Wednesday, April 5, 2017 through Friday, April 14, 2017

Wednesday – 4/5 – We left Edward’s home in Ormond Beach, Florida, about 10 a.m. and checked in to the Hampton Inn McDonough-Atlanta about 4:45.  After checking in, we called JP to see where they were.  He said that they were on the by-pass around Macon driving through a very hard rain with large hail.  They arrived about 6:00 p.m. after driving 9 hours on Interstate 75.

Thursday, 4/6 – We used the interstate system to drive around the east side of Atlanta and then up to US 23 N/US 441 N.   This route took us through Cherokee, North Carolina and through the Smokey Mountain National Park to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  While driving over the mountains we drove through blowing snow that was sticking on the trees and on the ground at the higher elevations. 

We continued on to Pigeon Forge where we checked in at the office of Aunt Bug’s Cabin Rentals.  We had to wait about 45 minutes for them to finish cleaning the unit and when it was ready, we were given the directions and codes needed to get to our cabin, called Majestic Waters, in Cosby, Tennessee.  JP, Kellie and the girls did not take the same route as we did, but went directly to the cabin.  Unfortunately, they missed the snow.  We checked out the 5-bedroom cabin and determined which bedroom would be best suited for all of us and then got settled in.  Since Emma was running a temperature, due to her cold, I stayed with her while the rest of them went in search of a grocery store to buy stuff for tonight’s supper and tomorrow’s breakfast.  Vanessa cooked chicken fettuccini alfredo for her parents and us while Edward had angel hair pasta.  Rick and “V” also made a nice salad to go with our fettuccini.  We all headed for our beds shortly after our late-night supper.

Friday, 4/7 – Rick got up just before 7 and went out to get in the hot tub on the back porch. 

I rolled over and went back to sleep.  Around 9, I heard Emma crying, so I got up.  She was sitting on the couch with Rick, her Papi, watching cartoons.  JP was also up in the kitchen getting something to eat and drink.  Next came Vanessa, who also sat on the couch with her sister.  Edward wandered down from his upstairs room just before 10.  Rick made eggs and bacon for a hearty breakfast for all who wanted to participate.  Our mission today is to find snow!  Around noon, we all loaded up in JP’s car (because Emma’s car seat is not easy to move).  We drove east about 20 miles to Gatlinburg and then turned south through the park hoping to go up to Clingman’s Dome.   Unfortunately, when we got to the turn off, the road was closed – due to snow!  So we continued on to the next pull-off where we all got out of the car and had fun in the snow.  This was the first time that Vanessa and Emma had ever seen snow.    They made snow angels and built a snowman (about the size of 3-year-old Emma).  We all had snow ball fights and generally a very good time.

Saturday, 4/8 – We hung around the cabin until Mat and Lindsay with their friends, Michael and Amanda came over from Knoxville.  We had a nice visit and then went to a little Italian place down the road for supper.  They went in the hot tub after the rest of us had gone to bed. 

Sunday, 4/9 – Michael and Amanda volunteered to make bacon and eggs for all who wanted and they were delicious.  Around noon, they started back on a leisurely drive to Knoxville while the rest of us loaded up in JP’s car.  We drove to nearby Sevierville where Kellie and Vanessa went horseback riding and the rest of us went to a deer farm and petting zoo.  Pictured below is one of the big goats in the petting area.  There were also two goats that were only one week old. 

Monday, 4/10 – When JP, Kellie and Vanessa went to get in their car to go into Gatlinburg, they found a flat tire.  We called AAA but it was going to be a while, so they went in our car.  While Rick waited on the porch for the AAA guy, Edward, Emma and I went swimming in the indoor pool.  We got out at 1:30 to have lunch and then rest after lunch.  Later we went back in the pool and Rick joined us. 

