Knight and Day

                      So why Knight and Day? Because that's the movie i'm currently watching as i sit here typing.
            So i forgot to write a post after the event, but Friday was the day of my check-up with Dr. Schnittker (my surgeon, infamosly referred to as Dr. Snicker in several of my past posts). After dropping the boys off at Kathy's (which turned out to be fun for them because there was another boy there who they like and play with often)

     So after a quick drive to Elkhart hospital, i went to radiology first to get some x-rays (rather than an MRI becuase this was more of a progress report check-up). It was my first time getting x-rays too, so it was another fun, new experience. It was like getting a mug-shot more than anything. I first stood with my left shoulder up against this flat screen which had several squares and intersecting lines (kinda like a target. Sure glad that the lens they were pointing at me didn't have bullets or darts in it!) and faced the wall (so the enormous machine was shooting my profile (which reminds me of the smaller verson of the machine that is used in dentist's office when they're taking x-rays of your teeth and have to put that uncomfortable little plastic square in your mouth so you hold your jaw in such a way) )

        First i was asked to just stare at the far wall, the woman who was operating the machine put a finger under my chin and tilted it a little more up, which made me think of how i used to hold my head in marching band (make an 'L' with your thumb and index finger and put your thumb to your throat and your index finger under your chin). She took one shot of my head straight, then asked me to bend my chin down as far as i could (not too far but decent considering how long i've been recovering) and then another shot with my head bent back as far as i could (that kinda hurt). Then one more shot with me facing the giant machine, and i was done.

          After spending over an hour (maybe) in Dr. Schnittker's waiting room at the hospital, Mom and I were taken to one of the rooms (ironically the same one i was in last i came which was to get my staples removed) and after a short wait, Dr. Schnittker came in and ran me through some tests (walk around, on heels, on tip toe, squeeze his fingers, close your eyes with your feet together and arms out to test my balance, walk heel to toe - i won't be passing the drunk driving test any time soon - touch a finger to my nose with my eyes closed and when he taps the finger...)
       The results? I'm going to live! I've learned that the bit of tumor on my artery may, in time, just erase itself, that i'll be starting physical therapy in order to get full range of motion back in my neck (i don't know when, he's gonna set that up for me), and i'll be getting another MRI in 6 months to see how the area of my cervical spine is doing.
    Did i have any questions? Yes, and that was simply if it was possible for me to get a copy of the pictures of my MRI, and the answer to that question is yes, too. I may  have to call the hospital or the place where i got my MRI for the cd of pictures, but it's possible, which is way cool! (Dr. Schnittker also told me that i could've gotten the pictures of the MRI when i got them done, that, had i just requested it at the places i got my MRI, i could've walked out of the place with a cd with the pictures on it. Unfortunatly no one told me i could do that at the time so it never occured to me that i could ask)
      Oh, and one other thing to add because i did write about it and that is about the strange bumpy rash on my left arm. Whether or not it's impetigo is still unknown, but after a few weeks of using the steroid cream, it's finally ALMOST gone, which isn't to weird because i read up on impetigo and learned it can take weeks for it to fully go away.

          Oh, and i suppose i should also mention that Thursday, the day before the Elkhart appointment, i had a brief visit with Dr. Clayton (but this was about needing another perscription i was getting low on), and i know i commented about the irritating gas pain in my chest, which still hasn't completely relieved, and i've been diagnosed with having GERD. (AKA- Reflux Esophagitis / Gastroesophagael Reflux Disease). He prescribed a med, which takes a little time to take full effect but i've already been taken note of the ease in breathing and eating, so as far as the gas pain problem, it's doing a lot better.

My neighbor's lovely Koi, Shubunkin, and other goldfish

   On another small note i start classes the 29th of August, and on a 2nd note, i thought i'd explain why the title of my last post was 'bugs and butane'. I mention this because i was chatting with my neighbor (the one with the Koi) and i happened to note that there was a bee hovering around his lighter (he smokes) and he made the comment that bugs do that often after he lights up, that it has something to do with the smell of butane, and i thought that would be an interesting title of something 'bugs and butane'.

