Leukemia returns

In December Ray seemed to be fighting a cold or virus, and a few trips to the doctor and some medications did not seem to solve the problem. We started to get that sinking feeling that maybe it was more serious than the flu. Of course we wanted to be healthy before Charles, Kari, Travis and Wren arrived for the Holidays. Our local doctor scheduled complete blood tests as Ray's oncologist suggested. The doctor warned us the lab might call us at home if there was a serious problem. We picked up Charles, Kari, Travis and Wren later in the day and enjoyed having them at our house but Ray was feeling pretty tired. We did not expect the 10 PM call suggesting we go immediately to the emergency room but followed the advice, informing the family where we were headed. We were surprised when Kari and Brett met us at the emergency room but were happy for their support. More tests and Ray was on his way to the Oregon Health and Science University Hospital while the others went home to rest. The emergency room said OHSU was the best place for him. More tests confirmed that darn Leukemia had returned and he was started on Chemotherapy on Dec. 24 to try and bring it into remission. Ray remained in the hospital for over a month. The beginning of the stay is mostly a blur as Ray was taking a very strong chemotherapy treatment. Family visited regularly but the grandchildren could not come to his room so had to use a cell phone and views from common areas into his room. Ray had a wonderful view of Portland’s skyline, with Mount Hood in the background, to entertain guests who came to visit. We called it the million $ view and hoped the bill would not be similar! After a couple of weeks Ray recovered enough to appreciate the view and Brett supplied binoculars and spotting scope. Christmas and New Years was spent in the hospital and Nancy did double duty visiting the hospital as well as keeping up with the family Holiday activities. During this time Ray's mother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer which at first they thought could be slowed by mild chemotherapy to give her more time than the “weeks” originally estimated. Unfortunately the chemotherapy seemed to bring on complications which put her in the hospital where she rapidly declined and we knew the end was near. The new goal was to get out of the hospital so Ray could travel to Eugene to see his Mom.

Modesto, California

Our plan had been to have Thanksgiving in Eugene and then continue on down to California Saturday morning for a quick visit with Nancy's family. The drive was going as scheduled but as we got closer to the border we were a bit nervous as we were still seeing “chains required” signs. They had heavy snowfall on the pass the day before. The traffic slowed and people were putting on chains, which caused traffic jams galore. We hate to put on chains when the pavement and shoulders are clear and dry, so we pushed on as many others were doing. We passed right over the summit with no problems. We can only imagine how irritating it was to the people who had put them on early and didn't need them!. We continued down the valley to Modesto where we enjoyed a short but relaxing visit. Somehow we did not seem to get many pictures taken while we were there. We will share the happy cat in a bag picture and a nice picture of our niece Tara. We sure enjoyed our time there as well as adding helping hands on a few projects they were working on. We headed north on Monday and had no problems getting over the mountains and on to Eugene. We spent the night there with Mom before heading on home to Ridgefield.

Thanksgiving in Eugene

Shortly after our return from Hawaii we traveled to Eugene so we could enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with Bertha. Greg and Geri were coming from Texas to see Lance and Laura which provided an excuse for a turkey even if it was a day late. The turkey was cooked by Anne and I might add it was very tasty. The next morning with a surplus of pie we all declared it was alright to eat pie for breakfast.

Hawaii adventure – six

Since we were scheduled to fly out early the next morning we decided to spend time locally which would allow us time to pack for our early morning departure to Portland. Our first destination was to a beach not far north of Kona known as a best kept secret. We could see the palm trees in the distance but the road to the area was rather rough, across a lot of lava. The story goes that a small farm was located on the beach and a corporation bought the property intending to build a resort. Locals blocked the construction of the resort and eventually the land was donated to the state for a park. After a drive of about 2 miles over very rough terrain that probably took over half an hour, we arrived at the beautiful beach with hardly any people. It had a nice parking lot and modern toilets which really surprised us after such a slow bumpy ride to the site. We relaxed and enjoyed the area before moving on in search of some native fish ponds which we heard were well-preserved. After some misadventures we finally found the elusive ponds tucked between two resorts. The ponds were low areas along the coast that the native population had worked into a series of ponds that connected to the ocean with a gate that allowed small fish to enter but as they grew they could not get out. We were really impressed with the ingenuity and also the beauty of the area. We snapped a picture of this turtle resting on the beach not far from the fish ponds. It was a perfect afternoon and we then worked our way back to the condo where we learned there was a dance group doing a demonstration of native dances at a small shopping area. We found the area and were pleased to see not only the dances but very informative descriptions and history of the hula dance's origins and how it had been banned by the early missionaries in the islands. By then we were hungry so we ate at a local Hawaiian fast food restaurant so we could then go over to the Hyatt resort to see the manta rays feeding in the evening. They put on very bright lights that apparently attract natural foods that the manta rays feed on. We were a bit late for the biggest feeding scene but enjoyed seeing a few working along the rather rugged coastline to eat their fill. We arrived back at the condo and packed our bags for our early morning departure. A stop at Walmart which had a McDonald’s for breakfast also provided a chance to purchase some last minute souvenirs. We even decided to get a meal to go as we knew we were not going to get a meal on the plane. Back in Portland we found our way home so we could relax and recuperate from our fun week in Hawaii.

