Bathroom Progress

We are getting closer to the end of the project. The flooring has been installed, we had to wait for it to be shipped from South Carolina. Today the painter is doing his thing. The baseboard and towel bars come next. It's taken a bit longer than I thought it would.

Home Sweet Home

We are home. The trip went as planned until the very last flight. We had 6 flights to catch on this "adventure" and 5 were on time...but on flight #6, I received then "dreaded" call from United. It was a simple call that said "This is a call regarding your next flight. The flight has been cancelled. Have a nice day. Good bye." If we wanted to wait at the airport another 7 hours we might be able to get on the next available flight home. Most of us waiting for the next flight opted to drive home. We teamed up with another couple, picked up a rental car and drove home. It took the usual 4 hours.

Our rental car was a Toyota Yaris. It was the only car we could find. Our tiny red car had 4 doors, a hatchback trunk, and wheels that looked like they were stolen from an over-sized pram. We saw the toy car and wondered how we were going to put 4 pieces of luggage and 4 people into something so small. We did. I was a bit cautious at first wondering how much of a road warrior this little beast would be. The car, however, was easy to drive and had a sturdy feel and a good "grip" on the road. I was happy tooling along I-80 at 70 mph. But, it was altogether different when I returned it to the office in town. I was driving an empty car with just me it in. What a difference. The car was a lightweight. I bounced over the road at 35 mph and did not feel safe going much faster. IMHO, if I had to drive a Yaris, i would load a couple of sandbags in the back for added stability. PS...very good mileage but at the cost of safety I'm not sure that is a good trade-off.

We are still waiting to see how the gamma knife procedure worked. It can take from two to six months before we know. The medication will be tapered when the pain stops. So far that has not happened for a prolonged period of time. He had the procedure 20 days ago, so he needs the gift of time.

Water Features

This set of parks has a number of rides that end in a lagoon or lake or puddle of some sort. There are enough if these rides with watery ends that there are large walk-in boxes called "human driers" placed around the park. I've never seen a "human drier" before.

Below are some pictures of a roller coaster with a splash; a round barge and a river boat. There were others too that guaranteed the rider would get wet!

Last Hogwarts Visit

Today was our final day at Universal Studios, so we made one last venture into WWOHP. The line was not too daunting at the Castle, so I put on my "Griffindor" bravery and took the plunge. The ride was great fun as I followed Harry and Ron on a speeding broomstick through the castle being chased by a dragon. We flew over giant spiders and skeletons, and we just missed a beating by the whomping willow. It was all great fun.

We made a stop at Dervish and Banges for a Ravenclaw tie. (The other DrC is a Ravenclaw.) we ended the morning with a butter beer stop

For folks who want to go to WWOHP be advised that the area is small. It's about 1/10 of the park. It's not a large area, but it is packed with Harry Potter lore.

The Details

We are Harry Potter fans. We know a lot of the details just because we have read and heard the stories for the past 10+ years! We knew what to expect, but it's nice to see that Universal went the extra distance and added the details.

The 3 Broomsticks is a huge rambling building without a straight wall or post. The fireplaces are set with enormous cauldrons. The antlers hanging over the fireplaces are probably from crumpled horn snorkaxes or other exotic animals. The windows look ancient with their diamond-shaped "old fashioned" leaded glass. The boar hanging over the bar at the Hogs Head grunts when you come near the bar.

Honeydukes, the sweet shop is just about perfect. The first impression comes from the aroma...it just smells so good. I'm sure each breath costs a thousand calories! There are chocolate frogs, and ton tongue toffee, blood candy and cauldron cakes. Berty Botts Every Flavor Beans and all day jaw breakers vie for space with cockroach clusters. It's a kids delight!

At Zonkos you can buy extendable ears or a sneak-o-scope or an omniocular. You can get your school robes are Dervish and Banges along with the "Monster Book of Monsters" (that bites). There are Quiddich supplies...(I did not find a snitch, but I did see quaffles and bludgers)
and wands and owls. The village of Hogsmead has it all.

We will return tomorrow to see a bit more. We might even see some of the other "islands of adventure" along the way to WWOHP.

The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter

The real reason we came to Orlando was to see one small portion of the Universal Studios park. The WWOHP is located exactly halfway inside the "Islands of Adventure" area of the park. That means we had already walked a lot before we even got started. OH WELL and we walked thru the City Walk, the Port of Entry, Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent. Finally we saw the gates to Hogsmead and Hogwarts Castle high on the hill. Soon We saw the Red Hogwards Express and I just started to smile. What a kick! We had finally made it to WWHOP!

This morning we had breakfast in the 3 Broomsticks then we bought candy at Honeydukes. The next stop was Zonkos (for jokes) then Dervish and Banges (for books and things), then a stop at Ollivanders to see the wands. The details are great (more on that next). We had butter beer (which is butter-scothy and very sweet) and Pumpkin Juice (which tastes like liquid pumpkin pie). We walked thru the Castle and had a grand time.

