Monday, March 8th

The time has come for us to get back in the Travel Mode. We are headed to Tucson for the Monaco Pre-Rally to the FMCA Convention in Albuquerque. Since I’m on the Parking Crew, we have to be in Tucson on Saturday, the 13th. We’re going to Yuma to spend three nights with our friends, the Clarksons, on their newly remodeled estate. While there we hope to look at more properties and possibly make an offer on one. After Yuma we’ll drive to Casa Grande for two nights and be able to visit one of our favorite eating establishments, the Organ Stop Pizza. The pizza isn’t the best in the world, but the entertainment is terrific! We enjoy sitting and watching the 1927 Wurlitzer theater organ mastered by some incredible musicians. We will spend a few days in Tucson and then go to Valley Vista RV Park in Benson, to the Escapee park in Deming, and on up to Albuquerque. We plan to stay at the Elks Lodge in Albuquerque while we enjoy one day of the FMCA Convention and see some friends who live there.

We had planned to go to Las Cruces for a two-week Habitat Build. However, we were informed that the affiliate had goofed and didn’t have a house for us to build. So the Build has been cancelled. We are seriously considering driving to Santa Rosa, CA to visit my Mother and sister for a few days. Then we have to be in Laughlin, NV on April 12th to meet up with some other friends who will be with us at the 21st Annual Baker-to-Vegas Law Enforcement Relay. It’s a foot race relay that goes from Baker to Pahrump to Las Vegas. There are 216 teams of runners from all over the world that will compete on the race. We are going to be at one of the checkpoints assisting in any way we can. It’ll probably be two nights of dry camping in the middle of the desert. We are looking forward to the event and possibly seeing some runners that I may know from my working days.

After the B2V Run, we aren’t sure where we’ll be going. We may head slowly east toward South Dakota via Nebraska, OR we may head back down to San Diego or Yuma to get things settled there. We’re not anxious to get to South Dakota before May 1 for fear of getting into snowy weather. We could stay a while longer in San Diego and enjoy the good weather.

Just a few thoughts - it’s been an interesting winter for us. With the surgery we were parked in one spot longer than we normally do. And it’s been a very good winter season for us. There are a lot of things we’ll both miss greatly. I’ll miss the phone calls from my buddy, Homer, and the opportunity to drive him to his various appointments and errands. I’ll miss all the terrific discussions I’ve had with Bill Large while we were running errands for the church or working around the church grounds. Bill keeps me thinking and pondering the more serious things in life and God’s Creation. We’ll miss the Wednesday Bible study class and the interesting discussions that Pastor Harvey leads. I’ll miss the breakfasts with Dave Dyas and the guys on Thursday morning and Saturday morning. I’ll miss the satisfaction of being able to replace light bulbs, window panes, and toilet flapper valves in the church buildings. And I’ll miss talking with the guys at the AA meetings on Saturday nights and Monday nights. And, of course, I’ll miss our church family that offered us support and friendship while we were parked on the property and involved in the Palisades Church life. I’ll especially miss the morning chats with Janice Klick, our church secretary. These were all a part of our experience while at Palisades Presbyterian Church.

We departed San Diego on Monday morning after delaying our trip from Sunday morning. We awoke Sunday and discovered that our television had breathed its last breath. After warming up, the screen went black. We went to church and left in the rain for Best Buy where we purchased a 24” flat screen TV for the front of the coach. It continued raining all day and we decided to wait until Monday to leave. The weather forecasters were calling for rain mixed with snow over the mountains east of San Diego. We enjoyed staying home and warm in our coach.

On Monday morning we left in a light rain that continued over the mountain until we reached the desert. Once on the desert floor, we had beautiful, sunny skies and a tailwind that followed us to Yuma. Our arrival at Clarkson’s lot was a welcome occasion with a fantastic spaghetti dinner followed by a great game of Pegs’n’Jokers. Our day was complete and we are ready to enjoy a relaxing break in Yuma looking for a lot, unwinding a bit, catching up on emails, sipping some craft brews, and preparing for the Tucson Pre-Rally.

Friday, Jan. 15th, 2010

On a whim, we left San Diego on Thursday morning, Dec. 31st, New Year’s Eve. We drove over to Yuma and the Clarkson’s lot to celebrate the Holiday weekend with them. We arrived and enjoyed the evening watching the ball in New York fall (at 10PM, Arizona time). We opened and shared a special bottle of sparkling wine made with black currant that we had purchased in Deming, NM last year. The St. Claire Winery makes this delicious wine and it was an appropriate time to break out the wine to celebrate the in-coming New Year. We had a terrific time with Andy & Linda and enjoyed our short stay with them.

