"Fighting Cancer"

Sunday August 23, 1992

Slept in til 8:30. Spent the rest of the day expecting Deb, Phil and kids. I straightened the house and read alot. Frank worked on the trailer and in the garage.

I'm reading a new book I received in the mail called "Fighting Cancer." It's a good uplifting informative book. According to the book I've been doing everything right so far, staying informed, asking alot of questions, getting a second opinion, but mostly having a positive attitude and talking about my cancer openly with anyone who's interested.

The kids never show up. Frank is disappointed and hurt. He calls them.

We went to Newbury Park at 8:30 to give Jan a check for our cruise September 27 to the Mediterranean.

I can't help wondering why Frank's son Philip and his family never showed up. I would be upset at being stood up after waiting all day for them. Maybe it had to do with the marital problems they were having. At least it forced Mom to take it easy and just have a restful day of reading.

I looked up the book "Fighting Cancer" and it is in it's 13th printing as of 2008. It was written by Annette and Richard (Dick) Bloch. Dick co-founded H&R Block, Inc. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1978 and given 90 days to live. After two years of arduous treatment, he was completely cured. Richard and Annette dedicated their lives to helping the next person diagnosed with cancer. Together, they wrote three books, "Fighting Cancer", "Cancer ...there's hope", and "Guide for Cancer Supporters". Their book is available for free on-line.

Yet another big cruise coming up, this time to the Mediterranean.

What Kid Doesn't Like Pancakes?

Saturday August 22, 1992

Got up about 8 a.m. and came down to fix pancakes and eggs for Joseph and Junior and Frank. Joe and Junior don't care much for pancakes and eggs. I was surprised. Oh well. Frank and I really enjoyed it. Frank took the boys for a walk and I took 2 hours to get ready. No ambition this morning as usual.

Gary and Maria came to pick up the boys at noon. I made cheesecakes all afternoon. At 7:30 we went to our club anniversary dance. We danced all but one and had a real good time. Afterward we went to Hudson's and didn't get home til 1 a.m.

What kid doesn't like pancakes?

The Inventor of the World Wide Web

Friday August 21, 1992

An average day.

Gary and Maria brought Joseph and Junior over about 6:30 to spend the night while they went to a concert in Ventura.

Back is still bothering me alot.

Since Mom and Frank took the schedule for the Ventura County Fair to Gary and Maria's 3 days earlier, I assume that is where they attended a concert this night. I looked on the internet to see who was playing, and as often happens, I was unable to find any information on the fair that year. I did a little research to find out how long the internet has been around, and it was not available for commercial use until 1995. No wonder I have difficulty so often. Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist and professor at MIT, was honored at the 2012 Opening Ceremony for the summer Olympics in London just a few days ago as the inventor of the World Wide Web. "This is for everyone" was spelled out in LED lights held by 70,500 people in the audience. Thank you Sir for changing our world so profoundly.

"Unforgiven"

Thursday August 20, 1992

A pleasant day. We went to the movies in the afternoon to see Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven", a western. It was really good.

Alot of back pain.

"Unforgiven" was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood and starred himself, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris. It won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hackman), and Best Film Editing. Eastwood himself was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, but he lost to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman.

A Visit with Sister-In-Law Cathy Thomas

Wednesday August 19, 1992

Awake at 4 a.m. Unable to go back to sleep because of a pain lower right side where the larger tumor is. No matter how I lay it hurts alot. Finally I got up and took Tylenol. I prayed alot for God to take away the pain. When I woke up at 7:30 the pain was gone. I was lazy til 9:30.

After lunch we took the gifts we bought for Valerie and Dana over to Val. She really liked the jelly and the pottery bell. I ironed clothes in the afternoon. About 3 p.m. Cathy Thomas came to visit. She stayed til 5:30 p.m.

We fixed a shrimp dinner together and settled down for the evening. Called Paul and Gary and spoke to Gledhill tenants.

No heavy pain all day. Just the pulling pain when I move.

My Aunt Cathy is so thoughtful. It was nice of her to drive all the way from Pasadena to visit Mom in Simi Valley. She became my surrogate mom after Mom passed away and calls once a month or so just to check in. She is pictured above at her 50th wedding anniversary with Uncle Gene, Mom's brother, in Pasadena in September 2000.

Not sure who Val and Dana are, perhaps neighbors?

