Our house of 20 awoke to fresh snow this morning. Shane, Carrie, Wade, Misty and a lot of family were here to celebrate the life of Frederick L. Lambing. Fred passed away on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 4:55am. Shane, Carrie, Wade and Misty were by his side for the final 32 hours of life.
Doctors and Nurses marveled at the calm, peacefulness in his room as we celebrated all the wonderful memories together. At times there were up to 30 people sitting around Fred, laughing, praying and just saying goodbye.
Please go to www.fredlambing.com to share stories, memories and thoughts.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sunrises and Snow
The sunrise was beautiful over the mountains again this morning as I drove to the hospital. Summer has slipped into fall and soon the snow will be down the mountain.
It is always hard to give everyone bad news, but it is time for me to share with you about the past couple of months. July was good for Fred. In August he was showing signs of discomfort. Labor day he was in the ER with shortness of breath. The next week we had body scans again here in Alaska. There were 3 new big tumors. Fred was too weak to go the DC and we were able to arrange for radiation treatments here. He had 18 treatments over the next 30 days and did very well.
October 15th, just two days after he finished with radiation treatments he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He had emergency surgery for a perforated bowel. He came through the surgery well but has been in ICU for a week now. It has been pretty touch and go. Please pray for peaceful rest for him in these difficult days. We trust God completely. Fred is in His hands.
There has been a lot of laughter and some tears too in these past months. We have gotten to share some good days with Fred's mother who has been here for about 5 weeks now. We have also enjoyed visits from both of his sisters. Family has always been so important to Fred.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support.
It is always hard to give everyone bad news, but it is time for me to share with you about the past couple of months. July was good for Fred. In August he was showing signs of discomfort. Labor day he was in the ER with shortness of breath. The next week we had body scans again here in Alaska. There were 3 new big tumors. Fred was too weak to go the DC and we were able to arrange for radiation treatments here. He had 18 treatments over the next 30 days and did very well.
October 15th, just two days after he finished with radiation treatments he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He had emergency surgery for a perforated bowel. He came through the surgery well but has been in ICU for a week now. It has been pretty touch and go. Please pray for peaceful rest for him in these difficult days. We trust God completely. Fred is in His hands.
There has been a lot of laughter and some tears too in these past months. We have gotten to share some good days with Fred's mother who has been here for about 5 weeks now. We have also enjoyed visits from both of his sisters. Family has always been so important to Fred.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
May, June, July, Oh My!
May 22, Fred and I arrived back in Alaska, just about a month later than we planned. The word I came up with for being here was overwhelming. Overwhelming in every way.
Fred was pretty wiped out from the radiation treatments and the bad cold he got right after he finished the radiation treatments.
We hired a young man, Hayden, to help us catch up on all the spring clean up. I spent the first 3 weeks keeping ahead of him. We raked and cleaned the driveway and yard, stripped and stained deck, cut and stacked trees that had fallen. Our goal was to get things rid up before company started arriving.
Home just 3 weeks and the fun began. Barbara L arrived from Texas first. The next week Misty and family arrived from Boise. We had a great time even with all the rain. The twins turned 4 the week before they arrived, that made all three of the kids 4 and 5 years old. They loved swinging on the rope swing and exploring in the woods around the house. Sadie loved all the excitement. Go to Scrubbydeer.com to see photos.
Time went by too fast and it was time for everyone to head home. It was great blessing for Fred and I to have this time with everyone.
July 5. Two days after everyone was gone Fred and I headed out for DC and Doc appointments. Fred had body scans and appointments in 3 different clinics in 3 days. The good news is we adjusted and changed a few of Fred's meds. Now he is doing much better, with more energy and less pain. All the Docs were impressed with how well he was doing. His numbers are down and his bone strength looks good. He does have a small tumor that has some muscles in his tush inflamed, but we are hoping that things will settle down soon. If not we will have some treatment done on it.
July 9-11. 41 years, can you believe it. That is how long it has been since I graduated from high school. Fred and I stopped in the Black Hills on the way back home and attended my class reunion. It was so fun to spend time with people that I shared my life with in boarding HS at Sunshine Bible Academy so many years ago. Hope it will not be so long before we gather again.
August, we plan to take some B&B guests.
September, we are headed to DC.
October, we are plan to head back to the lower 48 for the winter months.
Once again thank you for your prayers and support. We are so blessed by you.
Fred was pretty wiped out from the radiation treatments and the bad cold he got right after he finished the radiation treatments.
We hired a young man, Hayden, to help us catch up on all the spring clean up. I spent the first 3 weeks keeping ahead of him. We raked and cleaned the driveway and yard, stripped and stained deck, cut and stacked trees that had fallen. Our goal was to get things rid up before company started arriving.
Home just 3 weeks and the fun began. Barbara L arrived from Texas first. The next week Misty and family arrived from Boise. We had a great time even with all the rain. The twins turned 4 the week before they arrived, that made all three of the kids 4 and 5 years old. They loved swinging on the rope swing and exploring in the woods around the house. Sadie loved all the excitement. Go to Scrubbydeer.com to see photos.
Time went by too fast and it was time for everyone to head home. It was great blessing for Fred and I to have this time with everyone.
July 5. Two days after everyone was gone Fred and I headed out for DC and Doc appointments. Fred had body scans and appointments in 3 different clinics in 3 days. The good news is we adjusted and changed a few of Fred's meds. Now he is doing much better, with more energy and less pain. All the Docs were impressed with how well he was doing. His numbers are down and his bone strength looks good. He does have a small tumor that has some muscles in his tush inflamed, but we are hoping that things will settle down soon. If not we will have some treatment done on it.
