Category Archives: Health

Wait and See

I wrote about our dinner at the Brew Project with our friends Bob and Sini in my last post. When we went out Friday night, Donna and I both left without our smartphones, so I didn’t have any pictures. Sini sent us a photo Bob took with her phone after dinner.

Sini, Donna and me

We drove the rental car up to Menifee on Saturday to visit my step-dad, Ken. Ken was diagnosed with an abdominal aorta aneurysm – this is a serious problem with the large blood vessel coming from the heart through the thorax and abdomen. Ken is 84 years old and not a good candidate for open surgery to repair the damage.

We visited with Ken and his neighbors, Ray and Helen. Helen had driven Ken to the emergency room Thursday after the enlarged aorta was found during a back x-ray. They performed a CT scan and confirmed the problem. Ken was in good spirits and seemed to be getting around fine. We were surprised to learn that in all of his years, Ken has never been to the hospital! He has another appointment on Wednesday to discuss the next steps. I’ve been reading information on the Internet and I don’t see a lot of options. We’ll find out in a couple of days.

The drive on I-15 and I-215 is always interesting. On the way home, traffic slowed to a crawl at the junction of the two freeways. I always expect heavy traffic near the Pechanga Casino, but this was unusually heavy and miles north of the casino. After stop-and-go travel for 20 minutes, we saw a multi-car wreck with damaged vehicles, emergency vehicles and tow trucks on the side of the road. Once past the scene, the traffic sped up and drivers were going 80 miles per hour and weaving through traffic again. Crazy!

Last week, I posted about the lithium-ion battery in our Verizon Jetpack blowing up again. A reader commented on that post with a great idea. He suggested using a timer on the 120-volt AC cord to turn the power on and off. This would allow the battery to discharge while the timer cut the voltage off and recharge when the timer is on. I thought this was a brilliant solution. Partially discharging and topping up the battery should solve the overcharging damage and a partial discharge shouldn’t affect the life of the battery like a full discharge would.

Last week, when I went to Al’s RV Parts in Yuma, I found a Radio Shack store right next door. I bought a digital wall timer there.

Digital 120-volt AC wall timer

The only problem is, I don’t really know the discharge rate or the charging rate of the Jetpack. When I bought it, the Verizon guy told me it would run for about three hours on the battery. I used this as a guideline and programmed the timer to alternate periods of one hour off (battery discharging) with random one or two hours on intervals (charging). Theoretically, the one-hour off would discharge around 30 to 40 percent of the battery capacity. One hour on may not be enough to fully recharge it, so having some two-hour charge periods in the 24-hour program should keep it charged. After using it since Thursday, it seems to work fine. Hopefully I can get a few years worth of use out the battery without suffering another blow up.

Sunday was mostly a hang-out day for me as I watched NFL football. It seems wasteful to squander such beautiful weather – we had clear blue skies and the temperature was in the mid-70s. It’s easy to become complacent about the weather here in San Diego – the good weather is expected and often taken for granted. Having said that, there’s rain in the forecast this evening and in the early morning hours tomorrow before we resume the mid-70 sunny days.

Donna went out for run to Crown Point and back – two miles each way. She’ll head up to LA to run in a 5k at Universal Studios next weekend. Ozark the cat was a couch potato like me all day.

Ozark zonked out on our bed

I saw terrible news on Facebook this morning. Our friends Jeff and Deb Spencer (Rollingrecess.com) were hiking the Flat Iron Trail in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. After they reached the summit and started the descent, Deb fell and broke her arm and went into shock. Her wrist was shattered and will require surgery. She had to be rescued from the steep mountainside – it took 4 hours to get back down the mountain. Our thoughts go out to both of them and we wish Deb a full and speedy recovery.

Today I need to make “things to do” list. I have a number of things to attend to and I keep forgetting some of them. We’ll go out to lunch, then return the rental car.

Loving Santa Fe

Donna has become totally enamored with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ask her what she likes about it and she’ll give you a long list.

On Monday morning she went to the recreational center to play pickleball and found the $6 entry fee wasn’t exorbitant at all – they have a 50-meter swimming pool and an ice skating rink! I didn’t go with her because once again, I have a recurrence of the dermatitis on my feet. I’ve been trying to keep up with the last doctor’s instructions and washing my feet twice a day with antibacterial soap.

Around 3pm, we walked south from the park about a mile and a half to the Blue Corn Brewery. This is a local brewery and restaurant. It’s a small but very interesting brewery. James Warren is the brewer – he has a fine arts degree from Baylor University and while working toward a career in art education in Connecticut, he found his passion in brewing.

