My dad passed away on October 22,2023. He had kidney cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs, and bones. He started having bad back pain the middle of August and I took him to the ER in Ballantyne where they did an x-ray and CT scan. After four weeks he didn't get better so I took him back to the ER. They did a MRI this time and found the cancer. They moved him to the hospital in Charlotte. They did lots and lots of tests, and to help with the back pain they did radiation. He was in the hospital for a little over three weeks, during which time he celebrated his 96th birthday. There was a large group of family and friends for the party and it was a special time for him. He left the hospital on Monday, October 9. He was looking forward to a special dinner at Greenway on the 10th. By this time he was using a walker, and when necessary a wheelchair. I had home care, home health care, physical therapy and occupational therapy set up for him. The home care nurse, Gloria, brought his meals to his apartment and checked on him several times a day. He spent a lot of time sleeping. On Sunday, October 15 his legs just wouldn't work and Gloria called 911 and then called me. They took him back to the ER, where they did another CT scan and found the cancer had spread. At this time the doctor said he should be monitored for a couple of days, and hospice was called. He came home to my house on Wednesday, October 18. We had a hospital bed and had moved some pictures so he would have familiar things around him. My step-sister, Lisa, flew up from Florida to help us take care of him, so there would be someone with him 24/7. She will never know how much I appreciate that! The angels escorted Dad to be with Jesus on Sunday morning, October 22. We miss him so much but know he's in heaven with Mom and Dorothy, and all his family and friends that have gone on before him. I didn't mean for this to be so long, but I think it deserves to be told and remembered.
To Elkhart and Back - November 19-27, 2023
We left on Sunday, November 19. About 15 minutes from home the cargo basket/rack John put on the back of the 5th wheel to add weight and give us extra water broke. The bracket just sheared off and we were dragging it. Fortunately a couple on a motorcycle notified us of it. Vince and Kayleen to the rescue! They brought the El Camino, loaded it up, took it back home and put it in the garage. What wonderful friends! We were light enough this trip we didn't need the extra weight on the back.
About 3:00, just south of exit 14 on I-77 in Virginia, the back right tire on the 5th wheel exploded - BAM!
It sheared the valve stem off on the tire in front of it, so we had two flat tires. We called FMCA Roadside Assist but they couldn't find two tires, and then they couldn't find a mobile tech to come out and change the tire they couldn't find. Fortunately about half an hour after the blowout Phillip and his highway safety truck pulled up behind us with his caution lights flashing. After that people started moving over to the left lane to pass when they could. John ended up taking the valve stem from the back blown tire and putting it on the front one. Fortunately it was holding air. Then Phillip changed the back tire to the spare, which was eight years old. After three hours on the side of the interstate we drove to a truck stop at exit 14 and spent the night. John called several tire places between Hillsville and Dayton, OH and couldn't find five new tires (one for a spare). Then he called Martinez Tire two miles up the road and they got all five in an hour. We drove over, they put them on, and we were on our way in another hour. The Lord provides!!
We had about 1-1/2 hours to make up on Monday as we had planned on staying at Tamarack Sunday night. We made it to Dayton just after dark and had a nice dinner of chicken and noodles with Carolyn and Dale, Cindy's mom's cousin and her husband. We spent the night in their church parking lot like we always do when visiting them. It was cold both nights but we stayed warm under the electric blanket.
Tuesday we made it to Elkhart and spent the night on the MorRyde property. They provide a 50amp hookup so we were able to run the fireplace and space heaters. The next morning they repacked the wheels, aligned the tires, replaced the brake shoes, and replaced one brake disc and caliper. They were done by about 10:30 and we drove to the Elkhart 4-H Fairground campground in Goshen for two nights. They have full hookups so we were very comfortable. Since we had time we had lunch at Essenhaus Inn restaurant in Middlebury. We decided we like the Blue Gate Inn better. On Thursday, Thanksgiving, we had a nice lunch of turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, and cranberry sauce. Yum!
Friday we headed back south and spent the night at Pastime Park Campground in Plain City, OH. It's a nice city campground. We had 50amp and water.
Saturday we drove to Mash Fork Campground in Camp Creek State Park, WV for two nights. We had full hookups and although it was cold and rainy there we stayed warm. We were watching the weather and Monday morning the temperature was supposed to drop to below freezing as the day went on. So we got up about 3:30 in the morning and left. As I write this on Tuesday, November 28, the temperature there still hasn't gone above freezing and probably won't until tomorrow noon. We got home about the same time as we normally leave a campground. We both took a nap that afternoon.
John says he doesn't much like camping when it's cold, especially when there's no sun for solar. I like to go just about anytime.
That's it for this year.
