Signing Off

    It has become more than apparent to both you and me over the past year or so that my thrice weekly postings have dwindled away to monthly at best. The reasons are almost equally apparent. It's hard to write a travel blog called Travels and Discoveries when you are doing neither. Also, it is impossible for me to conjure up any enthusiasm to write about a litany of our medical activities. Neither of us would enjoy a medical blog written by one with no medical acumen. I have therefore reluctantly decided to hang up the keyboard along with the keys.
     I started this blog 805 posts ago in May of 2008. We were the proud owners of a new, 40 foot Allegro Bus. An appropriate shakedown cruise was decided to be a lap around America. We were not rookies, even then. On three previous Class As and two popups we had well over 300,000 miles under our belts. As we made preparations, it became clear that it was going to be tedious using emails and/or telephones to disseminate an endless series of "safe arrival" messages to family and friends. A blog seemed to be the obvious answer. I thoroughly enjoyed creating those many little snippets of life on the road. I also greatly enjoyed the feedback I got from an assortment of readers. My camera may have been a bit intrusive from time to time, but a travel blog without pictures seemed pointless. 

     So, this will be the last issue of Travels and Discoveries. I haven't checked to see if I can download 805 posts on to a reasonable number of thumb drives, but I will find some appropriate archive medium. I am not going to attempt to summarize over a decade of adventures here. I will, however, include a few of the more memorable pictures for your perusal.

June 2008   The Moorings

Now, this is camping!

Yes, we did make it to Alaska.

Mt.Rushmore

Devil's Tower

Little Big Horn

Old Faithful

Up close and personal

Crater Lake

USAFA

Happy Hour in Maine

     I'm clearly reaching the limit of pixels per blog, so I'll close with just one more picture. It was taken in May of 2010 on the North Dock Parking Lot at West Point. The chauffeur is the one on the left.  

Cindy's Vacation in France

     I haven't been travelling for my "travel" blog, but Cindy has...and she's a better photographer. She and her college roommate, Peggy, an MD from Oklahoma, are currently spending a week in northern France. They are flying in and out of Paris, but the touring is mostly in Normandy. In addition to the WWII sites, Cindy is browsing around Perche where, eleven generations before me in 1590, was born a Zacharie Cloutier. Zacharie was truly a patriarch of the prolific Cloutier clan. He had six kids, four of whom lived past 67. He sailed to Nouvelle France (Quebec) and established the name in the new world. If the word Perche strikes a chord, it may be because it is the origin of the Percherons, a historic breed of large horses. Cindy found a plaque in a village church listing the members that made that migration to North America.
     The following are some of the pictures she has sent to me, and I thought you might enjoy her travels with me.

     This is Monet's church.

     A mill with an undershot waterwheel in Bayeux, France

     A stream in Giverny

     This is the American Cemetery in Normandy. Her caption was, "There are no words."

     This is Omaha Beach looking southwest toward Pointe du Hoc. It is hard to imagine climbing those cliffs in the face of emplaced machine guns.

     The night before the invasion the 82nd Airborne Division jumped in ahead of the force to secure bridges and such. Trooper Steele's chute snagged on a church steeple in St. Mere Eglise, resulting in his capture. He later escaped and rejoined his unit. Thanks to the French, a replica still hangs there.

     Cindy took this picture of a cafe window in Bayeux. In that part of the world we still have some allies.

    
 The fourth name down is Zacharie Clou(s)tier.

     This is the famed Mont St. Michel with its monastery. The next two shots were targets of opportunity. One is a lovely windmill. The other is a rainbow over Vernon where they spent one night.

     I think you'll agree that she takes a good picture.

Sushi Fix

     Tuesday morning was a juggling of doctors appointments for the two of us. For the last stop Cindy and I paid a visit to my pulmonologist. At that point, lunch seemed appropriate. Durelle doesn't enjoy Asian food, and I had not had a good sushi fix in many months, so we found a place in the  West Ashley portion of Charleston called Zen Fusion. We sat at the sushi bar, and I asked if they made chirashi sushi which was not on the menu. They did and I ordered one with a miso soup and some sake. Cindy had an excellent serving of sesame chicken.

     As you can see, It is really just a different presentation of sushi. Instead of an individual piece of fish on top of a thumb-sized serving of rice, the sushi chef starts with a bed of rice and then gets creative with an assortment of fish and other condiments. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
     Durelle and I are going to PT three times a week. Her left leg is bothering her to the point where she, too, now uses a cane for stability.

