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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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Milestones

 

New Visitor at the Bird Feeder

We are ready to put 2020 in our rear view mirror. This week, Julia celebrated her 60th birthday. Mine is coming up in a few weeks.


Julia's sister gets credit for the party favors.  I baked the cake from a cake mix box.  One time, I tried a cake from scratch and it looked more like chocolate flat bread. The party was just for the immediate family, but it was nice to have both Allie and Justin home for the event.  Allie heads back to California at the end of the week.

Justin plans to go back to college during the third week of January. There are still some caregiver issues to sort out, but things are much more promising than last fall.  Justin has good priority for the vaccine, but things are rolling out slower in Wisconsin than some states.  UW-Whitewater has done a good job keeping its virus numbers low after a rocky beginning.   

My knee has not been right since the fall at Wildcat Mountain State Park a couple of weeks ago.  I've been limping around and staying out of the woods. I'm pretty sure that I stretched or strained that ligament above the right knee on the right side.  It has felt better the last few days.  The knee hurts the most when I get up from sitting.  After walking around for awhile, it feels fine.

Callie and I hiked both the Lodi Marsh and Gibraltar Rock this week.


Callie wanting to play ball at sunrise



Comments

greg said…
I liked hearing that Justin may be going back to school soon. A ray of hope that things will get back to normal eventually.

Welcome to the slow healing years of upper age! I've got a spot on my leg that still hasn't fully healed from a simple but nasty cactus spine incident. And that was a month ago!
December 30, 2020 at 9:37 AM
kaBLOOnie Boonster said…
What a piece of luck, to get the fox coming in so close. Lately I have taken to watching a lupine celebrity on You Tube: "Finnegan Fox."
December 30, 2020 at 7:12 PM
John said…
Keeping my fingers crossed on Justin's return. His morale has greatly improved now that it looks like he's going back. He also found out this week that he will get his old dorm room back--just down the hall from his best friend.
December 30, 2020 at 8:17 PM
John said…
It was very lucky. I hear the fox many nights when I take Callie out just before bedtime. But that is the first time that I've seen it. I was walking by the living room window, and there it was at the bird feeder in broad daylight.
December 30, 2020 at 8:21 PM
MFH said…
Perhaps I've been hanging around Californians too much, but from years of travel in "the wilds" I've come to the idea that animals *let us* see them. Although certainly not always the case, if true, it suggests a form of compliment.

Congratulations.
December 31, 2020 at 8:08 AM
John said…
Animal encounters are some of my most memorable moments in the wilds. This is the closest that I've ever seen a fox outside of a zoo. This time, I guess, I was the one behind the walls, and it was outside and free.
December 31, 2020 at 12:21 PM
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