You really do need to try the overnight oatmeal. It seems to get better every time we make it. With the threat of rain, Jimmie and I braved the wilds of Tallwood and made 1.2 miles with just a light mist. We weren’t nearly as out of breath this time. Progress!
Proof of survival after the walk.
Jimmie made me a half a pimento cheese sandwich and loaded me up with plums, apples, carrots, and cokes. On the way down to Savannah, I managed to eat everything except the apples and only had one coke (to keep me awake).
I pulled into Savannah just a little before four and met Patty and Sidney. Sidney is the vicious guard dog that announces everyone. She’s very diligent about her job. The front of the building is quite attractive.
The front may be attractive but the interior is beautiful. It rivals any of the inns I’ve stayed in this trip.
Common area/living room
Breakfast room
We will be eating in two shifts: 8:30 and 9:30. I chose the 8:30 shift. When I checked in I was given the ticket for the tour which departs about a block from the inn. Patty indicated it was an excellent way to see the city and she encouraged me to do the complete tour.
They have an elevator! Patty took my luggage up in it and showed me my room, the Wright.
Note the headboard. It’s two large doors and ornately carved.
I even have a private balcony!
The view from the balcony isn’t bad either.
There’s wine and cheese at 5 pm and I’ll probably make that. We are in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm (lights blinking on and off) and it’s pouring down rain so my exploration will have to wait.
Just a word about staying with Jimmie and Stephen. They are excellent hosts! Of course, Jimmie and I grew up together but Stephen goes out of his way to make sure I’m comfortable. Stephen learned early that you marry a family and he’s shown remarkable tolerance to the Agnew side of the family. I think he even likes me.
Just to get an idea, I mentioned casually I liked fruit for breakfast and voilá, fruit for days when I got there. She knows I use a shower mat and she bought one for me while at their house. They think of my every need. I only hope that I host as well.
I’m on cloud nine! I finally got into some woods, did a short hike, saw a waterfall, and didn’t trip or fall going down or coming back up or get dizzy spells.. True, it was only 0.6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 46 feet but it’s a start.
When I got out of bed this morning, the temperature was 59°F. What a difference from Camden! Right now it’s 78°F and the humidity must be -100%. The only problem is the traffic is murder.
Breakfast was served on the upper patio deck and I got to meet the other four occupants of the inn. Two were leaving today and heading back to Charlotte and two are staying one more night for a granddaughters wedding. The Charlotte couple pointed me to Elk Falls. My AllTrails had a comment that if you are mobily challenged, you needed to skip this. They said posh, do it and just watch out for the roots.
Bobbie gave me directions and for once, I followed them correctly. It takes you down a winding road that goes from black top to dirt.
Trail head to Elk Falls
Your first stop is at the top of the falls.
There’s a nice overlook there and when you look down, you can see where you are heading. I don’t know why they say the elevation gain is 46 feet when the falls themselves are 65 feet. When you see the people below, it looks a lot more than 45.
After the over look at the upper falls, you continue to descend over many, many tree roots, rocks, and sometimes stairs. I finally reached the bottom and a couple of teens were photographing and I got them to take one of me. Ignore the Buddha Belly.
It’s a beautiful waterfall. I don’t know why it’s not more popular but everything is poorly maintained and poorly marked.
Then I had to do a stop motion photo.
I love the blue sky in the upper right with the clouds passing by.
I hiked back up and I was surprised that I was not out of breath nor dizzy. I counted it as a victory. Little did I know defeat was just around the corner.
I’ve never visited Blowing Rock (not the town). I thought I would go there and see it but as I started to leave Banner Elk on the road to Blowing Rock, traffic was backed up to Banner Elk and it was all dead still. I reversed and headed to Beech Mountain.
I didn’t know what to expect at Beech Mountain but it’s a really nice little town at the top of, you guessed it, Beech Mountain. They have ski shops in abundance, restaurants, etc. and to be honest, I liked it better than Banner Elk. They also sell snow chains. I suspect they’ll need them come January.
