Rituxan Maintenance Treatment and Subsequent Effects

When I went to my oncologist appointment on Wednesday, I mentioned my concerns about infections to him. The good news is that I have managed to keep my weight somewhat stable since June. The reality is I had gained weight while on holidays (lots of restaurant eating) and have managed to lose most of it. My blood levels seem to be good. Due to my concerns about infections, the doctor is having another blood test done on blood that was taken just before my rituxan treatment on Thursday. After my appointment on Wednesday, I really enjoyed seeing some of my co-workers and my manager from my job in the Tuck Shop at the hospital. Before I worked at the hospital, it had the association of chemotherapy treatments and negative feelings. Now, I look forward to seeing the people that I have worked with and also other employees in the hospital that I used to always greet with a smile. They still remember me! It warms my heart.

My rituxan maintenance treatment was on Thursday. Thursday morning, I had a wonderful time with a friend of mine who I play music with. We made some music (and some mistakes) and shared laughter and friendship. Due to my eyes, we weren't able to play for the full hour so we then continued to share our friendship over a cup of tea. Before I knew it, it was time for me to leave. The morning went so quickly! I drove home, had some lunch and then caught the bus to the hospital. I deliberately arrived early because I wanted to visit with more co-workers and also drop in on the stem cell unit. I went up to Kidd 4 where I always went for my stem cell appointments. What a shock and surprise to see the office completely cleared out. They have obviously moved to somewhere else in the hospital. Eventually, I found out they were up on Kidd 9. The elevators were very busy and I knew that I would make it up to Kidd 9 quicker by taking the stairs. Well.....I was reminded that I'm still not in the best shape. I was huffing and puffing by the time I reached Kidd 7. Two more flights of stairs to go!!! I was glad there was no one else around as I sucked air greedily. I bent over to catch my breath. I considered sitting down on the steps to rest but realized that I might have trouble getting back up and going. So after a brief respite, I continued on. By the time I reached the stem cell unit, I truly was in need of a chair. Despite my breathlessness, the nurses were really pleased with how I looked. I'm looking very healthy. Of course, I do have rosy cheeks, but my face might have been a little more ruddy and red due to the climb up the steps. I had a lovely visit with the nurses. They were in awe of how much hair I have and how curly it is. Truthfully, it is in need of a trim. That will take place next week....at the hospital hair salon. After my visit in the stem cell unit, I purposely looked for one of my co-workers that I haven't seen in a long time. I found her. We had a brief visit as my chemo lab appointment was coming up quickly. Off I went in my usual brisk walk over to the Cancer Centre.

My appointment was for 2:00. I arrived slightly before as I needed to register at the front desk first. I had the same lady handle my registration as I did on Wednesday when I registered for my doctor's appointment. I then made my way up to the chemo lab. In 2012, I used to have anxiety when I went for chemo appointments. Even as recently as last year, I can remember being in the midst of chemo treatments and having anxiety and feeling ill while waiting for my appointment. On Thursday, it was just like a routine doctor's visit. When the nurse called my name, I looked up and didn't recognize her. She recognized me though. Because on Wednesday, blood had been taking out of my right arm, the nurse wanted to insert the IV into my left arm. She wasn't pleased about the choices of veins, so she saw a vein on the inside of my wrist that she thought might work. As she inserted the needle, I felt it sting like never before. I mentioned it to her and she thought everything was fine. She took the blood needed for the blood test and then went to flush the site. The pain was very uncomfortable. I have had many flushes in the last year and it has never hurt like that. I mentioned again that it was very sore. The nurse just thought I was extra sensitive.....until she looked at the site. It was swelling and already bruised looking. The flush was not going into the vein! She took the IV out and decided to go for the vein on the top of my left hand. This worked better. My treatment took 2 1/2 hours to complete which took me to 4:30 p.m. The nurse was finished her shift at 4:00 p.m. She packed up her stuff and went. The "late shift" nurse took over. I have had her work with me before. I do remember her. When she came to take out my IV at the end of my treatment, she also took off the covering over the original site on the inside of my wrist. It was very swollen, red and purple. She was concerned. She suggested that perhaps I should keep my ID bracelet on in case I need to make an emergency visit....in case I get phlebitis or cellulitis. I've had both in the past. I had phlebitis when my son was born by C-section 24 years ago. I had cellulitis last August in my chemo treatment cycle. So I'm spending my weekend keeping a close eye on that left wrist.

