Interestingly not all roads that have this sign are really closed and all roads that are closed do not say so.
I guess the key is knowing the difference.

will, arline and don

I got an announcement that there was going to be an announcement for a wedding.

It was sent by a good friend (the groom is his son) and on the “to” line, I saw a name I recognized then another. Will and Arline, not too many of those. Don is common, but the last name not so.

So I wrote to Will and Arline (we met them while we were in Texas) and got back a note. I also wrote Don: “did you stand up in my wedding about 54 years ago?”

If it was the same Don, he would admit it.

Today I got this message: “Yes, and I rode my bicycle about 40 miles from our farm out of Ontario Oregon to Caldwell so I could be there. We do those kinds of things for good friends.”

Indeed. In my defense, Don was into bicycle riding in those days, but even then 40 miles to stand up in a wedding is pushing friendship to the very limits.

I saw him for a minute a few years ago, otherwise not much since our wedding. He went to India and spent his life as a missionary there.

Amazing what you get from those “to” lists!

last camp trip

We are going camping for a few days.

Probably the last camp trip of the year.

Friends (really good friends, btw) insisted.

A 32 foot travel trailer, 25 foot motorhome, 28 foot 5th wheel and a 26 foot trailer at least, and us in our 8 foot teardrop! We could feel sorry for ourselves, but we won't.

This is our 7th camping trip of the year, we have camped 14 days/nights so far, and counting time at daughters homes, we have slept in the tear about 30 nights this year.

It will be cool at night, but that is part of camping. As long as I can keep Miriam warm we are good.

Back Monday (or tuesday).

shutting down

I have been going to Alzheimer’s support meeting with Walt for a long time.

His wife Dorris and Miriam were diagnosed about the same time. That was over ten years ago. Walt and I used to drive 30 miles to a support group, but now he facilitates a group closer to our homes.

Walt always sends out a reminder, by email, before each meeting. I got one yesterday.

This time he said that if for some reason he could not be there, yet another Dave would coordinate the meeting.

Dorris has been on Hospice for some time. I know that, and when Walt said he might not be there, I was sure things had gotten worse, so I sent an email back to him asking about Dorris.

He said the Hospice nurse had told the daughters that Dorris could go in an hour or a week. She is not eating or drinking. Clearly she is shutting down.

When the doc said there is Alzheimer’s in our future, we know how it will end, we just do not know when.

We are going camping tomorrow, and with a little luck won’t be back for 4 or 5 days I’ll get back in touch with Walt when we get back. And, I will think about him continuously the whole weekend.

Just because we know it is going to happen does not make it any easier when it does happen.