A Break from Physical Therapy...A Quick Trip

Mike has been doing very well with his physical therapy...in fact so good the physical therapist gave him a couple weeks off.  She can't take him to another level until he reaches 17 weeks.  So with two weeks free we decided to see if the wheels on our Oliver still roll.  They do!!!!!! 

We didn't have long and so we decided to head to one of our favorite places...Rainbow Plantation (Escapee Park in Summerdale, Alabama) to have a little Mardi Gras fun with our friends. 
This was the first time in about 9 months that we have been able to go anywhere and it sure felt great!!! 
We left on Wednesday the 19th and arrived just in time for an early dinner or what is fondly referred to as lupper.  Since we haven't been in this area for awhile we decided we wanted to visit all our favorite places.  One of those would be The Fairhope Pier.  

We love sunsets, water on the bay and that awesome pier to walk to the end and see Mobile in the distance.  It was a overcast day and quite chilly and definitely no sunset this evening but that didn't stop us. 

 We got a few good pics before heading to one of our favorite places to eat....Big Daddy's Grill sits on the Fish River in Fairhope.  We enjoyed a delicious lupper!!

A view of the Fish River from Big Daddy's Grill

Thursday we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at our "special to us" restaurant...Jesse's Restaurant in Magnolia Springs.  We have managed to celebrate several important family moments there. 

Friday was the kick off for Mardi Gras at Rainbow Plantation.  We arrived
and met up with our friends Don and Gloria Martin.  We ate a nice dinner chatting with Don and Gloria and the others at our table.  After dinner the fun began.  The eating of the cupcakes to see who has the little baby inside which determines who the king and queen are for this year's Mardi Gras.  So the king and queen were crowned and then the skits began.   The theme this year was "down on the farm" so all skits centered around this theme.  They sure were fun and really done very well.  Rainbow Plantation sure has lots of hidden talent!!

The Queen

The King

Plenty of talented skits to enjoy

Down on the Farm theme wouldn't be complete without a scarecrow!

The weather was pretty decent while we were there.  It rained a little and was overcast most of the first three days but on Saturday we saw the sun peeking out and we both decided this might be a good sunset!!  We were "free" from Mardi Gras activity so we headed to the pier around 5:00 for the 5:45 sunset.  We were not disappointed at all.  It turned out to be a gorgeous sunset.  We sat on a bench and braved the chilly temperatures and wind coming off the bay and managed to capture some nice sunsets.  We have always loved coming to the pier and watching sunsets and were so grateful God put on such a beautiful show this evening. 

Another favorite place for us was this really neat little ice cream parlor named Mr. Green Bean.  It is on a side street in downtown Fairhope.  We ordered our cup that we always share (you save calories that way) and sat down and enjoyed a nice cup of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.  What a nice day!!

Mr. Green Bean

Sunday took us to church...3 Circle in Fairhope.  After a very nice worship service we ate lunch at Saracinos.  This is truly a hometown place to eat.  It is southern cuisine buffet and it is always and I mean always crowded. 
It wasn't exactly a sunny day but we only have so many days here so we decided to head to the beach.  We didn't stay too long but we did enjoy walking a short way along the beach and getting sand in our toes.  We both love the ocean!! 

Monday and Tuesday found us participating in the fun and frolick around Rainbow Plantation.  More food, more fellowship and more laughter watching fun skits.  I can't tell you how much Mike and I needed this fun and laughter after going through two major surgeries since June.  It really felt good.

Fat Tuesday saw the the king and queen de-throwned.  They were such a good king and queen but alas their reign was over. 

We hooked up and pulled out of Rainbow Plantation Thursday morning and returned to our woodsy site at Chewacla State Park that afternoon.  Mike sees the orthopedic surgeon March 12th and this should mark the beginning of phase III and the end of being tied down with physical therapy.  We've been told he will be given exercises but he can do those on his own.  Yay!!  This should free us up so we can do more, see more and enjoy more adventures.

It's About the People

We are slowly moving back into our Oliver!!  Everything is still experimental as far as how long we will be able to do this but for now we are happy and content to be back in our sweet Oliver!!

