Wednesday, June 26, 2013 ALL CLEAR!!

I saw my surgeon on Monday and he gave me the all clear, he said there were no visible signs of cancer, growths or "aliens around my uranus."  

On Tuesday I had a PET scan and got the results back from it on Wednesday afternoon when I met with my oncologist.  Again, ALL CLEAR!!  There was no evidence of cancer from my thighs to the base of my skull.  Whew!!  He wants me to have another PET scan in six months and other than that and keeping an eye on the back side were all good!  I do have to find an oncologist in the Durango area and I'm sure that wont be a problem.  Between Dr. Gerstenberger, my GI doctor, and the soon to be found oncologist I should be in good hands.  

We are leaving Tucson for home this morning.  Mikey has already packed the Tahoe and gotten us road ready.  We'll be home by Friday afternoon!!  

Thank you to everyone for their good thoughts, wishes, prayers and vibes you sent my way, they worked!!

Love to all!

Robert (& Mike!)

Sunday, June 23, 2013 My Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to me!!  I’ve been receiving a lot of texts and emails wishing me a Happy Day.  Thank you to all!!  I started my day by doing laundry and as many of you know that is one of my favorite things! 

Last week on Thursday we drove down to Nogales to cross the border to do some shopping.  I buy my omeprazole there since I can get a year’s supply for less than $30.  I’ve been to Nogales before with friends and knew how easy it was.  Mike had never been and he was curious to see how to cross a border on foot.  We’ve flown, driven and sailed across borders but never crossed on foot. 

The drive down is about an hour and a half and it is interstate highway the whole way.  You get off at the last exit and park in one of the pay parking lots.  It cost about $4 and is very safe.  From there you walk through the duty free shop parking lot, cross the street and head down the ramp to the border.  No one checks you as you enter Mexico, but you do have to walk through a portal where U.S. border patrol agents are watching.   As we entered Mexico I noticed the line into the U.S. was extremely long, longer than I have ever seen it. 

We walked through the “Valley of the Farmacias” and around downtown Nogales on the Mexico side.  It is a fairly clean city, at least what we saw was clean.  Of course the vendors want you to come into their shops but they are not as aggressive as the vendors in Egypt.  We turned around and went back to the Farmacia I was familiar with and purchased the omeprazole.  I asked the vendor why the line was so long into the states and he said one of the other port entries was closed causing the line here.  He said, “you don’t worry, you senior, go left line, you senior, no problem, get in fast.”  He was looking at me when he said that and Mike was standing right next to me!  Hmm, do you think I look older than Mike??  I do because of the gray beard and the bald head.  Oh, well, if it gets me back into the states quicker I’m OK with that!

I felt a little guilty cutting in front of all those people waiting to enter the U.S. but not enough to go back and get in line!  We went to the first kiosk to scan our passports then up to the border agent who was a young blonde woman.  She was smiling and when I walked up asked why I went to Egypt.  Gulp.  I guess when I scanned my passport it brought up where we had been last and it was Egypt.  I told her it was a vacation and she then asked if I was traveling alone.  Gulp.  I pointed to Mike who was coming up to her desk at that time.  She asked, is this your partner.  Double Gulp!  I said yes and she looked at Mike and asked him how long we had been together.  Holy Crap!  We’re going to jail, I know it!  We always get harassed when we cross back into the U.S.  I don’t know if our passports say “known homosexual” or “light in the loafers” or “friends of Dorothy” or maybe it has a pink triangle in one corner!! 

Mike looked like a deer in the headlights so I said 32 years.  She smiled even more and said that was wonderful, that she loved to hear about these stories and waved us on through with a have a great day!  What???  This was the first time in a long time where I didn’t feel like a criminal coming back into my own country.  She was absolutely the nicest border agent we have ever encountered.  Mike thinks they may have been having mandatory sensitivity training.  Whatever the case, I’m delighted to have had her as our border agent this time. 

Here is a picture of us happy to return to the U.S.  That's the auto entry behind us and the foot entry is directly behind me. 

