Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Saturday, June 30, 2018

Continuing on the Freedom Trail

We got a late start this morning but still walked a lot of the Freedom Trail.  The boys are taking part in a Junior Ranger Program  and have to visit several sites of the Trail, plus answer questions, get their books stamped, etc.   They need stamps from two sites that we haven't been to, so tomorrow morning I've offered to walk with them to the two sites.  I'm not sure how to get there, but rely on the boys who are super-smart and can understand directions!  It's hard to believe I was once that good at it!

I will be sorry to leave Boston after the short walk on the Freedom Trail, but time marches on and we will go back to New York tomorrow.  I have absolutely love being with these two grandsons, even though they enjoy bickering with each other.   They are growing up so fast, and really treat me with love and respect, and I certainly love and respect them.

I am so  irritated with my Apple computer I am seriously thinking about getting a Windows-based computer when I get back to CA.  For some reason I am having lots of trouble doing what I normally have always done, like download photos into my blog.  All of the sudden things have changed so much and I don't know how to fix it.  I'll see if one of my grandsons can fix it tomorrow.




Friday, June 29, 2018

Day #1 in Boston (CORRECTION)

We arrived in Boston this morning to pick up Joshua, who had been attending a week of S.T.E.M. training at Clemson College  CORRECTION:  BABSON COLLEGE!  (Clemson is in Carolina).  We're staying here for two days, and I've just spent the first day walking about 6 miles around Boston.  I think we will walk the "Freedom Trail" tomorrow.  Since I'm still having some aches and pains in my ankle and leg, I'd say I did pretty well today.  Hope I can get back out and walk tomorrow.

I have always loved this city the few times I've been here, and this is no exception.  It is simply a beautiful city.  I took some photos from my hotel room this morning, but didn't snap any while we were out.  Hopefully I'll remember to take some tomorrow.  It's very crowded, no doubt because the tourists are here during the summer months and no doubt many of them are here for the fourth of July.

I have loved being here with family, but I have to give special praise to my daughter-in-law Sandy.  She is so aware of my failing eyesight plus the trouble with my ankle, and she is always helping me in so many ways - especially to caution me when there is a curb or a step I need to watch out for, and other situations where I need help.  She gives me a hand in a way that it's perfectly natural and I don't feel like the dumbest or most helpless person in the world, which I probably am.

These photos were taken this morning from my hotel room.  Click on a photo to enlarge.





This is Boston on a slant!

 While I'm at it I want to post a photo I took about a week ago in New York.  These are the strangest skies I've ever seen, and they certainly aren't natural.   It looks like the pilot of the plane making them was having fun blowing smoke rings!  It was taken at the Clearwater's Music and Environmental Festival that Ara and I went to about 2 weeks ago.


I'm going to stop now but will try to post more tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Waiting -

I have been waiting for the results of one more blood test but it looks like it will take several more days.  The urgent care center had recommended that I see an orthopedic doctor and called me just now to see if I had done so.  I told her I was in NY, all the way across the country from home, and that I didn't intend to see a battery of doctors here and then leave in a couple of weeks.  I asked about the remaining test and she told me it was indeed related to Lyme Disease, so darn it!  I'm not out of the woods yet.

Since I've been here there has been a super crossword puzzle in progress on the dining room table.  I haven't kept count of how many we've finished, but it seems there were several different ones.  My d-i-l Sandy, and grandson Joshua, are both avid puzzle workers.  Her birthday is at the end of this month; I was looking for a gift for her and found a 3000 piece puzzle online - a beautiful picture of NYC - and ordered it!  We've been working 2000 pc. puzzles and an even larger one will be a great challenge!   I think when I get back home I might work some of the older ones I have, as well as maybe buy some new ones.  I will get the ones that are around 300 pcs however, as my 1000+ puzzle days are over!

I've been  having problems lately with my Apple computer (2012 model).  I need a new battery as well as a new charger, but I'm wondering if I should go back to a Windows based computer.  Apple is not getting great reviews, especially now that Steve Jobs is gone.  The phones and computers are problematic, and a Windows based computer would not be as expensive as replacing it with an Apple.  I wonder how hard it would be to go back to Windows - I remember it as being nothing but problems before I switched brands back in about 2009.   Does anyone out there have any experience going from Apple to Windows?  Or do you have a lot of problems with either system?  I think if they didn't update them so fast there wouldn't be as many problems.  As a retired person who surfs the internet and uses email plus a few other programs, I don't need the incredible power and speed they keep coming up with.  I just want a machine that is reliable and will do the simple things I want it to do.   I'm probably asking too much.  

