Our Wander Years

Solving the Rusty problem

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Sparky

Jett having an actual meal, Tuesday

Josh and Cristina in the RV, Sunday

Rusty is a good dog and is rarely a problem. Except when we have to travel by some mode other than truck or car. He is not a large dog, weighing in at 35 pounds, but he is too large to carry on board either a passenger plane or a train. He probably would do fine in a “play” kennel where he could interact with other dogs, but that is only a short-term option. I needed to get Jett to Massachusetts where she could continue her cancer treatment while being close to family and friends. We don’t know how long we will be there and if it is months we needed to find a way to get short-term care for Rusty and a way to get him north, too, if it turns into a long-term stay.

The only real solution was to get him to Virginia, to be cared for by Jett’s sons, which was where I took him last year during our planned month-long cruise. He loves being there and they seem to love having him, so win-win.

But this time I could not leave Jett to drive to Virginia. So I called Jett’s son Joshua and proposed meeting him halfway, in North Carolina, Saturday night. As Jett was hospitalized and would not be released until Monday at the earliest, I had a 2-day window to do the half-trip.

Josh declined my proposition. He said Jett needed me and he would drive all the way to Flagler Beach to fetch Rusty. I couldn’t very well refuse his generosity so, true to his word, both he and his fiancé Cristina appeared at the hospital Saturday night and stayed until Tuesday morning, assisting with Jett’s release from the hospital.

They left Tuesday morning, with Rusty, solving that critical logistical problem for me.

Thank you, Josh and Cristina!

I am happy to report that following her discharge from the hospital on Monday, Jett had four very good days at home in the RV. She was mentally alert, got out of bed and prepared for radiation treatments every morning with very little assistance from me and actually ate some real meals. Small portions, but real food. All very encouraging.

Categories: Adventures, Family, FL, Places, TN5 | 1 Comment

Insulin in our lives

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Sparky

Insulin supplies

The bag of medicines pre-insulin

During her second hospitalization it was discovered that Jett’s blood glucose level had drifted dangerously high – 244 when 150 is the upper limit for normal. I was there when this was detected and I didn’t believe it. I made the nurse do the test again. 242. So insulin was added to her long list of medications.

Apparently messing up blood sugar is yet another side effect of the heavy doses of steroids that the doctor ordered after she was re-admitted.

The side effect for me is that I had to learn how to do the glucose test and administer the insulin since I would be her primary caretaker on the trip north. So after she was released on Monday, the hospital arranged for an RN to come to the RV for follow-up care with Jett and instruction for me on the use of insulin.

The hospital provided prescriptions for the insulin, needles and a glucometer (glucose test machine). I couldn’t get the insulin until Wednesday and, though I acquired the glucometer and the other testing supplies on Tuesday, my training session on Wednesday didn’t go well. It turns out that you need to match the test strip to the meter. Because the test strips were more expensive than the meter, I ran back to CVS to get a different meter. By Wednesday night I had everything I needed and ran an actual test of blood glucose – first on myself and then on Jett. Ironically, my blood sugar was high (161) while hers was fine (143).

The rest of the week and even this morning her glucose levels were acceptable, so I have yet to give an actual insulin injection. But I had to demonstrate my competence to the nurse on Friday by actually drawing the right amount of insulin into the hypodermic needle and showing her how I would pinch the skin to do the injection.

The bag of medicines and medical supplies that we have to take north – already large – has just about doubled in size with the addition of all the insulin-related stuff.

I fear that this blog, which was intended as a travelogue, is becoming a medical journal. But medicine is dominating my life right now. And is keeping Jett alive.

Because I know you will be curious, I will tell you that my blood sugar levels have been fine ever since that first anomalous reading.

Categories: Adventures, FL, Places | 2 Comments

Showing the family flag

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Sparky

The gathering of the clan

Dinner at High Jackers

Jett and sons

Jett has two sons, a brother and two sisters. When she first became ill and it was obvious that it was serious – but before we knew just how serious – I notified her sons and siblings and they all wanted to travel from Alexandria VA (her sons) or Boston MA (her siblings) to visit. Her brother was the first to offer to come down. I tried to discourage him saying that there was no need. “Well,” he said, “you may not need me there, but I need to be there.” And he was on a plane the next day, followed shortly thereafter by one sister and both sons. I dissuaded her older sister, who is nearly 80 and doesn’t travel well, by promising to get Jett to MA ASAP.

So while Jett ate next to nothing, our visitors and I shared many meals together. While Jett was losing weight, I was gaining. Both The Golden Lion (previously described) and High Jackers (at the private airport in Palm Coast) provided good meals that sustained us in this difficult time.

All flew into Orlando and drove over 90 minutes to the hospital. This is a relatively inaccessible location which strengthens my resolve to get Jett up to MA. But it also demonstrates the depth of her family’s love that they were more than ready to drop everything and make the arduous journey to her bedside.

