CJ's doing fine... looks a bit like the loser of a 9 round boxing match (not sure how many rounds a real match is..). The doc carved out a nice little chunk of my upper lip, right side, and promised to leave the scar running up one of my 'lines' (his word). I think he was being polite and didn't want to offend me by mentioning that my line was really a wrinkle :-) Anyway, the op went well (not my favourite way to spend a morning) and I was out by early afternoon, on my way home to nurse my owie with ice (some on my lip, some in my rum :-) All I had to do was wait to hear from the lab that he got it all, then wait to get the stitches out, and then be on my way. Unfortunately, I just heard this morning that there's a little bit more to come off... so, back I go next Monday and we dosey-doe one more time.
Kathy on the other hand is doing splendidly. Courageous as she is, she and the princess have conquered the highways and the bi-ways between where she was and where she is tonight. I left her in Reno and she's now in Las Vegas (actually on the outskirts of Vegas). She stopped at a couple of different places, met some neat people.. even scored some Seattle's Finest coffee off a long-haired manager (who lived in a bus) at one of the places. Her route has been as follows.
- Tuesday, Sept. 22: US-95 to the Sunrise Valley RV in Mina.
- Wednesday, Sept. 23: Fort Amargosa RV Park, 27 minutes south of Beatty, in Amargosa Valley
- Thursday, Sept. 24: US 95 to Las Vegas and Duck Creek RV Park (Passport America $16/night)
This last place really values pets as they're charging an extra $3/night for the princess to visit. But, they have a pool... which they should have as the temperature was 40 degrees when Kath arrived!! Thank goodness Lucy is actually from Las Vegas (we were here two years ago picking her up) and has a good air conditioner and insulation.
The plan for now is as follows. CJ will tough it out at home, attend on Monday for some more facial art work (I should be real pretty by the time this is over...), wait for the 'green light' from the lab and the stitches to be removed.. and then skedaddle as fast as possible back to the southbound caravan. I expect we will meet up at the Tucson Airport. We'll be behind schedule but we'll just have to prioritize the work when we get to San Carlos... the good ship Shannon's Spirit will sail.. and she'll sail in early November!
Kathy and Sophie, Lucy and Rikki, will continue on their way in a comfortable fashion (as comfy as you can be in 40 degree weather :-( They'll stop over in the Lake Havasu area on their way to the next stop. They're heading for the Lost Dutchman State Park which is not too far from Phoenix, and hopefully they'll be able to rest there for a couple of days at least. Timing will kick in once we're sure what day I'm flying. We can fine tune from there. The final destination (this trip) for Lucy is Tubac, AZ where she will be prepped for storage and the winter months.
It's best to stop at this point as plans won't finalize until we have some dates to work with... Sooo, know that we are well, if not half a country apart, and moving forward. Kathy reports that while the Princess is reluctant to walk too far in the heat (and quite clear about her wishes) she is frolicking like a puppy in the cool morning airs. Even offering ear licks in thanks for time spent in her favourite camp chair (which of course travels with us.. after all, it is her throne!).
Enough already... you'd think I'd had a glass of wine or something... Take good care everyone.. we'll be in touch.
Adios for now.... CJ
