Things have changed a lot for us and it's happened pretty suddenly. Michael's tumor has begun growing again and is now in the temporal and frontal lobes. He has a catheter (because of incontinence combined with a frightfully unsteady gait and weakness). Since then (8/20), he's gotten so weak that he is in a wheelchair all the time, unless he's in bed or in a chair. Steps are out of the question. He needs help with just about everything, except that he still feeds himself.
He had a grand mal seizure on Friday, so now he's on anti-seizure medicine. His blood sugar was very high, so now I test his sugars and give him insulin shots. That's from the steroid that he takes to keep his brain swelling down.
His spirits are good, but he can't communicate on his own very well. He does well with yes/no questions. He still enjoys things (like when we went to the Indy Zoo today!) but then can't tell what we did. He sleeps from 8 at night till 9 in the morning, and then naps in the afternoon.
Caring for him is easy and fun, since I love him so. He is quite well-mannered, cooperative, and sweet, just as he always has been. :)
We decided not to proceed with further treatment and to let Hospice into our lives. They come 3x a week to bathe him, and we have other visits too. They are going to be a very good thing for us, and enable me to keep him at home, rather than having to put him someplace else.
Michael won't be returning to Tucson. It would just be too scary for me to try to take him now, because there is just too much of a risk that he would die on the trip, and I would much rather he die here than in Oklahoma or something. I will go when I can, when he dies and I'm ready to travel.
I wish that I had cheerier news, but .. that's what's going on.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Not a bad thing
No, it's not a bad thing. It's a real life thing. It's a challenging thing at times. It's exciting. It's boring. It's beautiful and it's ugly. But it's not a bad thing.
The fact is that each of us is going to die. And, unless we cheat by killing ourselves, we don't get to choose how we die. We can't choose when. And we can't always choose where.
Michael's brain tumor has given us a year together to travel, meet with friends, and get me used to the things that I'll have to do alone. We've had a chance to learn about each other, what we can do, and about our love. Is this bad? Not in my world!
"Bad" is when Mother Teresa writes that she has spent much of her life feeling unloved and unwanted. I will have the joy of knowing that Michael died loving me! What better gift could I have been given?? No, this is not bad.
This year together has been joyful in so many ways. I've learned that I'm stronger than I ever thought I was, and Michael's still here to appreciate that. The women who find their strength only after they are widowed don't get to share that with their husbands.
Michael is still alive to accept my thanks for all that he's done to make my life better after he dies. He is grateful to me now for caring for him, though what I do is small compared to all he's done for me. In this past year, we've done much of what we did in the previous 24: we've laughed and grinned, cried and frowned. Bad? Nope.
I'm feeling philosophical because one of our friends asked me if I'd read, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People."
We've decided that we are not going to pursue further chemotherapy options. The doctor and literature promise side effects but alleviating current symptoms or even shrinking the tumor are remote possibilities. We're going now for comfort and maximization of fun.
The fact is that each of us is going to die. And, unless we cheat by killing ourselves, we don't get to choose how we die. We can't choose when. And we can't always choose where.
Michael's brain tumor has given us a year together to travel, meet with friends, and get me used to the things that I'll have to do alone. We've had a chance to learn about each other, what we can do, and about our love. Is this bad? Not in my world!
"Bad" is when Mother Teresa writes that she has spent much of her life feeling unloved and unwanted. I will have the joy of knowing that Michael died loving me! What better gift could I have been given?? No, this is not bad.
This year together has been joyful in so many ways. I've learned that I'm stronger than I ever thought I was, and Michael's still here to appreciate that. The women who find their strength only after they are widowed don't get to share that with their husbands.
Michael is still alive to accept my thanks for all that he's done to make my life better after he dies. He is grateful to me now for caring for him, though what I do is small compared to all he's done for me. In this past year, we've done much of what we did in the previous 24: we've laughed and grinned, cried and frowned. Bad? Nope.
ooo
I'm feeling philosophical because one of our friends asked me if I'd read, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People."
We've decided that we are not going to pursue further chemotherapy options. The doctor and literature promise side effects but alleviating current symptoms or even shrinking the tumor are remote possibilities. We're going now for comfort and maximization of fun.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
We went ydy for the MRI and it did show new tumor growth. While it is in the same hemisphere, it has spread to the temporal lobe as well as frontal. This explains what's been going on, and was not a surprise to me at all.
