Thursday, November 21, 2013

A busy week.



Location, At Home

A busy week here at home…..

On Wednesday Clyda had “revision” surgery on her 2004 knee replacement. The plastic plate on which the knee joint rests and rotates was worn and deteriorating to the point the knee became unstable. The “revision” surgery replaced the plastic plate with a lifetime unit which was also thicker thus providing less movement in the joint. Clyda should feel more stable as she walks.

The surgery went well and with the use of a “nerve block” in her leg she had no pain for a day and a half. She was released on Friday and is doing very well. She uses a walker to get around but in truth, could get by with a cane. She has Physical Therapy here at home provided by Visiting Nurses.

Meanwhile, I have been cleaning up the RV. I have all the sinks, shower and bathroom cleaned, carpets vacuumed, and all the provisions removed. As usual, I have a few items which need fixing. Some of those have been done already but the biggest item is to try and get a vent line from the bathroom sink out to the vent stack from the shower. At present there is an auto vent under the bathroom sink which allows the sink to drain properly but also allows gas from the grey water tank to vent back under the sink.

The main obstacle to adding a vent line is the AC channel running fore and aft between the ceiling and the exterior roof. If I can find a work around, adding the vent line would be beneficial. I am trying to do this without putting another hole in the roof.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Fall desert trip.



Location, At Home

Well, well, well….It has been a long time since I last posted and much has happened.

My desert trip went off without a hitch. Son Tim came from Houston for 10 days of hiking and 4x4 trips. It was a pleasure to have him. The rest of the crew appreciated him also as they had someone to answer their “rock” questions.

We hiked almost every day which is a rarity for us “old guys”. I kept a log of the hikes and trips.

I think the main reason for all the hikes was the amount of prior planning and the quest for finding the unknown in Death Valley. Each year as we learn more about the history and peoples of Death Valley we also add to our list of things to see and do.

I have had a long running list of places to see and check them off as we do them. My list is four pages long and contains 52 items. Some of these we do over as newer people join us and I note the year we did them. Also, we like to check every few years to see if certain artifacts still remain or has someone taken or defaced them.

This year we rechecked several areas on found for the most part all is as we last saw them.

In particular we hiked to “Rood” rock at Jayhawker Springs to recheck that item and found it much as it was before. It is a very good hike up hill which gets your blood pumping.

We also took a 4x4 trip with a guide to find Jean Lemoigne’s grave and his wagon. The wagon had been hitched to two mules which Lemoigne had tied to a mesquite bush when he fell ill and died. The mules also died. Someone later took the wagon back to a canyon near Lemoigne’s cabin. Lemoigne died in 1919 which makes the wagon almost 100 years old. The wagon was intact but had been smashed down by heavy snows over the years. The idea that it was still there is remarkable.


I'll end with a nice sunset picture.