Dorian

     Well, Dorian has left the building. It will end up bothering Cape Cod and eventually the Canadian Maritimes, and, along the way, providing a Schoodic Moment for all our camping friends in Belfast. In spite of the governor's order, we elected to sit out the storm here in Hanahan, SC. I'll explain our rationale in a moment, but first here's a pleasant sunset picture from our back yard as Dorian departed.

     If you look closely you can see that our neighbor's willow tree was partly uprooted as it shed a few leaves into our backyard. 
     Dorian is a storm name that I'm sure will soon be retired even though it will always remind me that Donald Trump doesn't really know where Alabama is. When Dorian emerged out of the southern Atlantic to hammer the Bahamas, it had sustained winds of 185 mph, gusts up to 220, and a central pressure of 920 mb! That got our attention. Cindy has been assigned to the Post and Courier's "Away Team". That means that she and a co-worker could be relocated to Aiken, SC to put out a post-storm paper using the facilities of a sister paper. So she made reservations for the three of us at an Econo-Lodge in Aiken. 
     From the beginning the storm's computer models projected that it would make a right turn before it got to Florida, closely skirt the South Carolina coast and make landfall, if at all, on the outer banks of North Carolina. Much to the dismay of the Bahamas, it slowed dramatically and even stopped for a while. As it churned up the ocean beneath it, it brought cooler water to the surface which began to sap the strength of the storm. Nonetheless, it was still a Category 4 and had to be taken seriously. Governor McMaster reluctantly decided that he had no choice but to order the evacuation of 830,000 people from the Charleston area. It, of course, would be a logistical nightmare even if done early. Starting Tuesday morning all I-26 lanes were westbound from Charleston to Columbia, a distance of some 120 miles. The local TV weather forecasters, while watching the uncertainties, would properly take the conservative approach. When combined with the public service announcements, we were inundated with advice to, "Get outa Dodge!"
     I like to think that we made a well-reasoned decision to stay. We knew that we were high enough and far enough inland that we didn't have to fear the flooding and storm surge that Charleston proper would see. It would be the winds that would force us out if they became strong enough to threaten residential structures in our area. So, we watched the storm's intensity and the proximity of the projected tracks to the SC coastline. We could handle power outages. We filled the bathtubs so as to have water for flushing and I put a new wick in my kerosene lantern. The winds started to pick up before dawn on Thursday. By afternoon there were a quarter of a million people without power. Ours held on with occasional flickers. The buried power lines in the development helped. At noon there was a gust at the airport of 69mph. That's about five miles away. Then the storm slowly departed leaving everyone with the mixed emotions of, "We dodged another bullet."

100,000 Miles

     Odometer readings no longer constitute major milestones in the Cloutier household. We put 300,000 miles on the 1960 Valiant and 350,000 miles on four motorhomes. But today, we turned over 100,000 miles on our 2003 Jeep Liberty. That number is only significant because it already had an "unrecorded" 100,000 miles being towed behind those aforementioned motorhomes. Below is a picture of the dashboard that Cindy took as we were stopped for a light in Greenville, SC Friday.

     Cindy was on vacation and she talked us into a "road Trip' to Greenville. It's about three hours to the northwest of Charleston and is within visual range of the Blue Ridge Mountains of the southern Appalachians. There's a wonderful river park in the center of downtown with a large collection of boutiques and trendy restaurants. There's an ugly piece of art at one entrance to the park with stone benches. Durelle and I sat there while Cindy wandered around the park.

     The fun started almost before we had begun. We stopped to fill up he gas tank, but Cindy was having trouble with the pump. The new credit card? Nope. Bad nozzle? Nope again. She took the card and went to the office. I fussed around ineffectively for a while until I found a lever that said, "Lift to pump". 
     We were not even on I-26 when Cindy and I heard an angry yelp from the back seat. Durelle's coffee travel mug had leaked and deposited a substantial amount of coffee on the front of her shirt. We had to get her a fresh shirt or we'd be using a fast food drive-up window for lunch. It would have been ten miles to go back home, so we stopped at the Walmart in Summerville. Cindy came back with the shirt Durelle is wearing in the picture. She said that the rack said $10.95, the price tag said $5.00 and it rang up for three bucks!
     We got to Greenville around 1230. Below are a few of Cindy's pictures from the park.