After my chemo appointment on Thursday, a very good friend came down to the Cancer Centre to drive me home. The benadryl that is always given to me before the treatment had put me into a very tired mode. Thursday night, I was in bed by 8:00. Hubby tucked me in and told me on Friday morning that I wasn't making much sense when I went to bed Thursday night.  Yesterday, I did 2 loads of laundry and picked some more tomatoes. That was enough. My wrist was swelling up. I wanted to play piano but again, the wrist was not up to the activity. Last night, it was aching enough to keep me awake. This morning, I am fighting a headache which is a side effect of the rituxan. I'm also feeling weary. I've done a load of laundry early this morning and hung it outside. These were clothes and blankets from our little campfire last Saturday. I needed to get them washed to get rid of the campfire smoke smell. I really like seeing my wash hang on the line. For some reason, it gives me great satisfaction to hang it up and then watch it sway in the breeze. Although today, there is not that much of a breeze. If the wash doesn't dry completely by the end of the day, I'll throw it in the dryer.

I was hoping to cut the grass today too but I seem to have run out of energy. I will be taking some tylenol to fight the headache that is just there. It doesn't help that there is hammering and noise going on as we have a leak fixed in the roof. I haven't heard Hubby or the man who's working on the roof fall off. This is always my fear. So I'm having a fairly uneventful weekend. I'm hoping that I'll be able to go to church tomorrow. I like seeing the people in my church. It is like an extended family and I know they truly care about each other. I went last week and met our new minister for the first time. I really, really liked her sermon and her manner. It makes me want to go back. We'll see how I'm doing tomorrow.

Reality Check and Anxiety

As my blog has shown, I have had a fantastic time of relief from doctors' appointments, tests and treatments. I have enjoyed a great holiday, outings with friends and visits with friends and family. I've lived in the moment and lived one day at a time. Carpe diem....seize the day...wring as much joy out of my existence as I can.

I knew that I had another rituxan maintenance chemo treatment coming up in September. I thought it would be the end of September. I got a reality check yesterday afternoon when the chemo lab called with my appointment for my treatment. It is on Thursday.....of this week. As usual, I will have a check up with my oncologist the day before.....that's tomorrow.

This reality check came after another weekend of fun with my hubby and with friends. I went to the Craft Beer and Ribfest on Saturday afternoon, had a campfire with really good friends on Saturday night and went with Hubby to the Multicultural Festival on Sunday. This was after finally making it to church on Sunday morning where I met up with my "church family" who I haven't seen in many months. It was a morning full of warmth and love. I enjoyed the food and activity at the Multicultural Festival. But....while I enjoyed my weekend, I also was struggling with an eye infection which has now spread to both eyes. I also had an infection develop in a scratch on my hand while I was away on holidays. The scratch has fully healed but these infections worry me because it is a reminder that my immune system is not 100%. I think this is only the third eye infection in my life. I bought drops on Sunday but they don't seem to be helping. I will be mentioning this to my oncologist tomorrow.

My sudden appointments this week and the eye infections are a harsh reminder that all is not rosy in my world. I can live life to the fullest. This is not keeping me down but it is a reminder that my immune system is not and may not ever function at 100%. This is a reminder that, yes, there is no cure for the follicular lymphoma. This is a reminder that my life is probably shortened and I need to live just one day at a time. So I'm in the process of making arrangements for transportation to my treatment on Thursday. I can drive myself there but my mind will be impaired after the treatment and I probably shouldn't drive home. As a compromise and so I am not an imposition, I will probably take the bus to my treatment. Then I just need to find a ride home.

So after living life fully for the summer, I am back to living with some anxiety regarding infections. Is this a downturn of my health? Is the lymphoma working on me more again? Will I have to go for more tests again? I find it ironic that this all is happening as our weather has turned cool, grey, dreary and rainy. I am not going to wallow in this dreary, emotional place but I am acknowledging it so that I can move upwards and onwards. The rituxan treatment will make me feel like I have the flu and I will be very tired. I will feel cold. I will ache. I will have headaches/sinus aches. I may feel nauseous again. On Thursday, I will receive some benadryl before the treatment which will make me very tired and sleepy.

