(Still) Summer

Being nearly a month since I last posted, I thought I would make a quick entry before summer ends. I hope you have all enjoyed this season as much as I have.

After our return from Maine, David had some company, which gave us the excuse to take the boys into the city. And, of course, this got us doing things we would not have otherwise – like taking in the view at the Top of the Rock or riding the NY Waterways tour boat around Manhattan at sunset! I also took David and a local friend up to the Cape for a few days to bike ride, walk the beaches and even fit in a whale watch. And what a show that was – the humpbacks danced around us the whole time, breeching and slapping their sides down on the waves, which were rather rough. The boat rocked steeply in a rather active sea – choppy waves of 4 to 6 feet, I guess – which unfortunately left a few passengers green and holding onto their plastic seasickness bags below decks. But we didn’t get sick – I took some Dramamine as a preventative; the boys just declared their love of roller coasters and, as they predicted, showed no signs of wear.

Vicki returned from Ireland - having developed a taste for Heineken (of all things!) – and is alternately prepping for college and racing off to the shore to hang with her friends before they all set off in their own directions. Move in day at Barnard is the 28th and she has informed us of the first commandment of freshmen year: Parents Shalt Not Visit! We are to drop her off, discreetly, and scurry back to New Jersey to await further instructions.

But not to rush you so quickly into fall - there are several good weeks of summer left!! Plenty of time to sit outside with a good book, at the beach or in the shade of your favorite tree as the weather has been very nice. I decided to bone up on some poetry reading this month, just to break up the usual subjects and enjoy the focus on the power of the written word found there. Good poetry is about quality, not quantity after all. Here’s a little item from Charles Simic that I like….oh, and BTW the image above is from a picture I took at Great Salt Pond on Cape Cod (I’m still enjoying that photoshop!)


Bird comforting the afflicted
With your song,
The one or two lying awake
In the vast slumber
Of small town and countryside,

Who know nothing of each other
As they listen intently
To every little tweet
Afraid they’ll do something
To make it hush.

Long Live Summer Vacation

Having raced home from Maine to have a scan and visit with the onc, I was certain that the time had come to buck up and start treatment again.  In fact, all indications were that my "treatment-free" interval was over.  However, despite continued tumor growth and a few failing numbers on my blood work, it seems that there is still some margin for me to stay off the juice.

Dr. S has given me clearance to remain "au naturale" for the summer with a scan and - shall I say certain? - return to chemotherapy in September.  I am glad, and quite surprised, to get the extra time....but boy am I gonna do my best to enjoy this summer!

For any number hounds out there, the larger tumors now measure about 1.8 inches in diameter....BB

Photos of Maine



Portland Head Light


We've made it back from a terrific time in Maine...our goal having been to hike trails, ride on boats, take photos and eat lobster.  I'm happy to report that we got it all done!  It is still busy here as Vicki prepares to leave for two weeks in Ireland and Dave returns from camp to host a friend from Virginia for a week or so. 

In the meantime, I had a scan yesterday and will follow up with the onc next week.  I expect it will be time to go back on the juice - but at least we are fitting in as much as we can before the plunge. 

Just for fun, I thought I'd share a couple of versions of this photo.  I can't help playing around with my shots in photoshop - the above is the original and below are two mutations based on my whim.  The first uses an effect called "Lomo" which replicates the look you get in old postcards from about 100 years ago.  I have a few things hanging in the house that I have "lomo'd".  The other is a different distortion technique I've been playing with to give images a more painterly appearance.  Enjoy! BB



Portland Head Light - Lomo




Portland Head Light B&W Smooth



School's Out for Summer

Finally....it's over!  After a crazy - hectic June, graduation day finally arrived last Thursday! Vicki and her class of '11 had a wonderful run and now they're all back to being lowly frosh in the fall!!

She and we topped it off with a nice party today here at the homestead!

Dave is off to camp tomorrow in New Hampshire and Rob & I are off to a (much anticipated) vacation in Maine.  So, poor Vicki is left to guard the castle and go to work....sucka!!!

Six More Weeks!

I had my follow up yesterday with Dr. S to see if I can stay off the juice until my July scan. I had blood work done last week and it all looked good except for some more increase in my CEA. But, since I feel pretty good and the bloods looked okay (they post them online so I can see them ahead of time), I was pretty optimistic about getting the remaining six weeks off until my next scan. The appointment did not disappoint, so I am free until July!


I have been truly fortunate this past year, with the tumors growing at only a modest rate. The pain has (so far) been manageable and I look forward to getting through Vicki’s graduation and a trip to New England with Robbie in late-June/early-July before the scan. I think we’ve about made it to the end of this road, however, and I doubt there will be another reprieve.

And, it actually didn’t rain yesterday! So, I was able to walk around Manhattan without getting soaked - even saw that big yellow fireball in the sky for the first time since I-don’t-know-when! Like the groundhog, I saw my shadow…perhaps that’s why I got six more weeks!

Maybe I'll build an Arc

Not sure if I moved to Seattle without remembering it but it has been raining here for days and the prediction is that it will continue through the weekend.  It’s a far cry from last week when every day was sunny and in the 70’s!  The big downside of all this rain is that it’s hard to take my daily woods walk.  Besides needing to gear up for the rain, the trails are extremely muddy and in many areas impassable.  Here’s a shot I took yesterday on a very short walk before the rain picked up and I retreated to the car.  The trail was a washout anyway so I wouldn’t have gotten too far….BB    

Just Birds (again)!



Wood Duck

On a lighter note, in my trail walks around Morristown this spring, I have noticed an increase in two species of birds. I have seen both before but not with the frequency that I have noticed them lately. They are the Wood Duck and the Goshawk. The Wood Ducks might be more noticeable because many of the trails I walk cross over lowlands, which have been extensively flooded now for weeks. The larger footprint of water in the woods might be bringing the ducks into better view. Or there may, in fact, be more of them.



Goshawk



On the Goshawk front, I have definitely seen more of them this year than any other. This could be good news since increases in predators are often a sign of a healthy ecosystem. An alternative reason can be that they are losing territory somewhere else. But, since new home construction in this area has been almost non-existent for several years now, I suspect that the increase in Goshawks reflects an increase in small prey animals (like the chipmunks who use my rock wall for a home).

Lastly, I made a new sighting this week of a bird I have never identified before. It is said to be common in the area, but like Goshawks and Wood Ducks, inhabits heavy woodlands and prefers to be secretive. I had never seen one (or frankly even heard of it) but I got a great look at one recently while strolling alone in a dense patch and positively identified it as a Black Throated Blue Warbler. Quite a good looking bird with a call much louder than its small stature would imply.



Black Throated Blue Warbler

So nature-lovers, go stroll your woods, fields and shorelines, perhaps you will catch a glimpse of something interesting!