone over the edge and killed all occupants!  No worries....we did get down without any incidents and headed to the restaurant at our hotel which we discovered is one of the best in town.  It was called Elote which means “corn”.  It had a Mexican flair but wasn’t really Mexican in the true sense.  We decided to be smart tonight and share a meal.  Good decision.  Two of us eating one meal and we were both stuffed.  It was absolutely delicious and the place was hopping1  One of those meals we will both remember for a long, long time!  Now back at the hotel.  I think I am going to sleep like a rock tonight.  Tomorrow we are going to Jerome and Prescott before heading back to the Grand Canyon to pick up our fifth wheel.  We will stay one more night there, then move on to Zion and then will start the long trek home! Will be back to the land of no internet tomorrow night so no blog for a day or so!  

Tuesday 18 September 2012

A shot from our raft on our float trip!  BEAUTIFUL!


View of the Grand Canyon from the South rim!
Hiked about 4 miles along the South Rim.  Not exactly hiking....all paved paths and lots of tourists!  The scenery, however makes up for the lack of privacy!

Left the Grand Canyon today and drove to Sedonna without our Fifth Wheel.  Stopped at Slide Rock Canyon!  After watching people going down this “Natural Water Slide” we decided we had to try it too!  Great fun!

Happy Birthday Bill!  We continue to have a great trip!  My energy levels are coming back and the trip continues to provide us with sites beyond beautiful!

We spent the last two days in the Grand Canyon with our friends.  No internet which explains why you haven’t heard from me in a couple of days.  We spent our first day walking along the South Rim.  Not exactly what you would call hiking.  All paths paved and many tourists however the views made up for the lack of privacy.  I have taken so many pictures it is difficult to choose just a few to share with you!
After spending most of the afternoon exploring along the rim we headed out to the Grand Canyon Airport for our helicopter tour.  There is a constant flow of helicopters heading out to the canyon.  It is big business!  We went into the terminal where we checked in.  I have only been in a helicopter once before when we went into Assiniboine with Dad a couple of years ago.  On that trip we just hopped onto the helicopter and off we went.  Not so today.  First off we each had to be weighed!  I couldn’t help but think how embarrassing it would be if they said you were “over weight”.....  Anyways...we all passed the weigh in although Brenda did tell us later that there is a limit as to how much you can weigh to go on the tour!  Not sure what that weight would be.  We were then told to watch a “safety video.” very similar to what you get on an airplane flight.  Must confess I didn’t pay much attention to it and when I was handed my PFD I promptly put it on.  A few minutes later a guy came around and gave us a number.  He bent down and whispered to me that I had my PFD on upside down!  Now I could have just quietly changed it....why didn’t I do that????  Sometimes I have no control of my big mouth.  I burst out laughing and told everyone in the terminal I had my PFD on upside down!  I’m sure they all thought I was a total ditz!  Finally it was our turn to get our helicopter.  We headed out to the tarmac and I couldn’t believe my good luck when I was told to get in front with the pilot!  Barb and I had front row seats.  It was amazing!  The fight out to the canyon took about 10 minutes.  When we reached the canyon the music to 2001, A Space Oddysey came on over our headsets.  The timing was perfect.  I literally gasped and I could feel Barb do the same beside me as we flew over the lip and into the canyon.  It actually made me almost feel teary!  If you ever go to the Grand Canyon you must take a helicopter tour!  It was FABULOUS!  A trip highlight for sure!  We finished our flight, returned to camp and had dinner.  This morning Stu took us all out for breakfast for Bill’s birthday and then we said our goodbyes.  The Lenzin’s and Patricks are now heading back north and we parked our fifth wheel in a parking lot for a couple of days and headed south to Sedonna.  Beautiful drive and not too much of it today.  We stopped just before getting to Sedonna at a place called Slide Rock Canyon.  Geoff has been here and I had remembered seeing his photos.  We bought a cold drink and wandered along the stream.  People were swimming in the canyon and the creek is like a “natural water slide.”  We sat there watching these people sliding down the rocks.  Finally I looked at Bill and said "I have to do this too  I’m going back to the truck to get my swim suit”  He looked at me and said he thought he’d like to try it too! Good decision!  It was a blast and a very refreshing way to spend the afternoon.
Finished up there and headed into Sedonna.  Wandered around and had to agree with whoever it was who said to me that Sedonna is like a red Banff!  It is very pretty but also very touristy.  We weren’t there five minutes and we were waved into a tour shop.  At first the guy was recommending good places for dinner.  The next thing we knew he was suggesting we take a jeep tour.  Then he said we could have the tour for free if we sat through a presentation!  Oh, oh....shades of Mexico!  Before we knew it we were also offered a suite in a really nice place tomorrow night!  We smiled at the guy and said...thanks.....but we don’t have time for this!  DO WE HAVE SUCKER TATOOED IN INVISIBLE INK ON OUR FOREHEADS that only these guys can see?  I’m starting to wonder!
Anyways...tomorrow we will explore around here a little. Then will head back to the Grand Canyon to
pick up the fifth wheel and will spend a couple of days in Zion before we start the trek home!
Hope you enjoy my photos.

