Back to Billy’s Bar and Grill today for a family get together…Getting prescriptions filled…

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Cactus plant in Campanario, Madeira, in 2014.

As mentioned a few days ago, when I couldn’t get my two blood pressure medications filled at CVS Clinic since there were no records or tests for medical care for me in Minnesota’s health records system. I left empty-handed, wondering what to do. As mentioned in that post, I knew if I went to another cardiologist or primary care doctor, they’d put me through a litany of tests, all of which I’ll be having in August when we go to the Cleveland Clinic.

Sure, my Medicare plan and supplement would cover the cost of those tests, but there was no way I wanted Medicare to be billed for tests that would be redundant in a few months. Also, I had a cardiac ultrasound at a cardiologist’s office in Las Vegas on March 27, when I needed to confirm the report from the cardiologist in Ecuador. The results were the same.

I contacted ProgressiveRX, sending them a not-so-clear copy I had of the prescriptions Doc Theo had written for me 13 months ago before we left South Africa. Once ProgressiveRX, located in Singapore, received the copy, they explained it wasn’t clear enough for them to read. Could I get a clearer copy?

This morning after breakfast, I asked the hotel general manager, Wade, whom we’ve come to know quite well based on the number of times we’ve stayed here, if he could produce a clearer copy on his printer. He did a perfect job. A short time later, I received a clearer copy from Wade in my email, which was perfect.

Immediately, I forwarded it to Vimala at ProgressiveRX, receiving a confirmation only moments later that the new clearer copy worked perfectly for their needs. My meds will go out today, and I will receive them in about three weeks. After scouring through the “pill bag,” I stumbled across enough of the two meds to last until I received the new batch. I had put them in a small ziplock bag as an emergency supply. Good thing. Now, I can relax knowing I’ll have enough meds to get me to the CC in 3½ months since ProgressiveRX is sending me 184 pills, plenty for my current needs. Whew! What a relief!

This morning, we headed downstairs (we’re on the 6th floor) for breakfast. There was nothing there I could eat except the hard-boiled eggs. I’ve tried to find the ingredients in those processed scrambled eggs they serve, but the results were all over the place. Thus, I’ve decided not to eat them, knowing full well there would be lots of preservatives.

After breakfast, I went to the fitness center to do the workout on the bike. A few days ago, I started at five minutes; today, I could do 12 minutes for two miles. I will continue at this pace until I get to a full 30 minutes; then, I will increase the difficulty level while maintaining the same period of time.

I check my pulse while biking to avoid getting too high. However, based on the Afib drug I am on, it prevents my heart rate from going too high, but I still need to monitor it throughout the process. Gosh, I am hoping to maintain my current state of being to last the next 3½ months without getting too many new symptoms requiring emergency medical care.

Friday is Happy Hour for Tom’s family, starting at 3:30 at Billy’s Bar & Grill in Anoka, a 45-minute drive from here. We never know who will be there, but most often, it’s four of Tom’s sisters, BIL Eugene, and occasionally some nieces and nephews. Last week, Tom’s daughter Tammy, partner Tracy, and grandson Vincent joined us, which was great. We’ll see who will join today.

That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back tomorrow with more.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 17, 2014:

We love the house in Madeira, Portugal, with granite countertops, a microwave, a dishwasher, a great gas stove and oven, and views of the mountains and the ocean when washing dishes. Once the haze lifts, we’ll include more photos of views inside the house. For more photos, please click here.

There’s a price to pay for living outside the US…Disappointing day…

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The view from the veranda at the holiday home we rented in Madeira ten years ago.

Yesterday, I was enthused about the physical therapy appointment at Wellspring Wellness Center. With exercise physiologists on staff, I felt confident they could help me improve my mobility while awaiting my future appointments at the end of August and subsequent open heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

How little did I know that I’d be turned away? Based on the fact they had no record of me having treatment and tests in Minnesota, after consulting with their medical director, they all agreed it was too risky to treat me. They feared my heart condition would make such treatment too high risk and, let’s face it, the potential of liability if something went wrong during such a course of treatment.

