Time for a second opinion...off to Dana Farber

I got the results of march's tumor marker test and it was now 109. This is high for me. I talked to the nurse at the oncologist's office and she said the doctor was not that concerned and would see me in May. I explained about a new pain under my ribs and it did not seem to make a difference. I got off the phone and pushed the panic bottom. I also spent a day with my head under the covers in an all day depression. Randy periodically checked on me and tried to be sympathetic and encouraging. I so rarely let myself feel scared or depressed, but today I needed to wallow in self pity.

Time for a second opinion. I have an appointment at the Dana Farber Cancer Center on April 7th. My girls are going with me. Dana Farber has a wonderful reputation and just the act of making an appointment with one of their oncologists gives me hope. I have great respect for my local oncologist, but I think it is important to go to one of the major cancer centers to cover all your treatment basics.

Not quite so panicky.

We are home, but I am going to continue writing.

I had such fun keeping the trip blog, that my friend Lynne suggested I keep writing. I was considering keeping a journal and I think this will be a good way to do it. I hope to be around for many years, but if not, this will be a way for my children and grandchildren (?) to remember me, and in the case of any grandchildren I may have, get to know me.

This damn disease is so maddening. In January my tumor marker had gone out of the normal range for the first time in over a year. My new oncologist said that it might not mean anything, but we would run monthly tests, and if it continued to climb, well... we would address it when, or if it happened. I had blood work done before the trip and purposefully did not ask for the results... I didn't want anything to take away from my enjoyment of our western excursion. Unfortunately, the marker had gone up 23 more points. I had another test last week and now the waiting, the horrible, horrible waiting. If it rises again, it will be time to try a new therapy and pray like hell that this one will work. The most difficult thing about having a terminal disease is that you have to fight daily not to let the disease define you. I tell myself not to burden my friends and family with my fears, but sometimes it is hard to stop myself. I am so lucky I have such wonderful people around me who continue to listen.

I promise this journal won't always be so depressing, but my interpretation of keeping a journal is about recording feelings as well as daily observations.

The dog has already gone up to bed, and I should, too.

Good night from Abingdon.

Something comes calling at 5 am. We beat a hasty retreat

We finally settled down for the night after a few more jokes about Norman Bates and The Bates Motel and RV Park. We had our big dog and Randy's BB gun, certainly we would be safe from wild animals and Phil/Norman's country boy friends. Five AM, both of us were jolted awake by a noise at the door of the trailer... someone or something actually tried the door handle and was standing on the metal trailer steps. Even the dog was scared, she cowered next to me. We looked out the windows but couldn't see anything around the trailer. We made sure that the door was locked and Randy stood guard with his BB gun. I went back to sleep secure in the knowledge that we were safe in our bunker on wheels. At daybreak he woke me and we packed up in record time, jumped into the truck and... it wouldn't start. Mr., always prepared, Barnes jumped out and grabbed his battery charger from the back of the truck, we were rolling within minutes. We didn't stop until we reached Virginia.

We had a great trip. We loved the the Southwest. We really enjoyed our visit with Gail and Pecore in beautiful Sedona, but we are glad to be home.

Good night from Abingdon.

The Bates motel and RV Park?

Here we are just one hour from Nashville. We made great time and when Randy started to get tired, I got out my computer and looked up an RV park close to I 40. I called ahead and a very nice man said it was just a short way from the interstate, in a lovely wooded setting. The price was right, too, just 18 dollars. When we pulled in, we discovered that we were the Park's only guests. The friendly park owner was there to greet us and help Randy with the hook ups. He told us he lived on a house boat about a mile away with his mother. (just kidding, he said he lived with his girlfriend) But a house boat? We are in the middle of land locked Tennessee. I told Randy I thought the guy was just lonely because he stayed quite a long time admiring Raven and talking about the park. (the Park with no people) I don't think Randy bought my explanation because I noticed he got out his bb gun and put it next to the bunk. He told me he thought we were in the "Hotel California". I told him that strange things certainly went on at the "Hotel California", but I thought he meant the "Bate's Motel" from "Psycho". Either way, it is strange to be somewhere in west Tennessee, in a trailer park all by ourselves...with Norman, I mean Phil, the friendly park owner who lives on a house boat in the woods. I know one thing, I am not taking a shower until we reach Abingdon.

Good night from Waverly, Tennessee.

Nothing falls off, flies away, or otherwise disengages itself from the airstream

What a beautiful sight, these balloons, just becoming airborne as we left Albuquerque. I wish we could stay a few days and investigate this lovely city. We had great weather for today's leg of the journey home. We are staying in a very nondescript trailer park near Oklahoma City. I am afraid we were spoiled by the parks we stayed in Tucson and Sedona. This park has a small indoor pool, when I went to check it out, I found it full of partying kids who didn't look like they wanted to share it with a little, round, middle age woman with her water noodle and bar bells. Oh well, we will soon be home and I can go back to my community center pool full of middle age women of all sizes.