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Jett has cancer

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Sparky

The empty ER, May 6

This is a post that I hoped I would never have to write. But the facts are that she has been a heavy smoker for over 50 years and hasn’t felt well for 18 months. During that time she has seen her doctor several times and each time her lungs were checked and found to be cancer-free.

That is no longer the case. After we got to Flagler Beach FL on May 6, on the first hop of the TN5, she was experiencing severe abdominal pain. So much pain that she agreed to visit the ER (and if you know Jett, you know that it had to be excruciating for her to make that decision). A CT scan was taken and she went home with some pain medication and a report that suggested that several things seen on the CT scan should be examined further. Upon consultation with a doctor – an oncologist because cancer was suspected – we agreed to extend our planned 3-day stay in Flagler to a full 3 weeks so that 4 additional tests could be performed. A meeting with the doctor on May 23 produced a devastating – but not unexpected – preliminary diagnosis: stage 4 lung cancer, plus a tumor on the spine that had displaced a disc. Incurable and inoperable. But not untreatable. He recommended that she immediately be admitted to the hospital so that her severe pain could be controlled and radiation treatment of the spinal tumor could begin. We went straight to the ER for the intake processing.

At the ER I mentioned to the doctor the symptom that most concerned me: her rapidly deteriorating mental state. In the course of just a few weeks she had developed severe aphasia – she was having a very difficult time remembering names for common objects. She also was, at times, speaking complete gibberish. This was not Jett, a woman who always had the right word when needed and never had trouble communicating. The doctor agreed that an MRI of the brain was indicated.

Waiting for the doctor, May 23

I didn’t have to be told, the next morning, what the MRI showed. I knew it meant that the cancer had metastasized to the brain. The MRI showed 3 brain lesions, plus swelling of the brain. It was recommended that Jett receive steroids immediately to reduce the swelling and to begin radiation treatments of the lesions. We agreed.

She remained in the hospital for 4 days. She is now back in the RV. The aphasia is somewhat improved, as is the pain (on morphine). But the prognosis, though not yet complete, will be grim. It is a terminal condition and the only questions are how long does she have and will her quality of life be good?

But those are questions that apply to all of us.

The TN5 has been aborted. Instead we are now embarked on a journey that we really didn’t want to take.

Hospitalized, May 23

Categories: Adventures, FL, Places | 4 Comments

Finn’s Beachside Pub and The Golden Lion Cafe

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Sparky

Ocean view from Finn’s

Flagler Beach has some fine places to wine and dine near the beach. I have visited two: Finn’s Beachside Pub and The Golden Lion Café. They are both separated from the beach by A1A and both attract a young beach-oriented crowd – but they let me in anyway. They both offered live music when I was there. I ordered fish and chips at both. The fish and chips at Finn’s… ok. At Golden Lion… superb.

I went to Finn’s for dinner, solo, so it was a solitary experience, just me and my food, in the sea breeze, listening to some pretty decent folk music. I went to The Golden Lion with Jett’s brother and sister, so the I didn’t have to talk to myself. The music there was provided by “Billy Bob – A 10-string duo”, the 10 strings being 6 on a guitar and 4 on a fiddle. They are very talented musicians and we enjoyed them very much. We also enjoyed the kids cavorting in the sand in front of the stage.

Either one is fine for music and drinks. But go to The Golden Café for food.

Finn’s Beachside Pub

Billy Bob at The Golden Lion

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Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Sparky

Sugar mill ruins

Left side of the mill

I finally got to visit the Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park which is basically adjacent to our RV park. Despite its proximity it wasn’t easy to get to, requiring a long drive down a narrow dirt road. I paid the $4 fee and got in to see… not much. There are some ruins, yes, of the sugar mill. But no ruins of the plantation mansion itself. The plantation was a major sugar cane provider from 1820 to 1836 when it was destroyed in the Second Seminole War. That war, by the way, was due to the Seminole Indians objecting to the US Army trying to move them out of Florida. Who knew they would be so sensitive?

It looks like there were some nice nature trails within the park. But there are also some nice ones outside the park. If I wanted to walk I would save the $4.

Historic marker

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“Imperfect Strangers” by Stuart Woods

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Sparky

This is my first Stuart Woods novel ever and it won’t be my last. He is a very talented writer who kept my interest.

Those of you familiar with the movie Strangers on a Train will recognize the starting premise: two strangers meet – on a plane, not a train – and discuss the possibility of killing each other’s wives. Woods gives credit where it is due: the strangers broach the subject because the movie was shown on the flight. The plot continues in a familiar way initially. They meet again, discuss the details of how both murders would be done and they agree to do it. Then one – Sandy Kinsolving, a wine executive in his wife’s family business in New York – decides he can’t go through with it and executes the agreed-upon signal to call it all off. But his wife is murdered anyway, in a way that suggests that the other husband ignored his signal. And since she was murdered right after she told Sandy that she was filing for divorce and wants him out of the business, Sandy is a prime suspect. He has an iron-clad alibi, but the detective on the case is convinced that he hired someone to kill her and tries very hard to prove it.