A League Of Their Own

Tuesday August 18, 1992

Frank left for the valley at 9:30 to have lunch early with Robbie and Bob who Frank used to work with. I took the opportunity to be lazy until 10:30 a.m. I could sleep all morning almost every day.

Frank is home by 2:30. I have watered the plants outside and cleaned up after the dogs. We have dinner early and go to Gary's to take him the schedule for the Ventura Fair. Then we go to the movies to see "A League of Their Own". It was really good. We both enjoyed it.

Tonight I take the last of my chemo pills.

Nice to see Mom and Frank enjoying a movie night out. This comedy film tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. It stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell.

I just returned from a 2-week vacation and was pleased to see that 18 people looked at my last 2 posts. It thrills me to know that someone is reading this blog and it's not just going into a black hole! Total hits on my blog have now passed 18,000. I told my son Derek, who just turned 20, about my blog just before we left on our vacation and he was surprised and pleased and excited to start reading it.

I Have To Face My Disease

Monday August 17, 1992

Up and off to get my nails done at 10:45. I don't feel very well today. I ate a big breakfast, last meal til after my CAT at 2:00. Then at 8:00 a.m. I drank 1/2 of the medium. I hate drinking that stuff. It's thick and creamy and tastes a little like tangerine.

At 12:45 Frank and I leave for Kaiser Woodland Hills. I drink the rest of the medium at 1:30 and 2 p.m. I'm on the table waiting 1/2 hour for the nurse to come put the IV in my arm. It then takes another 30 minutes. I don't like getting a CAT. I have to face my disease. At home I rarely think about it.

I'm hungry for Mexican food so we eat out in Simi early dinner. Later we dress and go square dancing. We have a great time. Frank fixed the air conditioner this morning, a fuse!

It sounds like the reason Mom doesn't like a CT scan is not because of the endless waiting at the hospital, the claustrophic feeling of having your body in a small tube, or even drinking the nasty-tasting thick contrast medium. The reason is that it makes her admit that she has cancer. Mom had a very busy social life with lots of travels, adventures, dances and fun, but I imagined she was always conscious of the fact that she was battling a life-threatening disease. It sounds here like she never gave it much thought. Positive thinking or denial?

Rincon Beach

Sunday August 16, 1992

We're up early and ready to pull out of the campground by 11:30. We say goodbye to all. Down the road near Rincon Beach we pull off and park our trailer next to the ocean water. It's lovely and cool. We're in no hurry to get home to 100 degrees. It's about 82 at the beach. We have lunch then sit outside and read awhile. I get sleepy so go into the trailer and take a nap.

We arrive home about 4 p.m. We put things away, call Maria and ask to go swim. She says OK so we go cool off for an hour or so and come home. Our air conditioner is not working. We sleep with the fan going strong.

Nothing like a trip to the beach to cool off, usually 20 degrees cooler than the inland temperatures. In Southern California the evening temperatures don't cool off much like they do further north so it's hard to sleep in the heat, especially with an upstairs bedroom. Our bedrooms upstairs are usually 8-10 degrees hotter than downstairs.

The Elusive Grunion

Saturday August 15, 1992

Lazed in bed til 8 a.m. By 10 I'm out visiting. Frank has taken a nice walk. We ride our bikes a bit. After lunch we play cards with Joan and Harold. Then we all walk to the store for ice cream. We drive across the highway to the beach. It's a nice beach but too far for me to walk. We may drive there tonight for grunion hunting.

I make chicken enchiladas for our potluck dinner. They turn out real good. I take 2 plates of cookies as well. We have lots of good food, then some play cards. Frank plays. I watch a video.

About 11:30 we all go down to the beach to catch grunion. No grunion. We're in bed by 1 a.m.

What is this grunion hunting? From the time my brother and I were very small my parents would drag us to the beach in the middle of the night at least once every summer to go grunion hunting. We would be bundled up in blankets trying to keep warm. It was always cold and sometimes it was foggy too. I never saw a grunion. I thought it must be a myth, so I did a little research on the subject. The California Department of Fish & Game says, "Along southern California's sandy beaches, from March through September, one of the most remarkable life cycles in the sea is completed; the California grunion comes ashore to spawn. The grunion has been known to many southern Californians for more than 70 years, but there are still those who are skeptical of its existence. To be invited out in the middle of the night to go fishing with only a gunny sack and light for equipment does sound a little ridiculous, but in reality this is the most popular method.

