Counting Down

Number of treatments still to go ... 3. That would make Tuesday of next week the last one, if all goes as scheduled. A light at the end of the tunnel.

So of course I came down with a nagging little head cold yesterday, which I fear may get me thrown out of the building where they do the treatments. There are some gravely ill  people who come and go from that place. They even have a sign that suggests that people who cough or sneeze in the facility may be asked to wear a mask for the protection of others.  Quite reasonable, in my opinion.

This afternoon I drove through the pouring rain to Grand Rapids for a follow up visit with my surgeon.  She's seriously cool, and very smart.  (Stockholm syndrome, anyone?)  All is well, and I don't need to see her again until April 17, 2012. I am now watching a storm march across the lake with 50 mph wind gusts -- whitecaps as far as you can see.  It looks like an interesting evening.

My darling dafter made a chicken casserole (hot dish for you Minnesotans) for us this past weekend, so I have done next to no cooking this week.  It is almost as good as having a visiting master chef (Jimi) .... in addition, OSLO made some of Emmy's potato soup, and has promised to freeze some and bring it over this weekend.  Like I said, light at the end of the tunnel.

Still Riding

We've been plagued by the same weather system that's been raining all over the midwest for the last few days. It appears to be parked overhead, and it won't be moving out soon, they say.

I was not intimidated by temperatures in the mid 50's on Saturday. Freezing to death is unlikely on a one hour ride anyway. The cooler temps do seem to be bringing out the colors in the leaves pretty fast this year.

Rain Sunday was followed by rain overnight was followed by rain this morning.  Which was followed by strong gusty winds -- those dry out the roads fast, right?  Road repairs taking place on our neighborhood streets forced me back towards the lake before I got out of Idlewood, and I (almost literally) ran into these deer -- again. 

I eventually made it as far as Stu Visser Park -- no bikes allowed -- but I came in from the north end, and the only sign I saw forbidding bicycles was at the south end of the trail. I was looking for a tunnel of trees -- I want to post a 'light at the end of the tunnel' photo here pretty soon, but a good 'light at the end of the tunnel' photo is harder to find than I thought. Still, it was a nice, if ridiculously windy, ride.  Plus today may be the only rideable day all week.  Maybe it is time to haul out my walking shoes. (Today's music, appropriately enough, was "Blowin' In The Wind.")

The Who

It was cool and cloudy today -- upper 50's when I left.  My gear choices were pretty close to perfect, though a slightly heavier glove would have been nice.  It is jacket weather here, too.  Even with the clouds it was a nice day to be out on my bike.  It was my 3rd short ride this week -- I haven't logged a lot of miles compared to previous Septembers, but I'm glad that I'm not missing this early fall season.  Most of the trees are still primarily green, then once in a while I turn a corner, and wham.  Full color.  That's the PSPS at the stop sign in the distance.

Today was the last day of my standard radiation treatments.  The remaining 7 are what they call "boost."  The radiation will be focused on the area where the tumor was, giving my skin in other areas a break.  It feels like progress.

I took my camera in to LAROC with me this morning, and was given permission to take a picture of the radiation machine.  Apparently it is a pretty common request.  That thing on the top is an arm that swings, and the table moves back directly underneath it. There is always music played during my treatments, everything from big band to rockabilly.  Today's was Pinball Wizard.  I'm not sure why, but I found that quite amusing.

Summer's Last Sunset

Fall arrives tomorrow morning around 5 a.m. in my time zone, or so I hear.

I got a phone call at 6:30 this morning cancelling today's treatment. Equipment problems. Delaying the game. So there are still 8 more to go, for those of you keeping count. I am trying to view it as an extra day for my skin to heal.

Staying Close to Home

The rain that Tennis Tousan and Unky Herb drove through on their way home on Sunday arrived here early Monday morning, and hung out most of the day. I took the 1.1 mile walk out of my front door and around the neighborhood twice yesterday.  This photo of the south access deck is from the early walk, when it was still drizzling.  The rain had cleared out and the sun made an appearance during my evening walk -- so the roads had a chance to dry off overnight.

I texted my daughter yesterday about 5 pm,  and got the report that the granddaughter's wisdom teeth surgery went well.  I talked to her later in the evening and she sounded pretty good.  She comes from sturdy stock. 