Saturday 15 September 2012


These pictures were a labor of love tonight.  Slowest internet on the planet.  We arrived at Bryce Canyon Last night.  Spectacular red hoodoos.  Never seen anything like it!  The Patricks and Lenzins got there earlier in the day and reserved us a campsite which was a good thing because by the time we arrived at 5 PM everything was totally full.  We Went up to Sunset Point to watch the sunset.....not that spectacular....probably because we arrived a little late  Were determined to catch the sunrise this morning so everyone (except Barb) was up at 6 bells.  We headed off to Inspiration Point, but it was pitch black and we missed the turnoff!  The bonus was we saw an antelope, some deer and a fox who scooted out onto the highway in front off to snatch up some roadkill for breakky!!!  Yum yum!
Realized we had overshot our destination and made a quick retreat to Inspiration Point.  We were not disappointed.  The sunrise was beautiful and the rock formations below us were unlike anything I have ever seen before.  This is amazing country.  We returned to the campsite for breakfast, packed up and headed off for our next destination, Page, Arizonia.  More fabulous scenery along the way.  It is about 32 degrees here.  We went and visited  the dam at Lake Powell.  We toured the facility and it was quite amazing.

Tomorrow we are doing a 5 hour float trip on the Colorado River.  Have to be at the site at 7 AM.  Judging from what we saw today it should be a great day.  Once we finish that we will be heading off to the Grand Canyon.  Lots of driving but it’s all good because there is lots to see.  I am still a little in my down swing so sitting and site seeing is working well for me.

Fun to be here with friends!  Right now it is “Happy Hour” and then we are going to go out for Mexican Food!

Thursday 13 September 2012


Another travel day but did take the scenic byway which was lovely.  Still lots of smoke in the area which made photo taking a little challenging.  The fall colours are just starting to change.  Another week and this area is going to be spectacular.

Last night another very cold night.  Bill was actually a real wimp.  Wore his down booties to bed!  That’s a first.  We are now in Logan, Utah tonight and the weather is much warmer.  Think we have left the cool stuff behind.  There is an old car rally in the campground we are in tonight.  All the cars are Chevs around the 1930 era.  We wandered around and had a look at them tonight.  Had supper outside tonight and being in Mormon country, Bill decided to have a beer with his dinner.  A little obnoxious perhaps?  Tomorrow we will meet up with the Lenzins and the Patricks in Bryce Canyon.  The campground there is first come, first serve so they were going to get there earlier in the day and reserve sites for both of us. Will spend a couple of days there before heading down to the Grand Canyon.  Hope this great weather continues!

