The next surprise

Here is the promised picture of the gyro on the back of the buggy.  Is it not too cute for itself?

Many of you will know that yesterday there was an horrific accident on I-75 South, just out of Gainesville, FL.  The cause was a wildfire in very dry, boggy land (think of acres and acres of peat moss) that they believe was an arson.  The smoke just overtook the highway, and drivers found themselves in the middle of it before they could stop.  One guy said he was out of his car talking with another guy who was out of HIS car when another vehicle suddenly smashed into the second guy's car.  Neither of them could see far enough to even see it coming.  At least ten have died and many others are injured.  Very bad.  All early in the morning Sunday. As it turns out, it was just lucky for me that I changed my mind about pressing through to Sarasota on Sunday.  I would not have been in the pile up; but I certainly would have been turned back.

When I stepped out of the camper shortly after 9 this morning, the whole campground was hazy with smoke.  Turns out that it was from the fire and accident south of Gainesville.  I was just outside of Lake City, which is well north of Gainesville, and that the smoke would be reaching us way up there was pretty astounding to everyone I spoke with. I went over to the office, and the folks there said that I-75 S was still closed in the area of the fire and accident, and that state troopers were detouring people off the highway.  Many of the people at the campground were overnighters, heading south, and were planning on taking a much slower alternate route to well south of Gainesville.

The smoke we had gave me a headache pretty quickly, and the drive to Sarasota would have been long without detours, so after talking with Jennifer about all this, I decided to change plans, and headed out in the late morning for the Florida panhandle and Apalachicola.

OK, you know by now that this will not be a lovely tale -- that seems to be the "nature" of this trip.  Took me well over three hours to finally make my way to the village of Apalachicola, which struck me as sweet as I hurried through in the late afternoon to get to a campground before sunset.  The campground I was looking for turned out to be more than 20 miles the other side of the village. And, of course, I took a wrong turn that took me another 20 miles out of the way. But I did find it.  I also found a sign at their version of an office that said "closed -- pick site A4, A6. or A19 and register [i.e., pay, in the morning".  Well. this is in principle OK; but A4 was well occupied and the exact location of A19 remains a mystery to me.  Luckily, I was able to force my way into A6, which is smack up against a lovely patch of poison ivy.  A7, with whom I share "hookups" was connected to the only water spiget (sp?) within remotely possible reach.  I don't think the people at A7 are here, but it's harder to tell in this place than you might think.  So, I will forgo water for tonight.  I have seen about seven older guys with pony tails walking around with those big white buckets.  The campground is right on the beach (which I, of course, cannot see from A6 for all the threatening foliage), so I'm just assuming that these guys are walking out to do some oystering and not moving human body parts around  . . .  I guess I don't need to say I'm a little creeped out.  (Jennifer thinks my imagination is over-active . . )

Tomorrow, though, will be better.  I'll be up early to go back to the village, and plan on camping at the state park on St. George Island, which I understand is beautiful. The island is about 9 miles out into the Gulf, so I won't be surprised if they haven't got cell towers there that will let my little WiFi  work its magic.  That's ok.  I'm now planning on a couple of days there just to get some time off from driving and practice my ukulele.

The road to Apalachicola is interesting.  Much of it reminded me of the roads going through the Pine Barrens in New Jersey.  And then suddenly the Gulf coast appeared -- absolutely beautiful.  All the houses along the coast are VERY high on stilts (with, of course, huge boats and RVs and SUVs parked right underneath them, go figure).  It's very quiet here now; but I'll bet it's really busy in summer.

So, the plan is to nose around a bit more over a few days.  Tomorrow, I hope to find a good book on Apalachicola and a coffee shop in which to park myself among the natives while I read it.  More tomorrow, then,  from the US Oyster Capital . . .

Made it to Florida!

Well, I have actually made it to Florida, which will be a great relief to my niece Meg and nephew Walt.

I was headed for O'Lena State Park.  But, I took a couple of hours off on the way to listen to the UK - Alabama women's b-ball game (yet another win for our girls despite some sloppy ball-handling in the second half); and when I was about 15 miles north of the park and called, they told me they were locking up.  It was sundown and one of my rules is to not go into a back-in camping site after dark with no one to help me back in.  Lucky for me, I virtually immediately spotted Casey Jones RV Park, where they welcomed me and promptly put me on a most homely, but drive-through, corner site with full amenities. It's just off I-75; but the wind must be different here (as compared to the Chattanooga Camper's Word campground), because I have my windows open and can barely hear the road (although, this might, of course, be a combination of exhaustion and my increasingly frustrating hardness of hearing).