After surgery

After staples removed

After a month healing

Bugs and Butane

       So after waking up at 6:48am and having gone to bed around 1:30am, it's hardly suprising to say "i'm still tired" but the reason i woke up in the first place was because i was in pain. Not from my neck, mind you, although the way my head was tilted on the pillow wasn't exactly comfortable (but through the amazing power of the unconscious mind when one is asleep, i had put my forearm under my neck to give it support). No, my pain was coming from my chest, from gas pains. I have no idea why i'm having these pains, but i have had them in the past where my lungs just feel painful due to the trapped air, and i'll do anything to relieve that pressure. I have theories as to why i've been suffering discomfort from gas pains in my chest (i feel the most acute pain in my back sorta between my shoulder blades and in the front below my bra line) such as i could be close to a period (which is when many unexplainable changes in the female  body can occur due to hormones) or it could be that acne medication i'm taking.
       My face is clearing up of the acne problem quite well, and whether the capsules are creating  part of the problem or not, i don't know, but gas discomfort isn't the only problem i've been having most recently.
   My other problem is blood pressure...sorta. Basically, when someone is lying down and suddenly gets up, a shift in how the blood is distributed through the body immediatly happens to compensate for the best flow through the body. When a person gets up to fast, very often one is dizzy for a moment or gets blurred vision and it takes a moment or two for their blood pressure to neutralize again and equilibrium to return. Well, for me, i've been having some serious moments of dizziness and blurred vision just from bending over a bit and standing straight. I normally am close to something to hold onto while my vision clears, but i've already had to fall to my knees in one case just so i didn't fall in a more painful way. It's more likely that this is because my body is still recovering from the tumor being removed; tissue is repairing, muscles in my neck are re-fusing, and nerves are slowly reconnecting.
     Speaking of nerves, my right shoulder (still persistently partially numb) now has a new sensation. Every now and then, at no particular time, i will get a sudden painful twinge go right through the top of my shoulder. The pain feels like it goes straight into the joint and slightly into the right side of my neck. I think it's a spasm of some sort, but while it hurts, it also means my body is well on its recovery, considering that right after surgery i couldn't even feel my right shoulder!
         So as i eat a pear as my breakfast i pause to think what it is i've neglected to put down in blog posts. Lots of things have been happening, so i'll try and just review with little backstory retelling (unless it needs to be told of course! Makes for good conversations :D )
               Let me see....: -pastor Clapper used me in a sermon illustration yesterday 
        -i downloaded itunes to finally get songs i've kept on my comp just so i could eventually import them to my ipod OFF my comp
        -i've gotten back to burning scrap twigs and other wood debris like i was doing before July
        -World Pulse Fest had it's 25th Anniversary and, like usual
        -i could hear the sound of the base and other noises from the Fest just standing in my back yard (i live pretty close to where it's held every year after all)
         -i've been editing vacation photos like crazy, i've been trying to make a dvd video of some of my favorite comedians so i can just watch them whenever on DVD instead of needing a comp
         -i've been working on trying to teach Charle some new tricks using tennis balls and frisbees to get his attention (Because if you throw it, he'll get it, even if he's got four broken legs. That dog LOVES fetch) (one thing i've done is taken the harness i bought for Ozzy and put it on Charle, and Shawn and i have experimented with Charle pulling Shawn when he's on rollerblades. One thing we do now is Shawn holds the leash attached to the harness and i get Charle's attention with a tennis ball then toss it and Charle will chase that sucker down, hauling Shawn behind him. He picks up some nice speed being dragged by Charle, and once Charle reaches the ball, Shawn will let go, tossing the leash over Charle's back to make sure he dosen't end up tripping, and Shawn will roll on like he got slingshotted. One thing i've been able to be impressed about is just how talented Shawn is on rollerblades. That kid has a gift)
          -i've learned the names of my neighbor Mike's (in this case i refer to the Mike who owns an old, totally spoiled-and-she-knows-it golden retriever named Molly who, Mike has told me, that if he was to move somewhere more isolated like deep farm country, Molly would leave him to find more people becaue she loves attention that much! lol ) fish he has in his garden pond: Butterfly Koi ( (nishikigoi- Jap: brocaded carp)  (A hybrid of koi and Asian carp with long flowing fins. Various coloration depending on the koi stock used to hybrid. Considered by some to not be Nishikigoi.)-wikipedia), 2 Shubunkin (Fancy and hardy Japanese Shubunkins (translated literally as "red brocade") have a single tail with nacreous(lustrous colors) scales, and a pattern known as calico.), and a few goldfish. I looked up koi because i was curious about varieties so i decided to add those wikipedia definitions. Honestly, it makes me wanna try having a koi pond :)
          - I'm finally getting used to the reorientation of my room since Beck took it upon herself to clean up and reorgaize when i was in the hospital
          -I'm listening to and deleting/keeping songs on itunes to clean more space out of all the songs i have on my harddrive
         -I found my movie 'Once Upon A Mattress' (i had watched it once or twice those first few days home from the hospital, and then a week or so ago it suddenly seemed to vanish and i ended up looking all over the place because i knew i had it, and ended up finding it in my bookcase, where Beck had for some reason put it...she never explained why she put it there when she knows i keep my dvds elsewhere)
         -Paul officially turned 6 and now has his very own Nintedo DS, which i hear more arguing about between all three boys (but that's pretty normal)
         -i've gotten to see Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across  the 2nd Dimension (Phineas and Ferb is by far one of the best cartoons created in a long time that appeals to all ages, sorta like Spongebob except there's less of that hidden adult humor, but it's still quite appealing. A few days ago i ended up watching the show for a little over an hour and got Dad to watch with me and he enjoyed it too) 
           -I gave Charlie a bath a few days back on a day i took him to swim in the giant retention pond/lake (to hard to describe where it is located, but it's nearby and is close to a developing neighborhood area) and then ended up giving Ozzy nearly an hour-long bath because he had dried mud all over his legs and belly and Beck was being lazy and having a really grouchy moment in which, even though both me and Mom told her she needed to sweep up the dirt that Ozzy ended up shaking off where he went because it was on him, Beck ended up going to see Captain America rather than take care of her dog or clean up his mess! I know she's on her period, but that's no reason to act like an A-hole. So when Beck didn't act when she should have, i ended up taking Ozzy into the shower and took, like i said, close to an hour getting all the dirt out of his incredibly fluffy and dense coat.)
           -the day after giving both dogs baths was a blah day because doing so much put a strain on my neck and caused a bit of pain so i had to take it easy
           -thanks to the waffle cushion i pilfered from the hospital, sitting it my desk for long periods of times hasn't caused lower back ache or discomfort
             -by now that gas pain i was feeling earlier has eased, but it's still lingering, so ugh! Guess i should get back to editing photos and what not