Donna wanted a stout as usual but they were out of stout. She had a brown ale that was very close in flavor to the stout she wanted. I had their Roadrunner IPA – excellent ale brewed on site.

We made the trek back to our site – my feet weren’t happy. I kicked back and watched most of the Monday night NFL double-header before going to bed.

Ozark the cat seems to be content while we’re away. When we return, we usually find her either sleeping on our bed or on the dashboard watching the world outside the windshield. She’s a fastidious creature grooming herself several times a day.

Ozark grooming

Keeping clean

Nap time

On Tuesday morning, Donna told me that I was kicking and scratching my feet in the night. My feet always seem to be better in the morning and I’m optimistic – but by the end of the day I’m miserable. Donna reminded me of this. I went online and found a couple of clinics that were in-network for our health insurance. Then I looked at maps and bus routes.

I finally gave in and took a bus toward downtown to Roadrunner Clinic near the train station. The bus dropped me off only a couple of blocks from the clinic. When I boarded the bus, I paid $2 for an unlimited, all-day pass in anticipation of making a stop for prescriptions on the way home.

While I was heading to the clinic, Donna went out for a bicycle ride. She rode about 16 miles.

Beautiful paved bike path in Santa Fe

The doctor I saw at Roadrunner was very attentive and had a holistic approach. After reviewing my previous treatments, he said, “Well they certainly shotgunned everything.” He wasn’t surprised to find this resulted in a quick but not long lasting cure. He advised a less aggressive treatment after telling me the systemic (oral) steroids I’d been taking are too hard on my body in his opinion.

He has dealt with dermatitis conditions many times before. He showed me a medical text describing and detailing different skin conditions. He was certain of his diagnosis of eczema dermatitis – not an infection, no need for antibiotics and not contagious. He spent quite a lot of time telling me how he thought we should approach a long-term cure.

He hedged his bet though. He prescribed a topical steroidal cream for the tops of my feet and a couple of antihistamines that aren’t usually used for for this condition – he knew about this approach from a previous stint working for a dermatologist. It turns out one of the drugs will alleviate my pollen allergy at the same time. But he also prescribed oral Prednisone – only to be used if the initial treatment is ineffective. The other difference from my previous treatments is he wants me to use an emollient on my feet at night. I’ll massage Bag Balm on the tops of my feet and go to bed with socks on. I’m hoping the third try is a charm.

After I stopped at the bus stop by the CVS pharmacy and picked up my prescriptions, I phoned Donna and said I would walk from there and pick up lunch on the way. She suggested meeting at the taqueria across the street from the RV park for lunch. It turned out I’d underestimated the distance and walked nearly two miles to the taqueria.

This place was authentic Mexican fare. Although I’m well-versed in Mexican food, we had to ask for explanation on some of the menu items which included things like beef tongue and tripe. We ended with the the usual pork, beef and chicken street tacos. The salsas from the salsa bar were so good, they’re beyond description.

Later, Donna took my bus pass and went out for a couple of errands and shopping at the farmers’ market at the mall south of us. She opted to walk back with the goodies she picked up along the way in her backpack.

Street musicians at the farmers’ market

Today I’m going to push the envelope and go to the community center with Donna for pickleball. I haven’t played in months and I think my feet will withstand a few games.

Santa Fe Fiesta

Santa Fe, New Mexico is a vibrant town with a lot of history. On Saturday, we studied the bus routes and schedule and rode the bus downtown. The bus ride costs one dollar each way or you can buy a one-day unlimited pass for two dollars if you want to make multiple stops. The metro buses are clean and the drivers are friendly.

We exited the bus at Alameda Street (map) and walked a couple of blocks to the plaza. The streets around the plaza were closed due to the Santa Fe Fiesta (Fiestas de Santa Fe). This festival has been held annually since 1712. It’s a celebration of the re-conquest of the city by Spanish colonists in 1692. It’s the longest running annual celebration of its kind in North America.

Plaza ahead on San Francisco Street

The area around the plaza is filled with boutique shops, restaurants and bars. We stopped at a shop called Parts Unknown where Donna looked at sandals and ended buying OluKai flip-flops. When we reached the plaza, it was filled with people and food vendors.

On the north side of the plaza at Palace Avenue, a stage was set up. There was a performance of a traditional Pueblo Indian dance going on. I didn’t understand what it was all about, but a guy was banging a drum and chanting while a woman and two kids danced.