This is our last weekend in Tucson and it’s also my birthday weekend.  Mike baked a banana bread loaf yesterday and is making a banana cream pie today.  Not that these are my favorites but he just bought a bunch of bananas at the .99 cent store and they need to be eaten!  He made one of my favorite meals last night, shrimp and pasta, sautéed shrimp with garlic and olive oil over pasta.  Yummy!!  This afternoot we are going to see 5 chorus’ perform downtown as part of the Gay Pride festivities in Tucson.  We are going with two women from the park and meeting Lee & Gail at the show.  After the show we’ll all go to dinner.  The mayor of Tucson decreed that today was Gay Pride Day in Tucson.  How sweet of him to do that in honor of my birthday! 

My work hours next week will be light because of doctor appointments.  I’ll work half days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Wednesday being my last day.  Thursday morning we’ll head for home with a stop on the north side of Flagstaff for the night.  We should get into our driveway early afternoon on Friday where we will unload the Tahoe and the motor home.  Dinner that night will be at Mike and Marie’s where I’m sure she will have prepared something fabulous!! 

I’ll probably post one more entry on the blog after I get the results back from the PET scan on Tuesday. Keep sending those good vibes my way, please.   

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

We have been in Tucson since Wednesday, May 29 and have been very happy to be back in the hot and dry until now.  OK, now it is just too hot!  Tucson has had triple digit weather for several days and it is really taking its toll on the air conditioners in the coach.  If we run both AC’s we can keep the inside temp in the low 80’s.  In order to run both AC’s we have to turn off everything else in the coach.  We have to switch the refrigerator and the hot water heater both to the gas setting.  Even doing that we still popped the breaker at the main box outside.  We’ve gotten very good at running the AC’s one at a time and using a fan to circulate the cool area from one end of the coach to the other. 

Sunday, June 9, was the last outdoor performance of the Tucson Pops.  We went with some friends from the RV Park and had a great time.  A lot of people show up early to get a good spot and to have a picnic lunch.  The friends we went with usually stop at Subway and pick up a chopped salad so we did the same.  The salad was quite yummy and really not a bad price!  It was hot when we first got there but as the sun sets behind the trees it cools down to a comfortable temperature.  Ah, dinner and a show…

Us at Reid Park

This past Thursday I took the day off and we rode up to the top of Mt. Lemmon.  It was about 30 miles and took about 45 minutes.  The drive was beautiful and the temperature at the top was wonderful!  The town of Summerhaven is at the top of Mt. Lemmon and it has a few shops and restaurants but is mostly summer homes for people escaping the heat of Tucson.  We turned right before Summerhaven on Ski Run road and went another mile and half further up the mountain.  The road dead ends at a gate for the UoA Sky Center.  There is a trailhead next to it which is where we parked.  The elevation was 9,114 feet!  We had planned to hike an 8.5 mile loop hike but after looking at the trailhead map we decided against it.  There’s no way we can hike 4 miles down then back up!   The part we did hike was a smaller loop a little over 3 miles long.  It was half way down then back up.  The up was brutal!  We are both out of practice hiking in higher elevation.  Even Jenny was tired when we got back to the trailhead.  All of us rested for about 45 minutes before driving back down the mountain. 

Mt. Lemmon hike.

A couple of Friday’s we have gone out to eat with our friends Lee & Gail.  Last night I was craving country fried steak and the closest place to Lee & Gail’s house is the Denny’s at Broadway and Wilmot.  Rex Adams joined us and it was “boys night out” again.  I have to admit my meal was quite delicious and everyone seemed to enjoy theirs as well. 

To keep cool we have been spending many afternoons at the pool.  I usually leave work about 2ish and go home for a nap.  After napping we head to the pool for about an hour.  Most days we have it to ourselves but sometimes there are 2 or 4 other people there.  Our tans are coming along nicely which we will hear about when we go see the dermatologist this summer. 

Our very own pool!

That’s all for now, folks.  I’ll post more after my doctor appointments on June 24, 25 & 26.  Those are my last follow up appointments as well as the PET scan.  Until then, keep cool!

