Doc Day at LAROC

Mondays are Doc day at the Lakeshore Area Radiation Oncology Center (LAROC). My 7:45 am treatment slot every day usually means that I don't see any other patients in the waiting room -- it's too early for backups to have occurred.

Today the woman who has her treatment before me was waiting to see the Doctor as I was waiting for my treatment, and we chatted for a while. She was -- I think -- a fair amount older than me. I'm going with 80's, at least. She said she had just 7 treatments left (of the 33 that are standard). I asked her how it was going. Her response? "A piece of cake."  I took that as a message from the universe, which I believe is saying, "suck it up."  My regular physician was on vacation, so my own meeting with the Doc was short and sweet.

I have finally found a place to get some coffee in the morning.  I get there about 8:00 am, and there's always a line.  It is directly across the street from LAROC, and it provides me with my preferred tall, half-caff, non-fat latte.  It improves the whole treatment every morning experience.  And makes a mid morning nap less of an imperative.

In other news, yesterday's ride put August miles (aided greatly by the 126 miles I rode with the Smiths) over my goal number for the month.  It is the best month so far this year, pushing January and April into 2nd and 3rd place.  Today I am waiting for the elevator repair guy to arrive, as the phone in there does not work.  So it will likely be a walking day.  I'm a little light on weight bearing exercise of late, so that's a good thing.  Still all manageable.

OSLO's Birthday

We met her and her extended family at the Olive Garden for dinner this evening. It was a nice dinner, and she looked lovely in her new black silk top given to her by the COTU. I did have my camera with me, but somehow I managed to come away with no photos.

So instead I offer an image from my afternoon bike ride. There was a little feeling of fall in the air, light winds and lots of blue sky.  The old bridge across the Pigeon River makes a nice turn around spot.  It was a full day and I'm a little tired, but it is the good kind of tired.  It was pretty close to two hours on the bike -- I should be tired.  So far, it is all manageable.

No Two Are Exactly the Same

Sunsets.  Vacations.  Summers.  Though they all do seem to run together just a bit -- still, no two sunsets are the same.  As are no two summers or visits from the family.

Tonight is the Smiths last night here, and it was also the traditional pizza night.  OSLO and her crew were here to share in their last dinner here and the last sunset for this visit.  We didn't fit in all of the traditions this time around -- of special angst for me was the lack of rides to Kirk Park, the WOOS and Hemlock Crossing.  Still, there was plenty of activity, lots of good food, and a fair amount of quality time spent reading books and watching the lake from the deck.  I'm calling it good.

Fatigue Sets In

Those first three miles were hard. My legs felt pretty tired. Fortunately the afterburners (or whatever) kicked in, and the remaining 16 miles went pretty well. There was enough wind to kick up some waves on the big lake, but otherwise it was a really nice day for a ride.

At about 9 miles into the ride, there was a dead end street that used to be gravel as recently as a couple of weeks ago, that dead ends at the Pigeon River.  We rode down it and the Smiths posed for a photo at the turn around point.  Below is Mrs. Smith with her snazzy new bicycle cap underneath her helmet.  Very bikey.  We continued on to the PSPS and headed back towards the house helped by a really nice tailwind.  A mile or so from the house we parted ways, with the Smiths continuing on for a few more miles, while I called it good enough and headed for home.

OSLO and her crew were here by the time I got back from the ride, and Brad made his famous pork loin on the grill for supper.  It lived up to expectations, again.  Maybe the best ever.  It was a very, very nice afternoon.  Other than that 19 mile bike ride, some grocery shopping, a little cooking and some clean up activities ... well, I guess maybe I am still doing fine. 

Privacy ? Screen

Inquiring minds want to know. Or so I have heard. So here is a photo of the new shower screen in action, taken this morning. (You gotta love the weird tan lines.)

The morning started out misty, with rain moving in by noon.  It held off long enough for me to have a cup of miso soup on the deck, fortunately.  Good, but not as good as a brioche swiss, I hear.

We got caught in a downpour this afternoon on our way to the mall, but no one melted, and we passed some time at the mall.  Not much, as there's not much at the mall any more.  OSLO and the COTU arrived in time for our traditional Norwegian supper -- meat cakes and cabbage.  Totally Jammin' is some better, but clearly not completely over his strep, so they headed home early.  Tomorrow's weather holds some promise of being better.  Not much else of note to report.

Sunrise, Sunset

The day began with a cup of miso soup on the deck.  I am gradually getting used to its earthy taste.

There was a bike ride to the PSPS in the middle of the day -- there were three of us this time, as Mrs. Smith now has a bike at her disposal.  No pigs were available.  It may require a morning ride for that. (Pigs are typically a breakfast item around here.)

An evening loop around the neighborhood on foot netted me this photo of part of our local deer population.  Just two this time.  Time is flying by.

Walking Backwards Towards Tunnel Park

It was Chinese food carry in dinner tonight. Another tradition upheld.

 This was the walking backward part.  The odd postures give it away. On the way to Tunnel Park, of course.

OSLO looks serious, TJ looks sick (he is, poor boy) and Mrs. Smith looks windswept.  Nikki is healthy and ran down the dune with her Mom.  Also a tradition.