Traditional performers

We wanted to take a look at the Loretto Chapel. This chapel has a unique spiral staircase that seems to defy logic. It winds its way up without any visible support. We arrived at the Loretto Chapel at 3pm and found it was closed to the public after 2:00pm on this day for private weddings. I’d like to go back another time to see it.

We walked back to the plaza and my feet were getting worn. I’m still battling that pesky dermatitis condition – it clears up, then comes back again. We stopped at the Draft Station on the south side of the plaza and sat at their rooftop bar. Donna ordered a locally brewed oatmeal stout and I had an IPA from Le Cumbre Brewing in Albuquerque. It was first rate IPA.

Le Cumbre Brewing IPA

They boast of their artisan pizza at the Draft Station so we ordered a 12-inch supreme. The crust was thin and crispy and it looked as good as it sounded. Unfortunately, we both thought it was lacking flavor.

Artisan pizza

I studied the map and thought I knew where to find the metro bus terminal to catch our ride home. The bus map wasn’t very good. It wasn’t to scale and many street names were missing. We left the Draft Station about 15 minutes before our scheduled bus departure. We walked west on Palace then turned on Grant. Before I knew it, we were walking up Griffen Street and I knew we had gone too far. We asked a woman on the street for directions but although she was local, she didn’t know where the bus terminal was. We backtracked and I asked a parking lot attendant. He directed us around the corner about a block away from where we were. We had missed the bus by then and would have to wait 30 minutes for the next one. When we reached the terminal, a sign said “Closed for Special Event – Buses Staged at Alameda Street.”

We needed to go back to the corner where we got off the bus earlier! You’d think they would have a sign on the bus or something. We walked back to Alameda Street. My S Health app on my smartphone showed about 8,000 steps by then. My feet were feeling it.

On Sunday, I cooled my feet in the coach and watched football. I had the Denver Bronco – Baltimore Ravens game on TV with the sound off while I listened to the San Diego Chargers – Detroit Lions game radio broadcast online. It was an up-and-down affair with Chargers down 21-3 at the half. They won 33-28 in the end.

Donna went out for a bike ride on a great trail that she picked up not far from the rv park. After lunch, she rode the bus downtown again and attended mass (in Latin) at the oldest catholic church building in the US. The adobe structure of the San Miguel Mission was originally built in 1610.

San Miguel Mission

Santa Fe is the second oldest city in the US – only St. Augustine, Florida is older. It can claim the title of the oldest capital city. It was founded in 1607 – well before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

On her way back, Donna stopped at Sprouts Market to pick up a few items. They were roasting Hatch chiles in the parking lot. The roaster rotates and skins break free of the chilis making them ready for canning or using in a recipe.

Hatch chiles roasting

I finished the day with another entertaining game as the Dallas Cowboys made a comeback to defeat the New York Giants.

Today I’ll rest my feet again. Donna is going to play pickleball at the recreation center a couple of miles from here.

Up and Running Again

I didn’t post to the blog yesterday because I didn’t do much on Tuesday. In my last post, I mentioned Donna’s bike ride on Monday when she rode past the Hudson Headwaters Health Center where I was. Her route also took her past the confluence where the Schroon River empties in the upper Hudson River (map). Here are a few photos she took on her ride.

Schroon River looking west

Schroon River looking east

She got to a point where she thought she might have a missed a turn and stopped for directions at the ticket office for the tour train that runs up the Hudson River. The train doesn’t run on Mondays, but there was an employee at the office who helped Donna find her way. It turned out that it was not the route Donna had planned, but very scenic anyway.

Boarding platform for the train

Train track along the Hudson River

On Tuesday evening, I made chicken leg quarters on the Traeger wood pellet fired grill again and they were absolutely delicious. This has become a favorite dish. After an hour on the grill, I basted them with a honey-maple glaze and cooked for another 10 minutes. At 99 cents a pound, this meal can’t be beat! Donna served it with sauteed zucchini and corn with red peppers.

Honey-maple glazed chicken

Earlier in the day, Donna borrowed Linda’s car and drove to Westport on Lake Champlain to meet up with her friend, Karen Dayan (map). They had lunch and spent the afternoon together.

Karen and Donna

Karen is a long-time Ironman participant. She recently finished third in her age group at the Lake Placid Ironman. She’s qualified to compete in the Ironman Hawaii event several times and is headed to the Half-Ironman World Championship in Austria in a few weeks.

