Wednesday, August 3, through Wednesday August 17, 2016: A Busy Time:

Wednesday morning, we dropped off the dogs at Cinder Hills early and took off for Beaver, Utah, the first stop on our way to the Walters Family Reunion in Park City, Utah.  Just outside Kanab, Utah, about 2/3 the way to Beaver, the skies opened up and we were suddenly driving on flooded streets.  We stopped for a late "lunch" at a gas station and were treated to flash flood warnings and sincere advice to go no further.  We decided to listen to the locals---and spend the night at the Comfort Suites in Kanab instead of its sister hotel in Beaver. 

Our late lunch from the gas station turned out to be our early dinner.  It was just fine.

The next morning, Becky did her early walk around Kanab, finishing about three miles before breakfast, and we got on the road all the way to Park City.  We transitioned from Highway 89 to I-15 over the mountains on Highway 20 a few miles north of Panguich.  It constantly amazes us how beautiful Utah is---on both sides of the mountain range.  We arrived at the Goldener Hirsch Inn in Park City in mid-afternoon and checked in.  We had a lovely suite with this view of the area.

The Goldener Hirsch Inn, a 20-room boutique hotel owned by a branch of the Eccles, a prominent Utah family, was to be the center of the reunion and happens to be where our daughter Donna works.  She arranged the whole reunion and she got us all good deals on the rooms, to boot.

Dinner was a group affair at Vinto, an Italian restaurant in the center of Park City.  Very good. 

Followed by an Ice Cream Social at our hotel.  Donna is so organized. 

The members of the Walters family are related to my ex-wife, Shirley, who passed away nine years ago.  Why they thought it would be a good idea to have me there was beyond me, but Donna insisted the invitation was sincere.  I hadn't seen the bulk of them in more than 35 years.  They were all very gracious and it was fun spending time with them.

After the Continental breakfast at the Inn, Friday involved a number of  group hikes on the Silver Lakes Trail at Bald Mountain in which I didn't join because I don't hike,

but I did join the lunch involving Becky, Donna, her aunt Donna, and her first cousin (once-removed) Chrissie Fine, at the Deer Valley Grocery Cafe.  In the afternoon, Becky and I drove up to the Guardsman Pass, a beautiful view point that used to be the highest point on the only road for miners between Park City and Salt Lake City. 

Dinner Friday night was another group affair, this time at the Blue Iguana (Mexican) restaurant.

Saturday was game and picture day for everyone. It started out at the Olympic Park, where the hearties had fun doing Extreme Tubing

and having a picnic lunch. 

At Pinebrook Park, there was something called Bubble Soccer, which was hilarious,

followed by the formal reunion photo, with everyone wearing the official T-shirt.

Dinner was a German-based gastronomic delight at the Inn.

Sunday morning there were a bunch of goodbyes since some of us were leaving a day early.  Becky had her last hike with Art Fine (Chrissie's husband) who Becky had learned went to the same high school I did (North Hollywood) only two years behind me. 

We then jumped into the truck and headed back to the same room at the Comfort Inn in Kanab we had the previous Wednesday.  Becky picked up dinner at the local market and we crashed early.

Early Monday morning we left Kanab since we needed to pick up the dogs before one p.m. to avoid another day's fee, and we had an appointment to see Dr. Jordan Miller, the dermatologist who had replaced Dr. Cynthia Knutson, who had bolted for Seattle.  On the way, we stopped at Dairy Queen since I had a craving for a Blizzard. 

We got the dogs on time and dropped them off at home, then I went to Flagstaff for my doctor's appointment.  After  a lengthy discussion, Dr. Miller took a couple of skin samples to be biopsied and sent me on my way.  They turned out to be Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), the second most common form of skin cancer.  Oh, oh.

I received a call in the afternoon out of the blue from Barbara Hedges, a dear friend of my brother, Bob, and his wife, Elise, and someone I had known slightly for many years.  She and her husband, John, were coming to Williams on Tuesday to visit the canyon on a package involving spending two nights at the Railway hotel and taking the train to the canyon on Wednesday.  She wanted to see us and discuss strategies for the most efficient use of time. We arranged to get together for drinks and dinner after they returned from the canyon on Wednesday.    

Tuesday we returned to our normal rhythm.  I had an appointment with Dr. Boettcher, who opined that the hole in my scalp was still closing but that it seems as if it would be several more months before it was finished.  We secured a prescription from him for my wig, which we were told by Classy Sisters Wigs would justify the refund of the sales tax we had paid.   It worked.

In the afternoon, Becky and the dogs hiked from Holden Lake to Cataract Lake. 

That night we watched more Ray Donovan.