As I was writing this last paragraph, it is grey and raining outside. I looked out my living room window from my couch and I saw two small children waiting for the school bus across the street. They are wearing brightly coloured boots that popped against the grey morning. The little boy is wearing a bright blue raincoat. His older sister is  wearing a bright pink scarf at the neck of her dark blue raincoat. Their mom is waiting with them and has rusty coloured lab-kind of dog on a leash. The dog is bright eyed and alert as he/she hears the bus coming. The ears are pointed forward as he/she looks up the street. The tail is up and alert.This was a beautiful splash of colour in life that has appeared just as I was feeling sorry for myself.

Life is worth living each day fully. I do have a raincoat. Perhaps I'll put it on and go for a walk in the drizzle. I need to pick up a bicycle helmet so that I can take out my "new" (to me) bike and learn to ride again. Or I'll put on my raincoat and play in my garden in the drizzle. Fear can take me to a dark place if I let it. I am not going to let it take me there. So yes....I've had a reality check and reminder of how things are and may be. I have no timeline except for the appointments this week. So why waste a day feeling sorry for myself when I can seize it and walk in the rain. According to the television, it will be warmer today. Why not indulge and walk in the rain. Maybe go geocaching. Maybe pick more tomatoes. Maybe just walk. Maybe I'll just buy myself some nice bright red rubber boots like the little girl across the street. Carpe diem....seize the day!

Catching Up

So it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I'm still feeling well and my health seems to be good. When I left to go on our 3 week holiday on The Goldwing, my vegetable garden was limping along due to lack of rain. I kept watering it with the rainwater from our rain barrel, but the barrel had also dried up. I even kept the gardens alive and getting ready to produce by watering with our municipal water. I prefer the rainwater that I collect because it doesn't have any chlorine in it.

When I arrived home a couple of weeks ago, my garden had exploded with growth and produce in that 3 week period. My son, who was home during our holidays, indicated that we had lots of rain. My 2 little cucumber plants had thrived and were full of cucumbers. My little tomato plants that I thought were going to die, had thrived exceptionally well. The one plant has grown out of the garden and onto my patio and up through my patio table. It is full of blossoms. I have been picking tomatoes every 2 days for the last 2 weeks. My freezer is full of cherry tomatoes. I have been snacking on tomatoes right from the vine while I work outside. I need to be out again today to pick them. It is extremely hot today and so I will wait and pick them this evening when it is slightly cooler. My beets also thrived while I was away. I have frozen beets in my freezer now ready for me to eat them during the winter. I still have more beets that I'm waiting to finish growing before I pull them from the garden. I have harvested my garlic bulbs. Some I will use a seeds and replant this Fall yet.

So the last 2 weeks have been spent harvesting and weeding my gardens and keeping up with the laundry. My son moved away for good to start his own career and life. It was a sad day this past weekend when I saw him driving away. I know he will come back to visit but it will be just that....a visit. So I happily did loads of laundry as my last effort to "mother" him before he moved away this past Saturday. Saturday night, Hubby and I were distracted from missing our son as we went to our friends' place for a campfire and visit. Hubby also surprised me with an overnight trip to Syracuse (not on The Goldwing this time) to see the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays affiliate) play against the Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals affiliate) on Sunday and Monday.

I was really pleased to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Dwight Smith Jr., and Richard Urena play for the Bisons. These were names that I recognized and had seen play on television while up with the Blue Jays at various times. Guerrero Jr. hasn't played with the Toronto Blue Jays since the exhibition game in Montreal in the Spring. But he definitely is creating lots of buzz and excitement and it was good to see him play. I also recognized the Bisons' first base coach. He used to play for the Blue Jays out in centre field. It was Devon White. Unfortunately, the Bisons lost both games and ended their season. The Chiefs also were finished for the season as they didn't make the playoffs either. The Syracuse Chiefs have been bought by the New York Mets and so the season ticket holders were sad to be leaving this season. Next season may bring a new name to the club.

