Our Arizona Visit

On Thursday, 27 January, Clarine and I loaded into the car for a four-day long journey. Since the temperatures here had been above freezing very little for several weeks, we headed south. Our ultimate destination was Tacna, Arizona. Since the distance was a little far for old timers, we stopped the first night in Loughlin, Nevada. We arrived in Welton -next door to Tacna - about mid-afternoon on Friday the 28th. We stayed there in a motel the next two nights. When we drove into the motel to register, there was Diane's car and Diane already parked there. So we spent the rest of that day, Saturday, and part of Sunday - off and on - with Diane. She was the real reason we went south. The balmy temperatures were just a bonus. Diane and a friend were going to a meeting for Seminary teachers Friday evening, so the three of us plotted out our schedule for Saturday and Sunday including a delicious breakfast casserole for meals at Diane's Saturday and Sunday mornings and a grand terriyaki beef dinner (made from her recollection of how Carol prepared it way back when) at her place after church. On Saturday after our casual breakfast at Diane's, she guided us through the rest of the day as we explored the desert in her vicinity. On our bird (wild-life) search we even scared up a road-runner. Diane knows the Arizona desert in that area better than "the back of her hand." One place she took us was north a ways up the Colorado River tucked in among the installations of the Yuma Proving Grounds belonging to the US Army was Martinez Lake. Talk about a "snow bird" community that grew without plans - this would have to be it. There is no rhyme or reason to where "things" got placed, but mobile homes, trailers, shanties all are perched around this water that is probably fed by the Colorado River. Nothing is laid our on a grid as near as I could tell. But there were roadways winding amongst the installations, so that one could drive around in there. I could tell that Diane had been there, "done that" as she was quite expert in how to get there and knew about it. While on the subject of "snow birds," I should mention Quartzite, Arizona which we passed through going both north and south on our trip. The mobile homes and trailers belonging to "snow birds" go for miles in the desert at Quartzite. Its population grows many times over in the winter. At the start of this thing - "going to Quartzite for the winter," - the participants went to search in the desert for "gems" during the cold months. I saw some signs there advertising gem societies, so there must still be some vestiges of the gem thing. Any way after the Martinez Lake foray, Diane guided us into California across the Colorado River from Yuma - the Imperial Valley. Many winter crops are grown there, among which are date farms. We stopped at one and they had a store out front for tourists. We bought some dates (wonderful), dried prunes, candied mangoes, kiwis, ginger (hot, spicy), and some less exotic jellybeans, but still different because of the variety of flavors. Diane bought some of their divinity candy because Evelyn goes bonkers over good divinity. After this escapade we drove into Yuma to have dinner. Since we had some gift certificates for Red Lobster, Diane knew right where to go in Yuma to find the Red Lobster. We feasted gloriously. Diane has some art on exhibit in a gallery in Yuma. We went there to see it. We had to view it in the show window in front because late afternoon on Saturday it was closed. Well, it was a great day with Diane.

The photos are some pics we took with Diane at her abode. We spread the packages of candied fruits out on Diane's table and I took a picture. While eating our Sunday meal, Coyote tried to "schmooz" me for some of my dinner, so I took her picture. She has one green eye and one yellow eye. Even so, she takes a pretty fine picture.

After our good meal after church on Sunday we said our goodbyes to Diane and started the long journey back. We again split the trip in two legs, and stayed at Loughlin, Nevada on the way at the same casino/resort we stayed at on the way down to Tacna. It was a very nice room with a complimentary breakfast buffet for $22+ per night. I'm quite certain that the good room rates were subsidised by our hoped for gambling which did not materialize. In Welton we stayed at Microtel Inn and Suites which was not nearly so luxurious as the accomodations in Laughlin, but they cost $75+. Our Madame Gormin GPS helped us find addresses all during the trip. I feel very good that we decided to do this trip - short as it was. gwh