It was  VERY good to cross the Florida line, over 700 miles from Lawrenceburg, KY.  And though I am still in the north, I have seen plenty of Spanish moss (which started up in Georgia) and an increasing number of palm trees.  Tomorrow, as I head for Sarasota, I hope to start seeing some cranes along the way --  my very favorite thing about driving south in Florida. (Although I do love the pheasants along our road at home at least as much.)

I hope tomorrow to get to Myakka River State Park for the better part of a week.  This park comes highly recommended by our friend, Sue Strong.  I plan to sleep the first day or so, then get around the park on my sweet little 1984 Honda Gyro -- a three-wheeled scooter that they made for just a couple of years in the mid-1980s.  I will post a picture of it tomorrow, riding on the back of the buggy.  It's hard to imagine a cuter scooter.  Just ask my sister, Eileen, who keeps hoping I will give it to her, since it's too slow for me to use it safely to go to town in L'burg (although it was perfect in Lexington).  I'm looking forward to Myakka -- I feel like I've been working much too hard since leaving KY Thursday.  (I do, of course, have a vague recollection of when I would have done this all in one swoop . . .)

After that, I'll backtrack north to Tampa, where I plan to stay in a more urban campground in the hope that I'll be able to do some things around Tampa on the bike.  And then I'll be a couple of days around the University of South Florida.

After that, it's south again to Ft. Meyers to meet up with Jen and our friends Janet and Mead for a week in a women's resort there. It is called Carefree, and we mean this to be our celebration of Jennifer's conclusion of the better part of a year of fairly rough treatment for inflammatory breast cancer.  We were, in fact, in FL with Mead and Janet last year at this time when Jennifer arrived with unmistakable symptoms.  So, this is a celebratory closure for us, who remain more relieved than we could ever say at her treatment going so well.  We most look forward to bird watching with Janet, who is an expert and a FABULOUS wildlife photographer.

After that, I will head north, skipping the Keys this year since I can already tell I'll be happy to be heading home after Ft. Meyers.  Still, I do plan to loiter a bit on the Florida panhandle.  I have wanted for years and years to go to Apalachicola.  I have no good reason for this (I am the same way about St. John's Newfoundland) and I greatly look forward to it -- like scratching an itch . . . .

Nice here in Georgia

Well, I did escape the Camping World campground.  Got on the road and decided I didn't want to put in the additional 264 miles from my originally planned campsite in Georgia to my next stop in High Springs, Fl, and will do that tomorrow.  Even retired I still seem to think I need to be on schedule!!  These are hard things to overcome.  So, I am now all tucked in to this perfectly lovely state park (High Falls SP, Jackson GA), and much to my relief, everything on the buggy is working -- water (including hot!), propane coach heater, all lights and, of course, the fridge. And all 6 tires look just fine. I had been worried about the propane heater and stopped in at the Camping World store/service center this am, only to find that they would charge me >$75 just to check it out.  Decided to do without it, if necessary.  I am, after all, going to Florida for heavens sake.  Good call -- it's working like a charm now.

The pictures above are out the camper door looking over my site.  Lovely, lovely winter woods.  I couldn't be happier, EXCEPT that everyone here (there are 8 around me) has a dog with them, and I miss our own canines.  I just saw a very large man walking a dog that couldn't be more than 4 pounds.  Our cats all weigh more.  My neighbors here are all in these perfectly COLOSSAL rigs.  And all but one of the dogs (a Springer Spaniel mix, I think) is tiny.  I do feel like a poor cousin in my nearly antique buggy, without a Dish satellite receiver.  My mobile WiFi  hotspot, however, is terrific . . .

From the road -- uh, almost

Well, today has been a pain in .... more ways than one.  I had noticed one of my tires was low before leaving KY and had my lovely mechanic, Dude, check the pressure all the way around.  Today in Chattanooga , however, I noticed that the same tire was very low again.  And so began the search for the right tire.  I'll spare you the details and just say that the folks at one of the Goodyear places in town did locate a replacement for me and then went out to get it.  Lot of traffic here in Chattanooga -- took him a while to get back.  I didn't believe the traffic story until we were all done and I got back on the road.  LA has nothing on Chattanooga when it comes to traffic.