Our Oliver nestled in the woods

 Mike's CPM chair ( continuous passive movement) was picked up yesterday.  That was a huge factor in our being able to return to the Oliver.  I know you find it hard to believe but there was no room for it in the Oliver.  That was the main reason for moving into an apartment so Mike could accomplish what he needed to do for this surgery.  He had to sleep in a recliner for no less than 3 weeks....this was mandatory by the surgeon and use the CPM chair 3x a day for 7 weeks which turned into 9. 

So glad to be able to get rid of this CPM Chair

He is now officially in phase II and the PT is picking up a bit.  Getting those muscles moving again slowly as to not re-injure that area.  There is light at the end of the tunnel!!!!! 

But that is not what this post is all about!!  It's about the people...all of you!!  Some of you have had the privilege of knowing, meeting and possibly even camping with George and Suzie Yates ( Our Awesome Travels).  Mike and I, unfortunately, did not actually ever meet them but we have blogged together for many years.   Through that blog we got to know George.  George passed away January 15, 2020 after a courageous battle with cancer.  But that is not what I am writing about...I'm writing about his life not his death.  George touched most everyone he met including us.  He was always smiling and happy wearing his iconic vest and hat.   He took everyday and found the joy in it.  I especially loved his "walkabouts" which he took almost every morning...early!!   He seemed to love sunrises and sunsets especially in the desert southwest!!  He and Suzie loved to travel but I do think it was about the people for George as well.
He loved his "social hour" and talking with fellow RVers, family and friends.  He and Suzie would sit outside and read in the "e-readers" or "page turners" as he referred to them and then there were the "doggie fixes" for Suzie.   I can't forget to mention the meals he created on his Weber Q....what a talent for cooking.  He even has his recipes on his blog....you should check them out. 
George will be missed!!!  There will be an empty spot in blogland with him gone but he left us with his zeal to live, smile and be happy.....George was  truly happy!!! 

This picture of George was copied from his blog Our AwesomeTravels

It's about the people....it's always been about the people!!  Oh, the places we go are incredible but the people we meet along the way stay with us for a lifetime!! 

Enjoy the journey and make those memories but always cherish the friendships!!  Mike and I cherish your friendships even though we might not have met all of you.  Hopefully, one day our paths will cross...somewhere down the road!!!

What a Whirlwind !!!

Oh my gosh....it doesn't seem possible that its been since July that I wrote a blog!!  I think I got so down about the turn of events that I just couldn't write....nope not a word!!  Maybe I was speechless...yeah, speechless!!!!

Mike did so well with his spinal fusion!!  He healed and physical therapy went really well.  It went so well that the physical therapist noticed something not right with Mike's left shoulder.  She worked with this shoulder and finally told us she didn't think the pain was related with the surgery at all.   We had just thought it was painful from the cervical stenosis and the subsequent surgery and perhaps just slow in healing.   So we headed to the neurosurgeon for a follow up and to discuss this new information from the physical therapist.

The neurosurgeon confirmed what the physical therapist suspected and sent us to an orthopedic surgeon since this didn't fall under the area of a neurosurgeon.   The appointment with the orthopedic surgeon went very well.  He examined Mike's left shoulder, took an x-ray and told us what he suspected but wanted an MRI to confirm.  Fast forward...the MRI confirmed that Mike had a rotator cuff tear (completely pulled off the bone), torn labrum, arthritis, bicep tear and bone spurs.  He told us not to wait much longer than two months to have this surgery.  It was pretty bad.
       

Surgery was November 12th!!  This orthopedic surgeon, who we've been told is one of the best in the nation, requires a CPM chair ( continuous progressive movement) as well as a recliner to sleep in for six weeks.   As many of you already know, we travel in an Oliver Legacy Elite II which isn't going to quite have the space for a recliner and a CPM chair so we had no choice but to move out of the Oliver and into an apartment.   You just can't make this up!!!
         
So off our Ollie goes to storage and off we go to live in an apartment....for recovery.

We weren't sure how long we'd be in an apartment or if we'd ever move back into the Oliver.  The apartment is nice and comfortable...chairs, sofa, tables, king size lift bed and a huge TV with cable BUT it's not the Oliver!!  We know we have to be here for rehab but we really miss the Ollie!!

Post-op week 1

Post-op week 6

We've visited a local preserve, Kreher Preserve, and enjoyed walking in nature.  We've visited Chewacla State Park and enjoyed walking a few of their trails and it felt so good to be among the trees and hear the leaves crunch under our feet and the smell....oh the smell that only the woods can give.
                 

