The holidays are over, our grand daughter Maggie's wedding was held three days after Christmas and we are back on LBI recovering from all the festivities. It does seem strange that we are old enough to have two grandchildren married! The bride and groom are happy, the service was lovely and the reception grand. I read a Quaker Wedding Certificate at the end of the Catholic Nuptial Mass, which was then signed by Maggie and Johnny and later, by all present. The only glitch was when I somehow became attached to Jamie's suit button as he walked me to the podium, but that is a story for another day!
Since this blog is mostly about our RV adventures with our old dog, I have fired up the blog because we are getting ready to leave for an extended trip. This will be a road trip to Florida: St. Augustine, Stuart, the Keys and Pine Island near Fort Meyers. After that, we have no reservations, and will probably head home by way of Tampa and then Aiken S.C.
We are far from ready to depart; much packing must happen!
Sunday, January 10th.
Panic time; not ready; probably will forget lots of essential things; wish we were already on the road! Also still wondering how Canada pictures show up all over the blog. I must have goofed when I entered it all last Fall.
Friday, January 15 2016
After a fairly disastrous start Tuesday, a not so good day Wednesday and a better Thursday, we are camped in St. Mary's, GA in a nice place that we have visited before. Hoping for a calm departure, we had planned to have most of the day Tuesday to pack up and close the house; followed by a short trip to spend the night with Beth and her family in Medford. Joe decided to add a stop at a Jiffy Lube in Marlton for an oil change before we went to Beth's.
As we prepared to drive out of our parking lot, I asked Joe if he was sure we had all of our paperwork. He said he was, but I checked anyway. No current registration and no insurance card could be found. So...back into the house; found the insurance card, but a frantic search did not turn up the registration. We decided to just stop at the MV to get a replacement. Half way down the Island, I discovered that I had left my glasses behind. I told Joe to just keep going; I would make do with a spare pair I keep in the motorhome.
It turned out that I had not renewed the registration; why I cannot imagine! While Joe was getting the registration, I got out the spare glasses and found that they were not mine, but spare reading glasses for Joe. Back we went to Holgate, Joe was very nice about it all. Still smarting about my stupidity, I retrieved the glasses and we set off for Jiffy Lube. Unfortunately, the bay was not high enough for us to pull in. They suggested the one in Cherry Hill. Off we went, slowly, it was rush hour -- and had a semi-successful Jiffy Lube experience. We got the oil change, but they were unable to check the back tires; couldn't get the fig-a-ma-gig off. We decided to try a tire place in the morning.
Arrived at Beth's and had wine. And more wine. Joe went straight for the scotch. Buddy, who had been giving us reproachful looks all day, finally got his dinner. Sander helped Joe with the bike rack. We were able to bid a fond farewell to Alex and Emily.
Wednesday morning we went to Midas on Rt. 70. They said they could do it but they only had one guy working and two cars ahead of us. They suggested Firestone. Unfortunately, when we turned into Midas, we did not realize that there was no place to turn around and that we would have to back onto Rt. 70 during rush hour. I directed from outside, Joe maneuvered, and eventually we got out. Did I mention that it was 22 degrees and that I had no hat or gloves?
Firestone was able to do the job and they did not charge us! Yay, Firestone! We got on 295 and drove to Emporia, VA, where we dry camped at a Walmart. The next day we made Walterboro, SC and dry camped, along with seven or eight other RVs at their Walmart.
I spotted a Chinese Buffet in the adjacent strip mall, so we went there, ate too much and waddled back to the motorhome.
We woke today to pouring rain, drove here and made camp. The sun just came out, Buddy is passed out on the sofa and we are going to have a walk. And a shower. I forgot to mention that our pump stopped working so that we had no water on the trip and had to buy bottled water. We now have cable, electricity, wi-fi and hot water. Be still my heart! I will enjoy being clean again!
Tomorrow, St. Augustine.
Since this blog is mostly about our RV adventures with our old dog, I have fired up the blog because we are getting ready to leave for an extended trip. This will be a road trip to Florida: St. Augustine, Stuart, the Keys and Pine Island near Fort Meyers. After that, we have no reservations, and will probably head home by way of Tampa and then Aiken S.C.