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Woke up this morning to 4 degrees.  Yikes, probably the coldest night we have had in the RV.  Thank goodness for the heater.  Headed out around 8:45, destination Dillon.  It was a beautiful drive through Montana, however, there are many forest fires throughout the area and there is a smoky haze everywhere.  Temperatures were perfect for driving today.  Pleasant but not too hot.  We stopped in Great Falls and went to the Charlie Russell Museum.  I am not usually much a museum fan but the artwork this man produced was fabulous.  Bill visited this museum with his family when he was a child and was keen to see it again.  We spent two hours wandering the museum, had lunch in Great Falls and then headed off again.  Got into Dillon around 6 this evening and are in a nice little campground.
Tomorrow another long day as we head to Logan.  Feeling a little tired from yesterday’s chemo but other than that no ill effects.  Didn’t sleep well last night due to the cold and the steroid drug I take for three days.  It just pumps me right up!  I hope I am tired enough tonight that it will over ride the effect of the drug!

Will continue to post where I have internet access.  Can hardly wait to get down to the Grand Canyon! Will post some photos when I get there!  Mike has lent me his super duper lens so I can hardly wait to start clicking.  Tried to take some photos today but the haze really inhibited any good shots.
Tally Ho!  Until tomorrow.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Up and at it and off to the hospital this morning for my chemo.  Nurse today was Hannah whom I really like.  I was sitting in my chair waiting for her to come and get me started and around the corner came Ivy!  My heart sunk and then I saw Kelli behind her.  Ivy, kindly escorted Kelli to my cubicle and was not there to do my IV today.  She is such a nice nurse....just not that great at the needle pokes.  Well....neither is Hannah!  Three pokes before she was successful!  And they hurt.  I have a great big bruise on one of the sites.  You can always tell when you are in trouble when they go really, really slow.  They are even slow putting the needle in and then they go digging.  Ouch!  I like the decisive ones....go for it...and get it over with.  And to boot they hardly ever miss.  Guess it’s a confidence thing.
Anyways...treatment went without a hitch and I even had the pleasure of having visits from both Kelli and Geoff.  I think my cubicle mate was a little taken aback by the “medical” conversations that were occurring.  Geoff did a pneumothorax (I think that’s what he called it) on a recent shift.  The guy had a collapsed lung and he had to stick a honking big needle in to the guys lung.  He said you just jab it in and he felt like he was stabbing the guy!  Pretty gross!  Then Kelli had to share her story about a compound fracture which was really gory and ugly!  Hmmmmmhmmmmhmmmm.....teacher’s conversations are pale compared to what these guys chat about  I always remember going out for supper with Bill and our friends Ron and Marg.  As the main course arrived the conversation turned to “What was the worst, goriest murder you ever attended.”  Each of them had one and I really can’t say which one sounded the worst (all details were discussed in great detail.)  I don’t remember Ron’s story but I most vividly remember both Margs’ and Bills’ and this descriptive dinner probably occurred 20 years ago!

Finished my treatment and headed home.  Had a quick lunch, finished loading the fifth wheel and headed off.  We have landed in Milk River tonight.  Nice little campground for $12 a night.  We have stayed in much worse for much more money that’s for sure.  Tomorrow we head to Montanna.  Have a few days of driving ahead of us but I’m OK with that as I need a couple of quiet days to bounce back.

Will blog when I have Wifi.....if you don’t hear from me for a couple of days....don’t worry...I’ll be back at it with pictures and all.

Monday 10 September 2012

Got up this morning to a labradorless house!  It is funny how empty this place seems without that big lumbering, slobbery, loveable creature!  Oh well....I shouldn’t feel that way....I know for a fact he isn’t pining for home at this moment.  He’s probably riding the quad, swimming in the pond or just hanging out with Wyatt.