July 9-11. 41 years, can you believe it. That is how long it has been since I graduated from high school. Fred and I stopped in the Black Hills on the way back home and attended my class reunion. It was so fun to spend time with people that I shared my life with in boarding HS at Sunshine Bible Academy so many years ago. Hope it will not be so long before we gather again.
August, we plan to take some B&B guests.
September, we are headed to DC.
October, we are plan to head back to the lower 48 for the winter months.
Once again thank you for your prayers and support. We are so blessed by you.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
59 and Counting
Fred had his first radiation treatment on his head this morning. He will have 10 treatments over the next 2 weeks, finishing up on May 11.
This morning we also saw three of our oncology doctors. They are having blood work done every week now, watching his white blood count. This has to do with the isotope therapy he had in March.
The doctors and I agree that he looks much better now than before his treatment in March. Actually all the Doctors comment on how healthy he looks for as sick as they know that he is.
I am enjoying watching spring bloom here. Everything is lush and green. The azaleas are blooming in every color of pink and fuchsia. I think the white ones are my favorite. The azaleas remind us of when we lived in Japan 38 years ago. Can it be that many years ago?
Speaking of years..... I turn 59 today. What a great gift to be with Fred today. He is telling everyone here it is my birthday. I have had hugs from our motel maids and birthday wishes from all his doctors, plus lots of calls from family and friends. Thank you.
My birthday plan is to go out to a light dinner and enjoy a big chocotate dessert.
This morning we also saw three of our oncology doctors. They are having blood work done every week now, watching his white blood count. This has to do with the isotope therapy he had in March.
The doctors and I agree that he looks much better now than before his treatment in March. Actually all the Doctors comment on how healthy he looks for as sick as they know that he is.
I am enjoying watching spring bloom here. Everything is lush and green. The azaleas are blooming in every color of pink and fuchsia. I think the white ones are my favorite. The azaleas remind us of when we lived in Japan 38 years ago. Can it be that many years ago?
Speaking of years..... I turn 59 today. What a great gift to be with Fred today. He is telling everyone here it is my birthday. I have had hugs from our motel maids and birthday wishes from all his doctors, plus lots of calls from family and friends. Thank you.
My birthday plan is to go out to a light dinner and enjoy a big chocotate dessert.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
It is way past time for an update on our travels. It seems a whole month has slipped by since I last wrote. Let me get out my calendar and catch you up.
March 22-25 We traveled to DC for Fred's new treatment. He did well and we headed back to AZ a couple of days early. This treatment was to decrease his bone pain and he has gotten a lot of bone pain relief.
March 28 We got news that my Dad was stomped by a cow while he was tagging her calf. He went by ambulance to the hospital in Rapid.
April 2 We left Uncle Norman's camp spot and headed north. We slowed down as we drove by the blooming orange trees for the last time. It has been another great winter for us on the desert.
April 4 Easter. We drove into Boise as the sun was setting. We had every kind of weather that day; sunshine, snow, rain and clear Idaho skies. The closer we got to Boise the better the weather got. It was worth the drive to see all those smiling little faces at the end of the day.
April 10 - I left Fred with Misty and family and flew to Rapid City to see Mom and Dad. It was fun to room with Mom and try and keep up with all Dad's visitors at the hospital. I had 5 days there with the folks. Dad is strong but has had some ups and downs with his lung and rib injuries.
April 19 Fred and I flew to DC. When I got back from SD I noticed that Fred's eye was different. Within a couple of days I got the whole picture. He was loosing some of his vision in his left eye. After some phone calls to DC and Alaska we were on the plane headed to see our Doctors. In the past 4 days Fred has seen at least 11 doctors and I can't count the number of tests.
To make a long story short----
Fred has a tumor behind his left eye that is about 3.3 centimeters in diameter (about 1.5 inch). It is very round so looks like a third eye, but a little larger. It is in both the eye socket and the brain cavity. Our plan is to give him most relief with the least trauma.
We have been in the information gathering stage this week. Once we get all the information the decision usually seems clear. As of Friday evening, it was looking like radiation will be the treatment we choose for now, with possible surgery in the future. We have one more neurosurgeon to see on Monday.
The plan is to start radiation treatments this Thursday for two weeks. We could be back to Boise by May 13th and home by June....who knows?
Oh yes, Dad went home from the hospital this week.
Fred and I are both feeling so well taken care of here and are confident that the Lord will continue to supply our needs, whatever they may be.
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement.
March 22-25 We traveled to DC for Fred's new treatment. He did well and we headed back to AZ a couple of days early. This treatment was to decrease his bone pain and he has gotten a lot of bone pain relief.
March 28 We got news that my Dad was stomped by a cow while he was tagging her calf. He went by ambulance to the hospital in Rapid.
April 2 We left Uncle Norman's camp spot and headed north. We slowed down as we drove by the blooming orange trees for the last time. It has been another great winter for us on the desert.
April 4 Easter. We drove into Boise as the sun was setting. We had every kind of weather that day; sunshine, snow, rain and clear Idaho skies. The closer we got to Boise the better the weather got. It was worth the drive to see all those smiling little faces at the end of the day.
April 10 - I left Fred with Misty and family and flew to Rapid City to see Mom and Dad. It was fun to room with Mom and try and keep up with all Dad's visitors at the hospital. I had 5 days there with the folks. Dad is strong but has had some ups and downs with his lung and rib injuries.
April 19 Fred and I flew to DC. When I got back from SD I noticed that Fred's eye was different. Within a couple of days I got the whole picture. He was loosing some of his vision in his left eye. After some phone calls to DC and Alaska we were on the plane headed to see our Doctors. In the past 4 days Fred has seen at least 11 doctors and I can't count the number of tests.