     Durelle's physical therapist had recommended that we eat at "Willy Taco Feed and Seed", so we gave it a try. It was a friendly place with three different areas: sports bar, patio, and inside tables. We chose the latter. Our waitress was Jazz, short for Jasmine. We did not try any of the attractive sounding margaritas, but I had a mug of draft dark Dos Equis.  While Cindy had a burrito bowl, Durelle and I both had their Mexican Sandwich. It would remind you of a French Dip except that the "Au jous" was a spicy dipping sauce. Homemade chips covered the rest of the plate.

     The last shot won't make the cover of Vogue, but it shows Cindy's burrito bowl and me, fussing with my Leica.
     On the way home, not long after getting back on I-26, we started to see the accumulating brake lights that usually presage an accident. There were two cars on the shoulder with significant body work required and, off the road with its nose up against the trees was a nice Dutch Star with its dingy ripped loose. It was a sad scene for those folks who are fondly reminiscent of nice motorhomes.
     We got home around 1815 to an impatiently hungry cat and a waiting martini glass.

Blog Post No. 800

     Most of you know that Durelle is fond of (addicted to?) picture puzzles. We literally have a closetful. The fine old wooden, veneered card table from her folks' house is perennially set up in front of her living room chair. Most puzzles take her a week or so. Yesterday she finished one that took over a month. In the 1000 pieces there were only a very few basic shapes; plus the the picture had several large monochromatic areas. A few years ago Cindy took a very nice picture from the south edge of the Moorings RV Resort in Belfast, ME. It's a wonderful view of the beachfront even though there are no RVs in the picture. One Christmas she sent the picture to a company that would make a puzzle out of it. For Durelle it was the perfect present. 

     This is the spot where we spent a dozen idyllic summers, so you can image that it is a very special picture. It took real perseverance to finish it. I contributed two (!) pieces.
     You also know that, after Mocha passed, we soon had a replacement pet. Bettsy, that's the correct spelling, was named after Mookie Betts. She is a medium sized, mostly black cat who came from the local animal society. She spends a lot of time in the lap of the lady who feeds her. When Durelle is neglecting the cat in favor of her puzzle, Bettsy will sometimes hop up on the puzzle to help (?).

     We are proceeding slowly but surely towards a November move into a senior living facility. We have enlisted the services of a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) who also happens to be the realtor who found us our present place. The "Senior" refers to her clientele not to her years of service. 
     In the past 24 hours Durelle got a helpful cortisone shot and I paid a visit to an urologist thus adding another 'ologist to my trophy case.. Cindy accompanies us to most of our medical appointments and is taking an active role in the care and feeding of the two old farts. What a blessing that is!
     

Health Status

     I have been avoiding this blog for over a month because there does not seem to be a coherent story to tell. Some six weeks ago I elected to start a ten day pain management procedure which uses electrode stimulation of the nerves in the feet and legs. Because it interfered with that feedback process, I had to stop taking Lyrica that had been my only neuropathy treatment for over a decade. That meant a lot of difficulty sleeping. By the time I had finished the first five days, other symptoms appeared. I had zero energy, little appetite, and occasional shortness of breath. I was also retaining fluid. 
    So, we paused the "scrambler" procedure and started taking Lasix. I lost weight and my BP dropped down to the 80 over 60 range. We called 911, and Dr. Rieder repeated his catheterization of six years ago. I came home on the 7th and have been moping around ever since. Durelle and Cindy have been taking good care of me as I try not to be too much of a grump. Next week I'll finish up the "scrambler" largely so that I can start to phase back into Lyrica. The BP has recovered at least to the 100 over 70 range. Recovery is slow. I'll keep plugging. 

Baton Pass

     After spending a few days in South Carolina being as helpful as possible to both Cindy and us, Mark loaded up my old 1986 Corvette, took official possession and headed north to New Hampshire. Thirty three years and 130,000 miles and two, four-day coast-to-coast trips. 120 mph on I-80 between Salt Lake City and Wendover. Pacific Coast Highway and Nineteen Mile Drive. (Check the blog dated 10Feb2015.)

     I can still drive it and did up until the day I gave it to Mark. I was going to have to give it up eventually, and this seemed like a good time. We are reaching the point where one car is enough. While I can use the Jeep, Durelle will not sit in, much less drive the Corvette. So now our car is a new one...a 2003 Jeep Liberty with 100K on the clock and another unrecorded 100K while being towed behind a motorhome. I've gotten good longevity out of my vehicles. My 1960 Valiant accumulated 29 years and 300,000 miles.

     Time passes.