While Karen and Donna were catching up, I followed doctors orders and hung out in the coach. I used antibiotic soap and a pail of water to cleanse my feet, then let them air out without shoes and read a book. It was raining, so I had nothing better to do. In the afternoon, Ozark climbed into her carrying crate and napped. She usually only goes in her crate when we’re traveling. Maybe she’s trying to tell us it’s time for a change in scenery. She’ll have to wait a few more days – we’ll pull out of here on Sunday.

Ozark catching a cat nap

Last week, Donna’s sister Linda told me their generator wasn’t working. They have a 1800-watt portable generator that they use when they dry camp or have a power outage at home. She told me it worked fine the last time they ran it, but then it sat unused for several months and now it won’t start. I figured the fuel in the carburetor evaporated and left varnish deposits gumming up the fuel passages.

Yesterday, I couldn’t stand another day of inactivity. I started my day by deep cleaning the Traeger grill. Then I put Linda and Tommy’s generator on our table and went to work on it. I removed the side cover and the air filter housing. I saw the housing was cracked where it mounts to the carburetor.

Cracked air filter housing

Side cover removed exposing carburetor

I removed the float bowl from the carburetor. The float bowl is the fuel reservoir that meters the fuel mixture into the carb venturi. I expected to find varnish deposits. What I found was worse. The bowl had rust deposits and scaly, dry white flakes in the bottom. The white flakes were some kind of mineral left behind. I don’t know if water had gotten into the float bowl or what the origin of these deposits was – I’ve never seen this in a carburetor before.

Rust and scale in the bottom of the float bowl

I cleaned the bowl with carburetor cleaner and scraped the deposits. Then I removed the main jet from the carb body and shot carburetor cleaner from an aerosol can through the fuel passages.

When I reassembled everything, I used room temperature vulcanizing silicone sealant on the cracked air filter housing. Meanwhile Tommy went out to buy a gas can and fresh gasoline for the generator. He had to go out twice because after buying the gas can, he got side-tracked when Donna texted him and asked him to pick up something at the store. He came home with the gas can, but forgot to buy the gas. This was okay as it allowed time for the silicone sealant to set up.

By then, Donna’s parents, Duke and Lorraine Connor, arrived to spend the afternoon with us. Tommy and I set the generator on the ground. I opened the fuel petcock, switched the ignition on and set the choke. On the third pull, it started. I opened the choke and the generator ran smoothly. I think Tommy was surprised to find it running like that. I fully expected that I would have it up and running again.

Donna and her mom set out snacks on the picnic table. Unfortunately, while I worked on the generator I spilled old stinky gasoline on the end of the table. I rinsed it as best as I could, but the odor lingered.

We had a couple of rain squalls kick up, so we moved the heavy table under our awning to wait them out. The rain passed quickly the few times it fell and it was a mostly sunny day.

Donna prepared pork tenderloin skewers spiced with cumin and hot sauce and added red onion, green pepper and pineapple chunks. I cooked them on the Traeger grill and then Donna brushed them with a pineapple-ginger glaze that she prepared earlier. I neglected to take a picture of the dinner plate – it was fine meal. We had potato salad and broccoli slaw on the side and lots of appetizers from the afternoon still on the table. For dessert, we had a silken tofu chocolate pie that Donna made – no one guessed that it was made with tofu! This was yet another excellent recipe that a fellow RVer, Karin Von Kay, shared with Donna.

Donna and her parents

Last night, we watched a Netflix movie at Tom and Linda’s RV – the movie was Homefront. I couldn’t give it more than 2.5 stars on a scale of five. The others were a little more generous with their ratings.

The weather looks good this morning. I plan to change the oil and filter on our generator this morning as scattered thundershowers are in the forecast this afternoon. Donna is headed out for another bike ride.

Back to the Doc

I took it easy Sunday. I soaked my feet in a pail of warm salt water and let my bare feet dry. The infection that had been treated two weeks ago returned and was spreading across the top of my feet. To make matters worse, the contact dermatitis on my arms never fully cleared up and it was making another appearance.

I put triple antibiotic ointment on my feet and used hydrocortisone cream on my arms. It didn’t bring much relief. In fact, the ointment seemed to make the skin infection on my feet worse.

I tried to find the Indianapolis Moto GP race on the campground cable network. It turned out the race was being televised on Fox Sports1 and the campground cable service didn’t carry that channel. I didn’t want to download the race on my computer because I was near the end of my data cycle and a 2+ gigabyte download would put me over the limit and cost $15-$20 in extra charges. So I went to Crash.net and followed the race on their race day coverage. The page updates every minute or so with lap-by-lap descriptions and an occasional still photo. It was an interesting way to follow the race which turned out to be an exciting one.