To make a long story short----
Fred has a tumor behind his left eye that is about 3.3 centimeters in diameter (about 1.5 inch). It is very round so looks like a third eye, but a little larger. It is in both the eye socket and the brain cavity. Our plan is to give him most relief with the least trauma.
We have been in the information gathering stage this week. Once we get all the information the decision usually seems clear. As of Friday evening, it was looking like radiation will be the treatment we choose for now, with possible surgery in the future. We have one more neurosurgeon to see on Monday.
The plan is to start radiation treatments this Thursday for two weeks. We could be back to Boise by May 13th and home by June....who knows?
Oh yes, Dad went home from the hospital this week.
Fred and I are both feeling so well taken care of here and are confident that the Lord will continue to supply our needs, whatever they may be.
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Travel, Travel and More Travel
Has it only been a few weeks since I wrote?
Here is a quick overview.....
March 1 - Monday - We had an uneventful flight home to the Phoenix area from Brazil. It took us a few days to rest and recover. It seemed cool and comfortable in the desert after the humid and hot tropics. It was a great trip and visit and so worth it to once again be with family there.
March 8 - Monday - We had a long day of flying to DC for Fred's Doc appointment. Between the weather delays causing missed flights it took us almost 24hours to get there.
March 9 - Tuesday - Slept in and went to the hospital for blood work. Did a little shopping and went to dinner with our friend Patti.
March 10 - Wednesday - We decided to start Fred on a different cancer treatment. It will take 2 weeks to get everything in place for him to start. Spent about 7 hours and the hospital. In the evening we went to dinner with our good friend Sandra.
March 11 -Thursday - Fred and I had an uneventful flight back home to the Phoenix area. We arrived early in the day, so we spent some time at Peggy's. The Rahn family is our dog Sadie's second home in AZ.
March 15 - Monday, found us working on the travel details for our next trip to DC a week from today. That means; room reservations, airline reservations, medical tests scheduled and everything blessed off by our insurance team.
Today------March 18 - Thursday - We are on the phone double checking with the DC Doctors that everything is a go for the new treatment next week. It is always hard to catch everyone on Friday's and we fly early Monday morning. One more little twist is that DC is a 3 hour time difference from here.
We have been enjoying some quiet days on the desert this week. Uncle Norman and Aunt Connie are gone this week, as well as Peggy and Warren.
Just to mix things up a little around here, I took out the bench seat between the door, next to the table. That gave us a 2' x 4' piece of floor space. It makes our little camper feel soooo much bigger. We bought a "managers chair" (nice office chair) to use instead. I said we should call it the "Master Sgt's Chair". We are having some fun with that one.
We are building a small set of shelves over the wheel well to give us some easy access storage. It is like a 2ft x 2f book case with 3 shelves. We have it cut out and sanded. Hope to put it together and a coat of finish on it today. We will see.
This week we have been having warm sunny days with a little breeze, about 80*. I said to Fred at breakfast this morning, "We could not have had a better life if we had planned it."
God is so good to us.
Here is a quick overview.....
March 1 - Monday - We had an uneventful flight home to the Phoenix area from Brazil. It took us a few days to rest and recover. It seemed cool and comfortable in the desert after the humid and hot tropics. It was a great trip and visit and so worth it to once again be with family there.
March 8 - Monday - We had a long day of flying to DC for Fred's Doc appointment. Between the weather delays causing missed flights it took us almost 24hours to get there.
March 9 - Tuesday - Slept in and went to the hospital for blood work. Did a little shopping and went to dinner with our friend Patti.
March 10 - Wednesday - We decided to start Fred on a different cancer treatment. It will take 2 weeks to get everything in place for him to start. Spent about 7 hours and the hospital. In the evening we went to dinner with our good friend Sandra.
March 11 -Thursday - Fred and I had an uneventful flight back home to the Phoenix area. We arrived early in the day, so we spent some time at Peggy's. The Rahn family is our dog Sadie's second home in AZ.
March 15 - Monday, found us working on the travel details for our next trip to DC a week from today. That means; room reservations, airline reservations, medical tests scheduled and everything blessed off by our insurance team.
Today------March 18 - Thursday - We are on the phone double checking with the DC Doctors that everything is a go for the new treatment next week. It is always hard to catch everyone on Friday's and we fly early Monday morning. One more little twist is that DC is a 3 hour time difference from here.
We have been enjoying some quiet days on the desert this week. Uncle Norman and Aunt Connie are gone this week, as well as Peggy and Warren.
Just to mix things up a little around here, I took out the bench seat between the door, next to the table. That gave us a 2' x 4' piece of floor space. It makes our little camper feel soooo much bigger. We bought a "managers chair" (nice office chair) to use instead. I said we should call it the "Master Sgt's Chair". We are having some fun with that one.
We are building a small set of shelves over the wheel well to give us some easy access storage. It is like a 2ft x 2f book case with 3 shelves. We have it cut out and sanded. Hope to put it together and a coat of finish on it today. We will see.
This week we have been having warm sunny days with a little breeze, about 80*. I said to Fred at breakfast this morning, "We could not have had a better life if we had planned it."
God is so good to us.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Raining On the Amazon
Yesterday was a beautiful day. It started out hot and muggy, but by noon it was raining. It rained long enough that the temperature cooled right off and we had a cool afternoon. Usually it is like a sauna around here in the afternoon and we just exist until the sun sets and it cools off. But yesterday Fred and I even went out and took a walk around campus. Fred showed me some of the projects that the guys have been working on since we came. We watched the high school kids having their PE classes; guys learning basket ball drills, girls playing volley ball. We walked out to the track where one of the student teachers was running laps. Macy, Phil and Cindy's daughter-in-law, and kids were out walking and had found some ripe mangoes. We picked a couple, they tasted sooo good.We have not had as much fruit this year. The orchard is not producing very well right now.