The City Walk

We are in Orlando at the Universal Studios set of theme parks. The place is huge and filled with sights and sounds and smells and people and laughter. It's divided in at least 3 parts (there might be more but I've not found them yet). We spent this afternoon in the City Walk which seems to be one huge restaurant-shopping mall. There's a 20 screen theater too (guess what? It shows Universal Pictures!). I put together a collage of some of the organized chaos of the place. Can you figure out all the places?

It's Haunted

We are at Universal Studios Harry Potter Park. Guess what HP fans---Moaning Myrtle does haunt the girls bathroom!

More later.

Dominica

We are at "Sunday" Island...as this island was found on a Sunday in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. It was Spanish for awhile, then the French and British owned it numerous times. (Our local guide said those two countries traded it 17 times!). Like Grenada it is a volcanic island and it has a few "Yellowstone-like" features such as geysers and mud pools. it also has the second largest "boiling lake" in the world. Alas we did not see the geysers or mud pools or the boiling lake, we tried to see some whales and dolphins and we did not see them either. Some days are like that!

The local license plates look like they come from a do it yourself kit. None identify the location as Dominica, but since there are not any car ferries among the islands, I guess it does not matter. I took a picture of one that had a barbed wire frame.

The capital is Rousseau. The buildings have a old "New Orleans" feel as they are decorated with wrought iron. Unlike many Caribbean Islands, Dominica has not been modernized with the "mall" filled cookie cutter shops and hand made gifts from China. It still has the feel of an old-fashioned Caribbean port. I hope they are able to retain that ambiance as it makes this island very different from the rest.

Flowers, Spices and Demon Rum in Grenada

We stopped in Grenada today. It's a volcanic island so it has lots of of hills and lush vegetation. very different from a coral island like Bonaire where we were yesterday. Both are pretty, but I like the feel of the volcanic island better. Bonaire was country 103 and Grenada was number 104. I don't think we will get to step on any other "new" countries this year.

Our tour today taught us all about spices--these are the fabled "spice islands" after all. We learned that cocoa pods are picked every 2 weeks in order to keep the trees in production. We learned that when avocado leaves are made into a tea they will reduce high blood pressure. We learned that the nutmeg trees were decimated during the 2005 Hurricane named Ivan, and they are still not back in full production as it takes 10 years for a nutmeg tree to mature.

After looking at spices we went to an old rum distillery. We were told the "old fashioned" way that rum was made. We saw the old equipment rusting away on the grounds. But for some, the best part was tasting the rum. By that time on the tour, I wanted to sample a shower as the humidity was pretty high.

As usual, I fell in love with the wonderful flowers. Bougainvilleas were out in force with colors ranging from deep magenta to palest pink. Birds of Paradise argued with plumeria to see which was prettier. Frankly, it does not matter who wins that debate as all are wonderful.

On The Emerald Princess

We are back! You might remember we were on this same ship in September. Normally we try to experience different ships, but it was unavoidable. The cruise started our as a birthday present for the other DrC and a way to get to Florida so we could visit Harry Potter at Universal Studios. The ship that was available in that time frame was the Emerald. Around November 1, plans abruptly changed when we got the appointment for the gamma knife procedure at UPMC. At first, i thought we would have to cancel our plans, but the UPMC folks said no! That's when I scrambled around for a few days changing reservations and making new reservations finally ending up with a "quadrangle" trip...home to Pittsburgh to Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando to home. The paper pile I had for all the reservations was a half inch thick. (Yes I know all about iPhone passes, but there is something reassuring about a paper "pass" when there are a bunch if stops to make along the way.)

There have been changes on the Emerald since our last cruise. First and foremost, the iPad does not talk to their server any more. Apple introduced a new IOS and Princess has not figured out how to hook it up correctly. Since I do not like using the slow computers on the ship, I'll be using shore services. Not nearly as nice. Another change is personnel. We knew quite a few folks from our 30 day cruise, but they all seem to be gone except for "cookie man." When he saw me, he welcomed me back! The menus have changed dramatically and the food might not be as good. That's a disappointment. In the other hand, the ambience of the ship is the same and the weather is a bit better in the Caribbean than the North Atlantic.

Our first stop is Aruba, then we will visit two islands we have not been to before: Bonaire and Grenada. I'll try to keep you posted along the way.

(As you can see, Emerald Princess is a big ship!)

Bonaire

We are in the middle of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao). Out first stop in this cruise was Aruba...today we stopped on Bonaire. (we will not stop on Curacao-- did that a couple of years ago.) It's one of the many flat little islands in the Caribbean. Known for excellent diving and snorkeling, we decided to see what that was all about. To do that we took a glass bottom boat ride to the reef! We saw lots of coral and lots of fish and even more clear blue water. When I trailed my fingers I that water I was treated to warmth! I can see why snorkeling and diving a big here.