When I got to the top, there was a pull off for a trail map. As I started looking for some short trails, I got extremely dizzy to the point my legs started to collapse. I tried to make my way back to the car to sit down (stupid, I should have sat down at the trailhead) but fortunately the dizziness passed.
Janet from Four Oaks wants me to get checked out for Afib. I told her I would bring it up to my cardiologist when I next saw him.
I returned to the Lodge at Riverrun and sat out on the patio by the river and read and relaxed. I told Bobbie I wouldn’t be at breakfast as I needed an early start tomorrow. I hope to leave around 6:30 or 7 because it’s an 8 or 9 hour drive tomorrow to St. Michaels, Maryland. It’s the longest drive of the entire trip.
Bobbie is trying to get me a reservation at Americana Restaurant which apparently has an amazing chef rated the best in North Carolina. She has an in. I hope to return early, early to bed and early to rise.
When adults were explaining where babies came from to young kids, the most common refrain was “The stork brought you.” If you had a particular creative adult, you might hear the expression “You fell off a turnip truck.” I can’t attest that I didn’t fall off a turnip truck but I surely do like turnips. I left you yesterday with a turnip recipe.
The dish turned out pretty good. The Dijon mustard gave the cubes a little tang and the lemon juice brightened the taste. However, I must admit, I prefer them raw. As a matter of fact, while reading this afternoon I ate the second turnip, cubed as before sans any cooking or dressing.
When teaching, I used to do turnips as a substitution to carrots for a snack. I would get tired of chewing carrots and turnips were softer and milder in taste. However, I’m sure people steered away from me because of bad breath and a small gas leak.
I started the morning attempting to do the Riverland Road stretch and got about a quarter of the way when my ankle started to bother me. I turned around and headed home. By the time I got home, the ankle was fine but I could just see me about half way on the walk having to call an Uber to get back home.
After my Cheerios and coffee, I headed out to clean the pool strainer and pool filter. It wasn’t too dirty this time. Sometimes it takes longer when the vacuum picks up more material. It takes about 20 minutes to clean the filter and about 45 minutes to do the rest of the pool maintenance. After that, it was spraying for weeds.
I puttered around the house until time for my 1:45 blood draw at Hollywood Memorial. I walked into the outpatient center and they took me in right away. The phlebotomist was pretty good and hit the vein on first try on my hand. For some reason, the veins on my hand look “juicy” to them.
I stopped on my way home at Publix and picked up my Cymbalta. Yesterday, I picked up the Jardiance at Walgreens and she charged my card for $47+. I got to thinking that was a little high and thought I would check GoodRx. The lowest price was Walmart for $595 and the highest was at Publix at $638. I’ll stick with Walgreens $47.
My shipmate on the CGC Reliance, Jim, instant messaged me on Facebook that the VA Pact Act has now recognized male breast cancer as a presumed service related condition. Jim has been recognized by the VA to have been exposed to toxic materials while on duty. He thinks since he has been, I would be too. He said if Congress adds cutters then we will be able to file. I have no idea what the benefits will be but I’ll probably file.
As a radioman, I mentioned that in the Coast Guard, I had to be able to stand any watch on the ship, including engine room. That also meant that any time the ship needed scraping and painting I had to help out with that. We used a needle gun to blast the paint off and then we used a red colored rust guard as a primer. All of that was probably toxic. Apparently the Commandant in charge of Environment has already said the Reliance had toxic asbestos and paint. The VA website says that the average number of days waiting for completion on claims is 166 days. Thanks Jim for calling this to my attention.
No doctors’ appointments, no infusions, no blood draws, no scans, no physical therapy, nada, nil, negatory. It’s a free day! There are still some coming down the pike and, of course, doctors will continue to make appointments for you until you die but a little respite is nice.
I managed 1.3 miles this morning. The temperature was a very nice 76°F but the humidity was a very drippy 94%. I managed the walk pretty well and I feel like I’m getting some strength back in my legs. I want to build my stamina enough to do a little hiking on my trip.