We have seen a lot more critters this year. Cindy had a 6ft snake on her back porch. We had someone get bit by a black scorpion. We have seen 2 of them, after they were caught in a jar. Cindy had a couple of tarantulas that live just above the clothes line on the side of the house. One of them is about the size of my hand. Someone said that a small alligator was seen walking across the soccer field. I have lots of insect bits.....I never seem to notice when I am getting bit but the nice welts and itching later I do notice. They say I am fresh flesh.
This morning we are sitting out under the covered porch. I was such a nice cool night and is still cool this morning. Now it has started to rain again. The first week here was cool but the last 10 days have been hot and muggy. Cindy says they are just cooling us off so we will be ready to come back next year.
Phil and 6 or 7 guys have been up river working on a house all week. They have been camping out with hammocks and cooking their own food. Heard they are pretty tired and ready to come home. It is a 24hour slow boat ride back. The plan is that they will be home on Sat. night.
We fly out on Sunday night at about midnight. Monday, Phil and Cindy start their monthly buying for the base. It takes 3 days to do the buying each month. They stock a coop grocery and house hold supply store. They also keep 2 dorms stocked with cleaning supplies, shampoo, soap and paper products. There is also a full time laundry facility for the dorm that they keep stocked. They buy for the cafeteria that feeds 3 meals a day for 50 people. Phil is also in charge of all the maintenance on the base, with 30 buildings, 2 diesel generators, a 50 passenger launch and all these people (85 live here full time) there is always maintenance supplies that need to be found and bought. Cindy says lots of lists from lots of different budgets.
My observation..... these people live very well here because of a all the work and preparation of Phil and Cindy.
We have seen a lot more critters this year. Cindy had a 6ft snake on her back porch. We had someone get bit by a black scorpion. We have seen 2 of them, after they were caught in a jar. Cindy had a couple of tarantulas that live just above the clothes line on the side of the house. One of them is about the size of my hand. Someone said that a small alligator was seen walking across the soccer field. I have lots of insect bits.....I never seem to notice when I am getting bit but the nice welts and itching later I do notice. They say I am fresh flesh.
This morning we are sitting out under the covered porch. I was such a nice cool night and is still cool this morning. Now it has started to rain again. The first week here was cool but the last 10 days have been hot and muggy. Cindy says they are just cooling us off so we will be ready to come back next year.
Phil and 6 or 7 guys have been up river working on a house all week. They have been camping out with hammocks and cooking their own food. Heard they are pretty tired and ready to come home. It is a 24hour slow boat ride back. The plan is that they will be home on Sat. night.
We fly out on Sunday night at about midnight. Monday, Phil and Cindy start their monthly buying for the base. It takes 3 days to do the buying each month. They stock a coop grocery and house hold supply store. They also keep 2 dorms stocked with cleaning supplies, shampoo, soap and paper products. There is also a full time laundry facility for the dorm that they keep stocked. They buy for the cafeteria that feeds 3 meals a day for 50 people. Phil is also in charge of all the maintenance on the base, with 30 buildings, 2 diesel generators, a 50 passenger launch and all these people (85 live here full time) there is always maintenance supplies that need to be found and bought. Cindy says lots of lists from lots of different budgets.
My observation..... these people live very well here because of a all the work and preparation of Phil and Cindy.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Some Photos
Fred's favorite passtime.
Vegie day... Cindy and Macie in the store picking up their vegies for the week.
A big beetle found in one of the houses nearby.
Phil is holding this half gallon jar with the bug inside.
Fred on the front porch watching it rain and rain..
Monday, February 15, 2010
90 Degrees and Ice Dams
This morning it was 85* with 85% humidity and now it is 90* with 60% humidity. That is the lowest humidity I have seen since we arrived here a week ago. Most of the time it is between 70-85% with the temperature about the same. A breeze is blowing today and I think that brings down the humidity. Needless to say we are melting in the middle of the day. Most days I take 2 showers to cool off. Some days it is 3.
Today I got up and had some breakfast, did some laundry in Cindy's automatic washer, hung it out to dry, helped make lunch and emailed Carrie. We are having problems with an ice dam on our roof in Alaska. Kind of funny........two extremes with the weather. She is having a couple of friends help her chip some ice on the roof today.
I have been fussing with my camera and computer this week. I wanted to put up some pictures. Shane asked me to take 4 or 5 pictures every day. Maybe I will work on that again when I finish with this. I have been so spoiled the past couple of years with my girls taking and putting up pictures for me. Guess it is time I figured it out for myself again.
Cindy and I have been finishing up some sewing projects she had started. I brought some patterns and fabric to make some cool blouses but we haven't got to that yet. Today the vegetable man came. He delivers a canoe full of vegetables each week. He came a day early today because it is a holiday week (like USA Mardi Graw). Most of the businesses are closed for the week.
It sounds like we are going to town with Phil and Cindy on Wed. We plan to go out to lunch and do a little shopping. Phil is going with a group of men to work on a house in a town for a missionary couple on Friday. It is just a 12 hour speed boat ride away....a 24 hour ride by regular commerical boat. He will be back just before we leave here at the end of the month.
After a hot afternoon, about 5pm we take our showers again. As it starts to cool off Fred and I go out and sit on the covered porch and watch families go down to the dock on the Amazon River to play and swim. It is my favorite time of the day. We watch the birds fly over the water and small dolphins jump and play. Soon the bats are flying by to feed on the bugs.
Dark comes quickly and we head inside for supper. After we finish cleaning up the dishes we get out a card game and usually play until the generator is turned off at 9:30pm. It has been another good day.