Ludington Vacation Part 3

　
August 4　
                So another day has come and gone (and I am suddenly seeing ever so slight wisps of smoke floating slightly above my hands so I turn my gaze curiously to the candles I have flickering all around me, since I can’t use the lamp next to me because I’m using that plug for my laptop) and we’re all tired.
               It was a good day (typed as a fly runs into my neck because it’s attracted to the light of the screen so I move a candle closer to try and bribe it away to a firey death). After waking up at my cursed hour of 9am, (specifically because Paul was being noisy) I sat in my sleeping bag for a few minutes and just watched as two hummingbirds came and went, squabbled with each other, then came and went to the feeder. (at one point one of the hummingbirds was being chased away by a bee that was visiting the feeder but it eventually managed to come to some sort of agreement with the bee so that they could both drink from the feeder).
                   Dad stopped by the window and waved at me and I tiredly waved back before I got up. After working out breakfast and folding the bed back into the couch, I worked on my crossword book for a while (courtesy of Grandma Ade who gave it to me back when I was in the hospital.) They’re fun to do, and I get mom and dad involved, testing their knowledge on questions and clues I don’t know a thing about. Dad likes helping me out and mom seems to enjoy it too. Can’t wait to tease their brains on the three hour trip back home (it does seem to help the time fly by too).
             Before we realized it, it was nearly noon so we had to put the puzzle we were on on hold. I quickly went down to take some pics of the river (to document how much lower it had gotten since yesterday) and then quickly rushed to the van because everyone was waiting.
           We went to Silver Lake today. Mom and I got dropped off at the beach where Little Sable lighthouse is located and then Dad and the boys went to the Mac Woods Dune Rides (because of my neck I didn’t go and mom stayed with me by her own choice).
           The lighthouse is now open to be climbed (for a small fee of course, and it really is small) and is run by the Lighthouse Seekers Association (but the light itself is still maintained and owned by the Coast Guard, the L.S.A. just runs it) but we passed on the opportunity (though mom and Shawn did climb it last year), I was just as happy taking photos from different views of the tower. (We overheard a few facts about the lighthouse later when we were about to leave, such as a house used to be attached to the tower lighthouse, as I’ve always wondered why Little Sable was just a tower, and learned that the house got torn down back in the mid 1900’s by the Coast Guard, but the tower remains and blinks on and off at night)
              Mom and I made camp on the beach, sprayed on the SPF50 and got ready to just stare at the beach. I briefly noticed a Ring-billed Gull, closer to the beach grass and small dunes at our back, acting somewhat strange, but then ignored it. Quite abruptly a young asian-looking man just dropped to sit in the sand next to mom for a chit-chat. We learned his name was Rich and that this was his first time ever here and he was on vacation. (we also learned he was out of college, he had ridden the Dune Rides before coming to the beach, and that he’s crazy about film photography, lenses, and owns 10 different SLR film cameras)
             We talked a while, and then I noticed a group of kids surrounded the before-mentioned-gull on the beach so I went to check it out. Some kids were trying to help the gull which seemed to be in bad sorts. (by help I mean feed it dead fish they had found in the water, and because the gull was just sitting there with its beak wide open and panting, a little girl managed to slide a fish into it’s mouth but the gull shook its head and spat the fish out in rejection, and I reasoned to the girl that gulls go after fresh fish in the water for a reason. Though they are scavenger birds of the beaches…) A man eventually came, a father to a few of the children, and together he and I looked it over. It’s feet and wings weren’t broken, its eyes were clear and it didn’t appear to be bleeding. It was a young gull, just turning mature with spots still on its head. It didn’t even put up a fight when the man opened its wings or even picked up the gull. We borrowed the kid’s bucket of water and dead fish and the man picked the gull up and offered it the water and the gull drank as if it hadn’t for days, poor thing.
           We offered it water over and over and it continued to drink. (poor thing was probably dehydrated). A woman, grandmother to some of the children trying to help the gull, went up to the lighthouse to tell one of the workers about the gull to see if we couldn’t get the DNR to come down and see it. In the meantime, with the man’s help and the kids, we made a little tent shelter for it out of a towel (borrowed from the lady) and then got it more water while I carried it to the shelter in the cooler wet sand and set it in the shade made by the blanket.
             I promised the kids I’d stay with the bird until the DNR came and took over the duties of picking up the bird so it could drink from the bucket and making sure no one else touched or came near it. After nearly 10- 15 minutes two ladies came down from the park service, checked the bird out, then said they’d get someone from the DNR to come take a look. After about 10 minutes one of the ladies returned with a guy who looked very much like a park ranger. After picking up the bird to show him how, physically, it looked ok (by now me and the man from earlier had deduced that it was probably ill or poisoned by something it ate) and even how the bird would drink, the DNR man broke the news to us that there really was nothing he could do for the bird except let nature run its course and then autopsy the bird to find out what had caused it to expire. (The bird wasn’t taking as much water now, had its beak mostly closed, and was panting quite heavily)