I have been trying to get Randy to admit that he likes this trailer. He just shakes his head when I point out how we have been able to heat it, even in 20 degree weather, with a tiny space heater. I love to see it parked between two, 200 thousand dollar behemoths, looking for all the world like one of them laid a slightly beat up silver egg. It has won my heart. I am not sure this will ever be his idea of traveling in style, but he has been a great sport about it, and I thank him for that.

We hope to make Memphis by tomorrow night.

Randy does battle with wild pigs and we leave Sodona

After Pecore and Gail dropped us off at our trailer, we jumped into our comfortable bunks and prepared to get what we hoped would be a good night's sleep before beginning our long trip home. Sometime after midnight, Raven started barking. We finally settled her down and got back to sleep and she started again. Something was banging against the trailer and the dog was going crazy. Randy threw on his jeans while I offered advise from under my comforter. He opened the door and found two huge wild pigs trying to get Raven's dog food bag out of it's storage container. Randy banged on the door, he swore at them, nothing helped. I reminded him from the safety of my bunk, that he needed to keep his voice down. (this RV park was very strict about noise) Worrying about the ruckus going on at our trailer, Randy ended this nasty pig standoff by bravely snatching the dog food bag out of those porcine jaws. The pig terrorists gave up, snuffled off and we were able to sleep.

We had an uneventful trip until we reached the exit where tonight's RV park was located. A wrong turn took us down a road that seemed to have no place to turn a truck and trailer around. Randy took a chance on an open area with shallow ditches around it. Always my helpful self, I told him I didn't think it was a good idea. He did it anyway. As we bounced through the ditch and back onto the highway, Randy noticed something black bouncing down the road behind us... the trailer battery. Luckily, it was still tethered to the trailer cables. He retrieved it, replaced it in the battery compartment and we found the RV park. Sadly, the battery succumbed to it's wild ride down the road and died. No problem though, we are plugged into the park's power and all is well... for now.

Good night from Albuquerque.

We have Red Rock Fever!

What a beautiful day in a beautiful place. We found a wonderful overlook to take in the grandeur of this place (I wish I had one of those fancy big camera lens so I could do justice to the view.) and Randy got to take a helicopter ride. He was thrilled. It is too bad I can't upload some of his pictures, they are pretty spectacular.

Gail, her lovely daughter Heather, and I toured more wonderful shops and galleries, including one that had a fabulous collection of Native American Kachinas and pottery. I love the traditional Hopi Kachinas and would like to bring one home to Virginia. I have one more chance because we are going to stop there on our way out of town. What should I do. What should I do. I think I will buy one.

We discovered that our very nice RV park hosts about 8 pairs of nesting Great Blue Herons... in trees. Who knew. I thought they laid their eggs in nests on the ground. These birds are strange enough walking in water with their funny long legs, to see them standing on tree branches was a sight to behold.

Pecore and Gail treated us to a great dinner at one of Sedona's many nice restaurants. Heather joined us, too. What a wonderful way to end our visit here in Sedona.

I would love to come back next year. God willing and the creek don't rise. To those who have made this journey before us... Randy and I can finally appreciate the lure of the Southwest.

We start the long journey home tomorrow and hope to be back in Virginia Sunday night. God willing and the Airstream don't lose more parts.

A harrowing ride, a missing vent, but we are in Sodona

Where do I start, the weather is awful... the worst they have had in 14 years. Snow, rain, sleet, oh my. Even lousy weather can't take away the extraordinary beauty of the Red Rocks of Sodona. Gail and I did a bit of gallery hopping yesterday... more tomorrow. Gail made dinner and we got to see why they bought a house in Sedona. The house is lovely, but the lot is spectacular. They have privacy and a 36o degree view of the Red Rocks. Pecore and Gail spent today driving us to some of their favorite spots. This is high desert and it is so different than the low desert. There are many different types of trees, it is greener, and of course, cooler. The beautiful red color comes from iron, sand and calcium which together formed layers of earthy colors that are so breathtaking. The shapes are wonderful and look like their names: coffee pot, cathedral, snoopy, Madonna and child... We are staying an extra day; Gail and I will explore more shops, hopefully in the sun. Randy bowed out, not because he has no interest in galleries and crafty shops, but because he has some trailer maintenance to do. Since we have no idea where our vent cap became airborne, he will have to borrow a ladder and try to fabricate some sort of temporary replacement. I use the steady drip in the ceiling to refill the dog's water dish.

Randy got the furnace working and promised me we would not be asphyxiated. I told him it was so cold, I really didn't care, preferring death by carbon monoxide poisoning to hypothermia.

