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| Ron rocks out to Rock & Roll on the ARC trainer |
30 Jan, lots to blog about today and no time.
29 Jan: 3 lectures, 3 exercise classes, 3 meals. Ron is hilarious during cardio, rocking out on the arc trainer. Not such good news from several sources, our friend, the bio mechanical specialist, lost his wife to cancer last year. Tony A. called to report June passed away two days ago, Dr. Scheib, Ron’s cardiologist passed away. We are sooo busy we aren’t finding time to post.
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| bad posture causes low back pain |
28 Jan: It is hard to keep our eyes open after a rather sleepless night because we had to do blood work at 6 AM this morning. But we woke up in time! Cynthia was proud to have passed the stress test on the treadmill by going for the full nine minute at the maximum speed and incline. We were happy with our weight and blood pressure results. Ron attended two lectures; Cynthia managed only one because of medical appointments. The online renewal of Ron's FL drivers license was a success. (But now, six weeks later, the new license has not arrived.) The rental car bill was successfully corrected. The food is just so delicious our stomachs hurt.
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| pumpkin pancakes, delicious |
26 Jan, Miami, FL now recovered. The part hasn’t arrived yet but we have arrived at the Pritikin Longevity Center thoroughly enjoying the food. The rain has been constant apart from intermittent breaks.
25 Jan. Long day’s successful drive to Miami.
24 Jan: Ron awakened feeling clear headed. Wonderful !! The swing arm has not yet arrived. It is likely being shipped from Germany. We immediately decided to rent a car and drive to Miami. It was a delight to discover a Ruby Tuesday’s Restaurant which was worth the delay. Our stop for the night was a Comfort Suites in Lake City, FL.
23 Jan: The bike's extended warranty will cover the costs of the repairs; it should have been ready this afternoon, but a part has not arrived. Supposedly the CA company had it in stock. We are awaiting wellness to arrive. Ron still has an elevated temp, but Cynthia's is normal. Neither of us feel like dancing yet. We took the hotel shuttle to Jason's Deli for the usual and crawled back into bed. Turns out the fraudulent AX charge was the failure of the Marriott Hotel to cancel rooms. We had the confirmation cancellation numbers so they refunded the credit card, but unfortunately, this is after the card was cancelled. Cynthia spent the afternoon updating the credit card data and going through the end of the year summary. Likely we check out tomorrow.
22 Jan: We have been sleeping through the day and night. Parts are ordered but not all have arrived. A possible fraudulent charge was noted on our AX bill; they cancelled the card and are sending a new card to our hotel.
21 Jan, updated. We are two sick puppies. Bad colds
20 Jan: They say that the drive shaft and swing arm need to be replaced because a rubber seal vanished and those parts are badly damaged and unusable.
So here we sit for a couple of days while the parts are on order and the shop is closed until Tuesday. Looks like we are likely to arrive in Miami a day or two late.
19 Jan, Pensacola, FL - Hilton Garden Inn. The motorcycle shop says that the drive shaft and swing arm can be replaced for about $5,000 so that we can resume our trip to Pritikin. They have ordered the parts delivered (10% premium for rush delivery) from Pennsylvania and California, so we can hope that those parts suppliers will be working on Martin Luther King day so that the bike might be fixed and ready to ride late Wednesday. Cynthia has been in bed with a cold all day but we did get her up to walk to Jason's Deli for dinner and then onto Publix to invest in cough drops and cough syrup. ZZZZ
18 Jan: The plan was to drive from Baton Rouge to Pensacola by evening. The forecast of rain all day Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday changed our original plan to stay for a day in Baton Rouge. We are very happy that we saw Pat yesterday evening. We left Baton Rouge at 11:30 on I-12 East and rode about 100 miles to stop for a fine lunch at Don's Seafood in Covington, Louisiana. We resumed on I-10 East until exiting at Mississippi 607 and then turned onto US 90 into spooky, dense fog that shrouded the view. We couldn’t see the water at all even though it was not distant. Gradually the fog lifted as we rode along the Gulf Coast through Gulfport and Biloxi. The white beach stretches on through many communities; many palatial antebellum mansions grace the opposite side of US 90. Nice, huh? The trillions of stoplights were not nice. Turning north, we returned to I-10. And then kaboom! 