            Dad and the boys had arrived at the beach by now and Shawn and David were there wondering what was gonna happen, with David insisting that the DNR guy do something (and of course I had to argue back that there was nothing he could do, that it was just the way it was, and that it’s not very painful on the Ring-billed gull population in America as a whole anyway.)
                I was able to make the DNR guy’s trip worthwhile though, because near this gull we had spotted the body of another gull (probably a two or three weeks dead) and the guy was able to take the bird with him (wearing rubber gloves of course) and assured us this was the kind of thing they could study to find out what killed it.
          So after a few more minutes and offering the gull more water, we left it in the shade of the towel (the lady and her grandkids had by now left but she told us that she’d leave the towel and bucket behind for us to use. What a nice lady) At this point, though, the gull had done a strange thing with its head, where it bent it back as far as it could go (which meant it laid it on its back) and then rolled his head back and forth like a windshield wiper. After a while, he just left his head back like that and would do it periodically, and a little while after that he started doing something very seizure-like, several times. The bird was definitely expiring right before our eyes (Which meant I’d win the bet I made to the man who had helped me earlier, because he came back after a time to see if anything else had happened to the gull since we had contacted the park service people, and I bet him that the bird would die before I left the beach to go home after hearing what the DNR guy had told me.) And nearly ten minutes before we packed up, David came running up to me to say the bird had died (he ran up to me because I had ended up spotting a bird I didn’t recognize and so was standing on top of a small, blazing hot sand dune to take photos of the bird and others of the scenery and lighthouse)
            Indeed the bird had died, so I went to find the ladies from earlier, and ended up having to walk all the way to the entrance gate (not that far if i had just crossed over the sand dune but the sand was scorching!) to find one of them because the other had switched for her shift, and ran into another guy (obviously worked there too) who asked me, after I told the girl that the gull had kicked it so the DNR could now freely take it, if it was the same bird he had been hearing about for the past week. Yup, seems this gull had been suffering some sort of slow death, but at least we managed to make his (or maybe hers, hard to tell with Ring-billed gulls unless you can look up to see the shape of the line in their butt holes) last moments more comfortable. Although it makes me wonder what exactly happened to it…
           In the time between leaving the gull as it slowly died, and before we left, we had lunch (which were sandwiches we had made and packed) and got in the water. I stepped into water for the first time in over a year, but didn’t swim. Unfortunatly there was a LOT of algae and I didn’t really feel like getting my suit full of the stuff. On the other hand, sticking to the shallows worked in my favor, since I nearly crossed paths with a confused Steelhead (essentially a rainbow salmon/trout that lives in the Great Lakes and doesn’t migrate from the ocean).
         Two or three people were following this enormous fish as it swam through the water, swimming sometimes in circles before contuing down the shore, and as I realized what it was, standing in the water as I was, I rushed out (mostly reacting to the fact that a fish with teeth and nearly 2 feet long was swimming right at me) and yelled at mom to “quick! Get my camera!”
                   Soon a small group of people, including myself, were following the fish down the beach. A man I ended up chatting with moments before suddenly jumped in and attempted to catch the fish barehanded, and succeeded. I got quite a few shots of him and the fish (the thing had teeth!) It was a good, healthy, and very large fish, with a lot of kick in it. We reasoned that it had probably got stuck between the sandbars and the guy carried it out a ways, but the dumb fish ended up swimming back to shore. The guy, Rick, ended up catching it again (he commented later that it had been tired, else it wouldn’t have been so easy to catch) and taking it further out before releasing it where it finally headed into deeper waters, and hopefully stayed. (I later got Rick’s e-mail address so I could send him the pictures of him and the fish, else his ‘nephew might not believe he caught this fish bare-handed’ - I quote).
            So after all this excitement, we eventually headed for home, and on the way Paul got to choose what we had for dinner, considering tomorrow he turns 6-years-old. Yikes, he’s getting bigger! He was obsessed with Arby’s at first, but because none was in sight soon, he ended up choosing the first place he saw which turned out to be McDonalds. After ordering enough food to feet a batallion, we headed for home at last.
         We arrived, got showers (of course, upon my coming out of the shower got told a little story of David locking Whip-or-will because he was throwing a little tantrum of being angry with his brothers or something, and ended up locking the door knob which we don’t have a key to. So dad ended up having to break into a window and sent Paul through it to unlock the door, and probably gave David a stern lecture of some sort about tantrums) and then dad and I had ice cream while mom tried to reassure David and calm him down because he would not stop crying (dad did not help with a few comments he made, which only increased David’s crying (David has a tendency to not let things that are dealt with go, that and to make mountains out of molehills), and yet before dad got in to take his shower he said good night to dad, unfortunately dad didn’t hear him when he said because he was distracted so I ended up relaying the message)
           After some candle lighting and cleaning up, I rubbed the other medication ( a gel) for my acne reaction onto my face, took my pill, and now I’m ready for my last night in Pere Hollow. Hope it’s as good as the others have been. I’ve feel really fortunate to sleep on the porch; being able to fall asleep to the sounds of the river………..