The island is tiny and not filled with people. There was the requisite tourist stuff to buy in the downtown area at the port. A drive around the island highlighted the production of salt, which is the only thing Bonaire exports.

Tomorrow we stop in Grenada.

One more pic

Pictures from Cathedral of Learning

The Cathedral of Learning

The University of Pittsburgh has a Cathedral of Learning. A real live perpendicular gothic 42 story, 535 foot beacon of limestone and windows, that lures students and visitors alike to campus. Being in the profession, and college junkies to boot, we did not even know this amazing building existed. When we first saw the building on Sunday night, when we drove into town, we asked what was the name of the huge gothic church. We were surprised to hear it was a college building.

Today we saw some of this magnificent cathedral. The huge commons area has walk-in fireplaces, coved ceilings, wood and stone carvings and so much more. When I read Yelp! Comments about the Cathedral of Learning, many folks said it looked like their idea of Hogwarts (from Harry Potter). Not a bad analogy.

The CofL is used for classes as well as office space for the University Chancellor. It also houses the "Nationality Rooms" on the first and third floors. These rooms were created to represent the many different ethnic groups who attend the university. We visited a dozen or so of these specially decorated rooms (which also serve as classrooms) on a guided tour. There are over 35 of these special rooms to enjoy. It you find yourself in Pittsburgh and need a "gothic fix" the Cathedral of Learning has to be on your list.

By the way, the view from the 36th floor is something else!

The Duquesne Incline

Before the name Pittsburgh was adopted, the area was called Duquesne, as the area was settled by French Loyalists. Today we saw a remnant of Duquesne -- The "Duquesne Incline." The Incline is a funicular railway that crawls up and down the 30 degree slope of Mt. Washington. When it was built in the 1870s, it was the only good way to get cargo up that steep mountain. Soon thereafter, it was opened for passengers as people were tired of walking up the footpath to get to their homes on the top of the mountain. Since Pittsburgh is a hilly city and getting up and down those hills in the old days was a challenge, there used to be many "inclines" but slowly they were deemed unprofitable as roads were built. Today only 2 survive, and we visited "the Duquesne" on the Monongahela River.

We rode the "Incline" up and down the mountain, enjoying the view of Pittsburgh below. The rivers and their bridges define the outlines of the city. Within the city are scores of tall buildings and a stadium or two. The view from the top is pretty good, even on a gray cloudy day.

The old building and trolley cars have been restored by a volunteer organization. In 1967 the Incline was closed down, but the locals on Mt. Washington got together and decided to keep the railway open. I loved looking at the old details still evident. The carved wood, wrought iron, cast iron stove and shiny brass plates all hark back to another time and place. BTW, if you are a senior citizen (with a Medi-Care to prove it) you can ride the train for free!

Happy Thanksgiving

We have lots to be thankful for today. First and foremost, we are thankful to the doctors here at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. We sincerely hope their gamma knife treatment the other DrC received worked! As of now, he's in great spirits.

Lots of thank yous go to family and friends who have been so kind and thoughtful these past few months. Your support is so important.

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Science Behind The Gamma Knife--in Layman's Terms

We have been pondering how a gamma knife works. First and foremost, a knife is not used. It's a "symbolic" knife ... Its a helmet with 271 carefully placed "holes" or "tubes" that emit a very small dose of cobalt radiation.

After taking an MRI of the affected area, the doctor is able to focus each of the beams to the exact spot. Each tiny beam of radiation adds up but is never at an overdose level. In this case, the beams were all focused on the left Trigeminal nerve with the idea of irritating it. When the nerve gets irritated it tries to "heal" the irritation by forming a scar. So, in the next few months the nerve will try to create a scar and that's what we want to happen. The scar acts as a protective sheath so that when the nerve starts to "trigger pain" the scar will stop the pain from happening. That's pretty clever. What we are doing now is waiting for that protective scar to form.

TN progress Mark IV

We are back at the hotel. He's been released. He's s bit groggy but everything went as planned. Now we have to wait a few months to see how well it worked.

Take a look it him in the helmet frame and now. He can take the big bandage off in a couple of hours.

TN Progress-- Mark III

I just had a call from the nurse. The MRI is finished and they have figured out the "treatment." He will be in the Gamma Knife procedure for an hour. (We were told it would probably last 30 minutes in the prep we had yesterday.) It's now 8:56. I'll be able to "sit" with him about 10:30.

More later

TN Progress Mark II

We got up way too early this morning. Looked out the window and saw inky black skies. It was 4:30. We rarely see 4:30 yet we've been up that early twice in the past 3 days. I hope we do not make a habit of it! After dressing we found our car in the hotel parking lot and drove the 5 minutes to the hospital. Valet parking at the hospital (the only way you can park your car) had just opened. We were given a receipt for the car. All is going to plan.

