Thursday, May 1, 2014 – Tuesday, May 13, 2014We decided to check out of our timeshare on Thursday and drive up to Palmetto. Rick needed to go up to Depco in Clearwater to retrieve a pump he had left for repair and we reasoned that we would be there in case the MRI was scheduled for Friday. We got a call from the doctor’s office while on the road and the MRI was scheduled for first thing Monday morning. Rick went up to Pinellas County on Friday and while there he went to Shaner’s in Passagrille and got some kabobs for supper. We enjoyed a nice family supper with our son and daughter-in-law and our two granddaughters. On Saturday, Rick, JP, Kellie and Emma went to Lowe’s to buy a new sink for the guest bathroom. We met Ken and Jackie and Tommy and Renee for supper. We received an e-mail from Aunt Tillie (from Andros) saying that she was in the States for a short visit, so we made plans to go over to Ormond as soon as my MRI is done on Monday morning.
Sadly, on Sunday morning, May 4, 2014, we received a call from Rick’s brother, Edward, telling us that their sister, Eileen, had passed away. She had been noticeably ill for only a short time and the cancer that took her from us was diagnosed less than two weeks before she died. The picture above was taken on September 27, 2013. We drove to Ormond Beach to be with the family on Sunday morning and returned to Manatee County that night. I had my MRI at 8 AM on Monday and we returned to Ormond Beach immediately after that. On Tuesday, Dr. Valadie called me and told me that the blood tests he had ordered and the MRI showed no problem with my hip prosthesis, so he was going to order physical therapy for me. The family had a private “celebration of life” gathering for Eileen on Wednesday evening. Eileen’s son, Rob Mat Butler, stayed in Ormond through Sunday so that we could all be together for Mothers’ Day, May 11.
Mat returned to Knoxville on Monday and Rick and I drove over to Bradenton for my physical therapy evaluation. We got to see JP, Emma and Vanessa for a short time. Emma is now 8 months old and has started sitting up on her own. The therapist said that I had good flexibility and good strength in my legs. They gave me exercises to strengthen the muscles around my hip. I will try them for the next six weeks and go back to see the doctor to see if there has been improvement. We returned to Ormond Beach Monday night. On Tuesday, May 13, 2014, we attended the graduation ceremony for Daytona State College where my niece Melissa received her Bachelor’s degree. After the ceremony, about 20 friends and family joined Melissa at the Top of Daytona restaurant to celebrate her accomplishment.
Pictured above are Mary Cambre, Rick Hoffmeister, Charlene Cambre Hoffmeister, Bill Cambre, Tom Cambre, Melissa Cambre Frantz, Thomas Richard Cambre, Michael Frantz and Randy Frantz. Melissa’s father is my brother Rick and her grandfather is my Dad, Tom.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014 – Friday, May 23, 2014
We spent a quiet day with Rick’s mother and brother on Wednesday and drove over to Palmetto on Thursday. I had another therapy session on Friday and then we drove down to the Ft. Lauderdale area on Saturday. We checked into the Surf Rider Resort on A1A in Pompano Beach on Saturday, May 17th.
Herb and Chris O’Neill on Easy Living had just arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Friday and were staying at the The Las Olas City Marina.
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We enjoyed cocktails with them Saturday evening before taking them to a Target store to pick up a couple of large baskets that they had ordered. Then we went to a shushi restaurant for supper. On Sunday we picked them up again and we went to the 15th Street Fisheries for lunch before showing them the new hard top on the boat. After that we went to Boat Owners’ Warehouse, West Marine and Bass Pro Shops. We dropped them off at their boat and went back to the condo for a quiet Sunday night. On Monday, Rick met Bobby of First Performance Marina (FPM). The wind has been blowing ever since we got here and they decided that it was just too rough to take the boat out for a test drive. They ran the engines for about 45 minutes and then it was pulled out of the water.
The bottom was pressure cleaned Monday afternoon and Rick met with the hard top fabricator to get details on how the new “glass” will be installed. On Tuesday morning, the propellers, bearings and shafts were inspected and all looked good. Bobby told Rick that the boat will be put back in the water on Tuesday, May 27. Since it doesn’t look like the boat will be ready in time to meet Bill and Ruth at Tween Waters on Captiva Island on May 30, we called and made a reservation for a room for the weekend of our birthdays. Ruth and I share June 1 as our birthday (just not the same year). Also on Tuesday, we attended a poolside meeting about things to do in the area and I won a free chair massage and a discount on a full massage. Wednesday afternoon, I got my in-room 60 minute therapeutic massage (which seems to have helped with my pain). Later in the afternoon, Rick went down to check on the progress on the boat and talk to Bobby. We passed the out-of-water portion of our insurance survey and tentatively scheduled the remainder of the survey for a week from Thursday, June 4. That will be exactly three months since we returned the boat to Florida. On Thursday morning, Rick went to check the progress on the boat. We enjoyed a pool-side hot dog cook out provided by the resort and then some time in the water.
While at the pool, we got a call from Chris. She said that they were moving their boat, Easy Living, to its new home on a private dock on the New River. They invited us to come over tomorrow night for drinks and dinner. We went back to the boatyard in the afternoon to see what progress had been made. Some more of the instruments have been installed over the new hard top.
They plan to acid wash the bottom tomorrow and paint it on Saturday. Rick paid a couple more visits to the boat on Friday before we met Herb and Chris at their boat for a great grilled dinner with “garbage bag” salad and ice cream with fresh fruit for dessert. Unless you’ve spent an extended time in the Bahamas, you don’t realize what a treat ice cream is!
Saturday, May 24, 2014 through Thursday, May 28, 2014
We checked out of the Surf Rider Saturday morning and drove north on I-75 to Ormond Beach where we spent the night at Rick’s mother’s house. We left there on Sunday and traveled across the state to the west coast. Rick and I ate lunch at the River Reef and Grill Monday and then visited with our friends Curt and Ann Mahoney, along with several of his family for a couple of hours before returning to the house. I painted one small wall downstairs with chalkboard paint Tuesday morning and then went to physical therapy in the afternoon. Wednesday morning Rick, JP, Emma and I went out to buy more paint. On Thursday morning, my physical therapist released me saying that I just needed to continue to do the exercises at home. On Friday, May 29th, we drove down to Captiva Island and checked in at the ‘Tween Waters Inn for a long weekend. Since this is the beginning of my “birthday weekend”, I am going to include the rest of this story in the June blog.
