That word represents many things today.

We, Sheila and I, just returned from a week in Shanghai. I had to go as part of my responsibilities with the International Organization for Standardization, and fortunately Sheila was cleared to travel with me. She missed out on Beijing last year and didn’t want to pass up her first trip to the Orient.

Even though she left here fine, she was under the weather a couple of days into the trip – slight fever, bad cough, and pain in her chest. We managed to see a couple of sights on my limited time off, but even then she didn’t have much energy. Friday, our last full day, was probably her best day. We went to The Oriental Pearl TV tower - a 468 meter (1536 foot) building with a 360 degree observation deck that’s about 260 meters up. It has a bit of  a futurist minaret look to it. And very colorful.

Then our conference host took us to the Yu Garden that was built between 1559 and 1577. Well…we didn’t actually see the Garden, but we ate at a very famous restaurant just outside of it.

We got back on Saturday afternoon and have been adjusting to the 15 hour time difference. It’s now after 1 on Monday morning, and we’re both going strong. But we have to get to bed shortly because Sheila’s CAT scan is at 9am.

On Sunday we went to see the movie “Up” which was surprisingly “Down.” Because it’s a Pixar movie and rated PG-13, there were a lot of very young kids there, and several parts of the movie had them, and us, in tears.

We had intended to see the “Star Trek” movie but got held up in traffic and missed it, so “Up” was our second choice. Perhaps it was meant to be, given our circumstances. It’s about a couple who meet as kids, (not quite our story), get married and have dreams of far-off adventures, but the wife dies in old age not having fulfilled one of their main dreams.

Considering that we’ve been on a bit of our own adventure quest/bucket list, it was a poignant and at times, painful movie.

Sheila’s breathing sounds a bit like Darth Vader with a rasp. It’s a rather unnerving sound, actually. Never heard anything quite like it.

She’s lost more hair, the port site and tube look red/irritated, and the persistent cough all concern me very much. I’m glad she’s getting checked over the next two days.

By the way, it’s our wedding anniversary as of midnight. One year. Wow…

I gave her the first anniversary card at 12:01am, and I’ll give her the other one at dinner tonight. We’re hopefully going to Mr. A’s. She’s never been, so I’m looking forward to another adventure with her.

On Tuesday we’ll get the results of the CAT scan from Dr. B. and hopefully the next chemo treatment later that day.

Happy (1st) Anniversary, Darth…may there be at least 50 more…

Love you bunches…Ken

We’re long back from our road trip. The trip to Catalina was nice, at least the part we were “allowed” to see. Neither of us has ever been to an island where land travel was so restricted. You aren’t allowed to walk freely outside of Avalon, you can’t bike on the road outside of Avalon without a permit, no cars, the tours of some parts of the island are expensive and relatively short, etc….

There was enough for us to do and see in Avalon for basically a day and a half, but I’m not sure we’d go back.

Before we took the boat over from Dana Point to Catalina, the doctor’s office called that Wednesday afternoon with the new test results to tell Sheila that she could resume the medication, but half dose only because the full dose was affecting her bone marrow.

Tomorrow she goes in for her CAT scan. It’s been 6 weeks since the last one. We haven’t talked about the appointment, other than to confirm the time. We don’t talk about her cancer much anymore. What else can we say?

I see her reading articles, looking at various cancer-related websites or exchanging emails with her support group. At times I think, silently, that she’s too absorbed/fixated on the issue, but I can’t imagine what it’s like being in her skin. What would I be doing? I worry about that too. Living with this like we have makes my mortality a daily companion. It’s like a shadow that persists even in darkness. And it’s unsettling to constantly be thinking about and also fighting back thoughts of death and therefore the futility of daily living.

Sheila’s been having fairly continuous pain in her neck where the cancerous lymph node is. The other morning we went to bed around 1 or 1:30am and when I woke up at 4 she wasn’t in bed. She had woken up and was in pain, so she went down to the kitchen to read rather than disturb me. But when you’re so connected to someone – “spiritually” isn’t the proper term, but it’s all I have at the moment – even in a deep sleep you are attuned to their presence or absence.

Tonight she got home a little after 7pm and was asleep on the couch by 9. She woke up long enough to take her medication, and I tucked her into bed about 15 minutes ago. She looked so cuddly and warm. Loving and in love. Always with a smile on her beautiful face. I get terrified and very sad thinking of not having her with me “forever.”

I’m nervous about what the results will be next week. I’m sure Sheila is also. It’s also her birthday next week, so we don’t need bad news on her birthday. I hope the results of the CAT scan at a minimum show that the tumors have not grown and no more have appeared. I won’t be greedy at this point and ask that they be gone. That’s probably very unrealistic and I certainly don’t want to get my hopes that amped only to be crushed. Again.