Had my workout (even rode the exercise bike this morning), puttered around and loaded some things into the fifth wheel and then the phone call came!  It has crossed my mind that it wouldn’t be great if something were to not be right with my blood work and wouldn’t it just be my luck that this week that is exactly what happened.  Every week my blood work has come back excellent-no issues and then today Sally, my nurse calls to tell me my nutrafils are low and I need to come in and get them rechecked.  I had had my blood work done last Thursday when I was in for hydration and the counts were not at a level they would consider giving me my treatment.  I remember how anxious my Mom used to get when this happened to her because she always felt that she wasn’t fighting the cancer if she had her treatments stalled or delayed.  I felt that same feeling this morning when Sally called but I was also very annoyed.  Why would this happen on this round.  We are all set to leave tomorrow.  Everything’s planned and now this wrinkle!  I was just a little pissed off.  Hung up the phone, had a quick shower and headed off to the Foothills to redo my blood work.  Usually the lab moves fairly quickly over there.  Today they were serving #80 and I was #116.  Another thing to be pissed at!  I’m sitting there in the waiting room visualizing nutrafils.  They had better be where they need to be.  As I sat there stewing I finally just decided to heck with it.  It is what it is.  If they aren’t up I’m going anyways!  Had the blood test, left feeling much better that it really didn’t matter to me what the result was....the plan for tomorrow wasn’t changing except we may be leaving earlier if the treatment wasn’t going to happen.  Did my running around for groceries etc.  Did my usual trip to Costco to buy a few items and exited $250 later!  Always seem to find things there that were never on my list.  I think it’s called “Impulse buying.”  Today it was a Christmas decoration of all things!  The cutest black bear in a log decorated with a Christmas theme.  Some of you would definitely say tacky!  It is in a huge box which is still in the back of my truck.  When we went to go out for dinner tonight Bill asked me what was in the box in the back.  I confessed to my purchase and said it was so cute I bought it as a gift for someone.  I then paused and said it might just be a gift for me!  He just shook his head.

Came home this afternoon and had a steady stream of visitors.  First Geoff.  Heard about the travel itinerary he and Lindsey have planned for their upcoming around the world trip!  It sound fabulous!  I think they are going to have a ball.  Must confess I am a little worried about their time in Egypt but he assures me they have checked things out and they will pay attention to what is going on.

Barry and Wendy arrived home from Windermere and stopped by.  Wendy brought me four little hand carved bears from the Storm Mountain Lodge.  She has a set and I have coveted them for a year.  I have stopped in at the lodge three times this summer and checked out their gift shop but they have been sold out each time.  This last time Kathy and I stopped there for lunch and there on our table were two of the bears (they are napkin holders).  I am not a thief but must confess that it did cross my mind that it wouldn’t be too hard to sweep those little things into my purse.  Fortunately common sense and honestly prevailed and I did not act on my impulse.  The bears had just arrived on Friday when Barry and Wendy were there celebrating their 36? wedding anniversary!  What a wonderful surprise to get them!  If you are reading this Wendy and Barry,  Thankyou, thank you, thank you!!!  I love, love, love them!

After Barry, Wendy and Geoff left Bill’s brother Dick stopped by on his way through from Edmonton to Canmore.  He was delivering a barbecue up to their condo and stopped by for a visit.

Then tonight we went to Gary and Jenifers for a delicious supper.  I love Jenifer’s cooking.  She is always very adventurous and tries new recipes.  I tend to stick more to the tried and true probably due to the large number of flops I experience, particularly when I have invited company for dinner.  It was great to see these guys.  They have been gone all summer out to the Shuswap.  This is the first year in many that we have not been out to visit them there and I must confess I missed it!  It is such a beautiful lake and we always have a great time when we go out to see them!

So a day filled with great visitors!  A little hard to do the trailer packing but that’s OK....not a whole lot more to do.

