Sunday was a day to clean-out the trailer and begin life back in Williams.
The dog beds and throw rugs were washed, the sheets from the trailer bed were washed, and all of the clothes and personal items were returned to the house. All was a normal day until around 5:00 pm.
At about 5:00 pm, Tom noticed me standing over the empty dog bowls. He asked me what I was doing. I told him that I could not remember how to feed the dogs. He sensed something was wrong. He made the best attempt to give the dogs food and made sure that they had enough water. He and swept me into his truck and went to the North Country Urgent Care facility. My blood pressure read 203 over 130! I could not recall our recent 5,000 mile trip, I did not know what day it was, and I did not know who the president of the United States was. The local ambulance facility was summoned and they took me to Flagstaff Medical Center.
The Flagstaff emergency room responded to my ambulance arrival. My blood pressure was still high, 205/130. Frankly, I do not remember any of the first three or four hours. Tom told me later what tests they administered and how many times they asked me to perform facial and touch exercises. That night, I was admitted to the hospital. Tom spent the night in my room, on a reclining chair. So sweet!
The next morning, tests continued. My CAT scans from the night before were normal. But, they administered an EEG and and EKG.
The doctors and nurses used each of the tests to rule out medical issues. The goal was to get my blood pressure within acceptable levels and make sure I did not have heart damage. All of the tests that day were normal, but an MRI was scheduled. Because of a back-up, the MRI was not conducted until 7:00 pm Monday night. So, another night in the hospital. Tom knew that I was stabilized --- my memory was back, my blood pressure was coming down, and I felt good. So, he went home for the night --- to care for the dogs --- and he would return to the hospital Tuesday morning.
The morning nurse said that my MRI was fine. There was no stroke or other damage. It was determined that the spike in my blood pressure caused my amnesia. The diagnosis was hypertensive encephalopathy --- a brain dysfunction due to significantly high blood pressure. I was discharged with prescription drugs to better manage my blood pressure. I was told to limit my intake of sodium (!) and to limit my daily alcohol consumption. Can you say "two glasses" of wine??? 😁😁😁
Tom arrived at the hospital in time for a prompt morning discharge. I felt good, and I was looking forward to heading home. The dogs eagerly greeted me! I had to cancel a hair appointment because I was in the hospital. But Shawna had an opening on Wednesday. It was Halloween, so Shawna was a "foxy lady!"
My hair was very happy to be colored and cut! All was good 😍
Thursday was a day to start catching-up on doctor appointments. My first appointment in Flagstaff was with my cardiologist Robert Mackin. Then, off to my chiropractor, Brent Moseng. I dropped the Flagstaff Medical Center's hospital records office and obtained a copy of my hospitalization records.
Friday morning, Tom took the ladder and cleaned out the gutters. The gardeners were coming that day, and I wanted them to haul off all the pine needles. It is that time of year!
The trailer fireplace heater no longer worked. We discovered that on our October trip. The unit would turn on, the flame hologram worked, but there was no heat. After doing some Google research, Tom and I concluded that the fan motor was probably faulty. Since the unit is covered under my extended warranty, I made an appointment to take it to the Flagstaff/Bellemont Camping World.
Tom figured out a way to take the fireplace unit out of the trailer. Fortunately, that will eliminate the need to haul in the entire trailer.
Saturday was a fun day. Tom and I had been talking about taking a trip to Alaska in May next year --- for my birthday. The only time I have visited Alaska was in 1991. Richard and I took a Celebrity cruise --- from Anchorage/Seward to Vancouver. Seeing Denali National Park has been on my bucket list! So, I went to the Princess Cruises website and started browsing cruise and land tour options.
Princess now has Wilderness Lodges in Alaska. I selected a seven-day cruise that starts in Vancouver and ends in Whittier/Anchorage. The ship sets sail on Saturday, May 18. Then, we board a special train that takes us to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge for two nights. After that, we take a bus to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge/Talkeetna for one night. We will spend one night in Anchorage, before flying back to Arizona on May 29.
Sunday was church and then pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. On Monday, I made an appointment to give blood at the Williams High School. That afternoon, I treated myself to a 90 minute massage with Natanya. Always wonderful!
The trailer is very dirty from our four-week trip. So, Tom and I were ready to wash it --- before putting it back into the RV barn. Scrub-a-dub-dub!
The trailer brakes seem to not be working properly. It may be that that they need to be adjusted since having the axles replaced. Tom took his truck and drove the trailer around the block. He has the tow package on his truck. It was confirmed that the trailer brakes need to be looked at before our next travel trailer trip.