After our 24+ hours away, yesterday was spent doing more laundry. You see, at the game on Monday, I had signed up to be part of a Diamond Giveaway which took place at the end of the game. 100 women ran onto the field each wielding a small wooden spoon and we had to dig in the dirt between the first, second and third base bags. There were three poker chips buried 1/2 inch to 1 inch below the surface and each corresponded with a prize. One chip was for a diamond pendant necklace. A second chip was for a pair of diamond stud earrings. The third chip was for a prize pack of Syracuse Chiefs swag. During the game, I had deduced that the chips would not be along the baselines because the runners' cleats would dig the chips out. I also didn't believe the chips would be where the basemen stand because, again, their cleats would dig up the chips. The rules of this contest also stated that the chips would not be within 2 feet of the grass infield or the grass outfield. During the game, I figured that most of the women would run to the dirt between first and second because it was closest to where we all started out from. Not me! I decided to run to a spot between where the third baseman and shortstop would place themselves. I merrily dug away at the hardened dirt with my little wooden spoon. I wore it down to nothing and then I saw security and Chiefs staff with piles of wooden spoons. I called out for another spoon and kept digging. I had a lot of fun digging in the dirt. It reminded me of when I was a child and a bit of a tomboy. I used to love playing in the mud and dirt. So I played in the red dirt and dust of the ball field. I didn't win anything but I certainly had fun. Yesterday, I was feeling some aches and pains.

It was a good thing that last night we were having Hubby's cousin and his aunt over for a visit over tea and dessert. I was forced to keep moving and keep the achy muscles limbered up while I finally tackled cleaning the house after having been away on our holidays. In addition to madly cleaning the house (it really needed it), I did the laundry from our trip away and I made a zucchini loaf and a zucchini cake for our dessert last night. Today, I am tired. The heat has gotten to me. The temperature with the humidity is pushing 40 degrees celsius today. So I'm catching up on some paperwork and the blog.

I will probably spend this afternoon trying to figure out the answers to some puzzle caches for my geocaching hobby. I'm not very good at these puzzle caches but I've been told that you just have to work at it and gain the experience. This will be a good task on this hot afternoon. I will also take some breaks and play the piano for my own enjoyment. I am finding the house quiet after having my son home for the summer. It's been a great summer for me and I continue to enjoy my time off work and my break from doctors' appointments.

The only appointments I have had in July and August has been to see my family doctor and continue to get my vaccinations like a young child. Due to my stem cell transplant, I am required to get Hepatitis B shots. These are not optional. There is a shortage of the vaccine in my town. I have managed to find enough for my 2 shots so far. My next Hep B shot isn't until January. I'm hoping that there will be more vaccine available for me by then. Thank goodness for Hubby's health plan because they help cover the cost. Our medicare doesn't cover these shots and they cost $200 per shot. I can't imagine the financial strain on cancer patients' families who don't have insurance benefits and coverage. Hubby's has been a godsend throughout my process and treatments. I have lots and lots of blessings to be thankful for.

VACATION DAYS 17 to 21

Vacation Day 17 - August 15 - Hanover to Desboro

Our destination today is to go to visit my brother on his farm. We don't want to arrive too early as he has just arrived from out of town himself last night. We need to be out of our lodgings by 11 a.m. So we got up and walked to a local restaurant for breakfast. The morning is already very hot and humid. It's oppressively sweltering as we walked across a newly paved parking area. The heat was just reflecting back up to us through our shoes and from the ground. As we ate our breakfast, we planned our day. We decided to be fair to my brother and not arrive there until after lunch. So we decided to go looking for geocaches in Hanover before climbing on the bike and taking the back roads to my brother's farm. After leaving the restaurant, we walked across to the raceway to find 2 geocaches. One was a quick find although we were out in the open and I'm sure we were watched by the trainers sitting outside the barns while one of their horses was put through the paces on the track. I'm also sure that customers from the racetrack dining area were able to see us look for the one geocache. The other geocache was trickier. We decided not to go into the woods to look for it. We were wearing shorts and short socks. I did not want to accidentally walk into a patch of poison ivy or get some ticks on us. So we walked back to our lodgings, loaded up The Goldwing and checked out.

Our next stop was to find a geocache nearby. Hubby looked and looked. I figured it out pretty quickly because I had seen one like this in North Carolina a few years ago. We hopped back on the bike and made our way to our next geocache location. We spent a good hour or more here as we enjoyed the peacefulness and shade. We did see a white caterpillar that we recognized from a news article as being labelled as poisonous. We were sure not to touch it. It was beautiful but there are spines on it that are poisonous and can cause swelling, pain and itching similar to bee stings.  Finally it is time to hop on The Goldwing to continue our trip.