California grunion are small silvery fish found only along the coast of southern California and northern Baja California. Most sportsmen would be unaware of their existence were it not for the unique spawning behavior of these fish. Unlike other fish, grunion come out of the water completely to lay their eggs in the wet sand of the beach. As if this behavior were not strange enough, grunion make these excursions only on particular nights, and with such regularity that the time of their arrival on the beach can be predicted a year in advance. This phenomenon can be seen on many beaches in southern California. Shortly after high tide, on certain nights, sections of these beaches sometimes are covered with thousands of grunion depositing their eggs in the sand.

Grunion hunting has become one of the famous sports of southern California. Since these fish leave the water to deposit their eggs, they may be picked up while they are briefly stranded. Racing for fish spotted far down the beach and trying to catch them by hand provides an exhilarating experience for young and old. The common sight of thousands of people lining the more popular beaches in southern California in anticipation of a grunion run attests to its ever growing popularity. Often there are more people than fish, but at other times everyone catches fish. All that is needed to catch grunion is a valid State fishing license and a willingness to get one's feet wet.

Gabfest at the Campfire

Friday August 14, 1992

Up and at em! Getting ready to go camping at noon with our trailer. By 1 p.m. we're on our way. We enjoy the drive along the ocean and arrive at 3:45. Joan and Harold are here already. We park next to them. Frank backs the trailer in so good. We get set up, others begin to arrive. By midnight there are 10 families. We have a big gabfest around a fire. We go to bed at 11:30.

Good friends, good CLEAN fun!

Mom doesn't say here, but I assume from her description of the drive that they are going on a camping trip to Gaviota State Beach near Santa Barbara with their square dancing friends again. They went there a few months ago. It's a beautiful spot, but reservations are needed well in advance, especially to book 10 spaces. It's not too far from Simi Valley so a good place to camp for the weekend. I take it from her "clean fun" comment that there is no alcohol being consumed, which can make a large group turn loud and rowdy in a hurry. I remember in 1988 I went camping with a boyfriend and a large group of his friends. They all stayed up til 3 a.m. hooping and hollering drunk and obnoxious. Those are the kind of people everyone in the campground wants to strangle. After that I realized he and his friends were not my kind of people and I broke up with him. Mom and Frank's friends definitely know how to have a good time and don't need alcohol to enjoy themselves.

I Really Appreciate Our Family

Thursday August 13, 1992

Get ready day. Marketing, packing the trailer, baking cookies and partially preparing the casserole to take for Saturday night potluck. Luckily, I'm feeling good because it's a busy day. Of course I always find a few minutes to rest my back. It's not bothering me quite as much.

Called all the family members but none home. Talked to Mother and Myra in the evening. I really appreciate our family and how well they all get along. We are so lucky. I hope nothing ever spoils that, like inheritance. Myra's kids and Dave's kids have so many problems. I'm on the phone all evening.

When Mom passed away, I did worry that my brother and I might have "issues" over our inheritance. Mom was a very wise woman and left her 3 rental houses to both of us equally, which is only fair. However, Gary was the one who had to deal with all the repairs on the houses. Frank stepped down as trustee of her estate, which was probably a wise decision so as not to alienate either Gary or I. It took over a year to get those houses fixed up and then sold. I felt guilty that we were so far away and unable to help Gary with the houses. He's a good and kind brother and very easy-going, so it all worked out. Gary, if you are reading this, thanks for calling me last night. It's been far too long. I am LUCKY to have you for my brother.

My Bed Beckons

Wednesday August 12, 1992

Slept 9 hours. Up feeling fine. My bed still beckons to me each morning when I go up to shower. Sometimes I crawl back in for 5 minutes. It feels good.

I go have a taco for lunch and then on to get my nail fixed. Then Target and grocery shopping. I'm home by 3:30. My back aches but not as bad as yesterday. I must do my back exercises more.

At 5:30 we go to Thousand Oaks to pick up the truck (new paint).

A quiet night at home.

I chuckled when Mom said that her bed beckons to her. I can relate. I have never been one of those people who jump out of bed first thing in the morning ready to go. When I was working and had to be up by 6:00 a.m. I didn't have the luxury of lingering in bed. I would drag myself into the shower and try to wake up under the stream of water. Now that I am retired I still don't get to sleep in except for the weekends. I have to get my two teenage boys fed and off to school so I get up at 7:00. I love summers and weekends when I can wake up leisurely and cuddle under the blankets for a few extra minutes. I don't think I have ever crawled back into bed after breakfast though. I make sure I make the bed before I head to the kitchen for breakfast.