We are so blessed to be here with family again.
Happy Birthday To You ....Mom Lambing and Seth, only 78 years apart.
Today I got up and had some breakfast, did some laundry in Cindy's automatic washer, hung it out to dry, helped make lunch and emailed Carrie. We are having problems with an ice dam on our roof in Alaska. Kind of funny........two extremes with the weather. She is having a couple of friends help her chip some ice on the roof today.
I have been fussing with my camera and computer this week. I wanted to put up some pictures. Shane asked me to take 4 or 5 pictures every day. Maybe I will work on that again when I finish with this. I have been so spoiled the past couple of years with my girls taking and putting up pictures for me. Guess it is time I figured it out for myself again.
Cindy and I have been finishing up some sewing projects she had started. I brought some patterns and fabric to make some cool blouses but we haven't got to that yet. Today the vegetable man came. He delivers a canoe full of vegetables each week. He came a day early today because it is a holiday week (like USA Mardi Graw). Most of the businesses are closed for the week.
It sounds like we are going to town with Phil and Cindy on Wed. We plan to go out to lunch and do a little shopping. Phil is going with a group of men to work on a house in a town for a missionary couple on Friday. It is just a 12 hour speed boat ride away....a 24 hour ride by regular commerical boat. He will be back just before we leave here at the end of the month.
After a hot afternoon, about 5pm we take our showers again. As it starts to cool off Fred and I go out and sit on the covered porch and watch families go down to the dock on the Amazon River to play and swim. It is my favorite time of the day. We watch the birds fly over the water and small dolphins jump and play. Soon the bats are flying by to feed on the bugs.
Dark comes quickly and we head inside for supper. After we finish cleaning up the dishes we get out a card game and usually play until the generator is turned off at 9:30pm. It has been another good day.
We are so blessed to be here with family again.
Happy Birthday To You ....Mom Lambing and Seth, only 78 years apart.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Back on the Amazon
We left Phoenix on Friday, Feb 5, after a 4.5 hour delay for mechanical problems we were on our way to Atlanta. We knew we would probably miss our Brazil flight and we did. Delta put us up in a motel and we flew out the next night at 10pm.
After a short 6 hour flight we landed in Manaus, Brazil. It was 5am. It took us and hour or so to get through customs and collect our luggage. When we walked through the door Cindy & Phil were standing there with big smiles. They were starting to wonder....we were some of the last ones on our plane.
Phil & Cindy had hired a taxi to take our 4 trunks to the boat about an hour drive away. We rode with P&C in a small car they had barrowed from a fellow missionary on furlough in the states. Their son , Jeremy, was waiting for us at the river (Amazon river) with a little 16ft aluminum speed boat. It was pourrrring rain. I am sure we were quite a site flying down the river. We had covered everything as much as we could with a blue tarp and black plastic. The 5 of us all had some rain gear on (ponchos, rain jackets) and were holding umbrellas over us or in front of us, anywhere to keep the most rain off.
I was so tired from being awake all night that I just closed my eyes and prayed that I would not let go of the umbrella if I went to sleep. Just 30 minutes on the river and we were pulling up to the dock. They just left our trunks in the boat and loaded it onto a boat trailer. Soon they were pulling up to the back door with a tractor pulling the boat loaded with all our stuff.
It is quite a hike up the river bank and I was not looking forward to hauling everything up. Fred and I did good to get ourselves up that bank.
After a short 6 hour flight we landed in Manaus, Brazil. It was 5am. It took us and hour or so to get through customs and collect our luggage. When we walked through the door Cindy & Phil were standing there with big smiles. They were starting to wonder....we were some of the last ones on our plane.
Phil & Cindy had hired a taxi to take our 4 trunks to the boat about an hour drive away. We rode with P&C in a small car they had barrowed from a fellow missionary on furlough in the states. Their son , Jeremy, was waiting for us at the river (Amazon river) with a little 16ft aluminum speed boat. It was pourrrring rain. I am sure we were quite a site flying down the river. We had covered everything as much as we could with a blue tarp and black plastic. The 5 of us all had some rain gear on (ponchos, rain jackets) and were holding umbrellas over us or in front of us, anywhere to keep the most rain off.
I was so tired from being awake all night that I just closed my eyes and prayed that I would not let go of the umbrella if I went to sleep. Just 30 minutes on the river and we were pulling up to the dock. They just left our trunks in the boat and loaded it onto a boat trailer. Soon they were pulling up to the back door with a tractor pulling the boat loaded with all our stuff.
It is quite a hike up the river bank and I was not looking forward to hauling everything up. Fred and I did good to get ourselves up that bank.
Friday, January 29, 2010
High Winds and High Water
We have been having rainy weather in the desert the past week or so. If any of you were keeping up with the weather in AZ, it was all about high winds and high water. We had a lot of little country roads around us washed out here and there.
What a week end of family we have had. My brother Dan and wife Alaine flew down from WY on Friday. We had a big meal waiting for them along with a bunch of our family that is here in the area. There was Norman & Connie B, George & Sharon B, Dale & Marie I, Dan & Alaine, Fred & I, plus sister, Peggy who picked them up at the airport. Norman & Connie are such great hosts. We all visited together most of the afternoon.
Well, that was not all. In the evening my cousin Tom R called, he is from SD and traveling in this area with his folks, Neil & Elaine. They came and joined us for supper that night. To make a long story short I had one first cousin, one sister-in-law, 2 siblings, 4 pair of aunts and uncles here to visit us in one day.We could not have planned a day filled with some much fun family if we tried.
