Once a Runner

It didn’t take Charlie long to settle back in when we got home. As much as he likes being in the car and traveling I think he is ready to stay put for a while.  This is a picture of the 21 insurance letters from TriWest. Thank goodness they weren’t bills since several of them were for my treatments and were over $95,000 each. If I haven’t said it before let me say how grateful I am for the VA healthcare even if it is frustrating and very disorganized at times.  The day after I got home we went to a local winery and had a great time with Brandy and Donna, my nephew Andrew and our friend Becky. It was a beautiful day and the wine and cheese board was outstanding.  One of the best parts about getting home was that Fall foliage had returned to the PNW after smoke from wildfires stole most of its beauty last year. Even going in for treatment was a beautiful drive up I5 and at the WVCI.  We’ve had quite a bit of rain since we got back too and we need it.  Brandy left...

Originally I had planned to take I80 home and leave on Thursday to get home in time for my appointments and treatment. After tracking the weather and seeing how many problems they were having on I80 I decided to take the long way home and take I40 and maybe one last trip down Route 66.  I’ve traveled many miles and have many memories of Route 66 and certainly thought a lot about them on this trip. One recurring thought was whether this would be my last trip of any length on “The Mother Road”. If so it was a nice drive. Because of how easily I tired I decided to leave on Monday a few days earlier than planned and keep my mileage under 500 daily.  The first night we stayed in Yukon, Oklahoma at a really nice extended stay Motel 6 that even had a small kitchen and in room coffee. The best part is that they had FS1 on cable so I was able to watch the Red Sox game. It looked like they were on their way to the World Series their offense seemed unstoppable.  The next day on the ...

There is no door I would rather walk up to in the Fall! Or any season for that matter. Thank you O’Connell family for a wonderful visit in spite of the VA ER visit because of my eye. 🙄 The receptionist posted this after I had tried to check in and they had to have someone else come down to get me “in the system”. He said it would be 5 minutes. Over 20 minutes later a nurse saw me still sitting there and he asked if I had been helped. When I explained what was going on he was pissed and took me to a room to get vitals and get me into an ER room. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for VA medical coverage but the fact that they don’t have a national registry is ridiculous in this technological age.  When my last blog was published we laughed at how many pictures of food there were in it. But looking back each one was attached to a memory and this visit to St. Louis continued to add to special memories.  Some of the most special were meals at home usually either before or after ho...

I made up my mind even before leaving Oregon that I was going to try to do a race in Michigan if at all possible. It’s been two years since I was able to check off a new state and I feel like I’m running out of time.  I found a race in SW Michigan right on Lake Michigan so that was my goal. The plan was to spend Friday night and race then leave immediately after the race and drive to O’Fallon, Illinois to catch Haley’s game. The first part worked out well, the second not so much.  On the way up I got to visit Indiana Dunes National Park and get my National Parks Passport stamped for the first time in a while. It’s a beautiful park with a lot of beach and hiking trails.  The race was good with only some slight hills. The people were friendly and it felt great to be amongst the running community again. I managed to “fast” walk and alternate with very little slow “plogging” but at least it felt good to move. I even managed to finish 3rd in the 70+ age group.  The drive ...

We arrived at Stacie’s and Charlie had no problem making himself at home.  He did have a morning where some thunder threw him off for the whole day and I’d find him in places where he was seeking solace or something. 🤷‍♂️ Once thunder or fireworks get to him he can’t be comforted he just has to try to find a quiet place to “hide”.  It’s a little different visiting than it used to be since PNH. I spend a lot of my time the same way I do at home, sitting around, laying around and napping. It used to be even when everyone was at school or work I would get in the car and go see or do something. I’d find new places to run or hike and now not so much.  I did take a walk in the rain one day to get breakfast at the Sunny Side Cafe and I walked both dogs on a short walk once and then walked Charlie with Stacie and Barley up and around the lake one day.  Charlie and I drove to Rock Hollow Trail and did a mile and a half one day. I used to run several miles there whenever I vi...