Our RV park is very nice. Each site has lovely trees and small plots of daffodils. (trying to ignore the snow) It is pricey but the location is great. If we make this trip again, I would like to explore the State Parks. (If they are still open) Arizona's budget cuts could result in the closing of half of their parks.

Good night from Sodona.

I will miss these beautiful Arizona skies.

Our last day in Tucson, more sight seeing, and a stop at another great Southwest craft gallery. I wish I had brought my camera, we found ourselves in a part of town with wonderful adobe style homes and breathtaking views. Just when I thought I had found my niche in my comfortable, but modest Virginia home and the owner of a trendy, but slightly beat up Airstream trailer, I see houses like the aforementioned and I want to scrap it all and be part of the affluent, gated community set. Since I don't play the Lottery, this is not going to happen... but I can dream. It does beg the question though: Would I be the only one in this part of town with an Obama sticker on my Prius? Would I be the only one with a Prius?

On the way home to nuestra casa rodante Airstream, (I think that means our airstream motor home in Spanish) we found yet another SONORAN HOT DOG stand. We just had to celebrate our last day here with, you guessed it, one of those yummy gastritis causing dogs. When we first got here, I did extensive research on line for one good Mexican restaurant, something avant garde, with 5 star reviews, instead we spent all our eating out money on ...hot dogs. Other than money, there is probably a good reason I don't live in the swanky part of town.

Buenos Noches

Cold and Rainy in Tucson... weird!

I didn't know it could be like this in Tucson. Is it time to move on? We did get out before the rain and traveled about 24 miles NE of the city to Biosphere 2. In case you are wondering, Biosphere 1 is Earth. It looked like a great tour, but the guide saw my cane and wondered how I would do climbing 250 steps and walking for an hour and half without being able to sit. I didn't think my wonky hips and newly damaged knee would be able to keep up with the group. We did get to see some lovely scenery, though.

This being Sunday, it was time for more grocery store therapy. A trip to Whole Foods always raises my spirits. I came home with all of Randy's favorite foods: tofu, tempeh, brown rice, and mochi. Actually, he was once again waiting for me in the truck. When we arrived home, we discovered that our lovely awning had begun to self destruct in the wind and a helpful neighbor had used the dog's outdoor line to tie it to a palm tree. At least the trailer had not blown over, I am fairly certain Randy would have left it, and me, and gone home.

Randy did the laundry while I tried out a new tofu recipe. He was so excited about the tofu, that he went right out and bought a pizza. I even made mochi for dessert...

Randy goes to the big game... dog and I discover how roomy the trailer is with one less person.

Today was the Arizona-USC game and what a game it was. Randy got to watch Chateaugay hometown hero, Kevin O'Neil, coach his USC Trojans to an almost victory. The game went into double overtime and finally ended when Arizona scored in the last two seconds. I was following along from home on line. I'm not much of a sports fan... but this game even kept my interest. Randy got to wish Kevin good luck before the game but it obviously was not quite enough to put the Trojan's over the top. Randy had a great time and many thanks to Kevin for the ticket.

I wish I had sent my camera with Randy because there was a celebrity in the bleachers, Arizona's own John McCain. I would have been even more disappointed if I had missed getting a photo of Sarah Palin, but she was not in attendance. She is probably too busy doing stand up after her great success on the Tonight Show. (She got a lot of comedic experience during the campaign)

I spent most of the day reading and lolling about in my cozy little bunk. The dog spent the day on Randy's bunk. She was ecstatic that she didn't have to spend the day on her bed under the table. This may just be a one woman, one dog trailer. Just kidding, without Randy we would never be able to leave Arizona and more importantly, would not be able to pump out the trailer tanks. Stinkaroo.

Tomorrow is laundry day.

President Obama makes an unscheduled visit to Tucson

This was actually Air Force Two...Al Gore used it. The guy sitting next to us on the tour was not impressed by that, but needless to say, I was. It is now parked at the Pima Air and Space Museum. Randy and I spent a delightful morning there. I wish I had more knowledge of aircraft history, but it was still fun to see all the different war planes, Nasa jets, and some more unusual commercial airplanes. They even have a Blackbird, the fastest, highest flying jet every built. It is no longer in use. It could fly from California to New York in 64 minutes.(my idea of flying) The other interesting jet was the Super Guppy...it looks more like a flying whale than a guppy. It was a NASA jet used for transporting Shuttle parts from California to Florida. It had to make about 7 fuel stops on the way. Could they not have built those parts in Florida more cheaply? This may be one of the reasons NASA is going to be fed to the Government Shrinkalator.