During our visit we made trips to the Sam’s Club and the Yuma Swap Meet. The Swap Meet has everything that the Quartzsite RV Show has and at a lesser price. We also had the chance to look at some more property. We found one lot that is very close to Clarksons, is a corner lot, and is “for sale by owner”. His price is way too high, but his retirement has taken a hit and we hope he’ll consider an offer from us. It’s an almost perfect match to what we are looking for so we’ll sit tight and wait.

We had originally planned to leave on Sunday, but there was a Charger game on TV (we were able to use our satellite connection to receive the game) and the weekend traffic from the desert would have been horrendous. We decided to stay one more night and left on Monday for Indio. Before we left, we all went to a local Mexican restaurant and had a great breakfast. On the way home we stopped at the corner lot and the owner gave us a tour of his property. It proved to us that the lot was what we would enjoy and could make us very happy.

We drove up to Indio and the Western Horizons Indian Waters Resort. We had a quiet site with water, electricity, and gravel. It was at the outer edge of the resort and very peaceful for our stay. We went in to the FMCA Rally each morning for the coffee and donuts, then to the vendors to see all the things we couldn’t live without. Somehow we managed to get through the week without spending much money. We did find a vendor that did windshield chip repair, so we had him fix two chips on the windshield of the coach.

Each night there was entertainment. For the four nights we saw some good ones - and some bad ones. And on two afternoons there was an ice cream social with free ice cream bars furnished by Schwann. The rally was enjoyable and we had the chance to see some old friends, including the Raes, Griches, Bahnsons, Wilkes, and Harsches.

We had to leave Indio on Sunday and return to San Diego as we both had Dr. appointments to handle. It was a beautiful drive back to San Diego. We returned to an empty parking lot and got parked and settled in. It was good to be back to our San Diego parking spot and the solitude of the church.

Tuesday I had a follow-up with the neurosurgeons and came home with a good report. Everything is healing well and the recovery is ahead of schedule. I feel good and am glad to be able to get back to work around the church.

On Friday we took the coach to Valley Truck & Auto for our annual maintenance. I had the filters and a case of oil, so the mechanic did the labor, lubed the coach, and got us back in shape. The price was extremely reasonable and it was done in about three hours. After all, the coach takes 22 quarts of oil and has many, many grease zerts to service. It’s good to have the work done for another year!

We decided we aren’t going to Quartzsite this year. With the cost of fuel and our search for a Yuma Foothills lot, we decided to hold on to the fuel cost and stay put for awhile. If something develops in Yuma, we’ll make a day trip to sign papers and get things arranged. Only time will tell…

Tuesday night, Dec. 15th

It’s been almost three weeks since the surgery and each day just gets a little better. Last Tuesday we went to the Drs. for a follow-up. They removed the staples and checked a couple of other issues and determined that the recovery is coming along fine. I had anticipated some discomfort in the removal of the staples, but it was a piece of cake. Dr. Cueva pulled a remover out of a sterile packet and it felt as though he was simply lightly tapping the side of my head as removed all 26 staples. It was a quick follow-up and they told me I could start driving whenever I felt up to it.

It just happened that the headaches stopped the night before the follow-up. When I asked about it, the Drs. offered that I may be “over the hump” and it would only get better. I still need to take the Ibuprofen tablets three times a day and a high-powered antibiotic for another few days. That eliminates any alcohol consumption and still keeps my appetite in check. But food is beginning to taste good again, especially breakfast.

I’m still a little uneasy on my feet and get an occasional dizzy feeling if I move my head (or eyes) too fast. I’m having fun getting outside and working around the church with my buddy, Bill Large. He keeps me from overdoing and we still have fun.

We still have plans to try to go to Indio after the New Year for a motor home rally. We’re not sure about Quartzsite yet, but we’d like to go for a few days to check out the vendors and see a lot of old friends that will be there. We’re thinking about finding a spot in Yuma for the month of February to spend some time there looking at possible lots to buy. Things are still up in the air, but we hope to be mobile by the end of the month.

Once again we both appreciate all the phone calls and emails we’ve received. It’s been an interesting experience and we’re grateful that it’s almost over!

Monday afternoon, Nov. 30

I can’t express my humble thanks for all the emails, phone calls, prayers and positive thoughts that came our way during and after the surgery! There is real power in prayer - and I truly felt it! Dottie and I have so many wonderful friends and they have kept us going through this entire ordeal. I’m going to attempt to type this out in spite of my headache and dizziness, so here goes.

