Getting better

Not coughing as much today. Still just stayed in. So much on TV tonight. Glad I have the PVR. Watched the Ryder Cup this afternoon. Must be trying to fill gap left by NHL lockout.

Sleep

Getting 8 hours sleep but still not well. One rib has been painful but is fine tonight. Just getting old and creaky.

Finn Slough

Slept in and decided to pick up a package at Point Roberts. Gave up when I saw the full parking lot and a line that went out to the road. Bought gas and wine. Found a new cache near Finn Slough. We used to bike there and play on te wharfs. We'd lie down and ride e waves from freighters. Duh! Too many people at Pajo's so went I Save-On at Terra Nova. Had some Japanese food in the same mall. Thought miso soup should help my cold. Went home and fell asleep for most of the afternoon.

Tired of coughing

Stayed in and rested all day. This bug just doesn't want to go away. So many accusers against John Furlong. The Straight and CBC have done a lot of digging. Hope the investigation is swift and thorough.

Gastro MD

Got parked right outside my gastroenterologist's building on Hornby near Davie for a 10 am appointment. Trouble was it was supposed to be 1:00. Went back home for a coupe of hours and tried again. This time I had to park on Howe. Love using the PayByPhone app for the meters. My appointment was short. I don't need and tubes stuck down or up me and I can stick o over the counter treatments for my GERD. Dr. Ko agreed the altitude last week set it off. Turns out she is a liver specialist if I need one. I did some research and my Tamoxifen could be affecting the liver. Stopped at Whole Foods for sone groceries. Still coughing.

Need a new plan

Saw an oncologist this morning and she wasn't happy.  My tumour markers have gone up and there is something wrong with my liver.  Karen is away so no changes will be made for a couple of weeks until she gets back.  They'll redo the bloodwork and do a CTScan in the meantime.  She also wasn't impressed by the two tumours popping out of my groin.

Stopped at Granville Island for groceries and then came straight home.  Still coughing and that was clearly enough for one day.

Nothing to do now but wait and be patient.

Getting better

Felt more human today but still took it easy.  When I do start to cough, it's hard to stop.

Watched Game Changer tonight after it won the Emmy last night.  Sarah Palin is a true idiot.  Is Ryan any better?   Both seem to lie with such ease.

Still sick

Bit better today but still stuffed and sweaty.

Watched the Emmy's and it was a train wreck.  Couldn't hear much in the first part as the mike's idn't seem to be on.  Who thought it would be funny to do a parody of the In Memorium segment?

Cough, cough

Slept well in spite of my cold.  Had a hot shower 🚿 and then went to IGA for fresh groceries - my Safeway is closed while they build a new complex.

Watched 3 Indiana Jones movies and the Lions game.  🏈

Trying lots of fruit 🍊and DayQuil/NyQuil liquicaps.  💊

Cold

I do have a cold.  Spent the day sniveling and eating fruit.  Chicken soup seemed smart for dinner.

Caught up on everything I recorded on my PVR last week.  Updated my iPad to version 6.  Siri is fun to play with.

12-31-365

Bloodwork at the Cancer Agency at 9:30 this morning.  Had to turn my head and take deep breaths to get the flow going from port-a-cath.

Got the final coordinates from the CO for the 12-31-365 cache that I finished in Utah.  I have at least one cache on each of 366 days (including Leap Day), 100 per month and 100 for each day of the month.  Decided to go for the final near SFU.  It was hidden on the Trans Canada Trail and it was a bit challenging on the downhill bits but my cane kept me upright.

Home by 12:30.  Fell asleep this afternoon.  Feel like I might be coming down with a cold.  Not budging tomorrow!

Granville Island

Attended my metastatic cancer group this morning.  Enjoyed the company and conversation.  Main topic was the importance of hope.  

Picked up some groceries at Granville Island.  Enjoyed a bowl of cock a'leekie soup and chatted with a couple from PEI who were on a bus tour around the city.

Did a bit more shopping and then home.  Still tired from trip.

Home again

We checked out this morning and found a couple of caches south of the airport.  We loaded up with gas and dropped off our Jeep Compass at about 11.  We were flying Alaska Air but the first leg was a Delta 757 at 1:52 (MST).  There was a 3 hour layover in Seattle and I had fish & chips for dinner.  The next flight was Alaska Horizon at 6:10.  It was a prop plane and was flying so low we could watch all the towns go by.  We could even see the white rock at White Rock!  The last bit up the Fraser River was fun to watch. 

Lori & Pam took the Canada Line & bus to Delta.  They put me in a cab.  I was too tired to even think about the CL & a bus ride home.  I asked the cabbie to carry my bag upstairs.  He agreed when he realized I was giving him a $20 for a $13 ride.  Worth every penny!

We accomplished everything we set out to do on the trip.  Pam got to 100 on some days of the month, we all finished our Jasmer Challenge (finding a cache placed in 149 months since May 2000), a count of different types of caches and a bunch of Earthcaches for another challenge.  We also saw amazing scenery.