Vacation In Ludington (a week-or-so late posting) Part 2

　
August 3
           As I brush flies away from my screen (attracted as they are to any and all light sources when it gets dark) I ready myself to recount the day’s events by cracking open a can of Diet Barq’s (diet is not what I prefer, but root beer is root beer, and it’s late so I’m not gonna be to picky). I’ve lit a few candles around the area in an attempt to distract the moths and flies, but one or two still come to my computer screen. (Guess the constant, unflickering light is rather attractive.)
          So, taking off from around the time I ended yesterday, it rained and poured and turned into a real nice lightning storm last night, bad enough that Shawn was spooked (storms do seem to make him uneasy, especially thunder storms) and Mom ended up pulling out the blow-up air mattress (brought along in case the hide-away bed in the couch didn't work out for me) and inflating it on the ground in front of the cd player and Shawn slept there and Paul, for unknown reasons, decided to remain sleeping on the couch (the two have returned to those two places tonight as well).
         I stayed up 'til nearly midnight in order to take my acne medication (turns out this strange breakout of pimples all over my face, something that’s never happened to me before, is a delayed allergic reaction to the steroid (Decadraw) that I was on to reduce the inflammation of my tumor) so after my doctor’s appointment on Monday (and he said I could come on this vacation with his blessing, and that he was amazed I had recovered so much strength, flexibility, and mobility so quickly, Praise God for his blessings!) he prescribed a medication I take twice a day and a face gel I apply every other day. (problem is I can’t take the med within two hours of taking vitamins or dairy, so I set my watch timer for two hours after I take my morning meds and take the other pill when it goes off.)
           So when the time finally came to take my other med, I took a small swig of water from mom’s water bottle that she left on a table out on the porch and swallowed the pill, except I’m not sure I took enough because I went to sleep feeling like the capsule was stuck in my throat.
           I woke up this morning to the sound of Paul’s voice and the humming of a hummingbird. My back was to the window and the feeder, but when I opened my eyes I could see the reflection of the tiny bird in the window and watched it for a moment with a smile on my face. A female Ruby-throated hummingbird.
           I lifted my head to look out the window over the back of the couch and gazed out at a damp forest, and then for some reason realized that the river sounded louder than usual. I found out why when I looked at it:  the river had swelled up BIG time after all the rain from the day and night before. The river was brown from mud swept from the banks and the current was now really fast. There was evidence that the ground below the hill out the back door had been a mini lake sometime last night too, but it had drained enough that it was back to just a river. Later, I walked along the river and took photos, as much for my benefit as to be able to show Aunt Del (previous owner of the cabin) and e-mail Jim (ex-husband (not mine!) and current owner of the cabin. Jim is very nice and lets people use the cabin, so long as we ask and figure out what weeks are open and whatnot) what had happened. Shawn joined me at some point and we walked along the river together.
                  At some point, (after Shawn had complained about how his camera had deleted photos on its own and was acting funny)(it's a cheaper digital camera, dosen't even run on its own memory card) I decided to give Shawn a chance and told him I’d let him borrow my old camera, Nicky (the CoolPix P80 that fell into the river with  me when i became a victim of misplaced agression a year ago. It took a month of sitting i a bowl of rice, but Nicky survived) which I brought with me just in case. I always carry an extra battery and memory card with me in my bag, which makes me feel somewhat uneasy not having backups for Nikomaru by using them to power Nicky, but Shawn was getting really upset with being unable to take photos so it wasn’t a great hardship to offer to let him borrow Nicky for the next day or two (who am I to deny someone from wanting to take photos?)
        Around lunch time we all packed into the van and drove into Ludington, and while Dad went with the boys to the kid’s museum, Mom and I walked around town. Not so many shops were opened to just browse around in (most likely due to the economy) but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Stopping in the Hallmark store, I found a 1000 piece puzzle of a lighthouse that I haven’t seen before that I’m sure Dad would love, and mom ended up finding and (i talked her into) buying a mug with a funny slogan on it, and at the register when she bought it, I also impulsively bought a tiny booklet that was a dictionary for txting (so maybe Mom and I can understand half of what’s being said to us on our phones, or in my case Mabinogi-MMORPG i've been on).
      We walked around a bit, entered a clothing shop or two, I ended up buying a Ludington logoed shirt, and after making a stop in Kilwins, added a bag of caramel popcorn for mom and a milk chocolate bar for me (we would have gotten fudge, but they were nearly a $8 a pound and that’s only one slice! Thick slices, but still.)