Today was sunny, with a pretty good breeze from the south.  Rides going south tend to be short but sweet -- about right for my energy level at this point.  I rode up into the dune cottage area behind Mt. Pisgah, visited the state park, and did the Lake Mac loop through Waukazoo.  For reasons that I cannot explain, every person I talked to on my ride today (three or four people) was French.  The only explanation I can come up with is that there must have been a tour group in town.  24 down, 9 more to go.  I'm really, really getting tired of this.

Epic Fail

There were five of us on what turned out to be a really nice walk to Tunnel Park tonight. Jim, Adam, Nikki, TJ and me. Although I took my camera with me, I left its battery in its charger, plugged into a wall in the house. Dead weight. It was a nice evening for a stroll on the beach, but you'll have to take my word for it. Sigh.

Nikki had a new movie for us on her computer, so after the sun set we did a movie night. Adam had seen Thor, as had the COTU, but it was new to me and JB, and I think to TT. Our guests will be leaving tomorrow, signalling the end of the summer season for us. (It ain't over until "the family" leaves.)There has been a lot of excellent family time this summer -- sequentially, my beloved nieces, Kelsey and Emily.  Then Mark and Peggy for a short visit, followed by GZ and Mrs. Smith, and most recently Tennis Tousan and Unky Herb.  Thank you all for making the trip -- this could have been a lousy summer, but it just wasn't.

Saugutuck

Today's activity involved some hiking around Saugatuck Dunes State Park.  The description from the website is pretty accurate.... "A day-use park along a secluded strip of Lake Michigan shoreline, Saugatuck Dunes State Park offers 2.5 miles of shore line. The park has fresh water coastal dunes that are over 200 feet tall. The park's terrain varies from steep slopes to rolling hills."

We hiked a couple of the trail loops, spending an hour or so exploring some of the pathways back through the dunes to the lake.  It's a pretty spot, very lightly developed, and today at least, very lightly used.  I imagine it is a bit busier in the summer, but the trails to the beach are probably a bit too long and sandy for families with strollers, kids and coolers.  It's a pretty spot.  I've biked past it occasionally, on rides from Holland to Saugatuck, but this is the first time I've gotten as far as the beach.

Felt Mansion is just down the road -- we spent a little time walking around the grounds there a bit later.  My daughter and grandchildren are here this evening as well -- I gotta say, I'm on the verge of knackered.

Cold Here, Too.

It was another full day here on the shores of the inland sea. Wednesday is a Farmer's Market day, and we browsed through most of the stalls, buying way more food than 4 people are likely to eat in the next few days. The boys even found (and bought) a pint of the dreaded Eliots. Blueberry season is over for me, I've had my fill for the year, but I understand their yielding to temptation. Once we returned to the mountain, slicing and dicing broke out and soon a huge pot of vegetable soup was simmering on the stove. I've had a bowlful, and it is some of the best soup in the history of soup.

After lunch TT and MOTU invited me to accompany them on their trek to the State Park. Winds were steady from the north at 25 mph, gusting higher. I walked about half way to Big Red with them, then decided that if I wanted to get home under my own steam, it was time for me to turn around. It was one of those "find a gear you can turn and turn it"  kind of walks into the wind.

OSLO and the COTU arrived in time for a supper of rotisserie chicken, corn on the cob and two salads.  MOTU made a delicious cucumber and tomato salad, while TT made one of his trademark salads.  We topped it off with Opal's apple crisp, made with apples picked in Fennville yesterday afternoon.  As is always the case, the dessert received rave reviews.  I skipped the group walk to Tunnel Park tonight, but the rest of the crew carried on with the tradition.  It was another excellent day.

Crane's

Crane's fruit orchard is to Fennville as Bowerman's is to Holland.  It's been there forever, everybody knows about it, and it is the best place in the area to go if you want to pick yourself some apples off the tree your own self.  Peaches were also available to be picked, but we were told that it was unusual -- usually they are done by the end of August.  We had a cold spring, as you may remember.

Or you can buy them already picked, if you like.  Or baked into pies.  Or pressed into cider.  Or apple butter.  They'll sell you a nice lunch at their restaurant too, if that's what you want.  Entrepreneurs.