May 26 - 29

Sunday, May 26:  We were up early and on the road by 8:16 AM.  The weather radar showed another storm fast approaching the San Antonio area so we wanted to get going as soon as possible.  It was 100 miles before we saw blue sky and even then it was kind of “iffy.”  Another 50 miles and it was blue skies all around.  Yay, we didn't have to drug Jenny!  Lunch at a rest area and then we rolled into the Fort Stockton RV Park around 1:30.  We’re very close to the same sight we were in on the beginning of the trip so no new pics.  The high today was predicted to be in the upper 80’s and it was correct.  It was 90 degrees by 5 and we had to run the AC all night. 

All of the leftovers are gone so Mikey cooked a piece of salmon we had in the freezer.  For dessert we finished off the Ben & Jerry’s “Coffee, Coffee, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz.”  This is a flavor that has returned from the “Ice Cream Graveyard” or something like that.  Our friends in Clearwater, Seth & Rita, gave us a container when we left their house and we have been hooked on it ever since.  Walmart has been having it on sale for $3.48 per pint.  That’s a lot for a pint but this stuff is worth it!  Coffee ice cream with big chunks of dark chocolate.  Yum!! 

It was a fairly calm night except for the wind.  We know we are back in the west cuz the winds always a blowin’.  At least we don’t have to drug the dog anymore!  Or so I thought… 

 Monday, May 27, Memorial Day!  It was a leisurely morning.  Coffee, then yoga followed by a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy with a fried egg.  After our showers we headed into Fort Stockton to find a grocery store.  Wouldn't you know it, there’s a Walmart Supercenter right on the main drag through town.  Cool, we bought more Ben & Jerry’s ice cream since it was still on sale!! 

For some strange reason the weather app said no rain but guess what?  It rained that evening!  Mike was going to cook on the grill but had to use the stove inside the coach instead.  And yes, Jenny got her usual dose of “meds.” 

Tuesday, May 28:  It still looked like more rain this morning so we had our breakfast and showers and got on the road by 8ish once again.  It was an easy drive and add to that the hour we gain by going from east to west and were in Las Cruces, NM by 1:00 in the afternoon!  What??  We decided to drive on to Deming, NM for the night since there was a Passport America park there.  We stayed at the LoW HI RV Ranch which was quite a ways off the interstate.  It was nice and quiet and had gravel throughout the park which meant less dust.  The wind was ferocious still and we opted to leave the slide in to keep the awning over it from flapping like crazy.  We also kept the satellite dish down since nothing was supposed to record tonight anyway. 

Lots of gravel!

We tried to have our wine outside but the wind was so bad and even with all the gravel there was still dust in the air so we moved back inside.  As you can see in the picture, we are still smiling… we’re almost home!!

Happy wine drinkers!

I had recorded “Behind the Candelabra” the other night so we watched it this evening.  It was really an interesting movie and I can’t believe how well Michael Douglas portrayed Liberace!  We actually were able to go to bed without giving Jenny any meds!  She wasn't crazy about the wind but it didn't upset her like thundering and lightning does.  We “rocked and swayed” all night! 

Wednesday, May 29:  Since we didn't disconnect the car yesterday it was an easy departure day. So after yoga, breakfast and showers we were on the road again by a little after 8:00 AM.  We gained another hour today because Arizona is not on Daylight Savings Time.  By 11:30 AM we were back in our old spot at Far Horizons Tucson Village.  Thanks, Sam, for guiding us into our spot.  And thank you for preparing a nice meal on the patio.  We’ll be here in Tucson until the end of June and then we head back to Colorado for the rest of the summer. 

Site #310 at Far Horizons

This is the last blog posting for a while.  I’ll let everyone know when it starts up again. 

Have a great summer!!

May 24 & 25

Friday, May 24:  Darrell had suggested that we not leave until around 10 AM to avoid the morning traffic.  It worked out well because we didn’t get on the road until a little after 10 anyway.  Traffic was fairly heavy and there is the always present “road work.” 

We decided to avoid driving through San Antonio by taking Hwy 46 which bypasses it on the north side and goes through New Braunfels.  For some reason traffic was backed up in New Braunfels and it took us about 20 minutes to get through it and then a storm hit on the other side.  Time to drug the dog again.  Poor thing is going to be an addict before we get her back home!  It rained and thundered and lightning flashed everywhere!  By the time we got to the RV park in Kerrville we had driven out of the storm and it was decent enough for us to sit outside and have our wine. 