Our back roads trek to the farm was beautiful. The fields look good and healthy. We rode through a Mennonite area and saw a farmer with his big wagon full of hay bales being pulled by a couple of horses towards his barn. We saw women and children working in their gardens. We saw a young man driving his horse and cart along a side road. He waited for us to go by on The Goldwing and he waved as we went by. Then we arrived at "The Farm". My sister-in-law welcomed us with warm smiles and enthusiasm. My brother was out in the field working hard to bring in the harvest before the forecasted rain for the next day.

My sister-in-law visited with us and then included us in her travels as she had some errands to do. She showed interest in our geocaching hobby and so on the way, we stoppped to find a local geocache around the corner. She seemed to be hooked. We went into Chesley to do the errands and she took us to a beautiful little memorial park with an old railway trestle. Lo and behold, there was a geocache in the park! We really enjoyed learning about the history of the area with the display that was set up. In the park, we also saw a van and driver who had brought some Mennonite young people to the park. They were from the Kitchener area and in the Chesley area for a wedding. Before we made our walk to the railway trestle, we looked for the geocache. I had the GPS but my sister-in-law saw the little cache before Hubby or I. She was so excited to see it. We enjoyed our walk through the park and the visit with my sister-in-law. When we climbed back into her car, she took us with her as she picked up a couple of items from the grocery store. Then on the way back to "The Farm", she took us to a beautiful lake that I had no idea was in the area. There was a small public access park that she knew about. She used to take my nephews here when they were little boys. After spending some peaceful time wading in the water, it was time to climb back in the car and return to make dinner.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner with my sister-in-law and nephew while my brother continued to work a very long day getting his grain in. We did see him and visit briefly with him when he came in after 9 p.m. for his dinner. He was very tired and I had great sympathy for him. We all headed to bed as we all were feeling tired but my brother was exhausted.

Vacation Day 18 - August 16 - Desboro to Kitchener

I awoke around 7:00. I realized my sister-in-law was not up yet and my brother and nephew were most likely in the barn doing the milking and chores. I quietly read some farm magazines and then got myself dressed and went upstairs to the kitchen. My sister-in-law was up and we spent time on the front porch with our coffee. Hubby joined us a little bit later. It was warm and muggy but there was a nice breeze. It was decided to have a fully cooked breakfast and treat my brother to this when he arrived in from the barn around 8:30-9:00. My nephew had already been in, changed and left for his day at the office. It was great to see him. I saw my other nephew briefly as he had arrived from a business trip late the day before. He dropped in on his way to work just long enough to say hello. We enjoyed our breakfast with my brother but he was still so tired. The skies were full of cumulous clouds that looked like they could build up to a thunderstorm. After my sister-in-law and I had cleaned up from breakfast, my brother went for a nap and Hubby treated my sister-in-law to a ride on The Goldwing. She was full of smiles when she arrived back about a half hour later. While they were gone, I had continued to clean up from breakfast and get our things packed up. Once The Goldwing was back in the laneway, Hubby and I loaded up the bike and said our goodbyes. My brother had been up and away on the ATV do check on something but he was back and we were able to say a brief goodbye. Off we went back onto the roads leading to Kitchener.

Due to the construction season, our ride down to Kitchener took us along roads that I had not been on in over 30 years! It was wonderful and a ride down memory lane for me. As we approached the area of Waterloo Region, we could see the sky getting nasty looking. Not far away were two systems of clouds that were very dark and threatening. We were still riding in sunlight but it wouldn't be for long. Hubby was looking for a place that was safe to pull over and we could put on our rain gear. He finally found an intersection where both roads were paved. He pulled over to the side on some pavement and we quickly donned our rain pants and coats. Thank goodness we did! The wind picked up and the sky went black. Then the rain pelted us so hard it felt like hail but it wasn't. Visibility was terrible. Hubby had his hands full trying to keep the bike upright. The wind was so strong, my helmet felt like it was being pulled upwards. I'm sure if it wasn't a good fit and the it wasn't strapped on, it would have been gone. We were so glad to survive that storm and arrive at my brother's home in Kitchener! We stripped off the rain gear and had to hang it to dry. The rain had even managed to make my seat wet where I had been sitting! But our rain gear did its job and our motorcycle jackets and our clothes were good and dry. Hubby had made an appointment while in Desboro to have his front tire replaced at the Honda dealership in Kitchener. So he and my brother went off to drop off The Goldwing and bring Hubby back home. The bike will be picked up in a couple of days.