Wednesday, Kelsey had a appointment with her vet for a periodic procedure she needs, I had a stress test at my cardiologist's office, and we had beverages with the Hedges at home and dinner with them at the Red Raven.  It was fun seeing them for the first time in many years.

Thursday I had a CT Scan, which involved such complicated instructions for eating and drinking I was exhausted when it was over.

Friday I had a pedicure, which made my feet beautiful of course, and we watched the first few episodes of Season 4 of House Of Cards from Netflix.  Nasty.

Saturday was a hiking day for Becky and the dogs on the trail from the Mustang gas station at the east end of town to the Mormon Church.  We then watched Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, an interesting redbox  movie starring Tina Fey. 

That night I did my sleep apnea test in Flagstaff, arriving home at 6:00 am.  I think I passed, but I'll find out next week.  I hope I don't have to wear one of those dumb masks.

The highlight of Sunday was an unknown redbox Tom Hanks movie called A Hologram For The King. It was only so-so.

Monday was Becky's haircut day.  Her stylist, Shawna, was showing off pictures of her 7-week-old Boxer, Sampson.  Check how big he will probably when he grows into his feet.

In the afternoon, I had an appointment with Dr. Miller.  He took off some more bumps on my arms to be biopsied.  They turned out to be cancerous, also.  I'm starting to notice a pattern.

RV friends of ours, Rick and Linda Brockie, showed up as expected in their camper Monday afternoon.  They are "fully hooked up" to the RV facilities in our south driveway, and are staying for two days---sleeping in their rig, not in one of our guest rooms. 

We haven't seen them since we left the Palm Springs Thousand Trails preserve in April of 2015.  We spent quite some time catching up.  Monday night they ate dinner by themselves, as did we.  Tuesday, Becky took them to Bearizona while I slept.  Tuesday night the four of us had pork loin for dinner at our house.  Before heading for the opening of the season at the Palm Springs TT preserve, they left for a day or so at Trailer Village at the canyon Wednesday late in the morning,

Wednesday afternoon, I had an appointment with Dr. Mathern.  He dropped the bomb that my CT Scan had revealed that my cancer had spread to my lungs and liver, and that I had an intolerable amount of fluid in my left lung. 

This news explained why I have felt so rotten recently and called for immediate changes to my meds and recovery plan.  In a way, it was comforting to know there was a reason I was so weak for the past few weeks.  The changes will take effect next week.

Saturday, July 23, through Tuesday, August 2, 2016: A Pretty Typical Eleven Days:

Becky's big project on Saturday was  maintaining the hot tub, including cleaning the filters and testing a number of chemicals to try to get rid of a haze in the water.  On Sunday, she took the dogs for a long hike at Kaibab Lake. 

Then she went to the Petco in Flagstaff to get some dog food.  During the afternoon walk in the neighborhood, Ramsey ran out of gas and I had to go pick him up.  Monday's big walk was around the golf course perimeter.

We decided to order a wig to cover my surgery scars.  We'll pick it up on Friday in Phoenix.  I went to the local clinic on Monday to get my second pneumonia shot.  Also on Monday, we started watching Ray Donovan, a Netflix series starring Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight.  It's very tough, but very watchable.  I'm sure we'll get more of the discs.

Tuesday afternoon, Mike, a repairman with Appliance Repair Today in Flagstaff, showed up to fix the "in-the-door" functions on our refrigerator.  Ever since we've been here, the system would not deliver ice cubes---just water and crushed ice.  A couple of weeks ago, it stopped delivering anything.  I decided it was time to get it fixed.  It turned out to be just two broken wires at the bottom of the door.  Mike fixed everything---quickly and efficiently.

That evening, we watched Eddie The Eagle from the redbox, a British film about a first-time Olympic ski jumper.  Rather entertaining.

Wednesday, we went to Flagstaff for an appointment with Dr. Mathern.  I hadn't been feeling as well lately as I had immediately after my blood transfusion.  He checked my blood work and said the numbers relating to anemia had gone up, meaning he thought I had not suffered a relapse of that problem---and speculated that I was dehydrated.  Becky immediately started pumping water into me---a favorite thing of hers. I don't know if it will help, but it will give her pleasure.

The Thursday Netflix film was Three Days Of The Condor, an old Robert Redford vehicle.  I thought I had seen it, but nothing looked familiar.  It was pretty good.

Early Friday morning we dropped off the dogs at the Cinder Hills Kennel and headed for Classy Sisters Wigs in Phoenix to pick up my wig---we named it Charlie.  It was quite an odd experience having it fitted.  I look like Jimmy Johnson, the former Dallas Cowboys coach.

We spent Friday night at the Comfort Inn in Camp Verde.  We had quite some rain on the way.  Dinner was takeout from the Carl's Jr., next door.