It does leave us with a big decision to make about continuing treatment (different treatment) or not. We're going to wait a couple of days before making that decision.
The latest is that Michael's blood sugar has gotten very high because of the high doses of steroids that he's been on (and they just raised his dose a bunch). On Monday, it was 571 and on Tuesday, fasting, it was 330 = still too high!
So we went today to an endocrinologist (all these big words I'm learning!) and I learned how to do finger stick glucose testing with this little strip machine. I learned how to give insulin with this cool pen. And I am going to do both of these things again pretty soon, because it's dinnertime!
I am looking into having some home health care, but... am not sure I want to go that route just yet. I'm really doing fine; Michael is mostly loving and not too demanding.
Yes, this whole thing is tough, but yanno .. this is what true love does!
Me? (Hey, now and then, someone asks!) LOL I'm doing ok. I'm continuing my daily walks and playing the piano now daily. Both of us enjoy that. Even the DOG likes that! :) I'm doing lots of laundry, just keeping things clean, and keeping us fed. Speaking of which...
It does leave us with a big decision to make about continuing treatment (different treatment) or not. We're going to wait a couple of days before making that decision.
The latest is that Michael's blood sugar has gotten very high because of the high doses of steroids that he's been on (and they just raised his dose a bunch). On Monday, it was 571 and on Tuesday, fasting, it was 330 = still too high!
So we went today to an endocrinologist (all these big words I'm learning!) and I learned how to do finger stick glucose testing with this little strip machine. I learned how to give insulin with this cool pen. And I am going to do both of these things again pretty soon, because it's dinnertime!
I am looking into having some home health care, but... am not sure I want to go that route just yet. I'm really doing fine; Michael is mostly loving and not too demanding.
Yes, this whole thing is tough, but yanno .. this is what true love does!
Me? (Hey, now and then, someone asks!) LOL I'm doing ok. I'm continuing my daily walks and playing the piano now daily. Both of us enjoy that. Even the DOG likes that! :) I'm doing lots of laundry, just keeping things clean, and keeping us fed. Speaking of which...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Things can change fast
And they have! We passed the 1-year mark from Michael's diagnosis on 8/15, and this anniversary has not gone by quietly. We're now experiencing a new set of challenges.
The first to hit us was the mobility issue. Michael now gets around in the house and out to the car with a walker. If we have anywhere else to go, he uses a wheelchair. This would be ok, but sometimes his legs give way when he's using the walker, so I usually have to walk along with him for support.
Cognitively, the decline is well underway. TV no longer makes much sense to him, but he does understand enough to know that he doesn't want to watch HGTV, which is what I like to watch! He asks really off-the-wall questions that make no sense, though I can tell that he's trying to say something that means something to him. Now and then he does make some sense, but he does best with yes/no questions.
The other challenge we're facing now is bladder control difficulties, and this is a big one, because this affects our ability to get out and go for drives -- one of our few remaining sources of pleasure, it seems. We have talked to the doctors about a catheter and I think that we're going to get that taken care of today. I just hope that it works and simplifies our lives a bit.
Michael's brother George wants me to look into home health care, and I made a call this morning. They're going to call me back.
Now I don't know about going to Tucson. If things continue as they are, it won't be possible.
I'm really struggling to keep some cheerfulness in my life, but it's hard. If I laugh at anything, Michael thinks I'm laughing at him.
Annette, I'd love to see you! Can you come down? We're (somehow) going to go up to Indy tomorrow for a 7am MRI and Dr appt. But after tomorrow we're good.
The first to hit us was the mobility issue. Michael now gets around in the house and out to the car with a walker. If we have anywhere else to go, he uses a wheelchair. This would be ok, but sometimes his legs give way when he's using the walker, so I usually have to walk along with him for support.
Cognitively, the decline is well underway. TV no longer makes much sense to him, but he does understand enough to know that he doesn't want to watch HGTV, which is what I like to watch! He asks really off-the-wall questions that make no sense, though I can tell that he's trying to say something that means something to him. Now and then he does make some sense, but he does best with yes/no questions.
The other challenge we're facing now is bladder control difficulties, and this is a big one, because this affects our ability to get out and go for drives -- one of our few remaining sources of pleasure, it seems. We have talked to the doctors about a catheter and I think that we're going to get that taken care of today. I just hope that it works and simplifies our lives a bit.
Michael's brother George wants me to look into home health care, and I made a call this morning. They're going to call me back.