Tom and I decided to go out to dinner. So, we went to Grand Canyon Brewery. Tom opted for a pizza and I ordered the blue cheese wedge salad.
After booking the Alaskan cruise/cruisetour vacation, I realized that adding a second night at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge would give us more time to enjoy the national park. I called Princess reservation services. I wanted to keep the mini-suite cabin that was already booked, but change the land portion. A supervisor had to be involved to make it happen. But, it worked!
Saturday was a beautiful day for a walk with the dogs. So, Tom and I packed up Ramsey, Libby, and Kelsey and headed to Kaibab Lake. It is less than five miles away.
The campground is closed for the season, but the day use section does not close. We walked less than two miles, but it was pleasant!
Later in the afternoon, an appraiser came to the house to see the travel trailer. Although the axle problem was fixed in Louisiana, there was still some body damage. Matt, who lives near Tucson, just happened to be in Williams this weekend. He and his family rode the Polar Express train on Friday and visited Bearizona earlier in the day.
In March of last year, I spent Easter at my sister Carrie's home in Coto de Caza. The sheets on the bed were so very soft. I asked her where she got them --- Spalena! I ordered a set for my king bed in Williams. The sheets arrived and were in great condition until three or four months later. There was pilling built up --- small balls of fluff on the surface. When I mentioned this condition to Carrie, she was very surprised. So, I decided to reach out to the company. A representative contacted me immediately and asked that I email her photos of the sheets.
It was difficult photographing the tiny pilling, but I did send her three photos. The representative came back to me --- apologized for the situation --- and Spalena is going to send me a replacement set of sheets. Nice!
My sister Wendy and her husband Kai are spending all of October and November at their second home in Bend, Oregon. My sister Carrie and her husband Brent rented a nearby home for the month of November. Carrie posted a cute photo of the two sisters on Instagram.
After Sunday pickleball at the Williams Rodeo Barn, Tom, Jon (Tom's son), and I drove up to the Young Life camp on Perkinsville Road, Lost Canyon. This was the venue for a Community Thanksgiving Dinner, hosted by all of the churches in town. Tom and I missed the deadline to sign up for the event, but I wanted to show Tom and Jon the magnificent property.
The camp reminds me of something you would see in the Adirondacks on the east coast. The beautiful dining hall seats over 600 people.
Winter his here in Northern Arizona, but no snow in Williams. But, majestic Mt Humphreys has a bit of snow-cap.
Through Instagram, I continue to be updated on the Bend activities of my two sisters, Wendy and Carrie. With their husbands, they enjoy walking their dogs and taking bike rides along the Deschutes River.
Tuesday morning, November 13, was a bit nippy. Wendy had posted that Bend was a brisk 23 degrees. I, of course, had to post this on Instagram and Facebook!
At 9:00 am, I joined some of my Highland Meadows lady friends for breakfast at the Rodeo Restaurant.
Then, Libby and I headed off to pickleball at 10:00 am.
After pickleball, Jon and Tom decided to head out on a "wandering trip" and drive Jon's Subaru out to the east side of Sycamore Canyon. I had been running errands and decided to join them. Part of the journey was seeing a new lake for us --- Scholz Lake.
Like other lakes in the area, it is a reservoir and it is stocked with fish. We then drove some rough dirt forests roads near Sycamore Canyon and walked around.
Good that Jon's Subaru is a sturdy four-wheel drive vehicle!
My neighbor, Libby, has a large dog named Buckaroo. He had an injury several months ago that required surgery on his back leg. Libby asked Tom if he could help her put "Bucky" in her car one Wednesday morning. Her husband, Gus, had an early morning doctors appointment in Flagstaff. Libby takes Bucky to physical therapy in Chino Valley twice a week.
Mission accomplished and Bucky was ready for his trip to Chino Valley!
Later we found out that later that day, Bucky chewed through his muzzle!
For a few weeks now, Tom has wanted to add some long sleeve shirts to his wardrobe. He wanted the kind that did not have to be tucked in. We were in Flagstaff and visited several stores in the mall.
No luck there, so I suggested that we go to the Beall's Outlet Store. Success in finding two shirts he liked!
More pickleball on Thursday. I have enjoyed getting to know one of the players, Chris. She and her boyfriend are building a home near Jon. Chris and I are both outgoing and we love pickleball!
On Friday, I woke up early and caught a very nice sunrise.
Later, I had two appointments in Flagstaff. The first one was my podiatrist, Dr. Rosales. About once a year, he relieves my feet by shaving off several corns that build up over time.
I also had an appointment with my chiropractor, Dr. Moseng.
