And now the truth!

I first noticed something was wrong after we arrived at New Smyrna Beach. We had touched bottom really hard on the way there that day and it shook me up. Just a grounding, but it seemed to affect me. In the days that followed I felt drained and just couldn't seem to get my groove back. I wasn't having any fun as each day was becoming a struggle. I felt tired and worn out which was a large part of why we parked the boat at Indiantown. A few weeks off the boat would be just the tonic I thought.

Then I got a real surprise while we were visiting relatives in Ft. Myers. I was suddenly short of breath and getting palpitations. It was time for the doc. Fast forward a few anxious days and my test results from a Florida cardiologist indicated a potential serious heart problem.
We discussed our options and decided it was time to head for home. Not knowing specifically how bad things were I elected to keep it quiet and not post to the blog. We packed up and closed down the boat and headed north.

I spent the day today at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse where I underwent a cardiac catheterization. The results were good and my arteries are clean. The doc suspects that I may have had a viral infection attack my heart as it is not as strong as it should be. But I am doing better with new meds and hoping for continued progress. My heart muscle is stronger than it was 2 weeks ago. We have treatment options which will help a lot so I should be feeling much better in the days ahead. New meds, lose some weight (more salad steve?),exercise, and before you know it I'll be good as new.

And so a wake up call for me. Perhaps one for you too. If I have learned anything on this journey it is that life is beautiful but fragile. Each day is precious and should be lived like it's our last.
As a person of faith I have felt the Lord's steady hand guiding me through all of this, even when I wasn't aware of it.

And so I end this blog for now. Will there be a part 2? I hope so but Que sera!

Getting Caught Up

I need to post a few pictures that were stuck in my camera

The car is the "tin can" we rented for the month, a Mazda 3.  I would have to agree.  On a scale of 1-10, it was about a 3.
The other pics are from our day with Harv in Delray and a trip to Tramonti's on St. Patty's Day. The only bump in the road came when we couldn't find the car after a wonderful lunch! Thanks to Harv for picking us up in Jupiter and taking us to the airport to rent our second car to head home in.

Three

Crawford is 3 today. Here are pictures from his party and haircut.

Crawford

Joisey

We are at last in New Jersey for an important event. You will guess from the picture that it is Crawford's 3rd birthday tomorrow! We are so happy to be here to share it. We had a pleasant trip north from New Bern by way of the Bay Bridge and the Cape May Ferry. We will spend the weekend here and then home to Pulaski!
Stay tuned in the days ahead for some more postings from this Creaky Cruiser! Lots going on and you will want to be in the know!!!

I left my winter coat on the boat...

And we are headed for home. Pat sent me this picture to warm my heart for the trip up.  I love seeing PICTURES of snow.

Tramonti's

Lunch with Harv.  It was terrific!

Things are happening fast!

We are back in Indiantown on the boat and new plans are being made. We have decided for several important reasons to leave the boat right here over the summer. We were scheduled to resupply (see photo below) and shove off to head north up the dtch, but after we discovered Indiantown Marina we began to think otherwise. No tidal surges, since it is inside a locking system. Secure tie downs for boats stored ashore during storm season. Friendly staff and central location. And, next winter we have the option of picking up right where we left off!!! (the good Lord willing!)

This means that the Creaky Cruisers will be heading north on Monday, in plenty of time to attend our Grandson, Crawford's, birthday. We also have a new granchild coming at the end of April. (that would be Bub). Creaky Cruisers have learned about the wonderfulness of Grandchildren and so we do not want to miss anything.

Unfortunately, there is no Corvette in my future!

 BJ helps to get all packed!

Our time in Cape Coral looks to be ending tomorrow.  We will miss our family but time marches on and we have a journey to complete.  Spent a day with my brother and got to drive his 63 Corvette. It's a sweet ride and I offered him 20K cash but for some reason he declined.  Today we are getting all packed up and will head for Indiantown tomorrow.