We ended our day with a great visit with my brother and sister-in-law. It was good to get some laundry done and have clean clothes again. We enjoyed a sushi dinner at one of their local restaurants. I guess my son had introduced my sister-in-law to this restaurant when he had visited them earlier in the summer.

Vacation Day 19 - August 17 - Kitchener

I really enjoy visiting my brother. He is a morning person just like me and we always have a visit to ourselves while Hubby and my sister-in-law sleep in. I always look forward to enjoying my coffee on my brother's back deck in the early mornings with him. We just visit quietly and listen to the birds. Once we were all up on this day, we went for brunch at a restaurant called A Dish Called Wanda. This tickled my funny bone because I love the movie "A Fish Called Wanda"! It was very busy and we weren't in a hurry. We chatted and earlier we had decided to go the horse races this particular night. The longer we waited, we realized that we would not need to worry about trying to fit dinner into our race plans. This suited us just fine! I felt sorry for the poor server who was the only one serving a packed restaurant. We did enjoy making her laugh and give us brief smiles as she was run off her feet. Even one of the kitchen staff had to come out and help the server deliver food. It was good food though.  After our "brunch", we returned to my brother's home and put in time until it was time to head to the races.

We all had a great time! My brother was the "big" winner of the four of us. Even he didn't win "big" but we all had fun.The ride back to my brother's home took us through a torrential downpour and thunderstorm. We had to wait in the car in the driveway for the rain to let up slightly so we could make the dash into the house.

Vacation Day 20 - August 18 - Kitchener

The rain from the night before finally broke some of the oppressive humidity and the morning visit on the deck was very enjoyable. It was decided to have my mother come for dinner at his house that evening. I love visiting my brother because it is always very laid back and I always seem to relax and feel refreshed. This day was no different. Once Hubby awoke and was coherent, my brother, Hubby and I went in my brother's car to drop Hubby off at the Honda dealership to pick up The Goldwing. Then my brother and I went off to do some groceries before returning to his home. I have always been close to my brother and we enjoy whatever time we have together. Once we arrived "home", we all settled down to watch the Blue Jays play baseball until it was time to make dinner. My mom arrived and we enjoyed a visit with her too until dinner.

For dinner, my brother barbecued some steak and baked potatoes. I made a caesar salad and my sister-in-law made some vegetables. My mom brought rhubarb pie for dessert. I opened my mead that I had bought earlier on in our vacation and shared it amongst all of us. It received mixed reviews. Hubby thought it was too sweet. My sister-in-law and I liked it. My brother thought it was OK but a bit on the sweet side. This was the semi-sweet mead. I liked it just fine. We enjoyed some coffee while we played a game of Hearts (cards). My mom won the game.

We were all tired and after my mom left to return home, we were soon in bed for the night. I didn't hear it but I guess there was a party going on behind the house that kept Hubby and my sister-in-law up until after midnight. I must have been very tired to not have heard it.

Vacation Day 21 - August 19 - Kitchener to Kingston

I woke up around 7 and made my way to the deck to visit with my brother. I was very surprised to see my sister-in-law on the deck too! She is not a morning person! This is when I heard about the party from the night before. We visited until close to 8 when I woke Hubby and we all went to my brother's regular breakfast spot. We enjoyed a full breakfast together and then returned "home". My brother had to head over to my mom's to do some chores so Hubby, sister-in-law and I visited a little longer. She took their dog for a walk while Hubby and I packed up our belongings and started loading the bike. We said our good byes after she arrived back home and we were on the road by 10 a.m. We chose to ride across country and avoid the major highway 401. Our big breakfast held us through so we didn't need to stop for lunch. We stopped for gas and a snack in Hastings. There was an antique car show going on and the little village was very busy. The roads were also busy probably due to the end of The Havelock Country Jamboree. Our son had gone there for 4 days and I half expected to see him on the road. The line up this year included Toby Keith, Tim Hicks and Dean Brody among others. We didn't come across our son but the roads were busy. Closer to Napannee, we were on a paved back road that we had never been on before. A small river ran along beside the road and I saw a turtle sunning itself on a rock in the middle of the stream. It must have been there for some time because the shell wasn't shiny and wet. It was alive though as I could see the head lifted up and looking around.