I'm going with Sandy this afternoon to visit their chiropractor, and hope he can help me with the pain I'm having.  I want to be able to comfortably walk around Boston when we go there.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Test for Lyme Disease is negative!

I just received the call I've been waiting for.  The results for Lyme is negative.  They are still waiting for the results of one test to come back, and after asking the person at the Med Center to repeat herself several times, I finally quit and said OK.  I have trouble hearing on the phone to begin with, and many people either speak too fast or blur their words together and I often just don't get it.  As an afterward, she said something about the spine, so maybe that is causing the pain in my ankle.  I've gone without Advil yesterday and today and the discomfort is not as bad as it was, although it still hurts when I stand up or go up and down steps.  I'll live!

Thanks so much for those who sent me good vibes and healing thoughts.  I am so relieved, although puzzled by what could be the cause of it.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Time is Flying!

It's hard to believe June will be coming to an end in a week.  Mike drove Joshua to the college in Massachusetts where he will be taking part in the S.T.E.M. program during the coming week.

I am really looking forward to getting the results from the Lyme Disease tests, as nothing has changed in the swelling or the moderate pain I'm experiencing.  I take an Advil in the morning and it usually gets me through the day, but I worry because I get side effects if I take ibuprofen for any length of time.   If anyone reading my blog has had treatment for Lyme's, please let me know what medication you were given and for how long.  I'm worried about the eye surgery coming up in about 5 weeks and don't want to have to delay that.  I've read that Lyme's can affect a person's eyesight and that might  explain why my sight is growing dimmer at a much faster rate than before.  I hope it can return to "normal".

I would love to be spending more time outdoors, although the mosquitoes can be pretty bad at times.  I don't need to add another disease to whatever might be wrong with me as it is!

I wish everyone a good week coming up, and appreciate getting some good vibes as well.  If old age gets any worse then I don't know how I'll handle it.   :-)  I still consider myself a lucky person to have the great family and friends that I have.

Friday, June 22, 2018

I did it again!

I was on the last sentence of a new blog post when I lost everything.  It makes me so mad!

I went to Urgent Care this morning and there were no sprains or breaks in my ankle - nothing could be found to cause the pain and swelling.  So they took blood tests to see if I have any tick-borne diseases.  I didn't think it could be related to ticks since I have no marks or spots to indicate I've been bitten.  They told me however, that some people don't have the usual evidence of a tick.  I'll have to wait until the first part of next week to find the results of the tests. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend - it seems like I've written this only a few days ago and lost a couple of days out of the past week!).  I'm mostly sitting with my left leg propped up.  It really is getting old and boring and it will be so great to be able to walk a daily mile or two soon.

Thursday, June 21, 2018

A quick update

This is just a quick note to say that I am still here and enjoying family life, but that somehow I hurt my ankle without realizing how or why it happened.  My left ankle is a bit swollen and painful when pressed and I don't have a clue how it happened, but it's been bothering me since last Sunday.  I should go to an urgent care center to get it checked out, but to tell the truth, I wouldn't care if I never laid eyes on another doctor!  I may go in the next day or two if the discomfort persists.

Yesterday I attended the "moving up" cememony for my oldest grandson, who is leaving elementary school for the next stage of his education which I think is called middle school.  Back when I was in school we only had grade school (1-8) and high school (9-12).  Josh is at the stage of a boy's life when he can act so grown up and mature, and then switch immediately to an annoying kid.  This happens when he wants to aggravate his younger brother.  Having had 5 younger brothers and 3 sons, it all comes back to me.  Also I find it never ends as even when they are grown the competition is still there, usually driven by the oldest boy.

I wonder if I should stay off my feet and allow whatever is wrong with my ankle to heal, or to walk and get some exercise.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Into Thin Air!

I'm having a terrible time with my computer lately.  For the second time in approximately two weeks I have written 3 or more paragraphs of a blog post, only to have it disappear completely.  This happens quite often and I can't imagine that I'm accidentally causing it .  Yesterday's disappearance was so upsetting that I just let it go without trying to recreate it.

