Some things are universal...

A view from Rick and Tami's deck over the mouth of Morattico Creek

This week has flown by....Monday was spent at MCV with Kristy. She had a gazillion more tests and they finally discharged her around 7:30 pm so we got her home, then I headed for the river. She was feeling pretty good, and very happy to be out of the hospital.
Wanda called and was taking our Mom to the hospital on Saturday evening; seems she has some pneumonia and kidney and heart issues. Mom is 85 but she is one sharp cookie and bounces back from everything, so we think she'll be just fine soon.

Over the weekend the guys decided to "take a look" at the hot tub on Rick and Tami's deck. One of the interesting things about RVing is spending time with the many friends we meet. I have observed that ALL men are uncontrollably drawn to any RV with a compartment open and a diagnosis in progress. Just let one guy open the door to any mechanical item, and within a very short time, ALL the guys in the area will be leaning over said compartment in the midst of a serious diagnosing conversation. I'm quite sure it's a testosterone related issue!! Well, the verdict is in, and it is not restricted to RV travelers...it is definitely part of the male makeup....group diagnosing!!! In the photo below you can see the best side of Rick and Bob, with Dale hovering, as the male group gene takes control with this hot tub issue!

And all this time I believed this syndrome was related to RV travel. Well, I know that theory is dispelled, as it applies universally, to ALL men, anytime, anyplace!
At any rate, it is great entertainment for us gals to observe all the intricacies of this male ritual!!

I'm not sure if they fixed the hot tub, but they most assuredly "took a whack at it"!

We completed our Dr's appointments and spent some time just relaxing.....I think we had almost forgotten how, we've been on the go for so long!! But it was a nice week with pleasant weather. Bob had his colonoscopy today, which was pronounced "fine", so he's good to go for another five years.
We spent most of Thursday and some of Friday preparing for the Clam Bake tomorrow. The seafood, corn, potatoes, carrots, onions and chicken are here and there was a little assembly line going this afternoon getting everything prepped for tomorrow.
This evening Bob dropped off to sleep (think he still had a little residual "drugs" in his system)so I played Hand and Foot with Evelyn and Chuck and Donna. Evelyn and I lost, but it was fun playing!

Tomorrow starts the Labor Day weekend and we'll have the Clam Bake and Golf cart parade here on the island.....should be a a great weekend!

HUGS TO EVERYONE!

Pearson's Island at the River

Sunset view over the Rappahannock

What a nice weekend at the river!!! The weather has been just great !! Both of us have been fighting the "ole back ache" after all the recent activity, so there's been alot of relaxing going on....well, attempting to anyway!!

It was good to see all the folks on Pearson's Island again and do a little visiting. Paul and Katie came down on Sunday and spent the day, which was nice. Next weekend, for Labor day, there'll be a big Clam Bake and Island Party at Rick and Tami's (formerly our "cottage"), so we spent some time making the plans for this. Bob does a terrific Clam Bake, Yum Yum!!

We rode our bikes some, as well as the golf cart and just enjoyed being back at the River. It is so soothing to be here and just enjoy "being here". There's no other place quite like it.

Bob has a Dr's appointment Monday, in preparation for his routine colonoscopy on Friday, and I will leave early heading to MCV Hospital to be with Kristy all day. Hopefully they'll let her go home...her four day stay turned into an eleven day stay; this is how it always seems to go for her.

Another sunset view, over the creek

Minkie has been sickish this weekend, so there may be trip to vet on the schedule also!! Oh well, we'll all get our Doctor's appointments taken care of!!

Hugs to everyone, and many thanks to everyone for your well wishes and prayers for Kristy! :)

Down on the farm....

It's been a busy week here in Montpelier. Bob has been playing plumber, electrician, lumber jack, farmer and lots more. They've completed lots of little and big projects. We've done a little gardening and played with the dogs and kitties.

Mudslide, Kahlua and Bombay



Thursday Bob and I took the tractor and the chain saw, and felled a tall pine which was looking a little like it might take a dive into the barn at some point, should a bad storm come up. So, with the bucket on the front of the tractor, I used it to keep pressure on the tree while Bob worked his chain saw magic. Of course, he said, "Now if this tree looks like it's going to fall this way, you jump off the tractor quick like and run like heck", to which I replied, "Don't worry, I'll be jumping high and far if that tree comes my way. Which way will you be going??" Fortunately, this tree cooperated and dropped right where he wanted it. I'm now a seasoned "tractor tree pusher", so if you need any trees felled, just look us up!! :)



We all enjoyed Shrimp Scampi and peach cobbler one night, fresh yellow squash, corn, tomatoes and catfish another evening, then Bob grilled robust steaks and we made Crab Imperial for Katie and to top the steaks for the rest of us!!! Oh and a Blueberry Pie... Yum, Yum!! One of my favorite meals, and we always love cooking dinner for the kids while we are here.
The weather has been beautiful.....it's pleasant to sit on the deck for dinner every evening and then sleep with the breeze blowing thru the windows. And there's a sweet chill in the air each morning, a harbinger of the Autumn soon to come. It's been a very busy but enjoyable week.