           We then stopped inside the Todd and Brad Reed Photo Gallery and had fun looking through all the amazing prints of these two amazing photographers (father and son), but the best part was when - upon making a comment to Mom about wondering if I could ever do something like these men - got into a conversation with an older man with white hair who said it could happen. I ended up sharing with him that I was majoring in photography and my passion for it, and after a little chit-chat, ended up learning that the guy I was talking with (and Mom with me) was Todd Reed. Wow! I was actually talking with this distinguished and established photographer! We chatted for quite some time, at the end of which Todd gave me a business card and on the back listed four photographers for me to look up who tend to shoot along the same lines I do. What a guy! What a help too. It was so exciting being able to meet him. (He even knew what I was talking about when I mentioned shooting the ’defining moment’ (Henri Cartier-Bresson). Way awesome.
          After leaving the gallery, mom and I wandered into another clothing shop, an ’all-natural’ shop (where I bought my hemp wallet (my first wallet) and a few incense sticks for Becky as well), and then we wandered into another clothing shop where Mom found a shirt of the S.S. Badger and the Ludington lighthouse on it in Dad's size, and a light hooded shirt with a neat design on it with 'Ludington' on it (and even though the only size left was large I got it anyway. It’s a little big, but it’s really comfy!)
           Almost immediately after, Paul called mom’s cellphone (he really needs to learn to stop making calls to people whenever, but in this case Dad gave him permission) to tell us that he and everyone else was at the van and we went to join them so we could have dinner at the House of Flavors. (we had killed nearly 2 hours just walking around shopping while the boys killed two hours playing around)
               We ate a good meal then went down to the beach to watch the SS Badger come in. Mom, Shawn, and Paul stayed near shore and the playground while Dad, David, and myself walked out to the lighthouse. I hung back taking pictures and took a moment to just breathe in the breeze off the water, before really striking off to the lighthouse. I took lots of photos, including one in which it looks as if the Badger is about to ram into the lighthouse. It’s one I’ll be enlarging and framing.
           The three of us walked back to the beach and, after rendezvousing with Mom and the other two, we piled back in the van and headed for Badger Park and while the boys went crazy on the playground with the parentals watching over them, I went to take photos of the sculptures scattered around the park that are themeed on the culture of Ludington, including a new one put in only last July. (I also finally got a picture of me with the ‘Follow the Leader’ sculpture where I posed myself on the empty rock so I was part of the art, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time)
           I got a few pictures of the Badger and Spartan at dock, with Shawn and Dad looking at it, and without them in the picture too before attempting to take a photo of the lighthouse with a glare on the water (which is actually hard to do because it can trick the camera or wash it out).
          I met a 5-month-old Golden Doodle named Zeke (such an adorable and loving little puppy. He was jumping all over me to give me kisses and his fur was as soft as my neighbors Bichon Frise/Shitzu mix, Toby.) There was also some great music playing in the air because underneath the pavilion where the bathrooms are also located a Zumba class was going on, and it looked like a lot of fun. (i've wanted to participate in Zumba for a while, but i had a really tight leg for a few months and those leg movements have been tough. Heck, i couldn't even play D.D.R. very well!)
          After photos and playing, it was time to go home. Dad and I looked for deer as we always do (Because evening is closer to the time that they come out) and saw far fewer deer than we’ve seen in past years, but we did see a few. (Mom even saw a 5 points Buck).
            It was just getting to the darker portion of the evening, but light enough that I could see the river had gone down a bit since earlier (I also ventured closer with my headlamp on). I found the extra plug adapter that made it possible to plug my computer in and keep it on while it charges (and charges Shawn’s mp3 player which I have finally learned how to turn off and set it so it turns off automatically after a set period of time). So now here I am, it’s 11pm and things are pretty quiet. I’m rather tired, and should probably go to bed. The sound of the river and the cicadas (spawning in mass quantities this year) are the perfect noises to fall asleep to. Shawn and Paul seem to have fallen asleep rather quickly (goes to show just how tired they truly were) and Dad and David have retired to Whip-or-will. Mom is sitting outside with a bug lantern and again, I’m sitting on the couch, a few candles around me, my feet propped up on the bed which has been pulled out of the couch and already has my sleeping bag on it, so I should end this post, brush my teeth, blow out candles, and go to bed early now that I can. Tomorrow is gonna be another long day, considering we’re heading up to Little Sable lighthouse (I might even swim for the first time in nearly a year and a half! Now that this darn tumor is out of my neck it might be possible, so long as I don’t push it to much.)
　