I love you, Ripley….sweet dreams…..

Well, Raul had one shot and mercifully, he did it. When he came out of the room with a relieved look on his face it reminded me of the hold-your-breath feeling you have awaiting the birth of your child. The tension leading up to that moment was palpable.

After he injected the isotope Sheila was able to sleep for 45 minutes while the nuclear material sought out any remaining active tumors. Hopefully it didn’t have any to find.

Then another 45 minutes in the machine and we finally got out of there, four and a half hours later than expected. But it’s over for now.

She’s bruised on both arms in a number of spots, but other than that she’s in good spirits today. It must be a relief to know that you’re not going to be poked and prodded for a few weeks. Other than the big appointment on Monday, we’ll get a break from hospitals and doctors for a month or so.

We’re planning on going to Florida for a week, if possible, in July. She’s never been to the Keys, so we’ll visit my daughter in Ft. Lauderdale, and then head south to Key West. No set itinerary. Just stopping when and were we feel like. It’ll be great.

I love you, Sheila…. 

Today we went snorkling at Molokini and it was great. We went out on the 46 foot Kai Kanani. One of the really nice parts of using them was that the catamaran left directly from the shore at the hotel (Maui Prince), so we didn’t have to drive a half hour to the Maalaea harbor to take another boat from a different company. Plus we were only 15 minutes away from Molokini instead of almost an hour by boat from Maalaea Bay.

We checked in at 8:30 and were on the water by 9am. To maximize the opportunity, we took the deluxe trip which was four hours in length with two stops – Molokini and then the giant turtle feeding ground which was very near the hotel. After we finished snorkling we motored West, away from the hotel, and then sailed back. They have a shorter trip but two hours didn’t seem like it would have been enough. We’re glad we took the longer trip.

The crew was very nice. The catamaran was new and nicely laid out. For example, we were able to get in the water from both the rear and front of the boat.

Breakfast was muffins and fruit, with whatever (non-alcoholic) drink you wanted. When we were done snorkeling however , the beer and mai tai’s came out, along with a buffet lunch – turkey, ham, cheese, tuna salad, potato salad, potato chips, etc.  Just before we disembarked, they passed out coconut cookies. Yummers!

It started to rain – actually more of a mist – just as we got back. Perfect timing. And considering that we don’t see rain all that often, it was a nice change.

I think it was on Monday that I saw a tee shirt that said, “I survived the drive to Hana.” At the time that seemed like an odd thing to put on a shirt. No one had told me about any bad roads. After today’s drive, I now know. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. It’s about a 60 mile drive (one way) and I don’t think I got above 30 for any extended period of time. It was more like 10 to 15 miles per hour.

Having learned to drive in NY, I don’t suffer insecure drivers easily, so that added to the stress of the drive. There were some cars going so slowly that I could easily see the bolts on their tires going around!

The scenery however is absolutely breathtaking. And it’s one of those drives where the journey versus the destination is the best part. Not that Hana isn’t nice. It’s just…very mellow. Not much to see, or do. The big “attraction” seems to be the Hasegawa country store that’s been there since 1902. Run by 4 generations of the family it reminded me of a country store that I saw in Lancaster PA. That’s were I found yogurt on sale that was WAY past its expiration date. But I digress…

There are beautiful waterfalls, towering walls of plant covered rocks and deep canyons. There are quite a few viewspots and a few nooks where you can pullover and take pictures. My recommendation is to drive out to Hana in the morning and then stop at the “Kodak” picture spots on your way back in the afternoon. Plus the lighting will be better for your photos as well.

This is my first visit to Maui. Sheila’s been here at least twice before. We took Hawaiian Air from San Diego – a direct flight lasting about 5 hours. So we got to Maui around 11am and arrived at the Maui Prince hotel around 1:00. The hotel is not bad – a bit worn about the edges, but the staff are very nice. We booked the hotel through Expedia, and after booking through such services a few times now, I’m convinced that while we may get a good deal on the price, the hotel(s) reserves a “special” room for people that book through these services.

 The room we started out in (402) had a severe case of the moldy smell and it was the next to the last room on the floor. It was supposed to be a “slightly obstructed ocean view” and while they were technically correct that you could see the ocean, that was only possible if you stepped out of the room onto the balcony and stood in the far left corner. So between the smell and the “view” we requested, and received, a room change – one floor down and six rooms over. An improvement on the view, but we’re now almost directly over the luau venue, so we’ll be treated to the luau twice this week. More to come….

