The Day After

Location: Catskill, NY (High 87, Low 60)

Harry thanks everyone for the well wishes. He is doing really well today – sore of course, but very glad that the surgery is over and he is on the healing side of it now.

We took a couple small walks around the campground today – one this morning and one this afternoon. He has the achiness from the incision, but is happy to have the hernia discomfort gone that he has felt every time he walked around for the past four+ months.

This morning I met my sister bright and early for our run around the town park. (By the way, it was great to read the comments a few days ago from people who have “been there, done that”. Thanks for the encouraging words. ) Denise and I are both excited to be training for this half-marathon, and happy to be able to do it together. We have never lived close enough to each other to be able to meet for stuff like this. So it’s been a lot of fun.

And….today we signed up for the half-marathon! On August 10th in Lake George!! It’s going to be an interesting summer.

All Put Back Together

Location: Catskill, NY (High 78, Low 57)

It’s been a long day, but a good one. We had the call from Albany Med yesterday and Harry’s surgery was scheduled for 8:30 this morning. We had to be there for 6:45, which meant leaving the campground by 5:15 am.

The muggy weather was causing some fog in spots so we actually ended up leaving a little earlier just to be safe, and we arrived at Albany Med with plenty of time to spare. Being so early, we didn’t have any traffic to contend with.

Harry was nice enough to let me take this picture of him for posterity, after he changed into his hospital duds.

Right on schedule, they were wheeling him away and I headed up to the waiting area to hang out with my kindle. The surgery itself lasted a little over an hour, and then the surgeon came to the waiting area to let me know how it had gone. No problem – yay!

 

 

 

Home and ready to relax and recuperate!!

In Training

Location: Catskill, NY (High 72, Low 41)

On Monday, we were happy to watch the majority of the holiday weekend campground residents pack up and head out. Harry found out yesterday that about half of the tenters had cancelled due to the nasty weather. I can’t even imagine what this place is usually like if what we had here was only half of the usual. Guess we will see it the weekend of the 4th. But for now, we have returned to our usual peace and quiet.

Harry is looking forward to his surgery tomorrow. He has been dealing with the symptoms of the hernia so long now he can hardly remember what it was like to go for a nice walk without experiencing discomfort. We should hear sometime today what time we need to arrive at the hospital. As of last week, he was second on the schedule, so it will probably be early.

And now, an explanation of the title…when Harry and I were in Florida, I was walking several miles each day, and actually started doing a bit of jogging for the first time ever. I got out of the habit while we were traveling in April, and I have missed the exercise. A few days ago, my sister and I were talking, and she happened to mention a training program in her running magazine that takes a person from “couch” to half marathon in 14 weeks. (My sister has run in a couple half marathons before but it has been several years since her last one.) We decided to give it a try and yesterday was DAY 1. I am excited and nervous at the same time as I look forward to making this commitment a reality for the next 14 weeks. At the very least, I am going to be in shape for Amazon!

Project Accomplished

Location: Catskill, NY (High 60, Low 43)

 

I remember when I was a kid, it was always so much more fun to go over to my cousin’s house and do household chores that I resisted doing at my own house.

I discovered yesterday that this rule still seems to be in effect now that I am older when we headed over to my sister’s house so that Harry could help install the upstairs hallway floor.

 

Hannah was executive assistant in charge of carrying pieces of wood flooring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so exciting to see the floor coming together.

 

 

 

By late afternoon yesterday about 2/3 of the floor was completed and we headed back this morning to finish the job.

 

 

 

Here is Harry excited to be putting in the last piece!!

 

 

 

 

Yay! Another project done!!

 

 

While the men were working on the floor, my sister and I were talking…and we managed to come up with another project which we put on the schedule for tomorrow. More fun.

Blessed To Be a Fulltimer

Location: Catskill, NY (High 49, Low 43)

 

Yesterday we hunkered down, listened to the rain, and watched the parade of holiday campers make their way in for what looks to be a mostly cold and rainy holiday weekend.

It brought back memories of many long weekends and vacations when we looked forward to a great getaway only to have a not so great time due to nasty weather. All day yesterday we just kept saying to each other that we were so grateful to have this be our all the time life.