By the time the buggy was liberated, it was 6 pm, and I'd long ago given up hope of making it to my next stop in Georgia.  Turns out there is a Camping World here right on the cusp of TN and GA, and I have made myself at home on one of their sites, even though there was no one around to pay -- or to give me the entry gate code.  I'll pay tomorrow, and will remain eternally grateful to the campground guest who, knowing the code, cheerfully got me into the campground.  I hope I'll be able to get out . . .

Now, about this Camping World campground.  The sites are small, but they have everything -- water, electric, sewer, cable TV.  The space, however, is right off a very busy highway, and the sounds are such that the Indy 500 would be put to shame.  I now will forever think of Chattanooga as the souped-up capital of the US Southeast.  But the really good news is that I am not camping in a Walmart parking lot, which I would be but for the advice of my new best friend at the Goodyear place.

So, my trip continues to be about just going forward.  I plan on a very early night, and early departure in the hope that I might make it to northern FL tomorrow -- if, of course, I can get through the exit gate at a reasonable hour.

I PROMISE I will, eventually, have a decent picture to post.

Love,
Joan

First Day on the Road

Dear Ones,

I left KY this morning at about 11:30.  It has been one of the worst days of driving I have ever trudged my way through -- rain and fog from about midway south through the Commonwealth, with it all just getting worse as I came further south into TN.

I haven't, then, a nice picture to send you tonight.  But I am all warm and dry at the KOA in Sweetwater, TN.  Using this first stop to be sure everything in the buggy is working.  So far, so good.  Water works; no leaks.  Electricity works; no brown- or blackouts. I am also dewinterizing (sp?) the coach.   As I write, it is raining something furious.  But they have assured me in the office here that it's only a 40% probability of rain tomorrow.  We'll see....

Spent the last two hours or so listening to the UK Women's basketball game with Auburn.  Couldn't get the game on radio or internet, so Jen and I punted with her putting her phone next to the radio.  It worked!!  And those girls won AGAIN!!  Here's hoping they take the SEC this year.

Tomorrow, whatever the weather, I do expect to make it to GA.  I want to make this trip primarily a state parks journey, and High Falls State Park in Jackson, GA will be my first go at that.  Whether my lovely little mobile WiFi (or MiFi, as they say now) will work there remains to be seen -- it is splendid here at the KOA in Sweetwater.

I hope I might have a decent picture to post tomorrow.

For Julie, and Judy, our friends in the GREAT WHITE NORTH -- glad you love the cold and snow!  See you in spring when you join us in KY.

Love,
Joan

Jennifer Update 1/26/2012

Dear Ones --

We have heard from MANY of you since my last post on Jennifer and her travails with infection and antibiotics.

Yesterday, we saw her GP, who ordered some anti-GI problems meds.  Jen slept like a baby last night and can't believe how good she has felt today.

So -- I am very sorry to have worried you, if I did that.  She had a great PT session and feels like she's on the way up.  More as I have it.  Thanks for putting up with us!

Love,
Joan

Jennifer Update 1/25/2012

Well, I was supposed to be leaving today to make my journey to the sun, but have been delayed.

Had to take Jennifer in to her regular doctor because she was up all night with GI problems.  It's pretty clear that the problems are a result of very strong antibiotics she has had to take because her shoulder incision got infected.  We have LOTS of complaints about the orthopedic surgeon's office; but the short story is that they did not call her back until late on Thursday, and then told her on the phone to go to ER, where she spent 5 hours.  Part of that was an IV infusion of vancomycin, a potent antibiotic.  After  5 days of oral antibiotics, she was at a breaking point this morning.  She does need to stay on those medicines, and we're hoping that the other meds her doctor prescribed today will get rid of the GI distresses.

This infection has gotten Jennifer down a bit -- she was hoping to be well back in swing by now.  So, she's been frustrated.

Otherwise, all seems to be well, and Jen is insisting that I head south tomorrow.  We'll see how things are in the morning.  At least I don't HAVE to be anywhere until I give a talk at the University of South Florida on Feb. 10.