Speaking of the trip, I’m getting excited about it. I’ve never done a trip composed entirely of inns and B&B’s. My usual routine is lodges, motels, and camping. I may get so use to pampering that I cut out the motels and camping. I still love to stay in old lodges.
Some of the most famous (and beautiful) lodges I’ve stayed in are the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone, the Awanee (thankfully we can go back to the original name) at Yosemite, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone and the Crater Lake Lodge at Crater Lake. I love the architecture and the idea that you could not build a lodge of their caliber today for any amount of money because simply, some of the timbers are not available. The only possible exception is the Awanee which is concrete made to look like wood.
My family was a traveling family. My parents would drive from Havre de Grasse, Maryland to Morton, Mississippi with stops along the way. My grandmother on my mother’s side loved to get in her car and drive with me riding shotgun. She took me to places in and around our home town and surrounding towns, to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and our family pretty much always went to the Smokies. Have caravan and we would travel to see the sights. I sincerely think I learned as much on those trips as I did in any classroom.
One time on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, my grandmother wasn’t feeling well so she sent me off on my own with money to get dinner for me. I walked across the sky bridge from our hotel to the attached fancy restaurant across the street. I was all of 8 or 9 years old. I acted like an adult, was seated, presented a menu and ordered something that seemed familiar, an open face roast beef sandwich. It seemed within my price range. I only saw the roast beef part of the sandwich and had no idea what an open face meant. I learned that night, learned it was delicious, and it became a staple in my menu when dining out. I probably didn’t know enough to leave a tip but knew how to pay for the dinner. I got a little older and wiser that night.
You learn so much on every trip. Don’t always believe the GPS. Green nozzles at the pump probably mean diesel. Shell diesel nozzles are often only for transfer trucks. Whatever time estimate the GPS has, always add 30 minutes or more. The strangest places have traffic jams. Never get behind someone with a Quebec car tag. Travel is so broadening. As Mark Twain would say “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” Hopefully you’ll follow my travels starting July 7th!
Yesterday morning was a leisurely morning. I nursed two cups of coffee and the LA Times Crossword for Sunday. I almost got it finished and lacked only a couple of answers.
Around 12:30 I headed to brunch with Tom and Kurt. We met at Apt9f in Wilton Manors. As I was walking to the restaurant, I saw Tom who was moving his vehicle a little closer to the curb. He told me Kurt was sitting inside on a couch.
This place was very busy! There were numerous staff running in and out of the restaurant carrying food to those inside and on the sidewalk tables. Kurt and I had an excellent view of all the goings on by sitting on the couch.
The bar at Apt9f.
Every so often a woman would pass by and I kept looking at her thinking I knew her. Tom had told me his friend Carol, who owned the restaurant, had made sure he got reservations for today. The more I looked, the more I realized it was the same Carol that was executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC) when I was at Stonewall Library (in the same building) years ago. Carol was a go getter and was probably the best executive director they’ve had. She left the GLCC, started a bar in Wilton Manors, sold it, moved to New York, and now is back in town with Apt9f.
I caught her attention and she came over and I re-introduced myself to her and how I knew her. She then told the tale of when she moved back down here some people new to Wilton Manors told her she should think about getting involved with the GLCC. We both laughed.
The food and service (even though the place was chaotic) was excellent. I had prosciutto Benedict which came with a really tasty side salad. The hollandaise was perfect and despite the number of people, the eggs were warm and cooked to perfection.
I brought Tom and Kurt four slices of triple chocolate bundt cake from home they had sampled at Holley and Jim’s. I told them I would save them some because they were leaving the next day on a cruise. I think they were surprised I had frozen the slices for them. I also included four blueberry sour cream muffins.
Tom and Kurt generously paid for my meal again. It must have been the triple chocolate bundt cake.
This morning was my bone density scan. It took all of 8 minutes. I asked Karen, the technician, what the system was. I didn’t think x-ray because she stayed isn the room with me. It is an x-ray but the dosage is so slight, all she has to do is move a portable lead shield in front of her. I should get the results early this week. Karen was great.