We are far from ready to depart; much packing must happen!
Sunday, January 10th.
Panic time; not ready; probably will forget lots of essential things; wish we were already on the road! Also still wondering how Canada pictures show up all over the blog. I must have goofed when I entered it all last Fall.
Friday, January 15 2016
After a fairly disastrous start Tuesday, a not so good day Wednesday and a better Thursday, we are camped in St. Mary's, GA in a nice place that we have visited before. Hoping for a calm departure, we had planned to have most of the day Tuesday to pack up and close the house; followed by a short trip to spend the night with Beth and her family in Medford. Joe decided to add a stop at a Jiffy Lube in Marlton for an oil change before we went to Beth's.
As we prepared to drive out of our parking lot, I asked Joe if he was sure we had all of our paperwork. He said he was, but I checked anyway. No current registration and no insurance card could be found. So...back into the house; found the insurance card, but a frantic search did not turn up the registration. We decided to just stop at the MV to get a replacement. Half way down the Island, I discovered that I had left my glasses behind. I told Joe to just keep going; I would make do with a spare pair I keep in the motorhome.
It turned out that I had not renewed the registration; why I cannot imagine! While Joe was getting the registration, I got out the spare glasses and found that they were not mine, but spare reading glasses for Joe. Back we went to Holgate, Joe was very nice about it all. Still smarting about my stupidity, I retrieved the glasses and we set off for Jiffy Lube. Unfortunately, the bay was not high enough for us to pull in. They suggested the one in Cherry Hill. Off we went, slowly, it was rush hour -- and had a semi-successful Jiffy Lube experience. We got the oil change, but they were unable to check the back tires; couldn't get the fig-a-ma-gig off. We decided to try a tire place in the morning.
Arrived at Beth's and had wine. And more wine. Joe went straight for the scotch. Buddy, who had been giving us reproachful looks all day, finally got his dinner. Sander helped Joe with the bike rack. We were able to bid a fond farewell to Alex and Emily.
Wednesday morning we went to Midas on Rt. 70. They said they could do it but they only had one guy working and two cars ahead of us. They suggested Firestone. Unfortunately, when we turned into Midas, we did not realize that there was no place to turn around and that we would have to back onto Rt. 70 during rush hour. I directed from outside, Joe maneuvered, and eventually we got out. Did I mention that it was 22 degrees and that I had no hat or gloves?
Firestone was able to do the job and they did not charge us! Yay, Firestone! We got on 295 and drove to Emporia, VA, where we dry camped at a Walmart. The next day we made Walterboro, SC and dry camped, along with seven or eight other RVs at their Walmart.
I spotted a Chinese Buffet in the adjacent strip mall, so we went there, ate too much and waddled back to the motorhome.
We woke today to pouring rain, drove here and made camp. The sun just came out, Buddy is passed out on the sofa and we are going to have a walk. And a shower. I forgot to mention that our pump stopped working so that we had no water on the trip and had to buy bottled water. We now have cable, electricity, wi-fi and hot water. Be still my heart! I will enjoy being clean again!
Tomorrow, St. Augustine.
Under the Georgia pines.
Happily ensconced in St. Augustine, we have really enjoyed our stay here. The KOA is very nice, we have a concrete patio, our site is waterfront on a large pond, and a glass topped patio table and chairs are provided. There are people here from many different states; our row has us, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Michigan, New York among others. From huge motorhomes, large fifth wheel type trailers down to some cute little trailers.
We have gone into St. Augustine twice on the shuttle and found it to be a lovely old city. A shuttle stops here at the camp and takes you to the old city, where you can catch the Old Town Trolley. Today we did the whole Trolley ride, stopping to tour the Old Jail. We ate lunch yesterday at the Old Mill and today at the Bull and Crown. Fairly inexpensive, good food at both places.
We have gone into St. Augustine twice on the shuttle and found it to be a lovely old city. A shuttle stops here at the camp and takes you to the old city, where you can catch the Old Town Trolley. Today we did the whole Trolley ride, stopping to tour the Old Jail. We ate lunch yesterday at the Old Mill and today at the Bull and Crown. Fairly inexpensive, good food at both places.