Vacation In Ludington (a week-or-so late posting)

          So, a week or so ago, after getting the OK from Dr. Clayton, i traveled up to Ludington, MI with Mom, Dad, and all 3 little bros. and while there was no internet connection, i did take Adelli up with me so i could write posts (and also ended up being a convenient way for Shawn to charge his MP3 player). So, without further ado, here's what i wrote!



August 2, 2011

          It’s been a while since I’ve been to Pere Hollow. Deciding to come on this vacation to the cabin was well worth the trouble of having to put up with three annoying little bros. The 3 hour drive up to the cabin was spent (by me anyway) working on crossword puzzles (with a lot help from Mom and Dad) which made the time pass by rather quickly. It didn’t take long at all before Shawn, David, and Paul (who had been listening to music quietly on their headphones, with Paul being the exception because he had his volume turned up so loudly it could be heard coming out of his earphones. That kid is going to go deaf early in life if he keeps that up) started asking ‘are we there yet?’

           Before we even reached the cabin, as we turned off the highway and onto those bumpy dirt roads, we ended up passing two does and a group of turkeys. Talk about exciting! I was ready for more wildlife sightings (that is, if the boys are ever quiet enough not to scare away the critters and birds)

         As for actually getting the cabin, things are nearly just as I remember them to be. Some things have changed, little additions, but for the most part everything is largely as I remember. I’ve gone barefoot all over the place now, and as I walk down the familiar paths of my memories, I feel more and more relaxed. I found evidence of a beaver, but it seems the river (a tributary off the Pere Marquette) was far to fast for a dam to be built, and so possibly gave up. Further down a path, I found an easy entry point into the river and got in, Nikomaru (my camera) hanging from my neck. I started taking photos of just about everything I saw, and even managed to set up some timed shots so I could get a pic of me in the river. (i really took way to many, but that's the great thing about digital, i can capture a lot of shots then delete the superfolous ones)

         Wasn’t to long before I heard Shawn shouting for me, and as greatly as I wanted to just ignore him so i could continue my river walk solo (he couldn't see me anyway due to bushes being between where i was in the river and where he was on the path) but his shouting was scaring away any fauna that could be near, that and i'm just not that mean to ignore him (he's got a lot of spirit and i admire him for it, his timing just happens to be bad!) so I, partially annoyed, answered him, and the moment he saw me in the river, he had to come in too, and then of course Paul overheard and he (of course!) had to come.

      I did get some good pictures, and it wasn’t too long before Shawn was complaining about 'not feeling his feet' (and he thought I still could? I was able to walk in the water because I couldn’t feel my feet! River water can be a little chilly after all) and Paul was just complaining (he was barefoot and there were lots of rocky spots in the river). Mom had been following us on land, and as soon as we reached a part of the creek that was harder to navigate (that, and the current got stronger, we were traveling up-river, maybe i forgot to mention that) Shawn and Paul decided to go back. (which meant i got to have my solo river-walk after all. God truly is gracious) With Mom’s help they got out, and I ventured forth, managed to navigate the tough spot (the current really ripped through this part so it was hard to see the bottom so i couldn't see where i needed to step), and pressed on up-river with my camera at the ready. I walked nearly all the way to the green bridge (where the neighbors property is located) before I grabbed onto hunks of grass at the edge and pulled myself out of the river.