25 miles east of Mobile, Alabama the road surface seemed to get uncommonly rough. Ron pulled over on the shoulder of I-10 and inspected the tires and brakes. When we resumed riding, there was quite a loud clanging after shifting into 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th gears. So we limped along on the shoulder to the next exit, Highway 39 to Pascagoula. Ron phoned BMW Roadside Assistance, enjoying a pleasant chat with the representative, who assured us that a tow truck would pick us up soon to take us to the BMW dealer in Pensacola. Ron called Adventure Motorsports of Northwest Florida (850-466-5324) and spoke with Darien to let them know the bike would arrive tonight. And we waited. And we waited some more. After 2.5 hours Ron phoned Roadside Assistance and learned nothing had even been done on our ticket. An hour later the bike was loaded on the truck, we were loaded inside and off we went, leaving our helmets behind. Thankfully, the driver remembered the helmets, so we turned around and retrieved them successfully. Dropping the bike off for service was simple enough. But, this the first time we have ever gone to a hotel in a tow truck. Cynthia hopes it is the last time, too, but Ron always suggests that you be careful what you wish for - it may come true in a way you didn't want - and Ron wants to keep riding for a long, long time.
17 Jan: Lets’s ride! Will we be on the road by ten AM? Maybe. Nope! At 11:30 noontime, we rode off with another load of Ron’s treasures to the storage unit, dropped off our condo keys, returned the rental car and dropped off paper to be recycled at our church. It was 12:30 (past noon) when we hit TX 105 eastbound to US 327 north, to US 96 north, to FM 2246 east, to TX 62 south, to TX 12, crossing into Louisiana on LA 12 which merged with LA 190 (For Wynn). Cynthia did not need her heated gear until five PM when we both agreed we needed warmth. Ron is a chronic hypothermic who rarely wears gloves, but he donned his balaclava. That was a six-hour ride on back roads, allowing for stops. Great ride! Pat met us in Baton Rouge for dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn.
16 Jan: Errands today include dry cleaners, alterations pickup, bank, post office and dermatologist. The bike isn’t packed either. It is cold with rain forecast so tomorrow is the day we begin riding towards Miami. I hope we make it to FL before the bitter freeze hits. Jon wrapped the pipes on the beach house.
15 Jan: Each day of running errands, cleaning out the storage unit, is like the previous day! Today, we moved a chair out of the storage unit to be picked up for consignment. We continue with our frantic pace exceot today we had to include a trip for Cynthia to see Dr. Siddiqui at the medical center in Houston. It was a most successful visit with a good report. Sunglasses that were sent to be polarized are back in time for our ride to Miami. Fiber DLish Bars arrived! A very successful but busy day was had by all of the survivors. Ron completed a Swedish Colonial Society package that has consumed him for two months.
14 Jan: Happy Birthday to my oldest friend Ann J., my playmate at age 4! On this day we are off and running again, returning items to the storage unit and packing our gear to depart Wednesday.
13 Jan, Sunday: From Cynthia’s weekly FB Post:
Sunday Offering:
Grace Lutheran Church of Conroe, Texas is the most delightful place to worship because children are seamlessly incorporated into almost all aspects of the service. Their involvement is thoughtfully planned. Then comes an occasional surprise. Today, an adorable, curly-haired, three year old decided to roll around on the floor and explore the bottom of the pastors alb during the Greeting. When the pastor moved into the Chancel the little tot followed her. And with amazing graciousness, Pastor Diane Roth took her hand allowing the little one to sit behind the pulpit with her during the lessons. Quietly, she sat until time for the children’s sermon.
Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
Matt.19:14 RSV
Matt.19:14 RSV
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| Julie and Jon, Cynthia's kids |
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| Jon, Lauren and Kiira |
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| Dinner at Perry's. And a fun time was had by all |
11 Jan: Carlos met us at the storage unit to pick up the four bar stools his mom bought from us. Slowly, ever so slowly, we are making progress emptying out the storage unit. We walked to the caddy shack for lunch. Cynthia went on to get a pedi, mani and load the car with a large pastel portrait, a watercolor and a pencil rendering she gifted to Julie. Tonight we met Cheri and Sam for dinner to discuss investing in Cheri’s medical device that will end incontinence in women, Floelle, Inc. it will be a miracle for millions of women. We are eager for the return of our quiet lifestyle once we leave Texas next week.