January 24, 2016
We spent five days in Stuart, Florida at a county park, very inexpensive and pretty. Our campsite was right on the St. Lucie River, giving us pretty views and some wildlife. The weather, unfortunately, did not cooperate, and it was cloudy, windy and cold quite a lot of the time we were there. One day we had torrential rain. The bad weather, though was made up for by our being able to spend time with friends, Chris and Tony, who live in Stuart year round. Their hospitality was wonderful as was their cooking! On the worst day, Chris came and picked us up from our campsite in driving rain. Thunder storms had been forecast, so we had given Buddy a very small amount of his sedative. When we went to get him into the car to take to Chris' house, we could not rouse him and had to wrap him in a blanket and carry him to the car, sliding him onto the back seat. He remained docile the rest of the day.
One of the highlights of our stay was a trip to the Elliot Museum, which is new, modern and had a wonderful antique car exhibit, plus an art show, a Foucalt Pendulum and other exhibits. Chris and Tony cooked us a yummy dinner the night we arrived in Stuart and treated us to lunch in Stuart's beautiful downtown area.
Our last day in town, we met friends from Beach Have, Kris and Marge, who winter in Stuart. They picked us up at the campground and took us on a drive around Stuart to see the sights. We had lunch at a Conchy Joe's on the water, and then went back to their condo, which is tucked away on a quiet and peaceful canal. It was a sunny but very windy and chilly day, perfect for visiting old friends!
Some pictures from Stuart
January 26th 2015
We arrived Sunday here at the KOA near Key West. the campground is very big and the sites very small. No sooner had we set up and raised the awning and I had stretched out on a reclining chair on the patio, than in came an enormous fifth wheel - 44 feet long - to the neighboring site, which had been empty. This monster backed in, slid out his slideout and realized that it colliided with our awning. The man and his wife who own said 5th wheel then asked if we could lower our awning. I said I didn't think so. He said" won't you work with me on this?", an expression I particularly dislike, as it usually means "let's do it my way!". I then asked Joe to come out of the RV where he was happily watching football. The man said that he didn't want WWIII, and that we were crooked on our site. (True, very slightly) We finally agreed to move a little to the side, thus allowing our neighbor to open his wretched slideout without colliding with our awning!
January 27th 2016
We had a really nice day yesterday. Rode our bikes to Mangrove Mama's, which is close by and was a favorite of ours years ago, when we used to stay on Cudjoe Key. After returning, I had some beach time, even wore a bathing suit!
It is interesting to see the many RVs here. They range from colossal to modest little trailers. There is also a tent area. The population is overwhelmingly old. Who else has the time? (except for the people next to us in the Fifth Wheel who are middle aged with two school age kids. Home schooled?) Some campers have been coming here for 20 years or so; they have the best, biggest sites. We are newbies, so we live in Sardineville! The showers and bathrooms are sparkling clean and the laundry is 24/7 and very nice. There is a dog park, a heated pool and great beach, along with a cafe and a Pub. Prices at the cafe seem very reasonable.
RVing is is definitely a white, middle class, retired oldsters occupation. Some are the type who put little signs out in front of their RV saying "Grammie and Pop Pop's Place" Or have a cute sign or flag. Not our style, but God bless them! Everyone has a dog or two. When we went cross country two years ago, at the big tourist spots, like the Grand Canyon, the population was more diverse, age wise. Yuppies with serious hiking boots, water bottles, and backpacks living in tents and huddling around the campfire at night in heavy coats! Or in Sedona or Santa Fe, young people hoping to feel the aura, the vibrations! Also many people from other countries in rented RVs.
The Keys has a different flavor. Lots of tacky mixed with lots of real money. We have always loved the vibe here. I think a week in each camp is enough, though. I haven't seen anything that I would want to spend a month in! But we still have several campsites to go. It is fun to be "on the road" at the end of every week. We often play Willie Nelson as we set out.
