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.