By the end of the day, it was apparent to me that I needed another visit to the doctor. So on Monday morning, I went to the Hudson Headwaters Health Center in Warrensburg (map). When I checked in, I was informed they won’t bill my insurance – I would have to pay upfront and seek reimbursement from Cigna. What a mess health care insurance has become.

I was checked in quickly and waited only about five minutes before I was taken to an exam room. A nurse spent a few minutes checking my vitals and going over my history and current issue. Ten minutes later, I was seen by a doctor. He told me the contact dermatitis was a reaction of my immune system. The pollen contact on my skin provoked an allergic reaction which my immune system interpreted as an attack. This in turn led to release of histamines which creates the redness and itching. I think I got that right – I’m no expert. He prescribed a much more aggressive course of Prednisone for the dermatitis. I have three days of high dosage followed by seven days of tapering off. For the skin infection on my feet, he wants me to wash them twice a day with antibacterial soap and pat dry, then let them dry out without socks or shoes as much as possible. He also prescribed ten days of Keflex oral antibiotics.

When I picked up the prescriptions, the people at the pharmacy were great. The girl at the counter looked up my insurance information and I was charged a grand total of 24 cents for both medications!

While I was at the pharmacy Donna sent me a text telling she was out for a 28-mile bike ride. Later I learned she rode right past me at the pharmacy.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the coach with bare feet and reading a book. Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night with searing stomach pain. It felt like a hole was burning through my stomach. I chewed on a couple of antacids and drank some water. Eventually the pain was reduced and I went back to sleep. I don’t know if it was due to the high Prednisone dose or the antibiotic, but I think it’s the medication that caused the stomach issue.

I haven’t been sick in well over two years – not even a cold since we’ve been on the road – until this skin condition surfaced a month ago. I hope it goes away for good once I complete the 10-day cycle of medication and I can go back to being my normal healthy self.

It’s raining this morning and the rain is forecast to linger most of the day. Looking at the weather radar app, I believe it. There’s a huge system to the west of us slowly moving eastward. I’ll lie low again, keep my feet dry and read another book. Donna is going to meet her friend Karen for lunch and spend the afternoon with her in Westport, NY.

Kayaking the Schroon River

We unpacked the Sea Eagle SE-370 inflatable kayak yesterday. I filled it with air using the foot pump and we loaded it in the back of Tommy’s truck. Tom drove us to the kayak rental place in the campground on the Schroon River (map). We had easy access to the sandy beach and launched the kayak there.

I hadn’t been out in the kayak since we left San Diego. We paddled in unison and headed upriver. At the first bend, we had two out-of-control rental kayaks bearing straight at us, forcing us to take evasive action that ran us into the branches of an over-hanging tree. The people in the rental kayaks were totally oblivious as they paddled madly past us.

We put that behind us and continued upriver. We saw people tubing and kayaking downriver as we paddled along, but didn’t have any problems with the traffic. About a mile upriver, there’s a one-lane bridge connecting East Schroon River Road with Schroon River Road at the Warren County fairgrounds. This is where the bus drops off people tubing down the river. The bus must have arrived there just ahead of us as there was a gaggle of tubers in the water at the bridge.

Traffic at the bridge

A couple of days ago, Donna walked across that bridge after hiking on Hackensack Mountain. As she was crossing, a vehicle towing a travel trailer approached the one-lane bridge. The driver didn’t wait for Donna to finish crossing – she drove onto the narrow bridge and stayed tight to the right to give Donna room. As she passed by, Donna heard a loud screeching sound. The trailer was making contact with the bridge railing. Donna looked back as the trailer passed by and saw scrape marks on the metal rail. The travel trailer was damaged for sure – all because the driver was too impatient to allow a pedestrian to finish crossing the bridge.

As we paddled to the bridge, we saw Tommy there taking photos of us.

Tommy’s photo of us approaching the bridge

We continued upriver past the bridge

Once we passed the bridge, we only saw a few other kayaks. The river current is moving slowly in most places and paddling upriver wasn’t too hard. We stopped where a pond formed on the west side of the river and ate ham and cheese sandwiches that Donna had packed for us (map).

The river bends and twists back and forth from there. The outside of the bends have deeper water. In the deeper areas, the current is slow. In some shallow areas, it picks up speed but the paddling wasn’t too hard. It was very quiet along this stretch with no houses or roads in sight.

Looking back after we passed the bridge

What’s around the bend?