Jenny & I having our wine...

Saturday, May 25:  It rained hard most of the night but cleared up mid morning.  After breakfast and showers we went sight-seeing.  When we checked in at the RV Park yesterday Mike picked up a flyer for a local winery that was open for tastings.  He had also found out about “Stonehenge II” here in this area.  You can read about it in this pic:

Stonehenge II sign

We found the place just about 10 miles from us and made it our first stop.  As you can see in the pic it’s pretty cool.  Definitely not something you see every day in Texas. 

Pics of us at Stonehenge II

From there we made the obligatory Walmart stop then headed to the winery.  It is called Kerrville Hills Winery and is located between Kerrville and Fredericksburg.  When we drove through Texas on the way to FL we drove through Fredericksburg and along Hwy 290 and noticed a LOT of wineries.  We told ourselves we would have to stop if we came back through this way again so we did.  The wines were quite good and we bought a couple of bottles we hope to share with Dan & Pam once we get back to Tucson. 

Pic of us at the winery

What made the tasting the most fun was the woman working at the tasting room.  Her name was Doreen and she was originally from New Zealand but has lived in the states for a long time.  She was very outgoing and just a lot of fun.  At one point she asked us if we still worked because we looked too young to be retired, and then she asked if we owned an antiques store.  I told her we were gay, but not that gay!  See, I told you she was fun! 

Doreen, can you believe she is 72!!

We finally tore ourselves away and headed back to the coach and the drugged dog.  On the way we stopped and picked up some fried chicken which I had been craving for some time.  Of course we had our afternoon nap then took Jenny for a walk before the next storm came through. 

As we were walking I noticed a truck that looked familiar, then I saw the bicycle in front of it and it looked familiar and then I saw the NM license plates!  It was Ken Rudolph who stayed at Far Horizons this past winter.  We were supposed to meet up with him in Las Cruces and we did see his rig but he was never there.  He had bought a place in Las Cruces and was busy with it.  How funny to run into him here in Kerrville, TX!  I knocked on his door and he came out and chatted with us for a while.  His daughter lives in San Antonio so he goes back and forth from NM and TX all the time. 

That night it stormed again.  Poor Jenny, she’s not been “sober” in days.  We’ve got to get out of the stormy weather soon.  

May 23

Thursday, May 23:  Darrell came over to pick us up and take us to lunch at an out of the way place north of town he and Frank like.  It’s a hamburger place and they also have brisket which Mike and I both love.  The food was delicious!  The brisket was tender and flavorful and the home made Cole slaw was yummy!  After lunch Darrell took us back to the coach and we snuck in without waking Jenny to get the key to the Honda so we could go to the store.  Sometimes having a deaf dog is a good thing!  We ran our errands and came back to the coach and I took a nap while Mike worked on our itinerary once we leave Houston.  Eureka!  Mike found us a place to stay outside of Kerrville which is on the west side of San Antonio.  And it is a Passport America Park! 

Darrell & Frank picked us up to take us to dinner this evening.  We went to a Cuban restaurant and the food was excellent!  Mike and I split a Cuban sandwich and ceviche.  After dinner they took us back to the coach and we said our goodbyes. 

Darrell, Mike, Me & Frank

Darrell and I have been friends since I was 18 and he was 19.  We've been there for each other over the years and have always stayed in touch.  

May 20 - 22

Monday, May 20:  It’s really hot and humid here in Mississippi!  After breakfast and yoga we went sight-seeing in the historic district in downtown Hattiesburg.  What a beautiful place!  There are a lot of huge plantation homes in the area and a lot of history.  We only scratched the surface of what is available to see here in the old south. 

We were also looking for a Dollar store so I could buy some nail polish remover for my glasses.  Somehow, I managed to get something on my glasses and when trying to clean them I scratched the UV coating and caused it to start coming off.  All of this is on the left one-third of my left lens.  I tried using rubbing alcohol to remove the rest of the coating but all that did was make a big smear area.  Yikes!  I called my optometrist in Cortez and was told he was on vacation until a week from tomorrow.  Dang the luck!  His replacement, Gloria, was helpful and suggested I try nail polish remover which is what they use for situations like this.  All the remover did was make the smear worse but at least it is contained to the left one third of my left lens.  I can live with it for now since I have an appointment with my eye doctor on July 8 and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need new lenses for this pair of glasses anyway. 