After the bone density scan, I stopped at a nearby Publix and stocked up on, of all things, candy. You’d think it was Halloween. I purchased four bags of Tootsie Roll minis, a bag of Snickers minis and a family pack of M&M’s. Oh yeah, bananas, grapes, and milk. Actually, I’ll take a couple of bags of Tootsie Rolls in tomorrow for my oncologist visit and leave them with the nurses. That may be the last time I see them since my infusions may be over.
After storing the groceries, it was time for physical therapy with Shannon. As I circled the block and came into the lot to park, I noticed a police car had arrived and an officer was talking to a man at the entrance of the building. Eventually, both left and I got out and went in.
Apparently, the physical therapists and secretaries often have homeless people come up to the building and create a nuisance. In this case, the guy was wearing hospital scrubs without any back in them and he kept flashing them his naked butt. They call the police, they come, chase off the homeless guys and then it’s rinse and repeat. I asked about Holy Cross stationing a guard there and it’s the consensus that they’d only do that after some really severe incident occurred.
That happened years ago at Broward College South Campus. The book store, albeit small, got a lot of action and a lot of the purchases back then were in cash. Faculty kept telling the administration that they needed a guard at the place, that someone was going to get killed during a robbery.
Sure enough, the manager of the book store was opening early one morning when one of his employees and a friend pushed him inside and made him open the safe. Once open, they took the money and then realized the manager could identify the employee. He was killed by the employee for not very much money since the money was usually deposited at the end of the day.
Sadly, a lot of deadly things have to occur before anyone takes action.
On a more positive note, Jim and Holley are picking me up around 5:30 for dinner at the Secret Garden. It was definitely threatening rain and I figure we may have to sit inside but at the moment, the skies are rain free so we may get to sit outside along the intracoastal.
I didn’t realize my last post left some people with concerns. I had several people check in on me to make sure I was OK. I did spend most of yesterday in bed so I think that helped. I’m doing better this morning but opted out of my morning walk. I didn’t want to do too much too fast today. Thank you for everyone’s concerns!
Yesterday, Barb asked if I needed anything while she ran some errands. I was about to order from Chipotle and I asked her if she wanted anything from there and I could order it and she could join me for dinner. She suggested she stop by Chipotle after her errands. We had a feast for dinner! Yes, she refused to let me pay for my share. We then watched an episode of The Crown. I appreciated her stopping by and cheering me up.
I’ve been gathering data to give to my cardiologist tomorrow. So far, I’ve had 3 echocardiograms and 1 MUGA scan. Looks like my oncologist wants another MUGA scan (more definitive) but is waiting to hear what my cardiologist says. I should know by tomorrow.
One of the things I wish we could do as a country is connect all medical tests, medications, etc. to one central data base and allow any physician to access your records. I realize that opens up the possibility of someone hacking our medical records but that doesn’t seem to bother us too much when we order stuff online or apply for discounts for companies or credit cards. It would make my life simpler if I didn’t have to wait for Holy Cross to burn a CD and me physically carry it to the cardiologist. Who knows if he even has a CD/DVD player to access the disk? Strangely enough, both my oncologist and cardiologist are on MyChart and should have access to my records but apparently the cardiologist didn’t have access to the actual visuals.
I’m looking forward today to a delivery from Kings Loot. They have a wallet that intrigues me and I ordered one the other day. What I like about the wallet is easy access to your most frequently used card, your ID, and other credit cards. The easy access to your most frequently used card and ID is by sliding your thumb across an opening. For other credit cards, there is a pull tab. You can see a video example here.
I find myself constantly struggling to get my ID out and figuring which pocket of my current wallet contains my most used credit card. I’ll let you know how I like it.
Alas, no flowers today since I didn’t walk. Again, thanks for everyone’s concerns.
