Monday, 11-24-97

Oh, it felt good to sleep in this morning. The motorhome is parked in the driveway in front of Jim and Donna’s house. It was the quietest campsite we've had on this trip. The temperature was a little warmer this morning with a little bit of a breeze. It is still shirtsleeve weather. We didn’t get our day started until after 10:30 this morning. I hung a sparkling streamer in the entranceway of Jim and Donna's house. There, the streamer catches the afternoon sun and really sparkles.

I took Jim over to the store to claim a turkey he won bowling. Before we got to the store, Jim had us stop at the new neighborhood bowling center (I learned they are no longer called bowling allies). The bowling center has synthetic lanes that look like wood, but they don't require the upkeep and maintenance of wood lanes. This particular center is brand new and not quite finished. Jim said that a fancy chandelier was on order to be hung in the entranceway. It is a very fancy place. The people here really take their bowling serious. From the bowling center, Jim took us with him to collect the turkey he won while bowling.

After picking up the turkey, Jim suggested we have lunch at a new sandwich shop. I thought the sandwich I had was very good, mainly because of the really great bread. I asked the shop manager where they get their bread and he said they make it fresh daily. He added that the competition would love to get their hands on that bread recipe.

After lunch, we went back to the house to see how Donna was doing. Two of Donna’s friends were visiting her when we got home. Donna seems to be doing okay. I guess that is partly because she has been through this procedure three times so far.

I was checking my e-mail when Kay said I should get the camera because Donna’s leg was about to be unwrapped. Oh good, just what I want to see, a freshly carved up leg. I did get the camera and the unveiling is recorded on film for posterity. I also took a few pictures with the digital camera.

The unveiling of the leg

It did not look as bad as I thought it would. Jim and Donna both said that the doctors had opened up the old incision to do the adjustment on Donna’s knee. Well, so much for the highlight of the day. We sat around and visited for a while and then Kay and I went over to my mother’s place for a visit.

My mother (Floraine) seems to be doing very well recovering from a stroke she had back in August. The stroke temporarily paralyzed the muscles in her throat that control swallowing. She has a visiting therapist helping her to learn to swallow properly again.

I put up a sparkling streamer in the front window of her apartment. There, the streamer should catch the morning sunlight and put on quite a show. I left another sparkler with my mother to give to my sister, Lana. While we were visiting, I checked my PhoneMail and e-mail at Varian. Then it was time for us to leave.

We stopped by for a short visit with Lois and George. We played with Pete while we were there. He is still very playful at the ripe old age of 2 1/2 years old. I hung the last of the sparkling streamers in front of a window to catch the sun. I found that the streamer puts on a pretty good show just from having the dinning room lights turned on. Then it was off to Jim’s place again.

Jim had smoked a ham in his own smoker earlier today. So when we arrived back at his place, we had some very tasty ham sandwiches with a side salad. Earlier in the day, I looked the smoker over real well and quizzed Jim on its operation. I might like to get one for us to use at home. After dinner, I played with Sophia for a while before retiring for the night.