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The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...
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Into December



For the first time in many years, we did not go to Kentucky for Thanksgiving. Things change, and this year my son Justin and my father-in-law Gene were not able to make the eight hour drive.  

Gene is stable after a stroke at Christmas last year and a long recovery period.  He has his sense of humor back, but it's a slog at this point for recovery of physical skills.  One of the big adjustments has been a 50% loss of field of vision in both eyes, making driving impossible and even watching tv difficult.

Justin continues to battle the progression of Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, but things have been quite difficult functionally.  He can't transfer anymore without a mechanical lift.  I used to just pick him up and move him around, but he doesn't have enough muscle structure for me to do that without hurting him.  Justin still has function in his hands, head and neck.

An executive decision was made to host Thanksgiving at our house, and things were a bit crazy for a few days with every bed taken, along with some inflatable mattresses and camping pads on the floor.

The weather here wasn't great.  My parents, who are in their eighties, were unable to drive over from Iowa due to rain, cold, and high winds.

I was in charge of the turkey, stuffing, and gravy.  Those were things that I did well before we started going to Kentucky, but I'm out of practice, which added to my stress level.  I can't say that the quality was anywhere near what Jill prepares in Kentucky, but we made it through.

Daughter Allie assisting


As the kids are now all becoming adults and the adults are becoming frailer, it will get harder and harder to have these gatherings with everyone present.  I'm grateful that it could happen at least one more time.

Julia's sister's family

One of our unique family Thanksgiving traditions is to celebrate my nephew Zach's birthday on the last day of our visit.  He is 17 this year.  In the photo above, you can see that he has outgrown his father, who is taller than me.  Below, we are gathered for tacos and ice cream cake.


Both of my kids are busy finishing up their semesters at college.  Allie will graduate in just a couple of weeks and is busy interviewing for jobs.  With the primary gun hunting season over, I'll be returning to the woods for hiking.

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