We have our tickets for Brazil. We leave a week from today, Feb 5 and come back on Feb 28. We will be able to get email while we are there. We will not have our traveling photographer but will try and get you some pictures too. We look forward to seeing all the family and friends in South America.
Fred pulled a tummy muscle getting out of bed this week and had a few down days. He is back to his perkier self this morning, fixing his own breakfast, out walking with his dog, and going next door to collect some drinking water.
Uncles Norman and George took the bus to Mexico to spend the weekend with their brother Art. If we get a chance we would like to go down for a week or so too before the winter is over. Time is flying by so fast. I don't know if we will make it this year.
Wade rolled his truck this week. He walked away with a scratch on his ear. His company truck did not fair so well. He drives thousands of miles each month. We are so thankful he is okay.
Speaking of the kids.... Shane is into his second semester of grad school and very excited about being a TA for one of his professors. Misty is still being Mom to a busy bunch in Boise. Carrie is enjoying her Alaska winter and happy with her photo business.
I am busy visiting with family, keeping Fred fed and watered, doing a little sewing and shopping for are SA trip.
Today God and the sun are shining down on us here in the desert.
What a week end of family we have had. My brother Dan and wife Alaine flew down from WY on Friday. We had a big meal waiting for them along with a bunch of our family that is here in the area. There was Norman & Connie B, George & Sharon B, Dale & Marie I, Dan & Alaine, Fred & I, plus sister, Peggy who picked them up at the airport. Norman & Connie are such great hosts. We all visited together most of the afternoon.
Well, that was not all. In the evening my cousin Tom R called, he is from SD and traveling in this area with his folks, Neil & Elaine. They came and joined us for supper that night. To make a long story short I had one first cousin, one sister-in-law, 2 siblings, 4 pair of aunts and uncles here to visit us in one day.We could not have planned a day filled with some much fun family if we tried.
We have our tickets for Brazil. We leave a week from today, Feb 5 and come back on Feb 28. We will be able to get email while we are there. We will not have our traveling photographer but will try and get you some pictures too. We look forward to seeing all the family and friends in South America.
Fred pulled a tummy muscle getting out of bed this week and had a few down days. He is back to his perkier self this morning, fixing his own breakfast, out walking with his dog, and going next door to collect some drinking water.
Uncles Norman and George took the bus to Mexico to spend the weekend with their brother Art. If we get a chance we would like to go down for a week or so too before the winter is over. Time is flying by so fast. I don't know if we will make it this year.
Wade rolled his truck this week. He walked away with a scratch on his ear. His company truck did not fair so well. He drives thousands of miles each month. We are so thankful he is okay.
Speaking of the kids.... Shane is into his second semester of grad school and very excited about being a TA for one of his professors. Misty is still being Mom to a busy bunch in Boise. Carrie is enjoying her Alaska winter and happy with her photo business.
I am busy visiting with family, keeping Fred fed and watered, doing a little sewing and shopping for are SA trip.
Today God and the sun are shining down on us here in the desert.
Friday, January 15, 2010
It is so good to be back
Let me start by saying..........for all of you that have been checking to see what we are up to, I apologize for not keeping you better posted on our travels.
We have missed having Carrie with us, but we do have a useful new traveling companion named Gabby the Garmin (GPS). Gabby tries to keep us out of traffic trouble and spends a lot of recalculating when we ignor her directions.
Since we last wrote we have had great roads and wonderful visits with family and friends as we drove accross Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, back to Kansas, through Okalahoma, pausing in Dallas and Fort Worth, accross to El Paso, and finally accross New Mexico and Arizona to land here in Maricopa.
Here it is January 15. We just got home (to our camper in Maricopa) from DC about 5pm last night. We have had 3 appointments in DC since we left Alaska. To make a long story short, Fred is holding his own. His numbers are rising, but he has very little pain and his quality of life is great. We are not changing his treatment at this time. The Doc's are shocked that he is not in more pain. They do have 3 different treatments we are looking at in the future.
Now for all of you that want a more detailed description of our last 2 months I will get out my travel calendar and fill you in.
Last time I wrote we were stuck in Rawlins, WY waiting for the wind to die down.
On Sunday, November first we arrived in Denver and parked at our dear friends Bruce and Jan B.'s home. We spent a couple of days catching up on each others lives. Our families used to do a lot of camping and rafting together when we lived in Idaho Falls. We had some great times cross country skiing to cut our Christmas trees.
Wednesday, November 4....The Ingalls Girls Party began......
Peggy, Beth, Laila, Eleanor, Annadeidra, Kyrstin, Alaine. All my sisters, my mother, a daughter-in-law, a granddaughter and a sister-in-law all gathered at a mountain top cabin called Eagle's Nest. What an awsome view we had looking accross at Pikes Peak. We spent 4 days together, sharing great meals, games, family stories, reading together, snowy walks and sledding. Leaving our normal routine, it was an unhurried sharing time, with all of us coming from different places and times in our lives. We were so blessed to be together for these few days. Fred, Wade and Ashton were camping nearby. We appreciated their support, they were always ready to help out and.......they came and ate dinner with us every night.
Sunday afternoon we headed fo Kansas and made it as far as Colby. The next day we drove to Fred's sister Sandy's farm near Tawanda, KS. We had just enough time to tell Fred's mother hello and then Wednesday, November 11, we flew to DC. Fred had body scans on Thursday and then waited for his appointment on Wed. The tests showed more small tumors. The Docs gaves us some more options for treatment. We are not changing treatment.....Fred's quality of life is very good right now. It was a long week waiting for Fred's appointment. Sandra I did come and spend most of one day with us because she had Doc appointment. We went to some of the places we used to go with Skip. It is hard believe he is gone.
We flew back to Kansas and before we knew it was Thanksgiving here.