We got out in time to start supper.  JP, Kellie and Vanessa returned from Gatlinburg telling us that they enjoyed the Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not Museum and the Ripley’s Aquarium.  They also had a good time shopping.  Kellie took the picture below at the aquarium.
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Tuesday, 4/11 – In the morning, Rick and JP took his car to the nearby Wal-Mart to have a new tire installed.  In the afternoon, JP, Kellie and Vanessa returned to Gatlinburg to play the Ripley’s Put-Put Golf and then have supper at the Melting Pot Restaurant.  The rest of us spent time in the pool again today.

Wednesday, 4/12 – Today we left the cabin around noon and drove west to Knoxville.  We had a nice visit at Zoo Knoxville where Mat met us mid-afternoon.  Of course, we saw all of the zoo animals you would expect, like the white rhinos – Dolly and Polly.

Emma had a good time riding a train and a camel.  We left the zoo when it closed at 4:30 and followed Mat across town to an Italian restaurant where Lindsay met us and we all enjoyed a variety of Italian food.  Even with a relatively early supper we didn’t get back to the cabin until about 8:30.   We were especially glad that we got to spend some time today as it would have been his mother’s (Rick and Edward’s sister, Eileen) 71^st birthday.  We all miss her.

Thursday, 4/13 – We started packing to get ready to start home tomorrow.  In the afternoon, JP, Kellie, and Emma went for a ride down the Foothills Parkway to take some pictures of the mountain scenery.

While they were gone, Rick, Vanessa and I went to the nearby Crosby Park (a part of the Smokey Mountains National Park system).  We walked along a short trail that paralleled Cosby Creek and then got back in the car and headed back towards the entrance where we stopped at a pull over and we were able to walk just a few steps to the creek.  Vanessa put her bare feet in the creek and declared that it was very cold! 

While we were there, we noticed a lot of pretty butterflies, like the one below.

After Emma went to bed, JP, Kellie, Rick and I spent a little time in the hot tub out on the back porch.  The stars were beautiful.  This was a good way to end our vacation in the mountains.

Friday, 4/14 – We left the cabin around 9:30.  Our destination today is Edward’s house in Ormond Beach.  JP, Kellie and the girls will make their way to I-75 South and go as far as they can today.

Saturday, April 1 – Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Saturday – 4/1 –We were on the boat most of the day.  We took the boat out of the slip to have the holding tank pumped out and top off our fuel tanks with about 140 gallons of diesel fuel.  Then we went out in the river for a few minutes before returning “On the Hook” to its slip.   Rick also tracked down a leak – discovering that it was condensation from one of the air conditioners.

Sunday – 4/2 – After church, I worked at the house while Rick went to the boat to check on the leak.  We went out for a mid-day meal and then hung around the house for the rest of the evening.

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Monday – 4/3 – We met JP and Kellie at the builder’s model.  We had a very good meeting.  Susan gave us the preliminary cost proposal and walked through the entire model with us telling us what things were standard and which were upgrades.    We signed an agreement authorizing them to start the design of the home.  We will sign a contract to build after the design is complete.  Rick and I started packing for our vacation.    We met Bill and Ruth for “Mexican Monday Supper”.  Her mother was supposed to be transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation center today, but had a set-back, so they don’t know how long she will have to stay there.

Tuesday – 4/4 – Rick picked up our rental car and we loaded up and hit the road to Ocala in the morning.  It was pouring down rain when we arrived at the cabin due to a nasty cold front.  I got Dad’s mail and talked to both his financial advisor’s office and his tax accountant’s office about completing his tax filing.  I called and talked to Dad.  He still has a very bad cold.  I told him that we would not be coming by to see him today because the weather was so bad, but we would see him on April 15^th.  We then drove over to Ormond Beach and stayed the night at Edward’s.   Tomorrow morning, the three of us start our trip to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  JP, Kellie and the girls will leave from Palmetto and we will all meet up to spend the night in McDonough, Georgia.