Tomorrow morning I have my treatment at 8:30 AM.  When I’m done we will hit the road and will drive as far as Milk River.  We have a few straight travel days that should be quite laid back and relaxed for me.  I do not drive the truck pulling the fifth wheel.  Not something I’m comfortable with although I do have girlfriends who do pull fifth wheels and feel quite comfortable doing it.  I have enough trouble directing Bill into the campsite.  It usually ends up with him getting out and showing me where to stand. “He cannot see me in his review mirror and what the heck does it mean when I start waving my arms wildly at him?”  The funny thing is is that this seems to be the same scenario for every camping couple.  Once we get parked we usually sit down with a drink and watch all the other campers arrive and watch the typical stress that builds between these couples as she directs and he parks.  Pretty standard RV Campground entertainment (when it’s not you) We will be back the end of September to see Geoff and Lindsey off on their trip.  Kelli will hold down the fort.  Feel a little bad about leaving her as I know she has relocated to Calgary to be with me!  She assures me this is fine!  She told me the other day....”Mom you have been through hell and you deserve a holiday.”  Truth is I have had a holiday the last two months.  I am excited to see the Grand Canyon though and we will be going to Hawaii with Kelli and Mike so hopefully that makes up for my jumping ship for the next three weeks.
Kelli laughed when she saw how Bill and I were dressed to go out for dinner.  She said it looked like we had planned our “matching outfits.” “The Bobsy Twins” I said.....she said “More like the old retired couple that dresses the same.”  Hmph......not impressed with that comment!!!!!

Sunday 9 September 2012

Took Boomer out to Kim and Greg’s place today.  They are going to look after him while we are away.  They live out by Water Valley and their place is a labrador’s dream.  As we drove into the yard he started to whine and carry on!  He definitely knew where we were!  He couldn’t wait to get out of the car and see his buddy Wyatt, a golden retriever.  Going out there is like camp for Boomer.  There is a pond only a throwing distance away from the house where the “boys” can swim, there’s a quad that you get to ride on, you get to lose your collar for the entire three weeks, snacking is a regular occurrence, there are cats and the odd skunk and of course there are Greg and Kim who are just the best in Boomer’s eyes!  What more could a guy ask for?  Still, it’s a little hurtful when you go to leave and your dog who adores you at home doesn’t even give you a backward glance.  He’s too busy playing with his pal to bother with you!


Hence we left and headed over to Ron and Marg’s to see how Ron was doing.  I found my replacement “pet” Cody.  He’s rather large though....probably the biggest horse I have ever seen.  I’m not sure I could even get on him without a ladder!  Maybe I’ll have to reconsider my choice and give Boomer a second chance!  Having said that,  each time we collect him from Kim and Greg we go through a readjustment period at home.  He looks at us with this look that says “this place is sooooo boring!”  He actually sulks for a good week after coming home.  The good news is he does have a short memory and does revert to being a city dog.  Guess I’ll pass on Cody and stick to Boomer!

Saturday 8 September 2012

I keep looking at my garden and thinking I’ve got to do something with all the stuff in it.  Bill loves beets and always plants way to many of them.  I like them but hate cooking and preparing them.  Too much fuss and muss for me.  In any case I don’t want to see them go to waste so this morning tackled some of them and turned them into borche.  I didn’t even make a dent in the number of beets in the garden after making a triple batch of soup.

Met Colleen and Edie for lunch.  Colleen is in the final stretch of her pregnancy.  She is more than anxious to be on with it!  Two weeks to go til her due date but I think she would have gladly gone into labor over lunch and delivered right in the restaurant if she could have.  She has not had the easiest of pregnancies and those of us who have had babies know those last few weeks can seem like eternity when you are waiting for your baby to make it’s entrance.  Here’s hoping that the delivery will be speedy and painless!  Hmmm......how many of us experienced it that way?  Not too many I’m thinking.

Started packing up the trailer when I got home.  Very excited about our upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon!  I will take my computer and hopefully can post some pictures along the way providing we land in spots with wifi.  The blog may become a bit sporadic over the next three weeks.

I did get a few responses to yesterdays rant!  One friend suggested I should be writing to MLA’s etc. and voicing my opinion.  I’m thinking that might be a very good plan!  Love being the rebel and it’s a cause worth fighting for.