Pam & Lori drove 1,212 miles/1950 km
I walked 2.33 km today in airports and a total of 10.8 km.

Salt Lake City

Another great day of caching.  I was up and down to the bathroom last night so just had tea and toast for breakfast.  Was feeling better by lunch and managed Mexican for dinner.

We wandered around the Temple area.  The building and grounds are worth a visit.  We also had to go up to the State Capital building.  Truly impressive with a long wide street leading up to it for miles.

Went up/down Gravity Hill and couldn't tell if we were going up or down. Very weird feeling!  Our GPSs were telling us what our eyes weren't seeing. Visited an artesian well and then a hot springs. Water seems to be the theme for many of the Earthcaches around here.

Utah, Colorado and Wyoming

Took the scenic route back to Salt Lake City and dipped into Colorado and Wyoming for caches.  I have now finished another challenge - 1 on all 366 days, 100 in each month and 100 on each day of e month.  I also have enough Earthcaches for a couple of challenges.

Saw some amazing scenery.  I'll post a slide show in a couple of days.

Felt sick again for a few hours but it's gone again.  Tomorrow will be just around here.

Jasmer Challenge

Success!  Lori, Pam and I have been trying to complete our Jasmer chart - finding a cache placed in every month since May 2000.  Today they climbed a mountain in Utah to find Potter's Pond - the last one!  Lori and Pam were brilliant in panning how to find this remote spot.

I looked for another one while they were gone and ended up in the middle of a flock of sheep being driven up the trail by a man on horseback.   Got some great photos.  The whole area is magnificent.  Lots of little wilderness camp spots and people on ATVs and horses.

We then went to an event in the camp ground, met some local cachers (and one we met in Seattle last month!) and had a great lunch.  The man organizing the event cooked stew and desserts in big cast iron Dutch ovens. He sat them on some briquets and then put some on the lid.  Delicious.

We headed off to Vernal in Eastern Utah, finding more Earthcaches along the way.  The fellow in the first hotel was not on the ball and finally decided he didn't have a room with 3 beds.  Best Western Antler came through for us.  Found 5 more caches in the dark after dinner to get Pam to 100 for the day of te month.

I was sick most of the afternoon.  Another GERD attack that might have been caused by the elevation.  We were over 9,000 feet twice.  It settled down after a few hours and I had poached eggs and toast for dinner.

Idaho to Utah

We started out early and Pam and Lori climbed a mountain to snag Idaho's Oldest Cache.  It was a hot climb on a very steep slope.

Spent sometime at Antelope State Park and grabbed some Earthcaches while watching antelope and buffalo roaming free.

It was 9 by the time we made Fairview, UT and very dark.  We are in a little motel but it is clean and has 3 beds.

Idaho

Matt took me to the airport this morning.  I was nice and early so sat and read my newspapers (on the iPad).  Lot of walking to get through baggage and customs after Lori and Pam arrived.  We were flying Air Alaska but it was a very small Delta plane.

Arrived in Salt Lake City at 4 local time (1 hr 45 min).   More walking.   Our rental is a black Jeep SUV.   Lori drove to Pocatello, Idaho and we found 6 caches along the way, including 2 Earth Caches.  Pam and I need a bunch of these.  Applebee's was close to our Best Western for dinner.

All packed

Rough time last night.  The pain in my left leg came back.  Got up and took a couple of pain killers and it eventually eased.

Quiet day of reading and packing.  Think I've just about got it done.  Tomorrow, Lori, Pam & I fly to Salt Lake City for some geocaching in Utah & Idaho.

Met Moira for Japanese dinner at Applause. 

Birch Bay

Pam needed numbers today so we headed down to the Blaine & Birch Bay area.  Lucky we were in the Nexus lane as the other traffic was down to one lane and it wasn't moving.  It is 9/11 and there is always a large rally of first responders at Peace Arch.  It really looked impressive.

I logged 13 caches and Pam had 25.  A very good day.  The sun was shining and we were along the beach quite a bit.  Had a good lunch at Bob's Burgers.

Finally got home at 7 and I am tired!

How to waste time

Met Pam this afternoon and found a few caches in Richmond with her.  Needed her climbing and crawling abilities!  And her perseverance!

Went to Staples in Burnaby and then London Drugs.  LD didn't have the microSD card I wanted, so I went to the one on Kingsway & then to the one on Victoria Drive.  Got it home and couldn't unlock the stupid thing.  Wasted a lot of time on it.  Hate technology!!!!

Ladner Village Market

Took Pru to the Ladner Village Market this morning.  Saw several friends.  We bought enough that we had to make a trip to the car to empty our bags.  I had my wheelie so could buy what I wanted - cheese, chocolate, bread, dip...

Had lunch at Sharkey's and then home to get her Kobo working.  Finally succeeded but her computer needs to be put out of its misery. 

Was realy tired and sore.  Think the change in the weather is playing havoc with my arthritis.  We avoided rain but there were a few drops.