We spent the holiday sharing meals and games with Fred's family and I got in a few visits with my sister, Laila and family in Wichita. We had a great treat of getting together with Larry and Suzie, our B&B guest last summer, for an evening. They took us to a chuch wagon supper and concert at the Prairrie Rose. What a great time we had with them.
About the time we were ready to head for South Dakota to see my family there, we decided to have the suberban looked at. We had a couple of times where it wouldn't start when it was warm. We were so glad we could get into Fred's sister Sandy's mechanic. We ended up putting in a new fuel pump.
December 5 - We headed for Nebraska to spend a couple of days with my brother Kenny. Fred had not seen him for 8 years, I think it had been 4 or 5 for me. The weather turned cold about the time we got there, but the roads were dry. Kenny has a feed lot and trains horses, so there is alway something going on at their house. I spent about 3 hours watching a vet give chiropractic treatments to 3 horses. He also gave them accupucture treatments and did dental work on them. It was fasinating to say the least.
December 7 - We drove an 8 hour day and arrived at my folks ranch as the sun was setting. The weather was very cold that week.........near 20 below. They were just starting to feed hay for the winter, so were getting that routine up to speed. They were trimming heads on the bulls, I enjoyed watching that.
December 12 - Fred and I went over and stayed with my sister, Beth, and her family. It still was staying COLD. They have been remodeling Terry's parents house for a year and have just moved in. Beth and Terry were still doing some painting and unpacking. We did not envy them at all. We know how much work it is to move. We stayed and extra day to go to my nefiew, Blane's Christmas concert. It was the best concert I have ever heard for such a small school. The termometer was bouncing around 20 below zero as we drove home that night. Brrrrrrr....
December 15 - It was off the Spearfish to stay with cousin, Janie and family. Both Janie and Lonnie and Beth and Terry are graduating their youngest from High School this year. Hummm...that was a very long time ago for us- 1995. We had venison stew, watched them babysit their grandsons and had a lot of laughs as we caught up on our families.
the next morning the weather was a warm 4o degrees, it felt so good. The next couple of days we ran around and saw Elaine and Neal, Dale and Sandi, Tom and friend, Levi and family and Lukus and family. I think that is everyone.
December 18 - We headed back to the ranch for a couple more days. This time they were trimming bulls feet. That was the biggest cattle table I have ever seen. It had great hydrolics. The last night we gave Dad his 80th birthday present early (BD December 29) and had a good visit. Looks like weather is coming in so we need to hit the road soon.
December 20 - We spent the night and Kenny's again as we passed through. We met him in town for supper. Dana was in SD at her mother's. Tomorrow will be a shorter day of driving.
December 21 - Back at the farm in Kansas. We missed sleeping in our own bed but the camper is getting colder. I did not do as much winterizing as I did last winter. We spent this week enjoying family Christmas celebrations. The Dirty Santa Gift Exchange is always a hoot. Fred and I made out pretty well. No gag gifts for us this time. All of Sandy and Rodney's girls and families were home, so there was never a dull moment. The last couple of days here we spent having our Suburban worked on again......this time we did shocks and tires. It drives so much better.
December 30 - Our camper has been parked at the farm since November 9. Today we headed south. We camped about 3 hours down the road, but we got started anyway. The next day about 2 pm we arrived in Dallas, TX at Barbara L's house. Once again Gabby got us through some unknown territory. We had a great time with Barbara and family........we played a lot of hand and foot, put a puzzle together, went to church and Fred picked up pecans out of the back yard.
January 4 - This day we drove to Fred's cousin's Bill L in Fort Worth, TX. We had a great visit with Bill and Lynda while they were having new tile layed in their kitchen. The next afternoon we were on the road again. It has been cold and windy most of the time we have been in Texas. We are ready for warmer weather. We stayed in Sweetwater, TX, in Jan. 5.
January 6 - Tonight we are in El Paso. We are parked at Marty and Jenn H. We had a yummy dinner of tacos, some good converstaion and then off to bed. These long days of driving make me tired. Fred drives for an hour or so and that really helps. Jenn made us waffles for breakfast and then it was back on the road for another long day of driving.
It's starting to get warmer.........
We made it.
It is so good to be back in Uncle Norman's campground.
Our plan was to be here for a few days before we had to fly to DC for Fred's Doc appointment.
We had clear roads all but 2 days of our trip.
God is sooo good to us.
We have missed having Carrie with us, but we do have a useful new traveling companion named Gabby the Garmin (GPS). Gabby tries to keep us out of traffic trouble and spends a lot of recalculating when we ignor her directions.
Since we last wrote we have had great roads and wonderful visits with family and friends as we drove accross Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, back to Kansas, through Okalahoma, pausing in Dallas and Fort Worth, accross to El Paso, and finally accross New Mexico and Arizona to land here in Maricopa.
Here it is January 15. We just got home (to our camper in Maricopa) from DC about 5pm last night. We have had 3 appointments in DC since we left Alaska. To make a long story short, Fred is holding his own. His numbers are rising, but he has very little pain and his quality of life is great. We are not changing his treatment at this time. The Doc's are shocked that he is not in more pain. They do have 3 different treatments we are looking at in the future.
Now for all of you that want a more detailed description of our last 2 months I will get out my travel calendar and fill you in.
Last time I wrote we were stuck in Rawlins, WY waiting for the wind to die down.
On Sunday, November first we arrived in Denver and parked at our dear friends Bruce and Jan B.'s home. We spent a couple of days catching up on each others lives. Our families used to do a lot of camping and rafting together when we lived in Idaho Falls. We had some great times cross country skiing to cut our Christmas trees.
Wednesday, November 4....The Ingalls Girls Party began......