On Wednesday we checked in to the hospital at the appointed 2PM hour. The Pre-Op didn’t waste any time getting me ready. They had just finished a surgical procedure and I was put on the “Git ‘er done!” list to get the surgery started. I remember being wheeled into the operating room around 3PM, but nothing after that. The next thing I remember it was 9PM and having my paper surgical gown being removed and a cloth gown being put on in the recovery room. The ladies were telling me that I am a “sweater” - the gown was soaked and I felt wet from perspiration. They rolled me in to ICU where I stayed for the next 25 hours. Every hour the nurses would come in to check blood pressure or blood sugar, usually resulting a few units of insulin. They were dumping antibiotics and pain killers into me as fast as they could. I was so groggy that I would just turn over and go back to sleep. I had a bandage that looked almost like the Phantom of the Opera - it covered my whole left side. And I was fighting numbness on that side.

The Drs. told me it was a good sized tumor and was nestled up next to the brain. Everything went textbook perfect in the surgery and last almost 5 hours. They were able to save the function of the facial nerves, but I’ve lost all sense of hearing on my left side. Right now that left ear is just numb and has no sense of feeling at all.

On Thursday night about 10PM they moved me to a room with a guy that left his TV on all night. The volume wasn’t the problem; it was the steady light all night long. I didn’t sleep well that night, either. Then on Friday morning the neurologist came in and recommended I be discharged. I wasn’t really excited about it, but after he mentioned the lousy hospital food, uncomfortable bed, plastic covered pillows, and susceptibility to hospital germs, I was ready to go. He removed the big shell bandage exposing the 25 stainless steel staples holding my left side intact. Dottie gathered up my belongings and we were off to the coach. Major brain surgery and only two days in the hospital!

Since I’ve been back I’ve done a lot of sleeping. Daytime TV can motivate a person to recover quickly, but it’s going to be a long and slow road to normalcy. I can’t lift anything over 10 lbs. for at least a month, and probably won’t be able to drive for two months. I doubt that we’ll be going anywhere until March. Getting the balance back in the inner ear on the left side will take several months. I mostly feel like there’s an axe embedded in the left side of my skull, but the heavy drugs every four hours help to alleviate that pain. I can’t move my head too fast or I get extremely dizzy.

Dottie has been wonderful taking care of me, and I know she must tire of it at times. She’s off washing clothes right now and I have a little caretaker parked at my feet watching every move I make. It’s amazing how they know that something is different. At night she tucks herself tight against my legs so she can feel if make any movement. It’s been a challenge sleeping with the C-PAP machine and positioning that so it won’t catch on any of the staples.

I want to emphasize the importance of all the emails and phone calls and what they mean to us. We have some wonderful, caring friends and those contacts meant a lot both of us. Both of us thank all of you for those thoughtful messages and all the prayers that we’ve felt through this ordeal!

It’s been over a month since I sent out an update and it’s way overdue. We have remained at the church and stayed busy with all the activities and the preparation for the pending surgery.

My Mother moved up to Santa Rosa on Nov. 1st and we had the task of clearing out her apartment and disposing of the unneeded furniture and other “stuff”. It took us a while but we managed to get rid of the things that weren’t useable or could be used by others. It was a huge relief to turn over the apartment keys and finally rid ourselves of that huge task. It still feels strange driving by the apartment and realizing that she is no longer there. She was our primary reason for returning to San Diego for the winters. Of course we also have our son, daughter-in-law, and grandson to visit. But we were parked at the church for the convenience of being close to Mother and being able to visit her on a regular basis. Now our church parking has become a chance to be near our San Diego church family and be involved with some very close, supportive friends.

Two weeks ago we lost our refrigerator. It’s been going steadily for almost eight years and finally “gave up the ghost”. Leonard Howell of Howell’s RV (a long-time established RV appliance repair facility) came out and replaced the cooling unit. It wasn’t an inexpensive repair, but we placed it with a rebuilt cooling unit. Next time we will replace the refrigerator with a residential unit and be done with the problems of these RV refrigerators.

A week ago I went in for another MRI to check the progress of the tumor. Today we went in for the Pre-Op consultation with the two surgeons. I was informed by the Drs. That the tumor has grown another 5mm. in size. They asked me if I thought me hearing had digressed any. I have felt that the hearing has worsened, so they rushed me up to Audiology for a hearing test. The results are that the hearing on my left side has deteriorated to a point of total loss. It won’t regenerate, so my right ear will have to do my hearing for me. And that side shows a slight deterioration also. Since there is no concern for saving the hearing in my left ear, the Drs. have modified their surgical plan to make it easier to access the tumor. Now their only concern is to not damage the nerves that control my facial muscles.