Art Vallis

Watched the Lions demolish Montreal this afternoon and then went to Richmond to find some caches.  Logged 4.  Another was just out of my reach.  Miss the days when I could clamber anywhere.  Had dinner at Pajo's on the beach at Garry Point.

One of my favourite principals has died:

January 4 1927 August 29 2012 Arthur Fraser Vallis was born in New Jerusalem, NB on January 4th 1927 and died, with family at his side, August 29, 2012. The family would like to thank the Palliative Care team at St. Paul's hospital for the care they gave to Art in his final weeks. A generous, kind and ethical man, his passing leaves a void in the lives of family and friends. Predeceased by his first wife Joan (nee Mitchell), Art is survived by: his loving wife Marian Reid, his sister Helen MacKay (Stewart), his sons Ron (Julie Hicks), John (Andrea) and Blair (Claudia Gerber) and his beautiful grand-daughters Sonya, Elaine, Marlena and Eliza.

Art was a master teacher and a highly respected administrator. In the 60's Art and other teachers started a program "Painting in the Parks" for children. He was past president of the Vancouver Elementary Administrators' Association, the BC Arts in Education Council and the Vancouver Retired Teachers 'Association. He was an instructor and Past Commander for the Seymour Power Squadron , a founding member of the False Creek Yacht Club and an avid boater. Retired for many years, Art and Marian traveled extensively around the world and made many lasting friends.

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."

Art's life has ended; the effect of it will continue to unfold.

A service of Remembrance will be held for Art, at McKenzie Elementary School auditorium (960 East 39th Ave. Vancouver) on Sunday September 23rd at 1:00 p.m. followed by a Reception at the False Creek Yacht Club (1661 Granville)

Donations in memory of Art Vallis can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C.

VTLA BBQ

Went back to a multi that defeated me this morning and finally found it.  Don't know how I missed the first stage before.

Went to Mary Locke's for the annual VTLA BBQ that she puts on.  Great evening to sit outside.

Goals met

Pam and I set out with the goals of getting lots of multis and getting her to 100 (she needed 12).  We wandered over Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Coquitlam and New Westminster.  Couldn't find a couple and couldn't park anywhere near a couple of others.

Stopped at Port Moody for a good Japanese lunch at Sango.  Made it home just after 6.  I only need 1 more multi and Pam has her 100!

Lunch with Pru

Got a note from the cache owner for the multi I couldn't find.  She corrected my mistake and I grabbed it this morning.  I had been right next to it yesterday.  Still not sure what my mistake was but she said several cachers got it wrong.

Support group for women with metastatic cancer this morning.  There were only 4 of us so everyone had a lot of time to talk.

Picked up Pru and we had lunch at Coco Et Olive on Mail St. Excellent soup and panini.  Went to the house to try to get her Kobo working but gave up.  Took it home to try and I think it is the cable.

First day of school luncheon

Needed 5 caches today.  Found 4 before lunch.  Didn't find a few, including a multi that I thought I had the solution for at Langara.  I've written the owner for a nudge.

Lunch with about a dozen VESTA women at Dockside in the Granville Is. Hotel.  It was actually cold in the shade with the breeze off the water.  Had halibut/salmon and lemon/blueberry creme brule.  Excellent food.  Slow service but we weren't in any hurry.

Maureen walked around the seawall a ways to watch me find the 5th cache of the day.  Made my 100. One more day to go.

Langara

Went around Langara golf course looking for parts of an old multi.  Think I have it solved and will look for the final Tuesday - need 5 to make my 100 for the date.

Had lunch at IHOP and shopped at Cobbs.

Found it

Pam and I have been working on a multi in Richmond.  We found the first stage together & then I went to the next 3.  Pam had to do the last one as it meant climbing the stairs in a tower near the casino.  We couldn't figure out one word but we decided on what it should be.  Went to the coordinates this morning and found it!  

Thought about doing more but was a bit sore, so went home and watched a couple of movies - Cowboys & Aliens and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Perfect afternoon.

Multis in Abbotsford

Out to Abbotsford this morning for a geocaching event.  Met several friends.  Stayed for about an hour.

Found a couple of multis (I need 9 right now).  Spent a long time on another but couldn't reach it.  I sent the coordinates to the owner and he confirmed that I was at the right spot but I'll have to return with Lori and Pam.

Lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Abbotsford.  Not as good as the one downtown.

Home by 5.  Watched the Whitecaps lose to LA. 

Stood up

Picked up a couple of packages in Point Roberts.  Traffic through the tunnel was slow and it was almost stopped going back.  Dropped off old GPS at Pam's for Maureen.  Stayed for a cup of tea.

The tunnel was still bad so I went over the Fraser Bridge.  Found 3 parts to a multi cache but the last one was climbing stairs up a little tower.  Pass.

Moira called last night to suggest Applause for dinner tonight.  Looked forward to it all day but she forgot.  Couldn't get her on the phone so ended up at the White Spot once the Lions game was done.