Peggy, Beth, Laila, Eleanor, Annadeidra, Kyrstin, Alaine. All my sisters, my mother, a daughter-in-law, a granddaughter and a sister-in-law all gathered at a mountain top cabin called Eagle's Nest. What an awsome view we had looking accross at Pikes Peak. We spent 4 days together, sharing great meals, games, family stories, reading together, snowy walks and sledding. Leaving our normal routine, it was an unhurried sharing time, with all of us coming from different places and times in our lives. We were so blessed to be together for these few days. Fred, Wade and Ashton were camping nearby. We appreciated their support, they were always ready to help out and.......they came and ate dinner with us every night.
Sunday afternoon we headed fo Kansas and made it as far as Colby. The next day we drove to Fred's sister Sandy's farm near Tawanda, KS. We had just enough time to tell Fred's mother hello and then Wednesday, November 11, we flew to DC. Fred had body scans on Thursday and then waited for his appointment on Wed. The tests showed more small tumors. The Docs gaves us some more options for treatment. We are not changing treatment.....Fred's quality of life is very good right now. It was a long week waiting for Fred's appointment. Sandra I did come and spend most of one day with us because she had Doc appointment. We went to some of the places we used to go with Skip. It is hard believe he is gone.
We flew back to Kansas and before we knew it was Thanksgiving here.
We spent the holiday sharing meals and games with Fred's family and I got in a few visits with my sister, Laila and family in Wichita. We had a great treat of getting together with Larry and Suzie, our B&B guest last summer, for an evening. They took us to a chuch wagon supper and concert at the Prairrie Rose. What a great time we had with them.
About the time we were ready to head for South Dakota to see my family there, we decided to have the suberban looked at. We had a couple of times where it wouldn't start when it was warm. We were so glad we could get into Fred's sister Sandy's mechanic. We ended up putting in a new fuel pump.
December 5 - We headed for Nebraska to spend a couple of days with my brother Kenny. Fred had not seen him for 8 years, I think it had been 4 or 5 for me. The weather turned cold about the time we got there, but the roads were dry. Kenny has a feed lot and trains horses, so there is alway something going on at their house. I spent about 3 hours watching a vet give chiropractic treatments to 3 horses. He also gave them accupucture treatments and did dental work on them. It was fasinating to say the least.
December 7 - We drove an 8 hour day and arrived at my folks ranch as the sun was setting. The weather was very cold that week.........near 20 below. They were just starting to feed hay for the winter, so were getting that routine up to speed. They were trimming heads on the bulls, I enjoyed watching that.
December 12 - Fred and I went over and stayed with my sister, Beth, and her family. It still was staying COLD. They have been remodeling Terry's parents house for a year and have just moved in. Beth and Terry were still doing some painting and unpacking. We did not envy them at all. We know how much work it is to move. We stayed and extra day to go to my nefiew, Blane's Christmas concert. It was the best concert I have ever heard for such a small school. The termometer was bouncing around 20 below zero as we drove home that night. Brrrrrrr....
December 15 - It was off the Spearfish to stay with cousin, Janie and family. Both Janie and Lonnie and Beth and Terry are graduating their youngest from High School this year. Hummm...that was a very long time ago for us- 1995. We had venison stew, watched them babysit their grandsons and had a lot of laughs as we caught up on our families.
the next morning the weather was a warm 4o degrees, it felt so good. The next couple of days we ran around and saw Elaine and Neal, Dale and Sandi, Tom and friend, Levi and family and Lukus and family. I think that is everyone.
December 18 - We headed back to the ranch for a couple more days. This time they were trimming bulls feet. That was the biggest cattle table I have ever seen. It had great hydrolics. The last night we gave Dad his 80th birthday present early (BD December 29) and had a good visit. Looks like weather is coming in so we need to hit the road soon.
December 20 - We spent the night and Kenny's again as we passed through. We met him in town for supper. Dana was in SD at her mother's. Tomorrow will be a shorter day of driving.
December 21 - Back at the farm in Kansas. We missed sleeping in our own bed but the camper is getting colder. I did not do as much winterizing as I did last winter. We spent this week enjoying family Christmas celebrations. The Dirty Santa Gift Exchange is always a hoot. Fred and I made out pretty well. No gag gifts for us this time. All of Sandy and Rodney's girls and families were home, so there was never a dull moment. The last couple of days here we spent having our Suburban worked on again......this time we did shocks and tires. It drives so much better.
December 30 - Our camper has been parked at the farm since November 9. Today we headed south. We camped about 3 hours down the road, but we got started anyway. The next day about 2 pm we arrived in Dallas, TX at Barbara L's house. Once again Gabby got us through some unknown territory. We had a great time with Barbara and family........we played a lot of hand and foot, put a puzzle together, went to church and Fred picked up pecans out of the back yard.
January 4 - This day we drove to Fred's cousin's Bill L in Fort Worth, TX. We had a great visit with Bill and Lynda while they were having new tile layed in their kitchen. The next afternoon we were on the road again. It has been cold and windy most of the time we have been in Texas. We are ready for warmer weather. We stayed in Sweetwater, TX, in Jan. 5.
January 6 - Tonight we are in El Paso. We are parked at Marty and Jenn H. We had a yummy dinner of tacos, some good converstaion and then off to bed. These long days of driving make me tired. Fred drives for an hour or so and that really helps. Jenn made us waffles for breakfast and then it was back on the road for another long day of driving.
It's starting to get warmer.........
We made it.
It is so good to be back in Uncle Norman's campground.
Our plan was to be here for a few days before we had to fly to DC for Fred's Doc appointment.
We had clear roads all but 2 days of our trip.
God is sooo good to us.
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