We arrived Sunday here at the KOA near Key West. the campground is very big and the sites very small. No sooner had we set up and raised the awning and I had stretched out on a reclining chair on the patio, than in came an enormous fifth wheel - 44 feet long - to the neighboring site, which had been empty. This monster backed in, slid out his slideout and realized that it colliided with our awning. The man and his wife who own said 5th wheel then asked if we could lower our awning. I said I didn't think so. He said" won't you work with me on this?", an expression I particularly dislike, as it usually means "let's do it my way!". I then asked Joe to come out of the RV where he was happily watching football. The man said that he didn't want WWIII, and that we were crooked on our site. (True, very slightly) We finally agreed to move a little to the side, thus allowing our neighbor to open his wretched slideout without colliding with our awning!
January 27th 2016
We had a really nice day yesterday. Rode our bikes to Mangrove Mama's, which is close by and was a favorite of ours years ago, when we used to stay on Cudjoe Key. After returning, I had some beach time, even wore a bathing suit!
It is interesting to see the many RVs here. They range from colossal to modest little trailers. There is also a tent area. The population is overwhelmingly old. Who else has the time? (except for the people next to us in the Fifth Wheel who are middle aged with two school age kids. Home schooled?) Some campers have been coming here for 20 years or so; they have the best, biggest sites. We are newbies, so we live in Sardineville! The showers and bathrooms are sparkling clean and the laundry is 24/7 and very nice. There is a dog park, a heated pool and great beach, along with a cafe and a Pub. Prices at the cafe seem very reasonable.
RVing is is definitely a white, middle class, retired oldsters occupation. Some are the type who put little signs out in front of their RV saying "Grammie and Pop Pop's Place" Or have a cute sign or flag. Not our style, but God bless them! Everyone has a dog or two. When we went cross country two years ago, at the big tourist spots, like the Grand Canyon, the population was more diverse, age wise. Yuppies with serious hiking boots, water bottles, and backpacks living in tents and huddling around the campfire at night in heavy coats! Or in Sedona or Santa Fe, young people hoping to feel the aura, the vibrations! Also many people from other countries in rented RVs.
The Keys has a different flavor. Lots of tacky mixed with lots of real money. We have always loved the vibe here. I think a week in each camp is enough, though. I haven't seen anything that I would want to spend a month in! But we still have several campsites to go. It is fun to be "on the road" at the end of every week. We often play Willie Nelson as we set out.
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We are in Sunshine Key, but there is no sunshine. The RV camp is on a little island and has a nice beach, a pool we have not seen yet and wi fi that is not free! We decided to pay the $20 for the week we will be here; we like to be able to watch Netflix! It rained so hard last night that everything is flooded. Luckily, our site is dry on the side where our door is located, so we do not have to wade through water to leave the site. We have not really even set up the camp yet, as we had a bad trip here yesterday, were both unnerved and upset by the time we arrived and it looked like rain. So we had Happy Hour and watched old BBC sitcoms. Laughed so hard during an episode of "Are You Being Served" that I got hoarse! Such talented people and of course, all dead now! Two of them went on to be in the "Last of the Wine" later. Most lived to great old age!
Watched a little Foyle's War too!
The sun is supposed to come out later today, so hopefully we will unpack, get the bikes off the rack and explore. Pictures to follow!
February 3, 2016
We have been here for three days now and after a rainy start, the sun is shining, there is a gentle breeze and it is warm. Our site here is much bigger than the one at KOA; we are really enjoying sitting on our on our patio, under the awning. This campground is on an island surrounded by water. It has a good keys vibe - funky, a little shabby, friendly. The pool is beautiful and the little sand beach very pretty. I have been enjoying riding my bike all around and sat at the pool reading for several hours this morning. Buddy is happy to be outside if I am out there and sleeps on his cushy bed.