Friday 7 September 2012

Another glorious day!  Kelli and I met Maureen at Cora’s for breakfast.  Had a great visit and a delicious breakfast!  The place was positively hopping!  Maureen was telling me a story about a friend of hers that was diagnosed with breast cancer and was told she had 6 months to live.......10 years ago!  She is alive and kicking and just had a big party to celebrate!  I LOVE those stories and there are lots of them around.

Hope everyone with school age kids read yesterdays Calgary Herald.  There was a great article in their on physical literacy and the importance of kids having “structured” PE classes that actually teach skills. You all know I am a zealot about this!  I believe in keeping kids active and I also believe that there is a positive spin off academically for children who are engaged in organized physical activities.  If you missed the article be sure to dig it out and read it.  There has been a movement in the past several years to eliminate qualified PE teachers especially at the elementary level.  A couple of years ago I had a conversation with one of the CBE consultants and she said there were only about 15 PE specialists left at the elementary level.  She too was concerned at the direction PE classes were heading.  Lots of free play with a ball and little instruction on skills and activity.  Many parents make sure their kids are involved in activities out of school and these kids don’t suffer the fall out as much as those children whose parents do not have the time, energy or money to enrol them in sports activities outside of school.

Three years ago I was allowed to do something I have wanted to do my entire career.  Every morning 40 ADHD kids (identified by their teachers) were sent to the gym for a half hour of aerobic activity.  There is tons of research out there about the effect of sustained aerobic activity and how it relates to kids being able to settle down and focus on their academic learning.  There is an excellent book called Spark that has research that supports this.  I have heard the author of this book lecture and have read the book.  The teacher’s who bought into this morning program and permitted their students to come had nothing but good to say about the effect the exercise had on their students when they returned to the classroom.

I don’t really know why I’m ranting about this but it is a topic of concern for me.  Eliminating quality PE programs from the program of studies and stating that “children need 30 minutes of physical activity a day” and then defining that activity as free play is concerning.  Yes, kids need time to play but I believe that is what recess and lunch time are for.  The long term health effects of too much screen time and not enough physical activity time are already starting to rear their ugly heads.  A significant percentage of our youth population are overweight or even obese, some have already been diagnosed with hypertension and there is a higher incidence of diseases such as diabetes.  The drain this is sure to have on our health system is alarming.   So as parents.....think about it and take a few minutes to read
the article.  Our kids are worth it and as adults we need to make sure they are getting what their growing bodies and minds need!

HERE’S THE ARTICLE!

