No cataract surgery~~~

Once again we're back in our "home" territory of Petaluma, CA staying at the Elk's Lodge.  Our little month-long vacation, stretching to almost 2000 miles, has us refreshed and ready to settle in for a bit.

On my agenda was an ophthalmology appointment on the 28th for exam and consultation prior to scheduling cataract surgery.  My ophthalmologist, Dr. Alvarado, surprised me by saying the results would not be all that good due to an irregular astigmatism which could not be fixed with the special lens. Plus going ahead with the surgery to improve far vision would still require me to wear glasses plus I would lose my nearsightedness.  I so enjoy not having to wear glasses to read. So, all things considered it would not be worth the time and money at this time and I can change my mind at any time.  Right now my vision is not hindered much by the cataracts.  I don't have the light halos or cloudy vision, and I don't mind wearing my glasses for far vision.

We've started the polishing job on the motorhome which endured a lot of road dirt and grime on our recent getaway. Howard does the top portion with a ladder, and I do the bottom which involves a lot of squatting exercises!  This is one job we do as the spirit moves us!

Our family has decided to celebrate Thanksgiving/Christmas on December 5th weekend at Stephanie and Gary's place in Loomis, east of Sacramento, where we have beautiful free parking on their 3 acres! No plans yet on where we'll be for Christmas.  Maybe the desert!

We have been anchored for awhile~~~

Family time

The time between blog posts seems to be directly related to the amount of travel we do.  So when we're in home territory, as we have been here in Petaluma at the Elk's Lodge for the last few weeks, my blogging takes a hiatus. While here we enjoy lots of time just lazing around, visiting family and local friends, soccer and softball games, birthdays and endless barbecues. We checked a few items off of our MH list of "to dos".

A very dry lake bed

There are hikes around nearby Shollenberger Lake amounting to just 3 miles round trip from our site here at the Elk's.  The temps have been in the  high 80s, with an intermittent shower or cool spell. 

We got caught up on medical stuff, doctors' visits and the like.  I have been living  with a reasonably uncomfortable case of  shingles for the last month, despite having had the vaccine a couple of years ago; a nasty blotchy rash that turned into blisters, that turned into scabs and hurt like the dickens.  Obviously, the vaccine is not 100%!

I also have a date coming up sometime in November to have cataract eye surgery.  I am actually looking forward to this as it will correct my far vision and astigmatism with corrective lenses.  Howard says this has been quite a year for me, health-wise.  Well, the year is almost over and I'm feeling blessed that we're still able to travel and that I'm doing really well in spite of past conditions!

A very tall and steep sand dune

Siltcoos Lake near Florence, OR

We had a great albeit slow trip down the Oregon Coast.  There was a lot of traffic on the twisty two-lane highway.  We stopped for two nights at Darling's Marina & RV Park near Florence, OR, one of our half priced Passport America parks, beautifully situated on the banks of the lovely Siltcoos Lake with easy access to those monumental sand dunes Oregon is famous for!

 

Exploring Moonstone Beach

 Next stop was Trinidad CA on the Humboldt  County coast, a small seaside village and one of  the oldest and smallest incorporated cities in  CA. with just 360 population.  All of Humboldt  County and especially Trinidad offers plenty of  opportunities to explore the majestic beauty of  the area from a number of easily accessible  hiking trails to nearby giant redwoods, 3 state  parks and a couple of county parks. We stayed  at Clam Beach County Park, for their 3 day max  at $13 per night, giving us time to explore  Moonstone Beach and enjoy lunch at the  Trinidad Marina - calamari for moi!  

 

And since we have nothing on our calendar until an ophthalmology appointment on October 28th, we have decided to take an impromptu road trip~~the best kind.  Our destination is St. George, UT where we are hoping to get into one of the first-come, first-serve sites in Snow Canyon State Park.  Snow Canyon is a red rock and hiking haven.  If this doesn't work out we'll try some places around Zion NP.  We plan to leave tomorrow, Tuesday September 29th.

The dog days of sailing...

NZ Emirates hydrofoils as it approaches the buoy!

Ever since 1851, when the narrow bow entry of the schooner America raised eyebrows among British competitors, extreme design innovations have always been an inherent part of America's Cup competitions.  But never before have innovations been more radical than in this, the 34th edition!