Sandy is none too pleased that his attempt to call off the execution was ignored. But he can’t deny that he is pleased that his wife is gone as she died before she had a chance to change her will. He not only inherits her half of the thriving business – which he sells for a nifty $28 million – but he finds a new love interest, a beautiful interior decorator.

But the other husband – Peter Martindale, a San Francisco art dealer – won’t let him off the hook. He says he has proof that Sandy masterminded the execution of his wife and has deposited that proof with his lawyer with instructions to send the proof – a full description of their murder-exchange agreement, along with the keys to the basement storage unit that Sandy had given him and where his wife was murdered – to the police in the event of his death. So much for the idea of killing him instead of Martindale’s wife. Sandy feels cornered and compelled to go through with his half of the bargain. So, during a trip to San Francisco to tour some vineyards, he attempts to kill Peter’s wife in her art gallery. But someone beats him to it: he arrives at the gallery to find it surrounded by police and a body being carried out.

What is going on?

What follows is a rapid series of moves and countermoves that are pretty fascinating and veer the plot away from the original. I was constantly surprised and even 80% of the way through the book had no idea where it was headed, though I did feel that it was likely to end up in Sandy’s favor as he was much more sympathetic as a character than was Peter.

I was right. Sandy ends up smelling like roses, but the way he triumphs was pretty interesting. The conclusion was a little bit of a letdown, but the book was still a very worthwhile read.

7 out of 10.

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Tomoka State Park

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Sparky

Chief Tomokie statue

Another day, another state park. This one, Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach FL, is larger and has a wider variety of recreational activities than the Bulow Creek State Park. Florida apparently thinks it is better because it charges $4 to enter.

The park encompasses the site of an ancient Timucuan Indian village, documented by an early Spanish explorer in 1564. The park also contains a rather odd statue giving homage to Chief Tomokie of those ancient Timucuans.

You can fish, swim, canoe and camp in this park. I stopped at the park store for some refreshments and to enjoy the view on a beautiful day.

Drawing of Timucuan village

Boat rentals at park store

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Bulow Creek State Park

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Sparky

A southern live oak

Fairchild Oak trunk

We have a TV problem at our new campground. No OTA stations and the funky cable system, which requires a cable box (free) doesn’t seem to work either. So we are facing 2 weeks with no TV – a period which includes the finale of Big Bang Theory. This is not good. And it is going to make me stir crazy.

Jett basically kicked me out of the RV yesterday, demanding that I go check out the Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park just down the road a bit. Well, I couldn’t do that because it was closed on Tuesdays, so I did the next best thing: I checked out Bulow Creek State Park, right next to the plantation ruins.

We have found the Florida state parks to be very nice and very well maintained. Bulow Creek is no exception. But it is a small park whose main feature is trees. More specifically, southern live oak trees – huge, hulking trees that are made more impressive by the Spanish moss dangling from their branches. The main tree is the Fairchild Oak, which is nearly 90 feet tall, about 300 feet wide and perhaps 500 years old. An impressive tree. Admiring it took about 5 minutes.

The other attraction of the park is nature trails, the longest of which is over 6 miles. I went about 200 yards down this trail. Seems nice, but I was wearing sandals and wasn’t about to go trekking.

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TN5 Hop 2: Flagler Beach FL to Flagler Beach FL

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Sparky

TN5 Hop 2

10 miles via FL A1A, FL 100 and Old Kings Rd. Cumulative tow miles: 237. Truck miles: 293. Cumulative truck miles: 530. The truck miles were accumulated in my trip to St Augustine and various shopping trips in and around Flagler Beach. Plus two trips to the hospital.

Once again, this was not the hop that I planned. We are now committed to spending a total of 3 weeks in Flagler Beach while Jett undergoes a series of tests. While we liked our initial destination in Flagler Beach – Beverly Beach Camptown – there were 3 things that argued against staying there for the duration:

Cost. It is expensive – ridiculously so, for what you get.
Salt spray. If we stayed for 3 weeks I think the truck would have been reduced to a pile of rust.
Lovebugs. These little pests bloomed while we were there. By the time we left they were swarming. They might be gone in a couple more days but they would be a miserable couple of days.

As I said, we liked Beverly Beach Camptown. Being close to the ocean was nice and was a balm for the emotional burns we suffered with Jett’s illness. She enjoyed the sound of the surf and the smell of the salt spray.

Oher than proximity to the ocean, the campground doesn’t offer much else. The office staff was pleasant and efficient and the camp store was pretty nice. It had a small but adequate laundromat that we almost – but not quite – used. The beach was more golden than white, but the sand was very soft and the beach was very clean. I can’t comment on the water as I didn’t jump in.

Being on the Atlantic, the sunrises were spectacular. Jett, of course, slept through them. But I didn’t.

Sunrise on the Atlantic

Our site

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