Hawaii adventure – five

This was the day set aside for our snorkeling adventure which took us out for about 5 hours of explorations along the rugged coastline south of Kona. As we did not have underwater cameras you will have to take our word for it that viewing the tropical fish and turtles was spectacular. The fish came in so many colors, sizes and shapes. We snorkeled at 3 different sites and also learned local history along the way. One spot we explored was the site where Captain Cook was killed by natives. This site can only be reached by boat and you can see the monument in the picture snapped while we were on our boat. The rugged coastline shows how the lava flowed into the ocean and now the wave action is working to break down the rock. The area is very popular to snorkel in as there is little or no sand or dirt to cloud the water. We were glad to have a guide to take us to the best places as you have to be careful with the wave and tide action to avoid being hurt. The places where we snorkeled were pretty protected coves with minimal wave action but we still needed to stay away from the shore where you could be pushed around and hurt. During our adventure we had a picnic lunch hosted by the captain which was very refreshing and provided the energy we needed to proceed with our adventures. Sometimes the ride was a bit rough, but we lost nobody overboard. We were pretty worn out when we returned to the dock and thought that maybe the 3 hour tour would have been enough but certainly did not regret our 5 hour tour.

Hawaii adventure – four

We spent some time exploring Hilo and had lunch there. It has a military base nearby and we observed several planes landing. It also has a huge park along the waterfront that was very popular. Just on the outskirts of town we observed a very interesting old cemetery. The huge Banyan tree (I think)really was impressive and we learned that during the war they would hide planes under the trees that had massive canopies. We also were impressed by the many different types of palm trees. We moved on into the Volcano National Park in the afternoon and walked a trail known for bird life. We heard a lot, but most were elusive and we only caught glimpses of them. A couple of local pheasants seemed to have little or no fear of people. They came quite close to us, feeding on native materials they found in the trail. We returned to the Volcano center that evening to hear a talk by a world reknowned expert. After the very interesting and informative presentation complete with slides of volcanoes around the world we drove out to the lava dome that is best viewed after dark. During the day it looks like hard lava but at night it glows and changes colors. It was hard to capture as it had been raining and there was a lot of mist and fog that drifted in and out. We wish the lava flow was more visible, but much of the active flow has moved off of the National Park and is not easily accessible. I guess nature does not understand where the boundaries are!

Hawaii adventure – three

Our third adventure took us across the island to the rainy side. We again passed through the area of the Parker ranch, with rolling grasslands that reminded us much of northern California. We drove on the Saddle Road which went between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, which were former active volcanoes. It was amazing how much lava and desert-like landscape we passed through that day before reaching the rainy side of the island. As we got closer to the rainy side we saw more plants trying to exist in the lava. We snapped a picture to capture the wide open space as well as our rental car, a Ford Focus that served us well. On the wet side we found many waterfalls and lush rain forest jungle type growth. You can see Rainbow Falls in the distance, but we were not able to capture a rainbow in the mist that it is known for. There were numerous streams rushing to the ocean because of the abundant rains in the area. The plants and flowers of the area were magnificent and we tried to capture the beauty, but somehow a camera does not seem to do it justice. We found the coastline very rugged with the surf working to break it down but it has a long way to go; not many sandy beaches on this side of the island near Hilo.

Hawaii adventure - two

After breakfast we headed towards Wai'pio Canyon where we were scheduled to meet a tour into the canyon. On the way we passed the well known Parker cattle ranch. The tour start point was at a gallery that displayed a lot of local art which was quite interesting and we were glad to have some time to relax before the tour started. The tour vehicle was a 4 wheel drive van because the road into the canyon is very steep and only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed. As you can see from the overlook at the top, it is a very steep narrow canyon and the road hangs to the side of the canyon to the left and descends rapidly to the valley floor. Once on the floor we learned that the land is all private, so getting to the beach or water falls is nearly impossible unless you walk the creeks. We did learn that you can walk down as some did but it was very steep and narrow so we were glad to be escorted. Only locals and licensed tours are allowed to drive on the road which is restricted to 4 wheel drive vehicles only. We learned that it can be very expensive if you break down at the bottom as towing a vehicle out can easily cost nearly $1,000. The canyon used to be more populated but a large tsunami hit the shore and pushed up the valley destroying most everything. Now only a few live in the valley and they have no electricity and very limited roads. The major crop is taro and it is hard to make a living growing it because it is pretty labor intensive. Our guide's uncle had a small operation there and he shared much knowledge of his growing up in the valley and local lore. We were amazed at the variety of wild flowers and abundance of native plants that seemed to grow quickly as you would expect in a rain forest jungle. We were glad to have such a wonderful guide and our tour ran overtime as he wanted to be sure we did not miss any of the history of the area. One interesting fact was that many wild horses are in the valley. They are the remains of herds that used to be raised in the area. When the Tsunami hit the valley the horses seemed to sense the approaching danger and rushed up the valley. Many of the people who followed the horses survived, but many of those people who remained in the lower part of the valley perished in the Tsunami. After a full day, we worked our way back to the condo to collect our thoughts and relax for the next adventure.