Team Oracle with a fog-shrouded Golden Gate

Following the 2010 America's Cup with USA's Oracle the winner, it was decided that future competitions would be sailed in catamarans to make the sport more attractive to television audiences.  This led to the new and revolutionary and also controversial design of the America's Cup 72 Class, with the addition of daggerboard foils.  The AC72s we saw practicing and racing this last week were not only blasting along at phenomenal speeds, but literally flying above the water's surface!

USA and NZ cross paths on a practice run

Two major incidences showed the potential danger these large catamarans face on the SF Bay.  Last October Oracle's AC 72 pitchpoled and capsized while being swept out under the Golden Gate Bridge during a strong ebb-tide.  Fortunately there were no injuries to the crew.  Recently, in May, Sweden's Artemis Racing team AC72 pitchpoled and broke apart resulting in the death of one crew member.

Classic Bird Boat on the Bay

All facts and controversy aside, our day trips were fuelled by a love for the art and fun of sailing and photo ops for yours truly.  Howard, a sailor at heart, raced the classic Bird Boat, Mavis, during the early 1960s.  When we first got together in 1989, Howard lived aboard his 35' sloop in Half Moon Bay, after years of sailing in Florida and the Bahamas.  We try to include sailing venues along with RV travels whenever possible, via friends or bareboat charters.  We find ourselves drifting off to trips in the recent past, sailing in the crystal clear, turquoise waters of the Caribbean, in Belize and Honduras, and aboard the Star Flyer for 21 days, sailing from Barbados through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica.  Then years past in Mexico's Sea of Cortes, the eastern Caribbean's Virgin Islands and even as far away as New Caledonia in the French South Pacific.



San Francisco's Crissy Field dog park offers an excuse to nap the grandlab, Annie, for a great day of sailing action,  swimming and chasing a ball.  The camera is hopelessly covered with the remains of a shaking wet dog and fervent hole digging sand.  We manage a deli-provided picnic sandwich amidst the action, both on shore and water.


We take advantage of the couple of weeks left in our Bay Area stay before departing the end of July for the Pacific Northwest, and onward, God willing.  Our days are filled with family time, day trips to easily accessible coastal hikes and inland vineyards, visits with local friends, and endless RV projects.  Oh, and the round of doctor visits...so far, so good!

Getting back to normal...

Our life is beginning to assume some degree of normalcy after two weeks of whirlwind events.  Hey we even did loads and loads of laundry today!  And after a couple of days of drippy rain and fog, the sun is once again shining here in Petaluma.  Read....a couple of days of drippy rain after we had cleaned and polished the RV! 

We even had a wedding anniversary, our 19th plus 6 prior years, the day after Mary's memorial service in Half Moon Bay.  We were driving back in the rain, dodging and weaving through the miles of construction and detours in San Francisco...yes, we were in the motorhome, and decided neither of us felt much like celebrating once we got parked at the Elk's. 


But serendipity intervened with a knock at our door and there stood traveling friends we hadn't seen for years, en route to their lot at the Timber Valley SKP Park in Sutherlin, OR.  They had been out wine tasting and brought over a delicious red blend from Quivira Vineyards with a side of cheeses and nuts. Let the celebration begin...

Normal for this time of year is making the rounds of the various doctors who try to whip us into shape here at our local Kaiser medical center, thus hopefully ensuring we're able to continue on this journey.  I seem to have more and frequent follow-ups since the endometrial cancer and surgery last November, so may need to find facilities in other parts of the country should our grand fall, winter, spring trip materialize.


A month ago we decided to get serious about losing the weight we'd put on during our trips to Roatan and San Carlos.  Our daughter Stephanie, who's now on a trip to Romania and Europe (check out her blog) told us about My Fitness Pal, a handy app to track food and exercise, plus set a calorie limit depending of how much weight you want to lose.  Also important for us is knowing how many carbs we consume, as well as calories.  So, for me, my calorie limit is 1200 and I have set my own carb limit at under 50.  Fiber carbs are free and of course, you back off any exercise or cardio you do each day.


Three miles of walking at 3 mph generates 220 minus calories (for my 5'2" frame).  I try to add on another 1.5 miles during the day, if I can, depending on what we plan to eat.  So we now plan ahead, weigh our portions, and record our food and exercise intake.  Keep in mind, we have had two weeks of celebrations where we did not meet our daily goals, but we quickly got back on track soon after.  Net results, a 3 lb. loss in 30 days.  I'll take that!

TMI....