Moving Clothes

Tuesday August 11, 1992

Busy day moving clothes around in closets. I have so many clothes I can't wear. I wear size 18 now. I shift all the size 16 to the guest closet and pull out all the 14 sizes to box up. I don't want them to get too far away. I'm sure I'll be that size again. If my cancer does get the best of me I will lose weight. If I get well I will do my best to get back to size 14 or 12.

Gary and Maria come by in the evening to return the tables and chairs they borrowed for their housewarming party.

Those size 14 clothes never left the boxes. They were donated to Goodwill. I took the 25 boxes of size 16 and size 18 clothes after she died when Frank and I cleaned out her 4 huge closets full of clothes. I have worn the size 18 clothes for the past 7 years, but the size 16 clothes are still waiting for me to lose 20 pounds. Her shoes were all too small for me, a size 8, so they went to Goodwill. She also left me 6 jewelry boxes full of costume jewelry.

We Have Missed 4 Weeks of Square Dancing

Monday August 10, 1992

We have a lazy day so we won't be too tired to go square dancing tonight. We are apprehensive when we arrive at the dance. We have missed 4 weeks. They learned alot of new things in 4 weeks. We are surprised that we don't do too badly after all. Others are having more trouble than we are. We have a good time. We go to Hudson's Grill afterward. At home we stay up til 11:30.

We took the truck to Thousand Oaks early this morning for repainting the hood and fenders.

It's nice to be on vacation, but I find it always feels great to get back to my routine once I'm home. For me that means my water aerobics 4 times per week. For Mom and Frank that meant their square dancing several times per week. For them it's not just the exercise but also a huge part of their social life.

Slot Car Racing

Sunday August 9, 1992

Layed in bed til 8:10. Watched Hour of Power and had breakfast. I feel fine again today. About 2 p.m. I leave a message for Gary. Frank wants them to go slot car racing with him. He calls back about 6:30. They've been at the beach. We decide to go at 7:30 but when we get there the place is closed. They are all disappointed. We go to Penguins and have a yogurt.

Wow I remember going slot car racing with my brother and dad in the 60s. It was very exciting. I didn't know it was still around in the 90s. According to Wikipedia, "Slot car racing was a popular fad in the 1960s, with sales reaching $500 million annually, including 3,000 public courses in the United States alone. The fad sputtered out by the start of the 1970s."

Shop Til You Drop

Saturday August 8, 1992

I'm up about 7:30. I return some phone calls and then head out to shop Thousand Oaks May Co. sale. I find some great bargains at Lane Bryant. I shop several stores til I'm done in. My feet hurt.

I'm home by 6 p.m. exhausted. I finally hustle up some leftover dinner about 7:30. We watch the Olympics and go to bed. I did really well shopping as many hours (5) as I did.

Nothing like the word "SALE" to get her adrenaline going. May Co. was one of her favorite stores. It was purchased by Macy's in 2005.

On August 8, 1992 the "Dream Team" USA Basketball team won the gold medal against Croatia. The team beat all their opponents by an average of 43.8 points. For the first time NBA players were allowed to play in the Olympics. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Co. inspired kids around the globe to give basketball a shot, and the game’s popularity exploded.

Summer Olympics

Friday August 7, 1992

No reaction to the drug last night. I ate 1/2 banana before bedding down. I feel fine today. I work on the laundry and such all day. We take the car to Thousand oaks at 8 a.m. for repair. I shop in the afternoon and bank.

At 6 p.m. we go to Gary and Maria's for dinner. We have a great steak dinner. We brought the salad and a strawberry pie from Marie Calendar's. We swim and sit in the jacuzzi. After dinner we watch the Olympics. It's a nice evening. We're home about 10 p.m.

What a simple solution to her nausea! Do not take it on an empty stomach. I always take medication with food. Even vitamins cause nausea on an empty stomach.

The summer Olympics in 1992 take place in Barcelona, Spain. Just two months from this date she and Frank will be boarding a cruise ship in that very city to take a Mediterranean cruise.

Sick and Tired

Thursday August 6, 1992

I awake at 2 a.m. and cannot sleep soundly the rest of the night. At 7 a.m. I'm sick and vomiting. Frank brings me a fudgecicle and I feel better. But I'm so tired. Frank colors my hair for me about 10 a.m. and I go back to bed. I sleep most of the day. I'm up and cleaned up by 5 p.m.