Now I don't know about going to Tucson. If things continue as they are, it won't be possible.
I'm really struggling to keep some cheerfulness in my life, but it's hard. If I laugh at anything, Michael thinks I'm laughing at him.
Annette, I'd love to see you! Can you come down? We're (somehow) going to go up to Indy tomorrow for a 7am MRI and Dr appt. But after tomorrow we're good.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
A fun week with Dave
We are getting used to being "just us" again, after a wonderful week with Dave visiting us from Massachusetts. We did lots of fun stuff, showing him many of the places and things that make us love Indiana.
We began the week with a Bloomington/IU tour. We drove all around the town and just explored. The next day, we went to the Indianapolis Zoo, to the Butterfly Exhibit at White River Gardens, to Shapiro's, Carrabba's, and Handel's. Another day, we took a day and drove to Popcorn, Indiana and to Washington for a visit to the Black Buggy.
On Friday, we drove to Louisville and, with George and Angie, went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and did the factory tour. We spent the night there and then went on Saturday to the Churchill Downs Museum and did their fun tour.
We had great eats all week! The only cooking I did was to make a cherry pie! :) On Sunday, we drove to the Tulip Trestle and took some pictures. What a fun time we had for the whole week!
I just celebrated (silently) my 6 year anniversary. I have walked 2-3 miles every day, without missing a day, for 6 years. :)
We began the week with a Bloomington/IU tour. We drove all around the town and just explored. The next day, we went to the Indianapolis Zoo, to the Butterfly Exhibit at White River Gardens, to Shapiro's, Carrabba's, and Handel's. Another day, we took a day and drove to Popcorn, Indiana and to Washington for a visit to the Black Buggy.
On Friday, we drove to Louisville and, with George and Angie, went to the Louisville Slugger Museum and did the factory tour. We spent the night there and then went on Saturday to the Churchill Downs Museum and did their fun tour.
We had great eats all week! The only cooking I did was to make a cherry pie! :) On Sunday, we drove to the Tulip Trestle and took some pictures. What a fun time we had for the whole week!
I just celebrated (silently) my 6 year anniversary. I have walked 2-3 miles every day, without missing a day, for 6 years. :)
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Happy Birthday, Annette!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, dear Sissymeat!
Happy Birthday to you!
And just in case you want to print this lovely thing, I'll send it to you in email in a larger size. :P~
Michael and I are doing well. He has gotten a bit weaker, and his gait is not very steady. He sustained two falls day before yesterday (just a skinned knee when he fell in the driveway) and so I took action. I dug out the walker that we had bought for him after he got out of the hospital, and he's been using that around the house. It helps him to be steadier and more confident. It also helps MY confidence.
I also got him a wheelchair so that he can use that when we're out and about. I made a ramp for the back of our car so that I can easily get the quite heavy chair in and out. It works great and this will enable us to see and do more. :)
We went to the County Fair a few times already. Where better to get fried foods? LOL! We've enjoyed tenderloins twice, fried catfish, ribbon fries, onion rings, lemon shakeups, ice cream, popcorn, snow cones, elephant ears, and funnel cakes. The weather has been great -- almost cool, but not really -- in the low 80's. It's supposed to be warming up over the next few days, though.
I finally got my printer hooked up and working on my new computer. YAY!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, dear Sissymeat!
Happy Birthday to you!
And just in case you want to print this lovely thing, I'll send it to you in email in a larger size. :P~Michael and I are doing well. He has gotten a bit weaker, and his gait is not very steady. He sustained two falls day before yesterday (just a skinned knee when he fell in the driveway) and so I took action. I dug out the walker that we had bought for him after he got out of the hospital, and he's been using that around the house. It helps him to be steadier and more confident. It also helps MY confidence.
I also got him a wheelchair so that he can use that when we're out and about. I made a ramp for the back of our car so that I can easily get the quite heavy chair in and out. It works great and this will enable us to see and do more. :)
We went to the County Fair a few times already. Where better to get fried foods? LOL! We've enjoyed tenderloins twice, fried catfish, ribbon fries, onion rings, lemon shakeups, ice cream, popcorn, snow cones, elephant ears, and funnel cakes. The weather has been great -- almost cool, but not really -- in the low 80's. It's supposed to be warming up over the next few days, though.