That little trip down memory lane comprising the last 3 chapters was meant to be cathartic, purging as it were, an interesting play on words considering my current delicate state.  I have IBS, a syndrome graphically described by Mr. Mayo's Clinic as... can be controlled by managing diet, lifestyle, and stress.  I think we'll assume the lifestyle is pretty good, though just possibly too much time in one location, caught up in family affairs, can be stressful, to say the least.  The diet is a balancing act; most times a variety of good stuff, but when I have a flare-up I mainly subsist on white rice, white bread, white wine, tapioca pudding, and water, a formula guaranteed to loose that 6 lbs. I've been working on since New Year's Day!


Now fiber is an interesting topic and comes in both soluble,  e.g., rice and bread, and insoluble, like whole grains, seeds, nuts, raw fruits and veggies; the latter being the healthier choice.  Unless you're suffering an IBS attack, then insoluble fiber can spell big trouble, or rather becomes the "I or irritable" part.  Salads must be eaten at the end of the meal, after a good foundation of starch has been laid, in the French manner.  


And it is quite painful, sort of like someone setting their hand on fire and plunging it into your lower abdomen trying to rip your guts out!  Four years ago I had no idea what was happening to me and ended up in the ER.  The symptoms closely mimic very serious conditions, namely ovarian cancer, so are not to be ignored.  A fellow blogger recently wrote that she had had severe abdominal pain but thought it was IBS, until she ended up in the OR with a ruptured appendix.  So usually a CT scan and/or pelvic untrasound (so fun) is in  order, as in this coming Friday a.m....Yay!  Be sure to drink about a gallon of water one hour before appt.


I always thought the word syndrome conjured up "it's mostly in my mind" but I have found out it's actually in my brain.  According to the New York Times there is a close relationship between the brain located at the top of our spinal cord and the hidden but powerful brain in the gut known as the enteric nervous system.  Sort of explains those gut feelings and butterflies in the stomach!  My chiropractor even told me that my rather dramatic scoliosis, or curved spine, could cause IBS since my guts are all pushed out of shape.


But here's the kicker.  Our toilet in the motorhome broke; pushed down on the pedal to flush and all its parts, springs, etc. blew...kaput!  Howard was able to jury rig a makeshift repair while replacement parts were on order, but...Seriously bad timing!

I bet you're so longer wondering what the post's title means:  TMI...Too much information!  But, you know, I have read so many of the blogs featured along the right side of stillhowlyn in 2012, where many of you have shared physical and emotional conditions and it always left me feeling...I'm not alone!  Thanks for listening....

The story continues....

OK...so you've figured out I'm regressing in my mind, reliving past voyages to exotic places, while in reality I'm running the gamut of routine poking and prodding my way, hopefully, to good health.  Or maybe we should just talk about health care?  Didn't think so!

So I figured you're on pins and needles to hear "the rest of the story" which, by the way, takes us back to the month of February 2009.  We're aboard a 51' sailboat with friends whom we'd only met once, briefly, in Port Townsend, WA.  Now that's a leap of faith in itself, but Howard will never pass up a chance to go sailing, though we could have easily become victims of a random kidnapping for ransom, but then we'd need wealthy kids and friends.  Soooo......

My turn

This is what sailing is all about!  Up by 5 a.m. for a very long day, 60 some miles could be 12 hours unless we go really fast, and fast we went, sailing all the way!  The seas started getting big and choppy, 6 footers, and some of our folks were feeling a little queasy.  We were good, in our element (Lynda knocking on wood).  These waves don't compare to the Pacific Ocean near Half Moon Bay.  Ever hear of  Mavericks where 50 foot waves bring surfers from all over the world?!

In his element!

By late afternoon we cautiously made our way through a narrow entrance, guarded by huge rocks on either side, into a beautiful protected cove near the town of Puerto Escondido on the Caribbean side of mainland Honduras.  That night we were treated to the screams of Howler monkeys high up in the jungle.  We passed on the shore hike the following day as Howard has come down with his usual "travelers' gout".  His right foot and knee are swollen and inflamed and walking is quite painful.

Approaching a very narrow entrance

Inside our little cove

Leaving our pristine little cove early the next morning we take an easterly course, beating dead into the wind, motorsailing for approximately 40 nautical miles to Isla de Utila, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras.  Our progress is slow and takes about 8 hours, putting us into the harbor about 3 p.m.

