On Hold

Sandy is in remission. On January 31st she had a blood draw to determine her current CA-125 score. On the following Thursday she found out the score and told me: It's 51. Normal is 35 or below. Also, the last time we saw Dr. Yamada she told us that she wasn't concerned about a small increase in the score but would be concerned if it doubled or more. It had more than tripled.

We were concerned about this, naturally. When we saw Dr. Yamada today she was armed with a CT scan Sandy had taken earlier this morning. After having read the scan, the doctor said she wouldn't know where to begin any surgery if it came to that, meaning that there was nothing obvious to be concerned about. She said that cancer such as Sandy's does not grow quickly and that we should return in three months as usual, but that we should call in right away if any pain develops quickly, etc. This eased Sandy's mind, which is all I cared about for now.

As an aside, it snowed hard in Chicago last week. As a result, the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) was shut down for two days. Not only that, but the snow built up in the upper decks of the parking garage, taking many parking spaces. When we arrived at UCMC it seemed like there were a lot more people and cars around than normal, and there were. Today was a day when patients were catching up on appointments missed last week. I estimated that the number of people we saw today was double what we'd seen in the past. It was truly amazing.

There were so many cars in the parking garage trying to find an empty space that wasn't Reserved that I drove in circles and up and down the garage for an hour and a half before an employee helped me find a space. I later calculated that I had traveled ten miles during that interminable drive. 

It takes less than an hour to get to UCMC from our house; it took longer than that to find parking once we got there. 

But the most important part of this day was that the score of 51 doesn't mean Sandy is back to square one right now. We remain vigilant.

Remission

Sandy and I have seen her oncologist twice since I last wrote about her remission. We are happy to report that Sandy's doing well. She's had a CT scan and a couple of blood tests to determine the level of cancer activity in her system. The tests show that the cancer is under control. Her CA-125 score should be at or below 35. Her lowest score was 7.0, which was not long after she finished chemotherapy last summer. It is now 14.0, having crept up over the past year and a half. This might appear to be a problem, but the doctor said she's concerned when it doubles between readings. Nothing like that has happened so far. I figure that if it continues to go up 4 points a year it will be 2016 before it hits 35. I'm also hopeful that this will not happen, that she'll remain cancer-free.

The Best News

The best news is that Scot arrived home safely from his mission overseas on July 11th. His beautiful daughters were there to greet him, as photographed by their mom.

Ava & Reese Anticipate

She Spots Dad

Happy Reunion

To the Car

So Good to be Home!

 Having Scot home and safe is The Best News.

Riding with Scot and Ava

One of my most favorite times during my stay in Woodbury was a bike ride with Scot and Ava. Scot had attached a trailer of sorts to the back of his bike to accommodate Ava.

The Back Seat

She helped pedal, she had great balance, and she sometimes locked her knees against the frame and held out her arms as if she were on the prow of the Titanic churning through the sea.

Then we stopped at Colby Lake Park for about half an hour.

Climbing the Twister

Making Lobster Claws

Daredevil Daughter with Apprehensive Dad

Reaching for the Ground

Into the Tube . . .

. . . and Out

At the Park

Back Home

It was fun for all of us to share this time together!

The Elroy Sparta State Trail

For several years Ted and I had wanted to ride this trail. We had driven the three hours to the trail a few years ago, only to find that Elroy and the trail were flooded. The trail was closed.

This time we checked everything we could think of to prepare for riding the trail. This almost worked. When we arrived in Sparta we had to wait for a train to go by. Once the tracks were cleared I attempted to put my car back into Drive. The lever was locked in place. Cars behind me were honking impatiently. I had to rip the cover off the steering column to access a button that would release the shift lever.

Once that was done, we parked Ted's car in Sparta and drove mine and the bikes to Elroy. We bought trail passes and headed onto the thirty-two mile trail.

We expected the scenery along the trail to be as beautiful as you see when driving alongside the trail between Elroy and Sparta, but shrubs and trees on either side of the trail kept the view from us.
What does make the trail exceptional are three tunnels along the way. Two of them are a quarter mile long. 

The third tunnel is three quarters of a mile long. From the center of the this tunnel, you can't see light at either end. Because it's cool inside the tunnel and 85 or so degrees outside, it's raining inside the tunnel. Moderate rain. The floor is slick and bumpy, making riding impossible and walking somewhat tentative. The bike lights, bright as we thought they were, barely illuminate our way through the tunnel.

Walking through the tunnel is required, no riding. It felt like a long walk, but even with the rainfall it felt good to be out from under the hot sun.

Tunnel Entrance

Preparing to Enter

Going into the Light

Exiting Tunnel #2

The Finish

When we reached the end of the trail we agreed that it was a good ride and that we would not do it again. We celebrated that evening in an Italian restaurant in Mauston, happy to have finally met the challenge of the Elroy Sparta State Trail.

The Gateway Trail

Ted is the webmaster for the Gateway Trail Association website. He wanted pictures of the trail, so one day we rode the eighteen miles. We stopped people along the way to talk and to take pictures of them if they permitted.

It was fun for us and, we think, for the people and animals we encountered.

Laughing Horse

Happy Traveler

Taking a Break

The Multi-Use Trail

Along the Trail

Staying in Shape

Ted's Project

Our friend in Woodbury, MN planned to build a screen between his house and the neighbor next door. I drove to Woodbury to help him. 

First, we dug three holes with a manual post hole digger. Scot came over and did the lion's share of the work. Then Ted planted three ten-foot posts and cemented them in place.

It was hard work.

Ted's Shed

Hauling Lumber

Trying Not to Lose Fingers

Done for the day!

Day's End

Glad to Be Done for the Day

Days later . . . long after I arrived home . . . Ted got a little further along on his project.

Partly Done