In comparing KOA and this campground, KOA is cleaner, more fixed up; many worker bees, all in yellow shirts, ride about in golf carts, collecting trash and keeping a watchful eye on things. The pool is large, but not in a pretty site. The Pub and Cafe are great; as is the live music at the Pub. But, Joe and I like to sit on our own patio and at KOA it was pretty dismal. We were hemmed in by huge 5th wheels on a tiny lot with no sun. Yes the facilities were immaculate, but the atmosphere was just too yuppie for us. We like this place better, even though the wi fi is awful, and we couldn't drink the water for three days (water main break). The wi fi at KOA was awful too, but here we had to pay for awful
We are in Sunshine Key, but there is no sunshine. The RV camp is on a little island and has a nice beach, a pool we have not seen yet and wi fi that is not free! We decided to pay the $20 for the week we will be here; we like to be able to watch Netflix! It rained so hard last night that everything is flooded. Luckily, our site is dry on the side where our door is located, so we do not have to wade through water to leave the site. We have not really even set up the camp yet, as we had a bad trip here yesterday, were both unnerved and upset by the time we arrived and it looked like rain. So we had Happy Hour and watched old BBC sitcoms. Laughed so hard during an episode of "Are You Being Served" that I got hoarse! Such talented people and of course, all dead now! Two of them went on to be in the "Last of the Wine" later. Most lived to great old age!
Watched a little Foyle's War too!
The sun is supposed to come out later today, so hopefully we will unpack, get the bikes off the rack and explore. Pictures to follow!
February 3, 2016
We have been here for three days now and after a rainy start, the sun is shining, there is a gentle breeze and it is warm. Our site here is much bigger than the one at KOA; we are really enjoying sitting on our on our patio, under the awning. This campground is on an island surrounded by water. It has a good keys vibe - funky, a little shabby, friendly. The pool is beautiful and the little sand beach very pretty. I have been enjoying riding my bike all around and sat at the pool reading for several hours this morning. Buddy is happy to be outside if I am out there and sleeps on his cushy bed.
In comparing KOA and this campground, KOA is cleaner, more fixed up; many worker bees, all in yellow shirts, ride about in golf carts, collecting trash and keeping a watchful eye on things. The pool is large, but not in a pretty site. The Pub and Cafe are great; as is the live music at the Pub. But, Joe and I like to sit on our own patio and at KOA it was pretty dismal. We were hemmed in by huge 5th wheels on a tiny lot with no sun. Yes the facilities were immaculate, but the atmosphere was just too yuppie for us. We like this place better, even though the wi fi is awful, and we couldn't drink the water for three days (water main break). The wi fi at KOA was awful too, but here we had to pay for awful
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While we were in KOA, we went to Key West for the day. We took the Lower Keys Shuttle, which cost us $1.50 apiece. it was a long ride, but we had a lovely lunch on the water at Sunset Pier and walked around Duval Street. Poked our heads into Sloppy Joes and had a drink at The Bull and Whistle before getting the bus home. The return trip was pretty bad. Joe and I got on at the first stop, so we had seats. By the time we had stopped at the county college/hospital stop, there were no seats at all. The people were assorted Keys types - but at the hospital stop, a quite old woman, dressed in a short nightie and missing her teeth, tottered onto the bus. Immediately, someone got up and gave her their seat; I doubt if she would have lived through the trip standing. Most remarkably, she was wearing a hospital bracelet. Did she escape? Then we noticed that among the students, were some non students also wearing hospital bracelets. One couple standing right next to our seat spent the entire trip running their hands up and down each others bodies. I wanted to tell them to get a room, but thought better of that! When we finally reached the KOA, a lot of us campers gratefully exited the bus. I guess we will never know the reason for the bracelets!
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Our Pool at Sunshine Key
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February 4 2016
I love it here!! The pool is heated; salt water. I can float around forever! Persuaded Joe to come to the pool with me this afternoon. We both floated around for quite a while. There were some younger people today with children. I think President's weekend is coming up and some schools have the week before off or the week after. The oldsters are very tan and lie in the sun all day. I am afraid to do that anymore; I had a very small melanoma a few years ago and I use sun screen now and limit my exposure. I could stay a month here very easily! Relaxing and catching up on my reading...especially my Friends Journals!