Approaching Isla de Utila

Anchoring has become increasingly difficult as the boat's windlass, a mechanical device used to raise the heavy anchor, is slowly deteriorating and will need to be replaced as soon as parts and shipment can be arranged; most likely on Roatan.  Here in Utila the boat traffic is considerable and we cautiously position the boat before dropping anchor.  Everyone agrees that it is time to go ashore for a meal off the boat.  Checking into the country will have to wait till tomorrow.  We had to get exit visas from Belize and now we have to "officially" enter Honduras.

After 17 days, the last 7 of which have basically been at sea, albeit with one beautiful anchorage after another, we decide it is now time for us to move ashore and let our gracious hosts deal with boat repairs.  Our bodies have been constantly in motion.  Even when sleeping the boat is rocking and I have grown quite fond of the "cradle" effect.  Getting in and out of the dinghy, especially at docks that are higher than my meager statue allows, goes from comical to ridiculous.  Suffice to say that I am getting quite agile and a bit of a contortionist.  I will leave you with that picture in mind!  Now walking on "terra firma" is quite a different story.  We weave like a bunch of drunks.  I have taken more falls on the first day ashore after a sailing trip and am determined that this will not be one of them.

Tuesday morning we go ashore to find the Port Captain and Immigration offices and get legally checked into Honduras, then set off to find ourselves a "home" for the next few days.  We are immediately surrounded by local people intent on helping us.  The guys at the internet cafe and a couple of ladies from Sedona all recommend the Hotel Utila.

Balcony view from Hotel Utila

We soon have a very nice room by local standards with AC and hot water, both hard to come by, cable TV in English no less, and wireless internet!  And for $35 a day, only $15 without the AC, but we are feeling reckless!  A quick walk for me to the farmacia and Howard has pills for his gout.  It is so nice not to have to arrange a doctor's appointment to get medications that are sold over the counter in most countries outside of the U.S.

The "flavor" of the island is a combination of many multi-cultural nationalities.  The local native islanders are often blue-eyed and light skinned with ancestors from England or the Cayman Islands.  There is also the Caribe African and mainland Hispanic Hondurans.  A Lot of ex-pats from all over the world, U.S. and Australia seemingly most predominant, but Canadians and Europeans as well, have moved here and opened businesses, namely restaurants or dive shops.  Overall the atmosphere is sort of 60's, Bob Marley, reggae and youngish, very laid-back, pleasant and friendly.

Main street, very narrow with nasty drop-offs

The restaurant choices are many, varied and cheap. In fact the cost of living overall here is amazingly reasonable.   The Honduran currency is lempiras and the exchange rate at this time is 19.23L to one U.S. dollar.  When presented with a bill of several hundred lempiras one quickly learns to divide by 20 and add a couple!

We settled into a routine of favorite places for certain meals: breakfast at Munchies serving home made yogurts, granola and fresh fruit and egg dishes. Lunch or dinner at the Café Barracuda whose menu always included fresh steamed veggies and great salads and the “just caught fish of the day”. Then we discovered Kate’s “El Piccolo”. This was a tad more expensive with fresh, homemade raviolis, Greek salads with their own home grown basil and fresh mozzarella, hard to resist.

Eclectic, no?

Honduras is a third world country; of that there is no doubt.  I do not know the state of its politics, but here there was no sign of protest or unrest as frequently occurs on the Mainland.  I often walked the streets by myself, camera in tow, never once feeling concerned for my safety.  There was no begging, the children all attended local schools, the locals busy with various jobs, the shopkeepers maintained clean, appealing goods and stores, and lots of laughter and camaraderie were evident.

Local merchant displays

Now we need to address our means of travel between Utila and Roatan, a mere 20 miles away.  How hard can this be?  Well, it seems that both the ferry which runs twice daily, and commercial flights which are only on certain days of the week and leave at 6:30 a.m., must first go to La Ceiba on the mainland, disembark, and then re-board for the trip to Roatan.  This can take from several hours to all day with us schlepping a ton of luggage, or so it seems when one tries to pack for a month.