These people across the road arranged their three campers into a little wagon train circle on two of their sites and parked their vehicles on the third site. They are the lucky ones today. We saw maybe a dozen cars with tent campers also coming in.

 

I spent most of the day working on my picture files. I have arranged and labeled the pictures from 2008 to 2010 so far.

Later in the afternoon, we braved the rain to meet one of Harry’s former coworkers for dinner.

 

Another day it would be nice to come back and sit where we could have a view of the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wet parking lot view instead!

 

In just a little bit we are heading to my sister’s house. You may recall that back in January Harry was helping with the installation of the upstairs hallway floor. Well, due to an equipment problem they didn’t get very far, so they are going to give it another try today. Definitely a good day to do a household project like that with the cool weather we are having.

Gray Skies and Changing Plans

Location: Catskill, NY (High 64, Low 49)

Today is one of those days when I am reminded of how wonderful it is to have this as our fulltime life and not have to be dependent on the whims of Mother Nature. After beautiful weather almost every day since we arrived here in Catskill, a cold front is moving in for much of the holiday weekend. The high of 64 was earlier this morning, and the temp has fallen now to 61. We were awakened in the night by a very heavy rain when the front came through. Throughout the day, it’s supposed to get even cooler and continue raining. Not a fun day to be a tent camper, which is a big part of this campground’s business.

We don’t have much on the agenda for today. I started organizing my photo files yesterday, which is a huge job considering I take pictures almost every day. I’ve been putting it off for a while now, but decided yesterday it was time to bite the bullet and tackle the project.

 

After looking at the calendar in terms of Harry’s upcoming surgery, we decided yesterday to change our summer plans. We are only seven weeks away from the Heartland NY rally we were planning to attend, so we reluctantly decided that it wasn’t realistic to think about traveling so soon. We also backed up and shortened our trip to the Adirondacks.  We went and spoke to the campground owners yesterday and decided that it made more sense to pay for a seasonal site. So this campground is going to be our home base for most of the next three and a half to four months. It will actually work out well because we won’t find out when we start at Amazon until late in August, so if we get a later start date in September we can just stay here in Catskill a little longer, since the site is ours until October anyway.

We are hoping once Harry feels better to be able to enjoy some short hikes here in the Catskills.

Surgery Scheduled

Location: Catskill, NY (High 78, Low 59)

It’s been another nice few days here in Catskill. We’ve had some thunderstorms (and are under a severe thunderstorm watch currently) but are thankful that our weather hasn’t been anywhere near as nasty as it has been in other parts of the country. I feel so sorry for the people who have been devastated by the tornado in Moore, OK.

Around here so far it has just been normal upstate NY summer weather; I think we skipped spring altogether.

Harry and I have been enjoying the relaxing pace of life since we arrived.

Yesterday my sister and I enjoyed a nice lunch at a local eatery.

 

Harry got the car all spiffed up, and we listed it for sale. We are hoping that we can sell it relatively quickly and have that last piece accomplished. Although there has been a time or two when it has been an inconvenience to only have the truck, it has not been enough to make us regret our decision to downsize to one vehicle. We love being able to travel together.

Today Harry and I made another trip into Albany for the surgical consultation appointment. This surgeon is the doctor who removed the staples after my appendectomy two and a half years ago. He was just as personable as I remembered, and was really good about explaining the causes of the hernia and what the options are for treatment.

After confirming that Harry did indeed want to go ahead and have the surgery (which isn’t really a choice – it’s a matter of “do you want it now or in a month or two?”), the doctor consulted his schedule and set Harry up for the surgery next Thursday. We are both looking forward to Harry being back in good condition and able to get out and enjoy being more active again.

First Week

Location: Catskill, NY (High 83, Low 63)

 

We are already at the end of our first week here in Catskill, NY. It’s been nice to get all our stuff unpacked again and know that we were settling in for a longer stay.

 

 

I think the cats have been glad to have a break from traveling as well.

 

 

 

 

 

I think they may be up to something.

 

We have been busy! We’ve been able to go over and visit my sister and her family several times already. That is definitely the best part about being here.