Next stop was Admission and Registration on the second floor. No one was waiting so we walked right up to the clerk who had our paperwork ready. He signed a few papers, gave the clerk the required medical cards, got a wrist band, and we were sent to the Gamma Knife Waiting Room.

Surprise! We were not the first people there! 7 other folks were in the room. Next direction was to call the nurse to tell her we had arrived. About 5 minutes later the nurse came into the waiting room and gave all of us there some directions as to what was going to happen next. We all kissed and hugged our "person" good luck and they filed into the Gamma Knife room leaving the rest of us to wait. We are told they will call us with progress.

The hospital has a free wifi and some of us are using it. Others have iPods attached to their ears and -- get this -- one person is reading a real magazine! One person is making a series of calls to concerned friends and relatives.

It's now 7:35 and the phone just rang. Alas, the call is not for me, but that's all right. The wait continues.

As an aside, there's a Starbucks in the hospital and its really popular! I just had a latte and frankly, it was pretty bad! I wonder if hospital food has contaminated it!

TN Progress Report

We have an appointment with a gamma knife at 5:45 AM. I've been calling the procedure CyberKnife and that's wrong. This morning we met the doctor who will do the procedure as well as one of the nurses. He was also asked a series of questions about his TN; he took a blood test, and we were sent on our way.

We were going to explore Pittsburgh in the afternoon but we were both tired, so we took a nap instead. Boy, we are exciting people!

Some Fun Pictures

As we were "parking" our tiny Embraer aircraft this morning at SFO, I saw a beautiful SouthWest 737 painted to look like the CA flag. The plane looked brand new as it was the shiniest plane I've ever seen!

Fast forward to Pittsburgh, and we are rolling into our hotel and what do we see...the Oscar Meyer WeinerMobile! I've never seen it before. It's in town till tomorrow...so I snapped a couple of shots tonight. I walked around this "little beauty" (it's quite long) and discovered that even the head rests and the dashboard are shaped like hotdogs in a bun. The vehicle has a standard (not commercial) vanity license plate. I wonder how many miles this well-over-a-foot- long-hotdog has on it?

Flying High

We just boarded United Flight 716 headed for IAD. IAD stands for International Airport Dulles...so we are flying to Washington, DC. IAD is one of my least favorite airports, but that's how we are getting to Pittsburgh.

We are flying in a relatively new craft and we are sitting in Row 1 where there is room and service. The only way to go! Our 5 hour flight across the country should be comfy. As I look at our controls, I see we have a seat that folds down flat to make a "bed." We have a private TV screen with a host of programs to watch, various plug/USB outlets for laptops, iPads and the like, not to mention 3 compartments for storing extra stuff, 2 pillows and a comforter. This is a far cry from cattle car in the back!

Pittsburgh here we come! We check into the hospital at 11 AM tomorrow morning.

11PM: we are in Pittsburgh. Our flight from IAD was delayed about 4 hours. We ate a meal (who knows which one given all the time changes) then sat down and waited while chatting with some nice folks from Pittsburgh. I received directions to the hotel and the hospital. But I decided to use Apple Maps to get me to the hotel. Mistake!!! Hey Steve Jobs---you need to beam down to the folks at Apple a fix for the iPhone map program. The current iteration is not very good!

Slow Progress

The shower is done! The vanity is done! The bathroom is not! The grab bar was installed on Thursday along with a towel bar that "lives" on the back wall. We tried to install the other towel bars, but unfortunately one of the plastic brackets broke. Moen is sending me more brackets. The flooring is somewhere between North Carolina and California and will be installed on December 14 (if all goes to plan). Then, and only then, will the room be ready for paint.

In the meantime I've made cushions for the window seat and 2 benches, as well as a valance for the bathroom window...and I have changed the bedding and drapes to match the new color scheme. It all takes time.

However, before the bathroom gets finished, we have to deal with another problem. The other DrC is having a CyberKnife "surgery" for his Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) on November 20. We are flying to Pittsburgh, PA as that's the "Mayo Clinic" for TN. Google CyberKnife and find out all about it. The name sounds scary, but when you read about it you will find its a non-invasive procedure. He should be out of the hospital one day later.

We plan to stay in Pittsburgh for a few more days, just in case anything else is needed, and then we are going to fly to Florida and board the Emerald Princess for a Caribbean cruise. If that name sounds familiar, that's the ship we were on for the last cruise. The cruise has been on the books for about a year. When the hospital gave us the date for surgery, I said "I'll cancel our cruise," and they said "NO, it will be good for him." So we are going on the cruise!

Watch this space to find out more about the "surgery" and the cruise.

Shower Update

The shower is finished. It looks great. Now we have to do all the finishing touches. It's good to have a project.