Mike had tickets for Clearwater's Music & Environmental Festival 2018 in Croton On Hudson NY.  It was a wonderful event with well-known and not so well known artists, and many exhibits.  There were just too many good things to see that we only skimmed the surface.

Of the many musical acts my favorite was a 50-minute performance of C.J. Chenier, son of Clifton Chenier who was one of my favorite Zydeco musicians.  I also attended the performance of Joanne Shenandoah, an Iraquois singer with an unbelievably beautiful voice.  Ara probably covered a few more exhibits than I did, and we didn't have the time to take in some of the informational booths.  I hope to go back one of these years.  With over 80 performers and 8 stages, plus all the exhibits, I'd need more energy than I have to make a dent in the list.

The crowd was really great - everyone enjoyed themselves without infringing on anyone else.  I can't remember when I've seen so many laid back people of all ages just enjoying themselves without alcohol or drugs.  At least that sort of thing was definitely not evident. 

Our tickets covered both days of the festival but I was wiped out  by the time we left - just from being among so many people (which I'm certainly not used to the past few years).  I truly enjoyed the day.

My eyes are worsening by the day it seems, and I will be glad to get the surgery over with and hope it helps.  They tell me it will get worse before it gets better!  I've decided I'm going to get  a dog that can be of assistance to me.  I definitely want a black lab and when I get back to CA I will start searching.   Depending on what is available I might consider a golden retriever, but really want a black lab.

I'm going to post this now before I lose it!  I hope everyone had a good weekend - it seemed to go by so fast.  I sure have enjoyed being with Ara for the past  two weekends.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Flag Day (yesterday, June 14)

Yesterday was Flag Day, and my two grandsons (both in scouts) took part in assisting members of the local American Legion Post in "retiring" old American flags which they collect during the past year.  A large stone fireplace was built for this particular reason, and the scouts filed up to pick up an old flag to be discarded, and under the watchful eyes of 3 firemen plus a lot of American Legion members as well as scout leaders, they  placed the old flag onto the fire, and then back to pick up another flag.  There must have been at least 200 flags, and the process took quite a while.  Once in a while the wind would pick up and they had to wait until it died down.  I had never witnessed anything like that, which probably only happens in smaller communities with active American Legion and Scout leaders.
(Click on file to enlarge it.)

  

 I am lucky to be able to observe the wildlife in this area - deer have always crossed the back yard daily although there seem to be fewer of them lately.  Yesterday when we were driving home we saw a turkey vulture on the road trying to drag a very dead squirrel across.  It must have been heavy because the vulture could only move it a bit further on each attempt, plus he seemed to be feeding each time he had to stop.  Finally Sandy drove around him and we continued on our way.  He seemed only mildly cautious when we went around him, and moved to the grass at the side of the road.  I don't ever see things like that in the suburbs of Sacramento, although in some neighborhoods there are wild turkeys that seem quite unconcerned about traffic. 




This is the weekend when my boys in CA take their kids up to the mountains for a weekend Father's Day campout.  I hope they have a wonderful time.  They will enjoy escaping the heat in Sacramento, for sure.

A happy Father's Day weekend to all the dads out there.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

This & that!

Sandy and Mike are having their entire downstairs painted while I'm here, and it sure is looking beautiful.  I have always done my own painting and can appreciate the perfection this man has.  Makes me want to paint some of the rooms in my own house, although I'm not sure my vision is up to it, nor do I want to climb on a ladder more than a step or two up.

Tomorrow the painter will be doing the room I'm using, so I need to move a few things for a day or two.  No problem though because I'm trying to not leave stuff all over as I sometimes do at home.

The weather here is continuing to be beautiful, and I'm hearing from the kids in CA that their weather is extremely hot.  The heat will catch up with me sooner or later.

I'm going with Sandy to their chiropractor this afternoon.  He had told her he would take care of me as well, and I'm sure my back could use an adjustment after sitting long hours on the train.  Mike has a treadmill in the basement so I am getting some exercise nearly every day, but still not moving around as much as I should.

I'm really enjoying family life for a while, although I will probably enjoy getting back to my own routine as well in a few more weeks.

It's just about time to go to the chiropractor with Sandy so I'll close now, and wish you all a T.G.I.F.* day for tomorrow!   (Thank God it's Friday!)