Kreher Preserve

Trail at Chewacla State Park

Trails at Chewacla State Park

So a few Sundays ago we drove to where the Oliver was in storage and set him free!!!  Mike can't drive so I had to hook up the Oliver with Mike coaching me on what and when to do different things.  
           

I managed to line up the hitch and ball (yay me) and pulled him out of his storage spot and headed to a wonderful woodsy site at Chewacla State Park, about a 45 minute drive!!  A site that we have camped on many times and love....nestled back in the woods!!   

Our site at Chewacla State Park

I am so proud that I managed to hook up the Oliver, tow him 45 miles and arrive safely at our site.....however, I am not good at backing up. This is where Mike took over, shhhhhhhhh don't tell anyone, he used his good arm and backed the Ollie right into that site with no problem.  Wow!!  I am jealous!!!   Now we can enjoy the Oliver and one day soon sleep there again.
                     

Lake at Chewacla

So we are still in the apartment doing rehab.  The CPM chair is part of physical therapy and Mike does this three times per day plus other exercises.  The CPM part of PT will be over Jan 10th.  We see the doctor Jan. 10th and phase II begins.  This phase takes Mike out of passive movement and into strength training which will begin using his muscle for movement.  The rehab for shoulder surgery is quite long but as he is getting better we can begin to return to our RV life albeit slowly!   The physical therapist told us we could travel some in February for a couple weeks!!!!!   We both about cried when she said that!!!  Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!
   

So that's where we are at this point.  It's been a long journey but there is light at the end of the tunnel and we are very grateful that the shoulder is healing and Mike will be good again very soon.

Thanks for stopping by and catching up with us!!  We will be doing the same with you all as well.  It's just been so time consuming but it's now getting better!!

Wishing all our RV friends a very Happy healthy New Year!!!  Safe travels!!!!

We Have Lift Off

Yesterday we journeyed to Columbus, Georgia to see Mike’s neurosurgeon and get his 6 week review!!   Several days before this appointment he went for x-rays to see what progress had been made in fusing the bone the surgeon chipped off Mike’s old disc to create the new and improved disc!!  So on Tuesday we went to Ridgeway Diagnostics in Auburn and had those done!!

So with disc in hand we set out for Columbus a tad early so we could eat and shop a little.  We ate a good lunch at Cheddars.  

Cheddars, but not our car...

The food was good but the noise level reminded me of a school cafeteria...not good!!  When we eat out we enjoy a nice dining experience and this didn’t happen there yesterday!!  Oh well...the food was good!!

We left there and enjoyed browsing among the many books at Barnes and Nobles!!  We found a very nice book on sale showing all our National Parks published by National Geographic.  Beautiful pictures and very informative!  We couldn’t pass this up for $9.98!!  We know we can find all this information on line but every now and then it’s nice to hold the book and flip the pages!

Barnes & Nobles special sale

We made our way over to the office complex where Southeastern Brain and Spine Surgery is located.  Our 4 o’clock appointment proved to be a winner...nobody was in the waiting room!!  That was a first!!

The doctor examined Mike’s neck and took a look at the x-rays.  He even showed them to us and we could distinctly see the titanium plate (cage) surrounding the two disc he created and the 6 screws holding everything in place!  We could see the new disc and he pointed out the area in the middle where the bone had been placed and fused!!  According to the doctor it looked exactly as it should!!  Everything was fine for taking that neck brace off!!  Yay...we have lift off!!  Mike was told he could do most everything he wants except no more contact sports....oh darn!!!  There goes his football and wrestling careers!!  So after 6 long weeks the brace is off!!
     

Brace off after six weeks, got it in my left hand

We are now heading for more healing with physical therapy!!  That starts on Tuesday and should help Mike tone up muscles he hasn’t been able to use for nearly 2 years!!  They will also work with range of motion in turning his head.  The tingling in the arm and fingers is gone.  There is a little soreness on the shoulders from time to time but no pain as he had before.  He’s able to look up and that range should increase with PT.  He can raise both arms and they are nearly the same height.  So things are looking good.