Quiet, deep water

We turned back and headed downriver. The current didn’t hinder us much going upriver, so it was no surprise when it didn’t carry us with any speed downriver. At one point, Donna wanted to see how fast we could sprint. We paddled with quick strokes and picked up speed quickly, but found it was hard to keep our paddling in sync to stay the course. We’ll have to work on that.

We only saw a few fish in the river and some geese. I expected to see more wildlife. We saw a few fishermen but no one was catching anything. We pulled out at the kayak rental beach and Tommy came back to pick us up. We were out on the river for over an hour and it was pleasant.

Last night, I grilled chicken leg quarters on the Traeger. We dined at Tom and Linda’s table – Donna made mango salsa to put on the chicken and we had white rice and a side of green beans with garlic and parmesan cheese that Tommy made.

After dinner, Donna, Linda, Tommy and their daughter Felicia went to the rodeo. I stayed home and soaked my feet in a warm salt water bath. The infection on my feet healed while I was taking antibiotic (Keflex) but it looks like it’s returning! I followed the salt water bath with triple antibiotic ointment. I hope I don’t need another visit to the doctor.

Today I’ll hook up to the campground cable TV and watch the Moto GP race at Indianapolis. Donna and I attended the Indianapolis round of Moto GP twice in the past.

Low Voltage – Again

I spent most of the day indoors reading while the miracle of modern medicine continued to do its thing. Donna’s oldest step-granddaughter from a previous marriage, Kayla, came for a visit on her day off work. Kayla is 17 and they hadn’t seen each other in more than 10 years. She drove here from west of Oneonta, which is the furthest distance she’s ever driven on her own. But she made it here with no problem thanks to GPS on her phone. After catching up indoors for a while, they sat outside in the shade of a tree and went through a bin of old photos, looking for photos of themselves from way back when.

Kayla and Gramma Donna

Donna made Asian coleslaw and I grilled Nuremberg sausage for lunch. I finished reading another Vince Flynn political espionage thriller – part of his Mitch Rapp series. That’s the third one I’ve read this week and I started another.

With the temperature in the mid-90s, Donna and Kayla hit the swimming pool after lunch. I hung back at the coach, I don’t think anyone wants to see someone with a skin rash at the pool. The Progressive Industries Electrical Management System (EMS) shut down the power to our coach. I went outside and looked at the pedestal – voltage on the L-1 leg was down to 101 volts. That’s too low and creates a risk of damage to the compressor motors on the air conditioning units. I wrote about that in this post.

I fired up the generator as air conditioning was essential in this heat. It’s frustrating to be hooked up to a faulty 50-amp line and needing the generator to provide clean electrical power. I talked to the park owner again and inquired about the wiring scheme for the pedestals. He was adamant that the problem wasn’t the park wiring, but the power company. When we pull out of here on Saturday, I don’t think we’ll return to this park.

Donna wanted to try something new on the Traeger wood pellet fired grill. She had pizza dough that she picked up at Vince and Joe’s in Michigan. She rolled out two discs and lightly brushed them with olive oil. I grilled one side for two minutes at 450 degrees, then brought them back inside. Donna topped the grilled side with smoked gouda cheese, a mixture of cooked prosciutto, cherries, rosemary and mixed baby greens, then I put it back on the grill for four minutes. She called it a flatbread, not a pizza. We took a vote and gave it 2 1/2 stars out of 5. Donna really liked the topping, but I wasn’t too keen on the combination. And the pizza dough didn’t crisp up like we had hoped. I think we should have left it out longer at room temperature before rolling it out. Do you have any experience with grilling pizza?

Flatbread on the Traeger

Ozark the cat was moving slower than she was the day of her surgery. I think she must have still had some residual effect from the anesthesia on Tuesday. Yesterday she was obviously sore but didn’t seem to be in too much discomfort. She spent most of the day napping on a cat blanket that Donna’s mother made for her.

Ozark catching a nap on her blanket

The prescriptions I picked up on Monday are working well. I would say my dermatitis is 90% clear this morning. I have two more days on the Prednisone. The secondary infection on my feet is healing well. The antibiotic is a little hard on my stomach at times, but I’ll follow the full course of the 10-day treatment.

Thunderstorms are in the forecast for early afternoon. I can see a line of storms to the west of us on the weather radar app, so I believe we’ll see rain before too long. Donna wants to go out for a power walk and hit the pool before it rains. It looks like another lazy day for me.

Recovery Day

I stuck with my plan and hung out inside yesterday. I spent most of the day reading a book. I got a little ambitious and cleaned the place and did the dishes – Donna always says there’s nothing sexier than a man doing dishes.