Clarine's Milestone

Tuesday we loaded Clarine into the car and went to see her doctor. Getting her loaded into the car we were extra careful that she put no weight on her foot for that was the operating procedure ever after 5 November when her ankle was restructured. When we got to the doctor's office, the first thing that his assistant did was have us wheel her to a room where they took an X-ray. When the doctor came in to talk to Clarine, he went to a computer screen and keyed up her X-ray. Then he proceeded to tell us what we wanted to hear. While pointing out on the X-ray how close together the bones of her ankle were - no space between, he proceeded to tell us she could now put some weight on the foot - but don't go outside without the support boot. She even had license to go up and down the stairs. Well, that permission quite revolutionized our lives. When we got home, she went up the garage stairs with me walking up each stair beside her and she leaned on me each step she took, but she she did put some weight on her subject foot. She was hesitant at first after favoring the foot for seven or eight weeks. When night came, she walked up the stairs using the railing for support. That was the first night she didn't sleep in the hospital bed on the first floor since 5 November. (I thought it was nice not to be in that bed alone any more as well.) Yesterday - her first full day on the foot - she was in some discomfort by the time bed time rolled around. She arose this morning rejuvenated and ready to go again. She did some baking today and has been doing quite well I would say. She was told by the doctor to keep on wearing the electronic device that helps bones knit for another month - still three hours per day and to come back and see him in four weeks.

I am happy that we are finally in the down-hill side of this episode and things are taking on a rosier hue from our outlook. I think Clarine is possessed of a brighter outlook as well.

Cast is removed

Yesterday, we wheeled Clarine out the door onto a makeshift ramp and down to her car. Her car is lower and easier for her to get into than mine. We went for an appointment to see her doctor, Dr. Rogers (her second appointment since the operation). After a cursory look he said he would have his assistant get a saw and cut the cast off. (I don't know how they keep from cutting the flesh, but he says the saw won't cut through gauze. They replaced the cast with a boot with steel braces along the side. In the picture the boot is apparent. The white device on the boot is the electronic gizmo that promotes hardening of the bone. We are happy to have one more step in the process done, although she is still not to put any weight on the foot just yet. At least now she can wash the injured limb. We are going to St. George on the 6th, return on the 10th, so that will make the trip a slight bit easier to be without the cast. She is a very non-complaining patient. We are getting by quite well. Dan says he is going to stop by and see us this Friday. It will be good to have his visit.

I went to the swimming pool today and I will be at the Humanitarian Center for two hours tomorrow. Clarine behaves herself while I am away and gets to where she can handle needs that crop up by running where she needs to go in her wheel chair. I get her necessities set up while I am here.

We got about a foot of snow in this latest granddaddy of a storm. Another is scheduled for tonight. I cleaned the entire driveway twice since Sunday. A neighbor cleaned it once also. gwh

Clarine - Update

It has been two weeks and four days since Clarine had her ankle (foot) fixed. It seems like eons. There is still a long time to go until the three month recuperative period is over. I guess I am inherently impatient. Clarine handles it all better than I do. The pictures show her "biding her time." She is an excellent patient - extremely independent. I am mostly a "go fer" - go for this; go for that. She is a non-complainer. (I leave her on her own twice a week for temple service. She seems to manage well. I like having her go to the temple with me.) I think she is doing what the doctor told her to do to help recovery. If you look at the photos closely, you will see the electronic device strapped to her ankle. She wears it three hours a day to speed recovery of the bones. (Her bones were soft, so they put two four-inch screws into her ankle to hold the bones into the proper alignment.) That took so much time that the window on the tourniquet time ran out before they straightened her toes, so they stopped - leaving her toes bent under. Apparently this was the lesser of the two evils. Three hours was the length of the tourniquet window. If all goes well the blue cast can come off after the eight to ten week mark. This will be replaced with a boot, and some limited walking will be allowed. I'll bet a lot of dead skin will be evident after the cast is removed. I will update again anon.