Phys-ed classes need a revamp to create healthy lifestyles

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Do you know what goes on in your child's physical education class?Physical literacy is an important part of a child's education. And contrary to popular belief, time spent in the gym doesn't take away from core subjects like math, science and English.  In fact, numerous studies have demonstrated that physical activity improves academic performance and classroom attentiveness. Yet 20 years ago, parents and educators let physical education take a back seat to academics, reducing the amount of physical education in schools and replacing phys-ed teachers with generalists who did little more than throw a ball in the gym and tell kids to "play.""Just look where that got us," said Chris Jones, acting executive director and CEO of Physical and Health Education Canada. "That generation is more obese and inactive than any before it." The realization that we were raising a generation of physically illiterate children who had neither the skill nor the interest to pursue an active lifestyle was slow to dawn on policy-makers. But when obesity rates skyrocketed and physical activity reached all-time lows among children and adults, physical education became part of a strategy to get people moving again.In Alberta, the government has set minimum standards concerning the amount of physical education in the curriculum. Schools offering Grades 1 to 9 must provide 30 minutes of daily physical activityBut it's what happens in the gym, not on paper, that makes a difference in a child's acquisition of physical skills and their propensity to stay active into adulthood. "If your child is playing dodge ball every day, there is a problem - a huge problem," said Johanne Vaillant, a lecturer in the department of kinesiology and physical education at McGill University. Vaillant, a specialist in curriculum and teacher evaluation, said quality physical education should enable children to become competent and confident in their physical skills, learn the basics of team and individual sports and develop a healthy lifestyle that will take them well into adulthood. "You don't want to wait until you're 25 to learn how to play basketball so you can join a team," Vaillant said. But unlike gym classes of old, these skills should be taught in a way that kids spend more time moving and less time sitting. Days of children standing in line waiting to dribble a ball through a series of cones or sitting out after being eliminated from a game should be all but gone. Instead, Vaillant said, kids should be active during 70 to 80 per cent of any given gym class.  In reality, what happens in the gym may not reflect the goals set out by the curriculum. Some teachers and schools haven't implemented the curriculum in the spirit it was intended. There are schools that shortchange students on the amount of phys-ed offered. And there are teachers who think a noisy gym full of active kids is too much to handle.  This kind of teaching ends up producing the same type of results as those achieved 20 years ago. Athletic kids excel and learn to love sports and exercise, and the non-athletic ones feel like failures and avoid playing organized sports or participating in any activity that demands a measure of physical skill.  It's up to principals and parents to ensure that physical education is being taught in such a way that every child can be successful and that all the basic competencies are acquired. Be it movement skills, sport-specific skills, fitness skills or nutrition know-how, the goal is to develop the necessary physical and health literacy needed to be active for life.  So how do you ensure your child's school is following the curriculum and the required number of minutes of physical education a week? Ask. Meet with the physical education teacher and inquire which activities and sports are taught and how much time the children spend being active.  If you're unhappy with the answers, talk to the principal.  Gym class can't provide the 60 minutes of physical activity children are supposed to get each and every day. But if Johnny can't throw a ball or run 50 metres, chances are he'll be more comfortable playing computer games than running around outside, playing the way kids are supposed to.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Don’t know where the day went.  Up for my workout for a wimp, breakfast and some overdue housecleaning.  Had my hydration at 12:30 and whoopee.....NO IVY today.  Jen was a whiz at Iv’s...got it first try and actually complimented me on my great veins.  Got my blood work done and headed out to pick up Maureen to go “wig” shopping.  As vain as it might sound I cannot bear the thought of being bald.  At home fine but if I’m out for an evening or bar hopping which I do on a frequent and regular basis (NOT) I do not want to look like a cancer patient!  Yes I am a cancer patient but isn’t it OK to not want to look like one?  Anyways, Maureen and I headed off to Compassionate Beauty to visit their hair expert, Colleen.  She is a master at picking out just the right colour and it didn’t take long to find just the right one.  It was great to have Maureen along.  She gave me her honest feedback and I really appreciated the moral support.  The sad truth is I will probably look better in the wig than I do with my own hair.  Every day can be a good hair day!  Even better news is that the cost is covered by my health plan!

Left there and headed over to the vets to get Boomer some meds for his arthritis.  Sadly the Elk Velvet just does not seem to be doing the trick.  I finally resorted to aspirin but have found it ineffective as well.  Time to bring out something better.  The girl at the vet told me she gives this stuff to her dog and it is a miracle drug.  I gave him some with his supper tonight and already he seems to be improved.  $70 well spent if it works! 

The next few days will be busy as we start to prepare for our trip to the Grand Canyon.  I am totally excited and looking forward to getting away.   Anyone got some good deeds or acts of kindness they would like to share?  