Saturday, March 4 – Saturday, March 11, 2017

Saturday – 3/4 – We started our day by going grocery shopping.  JP brought Emma over in the afternoon and we were later joined by Kellie.  We had a nice family dinner.

Sunday, March 5, 2017 – After church Ruth and Bill, along with his daughter, Tracie, came to the house after looking at lots at the subdivision just down the road from us, Artisan Lakes.  Then we all went to lunch together. 

Monday, 3/6 – Rick had to be at the Moffitt Cancer Center early in the morning for bloodwork.  When we were done there, we continued north to the Ocala Forest to take care of Dad’s mail and stop in for a quick visit.   I was surprised to hear that Mary Alice, my niece from Tennessee, and her family stopped by to visit Dad over the weekend.  He said that they had a very nice visit. 

Tuesday, 3/7 – We met JP, Emma and the builder’s rep at a model home at noon.  She showed us some preliminary changes to one of their existing floor plans that would accommodate both families.  We told her of several changes we would like to see and set up another appointment in a week.  JP took me to a Nora Jones concert in Clearwater this evening.

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Wednesday, 3/8 – Today would have been my mother’s 87^th birthday.  I had a follow-up appointment with my radiologist this morning.  She released me, but stressed how important it is for me to continue seeing the oncologist for regular checkups over the next five years.  We went out to the development where we hope to build.  We saw the real estate agent who has been promising us a reduced price on the lot that we like.  He told us that he will know something for sure next Wednesday.  So, we will wait another week before proceeding on that project. Rick made arrangements to lease a full-sized SUV for our trip to the mountains in April.

Thursday, 3/9 – Rick went to the boat to cut some boards to be used in replacing the dock in front of our boat. 

Friday, 3/10 – We went to AAA to pick up travel books and maps for our trip to the mountains next month; then we went to an outdoor furniture store and bought a bar and a couple of stools.  We will put the bar in the breakfast nook of our rental home and probably put it on the covered patio in the new home.  We met Bill and Ruth for lunch.  They told us that they were going to look at a home for sale in Riviera Dunes, so we made plans to meet for drinks at the Blu Mangrove after their appointment.  Later we met them at the Riverside Café for supper.

Saturday, 3/11 – Rick went to the boat in the morning to “putz” around.  I prepped potatoes and apples for our supper tonight.  We have invited Ken and Jackie over for grilled steak and Bahamian lobster.

Sunday, March 12 – Saturday, March 25, 2017

We went to the boat after church on Sunday and just sat on the back enjoying the nice weather, reading books, and watching the activity on the river.

On Monday, 3/13, we drove to Moffitt Cancer Center at 6:00 in the morning and returned home at 7:30.   While there, Rick had a CT Scan, bloodwork, met with Dr. Tan and then got the 3^rd infusion on the clinical trial.  We got some good news and some bad news.  Dr. Tan told us that his tumors appear to have decreased in size by 26%!  You could definitely see more airspace in his left lung, so we are very encouraged.  He also said that Rick would no longer need weekly blood tests.  But, Dr. Kish had trouble administering the chemo through Rick’s wrist.  He was able to do it, but had to put it in his aorta instead of the artery that he wanted to use.  He said that he thinks he will have to administer it through the groin (as he did the first infusion) next month.

Tuesday, 3/14 – We got an e-mail from our nephew Mat in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He said that he and his girl, Lindsay, will be coming down to Florida next week and they will come by to see us.  We are excited.  We met with the builder this morning.  He presented a new design for us to consider and we love it.  Now, we just have to find out if we get the lot.  We had lunch with Bill and Ruth and then went to JP’s to show him the house plans.  While I stayed with Emma, Rick and JP went to a landscape business and bought some sand for the new sandbox that we have at the rental house.  Rick rested in the afternoon, but says he’s feeling OK. 

Wednesday, 3/15 – At 8:30 this morning, we received the delivery of a bar and a couple of stools.  We filled it up with our on-hand supply of alcohol, mixers, and wine, as well as various bar glasses and implements. 