10 Jan: In 40 degree temps Ron rode the bike to West Side Honda to have new tires put on the bike. He forgot his cell phone at home on the kitchen counter. Hence, he could not call to find out where to join Cynthia and Julie for lunch. Cynthia had a girlie appointment with Bambi and enjoyed a delightful lunch with daughter Julie at Salata. We managed a four mile walk; and Ron was in bed by 7:00 PM.
9 Jan: We passed our good tooth brushing test at the dentist today. Dr. Anderson is such a good dentist and a great guy. After baked sweet potato, baked potato and humongous salads at Jason’s Deli, Cynthia had a doctor appointment with Cheri. We returned batteries, stopped at Riverbridge Consignment, another stop at alterations, then Wally World for groceries!
8 Jan: We ate a lot today. Burp! Ron is elbow deep in cutting identifying information from paper for recycling. Cynthia is buried in writing essays. We surfaced to complete two good walks totaling seven miles. And we are happy that the furniture in the storage unit is gradually being given away or sold.
7 Jan: it is really January!!!! ?? It is! And it was a good day for running errands; we did run to the post office to mail Cynthia's class newsletter, fax our medical records to the Pritikin Longevity Center, stop at the bank, the storage unit, the pharmacy, Walmart, and we lunched at the Magnolia Diner. It looked like it would rain, but we managed a four mile walk without getting a raindrop on our heads.
6 Jan: I am tired, so tired I have been writing Dec, instead of January on this blog! The combinef children and adult worship service is always delightful. We had brunch at the Yacht Club before we attended granddaughter Zoe’s high school graduation party, a BBQ at her home. After returning home we picked up our pastor and her husband for a most enjoyable dinner at Pappadeaux. The salmon was yummy!
5 Jan: Pleasant weather made running errands most enjoyable. The 2019 RX were dropped off at the pharmacy, and we are back to our hectic schedule, but we did have a five mile walk late afternoon. The absence of deer made us wonder if Santa was recruiting. But eventually the cutest little fawns, maybe triplets, apoeared withbtheir momma, along with many others.
4 Jan: 7:40 A.M. right on the money, we walked down 15 flights of stairs and six blocks to the doctor. It is always good to get a professional opinion we are still alive. The view from our room of the Houston skyline at sunset was spectacular. We arrived back in Walden about 3:30 PM. Cynthia dropped Ron off at Jon’s to get the bike out of his garage and run errands. Now we are on the third floor of the unit. It will take getting used to climbing that extra floor. Cynthia spent the evening hand addressing her class newsletters. Ron is back at work wired to 57 Chevy Radio Rock and Roll while working on the current SCS project.
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| Houston skyline from our hotel room |
2 Jan: TWO! DOS! TOE! Second. And so begins the second day of this new year. We are filled with hope, enthusiasm, and joy in our life together as we turn the page into 2019. Mostly it is a joy to feel so healthy. Being deeply in love is an amazing thing. It is life transforming. The housekeeper arrives, so we finish our packing and depart promptly an hour late. It was fun talking to Louise. The moderate rain did not prevent the mandatory stop at recycling. Our trip into the Houston medical center allowed for a pit stop at Pappadeaux on the 610 south loop for salmon. Our home for three days is the Hilton Medical Center.
1 Jan: ONE! UNO! EIN! FIRST! This is the first day of 2019, it is the first day of January!
Sad to say, we left the outside door closed and were able to sleep through the midnight crescendo. Yes I took my 3rd 4-mile walk of the day around 9:45 to 11 PM last night, and the crazies were setting off so much fireworks on the beach that I decided it was safer to walk a block inland. Besides the ear-shattering BANG fireworks, there were some spectacular flowering varieties and one amazing multi-colored fountain 40 feet high.
We both woke up and consider this a wonderfully promising start to the New Year. Let's hope that trend continues for the entire year.