Tom was scheduled for a sleep study in Flagstaff Friday evening. He was given a prescription for Ambien --- to help him sleep during the study. The doctor's office suggested that he not drive. The side affect of Ambien can be sleep walking. Not good for driving! So, I volunteered to be the designated driver. I decided to make it a date night. We had a lovely dinner at the Tinder Box Restaurant in Flagstaff and I secured a motel room at the Aspen Hotel & Suites.
At 8:15 pm, I dropped Tom off at the sleep study location. He was met by the technician, Tim.
I then headed back to the motel and set my alarm for 5:15 am. Tom needed to be picked up around 5:45 am.
Tom was picked up the next morning. We then headed back to the motel and slept another couple of hours. The hotel had a nice hot breakfast buffet in their Route 66 themed PJ's Restaurant.
As I pulled into our home garage, I got a call from Fletcher Sams. He is the son of one of my neighborhood best friends from Afton Road in San Marino. Fletcher and his recent bride, Brittani, live in Scottsdale. But, they are doing a road trip to my area of Arizona --- before heading to California for Thanksgiving. Laurie, Fletcher's mother, emailed me a couple of days ago.
Fletcher and Brittani arrived to our home about 11:00 am. They are traveling with their two dogs, Chiaya and Nino. Ramsey, Libby, and Kelsey were comfortable with the additional dogs. I invited Fletcher and Brittani to spend the night with us.
The two of them headed out to see our cute town of Williams. We made a date to go to Bearizona around 3:00 pm.
The last Bearizona Wild Ride Bus tour leaves at 3:30 pm. The first 3:30 pm bus was full, so we jumped on the second bus. The animals were wonderful as usual. It is a little colder this time of year, so some of the wolves and foxes were curled up balls. The Bearizona Bear was perfect for the obligatory photo opportunity!
That night, we went to the Grand Canyon Brewery for dinner. It was very crowded, as the Polar Express train experience started this weekend. While at dinner, Tom and I learned that Fletcher and Brittani originally were going on a honeymoon to a Sandals Resort in Jamaica. However, their plans were thwarted when it was discovered that Fletcher's passport had been damaged by one of their dogs. The Jamaica officials would not allow them into the country!
Fortunately, Fletcher and Brianna will go back to Jamaica in May. They were made financially whole.
The next morning, I took Fletcher and Brittani to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was their first visit to the canyon. Tom stayed home with all five dogs. He is a champion! We spent about four hours at the South Rim.
At the Visitor Center, we boarded a bus that took us to the South Kaibab Trail. We walked the down the trail past Chimney Rock and turned around. It was about a one mile hike. I love taking people to the canyon!
The three of us returned to Williams Sunday afternoon, around 4:00 pm. Fletcher and Brittani packed up their car and the two dogs, and they headed west to Lake Havasu City. What a pleasure we had ---enjoying them on their honeymoon!
I decided to send out some photo Christmas cards this year. I pared back the list, as so many people keep up with me on Facebook and Instagram.
They came in the mail on Monday. That afternoon, I went for my 90 minute massage with Natanya.
Tuesday morning was my usual "meet up" with some of the Highland Meadows ladies. This time, we tried a new breakfast location, Miss Kittys at the Red Roof Plus. The breakfast itself tasted was very good, but the service was so slow. It took 40 minutes to receive our orders! There were only six of us. Jan shared a photo she took near her home last week at 7:45 pm.
It was a mountain lion just hanging out! Wow! Libby and I were a little late for pickleball. Glad we arrived --- only two other folks were there!
Wednesday, I had two appointments in Flagstaff. One was with my cardiologist, Dr. Mackin. He reviewed my 30-day vital chart, we chatted a little, and then he said that the next time we'll get togther is in six months.
I also had a facial with Sue Kelly, at her home off Highway 180.
Tom's brother, Mike, called on Monday to see if he could drive out from Indiana and spend Thanksgiving with us. His wife was already in Florida, visiting one of her daughters and granddaughters. Mike wanted a change from Florida. When I arrived home from Flagstaff, Mike was there. We had dinner at home with Mike and his nephew Jon. The next morning, we headed to Jon's home for a visit.
Mike enjoyed seeing Jon's home. They even walked the back portion of the property.
With the weather cooler, Tom wanted to adjust the ceiling fans to better circulate the heat. The two brothers made this an afternoon project!
We celebrated Thanksgiving that night with six other people. Libby and Gus Beatty hosted the dinner. They prepared the turkey, stuffing, and gravy.
Tom and I brought homemade mashed potatoes and crockpot green beans with bacon. Well actually, Tom was the sole chef. I did skin the potatoes. It was a very nice evening.
Thanksgiving was also celebrated by some of my family members in Bend, Oregon.