CNN Screen Shot

     Would you believe it took a CNN screenshot to get me off my duff and do another blog? My favorite daughter has become a political junkie. She listens to lots of podcasts and is a major league twitter follower.  As she is of a more liberal bent than her curmudgeonly father, we find agreement only on the outrageous judgement and character of our twitter-in-chief. She has been diligently going to listen to all of the Democratic candidates as they make their requisite passes through South Carolina on their way to the 2020 campaign trail. Today she went to see Pete Buttigieg. He's one of her favorites, but Elizabeth Warren is probably her first choice. At any rate, one of Cindy's coworkers captured a screenshot of a CNN feed from that event. I thought you might enjoy Cindy "photobombing" the CNN commentator

     Tomorrow Mark arrives for a short week. The four of us are going to discuss our move into a senior living facility in November. We also hope that he'll get to repair the screens on Cindy's porch so that her new kitten, Skyler, can enjoy the outdoors. Of course the old man will always have some computer questions. Perhaps the most momentous event of the week will be Mark's climbing into my old Corvette, taking possession and heading north. The 33 year old car is is fine shape and I certainly hate to part with it. It only has 130,000 miles on it. Time passes.

Spring Arrives

     This is a pleasant time of year in South Carolina. We have been out and about with lunces with friends and visits on the back porch. With the warmer weather we have seen more eagle activity. They don't get much closer than 200-300 feet which is a challenge for a hand-held, long telephoto lens. Below is one of the better ones.  

     They are handsome birds which provide no end of entertainment.

     We drove up to Pawleys Island again. This time was for a rendezvous with Maine camping friends at Bistro 217. From left to right: Myrt, Debra, me, Durelle, George and Carol. 

     We also had a get-acquainted luncheon with other members of the "Founders Club", the handful of folks that have made early commitments to the Atria senior living facility in Mt, Pleasant. We are pleased with the folks...both residents and staff.

Pawleys Island

     I'll just jump right in as if I didn't know how long I've been gone. Today the three of us, with Cindy driving, made a trip up to Pawleys Island to pay a visit to Estelle Anderson and her two daughters, Karen and Peggy. Each year they grab a vacation rental for the month of March. They need no introduction as they have all appeared in the chronicle several times. We had lunch at a local golf club. Here's Durelle and Estelle outside the front door of the club. Estelle is 95.

     

     It's a handsome club, dripping with live oaks festooned with Spanish moss.

     

     After lunch, soup of the day with a French dip and an IPA, we headed back to the house where the young folks took a walk on the beach. The old folks visited and swiped a few homemade oatmeal/raisin cookies. Here's what the Atlantic side of the spit looks like.

      

     Our trip home was quick an uneventful...unlike the trip up which involved a multi-car accident on I-526 which closed I-526 in both directions and cost us a hour and a half.
     All in all it was a very pleasant day with good friends.

Milestone

     As my father might have said, "Who'd a thunk it?" I turned 80 this week. I guess the original idea was my daughter-in-law, Heather's. With Durelle and Cindy in cahoots on this end they pulled off a complete surprise as four of them from NH showed up on Sunday. They managed to schedule a birthday dinner, some sightseeing, beach, visiting and even a few chores. The Traeger is up and running again! Here's a picture of the crew.

     Cindy, of course, is behind the camera. Durelle had to do some extra housecleaning for house guests in the days before the visit without tipping me off. Looking back, there were several places where the surprise was almost blown.

     Monday the seven of us had a fine meal at Al di La, a northern Italian place. Tuesday was beach and sightseeing, and they left around noon on Wednesday.

     With my travel being greatly curtailed, such get-togethers are precious. Thanks to all.

Too Big for the Bird Feeders

     We and Cindy have both had a couple of birds of prey up close and personal with our houses recently. Cindy's neighbor said hers was a Red Tailed Hawk. It found an insecure screen panel on her screen porch and busted through. It only took a few minutes for it to find its way out.

     Later the same week (this morning), one appeared perched on the top of our bluebird house.

     I thought it was a Cooper's Hawk. Whatever it was, it appears to be saying, "They said that this was a good breakfast bar." Durelle recently cleaned out the birdhouse, so there has not been much activity there, nor will there be with that fellow sitting there.
     On a separate note, and, as you know, Bettsy has recently joined our household. Today Durelle took a picture of her sharing a rocker with Addie, an American Girl doll that Cindy gave to her Mom many moons ago because Durelle's Mom was named Addie.

     Go Pats!