I walked out of the facility disheartened and frustrated. They suggested I see a cardiologist (I’ve already seen three in the past year) for the type of treatment that would be suitable for me. With countless tests upcoming in August, I wasn’t about to go through the uncomfortable and time-consuming process of going through a litany of tests here in Minnesota, especially when Cleveland Clinic does its own tests.

The risk of a lawsuit is driving influence in medical care in the US. This is not the case in most other countries where medical malpractice lawsuits aren’t nearly as common as in the US.

But this was only the beginning of the day’s frustrations. I’d made an appointment at CVS Minute Clinic, which I called and assured me I could get prescriptions for my high blood pressure meds, which I am running out of. Remember, I got 13 months of prescriptions from Doc Theo in South Africa before we left at the end of April last year. Now they are running out and I have to figure out how to get them. They won’t accept written prescriptions from South Africa.

When CVS stated they’d write prescriptions for tourists running out of medication, I quickly made the appointment for yesterday at 5:00 pm, figuring at least this would be out of the way.

Alas, when we drove to the CVS for my appointment, and after waiting several minutes for my appointment upon prompt arrival, after filling out forms and signing privacy documents, I discovered, once again, that they couldn’t help me. They couldn’t find any record of any doctor prescribing any medications for me, nor was there a record of any tests or medical appointments to substantiate the necessity of my taking such medicines.

The PA agreed to give me a one-month emergency prescription as a tourist, but one month didn’t do me any good. I am not going to CC until the end of August, a full 3½ months from now.

I walked out empty-handed, frustrated and wondering what I would do. My only option, so I thought, was to book an appointment with a cardiologist or, in the worst case, a primary care physician and see if they’d write the prescriptions without having a litany of tests. I could run into the same scenario, and if I refused to take tests, I could walk out empty-handed again.

Deciding I’d think about this for a day or two since I had enough pills left to get me through two weeks. When I awoke in the middle of the night, I checked my old account at ProgressiveRX and found an old prescription in their records that could supply me with the meds I need. I had looked earlier, but I looked under the US names of the meds when, in fact, they are named differently in India, where most of the world’s drugs are produced anyway. They have everything I need.

Today, after posting, I will order the meds and have them in three weeks at the latest. After digging through my pill bag, I found the same unopened pills that could get me through until the shipment arrives at our mailing service, which in turn will mail them to me. What a relief!

This explains why living outside the US for the past almost 12 years has left us with no medical records to rely upon for future medical care in the US. We are left without medical records when we have had no US health insurance all these years, only carrying health insurance suitable for people outside the US. It’s another fact of life for world travelers. Any medical care we’ve needed all these years, we’ve sought outside the US, mostly paying out of pocket.

Thus, I’ll be able to get the meds I need, and yesterday, after all of this, I started working out, once again, in the upscale fitness center in this hotel. I will carefully monitor my heart rate and perform ECGs on my Fitbit each time I work out, being as careful as possible. Despite my current condition, all three cardiologists I visited explained that exercising is good for the heart muscle.

In less than an hour, my friend Chere is stopping by for a visit. We’ll hang out in the lobby and catch up.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 15, 2014:

No photos were posted on this date due to a travel day.

A birthday celebration and lovely evening…With a thoughtful gift for me!…

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Heather’s daughter Hannah sent these lovely flowers with her mom to give to me last night. I’ve never met Hannah and couldn’t believe this thoughtful gesture. Hopefully, soon, I will meet her. Thank you, Hannah!

When Miles got his driver’s license on his 16th birthday yesterday, it was fun to celebrate his special day at Pizza Luce last night. He couldn’t have been more excited; seven of us shared his enthusiasm at dinner. The food was good, the ambiance was festive, and it was fun to be with family again.

Heather walked in the door holding the above flowers, and I said, “How thoughtful to give flowers to Miles on his birthday!” Heather giggled, “These aren’t for Miles. They are for you!” I was stymied about why there were flowers for me until she explained they were from her adult daughter Hannah, whom I’d never met, who could not join us at Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday.

I couldn’t get Hannah’s number quickly enough to thank her for her thoughtfulness, especially when she hadn’t met me yet. We both feel fortunate, along with Greg, to have Heather in our family with her four children and our six grandchildren in Minnesota.

