Today was a gorgeous day, plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures. We took the Jeep and started out early this morning. We headed north on 13 toward Bayfield. This was an old fishing village with a beautiful marina. We got out to take a walk.
We got back into the Jeep to see what else we could find. We took a dirt and gravel road to the end. GPS showed that we were only steps from the water. We trudged through the mud and grass and found ourselves 15 feet above Lake Superior.
We noticed that there was a tremendous amount of new tree damage. Apparently about 10 days ago there was a a terrible storm. The tops of thousands of trees were sheared off.
We briefly visited the National Lakeshore. It was crowded and we didn’t stay long. We did walk through the exhibit about fishing on Lake Superior.
We found another dirt and gravel road that led us to a NPS trail. This turned out to be the lucky find of the day. We hiked a trail along the water and we arrived at the water’s edge where we saw spectacular sandstone sea caves far below.
Blue-bead LilyBunchberry Dogwood
We took a walk this afternoon on the Oredock.
We grilled chipotle chicken and smothered it in guacamole with fresh greens…so yummy. The evening was spent making plans. We found a campsite in Gilbert, Minnesota where we will spend the next couple of nights. It’s not a far ride so tomorrow should be an easy day!
We took highway 39N until we ran out of freeway. We continued into the North-woods of Wisconsin. The drive took us through lush, green forest. It was cool and crisp in the early morning with a forecasted high in the upper 70’s…it is supposed to be 51 degrees tonight; perfect for sleeping with the windows open with a cozy blanket.
We passed through quaint towns. We happened upon a really nice meat market where we found beef tenderloin for our dinner….which was so tender and delicious!
We caught a glimpse of a black bear running across the road but by the time we reached the bend, it was long gone.
We traveled in the gently rolling hills, past lakes and streams. The air smelled like pine, fresh and clean. The roadsides were blanketed with wildflowers, cattails, and fern.
We stopped at a wayside along the Manitowish River. We stopped to look at maps and make a plan for the evening.
We camped at Kreher Park, a city park in Ashland, Wisconsin. The campground sits right on the banks of the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior.
A USGS research vessel sits next to the park. They study the fish in the lake.
There is an old Oredock here as well.
A nice rail trail path for a quiet walk.
We took the Jeep later this afternoon to see the town of Ashland. The town is clean and well loved. Flower baskets hang from every lamppost, murals decorate building walls. The trashcans are made from glass mosaics. We stopped at a food COOP and they had a mural as well as wonderful fresh and organic foods.
We have spent the past several days traveling west. Through the mountains of Maryland and West Virginia, over the hills of Ohio and into the plains of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. It has been a lovely ride. We have passed hundreds of miles of chest high corn and lots of soybean fields. The silver silos sparkle in the bright sunlight. Barns are nestled in dells and hollers.
We stopped last evening in Starved Rock State Park in Ottawa, Illinois. It is reputed to be the crown jewel of the Illinois State Park system. Starved Rock is starved for attention. It needs some love. We took the Jeep for a ride along the river.
We wanted to walk along the river at the lock but we found that no one was wearing a mask. We took a picture and then headed back to the campground.
I did have a nice evening walk.
Tonight, we are staying at Dubay Lakeshore Campground. The temperatures here in Wisconsin are much cooler and the air dryer…what a welcome relief. It was perfectly pleasant to sit outside and read and watch the water.
Getting a cancer diagnosis is life changing. Having cancer during a pandemic is complicated. Undergoing cancer treatments without the support of friends and family is unthinkable. Because this is true, we all decided that I would stay with Mom while she underwent her treatment for Diffuse B Cell Lymphoma. I arrived on April 8th and on the ninth she had the surgical procedure to place her port. Two weeks later her chemo treatments began and then she endured 15 rounds of radiation. No one should ever have to do cancer alone. Because of the visitor restrictions, she never had anyone sit with her while she was being treated. When she had her port placed, when she had to go to the ER…I left her at the door and waited outside. At the very least, she had someone to go home with. No one can truly prepare you for the reality of the harshness of these treatments. It is a hard thing to watch someone go through…but my mother is a tough lady. She is the very best patient and followed all of the “rules”. She had an indomitable spirit and a strong unshakable faith. She NEVER complains…and if she makes a small suggestion that something isn’t right…it really isn’t! Early reports are all good. The tumor and the nodes in her neck are no longer palpable. Her last PET scan showed that the nodes no longer light up…this is all terrific news. Her next scan is in October, then we will know if the chemo and radiation truly eradicated all the nasty stuff.
One of the hardest things I ever had to do…but we used a pretty cape and we put on pretty music and dimmed the lights…and I cut…and hair is NOT my forte!
Last day of radiation…its a terrible picture but its all I’ve got…
There were lots of good days and we stayed entertained by exercising and walking.
Lots of projects were accomplished as well. Windows and curtains were washed, filing cabinets sorted and copious amounts of shredding, untangling the sewing box, washing patio furniture…but then some fun stuff like puzzles, painting, cooking, planting flowers, cleaning up the laptop, starting a new iPhone and a new Kindle, Spanish lessons, and embroidering….and so much more! Apparently, I have trouble sitting still!
An hour of Duolingo every day to keep up with my Spanish!
The very best blueberry buckle!
Dill Pickle pizza…we will try almost anything!!
1000 piece puzzle and at the end we are missing a piece…
And 2 months later…the missing piece!!
A failed attempt…I did not enjoy crocheting like I thought I would.
This is just a tiny portion of the shredding…now Mom has most things online and green!
Remembering always to be grateful and to look for beauty in the world around us.
Before her diagnosis, Mom had asked for a garden plot again this year and though I have had very little vegetable growing experience, I agreed to take care of it. It was therapeutic to be outside hacking and hoeing the soil and then to see things growing and producing…it was very rewarding.
We read a lot and watched bunches of movies. We celebrated Easter, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, my birthday, my anniversary, and July 4th together. Even though it was a tough time and there were some hard days, we had lots of wonderful quality time together and lots of laughter and remembering and fun!
During this time my mom lost her wonderful friend, Malcolm. He had been a part of our family for many years and it was hard to see him go.
Mom and I had a terrific army of angels. My son, Kyle and Allison and my sister, Debbie kept us well supplied with groceries and other stuff. Tim and Kyle shaved their heads in a wonderful gift of moral solidarity. David and Andrea were immeasurably kind and supportive. We relied on them for information and advice and phone calls and FaceTime. My mother is fortunate to live in a caring community and hardly a day passed without someone among her legion of friends sending a card or making a phone call or gifting hand soap or bringing the newspaper or delivering toilet paper.
Two things can be true at the same time. While it was true that I loved being with my mom and taking care of her, it was also true that I missed Tim like crazy! On Monday July 20th, it was time to go home. We were hopeful that we could go to Atlanta to see David and Andrea and the boys but Atlanta is a COVID hotspot right now and David has been working in a COVID ICU. We decided to take the RV and go north. We are able to isolate very effectively in the RV and will work to minimize our risk as we travel. Hopefully it will be cooler and we can do some of the outdoor things we love. As usual we have no plan. We don’t know what we will find but we are going looking!
Two favorite pictures of my little men from the past several months…