I’m not sure what’s going on but I have zero energy today. I almost ended my morning walk 1/4 of the way through. I managed to eke out 1.2 miles but it was difficult. I noticed the pool cleaner wasn’t cleaning and some debris fell into the pool over night, so I spent some time cleaning that out. By the time I finished, I was ready to get into bed again.
I cancelled physical therapy and movie night. I could do without physical therapy but you know I must feel badly to cancel movie night. Tucker is disappointed.
The only other one I know in the neighborhood was cut down a couple of years ago. The owner said no one knew how to eat the fruits and left them alone and when the fruits fell, they got quite messy. I’m glad to see another tree in the neighborhood.
I’m gonna take it easy today. To make matters worse, my left kidney region is tender today. Who knows what malady is going to befall me next?
A guaranteed way to make it rain is to wash your car. Another way is to add water to your pool. I did that yesterday to the pool and this morning it poured down rain, then rained a second time and it looks like we are due for some more. The weather report did not include any rain chance last night but when I looked this morning it was at 55%. The rain at least added a little safety factor for when I’ll be away and Denyse will not have to add water when she cleans the pool.
Since Denyse is doing my pool, it must mean I’m on the road again! I’ll leave tomorrow sometime around 10 am and drive the Turnpike to I-75, then I-75 to I-10 to Quincy, Florida, just west of Tallahassee. It’ll take me around 7 hours with pit stops.
The next day I’ll be staying at Roosevelt State Park in their “lodge.” I miss the old lodge where there were lots of parties on the lower level. There was always some event going on there when I was a kid. It had a classy feel to it. It was like stepping back in time.
The Alfreda lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) back in 1934-1935. This is a painting by Margaret Craig Clifford as posted on Facebook by Bobby Roberts, December 27, 2022. The lodge burned on February 19, 1978. As kids, we never really knew where the name Alfreda came from. For a while, we thought it was Roosevelt’s wife until we learned about Eleanor. It was named after the wife of Congressman Ross Collins who was instrumental in getting the park built.
The lodge that replaced it looks nice but reviews say it is dated and needs improvement on the infrastructure.
This photo of the new Alfred Harris lodge is from Scottcounty.gov.
Somewhere in making reservations, either through a conversation with cousin Jimmie or with the park itself, I found out rooms 106 and 107 have been recently renovated. I chose 106. There is supposed to be a small kitchenette in each room. The old lodge did not have rooms to rent. The addition of the word “Harris” comes from Carl Harris who was the park manager for years.
I’ll be there three nights and visiting with Archie, Tanis, Jean, Roger, Jimmie and Stephen. From there, I’ll roam about for a while before I head home. I have no idea how many days I’ll be gone. What will determine the length of my trip will be how well I feel driving 7 hour days. The Jeep is comfortable but I don’t know if I’m up for that long of a drive. I’ll find out tomorrow.
After physical therapy today, I’ll stop at a grocery store to pick up some snacks for the trip and then gas up the Jeep. Then I’ll start loading the Jeep with most of my luggage and stuff and save the really important stuff (laptop, iPad, iPhone, insulin) until tomorrow. I’ll be posting regularly every day on the trip.
What glorious weather! It was 67°F when I started my walk this morning (later than usual) and it energized me enough I completed 1.4 miles. It’s one of those days people say is the reason they moved to Florida.
Because of my walk mileage, I passed some plants (and homes) I hadn’t seen in a while. One of the first things that drew my attention was Goldshower.
Goldshower (Galphimia gracilis)
I had planted a few of these along the fence in the back yard but they never bloomed like this and I eventually took them out. When they bloom, they are pretty awesome.
Next up was a shrimp plant. For years, I couldn’t understand why they called this a shrimp plant.
Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeeana)
Later, I noticed the blooms on one and realized the blooms do look a little bit like shrimp. This is a member of the Acanthus family of plants.
Finally, I found a shaving brush tree that was recently planted and not too tall that I couldn’t get a decent photo of the bloom. The blooms are really spectacular.