We picked up the dogs Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day relaxing at home.  We watched more of The Americans that evening.  It's still amazing.

On Sunday Becky took the dogs to the Santa Fe Dam area outside Williams for their long walk of the day. 

She exhausted them. so they didn't interfere with our watching more of The Americans  in the afternoon and Clear And Present Danger in the evening.  Harrison Ford was terrific as Jack Ryan, as usual.

Monday we went to Flagstaff for an appointment with Dr. Cohen, my cardiologist. 

I told him about my various complaints involving what I thought was a potential relapse of my anemia.  He had his own ides and ordered a bunch of heart-related tests.  We'll see.

Becky's bruising not having completely healed yet, in the afternoon she dragged out her giant sunglasses to cover at least her eye.  The bruise on her jaw is still visible, but not too much.  Her big hat sort of covers it up.

Tuesday morning I had my regular massage with Natanya.  She noticed the rash I had had for about a week (that I had revealed to Becky earlier in the day) and suggested a stop at the clinic, with which Becky heartily agreed.  Becky dropped me off there, and they took me immediately---which surprised me.  The doctor wasn't sure what it was----perhaps an allergic reaction to something---and suggested making a future appointment for a date as soon after we returned from Park City, and taking Zrtec in the meantime to test her allergy theory.

The rest of the day was sent packing for the trip.               

Tuesday,July 12, through Friday, July 22, 2016: A Varied Eleven Days:

Because of the ugly scars on my head due to the three cancer surgeries I had in 2015, I’ve been thinking about investigating the possibility of getting a toupee or wig to cover them up.  It’s not from vanity, it’s out of concern for people who have to look at my head.  Whenever I expect to see people, I’ve been wearing a hat; and I got some strange looks at the Buckelew festivities, being the only person out of hundreds who was wearing a hat---indoors.  So on Tuesday I contacted Classy Sisters Wigs in Phoenix to start a dialog.  We’ll see how it turns out. 

 

Also on Tuesday there was a terrible accident at the canyon.  A 35–year old woman stepped aside to let someone pass her at Ooh Aah Point, and she fell off the trail, falling 400 feet to her death.  I’m not sure people appreciate how dangerous hiking at the canyon can be. 

On Wednesday, Becky went all the way to Flagstaff to try to give blood, and was rejected because her blood pressure was too high.  She immediately made an appointment to see Dr. Gibula. 

On Thursday, Becky took the dogs to Kaibab Lake for a nice long walk.  We received a shipment of four new white-wine glasses Becky had ordered.  One of them was broken.  The company said they’d send us another four-pack.  It arrived two days later, with another one broken.  Oh, well, we ended up with six new glasses for the price of four. 

Friday was my day at the dentist.  While Becky paraded the dogs around Flagstaff, Dr. Stark made me two new crowns with his magic machine, and I was in and out in less than three hours. 

It was a totally painless experience.  We picked up a Pablo Picasso Mexican Salad at Oregano’s for dinner on the way home.  As usual, it was delicious. 

On Saturday, Joe and Stephanie Hap stopped by for lunch. They are a couple who attended Becky’s first wedding more than 40 years ago and whom we ran into at my (and their) doctor’s office in Flagstaff four months ago.  They now live in Williamson Valley---outside Prescott, Arizona.  It was fun getting acquainted. 

Our backyard hummingbird feeder was not working out well, so Becky moved it to the front of the house, and we now have two of them there that Becky has to refill every few days. 

On Sunday, we spent the time to watch the two-disc set of The Godfather-Part II.  I realized early on that I had never seen it.  It was very good, probably better than its prequel. 

 

Monday, we were visited by Isabelle Karsh, a long-time friend that Becky met when she lived in the desert---before meeting me.  Isabelle brought with her Walter, Marilyn, and their daughter Fabienne, who are from Austria, and who had hosted Isabelle’s daughter, Alexina, a few years ago.  They were on their way to the canyon and stopped by for a late afternoon snack and drinks.  Very nice people.   

Monday night, I somehow fell in our bedroom closet and in the process broke apart part of the built-in cabinetry.  Tuesday, Becky joined Isabelle and the Austrians at the canyon to give them the insider’s tour,

 while I stayed home, fixed the closet cabinetry I had broken the night before, and baby sat the dogs---who slept the whole time, as usual.  

Wednesday, I had my usual visit with Natanya.  Becky then had her hair job in Flagstaff, and later I started drinking the more-than-a-gallon of a solution I had picked up in preparation for my colonoscopy on Thursday.  The worst part of a colonoscopy is the preparation.   