No Jackets

Mrs. Smith would like this one to be captioned "Big Wo-mon". It was a pretty quiet sunset.  And it was a good bit warmer than last night.  Books were read, bikes were ridden, feta fish was eaten, and blueberries were purchased.  All in all, quite a satisfactory day.

Big Mon and Mrs. Smith

For those of you keeping track of such things, Big Mon and Mrs. Smith arrived here early this morning.  And I do mean early.  I believe Mrs. Smith said that her alarm was set for 4:05 am. 

Just Another Day at the Beach

It rained a lot today, over 3 inches just a bit north of here.  Sometimes a day that doesn't seem like it would be much of a beach day turns out to be kind of fun.  So I am told.

Long Ride

The definition of a "long ride" varies from month to month, and year to year, for me. Right now my normal ride length is what I call "Florida rides." More than an hour, not much more than an hour and a half. I rode a lot at that distance in Florida in January and February this year. In prior years I would step up to a two hour ride as my norm, usually sometime in April or May. This year, as you know, I am adding regular walks to my exercise plan, so I save some energy for my walks by riding less. It's been working out okay, and I feel fairly healthy and fit. But today .... it was just soooo nice outside. Upper 70's, low humidity, pretty much a perfect biking day. So I decided to use up all of my energy at one fell swoop (whatever that means), and take a longer ride. Two hours. 21 miles and change. This is where I went. Plus about a half mile down the path to the right at the bottom of Hill.

What I like best about this photo is the sign on the path that says 'SIGN' and points to the sign.  Why?  Anyway, it felt like a longish ride, and I was a little tired at the end, but it was well within my limits, as they say.  It was a bit of a test of my current fitness level -- I start six plus weeks of radiation therapy next week -- and I am pleased to say that I am going into this strong.  According to people who should know, I should continue to feel good for a couple of weeks, maybe three, before the side effects kick in.  How long will my bike/walk plan hold up to this?  We'll see, I guess.  Feel free to take bets. Oh, and there was a headwind both ways.

Morning Beach and late edits

Late edit:  Sitting on the deck sipping my cup of green tea was a nice way to start the day.  The really humid weather seems to be gone, at least for now, and the horizon was crisp and clear.

Just before supper, Henry and Jason showed up with one of the finishing touches on the remodel project -- an outdoor shower screen.

Here it is, installed and operational.  Now we just need a volunteer to try it out.

Late edit #2:  Tonight I remembered to take my camera with me on my evening walk.  The local deer herd was snacking on some landscaping plants -- they've been pretty bold this summer, and most of our guests have seen at least a few of them.

Beach Activities Resume

After another morning rain, the sun came out mid afternoon. A walk on the beach broke out.  (Totally Jammin' is not really taller than the other three, but he will be soon.)

The destination was pre-ordained. It is a familiar spot to our guest ... one might even say it was a tradition.

The four cousins, enjoying the windswept view.

Weather Delays Beach Activities and other stuff.

We'd tentatively planned to take a bike ride this morning, but the forecast for a clear, rain-free day turned out to be wrong.   It wasn't a downpour, however, so we took advantage of a relatively dry slot and took a walk around Idlewood.  It was a bit humid.

Wireless has gone off with OSLO and the COTU for the rest of the day.  It is the final day of the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, and just in time for them to walk the boardwalk and enjoy the atmosphere of their big summer celebration, the sun has broken out.  She took some of her stuff with her, a la George Carlin.  Tomorrow there is likely to be more beach time before her work calls her back to Cadillac.

House Guest

Her meeting broke up later than she expected, but she was here in plenty of time for supper. The COTU were here to greet her. (Well, sort of. They were swimming when she arrived.) OSLO and the rest of her crew arrived shortly thereafter.

Spaghetti, salad, garlic toast and peach/blueberry pie.

North on Sand

My rides are shorter and less frequent than was the usual case in previous years.  Things change, time marches on, all of that stuff.  Today I set out after lunch on Ruby, with a plan to check for Cardinal Flowers.  A few years ago the ditches along Sand and 160th, north of Port Sheldon, were full of them.

I found very little evidence of them today, just a few small blooms.  The ditches have been dredged in that area, and the mowers had recently been through there.  This isn't their year, apparently.  But there are plenty of other wildflowers blooming along the way, and it felt good to be out on my bicycle again.

Florida Reaches Michigan

The air is so thick you could stick a fork in it. Showers were moving across the lake when I got up this morning and reached my shore line just after I finished breakfast. It was too damp to ride but it seemed okay for a quick walk around the neighborhood.  Breathing was noticeably more difficult than normal.

 Walking gives me plenty of time to admire the neighborhood landscaping.  Peggy called these flowers hibiscus.  I've always called them Rose of Sharon.  According to Google Images, we are both right.  I have an hibiscus outside of my front door in Florida, and have always considered them to be sub-tropical, or even a tropical plant. 

 I stopped at the top of the north access stairs to watch the boys high school track team -- or maybe the football team.  The high school fall athletics practice season has begun, and these guys were maintaining a brisk amble down the beach.   Days like this are why nobody lives in Florida in the summertime.