February 5, 2015
Feeling sad today...just heard that our friend Brad has liver cancer. He is in the hospital having tests. We are planning on visiting him in Aiken is less than two weeks. He had prostate cancer quite a few years ago and was treated with radiation. He is suffering from dementia issues also. Just sucks, the whole sorry mess, just sucks. He is one of our oldest and dearest friends. So many good times with him over the years. Watching him dim has not been easy, but when we spent time with him last year he was still with us...just forgetful. I know the dementia is worse now, but we talked with him on the phone right before we left for Florida and he still knew us. Think I will get a drink.
February 9 2016
We left Sunshine Key in the rain along with wet rug, towels, picnic table cover, etc. Drove up to Key Largo, where we met our friends, Lynne and Frank Ochberg for lunch at Pilot House. Joe and I checked the marina, and sure enough, our boat from last year was there! It had a cover on the flying deck, otherwise the same, but even shabbier. It was great to see Lynne and Frank to catch up; sorry we couldn't have seen more of them, but it wasn't in the cards for this trip.
After an all too brief lunch we set out for Pine Island, driving across Alligator Alley and past Fort Myers. It was a long haul and we got here just as the sun was setting. The weather has been awful, cold and today, very windy and cloudy. Not much to do but take walks. Today we did bike about 2.4 miles over to St. James City to a dockside restaurant called Woody's. We had a nice lunch and it was great to get out. We passed a preserve on our way, and we will probably go there tomorrow if it isn't raining.
This campsite is ok; I'm not wild about it. We are across the road from one of the three lakes so it is a pretty site and we back up to a densely overgrown lagoon. Are there alligators in there? Would not be surprised! There are many people here, especially lakefront, who are obviously permanent. They have enclosed porches and decorations etc. I hope to photograph some of them; especially the pink flamingoes. I would guess these are winter homes. I would think it would be incredibly buggy here in the summer. I think the campground is mostly fill. We noticed that there is a lot of swampy land on the island.
Pine Island has no beaches; plenty of water, but no beaches. Therefore, it is much less populated than nearby Sanibel and Captiva. It is nice not to have the traffic jams that the more popular islands are plagued with, which I really hate. Since Joe and I live at the beach, the lack of one here is not an issue. Pictures to follow.
February 14, 2016
My heart has not been into blogging since we got the news that our dear friends, Joe and Dixie Amento, lost their daughter, Lori, in a terrible car crash right on LBI in Ship Bottom. We are so devastated for the Amentos; how do you survive the loss of a child? Every parents' worse nightmare. We were still on Pine Island when we learned about this tragedy. Lori was very dear to us; an honorary daughter to all of us in the Happy Hour Group. She was living with her parents after a romantic breakup, trying to get her life back together. Lori was a generous, openhearted woman. I still can't get my head around the fact that she is gone. Our first reaction was that we had to go straight home, but realized that we would not be able to get there for the services. Also, we had committed to dinner with Luke and Brie in Tampa and two days of field hockey watching with our son Jamie and his daughter Lulu.
The dinner with Luke and Brie was lovely and for the first time in several days we actually enjoyed ourselves while we were with them.
My heart has not been into blogging since we got the news that our dear friends, Joe and Dixie Amento, lost their daughter, Lori, in a terrible car crash right on LBI in Ship Bottom. We are so devastated for the Amentos; how do you survive the loss of a child? Every parents' worse nightmare. We were still on Pine Island when we learned about this tragedy. Lori was very dear to us; an honorary daughter to all of us in the Happy Hour Group. She was living with her parents after a romantic breakup, trying to get her life back together. Lori was a generous, openhearted woman. I still can't get my head around the fact that she is gone. Our first reaction was that we had to go straight home, but realized that we would not be able to get there for the services. Also, we had committed to dinner with Luke and Brie in Tampa and two days of field hockey watching with our son Jamie and his daughter Lulu.
The dinner with Luke and Brie was lovely and for the first time in several days we actually enjoyed ourselves while we were with them.