Shaving Brush Tree (Pseudobombax ellipticum)
You can see the female portion of the plant (style and stigma) sticking out from the anthers and a bud getting ready to open. It’s estimated there are around 400 pollen bearing stamens around the stigma.
Today was assessment day at physical therapy. Shannon had me redo some of the things we did the first session. There was definitely some improvement but there’s still room for getting better. My balance is still way off. I am still in danger of falling without a cane. My stamina is improving but I have a ways to go.
Insurance will cover me for 10 more sessions so Shannon scheduled me through the month of April.
Tonight I’m meeting an old friend, Robert and his son Michael at Flanigans. Robert taught on the same campus I did and I haven’t seen him since the last time I stayed with him and Lynn in Alabama on one of my trips. It’ll be great to catch up with him and his family.
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! In between all the commercials, entertainment, conspiracy theories, and expert analysis, they will actually play a football game which is secondary to everything else.
If you read between the above lines, you may be able to determine I feel pretty good this morning. Not good enough to chance a morning walk but good enough to get out of the house, pick up my insulin prescription and stop at Winn-Dixie on the way back to the house to round out my grocery order yesterday. I needed cantaloupe and a few other ingredients for tonights dinner.
I also decided to reward myself and bought a dozen Duncan Donuts. Yes, I know, my sugar levels…. However, I like to think I do everything in moderation. They freeze well and I can have one a day for 10 days (I inhaled two right off the bat). My preference is simple glazed, maple frosted and those dipped in chocolate. I couldn’t figure out what the guy was asking about the chocolate ones. When I got back to the house, I understood he was asking if I wanted sprinkles. I got sprinkles accidentally. All good.
I’ve gotten addicted to Whole Foods online recipe section. I scroll through that and see what looks good. If you click on an option, it provides you a list of ingredients. My choice was “Root Vegetable Stew with Beef and Barley.” Strangely, instead of stew meat, they provided ground beef. It also called for barley but neither Whole Foods nor Winn-Dixie had barley. I did find a package of precooked barley and lentils and substituted that. I also had to substitute a turnip for a rutabaga. I’ll put the recipe down below.
Just so you know, I’m getting old. One sign of aging in old folks when I was a kid was age spots. Well, I have a doozie.
I must be over a century at least! Actually, it’s due to the chemo I’m undergoing and is called thrombocytopenia or Purpura. It’s because I have low platelet levels and when I bump into something capillaries bleed into the surrounding area and my blood doesn’t clot like it should. I’ve got them all over my arms, particularly where I wear my watch which constantly pushes against my skin. Most of the spots I’ve forgotten what I bumped into.
I will watch some of the Super Bowl today. I generally can’t sit through the entirety of the broadcast but I can do short periods. It doesn’t really get too exciting until the end and even if something occurs when I’m not watching, it’ll be on replay for the next 25 years.
Here’s the recipe from Whole Foods. Stay tuned!
Root Vegetable Stew with Beef and Barley
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup all-purpose flour or oat flour ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper ¾ pound lean beef round, cubed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 large stalks celery, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 3 medium carrots, chopped ½ medium rutabaga, peeled and chopped 6 white button mushrooms, sliced ⅓ cup pearled barley 1 quart beef broth, divided 1 bay leaf ¼ cup chopped parsley for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Step 1 In a medium bowl, combine flour with the salt and pepper.
Step 2 Toss cubed beef in flour mixture, coating all sides and reserving any leftover flour.
Step 3 In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
Step 4 Brown beef on all sides and remove to a plate.
Step 5 Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
Step 6 Stir in celery, onion, carrots, rutabaga and mushrooms, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Step 7 Cook vegetables until softened, stirring, for 3 minutes.
Step 8 Add barley and continue to cook, stirring for an additional minute.
Step 9 In a seperate bowl, stir 1/4 cup beef broth into remaining flour until completely blended.
Step 10 Add this, along with remaining broth and beef cubes, into the pot.
Step 11 Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender and stew is thickened, about 1 hour.
Step 12 Remove and discard bay leaf. Garnish with parsley and serve.