I handed Mike the keys to the truck...after 6 weeks of him not driving

We have another appointment with the neurosurgeon in 6 weeks and once again we will have x-rays a few days before.  So we have 6 more weeks being stationery and then our wheels can roll again!!
I hope they haven’t forgotten how!!!!

I don't think he forgot how to drive

Auburn football starts the beginning of September along with the increase in prices so we are hoping to be out of here!!  Gotta work hard in PT!!!

I also gave him to leash to walking Asher

As you can imagine we haven’t done much that warrants a blog post with Mike not able to do much!  I’ve been carrying most of the daily duties which included walking Asher, our 85 pound English Cream Golden.  He’s a puppy so his leash etiquette wasn’t established and he loves people...all kinds, big ones, little ones it doesn’t matter.  He thinks they all need a hug from him.  So for 6 weeks I’ve worked hard on getting him to walk (without pulling) and the goal is a loose leash!  We also worked on sitting every time we see someone.  I’m proud to say when I turned the leash over to Mike yesterday he was much better than before!!!  Hey, you gotta learn!!!

Now Mike can walk Asher, while I will walk Nick

So life around here is slowly returning to normal!!  We have a little longer to go and all Mike has been through should be worth it and give him back his life...pain free and able to lift, look up and reach up with both arms!!   God is good!!!’

This guy landed just below our patio for almost 10 minutes

Notice the talons on this hawk

Thanks for stopping by!!

Kreher Preserve & Nature Center

I'm a little late with my blogging!!  Life has been a whirlwind for me lately!!  I never appreciated all Mike did around the Ollie until he wasn't able to do hardly anything!!  Thank you, Mike....you're truly appreciated!!

I spent Sunday week ago washing the patio side of the Oliver!!  I might have mentioned this before but we have a gutter guard right behind the awning to stop any water from dripping on the patio during a rain.  This gutter guard gets all kinds of debris such as pine needles, leaves, acorns and such in it and then the water, whether its rain water or the run off from the AC gets trapped in this area, gets very dirty and drips down the sides of the Oliver making a stain on each end.  It takes quite a bit of elbow grease to get it cleaned out and white again.  Couple that with being short I have a hard time reaching behind the awning and cleaning this area out.  I think I was up and down the ladder at least 9 times going across the awning/gutter chasing this debris and dirt.  It was hot and I was wringing wet.  When I finished it looked good!!

Gerri just after she finished washing the Oliver

I was resting and cooling off when our son called and said he wanted to show us something pretty cool.  He knows how much we love birding and nature and he had been told about Kreher Preserve and Nature Center located right in the middle of Auburn...very near the campus because Auburn University maintains and runs this preserve.  To put it in their words, "to promote a sense of stewardship towards nature through quality environmental education, recreation, and outreach programs with Auburn University and its community partners." 
        

This is at the center of the parking lot

Main entrance into the walking trails

We discovered this area provides over six miles of trails winding through 120 acres where you can encounter area wildlife and seven different regional ecotypes.  The preserve provides nature based education to area schools through awesome field trips.  

There are events scheduled throughout the year including "Bird Walks" led by birding specialist.  

We were standing behind a bird blind

Workshops, programs and camps.  There is even a nature preschool which is the only Nature Preschool in East Alabama.  Last but certainly not least is the research that is conducted here on environmental engineering, wildlife sciences, forestry, biology and landscaping.        

Entrance into the fairy houses

Kids made the fairy houses

We spent about 3 hours here Sunday afternoon exploring one of the many trails.  We walked approximately two miles just enjoying the beauty and peacefulness the forest brings to your soul.  

Stephen at the herb garden

One of the walking trails

The fire pit near the amphitheater

The amphitheater

Kreher Preserve is definitely a place we will return to many many times when in this area!!  We didn't have our cameras with us so the pictures are the ones we captured on my IPhone.  

A pond along the trail, we saw a snake swim into this right in front of us

Our Guide...Stephen

Today marks 5 weeks for Mike since surgery!!!!  That means one more week and he's made it to his six weeks.  He has his x-rays on Tuesday that will show the progress he's made in fusing and growing bone.  He sees the neurosurgeon on Thursday and we sure hope that brace comes off and all those many restrictions with it.
We are getting a really bad case of HITCH ITCH!!!!!!!

Small waterfall along the trail

Thanks for stopping by and hopefully we'll see "down the road" very soon!!