There’s no doubt in my mind that being away all these years has only accelerated the appreciation of our family members. When we lived in the US almost 12 years ago, we loved and appreciated our family. But there is an added element of appreciating how much our kids, grandchildren, and now Heather’s family mean to us, having been away for so long.

We are so happy that Greg and Heather have found one another and brought their total seven children into their love equation. We’ve been busy seeing everyone since we arrived here last Wednesday and look forward to many more get-togethers over the next few months until we head to Cleveland.

In about 30 minutes this morning, we leave to go to a highly reviewed physical therapy clinic only a few miles from here. I am struggling to be mobile right now, most likely due to my heart condition, and I need some help improving my mobility. My exercise regime wasn’t sufficient enough to affect a change, and I’m willing to admit defeat and accept professional help.

I must improve my strength and mobility before I have the surgery. Right now, I am having trouble getting up out of a chair or out of bed. My walking is difficult and unsteady. Indeed, if I don’t do something right now, I could fall, and that could be a fiasco. We have so many plans over the next few months, and I want to be able to participate in all the activities with family and friends.

Tomorrow, I will report what I’ve discovered at this morning’s assessment. We have no plans tonight, and after the appointment, we’ll head to the market to pick up a few items for tonight’s and tomorrow’s dinner. We try to avoid dining out every night, not only due to huge portions and also not knowing what’s in the food but also to save a little.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 14, 2014:

This creative display is so Morocco, with brilliant colors that are beautifully presented. For more photos, please click here.

A lovely Mother’s Day and into the evening…Thanks for all the warm wishes!…

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A gorgeous pink rose in the garden at our new Campanario, Madeira (Spain) location.

Somehow, Greg and Heather found a lovely restaurant for Sunday’s Mother’s Day Brunch at Cosmos Restaurant in the Lofton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, close to the Target Center. With all the bad press about downtown Minneapolis being dangerous these days, this location was safe, and we felt comfortable.

The beautiful location had ample seating and no waiting, which is odd for Mother’s Day, as waiting to be seated and served on this busy day can be tedious. The food was fresh, hot, and well prepared, and our table for eight worked out well. In attendance were Tom and I, Greg, Maisie, 17, and Miles,16, whose birthday is today (Madighan was at work), Heather and two of her four children, Megan, 15, and her son, Doug, 23.

The time went quickly, and before we knew it, the brunch ended, and Tom and I were on our way back to the hotel with no plans for the remainder of the day. We arrived at 1:00 pm after stopping and picking up a Chicken Bowl from Chipotle (not as good as I remember) for me for dinner. Tom had Panera Chicken Wild Rice soup that he heated in the microwave in the hotel’s kitchen on the main floor, along with plenty of crackers.

In no time, evening rolled in, and we had dinner and streamed a few movies while settling in for the night. It was all pleasant and relaxing after several busy days in a row. We’ll celebrate Miles’ 16th birthday at dinner at Pizza Luca, a short walk across the hotel parking lot. Today, Miles goes for his driving test and hopefully passes, adding all the more cause for celebration.

This morning at 8:00 am, we headed downstairs for the included breakfast at the hotel. It’s not a big deal breakfast as is the case for most included breakfast at any hotel, usually consisting of premade scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, cereal, fruit, coffee, and tea. Fortunately, they have hard-boiled eggs, and I don’t eat premade scrambled eggs since they contain wheat and chemicals.

Dining out frequently creates a few issues for me, but I always find something suitable for my way of eating. Tonight at Pizza Luce, it’s easy when they serve gluten-free meatballs with sugar-free sauce topped with mozzarella. I love this dish and often order it when we go there for dinner.

This morning, I called a well-known physical therapy clinic nearby to see if my insurance would pay for services. Lately, as my heart issues have escalated, I’ve had more difficulty walking and using my arms. As much as I try to exercise on my own, I need professional help and monitoring to build my strength for surgery over the next three months.

I am waiting to hear back from them after they check with my Medicare and Plan G to ensure I am covered. If I can build my strength and stamina before the surgery, I will do better after it’s over. We’ll see how this goes.

In the interim, we should get a call back for an appointment with Costco’s Hearing Aid Center for Tom. He’s finally decided to buy correctly adjusted and fitted hearing aids when his hearing has worsened over the past few years. It will be great for him and for me to have a conversation with him without raising my voice. If he can’t read my lips, he can’t tell what I am saying.

That’s it for today, dear readers. Thank you for countless and thoughtful Mother’s Day wishes from many readers, family, and friends. I am very grateful.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 13, 2014:

We couldn’t imagine that tourists would visit during the peak of summer due to the heat. For more photos, please click here.

Happy Mother’s Day to all!…We’re off to brunch with the family…

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and grandmas!

This morning, we’re rushing to get out the door to go to Mother’s Day brunch at a fabulous restaurant downtown Minneapolis, Cosmos, with Greg, our three grandchildren, Heather, and two of her children, whom we’ll meet for the first time. We would have been just as content to go to a Perkins or other casual restaurant, but on this day, it would be impossible to get a table without waiting for an hour or more in the crowded lobby area.

I am making this a short post since we’ll have to get out the door in about 20 minutes to arrive at the venue for the 10:45 reservation. Parking downtown will be at a premium, so we want to ensure we arrive on time.

Since we arrived here last Wednesday evening, we have been busy every day and evening with family and have had a great time. Knowing this will continue over the next few months, making the time pass more quickly until my upcoming appointments at Cleveland Clinic on August 28, gives me peace of mind while we both thoroughly enjoy ourselves.

We thought last night would be quiet, spending time in the hotel room while we munched on items we’d purchased at the grocery store for light meals when we didn’t feel like dining out. This hotel room has a refrigerator but not a microwave or stove. However, we can use the microwave in the main floor kitchen whenever we’d like.

As we settled in for the evening, Tom noticed a message from nephew Kevin asking if we wanted to come to Mary and Eugene’s home to play cards. We jumped at the chance, and by 4:00 pm, after stopping for food to bring, we were situated at their table, ready to begin playing Buck Euchre. We had a great time and returned to the hotel by 11:00 pm.

We move to another nearby hotel with a kitchen on May 23. We’ll decide whether to stay there through the long wait or return here during that period. The determining factor will be determining how important a kitchen is to us. We like this Hyatt hotel but will try a Residence Inn until June 11. We shall see how it goes.

It’s time for us to head out. We’ll be back tomorrow with more.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 12, 2014:

The jewelry prices were very reasonable in the souk in Marrakesh, Morocco. For more photos, please click here.

Busy and fun times…

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The two of us were in front of the “White Mosque” in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in May 2014.

Gosh, we are having a great time! Not only have we loved time spent with family in these few short days since our arrival, but we met a lovely couple at the hotel with whom we’ve had breakfast the past three mornings, who left to return to Wisconsin.

We were contemplating what we’d do tonight, and then Tom’s nephew and friend Kevin contacted us to ask if we’d like to come to Mary’s and Eugene’s home to play Buck Euchre. Of course, we said a resounding “yes!”. This will be reminiscent of the month we just spent in Apache Junction playing cards day after day, night after night, with the same group of Tom’s family members, now that everyone is back here.

On our way to Mary and Eugene’s home in Andover, another 45-minute drive, we’ll stop and get some prepared food trays to bring since these get-togethers are often more about snack foods rather than big multi-item dinners. Everyone usually brings snacks to share, which essentially proves to be equivalent to a full meal. We already have my light white wine to bring, and Tom has his beverages of choice.

As it turned out, Tom’s sister Rita, who visited Apache Junction while we were all still there, has been in hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, for several days after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis shortly after she returned from Arizona. It was “touch and go” for Rita during the first 48 hours. However, she has turned the corner and is now on the mend.

This condition is highly contagious, and the incubation period was as long as 11 days, which constituted the last time we were all together. Thank God, none of us “caught” it from Rita, and all is well.

We’ve been very busy since we arrived here on Wednesday. Last night, we met up with more of Tom’s family members at Billy’s Bar and Grill in Anoka, Minnesota, a 45-minute drive from our hotel. There were 11 of us gathered around make-shift tables, and we enjoyed food and drinks at the festive establishment.

Yes, I know I should have taken photos, but the lively and animated conversations kept me distracted and made me forget about taking photos. I know this happens a lot, but our entire lives aren’t always played out online in photos unless we travel to interesting and exotic places. Hopefully, those days will come again some time in the future. Only time will tell.

This morning, Tom headed to the bank to get cash for playing cards and a birthday gift for my grandson, Miles, whose birthday is on Monday. While he was at the bank, they sent me a code to authorize the transaction since the account has my phone number number. Tom can’t ever remember our phone numbers, so he was delayed in getting the cash.

I’ve encouraged Tom to memorize both of our numbers and turn off “Do Not Disturb” on his phone each morning, especially while we’re in Minnesota when family and friends are attempting to reach us.  If he doesn’t turn on “Do Not Disturb” when we go to bed, his phone invariably wakes me up during the night. I am a light sleeper and when startled by the phone, have a hard time going back to sleep.

Tomorrow, Mother’s Day, we’re going to brunch with Greg, and our three grandchildren and Greg’s girlfriend Heather and two of her children. It will be fun to meet Heather’s children and spend more time with our grandkids.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 11, 2014:

Roses grown in Morocco are beautiful in the spring. (Previously posted). For more photos, please click here.

Cleveland Clinic update… Fantastic evening with my son Greg and family…

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My 17-year-old granddaughter Maisie and I were at the Children’s Theater last night.

While we were on the challenging road trip from California to Minnesota, I received a notice for a few bills for upcoming tests and cardiology appointments in MyChart, which had been set up for me weeks ago without any recent updates.

When I called CC’s billing department, they advised me to ignore the bills since my Medicare and Plan G supplement would cover them 100%. It was a relief to see my new insurance plans doing their job.

When I hung up and looked further into the bills, I noticed the appointment date of August 28, over three months from now. Then I returned to MyChart to see if I was booked for three appointments on said date, starting at 12:45 pm, including tests and consultations.

I sighed in relief, seeing the appointments in place. Little did I know this was how I would be informed about upcoming appointments at the prestigious facility via My Chart rather than a call or email. Nonetheless, I was relieved. How I found out is irrelevant. The fact I have the appointments is of the utmost importance.

You may ask why the appointments are so far out when my Mitral and Tricuspid valves are severely regurgitating. Isn’t this an emergency? They take cases based on when they were requested and how urgent the cases are. I am still walking around and not in the hospital. Many patients are already in hospital, have had heart attacks or strokes, or are bedridden at home. These cases would supersede the urgency of my case.

I will continue to watch for potentially dangerous symptoms, like shortness of breath, swollen legs and ankles, and chest pain, none of which I have right now. Sure, I feel like a walking time bomb, but I can almost function somewhat normally. My biggest issue is my inability to walk since my legs and my arms feel like lead, a sign of poor blood flow to the extremities.

However, I will wait with determination and a positive attitude, making every attempt to live generally over the next three months. Tom is very helpful and supportive, as are family members and friends. No doubt, time will pass quickly while we keep busy with social events and time spent with those we love.

Speaking of “those we love,” last night, at 5:30, Greg and the kids picked me up to go out to dinner at Champs and then off to downtown Minneapolis to the Art Institute’s Children’s Theater, where the musical. “Frog and Toad” was being performed. What a delightful musical! It was full of humor, great singing and dancing, and excellent acting. It couldn’t have been more fun.

My grandkids, as did Greg and his girlfriend Heather, were stuck by my side and joined us at the theater. My 17-year-old granddaughter Maisie, shown in the above photo with me, was a constant joy, as were Madighan and Miles. How lucky I am to have them.

Tom got together with his son TJ and had a great time visiting with him, as always. We both ended up back at the hotel around 9:30 pm, and shortly after, I went to bed for another great night’s sleep. Tom didn’t join me until about 11:30 when I was already sound asleep. Today, I feel good.

At 3:30 today, we’ll be at Billy’s Bar and Grill in Anoka, a 45-minute drive, to meet with his sisters and other family members. Billy’s is a weekly tradition in his family; we will join them all each Friday while we are in Minnesota.

Yes, our lives are up in the air, but somehow, we will make it through.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today. May 10. 2014:

Undercover at the ATM area, where there were multiple machines. For more photos, please click here.

We’re finally made it…Quite a challenging road trip…Tomorrow, details of my upcoming appointments at Cleveland Clinic…

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The snowstorm was much worse than shown in this photo as we left Layton, Utah.

We finally made it to Minnesota and arrived at the hotel last night at about 6:00 pm. It was a relief the long and stressful road trip was over after encountering 2½ days of challenging driving during a blizzard in Utah and Wyoming, the longest stretches during the four days of travel.

I tried to take photos during the blizzard but found it impossible during “whiteouts.” I was so busy hanging onto my seat that I couldn’t get a photo through an open window when the wind was blowing at 70 to 80 mph, nor could I get a photo through the windshield, which was covered with snow between each fast swipe.

Numerous accidents along the highway often slowed us down for long stretches, including cars, but more so semi trucks that toppled over in the high winds. What an ordeal. I couldn’t imagine how we’d get through it without being scathed. If we got trapped, we had a big blanket in the SUV, our mugs of Crystal Light iced tea, lemonade, and some protein bars. We were as prepared as we could be.

The Virgin River Gorge in Utah.

But, thank God, we made it through with Tom’s expert driving skills, although at times, I thought he took too many chances and asked him to slow down on several occasions. He was determined to get through it. We had a couple of close calls when vehicles started sliding toward us.

Thank goodness, living in Minnesota most of his life, he had acquired excellent driving skills in inclement weather. But, even for the more expert drivers, driving through this nightmare was a real challenge. After the blizzard, the high winds remained, and more accidents occurred.

Getting out of the SUV to go to the restroom at a petro station or rest area almost blew me away. I hesitated to walk outdoors on the way back to the car. Whew! The winds continued after we arrived in Nebraska but finally died down on the final day.

The Layton Utah Temple is a three-story, nearly 94,000-square-foot structure. It sits on a slope between the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains and the valley floor at 1400 Oak Hills Drive. The sacred structure is the second house of the Lord in Davis County.

We had a great dinner and breakfast with Marylin and Gary in their hometown of Layton, Utah. It was a charming town of 82,000 people with a strong Mormon influence. They drove us to see their new temple and showed us the snowy, peaked mountains surrounding the quaint and charming town.

When we went to dinner at a Mongolian-pot-type restaurant, I proceeded to order a glass of wine, reminded that no alcohol can be served in Utah unless under exceptional circumstances. I ordered an iced tea and forgot about the wine, or lack thereof, in seconds.

In the morning, we met up with them for breakfast and then were on our way. The skies were cloudy, and a light dusting of snow covered the car. An hour after leaving Layton, we were entrenched in what became the most challenging long drive in a blizzard neither of us had experienced, especially for such an extended period. As we read along the way, Wyoming is one of the US’s most deadly locations to travel. We certainly got a taste of that.

As mentioned above, once we reached Nebraska, the blizzard ended, and many miles later, the winds died down, and we could enjoy the remainder of the trip. We drove through Nebraska and Iowa and then entered Minnesota, encountering traffic. The last few hours seemed painstaking.

The Wasatch Mountains, also known as the Wasatch Range, border Layton, Utah, to the east. The Wasatch Range is a 160-mile mountain range from the Utah-Idaho border to central Utah. It’s the western edge of the Rocky Mountains and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region. The Wasatch Mountains are the most prominent landmarks in the area and define the east boundary of Davis County. The mountains are still rising today due to the Wasatch fault, which causes the earth’s crust to shift suddenly. It was beautiful to see.

Since Tom was still full from a massive breakfast at Perkins in Lincoln, Nebraska, he wasn’t hungry for dinner, but I’d only eaten a small omelet and two pieces of Tom’s bacon for breakfast. Nine hours later, I was ready for something for dinner. We walked across the parking lot of our hotel to the Pizza Luce restaurant, where I had an appetizer size of gluten-free meatballs with sauce and mozzarella. Tom ate my garlic toast.

Back at the hotel, I set up the room’s TV to work with the streaming apps on my phone, and we relaxed and watched a few shows until bedtime. We both had an uninterrupted good night’s sleep. This morning, we ate at the hotel “included breakfast” and met a lovely couple our age. We enjoyed a lively conversation with them for over an hour.

Tom headed out the door 30 minutes ago when he noticed a retiree lunch for railroad guys starting at 11:30. He didn’t tell any of them he was coming, and it will be a fun surprise for his old railroad buddies. At around 5:30, my son Greg will pick me up to join them for dinner and a musical at the Minneapolis Children’s Theater after that. All three of my grandchildren and Greg’s lovely girlfriend, Heather, will be attending. It will surely be a pleasant evening.

In the future, we’ll be posting daily as we have in the past. Tomorrow, I will share the details and dates of my appointments at Cleveland Clinic.

I appreciate your patience with the lack of posts in the past few weeks.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 9, 2014:

My friend Joan posted this on Facebook last night, and it caught my eye this morning. So true. For more photos, please click here.

We’re off to South America today!…An unexpected surprise from an old friend…

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Tom’s old friend Jerry, from his railroad days, stopped by to celebrate our departure, bearing gifts and good humor. Thanks, Jerry! How thoughtful you are!

We’re packed and ready to go. We just returned from breakfast, each eating a little more to hold us until we can eat again. I may not eat again for 24 hours when airplane food never works for me, and there’s too little time between the two flights to stop for a meal.

We have a 1-hour, 9-minute layover in Houston after the four-hour flight from Minneapolis and then another 5-hour flight to Quito, Ecuador, much shorter than most of our flights. We don’t arrive until 11:35 pm, the same time zone as Minnesota. The cruise line has arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport to take us to our hotel, JW Marriott. Hopefully, we’ll handle the altitude relatively easily and get a good night’s sleep.

We’ve already started drinking a lot of water, which is recommended to reduce altitude sickness at Quito’s 9350 ft. We have no idea how we’ll react to this, but time will tell.

Me and Tom are in the hotel lobby celebrating with Jerry.

Yesterday early evening, after the dreadful Minnesota Twins playoff baseball game loss, we ordered takeaway from Pizza Luce since we no longer have a rental car, which we returned on October 9, when the 30-day contract ended. When we were getting ready to pick up the food, our hotel room phone rang, and it was Tom’s old friend from the railroad, Jerry.

Our room was too messy to invite Jerry, so we met him downstairs in the lobby. We were shocked and in awe of everything Jerry had brought for us to celebrate our departure under the guise of our mutual “un-birthdays.” He had hilarious stuffed animals, decorations, a plate of delicious bars, zip drives with books, a cap for Tom, an adorable card, and more.

We couldn’t believe his thoughtfulness and generosity to come all this way to make us both feel so special before departing for South America. We kept the bars, the zip drives, and the cap and suggested Jerry keep the decorations for his next celebration for another recipient.

When it was time for all of us to go, we hugged Jerry goodbye, thanking him repeatedly for thinking of us and being so kind and generous. He’s been a regular reader of our site for years and seems to know everywhere we’ve been and everything we’ve done. It’s always fun to meet with people who’ve been following us for some time.

Jerry’s partner, Dot, made these delicious brownies and caramel bars. Tom said they were delicious. We wrapped up the balance and brought them with us so Tom could snack on the journey to Quito.

So, soon, in about an hour, we’ll take off for the airport. We’ll get the cart to bring our bags down to the lobby and then call Uber to take us to the Airport. Tom always likes to go much earlier than we need to, but I go along to avoid him feeling stressed. Yes, we should arrive two hours earlier for international flights, when we must go through immigration and the lengthy line at US security.

It takes much longer to go through security at US airports than in other countries, but we follow the flow and keep a good attitude. There’s no point in making a fuss about waiting in a queue. Thank goodness I am over 75 years old and no longer have to take my shoes off when going through security. Duh, a small perk for being this old.