I finally got my printer hooked up and working on my new computer. YAY!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Back home again in Indiana
We arrived back home on Friday, the 13th of July. Yeah.. I know that I should have called about 20 people to let you know that we were home, but I didn't, so there you are. :) I've been busy cleaning and unpacking the RV getting her ready for our next go, reading and sorting mail, paying bills, filing things, and trying to get caught up again on my email.
Was that LAST year's Resolution to keep my Inbox down to 10 items? Or this year's? Anyway, I've 55 items in there right now, and I'm working on getting it back down again.
We had lots of fun in Connecticut with Aunt Dots. We went to the Boston Gallery of Fine Arts to the Edward Hopper show, and that was really good. I'd been mildly familiar with his work, but am more familiar with it now!
Another day we went to the Hill-Stead museum in Farmington, CT. This is a beautiful house, furnished in turn of the 20th Century furniture and artwork, left just as it was, except finely cleaned and beautifully restored. This is in a setting of lush green gardens and trees -- many acres of them. While the tour was a little long for Michael, it was really interesting and fun, anyway.
We went to the Farmer's Market one day, picking up delicious raspberries we ate right there, other fruits, breads, and veggies to enjoy during our stay.
We went to the 4th of July parade, enjoying marchers of all descriptions (but no clowns) tossing candy to folks much smaller than me, cars toting waving local celebrities, bands of all descriptions (I loved the fife and drum corps), bikes of various descriptions, and the Shriners in their loud and nimble little cars and cycles. We munched popcorn greedily as we cheered on the participants. Great day!
And we chased around to Guilford a couple or 3 days getting blood work and an MRI done for Michael.
We left on Tuesday the 10th, driving to mmm... someplace in PA that first day (big day of driving for me!). Then we were in Ohio for the 2nd night on the road, and in Richmond, IN on Thursday night. We wanted to be there on Thursday so we could go to Welliver's -- one of our favorite eating spots!
At Welliver's, we discovered that they were having a door-prize promotion and Michael won a Welliver's hat! He was so happy and we laughed and patted our tummies all the way back to the car.
Yesterday, Tuesday, we went up to Indy for Michael's check-up, and we got the results of the Guilford MRI -- all OK -- nothing new showing up. There is still damage going on from all the radiation that he's undergone, but no new tumor growth anyway. So that meant "go" for another round of chemo, which he started last evening.
Today I went walking on the Clear Creek Trail with Maddy, while Michael waited in the car and watched the scene. Then we went to Subway for a BMT, which we ate in the CVS parking lot (hey.. you have to find your fun where you can!) Then I picked up the rest of his medicine for the next 4 evenings.
Now I'm working on finances and getting the email caught up! :)
Was that LAST year's Resolution to keep my Inbox down to 10 items? Or this year's? Anyway, I've 55 items in there right now, and I'm working on getting it back down again.
We had lots of fun in Connecticut with Aunt Dots. We went to the Boston Gallery of Fine Arts to the Edward Hopper show, and that was really good. I'd been mildly familiar with his work, but am more familiar with it now!
Another day we went to the Hill-Stead museum in Farmington, CT. This is a beautiful house, furnished in turn of the 20th Century furniture and artwork, left just as it was, except finely cleaned and beautifully restored. This is in a setting of lush green gardens and trees -- many acres of them. While the tour was a little long for Michael, it was really interesting and fun, anyway.
We went to the Farmer's Market one day, picking up delicious raspberries we ate right there, other fruits, breads, and veggies to enjoy during our stay.
We went to the 4th of July parade, enjoying marchers of all descriptions (but no clowns) tossing candy to folks much smaller than me, cars toting waving local celebrities, bands of all descriptions (I loved the fife and drum corps), bikes of various descriptions, and the Shriners in their loud and nimble little cars and cycles. We munched popcorn greedily as we cheered on the participants. Great day!
And we chased around to Guilford a couple or 3 days getting blood work and an MRI done for Michael.
We left on Tuesday the 10th, driving to mmm... someplace in PA that first day (big day of driving for me!). Then we were in Ohio for the 2nd night on the road, and in Richmond, IN on Thursday night. We wanted to be there on Thursday so we could go to Welliver's -- one of our favorite eating spots!
At Welliver's, we discovered that they were having a door-prize promotion and Michael won a Welliver's hat! He was so happy and we laughed and patted our tummies all the way back to the car.