Later, I went to an appointment with the retirement coordinator for the county government from which I retired in order to fill out paperwork to transition to Medicare and a supplemental insurance which they recommend.  That will be effective on May 1 (30 days before I turn 65.)  After that, I picked up a couple of Rick’s prescriptions and then stopped at the “dollar” store to buy some Easter candy to donate to our church’s upcoming community Easter egg gathering.  I dropped off a check for a fundraiser at Emma’s daycare; then dropped off the candy at the church before returning home.  The yacht club is replacing the dock in front of our boat and they sent an e-mail asking if we could move it in order to replace one of the pilings.  We went to the club, but it looked as though it had already been replaced, so we called the vice-commodore (who’s in charge of the project) and he said that he had just been informed that they replaced it by hand – eliminated the need for the boat to be moved.  We returned home and Rick finished and filed our 2016 tax return before laying down to rest.  He did not feel too good today.

Thursday, 3/16/17 – Rick has been sick all day today.  I got a call from the land developer about the lot we want.  He said that he relayed some information from the developer to the owner and they promised to get back with him tomorrow with a new lower price on the lot.  He will call us with a price for us to consider sometime tomorrow after hearing back from them.

Friday, 3/17 – Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all.  Rick was sick all day today as a result of his chemotherapy on Monday, so I had a quiet day.  After 7 p.m., the developer’s rep called and said that the owners of the property we are interested in buying have reduced the price from $142,000 to $79,900.  When we first talked to him about the lot, he told us that he was going to recommend them setting the price around $72,000.  So, now we need to submit an offer and go from there.  Rick was not feeling well enough for us to discuss it today.
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Saturday, 3/18 – JP and Kellie took Emma out to Parrish to have some Easter pictures taken.  Then they came over to our house to discuss the offer that we wanted to put in and any contingencies we would have to add.  Then we all went to lunch before going to the developer’s sales office to tentatively write up an offer.  Rick B., the sales agent, said that he would have the final contract ready for the four of us to sign tomorrow.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

We might have overdone it a bit on Saturday as Rick didn’t feel well enough to go to church today.  We got a call from JP.  Kellie looked up the parcel we plan to put an offer on and the property appraiser’s website made it look like there was an additional lot between us and the nearest house.   We told them that we would discuss it with the agent when we went out and that is what we did.  He insisted that we all go out to the lot together because it was important that we knew just what we were getting for our money.  He was able to convince us that the Property Appraiser’s site was not up-to-date and the lot that appeared to be empty, in fact, has a house on it already.  That made all of us feel better, so we returned to his office and signed the offer.  The preliminary house plans must also be reviewed and approved by the HOA’s Architectural Review Committee.  The agent said that the offer must be accepted or countered by 5:00 tomorrow and that he would take the drawing to the review committee in the morning.

Monday, 3/20 – Rick and I drove up to Ocala to take care of Dad’s mail and stop in for a short visit.  I also dropped off tax documents to the fellow at H & R Block who has been doing his taxes for years.  Dad was doing fine.  We got home right around 5:00 and shortly thereafter we heard from the developer’s agent.  He said that the sellers countered asking for $1,000 more than our offer and we accepted their counter-offer.  A couple more pages still need attention, but he said that he would e-mail them to us later tonight.  We can initial, date, forward to JP and Kellie for their initials and then return to him via e-mail.  We are excited about being one step closer (in a very long walk) to having a new home.  While we were in Ocala visiting Dad, Moffitt called and we scheduled an endoscopy for Rick to be performed on Wednesday, 3/22 at 7:00 a.m.  He has been having a very hard time swallowing lately and the doctors said that they didn’t think the Mesothelioma was causing it; so they are going to take a look to determine what is causing the problem.