 

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

A great weekend

It's been so good for me to be around people most of the time, and I get some alone time when the family is at work and school.  Ara has been here for several days and I've loved every minute of it.  She just left to drive back to Pennsylvania, but will come back next weekend for a few more days.   She looks wonderful after finally getting medical treatment for what ailed her.   It seems like all the females in the family have one thyroid issue or another.

The weather here is spectacular - very warm once in a while but mostly in the 70's or low 80's.  My kind of weather.

I heard from Jeannie that the California kids are getting excited about this coming weekend.    For the past couple of Father's Day weekends, the dads go camping and take the kids with them.  I think that is a sweet and fitting gesture for the fathers, and of course the kids all love it.  For the first time in my entire life I think I don't want to go camping any more.  I still get excited looking at tents though - last weekend Mike took Joshua on a Boy Scout camping weekend, and I helped them set up their tents to dry them out.  Just looking at tents gets my adrenaline going, but I know very well I won't do it any more.

I hope all the fathers out there will have a special weekend coming up.  A good father is a  treasure!  Not many days go by that I don't think of my dad, and what a great dad he was.



Saturday, June 9, 2018

Enjoying family

I have had a very nice week just enjoying my family.  Ara drove up from PA and spent some time here on her way to a funeral in Rhode Island (one of her employees, a 25 yr old woman, was hit and killed by a car a few days ago).  Ara is looking very well since finding a doctor who diagnosed her Graves Disease and is treating it, and she looks and feels so much better now.

This morning Sandy and I drove Justin to his soccer game in Greenwood Lake, NY, a very small hamlet about 50 miles from NYC.  You would never know there are any large cities within miles - we drove through hills and valleys of beautiful countryside.  That is one of the things I love about this area.   Near Greenwood Lake is a small town that features a Rennaisance Festival coming up this summer and looks to be quite an extensive and large affair.   The people of this area are so friendly and welcoming.  I've never been to an event like that and don't know if it will be taking place while I'm here.

I've walked a mile and a quarter each day on Mike's treadmill since I've arrived and I think I'm feeling much better and my balance has improved a bit.  After mostly walking on a treadmill for the past few years I really don't like the pavement.  I'm sure that as I feel healthier and steadier, having my eye operation will set me back quite a bit.  I'll just have to grin and bear it, and start up again.

A mother deer walked through the backyard this morning with her very young fawn.  I love to see things like that.  Where I live in CA there really isn't much wildlife that I can see, although in some neighborhoods there are turkeys and geese walking around.

I hope you all are having as good a weekend as I am - no stress. 

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Continuing with photos

I still have a lot of photos to show you, so I'll continue.  First of all I want to thank those who comment on my posts.   I used to get an email notification from Blogger as soon as someone commented, and I could reply to the comment every time one arrived.  Now it seems that they aren't sending me a notification, and it dawned on me that I should do some further checking.  Thanks for any responses that have been sent.  It seems Google is changing everything lately.

These pictures start somewhere between Utah and Colorado.  I took so many of them (not all turned out very good however) and then couldn't access them right away so my memory isn't fresh.  But Utah/Colorado is a safe bet.















I hope I'm not posting any duplications.  The photos that I have to choose from are tiny little pictures and are difficult to distinguish.  My eyesight keeps worsening.

Monday, June 4, 2018

A few more photos

I thought I would post a few more pictures from my trip east.  I'm trying to weed out some of them that didn't turn out so well.  It is difficult to take good pictures from a moving train - everytime I lined up what I thought was a good shot, a tree or some other obstruction would appear before I could even take the picture!   There is also a glare on the train window in most of them, but even at that, they serve to record my memories.  Also, there aren't any pictures of some states because we traveled through them during the night.

This looks like Nevada and Utah:  (Click on a photo to enlarge)





I love the reflection of the clouds in this one

















I'll continue in another post.  We traveled through Utah and then east into Colorado with a stop in Denver.  While it is all beautiful, I was disappointed in the views of the Rocky Mountains. 

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Will my photos appear?

I've spent several days researching this camera and how to share pictures taken with it, to no avail.   This evening Sandy worked with it and got one photo to appear in a message, so there much be a way.  I hope I don't have to send each photo in an individual message, but will do it if I have to.

 Sandy & Joshua (my grandson) took a look at it and somehow magically retrieved my pictures in the proper format.  I have no clue how they did it but here are a few pictures to start.  I'll add more each day.  Click on photo to enlarge it:

Blue Mountain and surrounding area, Sierra Nevada Mountains: