Last Sunday morning found us in the car headed for Sequoia National Park. We had a great visit with my girl's friends, and we attended one of the Sunday worship services her team puts on for park visitors. We spent the afternoon with three of her friends driving to a few places, so I could see some of the park too. I took a picture of the roof she was on when she fell, as well as pictures of the bears we saw.
We have had a quiet week this week. I managed to slip in a couple of rides on the local trails. on my bike, and my girl and I took Pepper the excitable dog for a couple of strolls around the block, but mostly she rested. On Monday, she received an email from financial aid suggesting she apply for a scholarship that was open Tuesday and Wednesday, so we spent some time on the scholarship application.
Wednesday morning, I loaded the car and put the bikes on the rack and we drove to PA. My girl had time to rest and I took a bike ride in the afternoon. It was fun to ride across the bridge again. We had a pleasant dinner with my brother Wednesday evening. He drove us to the restaurant in his new car.
Thursday morning I had the bikes back on the car before 7 for my longest day of driving. The first stop was the airport, where they let me push my girl's wheelchair to the gate. By the way, she did pass the metal detector test even with the metal in her back. I waited until her plane took off to leave. After countless warm sunny hours of driving north on I-5, I finally reached the turnoff for my cousin's house, which is where I was when all this started. I am in there now, planning on heading for my sister's house and a graduation tonight, then home tomorrow. The weather is much cooler here, which I like. My girl arrived safely in home yesterday and her dad and brother and dog picked her up at the airport. I know she is happy to be home, and I will be soon too.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A return to the scene of the accident
This is where she landed, now she is looking for her socks.
She slid off the higher part of the roof between the windows. The story is that she was attempting to traverse from a friend's room to hers because her door was locked. This was not the first time she had done it. I am thankful she survived the fall.
Oh, look, my favorite socks.
Following the accident, my girl was treated to a ride in an ambulance on a backboard down this road. I did not drive up this road to the park, but she assured me that at points the road looks like it will not hold on to the cliff much longer.
This is the team she was working with minus her roommate who was working while we were there.
We stopped by a few scenic points while we were in the park. Here is the famous General Sherman tree, also featured above with people in the photo for scale.
On the trail to the meadow where bears find things to eat.
When they grow by meadows, it is easier to take a picture of a whole giant sequoia.
There were good things to eat in this rotting log by the trail. This guy seemed oblivious to the photographers until someone started taking rapid fire SLR shots and making lots of noise.
He took one look at us and went back to work on the log.
Among the roots of a fallen giant, a new fern reaches for the sky.
This bear preferred the food out in the middle of the meadow.
The wet environment toppled this tree, providing a view of the shallow root structure.
There were a few rocks in the park too.
Another bear who shunned the photographers.
Flowers on the way up Moro Rock (where I took the picture of the road.)
Lizard on Moro Rock.
Once a tree falls, it does not hurt the tree to cut a tunnel through it.
One last bear, found by the side of the road, shot from the safety of the car.
She slid off the higher part of the roof between the windows. The story is that she was attempting to traverse from a friend's room to hers because her door was locked. This was not the first time she had done it. I am thankful she survived the fall.
Oh, look, my favorite socks.
Following the accident, my girl was treated to a ride in an ambulance on a backboard down this road. I did not drive up this road to the park, but she assured me that at points the road looks like it will not hold on to the cliff much longer.
This is the team she was working with minus her roommate who was working while we were there.
We stopped by a few scenic points while we were in the park. Here is the famous General Sherman tree, also featured above with people in the photo for scale.
On the trail to the meadow where bears find things to eat.
When they grow by meadows, it is easier to take a picture of a whole giant sequoia.
There were good things to eat in this rotting log by the trail. This guy seemed oblivious to the photographers until someone started taking rapid fire SLR shots and making lots of noise.
He took one look at us and went back to work on the log.
Among the roots of a fallen giant, a new fern reaches for the sky.
This bear preferred the food out in the middle of the meadow.
The wet environment toppled this tree, providing a view of the shallow root structure.
There were a few rocks in the park too.
Another bear who shunned the photographers.
Flowers on the way up Moro Rock (where I took the picture of the road.)
Lizard on Moro Rock.
Once a tree falls, it does not hurt the tree to cut a tunnel through it.
One last bear, found by the side of the road, shot from the safety of the car.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Where was I when the lights went out?
In what seems like another lifetime now, I left home for triathlon in Corvallis, Oregon. I saw a few interesting things along the way, which I captured in pixels to share with you. Travelling along the north side of the Grand Coulee, I stopped at the museum at Maryhill looking for a restroom. I found a few other things, but alas, no public restroom.
They did have a lovely view of the river.
The neighbors like windmills.
I took the old road just east of Portland because I was not in a hurry, and I love the green.
Lots of other people seemed to have the same idea. Maybe that is because it was Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. I was surprised that I actually managed to score a parking place by this pretty one. Traffic was backed up for miles on both sides.
Later that day, I arrived at my cousin's house and spend a pleasant evening visiting with her family and some friends who were visiting from Virginia. The next morning, all my plans for the month of June changed. I may be able to pick up the pieces of some of them by the end of this week when I return to Washington. At that time, I will have three weeks to train for my next two triathlons.
They did have a lovely view of the river.The neighbors like windmills.I took the old road just east of Portland because I was not in a hurry, and I love the green.Lots of other people seemed to have the same idea. Maybe that is because it was Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. I was surprised that I actually managed to score a parking place by this pretty one. Traffic was backed up for miles on both sides.Later that day, I arrived at my cousin's house and spend a pleasant evening visiting with her family and some friends who were visiting from Virginia. The next morning, all my plans for the month of June changed. I may be able to pick up the pieces of some of them by the end of this week when I return to Washington. At that time, I will have three weeks to train for my next two triathlons.Saturday, June 12, 2010
Wrapping up our stay in California
Picking up where I left off a couple of days ago, my girl had a great visit with J complete with a visit to the mall in the afternoon. We watched Letters to Juliet together before J headed north with her mother. In the morning, I had the oil changed in my car, so it will survive the trip home. At the mall, I purchased a bike rack at REI, so I can bring our bikes home with me.
I spent much of the day Friday on the phone with various doctor offices attempting to obtain follow up appointments after my girl returns to Washingon. It seems that some doctors want to see her medical records before making an appointment. They didn't want to take my word for what happened and what had been done to her. I faxed the surgery report to a couple of them and managed to convince them to make appointments for her. Then we requested records to be sent to the doctors from the hospital, which seems to work faster than asking them to send us records and carrying them to the doctor. All is in order now.
Today we have been hanging out and resting. I worked with the bike rack and the car and the bikes, and I think they will get along with each other until I make it back to Washington. Tomorrow, my girl and I are planning on driving up to Sequoia for the worship service her team is putting on in the morning. We will spend the day in the park seeing the bits that are close to the road. It will be good for everyone there to see her up and about again so soon after her fall.
Monday and Tuesday we hang out here, then on Wednesday we load up my little Fit and head for PA for the night. We decided that the grand plan for driving my girl home was too much time in the car for her, so Thursday morning I drop her off at the airport for a direct flight home. I will head north after she is on the plane. I am not sure how far I will drive on Thursday, but I plan on stopping by my sister's house on Friday to see my niece graduate from community college. On Saturday, I head for home for the first time in three weeks.
I spent much of the day Friday on the phone with various doctor offices attempting to obtain follow up appointments after my girl returns to Washingon. It seems that some doctors want to see her medical records before making an appointment. They didn't want to take my word for what happened and what had been done to her. I faxed the surgery report to a couple of them and managed to convince them to make appointments for her. Then we requested records to be sent to the doctors from the hospital, which seems to work faster than asking them to send us records and carrying them to the doctor. All is in order now.
Today we have been hanging out and resting. I worked with the bike rack and the car and the bikes, and I think they will get along with each other until I make it back to Washington. Tomorrow, my girl and I are planning on driving up to Sequoia for the worship service her team is putting on in the morning. We will spend the day in the park seeing the bits that are close to the road. It will be good for everyone there to see her up and about again so soon after her fall.
Monday and Tuesday we hang out here, then on Wednesday we load up my little Fit and head for PA for the night. We decided that the grand plan for driving my girl home was too much time in the car for her, so Thursday morning I drop her off at the airport for a direct flight home. I will head north after she is on the plane. I am not sure how far I will drive on Thursday, but I plan on stopping by my sister's house on Friday to see my niece graduate from community college. On Saturday, I head for home for the first time in three weeks.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A day of appointments
This morning started early for summer vacation, departing at 8:30 for our first appointment at 9:00 for minor adjustments to my girl's brace. The brace man added more foam to the back, which makes it more comfortable and less likely to rub her the wrong way as she puts it on.
I thought we had plenty of time between that one and the next one around the corner, but by the time 10:30 rolled around we did not have much time to wait for appointment number 2. This one was with the folks from the Trauma Team who were her doctors in the hospital. The purpose was to remove the Foley catheter and see if my girl could go on her own. Removal went well, and the waiting and drinking started. We had a break before our next appointment, so we stopped by medical records, who could not do anything for us because we did not have my girl's ID with us. We consoled ourselves with In N Out for lunch, then raced back by the cousins house to collect my girl's ID before her 1:15 appointment with her surgeon.
We discussed a few things and they removed the staples from her back. She is healing well, but I will still be applying a bandage to her back for a few more days. We forgot to discuss plans for driving home a little at a time, so we will be calling him back tomorrow to see if he approves that plan. If not, we will be checking airline schedules to fly my girl home. We did obtain copies of the surgery report from him, which will facilitate finding follow up care when we return home.
After drinking all day, my girl had still not peed, so we returned to the office for appointment #2 to check in. They wanted her to drink and wait another hour, which she did, but without success. When we went back to the office, they reinserted the catheter. We will follow up with a urologist when we are home again, but this is not unexpected considering her injury. We returned to the cousins house around 5 in the evening exhausted.
My girl found a new burst of energy shortly after 8 when her friend J and her mother arrived from Truckee for a visit. The girls will spend the day together tomorrow giggling and remembering all the good times they have enjoyed together.
I thought we had plenty of time between that one and the next one around the corner, but by the time 10:30 rolled around we did not have much time to wait for appointment number 2. This one was with the folks from the Trauma Team who were her doctors in the hospital. The purpose was to remove the Foley catheter and see if my girl could go on her own. Removal went well, and the waiting and drinking started. We had a break before our next appointment, so we stopped by medical records, who could not do anything for us because we did not have my girl's ID with us. We consoled ourselves with In N Out for lunch, then raced back by the cousins house to collect my girl's ID before her 1:15 appointment with her surgeon.
We discussed a few things and they removed the staples from her back. She is healing well, but I will still be applying a bandage to her back for a few more days. We forgot to discuss plans for driving home a little at a time, so we will be calling him back tomorrow to see if he approves that plan. If not, we will be checking airline schedules to fly my girl home. We did obtain copies of the surgery report from him, which will facilitate finding follow up care when we return home.
After drinking all day, my girl had still not peed, so we returned to the office for appointment #2 to check in. They wanted her to drink and wait another hour, which she did, but without success. When we went back to the office, they reinserted the catheter. We will follow up with a urologist when we are home again, but this is not unexpected considering her injury. We returned to the cousins house around 5 in the evening exhausted.
My girl found a new burst of energy shortly after 8 when her friend J and her mother arrived from Truckee for a visit. The girls will spend the day together tomorrow giggling and remembering all the good times they have enjoyed together.
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