 

We had a little excitement here in our campground this past Saturday when a new park model arrived. This is a pretty quiet campground so any comings and goings of the rv variety is a conversation matter!

 

You can see the park model behind Harry on the left beyond our fiver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been told that the campground will be full on Memorial Day weekend – and crazy if it follows the norm. That will be interesting to see; we can’t quite imagine it.

 

On Sunday we went to Albany to meet a friend for dinner and a movie. We drove by Harry’s former workplace (the tall building on the right in the picture).

 

 

I don’t think driving downtown brought any feelings of regret about retirement to Harry.

 

 

 

Today was a nice day, beautiful weather and gorgeous sunshine. We had a nice meal cooked in the crockpot – pot roast and veggies. Yum.

 

The next couple days will be busy as well. Tomorrow we are going to get the car cleaned up and list it for sale. On Wednesday we head back to Albany for Harry’s appointment with the surgeon. We have our fingers crossed that the appointment goes well, and that the procedure can be scheduled relatively quickly!

Busy Appointment Day

Location: Catskill, NY (High 83, Low 49)

We started out bright and early this morning, heading for Albany to get our first appointments underway.

Mine was pretty straightforward, as it was my yearly physical exam. I was very happy to hear that my blood pressure was completely normal, as it was just a little over six months ago that I was able to discontinue my blood pressure medication.

Harry also had an appointment at the same office, and the doctor confirmed what we had already suspected, which is that he has an inguinal hernia which will require a surgical repair. That is the main reason that we scheduled two consecutive months here, as we are hoping that will be enough time for him to have the procedure and get back into tip-top traveling shape. Harry now has a referral for an appointment with the surgeon, which has been scheduled for next Wednesday.

We also stopped at a couple stores and did a little shopping. I think it is the first time we have been in a mall since last fall!

I took this picture as we were crossing the Castleton-on-Hudson bridge heading back to Catskill. If you look toward the left side of the horizon, the State Agency buildings in Albany can just be seen over the treeline.

 

 

What a picture perfect day!

 

 

After we got back to Catskill, we headed over to my sister’s place for a few hours. We had a good time chatting, and I helped my nephew study for his geometry test tomorrow.

Now that our first appointments are over, tomorrow it is the truck’s turn….back to Albany we go for an oil change…

Back Where It All Began

Location: Catskill, NY (High 67, Low 52)

 

Yesterday it was time to pack up and head for our next stop. We were happy to see blue skies and calm winds after several days of rainy, blustery weather.

 

We originally planned to travel the whole way on NY 32, but after 16 miles traveling up and down windy country roads, we decided to get on I-88 in Oneonta to Albany instead. It made for a much smoother ride and we were happy we decided to adjust our route.

 

Our trip was pretty quick, about two and a half hours, and it didn’t seem like too long before we saw the sign for our exit.

 

 

Although we have really enjoyed seeing new places and exploring unfamiliar roads over the past few months, there is also something very nice about seeing familiar sights.

 

We are back in the same site we had in December and January, and it is so much nicer without freezing temperatures and the possibility of having to shovel snow!

 

We will be here now for the next two months. We are looking forward to lots of family time, seeing friends, and also taking care of stuff like doctor’s and dentist’s appointments.

We are ready to enjoy upstate NY’s wonderful summer season!

Laid Back and Relaxing

 

The blog title says it all! After a month of traveling non-stop through twelve states, this past week we had time to hang out and take it easy. Aaahhh….

 

 

 

No trains, planes or big trucks in the vicinity! We’ve been enjoying some peace and quiet.

 

 

So, some highlights from our week…

 

We’ve had several tours of the surrounding area, and have found out that there are still quite a few dirt roads left in this part of NY.

 

 

Enjoyed several outings with our campground hosts, fellow Heartland owners, and friends Greg and Beth….including this one for ice cream…

 

…and dinner out another night in Rome, NY.

 

 

 

 

We also enjoyed a driving tour of the wonderfully scenic areas around here, including a nearby state park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a really nice week, and we’ve enjoyed the time with our friends. Thanks Greg and Beth for being such great hosts!

Tomorrow we head to Catskill, NY.