Donna and her mom, Lorraine, came home with Ozark the cat a little past 5pm. I was battling the low voltage problem here at the Hide-A-Way Campsites. I had the coach cooled to 72 degrees early in the afternoon knowing that I would most likely have to shut down the front AC due to the low L-1 voltage I wrote about two days ago. We ended up sitting outside in the shade of the canopy.

Ozark had surgery earlier in the day (spayed) and the vet said she might be nauseous. Not Ozark – she came inside and immediately went after her food bowl and asked for more. A blog follower named Pat Thorpe generously offered to make a cat blanket to fit Ozark’s carrier crate. She sent the blanket to Donna’s mom’s house and we received it the other day. It’s cute with a paw print fabric and fits perfectly. Thanks, Pat!

Padded blanket in Ozark’s crate

Lorraine also gifted us with a cat blanket that Ozark lounges on.

While I sat outside talking with Lorraine, Donna prepared a rack of lamb. She made a rub with olive oil, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper, cayenne and minced garlic and let it rest for about 45 minutes. I fired up the Traeger and roasted it at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. I also put a rimmed cookie sheet with olive oil, rosemary and diced potatoes on the grill with the lamb.

Roasted rack of lamb

I didn’t think the potatoes cooked well enough at first glance, but they were crisp and tasty. The lamb was moist and tender.

Roasted potatoes from the Traeger

Donna served the meal with green beans and we dined outdoors at the picnic table across from our site. Our neighboring site is empty and opens up to a large grassy area with picnic tables.

Doorstep view across empty site

Last night’s dinner table

Dinner is served

Ozark slowed down as the evening wore on. She found a comfortable place on the dashboard next to the windshield and stretched out.

Ozark in recovery mode

She still seems a little slow this morning but isn’t complaining. We all slept well last night.

My dermatitis condition is responding phenomenally to the Prednisone. I would say I’m 75% clear this morning.

Today we expect another warm day with temperatures in the 90s. We’re expecting a guest today – Kayla is Donna’s step-granddaughter from a previous marriage. I think they’ll hang out at the pool while I read and recover. We may take a short ride down to the Howe Caverns or Secret Caverns later (map).

Itchy Situation

For some reason, mosquitoes love me. I always seem to attract more mosquitoes and mosquito bites than others around me. When we were in Texas, I started getting mosquito bites. Mosquitoes aren’t much of an issue in southern California or Arizona where we spend a lot of time.

When we were at Tom Sawyer RV Park in Memphis, a couple of mosquito bites I got on my left foot back in Rockport, Texas were getting irritated by the straps on my flip flops. In Missouri, I got a couple more bites on my right foot. These were also irritated by the straps on my flip flops. I started putting antibiotic ointment and band-aids over the bites to keep the straps from rubbing and further irritating them.

By the time we got to Michigan, the irritation was spreading on the tops of both feet. I had rough red skin where the straps of my flip-flops ran behind my toes. When we left Michigan and were driving across Ohio, I told Donna my shirt felt funny. I thought it might have had something to do with some new mosquito bites on my shoulders and arms.

The next day, driving through the Finger Lakes Region, I told Donna I thought there was some kind of contamination in my shirt. I wasn’t just feeling mosquito bites – I had splotchy red areas on my neck, shoulders, back and chest, and underarms.

I have severe pollen allergies. Most of the time, I react to pollen with the usual sneezing, runny nose and itchy, watering eyes. Sometimes, when the pollen count is really high or I’m doing yard work, my skin will react with small red itchy bumps.

That’s what this felt like, except the areas of bumps were joining and becoming large skin irritations. Donna told me that the dryers at Addison Oaks in Michigan had a lot of plant matter in the filter screens. She thought someone had dried a blanket or sleeping bag that had been used outdoors. My shirts might have become contaminated in the dryer.

I started taking Benadryl tablets and rubbing Benadryl cream on the affected areas. It seemed like things were improving every morning, but by the end of the day, I would be worse off. Sunday night was the last straw. I had a burning, itching sensation in my arms and shoulders all night long.

On Monday morning, I rode the scooter to the nearest medical facility, Cobleskill Regional Hospital. I brought a book along thinking I would be in for a long wait. I was pleasantly surprised by their efficiency and was soon examined by a doctor. Doctor Trimble diagnosed two separate conditions – contact dermatitis on my upper body and a wound infection on my feet. He prescribed Prednisone for the allergic reaction (dermatitis) and Keflex for the infection. He told me that it isn’t contagious and to avoid scratching or rubbing any of the affected areas. I’ve been hanging out in the coach with my shirt off.