          We ate pizza that Dad got from Baldwin (nearest town) and eventually got ready for bed. Shawn found the hammock and set it up, so the boys were taking turns on it while I had set out bird seed and the hummingbird feeder, and mom and dad were sitting out in the chairs with a bug lantern lit. Dad was already starting to nod off by the time mom told the boys it was time for showers and bed. Dad and David went to bed in Whip-Or-Will (the name of the guest cabin detached from the main cabin. When i was younger, Becky and I would bunk there while Mom and Dad slept in the main cabin. Whiporwill contains two beds and a bathroom with a sink and toilet so we could survive the nights without our  legs crossed)

          Dad is lucky. He got the child that goes to bed easily. Shawn and Paul roomed in the main cabin and would not stop talking. Gab gab gab, nonstop. Even with Mom warning them that there would be consequences if they didn’t stop, they didn’t. Mom ended up having to act, and when her tactic still didn’t make a difference, I decided to intervene.

    With the threat that I would stand between them (there are two bedrooms in the main cabin, the master bedroom, and a smaller room with two twin beds in it, side-by-side, which is how i could stand between them because one boy in each bed, obviously) and wouldn’t leave until they fell asleep. Paul continued to be a brat (i say that because he truly was, throwing a fit and being defiant, which is very disobedient and disrespectful, especially to Mom and there's only so much i can stand of that, especially when it's disrespect towards Mom) through the whole experience, and didn’t go to sleep until Mom finally snapped, dragged him out of bed and had him go to sleep on the couch in front of the fireplace. With her sitting in a chair, she could sort of watch over and make sure Paul didn’t mess around.

        All this went on as I worked on a 500 piece puzzle I was given while in the hospital (i was working on the 'porch' as we call it, which is where the table we eat  meals at is located, couches...think of it as a living room with a door to the outside and lots of windows and a great view of the 'backyard'). I got the border and at least a third of it done that night.

        I went to sleep out on the 'porch' on the couch that unfolds into a bed. I placed my sleeping bag on top, shoved my body pillow inside and after situating the pillows (persistent neck ache after all), went to sleep with the sounds of the forest and the river all around me. At one point, early in the morning, I woke up to the humming of a hummingbird that visited the feeder, which made me smile briefly before I rolled over and went back to sleep. I woke up again briefly and could swear I saw Dad staring at me through a window, but eventually woke up a minute or two before Dad actually just let himself in so he could sit down at the table and tease me a bit about finishing my puzzle for me.

           It’s been raining all day, which is a lovely sound, to hear the rain falling on the trees. All day long it seems we’ve been trying to occupy the boys with games (Mom more than anyone because the boys keep wanting to play her at different games) David and Paul were taught Checkers by Dad (who actually remembers how to play the game as opposed to me who is a bit fuzzy on the rules and was the one who first tried to teach the boys before i ended up asking Dad for help if he remembered, and i then just sorta let him take over) and then later we played Othello (a two-player game Keri let me borrow and taught me to play when i was in the hospital). I played two rounds against David after washing dishes (something i've always enjoyed doing as part of the experience of the cabin is that we hand wash the dishes) and working on my puzzle a bit as Shawn and Mom played and Dad read a comic book of Superman and Batman.

             Later in the afternoon, after lunch time of course, it was time for short-naps. Paul didn’t sleep very long at all (which forbodes a grumpy night from him), David ended up going to Whip-or-will on his own choice and conked out with Dad, while Shawn pestered Mom and me with his boredom.

      After naps, Shawn and Paul went into the creek again with Dad watching them, and soon after I went to take photos of the river (but not before I managed to finish my puzzle)(it was only 500 pieces, and i do 1000pc puzzles, but doing 500 was ok because i wasn't sure how long my neck would hold, having to lean over and look down. Turns out i only suffered the usual stiffness puzzlers get from searching for pieces).

           The river stays constantly cool, and due to the humidity in the air being in contact with the water, a thin fog is sitting on the water’s surface which makes for some great photos.

       For dinner Dad cooked hamburgers and hot-dogs on the grill, and now we’ve all just wound down. I’ve downloaded pics from my memory cards and have been working on this post. Mom is once again trying to finish a book she’s been working on for quite some time, and what the boys are doing is very suspicious, though it sounds like they’re making a mess in their room, and from the sounds I can hear now that Mom has gone to investigate, they have been making a mess and doing things they’re not supposed to be doing. As for Dad and David, I’ve got no idea, but I have a feeling they’re roasting marshmallows.