Jersey

I've never seen the traffic in Florida as bad as it has been here the past week.  It seems that a good portion of America has decided that this is the place to be right now.
What looked like a half hour drive on my way to lunch yesterday quickly turned into a full hour.  Part of this is because the Florida Dept. of Transportation is in the midst of highway reconstruction on Rte. 41, the main local artery in Ft. Myers.  I just can't imagine who dreamed up the idea of closing down a three lane highway to one lane at mid day during tourist season, but that is exactly what they did. Insane!!!!!!  I made it safely and coming home was not as bad as three lanes were only squeezed down to two.

Just about everyone I meet comes from somewhere up north, usually from New Jersey (I always ask where in Jersey because one of my sons lives there), although the two people ahead of me on line at the drug store just now were from Indiana.  Everything is choked up with tourists. Does this mean that the economy has turned around, or does it merely mean that people are tired of snow and cold?  Who knows? I guess the important thing is this is great for local business, so as an outsider I will continue to grin and bear it!!!  

Keep in Touch!

One nice thing about the internet is that it allows you to easily stay in touch. And through the miracle of Facebook, I have been able to reconnect with so many people from my past.  It has been a very rewarding experience to hear from former students and friends I grew up with.  The ability to connect with others has been grounding and very satisfying, at least for me. But not everyone is on a social network. And so much of our contact with others on the web is fleeting and incidental.  Even more important is something my friend Harv recently said:  "The more time I spend with technology, the less time I spend talking to people and looking them in the eye, which I enjoy far more." 

 And so I am looking forward to tomorrow when my brother and I will get together with an old friend from my Long Island bartender days. Bruce is 81 years old now and lives near here in Bonita Springs.  He is a great guy and lots of fun to be around, but I doubt if you will find him surfing the net or on Facebook.  Tomorrow we will be getting together for lunch at The British Open Pub, and I am sure we will have some laughs and share some memories of times long ago. 

        I share this with you with encouragement to remember those people in your            life not on the net who you may not be in regular touch with, but deserve to hear from you.  When was the least time you looked them in the eye?

Ironic PS: I couldn't find Bruce's number yesterday to call him, but since I am friends with his daughter on Facebook, it was an easy find!

Joey

This business of getting old can be quite a challenge. When last I went to visit the doc he said my knees were shot.  Great!  There are some things to be done to relieve this condition, but he recommended I first try to lose some weight.  OK, fair enough, but with bad knees exercise becomes more of a challenge doesn't it?(especially on a boat). Alas, I seem to have developed this little friend at my waist I call "Joey".  The problem is that as Joey prospers my knees suffer.

So here I am visiting with family in Florida.  I've done some walking and there is a pool which I have been dipping a toe into whenever I can.   Unfortunately I am also eating my brains out at every opportunity!!!!   Today I decided to take things up a notch so I went to the gym.  I have a little gym routine I do and I was shocked by how little of it I could manage to accomplish.  Older and weaker means I guess I need to fight harder. So for the rest of the week it will be gym every day! BUT OF COURSE THE REAL  CHALLENGE IS TO EAT LESS... and we are going out for pizza tonight.

On another note we just got back from a trip to Inverness and Tampa.  Spent a nice day with my nephew and family.  Then yesterday we spent some time visiting with Pete Lawless (Uncle Petey) in Tampa.  He is dong very well thanks!  Today is warming up after a brief cold spell which has brought some nighttime temps in the 30's.

Ok, I gotta go 'cause Joey is calling me to eat breakfast!

Got him!

Burrowing owl!

Brrrrr....

It's 63 degrees and cloudy here in "paradise" and that feels chilly to my rapidly thinning blood. Not much else to report today. Joanna is feeling better after her spill and we are taking her mom out to dinner tonight.  Tomorrow we are headed to the local Irish
Festival and Sunday we're on the road to visit more relatives.

I did take a walk today and saw a cute little burrowing owl sitting and watching me from 10 ft. away.  Alas, when I reached for my camera I realized I had neglected to bring it along.  This seems to be the story of my life as I am constantly missing photo opportunities. I'll get one yet!