Frank goes to the market for vegies and I make a salad. At 7 p.m. we are at a potluck dinner at the Turners. It's good. I handle it well. I don't have the energy to square dance so all 8 of us watch the Olympics. We're the first to leave at 10:30.

Always pushing herself! If it lifts her spirits though, I guess it's worth it to go to a party when she's sick. She had a bad reaction to the chemo she took the night before.

I'm Not Discouraged

Wednesday August 5, 1992

I have my nails done in the morning. I see Dr. Schwartz in the afternoon. He feels my tumors and orders a CAT. He doesn't think they have changed. Next step will be the drip system. It won't be pleasant, but it won't make me sick. Dr. Schwartz says "Don't be discouraged, cancer isn't running rampant throughout your body." I tell him I'm not discouraged. I still feel I will be healed at some point. It's just not here yet.

We have dinner at the Chinese restaurant. I start my chemo medicine at bedtime.

Mom is declaring victory over her cancer. Half the battle is won in the mind.

Desert Hot Springs, CA

Tuesday August 4, 1992

We have another huge breakfast. No lunch needed again today. We're on our way about 10 a.m. across the nothing-to-see desert. We arrive at Mother's at 1 p.m. She seems to be doing fine. No worse than May. The house could stand a good cleaning. She needs to hire someone for that. She isn't able. We stay til 4 p.m. and then start home, stopping at the outlet to shop some. By 8:30 we are home. Home Sweet Home! It's always good to get home! Smokey and the dogs are sooo glad to see us.

Thank you, Lord, for seeing us safely through our journey. And thank you for allowing me to feel so good.

Grandma Helen lived in a very simple single mobile home in a park in Desert Hot Springs, California, very similar to the one pictured above. She lived there for many years with her husband Al Richardson after selling the home in Pacoima where they had lived their entire marriage and where my mother grew up with Grandma Helen and Grandpa Jerry. Grandpa Jerry died in 1954 of lung cancer. Grandpa Al died in his sleep in 1986. Grandma outlived both husbands and her daughter by several years, but her health deteriorated as she reached her mid-80s. She enjoyed being independent and having her own home to do as she pleased. She enjoyed being able to drive herself around. She lived very simply on her social security check. Once she was unable to take care of herself and started having health problems, my Uncle Gene and Aunt Cathy put her in an assisted living home situation. Grandma Helen hated losing her independence. She passed away at the ripe old age of 89, still young compared to her mother, my Great-Grandmother Johnson who lived to 101.

I love the way Mom thanks the Lord for seeing them safely home and for giving her good health during their journey. I have talked to other people who have experienced a life-threatening illness and it was told it made them appreciate their blessings all the more, not knowing how much time they had left.

Sedona, AZ

Monday, August 3, 1992

We arise when we wake up and walk to a cafe for breakfast. First breakfast out in a week, and we are really full when we leave and skip lunch today. We head for an excursion trip to Sedona. It's 28 miles away and I feel we must see it. I don't know why. It's a beautiful drive through a canyon with streams and pine trees. Suddenly the road opens up to a valley of shops and really expensive homes. The surrounding red mountains and formations are beautiful. There's a chapel built right into a mountain. We take lots of pictures. After a yogurt we head back to Flagstaff and on to Laughlin, Nevada.

We have a lovely room and dinner of lobster and prime rib. We gamble some and watch a lounge show.

I call Mom to say we're coming by tomorrow.

It's less than 200 miles from Flagstaff to Laughlin, so I'm glad they had some extra time to take a side trip to Sedona. My family went there for the first and only time 3 years ago after a visit with my Dad near Parker, AZ. The red rock scenery truly is spectacular and the drive along the river between Flagstaff and Sedona is beautiful.

Even though they ate dinner out every night, it sounds like they did have breakfast in the condo during their stay there.

Flagstaff, AZ

Sunday August 2, 1992

I awake early and by 9 a.m. we leave the condo for our trip home. It's been lovely staying in such lush accommodations with such a lovely view from every window. Goodbye Pagosa Springs. We head home through Farmington, New Mexico, a good size town with a lovely mall. We decide to have an early lunch there. It's a long 2-hour drive to Gallup, New Mexico. The drive through New Mexico to Flagstaff, Arizona, is desolate but beautiful. Red mountain formations jutting out of a desert. We arrive in Flagstaff in time to drive around and get familiar. The city is old and rundown. There are some really nice homes there though.