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Busy day today. Had my appointment at the Tom Baker this morning.  Was slow getting away from home and hit a traffic jam at John Laurier and 53rd.  Forgot the morning rush.  Haven’t had to deal with that all summer and didn’t allow time for it so consequently was late for my appointment.  Had to wait for quite awhile when I got there.  I have become quite the people watcher since this all started. Much time sitting in waiting rooms etc. and there’s nothing to do so I watch.  Every time you go to the clinic you have to fill in the exact same questionnaire for the doctor.  You are there every week so after awhile it becomes a 10 second operation but the first few visits you read it through carefully and give everything careful consideration.  One of the questions asks if you need to see the doctor or would a nurse be good enough if you are not experiencing any problems.  I have ticked off both and have learned that it doesn’t matter what you tick.  If the doctor wants to see you he will, and if he doesn’t he won’t.  Anways...this couple is sitting there discussing whether or not they need to see the doctor.  Finally I told them it didn’t matter what they checked off....it was her first visit so they would be seeing the doctor.  They kind of looked at me like “mind your own business.”  which I probably should have been doing.  In any case I could tell this lady was really anxious as most people ar on their first visit to the Tom Baker so I struck up a conversation with her.  She was from Lethbridge, had pancreatic cancer and was absolutely terrified of chemotherapy.  We had a long chat and I told her that I had done very well with the chemo and hopefully her experience would be the same.  We talked about appetite and anti nausea drugs, about trying to keep as normal a life as you could through this process and whole host of other things.  I could tell as we talked she was starting to relax a little and decided right then and there that I would be on the lookout for people like her in the days ahead when I’m sitting round.  It’s always nice to be able to talk to someone who is going through the same thing you are experiencing and it really does help to alleviate some of the fears you might have.  When I finished my appointment I came out and she was still sitting waiting to see her doctor but I could see she was a lot less agitated than the first time I had seen her!

At my appointment today I saw young resident.  They wanted to send me for my next PET scan between my trip to the Grand Canyon and my trip to Hawaii.  I asked her how long I would be radioactive following the scan and told her about my last experience where I was detained at the border while they investigated whether or not I had in fact had a PET scan as I had set off all their alarms that detect radioactive materials.  Apparently they also have these detectors in American airports as well so I was not too keen to have a repeat performance of this event.  The resident looked puzzled....I’m sure she’s never been asked this question before and said she would go check with Dr. Esaw.  She was gone for about 20 minutes, came back and said they had contacted a radiologist to ask him my question and decided it would be best if I had the scan when I got back from Hawaii.  This was my preference anyways so I was more than happy with that.  This way I don’t have to fret about it when I’m on my holiday.  Other than that not much else new except I have gained 2 lbs.  Perhaps the Glucamine is doing it’s job!!!  Tomorrow is hydration day......please, let it be Ivy’s day off!

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Beautiful day today but certainly has the bite of fall in the air!  We headed west this morning and dropped in on our friend Ron.  Unbelievably, he had his accident on Friday night, was flown in to the Foothills by Stars, had his surgery Saturday afternoon and was sent home on Monday. They removed C6 and C7, took a chunk of bone from his hip and fused the vertebrae.  He is having problems with his hands at this point but the doctors do seem very optimistic that he will make a full recovery which is excellent news.  The bad part is that he has been told that he must not do much of anything for 12 weeks if he wants to get better.  It’s either 12 weeks of nothing or he won’t recover.  This will be very tough for Ron as he is a real go getter guy but I think even he realizes that this it is very important that he pay attention.

After our visit we headed out to Water Valley to meet up with Geoff and Lindsey to play golf.  It felt a little strange being out on the golf course on the first day of school!  It was a gorgeous day and if you’re a golfer and have never played Water Valley you must put it on your list of places to play.  It is a beautiful golf course out in the country.  There are no houses surrounding it and the only sounds you hear are cows mooing in the fields.  It is definitely one of my favourite places to play golf.

Tomorrow I have my appointment at the Tom Baker.  Don’t expect anything profound but do need to talk to them about the scheduling of my treatments around my upcoming trips to the Grand Canyon and Hawaii.  I spoke to the nurse last week and she didn’t seem to think it would be a problem.

Speaking of problems.....the hair is definitely starting to come out!  Thought I might dodge this bullet but it’s not looking good at this point  All my TLC and magic formulas seem to be letting me down.  The writing is on the wall.  Was washing my hair this morning and a big clump came out in my hand.  Let me tell you that is a shocker!  Have been checking it throughout the day and things seem to be secure for the time being but I’m thinking I should mentally prepare for this eventuality!  Good thing I have a good selection of hats to call upon!