Sorry to pop in with bad news, but I know I'll get it from some of you if I don't add this to the updates.  Good time to think abut sending Jen an email and/or calling to cheer her on . . .

Love,
Joan

My mechanical steed

Well, here she is -- my noble mechanical steed.

21' Tioga Montera

1993 truck, 1994 coach

less than 48,000 miles

A little trucky, but she runs great.

More practice with pictures

More practice on uploading pictures.  These are of Teddy hanging out front with some of the chickens this morning and a young pheasant up along our road.  

Jennifer Update 1/5/2012

Dear Ones,

Well, we just keep having good news to share!

Jennifer's PT had an opening today, so Jen got in for a her first PT session a week early.  She was absolutely amazed at what she could already do!  She knows it will be a while, but she is VERY excited about being on this road to recovery and is out there feeding horses as I type!

I can't begin to describe the determination, courage, and fortitude Jennifer has mustered again and again through this process.  And I can't begin to describe how your love and support have contributed to her being able to do that.

So -- again, and again, and again -- thank you, thank you, thank you.

Love,
Joan

Jennifer Update 1/3/2012

Well, according to her surgeon, Jennifer's surgery was completely successful.  The debilitating hardware is now gone, the scar tissue from the initial surgery is broken up, and she will be able to start working her way back to full range of motion over the next few days.  She'll formally start physical therapy next week, and is actually looking forward to it.

They put a nerve block on the shoulder, which is like heavy-duty novocaine, and she can't yet tell where her arm actually is!  But that will soon wear off.  The incision itself is under a large plastic bandage, and will need to stay covered for 72 hours.  Because of the nerve block, which is still in effect, she's had very little discomfort.  We hope that will continue as the block wears off.

Needless to say, Jen is DELIGHTED to have this surgery behind her, and even though she will still be taking herceptin infusions every three weeks through March, this surgery marks the end of her difficult treatments.  It's been a long run, and this is a very good day.

As always there is just no saying how well your love and support have carried Jennifer over all these months.  She'll be writing to you herself as soon as she's got two working arms again.

With thanks and love,
Joan

Tomorrow is THE day!

Dear Ones,

Tomorrow, Jennifer goes in to have her shoulder finally, we hope, repaired.

Surgery is scheduled sometime around 8 am.  They tell us it will not be overnight.

They will be removing the hardware initially used to stabilize her shoulder, almost a year ago now.  That hardware has been breaking its way loose and has got to go.  Over this year, the initial repair, plus the loosening hardware created a whole lot of scar tissue -- so they'll be interested in breaking that up, too, so that she can pick up with PT and keep it from coming back and repressing the shoulder's motion.

This is a really, really important milestone for Jennifer.  Once past this, there are no other surgeries, no other radiation treatments, no other chemos for her to manage -- at least as we know.

It's her first opportunity to REALLY start getting her life back -- a life, as you well know, so full of vigor and optimism, strength, and incredible energy to dwarf most of us ....

We hope to have her home tomorrow (Tuesday, 1/3) in the evening.  If you would like to flood her with emails and flowers, that would be lovely.  Our home address is 1681 Leathers Rd., Lawrenceburg, KY 40342.

More as I have it.

Love,
Joan

The REAL reason for this blog . . .

Well, the REAL reason I set up this blog was because of the urging of a couple friends who are having a strange sort of withdrawal from the Jennifer updates -- but even more, who want me to chronicle my upcoming trip to Florida in my tidy 1994 Chevy RV.  I will soon put up a picture of my fine (if very faded), mechanical steed.  But not until it's a little warmer outside.  (It's 31 and snowing off and on today in rural KY.)

Today, I am firming up my schedule for this Florida trip, and I just hope I can be away from Jennifer, the animals, and farm for all the while!!  If I cut this trip short, you'll know I was too homesick. . .

Curmudgeon that I now am, I do not like to drive more than 5 hours a day, and one of those hours must be for restrooms, stretching, snacks, and reloading coffee.

This will make my time getting well south less than efficient -- unlike other friends who have gone south in winter before me (you know who you are ....).

But I will endure, loping my way south, with stops in the great states of Tennessee and Georgia before hitting a 2 night stay over (finally) in the north of Florida.

More as I have it; and, of course, I have promised to include pictures.