 

I also finished The Fifth Horseman, a James Patterson novel I’ve been struggling to finish for weeks.  It’s a novel on which he had a co-writer, and is part of his Women’s Murder Club series.  It’s not up to his usual standard.  A lot of the dialog is cheesy, and some of his legal details are clearly incorrect. That’s why it took me so long to finish it.     

We dropped off the dogs at the GC Railway Kennel early on Thursday and headed to Flagstaff.  

The procedure, itself, is a breeze, and I danced out of there a couple of hours later, feeling just fine.  Maybe it was the anesthesia still wearing off. 

Thursday evening, Becky matched my Monday fall with a slip and fall of her own due to some water on the kitchen floor.  She woke up on Friday with a magnificent black eye.  She now has a match for Libby’s very prominent black patch on her right eye.  Becky wore big sunglasses while walking the dogs in the neighborhood.       

 

Saturday, July 2, through Monday, July 11, 2016: An Eventful Week And A Half:

Saturday started out with a riot of wind and rain.  And thunder.  Ramsey was not pleased.  Libby is relaxed all the time.

It turned into a nice day, though, topped off by our watching The Godfather via Netflix.  I hadn't seen the movie since its opening in 1972, but it was so memorable that I recalled a lot more of it than I expected.

We had pasta for dinner, and hit the sack early.  Sunday came bright and dry.  We did a little back yard maintenance.  The redbox movie was Eye In The Sky, with Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman.  A pretty good drone strike thriller.

Monday was the 4th, of course, We watched the morning parade down Route 66.  It's always fun. 

That afternoon we barbecued brats for dinner.

Tuesday involved a visit with Dr. Mathern, which went well.  My anemia has slackened quite a bit; I'm feeling much better.

Wednesday morning I had my regular massage from Natanya,

followed by an appointment with Dr. Boettcher.  The treatment to fill the tiny hole in my scalp seems to be progressing nicely.  The Netflix movie was Secretariat, a feel good Disney film starring Diane Lane. The dialog was a bit corny but the racing scenes were very exciting.

Early Thursday morning we dropped the dogs off at the Cinder Hills Kennels then picked up my rented suit at the I Do I Do store, and returned home to finish packing.  We then left on our 896-mile round trip to Long Beach to attend the wedding of Alan and Chris Buckelew's daughter Erin to John Farnsworth at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.  The Thursday night stop was at the Rodeway Inn in Barstow.  It had the noisiest air conditioner I've ever heard.  Otherwise it was fine.  We had tasty Mexican food for dinner at Jenny's Grill, the restaurant next door.

We were in no hurry Friday to start on the leg to the Queen Mary since check-in was supposed to be after 4:00.  We had all-you-can-eat sushi for lunch at the Octopus Restaurant in downtown Long Beach.

We arrived at the ship early but were checked in anyway.  We learned that we had inadvertently booked an inside cabin, which we quickly upgraded to a very nice dockside room.

The rehearsal dinner was at 7:00, and was very nice.  I spent quite some time talking with one of Alan's buddies from his Viet Nam days.

Saturday morning we met Joyce Levinson and David Kriesel at the ship for breakfast in the Chowder House Restaurant.  Joyce and David are long-time friends; Joyce worked with Becky at Union Bank.  It was fun seeing them for the first time in 7 years.

In the early afternoon, Becky took the obligatory photo of me waving from our porthole.

The late-afternoon wedding was beautiful, naturally.  The reception was in the Grand Salon, attended by several hundred people.

At the pre-dinner cocktail party we started talking with what appeared to be a young-ish couple (Amber and Jim).  It turned out that Jim was 63 and Amber was 35, and Jim had been only a year behind Becky at San Marino High School.  They spent the next hour playing Whom-Do-You Remember?

while Amber and I talked about law school.  She's an LLM candidate at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, having obtained her JD degree in her native Ohio.

Sunday  morning was a group buffet breakfast on the ship, our chance to say goodbye to everyone who had stayed over. 

We then headed for Needles.  On the way we stopped for coffee at the Starbucks in Barstow, and spent a half-hour at the most crowded Starbucks I had ever seen.  The only excitement getting to Needles was a slight delay due to an overturned FedEx truck that required three cranes to get it out of the median ditch.  We arrived in 113 degree heat at the Quality Inn in Needles.

Becky got our dinner at the McDonald's next door.  I had yummy Chicken McNuggets and fries. This place had a very quiet air conditioner and a super comfortable bed, and we slept beautifully.

We got an early start on Monday, since we had to pick up the dogs before 1:00.  We first stopped at home to drop off our luggage, then in Flagstaff to drop off the suit I rented, then on to the kennel to pick up Ramsey, Kelsey and Libby, all of whom were very happy to see us.

After we rested a while, we returned to the usual routine.  We watched more of The Americans that evening.  That ended our busy week and a half.