My daughter and I got to spend a few hours at the Spa Palazzo at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Florida recently. Tammy’s birthday was coming up, so I wanted to treat her to something she’d like/enjoy versus just sending money. And of course I didn’t want to just sit in the lobby, so I treated myself as well.

 What a wonderful experience. With the exception of Jocelyn, the masseuse Sheila and I use back home, this was probably the second best spa or spa experience I’ve ever had. The look and “feel” of the facilities was very relaxing and inviting. The unique thing they have there – for just an additional $15 with the purchase of any other spa treatment – was out of this world. It’s 7 different water treatments, such as a menthol moisture room, a steam bath, a tub soak, and something that was wonderfully borderline torture. You climbed down into a semicircular tub that was just big enough for one person and you sit on a small seat and lean forward. Then the technican releases a constant torrent of water from above that comes down in one forceful, pounding stream, similar to a firehose and it beats the muscles in your shoulders and back into submission. It’s mildly painful, but wow, what a feeling of relaxation when you’re done!!

 Anyway, the next time you’re in Boca with a half day to kill, I would highly recommend this spa.

We just got back from a two day quick trip to Idyllwild, my first visit. Sheila camped there many years ago, but it’s probably been 20 years or more.

It’s a very woodsy place – lots of pine and oak trees – so the scented air and views were very relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered. We stayed at the Strawberry Creek Inn B&B owned by Ian and Rodney. It’s located on Hwy 243, just as you enter town.

The main house is beautiful. Sort of Victorian in style, but very homey. Lots and lots of books and games. For the guest rooms that have a DVD/TV, there are also many movies to choose from. Our room, which was located out back in another building, didn’t have a radio or tv, so we disconnected from the world for at least two days. Which was very nice. A little strange at first, but we adapted rather quickly. I didn’t even wear my watch!!!

There are plenty of places to eat, but the names that kept coming up were Cafe Aroma and Gastrognome. Cafe Aroma, located almost at the end of town on North Circle Drive served mostly Italian food. Sheila had chicken and spinach stuffed ravioli, and I had the flounder with mashed potatoes. The flounder was a bit thin and looked deep-fried, but surprisingly, once you peeled off the breaded coating, was pretty moist. Sheila’s dish tasted better (yes, we are habitual plate sharers).

We ate at Gastrognome the first night and I liked their food better. I had salmon and pasta with a light cream sauce (saying it was “light” somehow makes the calorie and artery-clogging count drop by half). Nonetheless, it was quite tasty. I did manage to show some self-restraint and only ate half the dish. It’s what I call my 50% diet.

Sheila had meat in a somewhat spicy sauce. She liked the meat, but wasn’t crazy about the sauce.

And as the name implies, there are nomes displayed throughout the restaurant. Cute touch…

On Saturday we drove to the ranger station on Upper Pine Crest, got a day hiking pass, paid for a $5 parking pass and headed to Humber Park which is down Fern Valley Road. After following an annoyingly irritating driver who couldn’t seem to go above 15 miles an hour – probably because his head was turned mostly left or right, so he therefore couldn’t see the curving road ahead of him – we finally made it to the trailhead for Devil’s Slide Trail.

The paperwork rated it a moderately difficult hike of 2.5 miles to the next trailhead. I guess they judge the level of difficulty by the number of cramps you encounter on the way up. I think I only pulled one groin muscle this time.

However, it was a very beautiful march to the top. Unlike some trails we’ve been on, we had a number of clear view spots to take in the vista. If I can figure out how to import a picture or two, I’ll show you.

We met lots of friendly people on the trail – mostly those headed down, not up.

About half way down we started to think - no, dwell – on where we would be heading for lunch and debating the merits of a burger versus pizza. Or both. We opted for pizza at the hip and cool (no, that’s not its name) Idyllwild Pizza Co. We got a 12 inch pepperoni, sausage and black olive that actually tasted pretty good. Sheila got a local beer and I got something that tasted like a hybrid between Coke and Squirt.

We woke to the sound of sleet hitting the skylight and looked out the window to see a light dusting of snow. A very nice way to end a very relaxing weekend.

Well, I’m dipping my toe into the blog sphere. With all the buttons, pulldowns and features, it’s going to take me awhile to get the hang of this. But as the saying goes, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
I was in Tokyo recently on business. A group of us from work ate at a great restaurant called Gonpachi in Shibuya Mark City. Probably the best Japanese restaurant I’ve eaten in for all the trips I’ve been here.
Well, I’ll stop here and see what how this looks posted, etc.