I am quite happy to say that the Zometa I have been receiving the last 2 years may actually be working. I was walking the dog around the park in my pjs, no coffee yet and tripped over a stake. I went down like a ton of Little Debbies. (I just didn't think "ton of bricks" really described me.) I am bruised, certainly a little embarrassed, and stiff, but not broken. The lesson to be learned from this is: never go out in the morning without your coffee... and maybe your clothes.

the little silver money pit

Another beautiful day... it's almost getting mundane. It looks like things will change when we go to Sedona. I can't believe it is so much colder there. I think we will do fine, you can practically heat this thing with the oven. Of course, that is not necessarily a good thing... it probably means there is absolutely no insulation in the oven.

We found our way to Camper's World today. It's the Sam's Club of the RV crowd. We spent a whole lot more money on things for the trailer: new faucet for kitchen sink, new griddle for coleman grill, gas for aforementioned grill, and an outdoor rug so the dog can join us outside without hurting her tootsies on the gravel. Oh, and lawn chairs, ice for the cooler, hooks with suction cups (which will not stick on our vinyl walls) and a lantern. I think it might have been cheaper to stay in hotels.

We also found a delightful farmer's market close by. We bought snow peas, spring onions, greenhouse tomatoes, daikon radishes, and kale. Very reasonable prices, too. It was stir fry night... I have finally learned how to cook in a very small kitchen, on a very tiny stove, and a very shallow sink. The trick is to wash every dish as you go and make Randy and dog stay outside.

Tucson has lots of parks... many with sculptures. Even the overpasses have bas relief decorations... very nice touch.

The snowbirds go swimming

I really don't mean to rub it in, but another gorgeous day here in Tucson. Randy and I donned our tres chic hats and bathing suits and headed for the pool. It took some convincing, but he did eventually get in the pool. We look like those tourists, we all made fun of not so many years ago.

Our mission today was to find the University of Arizona Basketball arena (Randy is going to the game Saturday, thanks to the generosity of Coach Kevin) and find a wonderful, funky art market called Bohemia. I frankly had a lot more fun at Bohemia than the basketball arena. I found a very inexpensive aluminum clock for the Airstream. When you own one of these funky space pods, you start looking for decorative items one might find in the George Jetson home.

Poor dog, we have spent a week trying to figure out where to put her beloved bed, but in a 23 foot trailer there is very little floor space. (not because it is little, just cozy) Finally, the solution, Randy crammed it under the dining, computer, do everything table. Good thing our 7o lb. dog can make herself into a yorkypoo.

One thing we didn't do today was eat anymore Sonora dogs. My stomach finally laid down the law. It's brown rice and greens for yours truly, well at least until we locate the illusive lunch wagon with those stomach destroying dogs.

I'm sure the weather will be terrible tomorrow. (just trying to make everyone feel better) Actually, it is supposed to be even warmer. Yah.

Another beautiful day in Tucson

The weather is the story today. It just gets better... sun, warm temperatures, beautiful blue skies. We usually have a morning mission... today was find the right caulking to repair the trailer roof. (the vents need to be repaired) Unfortunately, we forgot what our mission was because we happened on yet another food wagon selling Sonora dogs and other Mexican treats. Today we tried something called a Carmelo. Sounds likes a yummy dessert, but it's actually a small quesadilla with beef and cheese. Randy said he didn't think the meat was beef after I had eaten half of one... I gave the rest of it to the dog. She doesn't really care if the meat is unidentifiable.

I finally got Randy to try the spa. It's really quite nice and at 107 degrees even he thought it was warm enough. He kept his ball cap on just in case the jet stream changed direction and dropped the temperature 20 degrees, but all in all, I think he was pleased. He is going back tomorrow for an afternoon of lulling about in the sun. His only dilemma... how to disguise his beer cans. No Alcohol allowed.

I really love the adobe style houses here. It must be the potter in me wanting to live in a clay house.

We found the best Sonoran Hot Dogs in Tucson

Another beautiful day in Tucson. I made Randy drive me all over Tucson looking for the perfect Sonoran Hot dog. We finally found it at El Cuero Canelo. As you can see, it does not look like your run of the mill hot dog. It comes in these great canoe shaped buns. The hot dog is wrapped in bacon and then covered with beans, onions, tomatoes, mayo, mustard and chilies. Yum.

We have a change in plans. The weather is so nice in Tucson we are going to stay for another week. We will go to Sedona on our way home. We are also staying here for another week because Randy found out that Coach Kevin and his USC team are playing here on Saturday. It is also spring training for the Diamond Backs and the Colorado Rockies and we would like to see a game.

Randy and I are just not your outback, boon docking campers. We broke down and bought a TV, brought it home, and plugged it into the trailer's 1972 Antennae and it worked. This trailer is just a little gem. (Randy just thinks it's little)

More tomorrow...