Fennville is just south and east of Saugatuck, a small town that would make Pengilly look like a teeming metropolis.   It was a perfect day to be picking apples.  I highly recommend September in Michigan's apple country.

September Ride Report

It felt like one of the last days of summer today. If the weather forecasts are accurate, it may have been just that. Or maybe that ship has already sailed. It was a beautiful day today, but there are telltale signs of fall all around here.  I took this photo on my (short) bike ride this morning -- red leaves on a burning bush -- autumn leaves.

I rode early today -- it was Doc day at LAROC again today, and when I left, the Doc told me to go take a bike ride.  So I picked up a latte at Starbucks, headed home and geared up.  Doctor's orders.  I'm glad I did, as the day turned out to be busy and this morning was pretty much the only window of opportunity for riding.  It may be the placebo effect, but I definitely feel better on days when I ride.  If so, Hooray for the placebo effect.

Eventually the events of the day spun themselves out and I headed down to the beach for a slow amble down the beach just before sunset.  The wind etched hieroglyphics on the sand today, using leaves of grass as its pen.  Jim and Adam went off adventuring and had a pretty good day, I think.  I'll leave it to TT to share the details as he sees fit.  18 down, 15 more to go.

Misty

Summer was extended a bit today when visitors from the west arrived.

At least it was still summer inland. 

Feta fish, corn on the cob, green beans, fresh peaches.  A walk to Tunnel Park.  I think the travelers are weary.

September is for Turtles

I did some complaining during my treatment this morning. Going into this process the side effect that I was the most worried about was the fatigue factor, but the skin reaction has been way more annoying. (I guess that means that I'm more delicate on the outside than I am on the inside. Or something.) I digress. I told the nurse that it was getting uncomfortable to bike, that my clothes rubbed on my "rash" and I was not happy. The nurse's husband is a huge biker (her words), so she immediately said that we needed to take some steps to alleviate the irritation -- "We need to keep you on your bike," was how she put it.

So a couple of tubes of topical creams later, I felt obligated to get out on my bike.  (I'm pretty sure that someone is going to be checking tomorrow to see if I did.)  In spite of the fact that the remnants of Hurricane Lee are trying to back up into my neighborhood, today was a nearly perfect biking day.  Low 70's, a little more wind than I'd like.  But I'm loving the winds from the north again -- most of my favorite rides are off in that direction.  It was great to be outside on my bike.  The trees are beginning to show a little color, the one above is along Sand near the Port Sheldon Fire Station.

The fatigue factor has (knock wood) not yet been terribly limiting. It exists, to be sure, but so far it has been mild. Plus 10 years of serious recreational biking have taught me a thing or two about riding while tired. Mostly the rule goes like this, "find a gear you can turn, and turn it." It works like a charm. Of course that means that I have way more in common with the turtles I found basking in the sun at the old Pigeon River Bridge that I would like to admit. Still, every day that I take a bike ride I count as a small victory.   Today was one of those days.

Turn Around Spot

More Labor Day Weekend Images

Yesterday's cool front lingered through the rest of the weekend, which meant that the usual holiday crush of beach goers did not materialize. I don't know where everyone went, but we pretty much had the beach to ourselves on our walk down to Tunnel Park just before sunset last night.

Today the COTU were determined to swim one last time this summer -- Labor Day is the last day of summer, in their opinion, and neither cold air nor cold water was going to prevent them from diving in.



I admire their spunk. If not their common sense.

Brad grilled porterhouse steaks for us all for supper tonight, and they were excellent. Good high quality protein. They headed back home early to get ready for school tomorrow morning. Nikki has new boots and TJ has a new pair of jeans. What more could they possibly need for a successful start to the new year?

A Windy Sunday Morning

Late edit:  My grandaughter informs me that it is called kite surfing, not wind surfing.

This is the last weekend before school starts for the COTU. Yesterday afternoon they took their typical summer swim, shooting each other with their water guns and soaking up the sun. Overnight the weather turned to fall, and only the most hardy folks will venture into the water today.



Summer doesn't really leave quite that fast, but today it feels like autumn.