Our Trip of a Lifetime

Written on 9-29-19.

     I’ve escaped death two times now.  First with my brain surgery back in 2011, and now with a stroke on September 8th.   Wow, am I a blessed man.  What a miracle.  What a trip.  

     We had just finished up a long podcast with 12 episodes when it happened.  We were driving into Sterling and Belinda, who was driving thankfully, said something like, “This has been the trip of a lifetime, hasn’t it?”

     Then she waited for confirmation, but she never got it.  Or, she got it two weeks later when I had recovered enough to answer her.  Yes, it had been the trip of a lifetime…especially after this. 

     I remember trying to figure out the podcast still.  I know this.  This is silly.  My feeling at that moment was that of incredulousness.  This is so simple to operate, isn’t it?  I know how to operate the podcasts, but I couldn’t solve this puzzle.  Then I heard B’s questions.  “What’s wrong?  Are you okay?  Can you answer me?”

     I’m fine.  Yes.  Sure, just give me a minute.  

     But I wasn’t fine.  I certainly was not okay.  I couldn’t answer her at all.

     I could hear the panic in her voice.  It escalated.  She asked me to step out of the truck.  I could do that.  When I got out, she came around to meet me face to face.  To look into my eyes.  Later, she told me my eyes looked dead.  No warmth.  No spark.  That’s when I could see the panic in her eyes, and not just hear it in her voice.  I was afraid.   

     I kept thinking I am fine. I just need to find out what’s wrong with me.  I can find the solution to this problem, but not here.  I need to go somewhere to find it?  I started to turn around and walk off, but B insisted I get back into the truck, so I listened.  I could do that.  I could get back into the truck.

     But, I was trapped in my mind, my body.  It was a frustrating and helpless feeling.  My entire body had become mute.  I could think of the words to say (barely), but I could not form the words.  She asked me to write something when we got back into the truck, but all I could manage were three numbers, 344.  I was in trouble, but Belinda saved me.   

     She called 911, and that started everything that happened from that moment forward…all the way up to today.  B knocked on the door on the back of the ambulance vehicle to say goodbye…possibly for the last time.  They told her, “Ma’am, we have to go!”  

     After that, it was a series of events. Ambulance ride.  Stay at the Sterling hospital.  Consult with some lady doctor/expert from Denver via video conference.  I couldn’t answer simple questions like how old am I, what’s my name, and when was I born.  Yes, I was having a stroke!  Clot busting drug administered in the first two hours.  Second ambulance ride to Greeley.  No flight for life due to storms on that day.  Multiple visits from friends and family.  I am loved.  One night in ICU. Another night out of ICU.  Checked out of the hospital.  Two days and nights spent recovering at Mom and Dad’s.  Road trip home, and then finally an appointment with my PCP, Dr. Lavengood to begin to figure out what happened.  That’s where we are now, trying to figure out what happened.

One Spot Over and One Last Night at Algonquin Park

Written on 9-3-19.

     We ending up moving over just one spot to the adjacent Campsite #12, so we still have the same view of the lake.  I’m looking at it though one of our porthole windows at the front of our Alto right now.  I’m sitting at our dining room table, and B is all snuggled up in a throw in the back.

     This morning, we did take a hike like we said we would, but the canoe is unfortunately out of the question for two reasons.  First, they stopped delivering the paddles and the life jackets earlier today, so we could not even get a canoe after lunch.  Second, it’s raining and chilly out there.  It would not be a fun time to be out on a lake, so we are enjoying quiet time in our new trailer instead.

     We also enjoyed lunch at the Lake of Two Rivers Cafe and Restaurant, and while we were there we bought our dinner for this evening at the grocery store.  Tomorrow, we will get back on the road again and head toward our port of entry, Sault St. Marie.  That’s it for now.  I am going to work out before I change my mind.

Until next time…

How Shawn and I Won Together for the First Time

Written on 9-2-19.

     It’s Labor Day, and now is the “next time I write.”  I never know when the next time will be, but this time it happens to be Labor Day, and we happen to be in our new Alto about to spend our fourth night ever in our fabulous new camper.  It’s been dreamlike and surreal.  Multiple times, B has asked, “Are we really doing this?”

     We are.  This night, we are staying at a campsite in Canada called Algonquin Provincial Park, and we are at the campground called Lake of Two Rivers, Campsite #14.  Somehow, we managed a spot that is by the lake, so that is where it begins to get dreamy.  I wonder how we were able to reserve this spot the night before.  We are a pitch shot away from the beach, and our site is roomy and away from the other sites.  