I spent several days at MCV playing Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy for Kristy while she receives more chemo and is preparing to undergo the bone marrow transplant. She is a trooper and rarely complains. She is very scared and to be honest, so am I. I worry so much about her, as she has a great deal facing her. She suffers tremendously; I can only imagine how she feels. How she handles everything that is thrown at her is hard to comprehend. It seems each day brings a longer stay in the hospital, or another issue, chemo reaction, etc and the list just goes on and on. She is always grateful and thankful for everything you do for her and keeps a sweet spirit. It is very hard on my sister, Kathryn (KK); I don't know how she deals with it as well as she does. She does so much for Kristy and has a very full plate. Having never been faced with such a situation before, I am overwhelmed by it.
What a truly dreadful disease; I know we're not supposed to ask "Why?" but it sure is hard to accept.

We leave the farm on Friday and will head to the river for a week or so. We have several doctor's appointments next week and errands to attend to, so it will be a busy week. But we sure plan to have some relaxation after all the "moving" we've been doing. We'll stay there until after Labor Day, when we'll head back to Maryland for a short visit with Tiff and Scott, then it's on to Elkhart, Indiana, then Celina, Ohio for the Gypsy Journal Rally and to have some work done on the MH. After the Rally we'll return to Richmond to help care for Kristy during her transplant and recovery.

Hugs to everyone!

A roap trip to Junie and Sue's!

Wednesday we planned to visit our former neighbors from Warsaw; they sold their home about a week before we did and moved to Powhatan, VA, which is about a 50 minute drive from Montpelier. Junie and Sue are about the best neighbors one could have and we enjoy them immensley. Most afternoons, when the weather was pleasant, we would gather on their deck for "Happy Hour". Now, we were most always happy, whether it was sharing some yard work, or the clothes line or an afternoon libation with these guys. They are great folks!!

So we headed to Powhatan and had a great visit and enjoyed their company and their lovely home!
Sue and Junie

Sue had marvelous appetizers and we enjoyed our time on the back deck, just like we used to in Warsaw.


Of course, their new home is just delightful, and I was really pleased to see one of my Mom's old, hand painted plates hanging on their kitchen wall.(Junie saved it during our "moving" process!) They have a knack for making everything they do turn our just perfectly and it is always a joy to see and spend time with them.

We ended the evening back at the farm and watched some Olympics with the kids before heading to the MH for another night sleeping with the cool breeze blowing in!

Hugs to all!!

Back at the farm...

Well, another week of moving has passed and things are looking pretty good! Bob left Maryland Friday in the MH, heading to the farm to begin helping Paul with some projects there. I stayed on in Catonsville to help Tiff and Scott put a few more things away and generally get the moving over with. They still have a few books and things to sort through, but have the house pretty straight. If you want to see photos you can visit http://howellshome.blogspot.com/ . I'll post some here soon.


I left Maryland Sunday morning early, hoping to beat the traffic on I 95 and was mostly successful. After getting through the mixing bowl in Springfield with no slowdown, which is in itself nothing short of a miracle, I made it all the way to Fredericksburg before traffic slowed to the typical 35-45 mph stop-n-go cycle that is the norm for Northern VA and I 95. I hopped off in Ashland to do a little shopping and then took Route 54 on over to Montpelier, arriving at the farm around 2 pm. It was great to see Paul and Katie and all the grand-dogs and kitties.

Bombay, the granddog, says "Hello"!


It's so quiet and peaceful here, and with the weather being cooler and dryer, we can sleep with the windows open and enjoy the quiet of the country.

Dinner was Chubby Chicken Salads (well, Chubby Shrimp for Katie:)) out on the big deck; it was a cool relaxing night.

Monday and Tuesday will be spent at MCV hospital with Kristy. There is another Bone Marrow Transplant meeting on Tuesday, this one includes her children. She is back in the hospital now having the first of her Third Phase of chemo drugs, and they are preparing for the BMT, hopefully to take place around the middle of September. She spends four days in the hospital, then three back at home for three or four cycles during this phase. Hopefully she can avoid any infections or set backs, so the BMT can take place in September. So keep those prayers coming, please!

Hugs to everyone!