Yesterday, Tuesday, we went up to Indy for Michael's check-up, and we got the results of the Guilford MRI -- all OK -- nothing new showing up. There is still damage going on from all the radiation that he's undergone, but no new tumor growth anyway. So that meant "go" for another round of chemo, which he started last evening.
Today I went walking on the Clear Creek Trail with Maddy, while Michael waited in the car and watched the scene. Then we went to Subway for a BMT, which we ate in the CVS parking lot (hey.. you have to find your fun where you can!) Then I picked up the rest of his medicine for the next 4 evenings.
Now I'm working on finances and getting the email caught up! :)
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Summer in New England
As I mentioned in my last posting, we had a wonderful time in Massachusetts! We spent the whole week with Dave, spending part of the time in his driveway, and part of the time with him on Cape Cod. We overnighted just one night before packing Dave up and heading out to the Cape.
What fun we had on Cape Cod! On Thursday out to East Falmouth, staying at Cape Cod Campresort. It was a pretty camp, offering a good level site, lots of amenities, and a clean and interesting place to do my walk.
Friday we went to Provincetown, way out at the very tip of the Cape. We drove the RV all around the tiny roads, and she handled great. We found parking up on the hill by the Pilgrim Monument. It was a $10 parking spot, but was well worth it for us.
We hiked the short path down the hill to Commerce Drive. This is where all the things happen in Provincetown -- all the neat little shops and restaurants.
Lunch was delicious at the Lobster Pot!
After lunch, we explored the beach and I took some photos of boats. :)
Then Dave and I walked up the steps to the top of the Pilgrim Monument -- 500 some feet. What a magnificent view!
Dave took this photo of me:
This is a pic of the steps looking up:
I'll be posting some panorama shots later; I just can't bring myself to push the buttons right now. (Actually, I'm going to have to do some cropping and composing on these photos first.)
At the Pilgrim Monument there is a museum, and I shot these photos of Dave interacting with the wildlife. Dave is well-known for his love for geese!
Meanwhile, we're having a great time with Aunt Dots in Madison. We've been kind of taking it easy, which is perfect for us. Ydy we did laundry, got Michael's blood drawn, and made his appointment for his Monday MRI, and went to the local Farmers' Market where we got yummy baked goods, raspberries, blueberries (huge!) and tomatoes.
Today we were back at the hospital for more blood work for Michael, we had pizza for lunch, and BLT's for supper. One thing's for certain; we're having good eats! :)
What fun we had on Cape Cod! On Thursday out to East Falmouth, staying at Cape Cod Campresort. It was a pretty camp, offering a good level site, lots of amenities, and a clean and interesting place to do my walk.
Friday we went to Provincetown, way out at the very tip of the Cape. We drove the RV all around the tiny roads, and she handled great. We found parking up on the hill by the Pilgrim Monument. It was a $10 parking spot, but was well worth it for us.
We hiked the short path down the hill to Commerce Drive. This is where all the things happen in Provincetown -- all the neat little shops and restaurants.
Lunch was delicious at the Lobster Pot!
After lunch, we explored the beach and I took some photos of boats. :)
Then Dave and I walked up the steps to the top of the Pilgrim Monument -- 500 some feet. What a magnificent view!
Dave took this photo of me:
This is a pic of the steps looking up:
I'll be posting some panorama shots later; I just can't bring myself to push the buttons right now. (Actually, I'm going to have to do some cropping and composing on these photos first.)
At the Pilgrim Monument there is a museum, and I shot these photos of Dave interacting with the wildlife. Dave is well-known for his love for geese!
Meanwhile, we're having a great time with Aunt Dots in Madison. We've been kind of taking it easy, which is perfect for us. Ydy we did laundry, got Michael's blood drawn, and made his appointment for his Monday MRI, and went to the local Farmers' Market where we got yummy baked goods, raspberries, blueberries (huge!) and tomatoes.
Today we were back at the hospital for more blood work for Michael, we had pizza for lunch, and BLT's for supper. One thing's for certain; we're having good eats! :)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Pictures from Washington DC
Hi! We've been too busy having fun to talk about it. :) Washington DC was great. When we first got there, it was very hot, with a 105° temperature one day... with humidity too! I secured Michael's chemo drugs, and he took them from Tues - Saturday, just as planned. After Tuesday, the weather cooled and sunny skies greeted us each morning.