We finally made it home about 5:30. I am really tired. Our son was home as well and he was also tired. We had been in touch with him while we stopped for gas in Hastings. We had indicated to him that we would take him out for supper once we got home and unloaded. We kept our word and ended up at the local St. Louis Wings restaurant. They had a promotion for all you can eat ribs so we took advantage of that. I didn't realize I was so tired. I ate my ribs and just wanted to go to bed. It was an early night for both Hubby and I.

August 20

I am still very tired after a disrupted sleep. Our cat has obviously missed us. He did not want to leave me alone during the night. Today I will unpack and start some laundry. My garden is full of tomatoes ready to be picked. My beets need to be picked. My garlic needs to be harvested. My garden is full of weeds and needs to be cleaned up. I have some dog strangling vine has shown up in my flowerbed. I need to get it out of there. So today will be a busy day but at a pace that my tired body can handle. I am looking forward to seeing my chiropractor late this afternoon. The 3 week vacation has been wonderful! But sometimes the beds and pillows have not been as wonderful. I am really happy to back in my own bed and using my own pillow again. Life is fantastic and I'm physically feeling well!

VACATION DAYS 14 to 16

Day 14 - Sight Seeing

Our friend took us for breakfast and then took us sightseeing south of the area where he lives. We travelled many back county roads and saw prosperous farms.  As we continued along, I started to recognize villages that we had recently ridden through on our motorcycle. I recognized areas where we had found some geocaches. Our travels on this day with our friend took us to Oil Springs. We visited the Oil Museum which is on the site of the very first oil North America! As we climbed out of the car, all I could smell was oil. This was a great museum! We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. After going through the museum, we went on a wagon ride through an oil field that is still producing oil using the same techniques of the late  1800's!

After this marvelous experience, our friend took us to a craft beer pub in Sarnia. We had a flight of 8 beers. They were unremarkable but we enjoyed good conversation. The next stop on our friend's tour was Dairy Queen for a cold treat on a very hot day. Off we went again with only our friend knowing what was next on the day's agenda. We ended up taking a direct route to his home. We enjoyed a hearty steak dinner followed by another campfire. I was quite tired and my day ended around 9:30.

DAY 15 Lambton Shores to Port Dover

After going out for breakfast with our friend, we were "on the road again". The Goldwing took us down several secondary roads en route to Port Dover. I did find the country song On The  Road  Again going through my head on this very hot day. We arrived at our destination around 4 p.m. We checked into our Airbnb lodging which was on the main street. This meant we could walk to wherever we wanted to go. On our way to The Beach House for dinner, we stopped to find a geocache along the way. For dinner I enjoyed Port Dover perch and a local blueberry beer made in Langton. We relaxed with a view of  Lake Erie while we ate dinner. The sun was beginning to set and the water was full of beautiful, soft hues of blue, pink and purple. The lake was calm as the last of the pleasure boats came back to the harbour. After dinner, we meandered around the town while looking for more geocaches. Again, I was tired and Hubby and I returned to our lodging where we watched some television. Then I settled in for a good night's sleep.

DAY 16 - Port Dover to Port Rowan to Hanover

After breakfast at a local diner, we packed up The Goldwing and went geocaching around Port Dover before heading out. We took the scenic Water Front Trail to Port Rowan. We had made arrangements to visit with my mom's cousin who has been one of my supporters throughout the years of fighting lymphoma. We had a lovely warm visit filled with refreshments and lots of fun. Before I knew it, Hubby indicated it was time to return to the road. I found myself feeling teary eyed as we said our goodbyes.

We rode along secondary highways and county roads on our way to Hanover. We went through through Woodstock, Tavistock, Palmerston and arrived in Hanover around 6:30. We checked into our motel and then went for dinner across the road at the racetrack. Although there were no races this night, we saw a horse being taken around the track while the driver seemed to be timing the horse. We visited the slots after dinner but we were not big winners. We returned to our motel and made plans for tomorrow.