Hawaii adventure One

We flew on Alaska Airlines new route direct from Portland to Kona on the big island of Hawaii, leaving late on a Saturday and arriving about 10 PM. After picking up the rental car and finding our way to the condo we were staying at we were pretty tired. Much of the first day was spent getting situated and purchasing supplies. There was a COSTCO nearby which got some of our business and were surprised to noticed that gas was about 30 cents a gallon less than any of the other stations we saw. We also arranged a few tours for later in the week and enjoyed a few local beaches in the area of Kona. Being somewhat settled we headed a few miles out of town to see a church known as the painted church. Our first observation was a little white church but upon entering the church we could see quickly why it was known as the painted church. The inside was rather ornately painted. We learned that it had originally been located near the beach but as people moved up the hill closer to the agricultural fields the church was dismantled and moved by donkey up the hill to the present location. Out on the grounds we observed several statues that were covered with shell lei's. The area was very quiet and invited us to relax and enjoy the scenic area for quite some time. Later we went down to the beach area which was at one time a retreat for the Hawaiian royalty. It is now a national monument with displays of that culture. It was a beautiful setting and we watched the sun slip away before returning to the condo to rest up for the following day.

6 days on Hawaii

In November we spent nearly a week on the big island of Hawaii. The following entries cover some of the details of our fun filled time in Hawaii... We packed a lot of adventures into the time we had on the big island.

DoDDS gathering

With several Mannheim retired teachers within a few hours of our place we decided to host a gathering. Our summers turned out to be too busy to schedule a gathering but in October we were pleased to arrange a date that Susie Walker and Roy Harris, Marcia and Ray Reass, Margaret Burkhart and Jane Black were able to come for a couple of fun filled days. During the reunion we ate very well as our guests arrived with lots of delicious treats. As you can imagine we spent lots of time reminiscing as we shared memories of our teaching times in Mannheim, Germany and our adventures since enjoying retirement. The time visiting on the deck during the day was very relaxing as we experienced a rare warm sunny fall day. As dusk arrived so did some pesky mosquitoes, so we moved indoors. Our area has not yet had a frost so mosquitoes are still a problem after the sun starts to go down. According to the locals this year has been much worse than normal because we had such a wet spring.

Fall Color near Eugene

Mid October was our time to be in Eugene for Ray's blood tests. Before arriving in Eugene we traveled up the Santiam River where we saw our first brilliant colors. Of course Salalie Falls is beautiful any time of the year and we enjoyed the stop. While in Eugene we did a few projects getting Mom's place ready for the winter. With the house projects in order and the results of the blood tests excellent, we decided to celebrate. Luckily we had beautiful fall weather for a trip into the Cascades. We packed a lunch and started up the Mackenzie Pass, enjoying a picnic at the Leaburg fish hatchery. After lunch we traveled past Blue River where we turned south past Cougar reservoir and then followed the minor pass towards Oakridge on the Willamette Pass. Along the way we were treated to lots of fall color along the rushing streams. When we came out at Oakridge we found a covered bridge that used to connect the town with the mill. The mill is no longer in operation and the railroad that used to transport logs to the mill has disappeared but they have converted the rail line into biking and hiking trails. It was getting late so we had to head on toward Eugene but we will have to return with our hiking boots or bikes to enjoy the trails that looked inviting.

Bird Fest / Bluegrass

We have enjoyed a lot of wonderful fall weather but luck was not with us for the local Bird / Bluegrass festival. We kept hoping, along with the organizers, that the festival would have some decent weather. We spent quite a bit of time inside as the rains tended to take over much of the weekend. Celia did not seem to mind the time with her great grandma there to read to her. Greg had suggested that we have borscht (Russian beet soup) to go with the Birds and Bluegrass. The recipe came in two versions, one with tomatoes and one without so we decided to make two pots and give people a choice. Both seemed to be a hit as the two large pots seemed to disappear. Celia also enjoyed having extra family at the house and was good at sharing her toys with others like Ted and Rosalie Hulbert who were also visiting. Roy had a surplus of green tomatoes that needed to be used, so we checked for recipes and found little. A decision was made to try a rhubarb custard pie recipe and substitute green tomatoes. It was a good fit and we now have a new way to use green tomatoes at the end of next season. It sounds strange, but sure is tasty. As groups we wandered down to the town center and found many bluegrass bands “jamming” which we enjoyed listening to. As part of the festival there were many activities involving birds. We enjoyed seeing the kestrel and owl as well as other birds displayed by a local rehabilitation facility. There were also tours through the wildlife refuge and we enjoyed taking the tour. It was a bit early for the fall migrations of Sand hill Cranes but we did see a few. We enjoyed seeing the coyote working the grasslands and blue heron along the banks.