We had a whole week in DC, and we made good use of the time. On Wednesday, we took a GrayLine tour. It was a 1/2 day tour, taking us to the Arlington Cemetery and to some of the war memorials. We were both really impressed with the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I got some pics.
Then another day, we went in on the bus/Metro train, with intentions to visit the Bureau of Engraving, where they make the money. When we got there, though, we discovered that we would have had to have arrived by 8am to get tickets. So.. no Bureau of Engraving tour for us.
A little dejected, we went to the Washington Monument, thinking that we'd see if we could get to the top of it. Again... tickets were required, and all tickets had been dispersed already. We got ourselves an ice cream bar and then went to the Monument, finding a seat in the shade of the tower.
If you know us well, you know how lucky Michael and I both are. Well, as we sat there, a woman came over and asked me if we were going up the Monument. I replied that, while we had hoped to, we had not gotten tickets in time. She held out two tickets. "Would you like these?" :)
We really enjoyed this trip to the top of the Washington Monument! Here are some views we saw from the top. The last one in this group is looking up from the observation deck at the warning light at the top.
Be sure to click all my photos, but particularly these panoramas:
Our next trip into the city we again started out with ambitious plans. We were going to visit the National Gallery. Well, upon arising from the Metro station, we were greeted with the most delightful aromas! There was a barbeque festival going on, and ... we were THERE! Food was consumed, free stuff was collected, and fingers were licked.
After we left there, I felt that we ought to have just a little culture, so we visited the Botanical Gardens, close to the Capitol building. I got a few good shots there. What a delightful place!
Along the way around, we took a few other pictures:
Here are a few pics that I took on the way to Washington. These are pics of our new RealWheels with the nice valve extenders. Purty, eh?
This is a shot of our trees in Bloomington and the clear blue sky on the day we left.
In case you wondered where Coolville is, it's in Ohio! And yes, all IS cool in Coolville!
Here's an arty pic that I made from a fern photo:
We left DC, and drove via Hamburg, NJ to Milford, MA, where we had a really fun week with Dave and his Dad. I'll ready my pics from that visit, and will post them as soon as I can!
Now we are writing from Madison, Connecticut. Today we went to the 4th of July parade! Great fun! And, Dave, we did finish your chicken salad and pilaf at lunch today! I think it was even better today, if that's possible.
We had a whole week in DC, and we made good use of the time. On Wednesday, we took a GrayLine tour. It was a 1/2 day tour, taking us to the Arlington Cemetery and to some of the war memorials. We were both really impressed with the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I got some pics.
Then another day, we went in on the bus/Metro train, with intentions to visit the Bureau of Engraving, where they make the money. When we got there, though, we discovered that we would have had to have arrived by 8am to get tickets.
A little dejected, we went to the Washington Monument, thinking that we'd see if we could get to the top of it. Again... tickets were required, and all tickets had been dispersed already. We got ourselves an ice cream bar and then went to the Monument, finding a seat in the shade of the tower.
If you know us well, you know how lucky Michael and I both are. Well, as we sat there, a woman came over and asked me if we were going up the Monument. I replied that, while we had hoped to, we had not gotten tickets in time. She held out two tickets. "Would you like these?" :)
We really enjoyed this trip to the top of the Washington Monument! Here are some views we saw from the top. The last one in this group is looking up from the observation deck at the warning light at the top.
Be sure to click all my photos, but particularly these panoramas:
Our next trip into the city we again started out with ambitious plans. We were going to visit the National Gallery. Well, upon arising from the Metro station, we were greeted with the most delightful aromas! There was a barbeque festival going on, and ... we were THERE! Food was consumed, free stuff was collected, and fingers were licked.
After we left there, I felt that we ought to have just a little culture, so we visited the Botanical Gardens, close to the Capitol building. I got a few good shots there. What a delightful place!
Along the way around, we took a few other pictures:
Here are a few pics that I took on the way to Washington. These are pics of our new RealWheels with the nice valve extenders. Purty, eh?
This is a shot of our trees in Bloomington and the clear blue sky on the day we left.
Here's an arty pic that I made from a fern photo:
We left DC, and drove via Hamburg, NJ to Milford, MA, where we had a really fun week with Dave and his Dad. I'll ready my pics from that visit, and will post them as soon as I can!
Now we are writing from Madison, Connecticut. Today we went to the 4th of July parade! Great fun! And, Dave, we did finish your chicken salad and pilaf at lunch today! I think it was even better today, if that's possible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
