Hi Everybody:
It's been sixteen weeks since my surgery. I look fantastic.
The last message I sent to you wasn't well received. I had comments that I had lost my sense of humor, had very little sarcasm, and was generally "nice". Some of you thought Laura wrote the email. Truth be told, I had mixed up my Lipitor with Laura's HRT, so I was feeling very "Is it time for 'Regis & Kelly' yet"? It's me this time.
Laura and I are currently camped out in Carson City, Nevada – about 30 miles south of Reno. We started the "official" trip on October 10, and made our way down thru Seattle, the Oregon Coast, and last week we were in Napa (the city and the valley) California. We visited with Laura's family in Orinda and Castro Valley, as well as with many excellent vintners in the Sonoma/Napa appellations. Apologies to any Bay Area folks we didn't call … I got scared enough driving into the city without the trailer. Those same vintners also recommended I avoid driving a 6300 lb trailer when I'm smashed. We will be in SF again on our way home in the spring. I should be out of wine by then. Expect a call.
Our plan this week is to work our way down thru Nevada, our target is Death Valley. Something about "Furnace Creek", "Hell's Gate", and "Lost Burrow Gap" calls out to me. After Death Valley we'll likely stay close to Las Vegas (Grand Canyon, Red Rocks) until the end of November. We found out that Al, Lynn and friends will be in Vegas for Thanksgiving, so we've decided to surprise them and stay in their rooms. I haven't had a bath in 2 months.
A couple of comments on our new "traveling" lifestyle:
- It's cold at night at 5000 ft, even if you're in the desert. Tonight it's supposed to get to 29F. Luckily, we brought our "Deception Pass in May" sleeping bags. If only we could have our "Deception Pass in May" friends with us too. Then I could drink their wine. Or their Scotch. But not Bruce's.
- Gas has been a pleasant surprise. It's about $2.40 a gallon (about $0.70/litre). Based on the way things were going in the spring, I had planned on $7.80/gallon for this trip. We're spending all our extra money on propane for the heater. And for the 45" plasma screen I had installed on Laura's side of the bed last week.
- Whenever we get cable TV at a campground, all we ever seem to see are: (a) political attack ads or (b) ads for insomnia, flatulence, incontinence, high cholesterol or erectile dysfunction. How many problems can one person have? I only have three of the five...
- We get stopped constantly (at least once/day) asking about our trailer and our truck. Is having a Toyota tow an Airstream down here "un-American". What happens if we go to Texas? They also want to know where we keep the guns. I told them we're from Canada, and our natural defense is to talk to you until you slide into a coma. I also correct them on their pronunciation of the words "roof" and "about". Overall, people have been very nice to us – the further south we go, the friendlier they get. I expect I would be elected President in Guatemala if we chose to travel that far.
- My health appears to be on a plateau right now. I'm not getting enough exercise, but look forward to spending extended periods of time in one spot so I can get out and run/bike/hike. When we move around too much (every couple of days), I'm pretty sore, and get tired easily. I feel my best when I've been really active, and have been looking for someone to play Jai Alai with…
Food: Eating too much. Must exercise soon.
Exercise. See Food.
Pain: Numbed by polyphenols in red wine.
Attitude: Bad. Back to normal.
Sleep: Shiver all night long. Using the dog for warmth. Laura wants me to have a bath.
- I've uploaded a bunch of photos to our Flickr site. Have a look if you're interested. I've removed all the scar pictures.
Will write again once we're back in "civilization" (out of Death Valley).
Platonically,
Doug
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