We had a snow storm on Saturday that put much, much snow in the mountains. There was lots of moisture here. Thankfully it was not all snow. My neighbor (Jacobsen) stopped by and shoveled the piled up (by the wind) leaves into my flower bed. The snow stuck on the leaves but not on the driveway. Jalayne stopped by Saturday evening and we ate left overs. It was so nice of her to stop by. She insisted that she had to be back in Logan Sunday morning for her church duties. She made it back but stopped in Kaysville at Kim and Chris' when the storm got so heavy and continued to Logan Sunday morning.

We are going to be very low profile on Thanksgiving (probably for Christmas too). The Friday after Thanksgiving we expect to see Beth, Hanna, Carol, Keith, Lisa, Phil and family. I have even heard rumors that Phil may set up his assembly line for producing turkey tamales.

We are going to do one adventuresome thing in December. We have a week in a time share in St. George, December 5th through December 12th. We won't leave here until 7 December after the temple shift. We will return 10 December for the temple the next day. We plan to drive Clarine's car as it is lower and easier for Clarine to get into. Her wheelchair will fit into the trunk. There is an elevator at the timeshare. Our friends, the Allreds are joining us in St George where we will play games and eat - perhaps venture out a little if circumstances permit. This is the end of the report for this time. gwh

Sunset: 29 October 2010

Last night was one of those evenings when we get marvelous, "drop-dead" gorgeous sunsets. I hadn't used my camera for a while, and the battery would not respond after three pics, so that is how many there are. I charged the batteries over night and I am able to down load the photos tonight. You can judge the photos for your self. I quite like them.

Thursday I went to the dermatologist for the treatment I get every six months. He used liquid nitrogen on my face, hands and the top of my head. He also removed two spots from my face and forehead with a scalpel to send them in for biopsy. I haven't received the results yet. Clarine is still preparing to have her ankle reconstructed on 5 November. We have a port-a-potty, wheel chair and walker all ready to use. We nixed the use of crutches, because they seemed to create an accident going somewhere to happen. Anyway Clarine has been practicing with these new implements and also how to get up and down the stairs on her knees and sliding on her butt, because her foot will be in a cast for six weeks and then for six more weeks she will have a special boot to wear. She has taken a leave of absence from the temple for three months. Today was my first day to go without her. It is certainly different.

Since Halloween falls on Sunday, Clarine is down stairs handing out the largess - cupcakes or twinkies and a can of soda. She is building a reputation that may be hard to maintain if "hard times" really set in.

I mowed the lawn for the last time this year on Friday. Then I winterized the mower. I don't know why as I think it is fully depreciated due to gas leaking out of the tank, and I will have to buy another. The paddle boats are out of the water, the cushions off the lounges and the sprinkling system has been shut off. I also refurbished the outdoor wood burner that I keep out on the dock. I installed a new gate on the ash accumulation area of the outdoor fire container to keep hot coals from falling out on the wooden pier. I fashioned the new gate out of an old license plate. I am pleased that my rehabilitation has progressed to the point where I can do some things that I wondered if I would ever be able to do them again. Any way after, lo, these eight months , I am beginning to see a little dexterity returning to these old limbs. (That is counting from the latter part of February when I took the spill and had to rehabilitate my knee.) gwh

More Pics from Kevin- Sara Jean Wedding

Clarine and Pauline's brother, Dale Pauline and ??

Pauline and George (Ferris' brother)
Logan Temple bride and groom exit

Kevin and Sara Jean exiting temple

Icy Strait Point

Three of these pictures were taken at Icy Strait Point: the totem; ship in the background; the cat dozing in the sun on the front porch of a house. The one is in Denali National Park with clouds covering Mt. McKinley; the other is Main Street of Skagway, Alaska. I have not shown any pictures of Juneau, Ketchikan, Seward in any of the three posts. When I get some 35mm rolls developed, there may be some worthy photos show up there. If not, this will likely be my last post on this cruise to Alaska. gwh