March 2, 2016
We are home and the less said about our return trip the better. We did spend two days in Bradenton with Jamie and Lulu and very much enjoyed watching South Jersey Edge play field hockey. We also found an RV campsite that was very nice and may become our place of choice for next winter. When we left Florida, we spent one night at St. Mary's KOA in Georgia, right over the Florida state line. They offer home made pizza, so we had one and also enjoyed pancakes for breakfast in their little dining room. After breakfast, we set out for Aiken, getting there mid afternoon. We spent a nice afternoon with Brad and walked downtown for dinner. His facility is beautiful and he is in independent living with his own comfy apartment. His dementia is worse, and his cancer is very worrisome, but we managed to have a few giggles together. Breakfast with him the next morning was nice - he set up the table in his apartment for us and we enjoyed coffee and cereal.
We departed Aiken mid day and made for Rocky Point, N.C to spend the night with the intention of driving to the Virginia Eastern Shore the next day to visit three of my cousins. This visit is always a highlight of our trips south. I so enjoy their company! Alas, it was not to be. We dry camped in a WalMart for the night and the next morning I woke up with a stomach virus. Stomach pain, nausea, fever and chills. Joe had some stomach cramps but decided to drive for a bit. Long story short, we cancelled the cousin visit, checked into a Red Roof Inn and lay low for 24 hours. Friday we arrived home very late in the day and crashed all day Saturday. Sunday we were well enough to visit Joe and Dixie. Our hearts are still broken for them. How do you ever recover from the death of a child? I know people do go on; I know several who have. But there is always a big hole in their heart. We will try to be as much help to them as we can. I am very glad to be back.
We are home and the less said about our return trip the better. We did spend two days in Bradenton with Jamie and Lulu and very much enjoyed watching South Jersey Edge play field hockey. We also found an RV campsite that was very nice and may become our place of choice for next winter. When we left Florida, we spent one night at St. Mary's KOA in Georgia, right over the Florida state line. They offer home made pizza, so we had one and also enjoyed pancakes for breakfast in their little dining room. After breakfast, we set out for Aiken, getting there mid afternoon. We spent a nice afternoon with Brad and walked downtown for dinner. His facility is beautiful and he is in independent living with his own comfy apartment. His dementia is worse, and his cancer is very worrisome, but we managed to have a few giggles together. Breakfast with him the next morning was nice - he set up the table in his apartment for us and we enjoyed coffee and cereal.
We departed Aiken mid day and made for Rocky Point, N.C to spend the night with the intention of driving to the Virginia Eastern Shore the next day to visit three of my cousins. This visit is always a highlight of our trips south. I so enjoy their company! Alas, it was not to be. We dry camped in a WalMart for the night and the next morning I woke up with a stomach virus. Stomach pain, nausea, fever and chills. Joe had some stomach cramps but decided to drive for a bit. Long story short, we cancelled the cousin visit, checked into a Red Roof Inn and lay low for 24 hours. Friday we arrived home very late in the day and crashed all day Saturday. Sunday we were well enough to visit Joe and Dixie. Our hearts are still broken for them. How do you ever recover from the death of a child? I know people do go on; I know several who have. But there is always a big hole in their heart. We will try to be as much help to them as we can. I am very glad to be back.
March 2016
When I woke up on that Saturday morning before Easter, everything seemed to be normal. Buddy, our 13 year old rescue dog, was curled upon the bed between Joe and me sleeping peacefully. I went upstairs for coffee and Joe soon followed me. Buddy slept in, or so we thought. An hour or so passed, and we decided to check the dog. We found him lying in a funny position, with his head up, but looking frightened. He had soiled himself and the bed. Joe tried to get him off the bed, but he couldn’t seem to move well.
An emergency call was placed to our vet; we wrapped Buddy in a blanket and lugged him to the car. He weighs about 55 pounds. The car ride to the vet was an anxious one. It appeared that our beloved dog had had a stroke and we were very afraid of what the vet would say.
The news, however, was optimistic. Buddy apparently had idiopathic vestibular syndrome, which is not uncommon in old dogs. It was probably not a stroke. The vet could tell by looking into the dog’s eyes that his world was spinning. She immediately gave him shots for vertigo, nausea and started him on steroids. He was carried out to our car via stretcher, and we were given meds. We were advised that Buddy would need complete care for several or more days, after which he would begin to improve.
We were, of course, relieved and very happy at this news; there was, however, a problem. I was scheduled to fly with two grandchildren to Florida on Easter night, delivering them to their other grandmother, and staying with them there until Friday. This, unfortunately, put all the responsibility for Buddy’s care onto Joe’s shoulders.
