He can hear

So today Bob and I went to pick up his new hearing aids.  They are much newer technology and are better able to do things like allow him to talk on the phone and they can tell which direction a sound is coming from - and they can discriminate some of the background noise.  So far so good.  He seems to like them.  The problem is that his left aid has not worked for the last three years, so his left ear is not used tog etting any noise.  He is having a hard time with all of the noise that is now coming in and it is tiring him.  The audiologist warned us about his and said that it will take a few days for him to get used to this.  If he does, this will be wonderful.  He can hear so much better now.  We talked about how he couldn't participate in conversations and that made him feel really old and disabled.  Now that he can hear better, he can participate in conversations and be young agin - well almost young. 

The other news is that my nephew is in the hospital.  He and his wife met us yesterday to go on a hike,  We had barely started and he said that he couldn't keep going - he had had a headache for a week and it was just terrible.  So he and Bob went back to the car - we had come in two cars.  The pain got so bad that Bob drove him to our rv and strongly suggested that he go to a hospital.  He tried to see if it got better if he slept a little.  It didn't - and he started vomiting.  this morning he finally went to the doc and got a CAT scan.  It turns out that he has bilateral subdural hematomas.  They are going to do another CAT scan tomorrow and decide if they can just let the blood dissolve or if they need to drill holes to let it vent.  Send good thoughts his way.

Other than those two bits of news, all is about the same here.  Betsy is great.  The weather is getting warmer.  I am really enjoying the classes at the health club that I joined.  We are doing a lot of reading.  And we are really looking forward to my sister's visit in less than two weeks. 

Retirement is wonderful.

spent a nice day yesterday

Things are getting into a routine here.  I exercise almost every morning.  The weather is mild - not hot.  We spend most of the relaxing and reading or walking.  Bob has finally recovered from the long ride and is doing very well.  Yesterday Cathie and Ira invited us to join them at the Phoenix Art Museum for a couple of exhibits.  One of them was the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit.  Very enjoyable.  The funny part of the day was getting there.  We have a gps and I have spent some time learning how to use it.  But Bob never has.  I was driving and Bob was using it and telling me how to get there.  He really couldn't figure out how to use it.  So we got lost and I finally had to call Ira and ask directions.  We were almost there.  One thing that I am now realizing is how big Phoenix is.  It was many miles from where we are to downtown and yet we are staying within the city limits of Phoenix. 

Another thing that is taking some getting used to is how fast everyone drives even within the city.  The speed limit of 65 is just considered a suggestion and most people ignore the suggestion.  I am used to going 50 or 55 within the city and so everyone is passing me like I ws standing still.  I don't want to change.

After the exhibit we all went out to dinner at a nice steak house.  I had some great fish. 

I woke up this morning with a headache and it was 38 degrees.  It took a while to warm up and to get over my headache.  But I am feeling better now.  I took a long 2 hour walk and that always makes me feel better.  Bob is currently making stew.  When he is done I will do some cleaning - the bathroom especially needs it.  then maybe I will pull out my jigsaw puzzle.  Work is never done - huh?

The weather is better here.

It has been cool and a little rainy here.  (Much better than home where I understand that it is snowing.)  The low was 42 this morning, but it warms up quickly.  It is now 11 am and 66 degrees outside.  We are slowly getting settled.  I have joined a health club.  It is LA Fitness and is a big one.  They have all of the classes that I want and a pool and everything.  I went yesterday for an assessment.  The trainer was arrogant and talked so fast that I could hardly understand him.  We worked together a little and I could feel my blood pressure start to plummet.  No idea why.  I had to lay down until it recovered.  Yuck.  I went back today to a step class and I was fine and the class was great. 

Bob has taken a long time to recover from driving down here.  He keeps postponing doing anything and tells me that he is still tired.  It worries me.  He is feeling better in terms of his congestion.  That has gone.  But he is tired.  We went on a short bike ride around the park yesterday and it tired him out.

Also his hearing aids have gone kaput.  we went online to see if there was a dealer here.  There were.  The biggest was Mayo Clinic.  So we called.  I cannot begin to describe to you the beaurocracy that we encountered.  After a full day of trying to get through what they call registration, we gave up.  This morning we called a different place.  They tell us that Bob's 6 year old hearing aids are pretty old and that the manufacturer may not have parts for them any more.  That is pretty amazing for such expensive hearing aids.  But what can you do.  We have an appointment to go see them on Friday morning.  Hopefully they are repairable.  Otherwise we will have to get him new ones. 