Tuesday, 3/21 – Rick went to the boat in the morning while I stayed home.  We e-mailed back and forth between JP, Kellie, myself, Rick and the developers agent throughout the day with signed documents regarding the sale of the lot.  In the afternoon, we stopped by Baker’s Paint and Body to get some forms notarized, then did some shopping.

Wednesday, 3/22 – We “hit the road” at 6 a.m. headed to Moffitt.  They took Rick in as soon as he checked in, performed the endoscopy and released him around 10 a.m.  Dr. Frederick said that he thinks the radiation that Rick received last Fall has created scar tissue around his esophagus causing a constriction.  While he was in there, he “stretched” it.  He said that if that seems to help Rick’s swallowing, then he can do it again with a larger “balloon.”  Rick is to rest the rest of the day – no driving or drinking.

Thursday, 3/23 –  I saw my oncologist for a follow-up today.  She said I am still healing, but doing well.

Friday, 3/24 – Rick and I went to the boat in the morning thinking that we would be taking it to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club for the weekend.  But, it was very windy, so we drove up to the Skyway Bridge to get a better look at Tampa Bay.  Once we saw the rollers and white caps in the Bay, we decided that it would be a very uncomfortable ride for us and we should not go.  Just as I was about to call Ruth and Bill to tell them, she called us to let us know that they would not be able to go because her mother had just had a heart attack and was in the hospital.

Saturday, 3/25 –  Although it was not quite as windy, Rick wasn’t feeling really good, so we decided to drive to St. Pete to let the dock master know had badly we felt about cancelling out at the last minute.  As we were driving there, we got a call from Ruth.  She had spent all morning at the hospital while they put two stints in her mother.  But, it looked like she was going to be OK.  After we saw the dock master, we went into the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and had a nice lunch.  We returned to the boat and spent a quiet afternoon.  That evening we walked around the basin to our yacht club to have dinner.  Our friends, John and Bonnie Manny had just been seated for dinner and they invited us to join them.  We enjoyed a nice supper  with friends.

Sunday, 3/26 – Friday, 3/31/17

We enjoyed Belgian waffles for Sunday breakfast at the club and then returned to the boat.  After resting a while on the boat, we got a call from Ruth saying they were at the club, so we walked back over and joined them for a drink in the lounge while they ate a late lunch.  We said our goodbyes and walked back to the boat and loaded up to go home.  As we were driving out of the parking lot, we saw Bill and Ruth talking with Bill and Mary Beth Westbrook.  We stopped to say hello to them and we all went back into the club for another drink!

Monday, 3/27 – I dropped Rick off at the boat, to “putz around” while I went to the lab to have have a quarterly blood draw.  Then I went shopping for an Easter dress and got my hair cut.  Later the Bakers, Westbrooks and we met at a local Mexican restaurant for “Mexican Monday” and all enjoyed our meals.

Tuesday, 3/28 – Rick and I drove to Ocala to check Dad’s mail and spend a little time with him returning to town in time for me to get a manicure and pedicure in the early evening.

Wednesday, 3/29 – I dropped Rick off at the boat to continue polishing the fuel then went to return a blouse that I bought on Monday.  We met with the builder at 1:30.  We went to JP’s to catch him up on our meeting with the builder and then stayed with Emma until Kellie got home,  while JP went to a meeting.  After that, we went to church for a funeral of a man who was in our Sunday school class and an usher and deacon in the church for many years.

Thursday, 3/30 –  Rick went to the boat to continue working on little things, while I stayed home doing some cleaning.

Friday, 3/31 – We met Bill and Ruth for lunch at Hungry Howie’s Pizza place, then dropped more Easter candy by the church office.  In the evening, we met Bill and Ruth at the Riverside Café for supper.  We were pleased to see friends Randy and Pauldie.  They were having supper with some friends from Michigan.  We have shared a number of travels with Randy and Pauldie;  besides a number of yacht club Power Fleet cruise away weekends, we also went to Key West for the offshore power boat races and shared a catamaran charter with them in the Abacos.