VACATION - Day 12 and 13

Day 12 - Chatham to Lambton Shores - August  10

This was our 27th anniversary. We had a large breakfast and went for a long walk around the town while finding some geocachers. We were allowed to leave The Goldwing in the hotel parking lot even though we had already checked out. We finally hopped on The Goldwing around 1 p.m. While we were filling up on fuel before leaving Chatham, a gentleman asked me for directions to the Fergie Jenkins Ball Park. I explained that I was not from Chatham and couldn't help him out. Our son played baseball there many years ago.

Hubby and I hopped on The Goldwing and went to our next stop in North Buxton. We visited The Underground Railroad Museum. This was the last stop for The Underground Railroad. If you ever are in the area, this is a great site to visit! We also found a geocache st this location. We finally continued on our motorcycle to our next destination near Grand Bend where we visited with our friends for a few days. He was one of our groomsmen at our wedding 27 years ago. We arrived at his home and we all visited around a campfire while looking at the stars. It was a full day.

Day 13 - Grand Bend - August 11

Our day was planned by our friend. All he would say about the day is that it was a surprise.  We started out with a visit to the Grand Bend Historic Gaol. We took a tour of it and then went to find a geocache that was hidden nearby. Our friend did not know much about geocaching and so we introduced him to it. After the gaol, our friend drove us to the Sifto Salt mine on Lake Huron. We drove right down to the harbour. Then we drove to a local trail called the Tiger Dunlop Trail. We walked along to a tomb that our friend wanted to show us. It was a long but enjoyable walk. Of course we just had to stop and find more geocaches. After returning to the car, our friend drove us around the area and we saw many beautiful sights. We meandered around in the car and found ourselves stopping at the Cowbell Craft Brewery.  Our friend had a reservation for a tour of the brewery. It has only been open for 1 year. It was an interesting tour but none of the lines were in operation because they shut down on weekends. We did stay for dinner on the brewery's patio where we ate delicious pizza. We returned to our friend's home and enjoyed another campfire. It was another great day!

Vacation - Days 10 and 11

DAY 10 August 8 - Sauble Beach to Goderich

After a wonderfully full breakfast at my aunt's trailer, I went for a walk down to the camp laundry to clean our clothes for the next leg of our trip. We really don't have a plan for where we are traveling to next. Each day now is a great adventure. Unfortunately, there was a long line up in the laundry room. So Hubby and I walked back to my cousin's trailer to pack up. Then we enjoyed a visit with my family. It was full of laughter and good conversation while we watched the funny antics of my cousin's young children. Too soon it was time to load The Goldwing and leave. Hubby made one of my cousin's little girls' day by taking her for a short ride around the park. We then hopped aboard the bike and hit the road. We took Highway 21 all the way to Goderich. I am so thankful that Hubby is a very cautious and defensive rider. We were in Southampton and waiting to turn right to follow the highway when a woman driving a SUV approached from our left. She had her right signal on, slowed down and started into her turn. Hubby started out slowly to make his right. Next thing we know the woman in her SUV has changed her mind and is going straight at us. Hubby braked abruptly and was able to keep our motorcycle upright. The woman had also stopped with her eyes wide, and both hands covering her mouth. Hubby motioned for her to continue. It is safer for us to follow a driver like that.

We had a great time on The Goldwing for the rest of the ride to Goderich. The views consisted of farms and views of Lake Huron. We enjoyed our dinner in downtown Goderich where they have beautifully rebuilt the town centre after the tornado in 2011 demolished all the buildings. We found a geocache after dinner and then hung out at the local laundromat to finally have clean clothes.

DAY 11 August 9 - Goderich to Chatham

After my favourite breakfast at McDonald's, we went geocaching around Goderich. We were back on the road around  12:30. We again enjoyed fantastic views of Lake Huron and bustling farms as the farmers harvested their grain and spread manor. I don't mind the cattle smell but I really don't like pig or chicken smells. We did stop for a stretch and to find a geocache in a cemetery along the way. At the same time, a man was mowing the grass in the cemetery. In order to retrieve the geocache without being seen, I ran to get it while he was riding the mower away from the cache. I signed the log while sitting on a bench and it appeared to the worker that I was paying my respects to a grave. Hubby then waited for the worker to ride away from the cache location and he ran to replace the cache.

We arrived in Chatham in the late afternoon and checked into Retro Suites Hotel. We enjoyed a lovely dinner to celebrate our 27th anniversary a day early. After dinner we went geocaching before the expected rain and thunderstorms began in the area. We will finish our geocaching in the morning before going to our next destination.