We spent the rest of the day making Buddy comfortable. We tried to give him water; he refused. We placed wet pads under him on his cushy doggie bed. We canceled all Easter plans except my flight. Easter morning arrived and there was no change. Buddy lay in his bed, refusing food and water. Finally, shortly before I left to catch my flight, I was able to get him to drink a bit of water.
Joe cared for our terribly sick puppy all week. On Monday, he finally got him to eat a little pot roast and drink more water. He cleaned up after him. And he and I talked three or more times per day. Joe slept on the living room sofa so that he could be near Buddy.
Meanwhile, I was having my own adventures in Boynton. Dolly, the other grandmother, had scheduled a canoe trip through the Everglades for the children and me; she had a guide taking us. And so we set off on a two hour canoe trip through the alligator infested swamp. The canoe did not tip over, but we did see alligators.
Our next adventure was a trip to the beach so that fourteen old Alex could surf. Dolly remained with her husband, Stuart, who has some health issues. When we reached the beach after renting a board, the ocean was wild and the beach deserted. I informed Alex that I was not a lifeguard and that the waves were rather large and many. Finally, we struggled way up the beach to a distant life guard hut, lugging the cooler Dolly had given us, filled with cold drinks. I secretly hoped that the lifeguard would come out of his hut and forbid Alex to go into the water, but he didn’t seem to care. On LBI no one would have been allowed in. The wind was howling. Alex surfed. I stood in the water thinking about that awful Eleanor Wylie poem about the sea. Finally, as I stood on the dry sand, ready to rush into the churning water at any moment. I felt a sharp stab on the side of my foot, it hurt, but I could see nothing. Alex surfed for half a hideous hour and then we returned the board and drove back to Dolly’s house. I made my third call to Joe. Buddy had eaten a little more and was trying to stand. He kept falling over. Very unfortunately, everything he felt the urge to urinate, he tried to get up, staggered off the wet pad fell down and wet the rug. Joe was spending most of his time rug cleaning. He used up all our Resolve.
The next day it rained in the afternoon so we went to the movies. Dolly stayed home with Stuart. The movie was My Big Fat Greek Wedding2. I had not seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding 1, but we had popcorn and watched the movie until the emergency lights went on and the screen went dark. The power had gone out due to a severe thunderstorm. Everyone waited for about 10 minutes and then we filed out.
Our last day at Dolly’s, Stuart attended his weekly lecture held at the community room in the over 55 development in which they live. He told Dolly to pick him up in one hour. She suggested that he call her when he was ready to come home. He refused this practical suggestion and insisted that she come in one hour. Stuart refuses to own a cell phone, but there is a free phone in the community room. And so in one hour Dolly went to fetch Stuart. He was nowhere to be seen, and after waiting a while, she jumped out of her car in great haste and irritation, slamming the car door on her finger.
Fortunately, the children and I had just gotten back from the pool (heated) when she arrived home with Stuart who she had dragged out of the ongoing lecture. Her finger was deeply cut, so we went to an ER close by, where we waited and waited. Finally, the doctor arrived and told her she needed an x-ray, she said she did not. He said she needed a tetanus shot, she insisted that she had had one five years ago. He made her have both. Then we waited some more. Eventually, the doctor returned, sewed up her finger, told her she had a chipped bone and gave her some prescriptions. As he was about to leave the examining room, she told him that she wanted him to look at my foot which by now had a very large purple spot. I said no, it was just a bite and I was putting cream on it. He glanced down at my foot, said no cream, soak it and escaped.
Dolly insisted on driving home.
I called Joe to get a report on the dog. Buddy now was eating and drinking water, but still couldn’t walk well at all. Joe was very understandably looking forward to being able to get him outside.
Friday, our last day, I soaked my foot in the lovely, heated pool. We printed our boarding passes. Joe called to say that he had gotten Buddy outside and the poor doggie staggered around the neighborhood. He was very happy.
I am now home; Buddy is about 95% cured; Joe is my hero; my foot healed.