Donna’s mother, Lorraine, came by yesterday afternoon. She took Donna and Ozark the cat to the vet. Ozark had an exam and this morning, will get her vaccinations and get spayed. Donna stayed the night at her parents’ house and will catch up on our laundry. Since we’ve been in parks without sewer hook-ups lately, she hasn’t used our washer/dryer.

This morning, just one day after starting my course of medications, I would say my condition has improved by 50%. I think in another day or two, I should be fine. Of course I’ll follow the prescription of five days on the Predisone and 10 days on the Keflex even if I clear up sooner.

I plan to lie low again and read a book today. Donna and Ozark should be home in the late afternoon.

Where Are You From?

Where are you from? It’s a simple question, right? But when you’re a full-timing nomad, it’s not always so easy to answer. We usually say, “Wherever our motorhome is parked.”

The long answer gets confusing. I grew up here in San Diego, so it always feels like home to me. Donna grew up in upstate New York near Albany and then moved to Lake Placid, New York before moving to Arizona in 2002. I lived in Washington, north of Seattle for 15 years. Donna and I met and married in Arizona in 2006. I lived in Michigan twice, for a few years in the late ’80s and again from 2009 until we hit the road in 2013. So Michigan was our last sticks-and-bricks home.

Our current domicile state is South Dakota. When people see our South Dakota license plates, they often ask, “Where in South Dakota are you from?” Other times, like when we check in at RV parks or show ID at a bank, people assume we’re visiting and ask when we will head back to South Dakota. The real answer is that we’ll head back there in a few years to renew our driver’s licenses, but sometimes we just go along with the charade and say, “When the weather warms up.”

There was a knock on our door the other morning. I opened the door and stepped out to find a man and woman at our site. The man shook my hand and introduced himself and his wife. They were Bob and Dovie Koop from Sun City Shadow Hills near Indio, California. They saw our license plate – KOOP42 (Koop for two) and thought that was our last name. Bob’s uncle was C. Everett Koop, the United States Surgeon General during the Reagan administration. He held that post from 1982 to 1989 and was known for his anti-smoking campaign. C. Everett Koop passed away in February 2013 at the age of 96. I don’t think he was ever a smoker.

We’ve had a heat wave over the past few days with the temperature reaching 90 degrees. It should be cooler today and tomorrow with a high around 80 degrees. We’ve been running the air conditioners.

Donna had her last follow-up exam at her doctor’s office yesterday. We should be good to go on health care until we return at the end of the year. I scootered Donna to her appointment in Mission Hills. I took us down Pacific Highway and up Washington Street to Mission Hills. Donna hadn’t been on that route before and didn’t realize how many restaurants and shops were in the area.

Her appointment was finished by 11am. We made a stop at CVS across the street for a few things and then our thoughts turned to lunch. Our ride home would take us past Old Town, so we decided to stop at one of our favorite restaurants – the Old Town Mexican Cafe.

The parking lot attendant directed us to a perfect motorcycle parking spot behind the restaurant. We enjoyed selections from their daily special menu. Donna had chicken molé ( a quarter of a chicken with molé sauce, rice and beans). I had the half chili verde, half chili Colorado plate with rice and beans. As always, the food was delicious and served with fresh, hand-made warm tortillas.

Making tortilla by the front window of the Old Town Mexican Cafe

Making tortillas by the front window of the Old Town Mexican Cafe

The hockey season ended for me last night. The Detroit Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs with a game seven loss in Tampa Bay. Donna won’t have to sit through anymore hockey games on television until next year.

While I was watching the game, Donna grilled corn on the cob and made wild Alaskan cod with tomatoes and capers for dinner. The fish was cooked to perfection.

Wild Alaskan cod with tomatoes and capers

Today all three of my daughters will be in town as well as my step-dad, Ken. I’m a little concerned about Ken making the 90-mile drive from Menifee, but he insisted that he was fine driving that distance. He got a new car recently and says he needs to put some miles on it.

We’ll try to figure out how to get everyone together later today, after pickleball at the Pacific Beach Recreation Center.

Flying The Koop

…from real estate to wheel estate and back again

Category Archives: Health

Wait and See

Loving Santa Fe

Santa Fe Fiesta

Up and Running Again

Back to the Doc

Kayaking the Schroon River

Low Voltage – Again

Recovery Day

Itchy Situation

Where Are You From?

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