That's about all for now. 

We are here.

We are here!  We made it here one day sooner than expected because Bob just couldn't stop driving.  The traffic was easy.  We timed things pretty well in terms of missing rush hours in the few major cities that we passed.  The weather was pretty good too.  The only issue was that it was a little windy.  That can be a problem for a large target like a Class C Motorhome.  It was the biggest problem when large semis passed us and blocked the wind for a few minutes and then didn't.  It took a while for Bob to figure out how to adjust for that. 

We had cold nights while we were on the way here.  (It made cooming to the warmth all the better.)  That was fine except for the morning that the heater did not work.  But we got the instruction manual out - which said if it doesn't work, keep trying.  If that fails calls the repair man.  So we kept trying and it finally worked. 

Other than that it was nice traveling in a motorhome.  We never had to leave excpt to fill the gas tank.  We spent every night at rest areas and had all our food ready to go.  We ate off paper plates so that we did not have to wash dishes.  So the only cost we had driving here was the cost of gas.  We were able to find Flying J stations with their lower cost of gas, so that was a big help.

The biggest discomfort was that I did not take a shower or wash my hair for four days.  When we got here and got set up I couldn't wait to take a shower.  Yeah clean!!!

We have a very nice spot for Betsy.  It is the same spot as we had last year.  Just far enough from the bathrooms to avoid the noise, but close enough so that it is not a long walk.  (I use them to shower even though I could shower in the rv.  The resort's showers are bigger and we don't have to pay for propane to heat the water in them.)  Also we have good neighbors who have been very nice already. 

The ride down was interesting becase we had planned to do 250-300miles per day.  But we found that even going 55 mph, we would make it to our destination way too early to stop.  So one night we kept going, but Bob got so tired that we decided that was not a good idea.  So the next night we just stopped at 2 pm and stayed there.  It was much better. If we do this again next year we will plan on 300-350 miles per day.  Also, we have decided that we will take long lunch stops.  On this trip we stopped for lunch only long enough to eat, then took off again.  But it would be a better idea to stop for an hour or so and really rest.  Then we will not get to the rest area so early or so tired. 

Last night my nephew and his wife really surprised us.  They brought dinner to our rv so that we could just rest once we set up and did not have to do dinner.  It was a great dinner and great company and they even cleaned up before they left.  What a treat!!!!

We haven't explored the area yet.  That is still to come.  Lots to see and do.  Today Bob and I are both tired. We may take a walk, but other than that we will probably just rest.

today is the day

The last three days have been difficult.  I think that the travel gods are very angry with us.  first, on Monday we planned to go to Verizon and turn on our modem.  I looked everywhere for the modem.  I last used it in July.  I couldn't find it.  so we decided to buy a new one.  Well, they don't make them like the one we had.  We had to upgrade - very spendy.  Urgh.  then I couldn't get it to work and spent two hours with the verizon rep until it work.  It still does not work as well as the old one.  I hate upgrades.

Then when I went to the eye doctor he confirmede that I have gluacoma in one eye and probably both.  He gave me a prescription and reassured me that all would be well.  The prescription was also very spendy.  Urgh.

Then yesterday Bob and I went to breakfast with Stef.  During breakfast I started to feel nauseous.  the nausea passed and I started to feel better.  By the time we got home, Bob was feeling nauseous.  We took turns all day being nauseous.  but we got stuff done and at about 3 pm decided to move out the car and hook us the trailer that tows the car.  In order to do so we had to unhook the electricity.  When we hooked the electric back up, three outlets wouldn't work.  Bob spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong.  He also noticed that the battery was not working.  Urgh.  Finally, he went to take out the outlet and noticed that it was a gfa outlet and he pressed the button and it all worked fine.  the battery was a different problem, just as easily solved by pushing one button.  By 6 pm we were tired and irritated, but all seemed to be well.  I planned to watch the Biggest Loser in the rv because we had no tv reception in the house without cable.  But it wouldn't work.  It has worked earlier yesterday but not at 8 pm last night.  Didn't know why.  Didn't care.  Too tired.

Last night Bob did not sleep well.  He had had some peanut butter for lunch yesterday and ti did not agree with him so he was up most of the night.  He is now napping.  When he wakes we will get started.  Hopefully the travel gods have taken all of their sacrifices and all will go smoothly for the rest of the day.