After dinner at Sizzler we go back to our dreary motel room and watch TV. I continue to feel great!

Mom and Frank headed southwest to Flagstaff. When Ric and I left Pagosa Springs last year we headed due west to St. George, Utah. We did have to dip down into New Mexico and drive through Farmington as well, but then we drove through northern Arizona, while Mom and Frank went through central Arizona. It was about 420 miles for them, 470 for us. The terrain ia about the same, I imagine, except that Flagstaff is at a higher elevation.

I had to laugh when she talked about going to a dreary motel room. Before we bought our Worldmark timeshare in 2003, we didn't think much of staying at Motel 6, which is in our price range. Now we are so spoiled by the beautiful Worldmark resorts, that having to spend the night in a motel is downright depressing. For us it actually saves money to stay in our timeshare because we have all our meals in the condo instead of eating out. It sounds like Mom and Frank ate out every night.

Durango Rodeo

Saturday August 1, 1992

Up and on our way at 10 a.m. for Durango to see the rodeo. We arrive early so have lunch at Arby's, then go to the fairgrounds rodeo arena where we see 2-1/2 hours of rodeo. A couple of things we hadn't seen before: under 6 year-olds bronc riding sheep. So cute! Then square dancing on horseback. Real good!

Back at Fairfield Pagosa Springs we played shuffleboard. Frank won 2 out of 3. We come back to the condo and sit in the jacuzzi. We watch a little TV, then go to dinner at Dorothy's in Pagosa Springs. So so.

We return to Fairfield's lounge where a western singer is performing. We stay 1 hour. I drink 1/2 of a white russian. It makes me feel warm and breathless. I don't feel well. I can't drink alcohol anymore.

The Durango Fiesta Days is celebrating its 77th year this summer. Mom always loved horses and would take my brother and I riding when we were little. I can see where she would enjoy the rodeo.

When we were there last year, the Fairfield resort didn't have a lounge, just a reception area and a sales area where a representative twisted our arms for 3 hours to try to get us to buy more timeshares. How I hate those things, but my husband will do almost anything to get a free $50 American Express card! I would have rather spent the 3 hours at the rodeo.

Navajo Lake

Friday July 31, 1992

Lst day of July already. We're up and off to Navajo Lake by 10:30. It's a lovely drive through a valley with a river. We eat our picnic lunch in the lake picnic area. then we rent a power boat for $30/hour and cruise the lake. It is a very large lake and we see only a small part of it in an hour. We get a real close picture of 3 deer at water's edge.

We drive up to another lovely valley where the Wild Animal Park is. We decide not to stop.

After changing clothes we go to dinner in Pagosa Springs at Amore, an Italian restaurant. We have a great dinner with a glass of wine. We come back to Fairfield and play miniature golf. We have a lot of laughs. I win. We rent another movie and relax.

Felt pretty good today.

Wow, another place we missed when we visited Colorado last year! How I wish I had read Mom's journal for July 1992 before we left for our trip in June 2011! I feel like we need to go back just to see everything we missed now. Navajo Lake is only an hour away from Pagosa Springs. It straddles the border of Colorado and New Mexico and is 25 miles long. No wonder they couldn't see it all in an hour!

That must have been fun to play miniature golf! I haven't played in years. I'm sure that was Mom's idea.

Branding Iron BBQ

Thursday July 30, 1992

Slept in. Frank takes his usual 4 mile walk while I get ready. We eat our leftovers for lunch, then take off for a drive to Wolf Creek Ski Area. We take a dirt road to the top of a mountain to an overlook. We are sooo high! There is snow there.

We stop at a beautiful waterfall. We hike 1/4 mile up to get a closer look. I have to stop and rest a couple of times but I don't feel too bad.

We go home, change clothes and go to dinner at The Branding Iron. We have BBQ ribs and a beef sandwich and top that off with ice cream pie. We come home and watch the movie we rented "Paradise."

Wolf Creek Ski Area is a ski area in southwest Colorado, located on the Wolf Creek Pass between Pagosa Springs and South Fork. It is best known for receiving more average annual snowfall than any other resort in Colorado, about 465 inches per year. Ric and I drove by it last year, but didn't stop. Now I wish we had stopped and found that dirt road.

I am so impressed that even when on vacation, Frank starts his day by walking 4 miles. Good job Frank!