Their plan is to make a cut from the top of the ear down around the back side, fold the ear tissue back to gain access to the mastoid bone, and drill a small hole through the bone to see and remove the tumor. They will make a small incision in the belly area to obtain some belly fat (I’ve been working on building a supply of that for several years!) that can be used to fill the hole in the mastoid bone before closing the cut.

I’ll have a total head bandage for several days and probably released from the hospital on Saturday! That means only three days for recovery time. It will be wonderful to come back to the coach and spend my recovery in my own bed. But, that all depends on how fast the recovery goes.

Dottie is nervous about the whole procedure - heck, I’m a little nervous about it, too. But these Drs. are the best in the Southern California area! They are so matter-of-fact about the procedure that put both of us at ease. I asked that they not practice their turkey-carving on me since the surgery in scheduled for 4PM on Wednesday, the 25th. I also asked that they not ask me to make a wish!!! We are putting the surgery in God’s hands and the skill of these two doctors. Think about us on Thanksgiving day as you cut in to those nice, warm, juicy, succulent turkeys with all that wonderful stuffing. I’ll be sipping ice water and waiting for leftovers on Saturday!

Monday, Oct. 12th

I am not a happy camper! I was working at the church today and received a phone call from Surgery Scheduling at Kaiser Hospital. They told me that an error in scheduling had been made and my scheduled surgery was re-scheduled for Nov. 25th. The was a problem with the surgeon and his voice mail. Over a month ago I had received a voice mail message from him that I could get scheduled for Oct. 21st. I immediately responded and got his voice mail. I told him “Absolutely! Schedule me for that Oct. 21st spot!”.. Apparently he didn’t get that message. In the meantime Surgery Scheduling phoned me to get things set up. I was all ready to go in next week and get this tumor removed from my head. The surgeon days he never received my voice mail and filled the slot with somebody else. So, now I get to wait another five weeks and spent Thanksgiving in the hospital recovering from the surgery. Wow! That makes me happy as a clam!

Bottom line is everything is now delayed for another month and I have the privilege of Thanksgiving dinner in a hospital room. I’m not real happy with it all, but as one dear friend of mine says, “It is what it is!”

We’re doing a lot of odd jobs around the church getting things repaired and updated. A fifty-year-old building offers some challenges to keep it running and usable. Bill Large and I have a good time working together and getting the various tasks done. It’s a good place to be if we’re going to have to stay in San Diego. Our plans will have to change a lot, but that’s the way it goes.

My Mother is moving to Santa Rosa on Nov. 1st, so this gives us a little more time to take care of getting her things packed and ready for the move. Dottie stays busy with the little jobs that are needed before the move. She and Mother have had some good times shopping together and today they visited the casino for a round of bingo games. Such is life in San Diego…

We got settled at the Palisades Presbyterian Church in San Diego on Friday, the 25th. It was wonderful seeing all the church family here. On Tuesday morning, the 29th, we got a call from our realtor in Yuma telling us about a property that looked like it had great potential. We decided to make a quick run to Yuma and look at it. After confirming that Andy & Linda Clarkson had room for us, we left San Diego on Wednesday morning and drove over the mountains to Yuma. It was really wonderful to see them again after almost 8 months!

They are in the process of getting a garage built on the lot, but there was room for our coach. We looked at the property on Thursday morning and found some alterations that had been made without proper building permits. It was a shock to see some of the gross violations that existed. A propane line (rubber hose) was running through the wall to two small propane tanks in the rear of the building. There were lots of extension cords spread behind the furniture and appliances. There was also a toilet located right next to the refrigerator - talk about multi-tasking! It was an abomination of a poorly designed living quarters.

We looked at several other lots and spent some time with our realtor talking about what we really wanted and needed. We also had the chance for some great meals and refreshments with the Clarksons. It’s always fun to spend time with them and we’ve missed their company in our travels this past year.

We’re back in San Diego for a while - unless something really promising comes up. It’s only two weeks before the surgery, so I’m getting geared up for that. We also have the task of getting my Mother ready for her move to northern California on Nov. 1st. There’s lots of things to get down at the church and I’m looking forward to working with some of the guys that are spending their time up here repairing and working here.

We’re at the church, so drop on by. We have had the chance to see our son and grandson and look forward to spending more time with them.