We found a travel agent during one of our many walks and in discussing our options she made a few calls and offered us an interesting proposal. How would we like to charter our very own private plane, a Cessna 180? Well first of all this had to be terribly expensive and secondly I’m just getting somewhat used to flying aboard an 8-10 seater and now you want to cram me into a sardine can built for 4 small adults, 3 max with all our stuff! The cost for Saturday was the same as flying the commercial route but we could pick our own time of departure. This is beginning to sound like a possibility. OK, done deal, go to ATM for cash up front but don’t worry we do this all the time. And yes, we’ll arrange for a taxi to pick you up at the hotel.  Don’t worry, the plane is very safe, the pilot very experienced! OMG……

South of the Border...A day in Los Algodones

We pulled into Yuma, the snowbird capital, and knew the pickins would be slim.  Having checked out the Indian reservation parking and the casino, though free to cheap, we would be right in the path of wind-blown sand from the many surrounding dunes.  We decided to take our chances on getting a boondocking site at the Escapees KOFA park, $5 per night and crammed in like sardines, until we found out the prognosis from the dentist on Thurs.  This is a mighty leap from our acreage in Anza Borrego!

With passports in hand we crossed the border at Andrade, CA, on highway 186 off I-8, into the town of Los Algodones, a community of medical and dental professionals catering to snowbirds and seniors, and self-described to be as safe as Disneyland!  We don't need convincing, we love this town.

A typical street corner

We arrived early for my noon appointment as I wanted to check in with the office of Dr. Alma Luna to be sure I was scheduled since all our communications had been by email.  There are hundreds of very reputable dentists but I chose Dr. Luna on the recommendation of a friend who had been going to her for many years, plus the good reviews found in the Mexico Premiere Blog's article on Dental Care Across the Border.

With about an hour and a half to kill, we wondered into BEST Optical for a quote on replacing the lenses in my old glasses with my new prescription from Kaiser with progressive, transitional and the new polycarbonate, ready in about 3 hours, a total of $230.  Kaiser's charge was $345 with at least a week to prepare and then mail.  We also picked up a hundred tab supply of Howard's blood pressure meds for $3.68 and a new leather watch band.

Howard writes a check to BEST Optical

So on to my appointment with Dr. Luna whose office and examining rooms were spotless and the newest in equipment and technology evident.  The digital x-rays showed up instantly on the computer screen she worked from showing a broken old filling, a small cavity, and the location of the nerve. Thankfully, a rather large filling did the job for now with a root canal and crown postponed indefinitely.  $100 cash please, and thank you very much!  I did question the cost of root canal and porcelain crown and was told approximately $600 depending on how many roots were involved.  She refers patients to a specialist, Dr. Hernandez, for the root canal.  He uses his famous "tooth-cam" for a more precise view of the nerve's path on the computer.

Colorful location in Mextlan Plaza

It is now way past lunch time and Howard is ready for some fish tacos and a cold Corona.  I, on the other hand, am numb and drooling so eating for me is out of the question.  We chose Restaurante El Paraiso for the outdoor plaza location plus the great music.  The fact that it was very crowded surely meant that the food was good...and it was, according to Howard.

Lunch at El Paraiso

Delicious fish tacos

So by 3 p.m. we queued up at the long line to get through US Customs and 20 minutes later were on our way back to Yuma.  What a great town and marvelous experience with lots of $$$$ saved!  We'll be back next week just for the lunch experience!

Moving on..

We have mixed emotions about leaving this beautiful location.  Facebook friends Bob and Kathie just arrived.  We feel like we've known them forever and wish we had more time together. We did manage a moderately strenuous hike up Coyote Mountain, some fun time with blog tutorials, and a "do your own" dinner in the early evening.  But...I need to go to the dentist and have an appointment in Algodones, MX on the 2nd with Dr. Luna.

Conquering Coyote Mt. with Kathie & Bob

We celebrated a month of frugality by splurging at the French Corner restaurant last Friday night..I mean the whole enchilada; their homemade chicken liver pate for a starter, coq au vin for Lynda and meatballs for Howard, creme brulee for Howard and Belgian chocolate mousse for Lynda, and a magnificent 2006 Bordeaux, a big red with strong black cherry flavors and an oaky thrust...Sorry I couldn't resist the winespeak!

French Corner Restaurant

Another great hike in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park is Hellhole Canyon.  Last Saturday, after that great dinner, we needed to work off some calories.  The day was clear and sunny and not overly hot. The 5 miles round trip included some rock scrambling but the palm oases and spectacular views of the valley were well worth it.

Palm Oasis in Hellhole Canyon

We're on our way to Yuma, AZ to find ourselves a home for the next few weeks, visit with local friends and family, and get that dental work done.  Written on the fly...as snowbirds do!