There were also a lot of turtles in this pond!

Tuesday, May 21:  We were able to get ready to leave before the rain started which is always a good thing.  The jacks down light gave me grief again today but at least I didn’t get the check engine light!  The jacks down light does go out and the buzzing stops after we travel a few miles.  We had to get fuel this morning so we stopped at a station just after leaving the park.  Mike had pulled out the manual for the hydraulic system and we had figured out how to check the fluid level.  I also saw in the manual that if the jacks down light stays on one of the reasons is low fluid level.  Hmm.  We got the plug open to check the fluid level and it was low.  Fortunately, it takes automatic transmission fluid and we had some in the back of the Honda.  Glug, glug, glug and it was full again.  Let’s see if this solves the problem. 

Today’s destination is southern Louisiana before getting to I-10.  On the trip out to Florida the stretch of I-10 through Louisiana was some of the roughest road we had ever been on and neither of us wanted to experience that again.  Highway 190 cuts across the southern part of the state running parallel to I-10 several miles north.  Mike had also found another Passport America park in Eunice, LA on a lake with ducks!  My favorite kind of RV Park! 

The park was easy to find and not very busy since it is mid-week.  We were given a back-in site on the lake but when we got to it we decided to pull straight in.  Our “living room” with the picture window is in the front of the coach and we wanted to see the lake and the wildlife.  There is enough electric cord, water hose and sewer pipe to run under the coach to make the connections.  Ahh, beautiful and we’re only about 15’ from the edge of the lake.  What a view!!

This was our view out the front window of the coach!

Wednesday, May 22:  And then the storm came…  Sometime around 1 in the morning it started storming with lightning and thundering and rain until morning.  Jenny was not a happy camper.  Even with massive amounts of doggie downers she was still restless.  Mike wound up sleeping on the floor next to the dining table since Jenny had holed up there.  We were both concerned about the amount of rain and what it would do to the level of the lake. Oy!  The lake had risen but had not overflowed the bank.  There is a low area under the front of the coach and it had filled with water and the front wheels were just barely in the water.  I’m so glad we backed in because the rear wheels were in a more dry area. 

The rain had stopped long enough for us to get the coach ready and to pull out to the road so we could connect the car.  We both kept our flip-flops on to slosh around in the water and mud.  It is much easier to clean flip-flops then it is to clean tennis shoes.  The jacks came up beautifully and the light went out!  Yay, adding hydraulic fluid was what it needed to be happy. 

One stop we wanted to make on the drive to LA was at Rosemont Plantation, the home of Jefferson Davis.  It is located in the SW corner of LA about 20 miles before you get into Mississippi.  When we got to it the gates were closed so we went on down the road and found a Mississippi Visitor Center.  I went inside to ask about Rosemont and the lady behind the counter said it was closed today and she didn’t know why.  Darn!  I told the lady we were on our way to Beaumont, TX but didn’t want to drive on I-10 so she mapped out a route for us she uses when she visits her mother in LA.  The route she gave us took us over a new bridge that resembled on a small scale the Sunshine Skyway over Tampa Bay.  She said we would say it’s a cool bridge and she was right!

Insert pic of LA group here

The park we stayed at this evening is only a few miles from Darrell & Frank’s house on the north side of Houston.  It’s adjacent to a convention/expo center and has a lot of RV sites.  The sites are all concrete with green “islands” next to each and all the interior roads are paved.  Nice place!  After setting up and taking a short nap Frank came over so we could follow him back to their place. 

Traders Village Site

Their house is as perfect for them as they had described.  Frank has turned the back yard into a show place and Darrell has made the kitchen his “home.”  They prepared a wonderful meal and Darrell even made an Olive oil cake served with strawberries and whipped cream.  It was sort of like a pound cake and it was very good!  We visited with them until about 8 then headed back to the RV. 

Frank's Backyard and Darrell's Kitchen!