That’s it for today, dear readers. We will be back tomorrow, hopefully feeling well and adapting to the altitude in the same manner as we adapt to most travel situations. We shall see.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, October 11, 2013:

Early in the morning in the Maasai Mara, Kenya, we spotted this mother warthog nudging her babies along. We squealed with delight along with them as they scurried along. Anderson stopped the vehicle so we could watch as we noted a few lions in wait in the direction of the little pigs, hoping they’d be lunch. For the full story, please click here.

One day and counting…Packing day…Ten years ago…

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Ten years ago at Camp Olonana in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, we were unpacked with our equipment plugged in, anxious to write here to begin sharing the experience. With no Internet connection in the tent and neither of our WiFi devices able to connect, we comfortably sat in the lodge to go online to post. As we’d mentioned, the connection was poor, preventing us from posting many photos until we returned to Diani Beach, where the connection wasn’t strong. We slept in the bed on the left, keeping our electronics plugged in on the bed on the right. For the first time ever, my camera ran out of juice on safari forcing us to use the 2nd camera, which Tom used less often. For this post, please click here.

It’s finally here: packing day before we depart for Ecuador, South America, tomorrow. It’s relatively easy to do in this small room with only a tiny closet and a few drawers. Most of our belongings remained in our suitcases, to which we’re adding the excess today. The biggest project will be packing the supplies bag, which has enough supplies to last us until June, when we return to South Africa, where we can restock most items.

After considerable research, I discovered that many items we use won’t be available in South America. However, there is the popular Mercado Libre, where some items we use may be found at twice the cost in the US. So, we may or may have been wise to stock up.

Today, when I am done packing, I will finish this post. Tonight, we’ll order takeaway from Pizza Luce. We love their meatballs, sauce, and parmesan cheese dish, which we ordered last night when we met Tammy and Tracy for dinner and trivia. Tom’s nephew Kevin stopped by to hang out with us, and we had another great time, the last we’ll spend with family before we depart tomorrow.

We usually carry one clothing bag each and one supply bag, all of which we check. But, it looks like we might save money by taking a fourth bag, which we still have, and paying the $65 extra for it to avoid being overweight by five or ten pounds in our other bags when they charge much more for being overweight.

Once we arrive at the hotel in Quito, we’ll use the fourth bag to pack for the cruise since we won’t be able to bring everything with us on the small (16-passenger) ship. We’ll have the hotel hold the remaining bags for us until we return for the last two days in Quito at the end of the cruise. From there, two days later, we’ll fly to Manta to collect the rental car and drive to the holiday house.

On the way to the house on October 24, we’ll stop for groceries and water. We’ll provide our drinking water while at the house since the water, as expected, is unsafe to drink. The owner said he’d have a filtering device like Brita, but those filters do not eliminate bacteria and could result in serious illness. Instead, we’ll buy plenty of bottled water, which will hopefully be safe.

Also, we won’t buy fresh vegetables in Ecuador or eat raw vegetables or salads in restaurants. Most likely, the vegetables and fruits from the farms have been rinsed in tap water. If I buy avocados while there, which I eat almost daily, I will carefully wash the exterior before cutting. However, instead, I will look for prepared guacamole, which may be safer to consume.

I don’t eat fruit other than avocados and tomatoes (I won’t eat those there either). But Tom eats an occasional banana and must carefully wash it before peeling and eating. When we buy fresh vegetables, we’ll only use them for cooking, which kills the bacteria if cooked well enough after careful washing.

We are researching to determine if there are any other nuances about Ecuador that we need to know. We will continue to do so until we arrive and then after that. One can’t be too safe, especially when neither of us needs to get sick right now (or ever, for that matter).

It’s hard to believe that in 48 hours, we’ll be in Quito and know how we’re doing with the altitude. If all is well, we will be thrilled and enjoy our time in the second-highest city in the world.

Today, at 3:07 pm, the Minnesota Twins baseball game will be on TV. We plan to be done packing and able to relax, watch the game, and eat our takeaway meal after the game ends. Hopefully, tonight, we’ll get a good night’s sleep. Last night was not so good for me when I was awake for three hours.

Photo from ten years ago today, October 10, 2013:

Our tent’s veranda at Camp Olonana in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. Approaching, it took our breath away. For more photos, please click here.