     Tomorrow, the plan is to hike, have lunch at a nearby cafe, and then go out in a canoe.  We like this place so much, we plan to reserve another spot (or this same one if we can) for a second night.  Life is so hard right now (over the top sarcasm there). 

On to golf…

     On the back nine, I played more like I am capable.  Would it be enough for Shawn and I to get our first win together, though?  Here’s what happened.  

     We were one down after the...

Shawn and I Team Up Together Again

Written on 8-26-19.

     Belinda and I are somewhere in Ohio.  We’re on I-80, and the sky is drizzly and gray.  It’s a lighter gray, though, like the lightest gray on our new kitchen floor with its faux wood pattern.

     She’s driving and listening to Harlan Coben’s audio book Hold Tight.  It’s 3:22 here, but it feels much more like the 1:22 back in Aztec, the time we’re used to.  It feels more like it’s just after lunch, not heading towards dinnertime.  Our next stop is Niagara Falls where we’ll be staying at another Hampton Inn.  Because Tink and Laura are not inviting us to come to their cabin tomorrow night, we’ll have all day tomorrow to explore Niagara and then possibly drive halfway to Maine in the PM.  We shall see what we decide.  We’re two crazy lovebirds who are doing whatever we want, so we’ll just decide when the time comes.  Born to be wild!

On to golf…

     I wanted so desperately to get a win before we left, so I could have this moment here, the moment where I get to recount how it all went down to get a victory.  Here’s what happened the last time we played before going on our adventure.  Ah, we are 34 miles from Toledo.  That’s a bit more specific than somewhere in Ohio.

     Bruce is out when it comes to golf for now.  He e-mailed me to let me know not to invite him when we have tee times anymore.  He’s happy doing other projects at home.  I said in my reply that that was fine, but I also asked him about Hillcrest.  I haven’t heard back from him yet, though.  We hope to play at Hillcrest again when I return.  We haven’t done our usual Hillcrest/Cuckoo’s combination yet this season.

     Since Bruce wasn’t there, Tim joined us to make up our foursome.  Although I learned on the first tee that Shawn had bashed in his left thumb with a hammer while helping a buddy with his flooring, I still recommended that he and I take on Tim and C.J. this time.  His thumb was swollen and sore, but he could still play.  Everyone agreed, and we were off.  C.J. would get his usual three pops per side on the six most difficult holes to make it fair.  Hopefully, Shawn and I would prevail this time.  We had never won together before, but I had a good feeling.  

     We had a great start.  I won the first hole with a par.  My driver put my ball just off the fairway on the left, and my 8-iron landed my ball on the correct tier on the green for an easy two-putt.  We were one up.

     We stayed one up for the next two holes, but that was all Shawn.  I struggled with two double-bogeys in a row.  I made a long putt for that first double, though.  Then Tim got the only birdie of the round on hole #4 to get his team back to even.  C.J. got a par, too, and we talked about how that hole was his hole; he always plays it well.  My par and Tim’s par kept us even on hole #5.  Shawn’s bogey and C.J.’s bogey kept us even on hole #6.  I hit the green on #7, but I triple-putted for a bogey, so we stayed even on #7, too.  It was a good match-up.

     Tim and C.J. both earned pars on #8, so we were down for the first time.  Thankfully, Shawn matched Tim with a par on hole #9, and it was a superb par, too.  He had to pitch out sideways after his tee shot, and he made an excellent pitch to less than a foot for his fourth shot.  After nine holes, we were one down.  

     When I started this round, I had six new Bridgestone golf balls.  I checked to see how many I had before pulling out of our garage.  When I finished the front nine, however, all six golf balls were gone.  I won’t tell how each ball was lost, but once again, it was comical.  My buddies joked about having to stop and buy a sleeve of new golf balls.  Thankfully, I had extra golf balls in the pocket of my golf bag where I keep my sunscreen, too.  

     Shawn lectured me about going to the range before playing, and he’s right.  I should.  He joked that I could take those six new golf balls down to the range, whack them, and get rid of them there instead of losing them out on the course.  Point taken.  At Hidden Valley, we could tee off without warming up and take our one mulligan on the first tee if necessary, but that doesn’t work at Pinon Hills.  Too much danger lurks near the fairways over there.  Thankfully, I avoided most of the danger on the back nine.  

     We are past Toledo now, and I’m going to take over driving again.  I’ll write about the back nine the next time I write. 

Until next time…