A Great Long Weekend

We are sad that this weekend is over.  Our sunset cruise around Sarasota Bay was magical.  It started out rainy, but the clouds soon parted and the music started playing.  We saw dolphins, gorgeous sunsets, and lots of birds.  We definitely recommend LeBarge Sunset Tours!

Charlie finished his fifth week of radiation on Friday.  He is feeling some fatigue and also loss of his sense of taste.  We are considering acupuncture if the problem continues.

Friday night Charlie' brother Richard and wife Phyllis flew down from North Carolina to spend the weekend with us.  Their son Chris lives near Tampa, and he and his girlfriend also joined us at the beach on Saturday and another boat ride on Sunday.  We left from Marina Jack Yacht Club.

Here are Richard, Phyllis, Chris, and Elise on board the Mako Me Nuts, a deck boat that Jeff rented from the Freedom Boat Club.

We saw the Ringling Mansion from the bay side.  Very impressive!  Charlie and I visited there in 2015 when he first came here for radiation.

 Here is LeBarge in port, waiting for its evening departure.

Everyone has gone home now.  When you are away from home and going through something as stressful as cancer treatment, it means so much to have visits from family members.

Treatment Update

Charlie has now finished two weeks of radiation for his recurrent prostate cancer at Dattoli Cancer Center in Sarasota.  He goes in at 1:00, and it usually takes about forty-five minutes.  Most of the time is spent trying to position him for the radiation to the back of his head and his neck.  They made him a new mask/helmet to protect his face and keep his head still, but they will be making him a new one next week.  They think that by adding a mouth piece and breathing tube, they can have more control.  Sounds like torture to me.

He finally got to start one of the new medicines last week, Zytiga, and it made him sick as a dog the first day.  After that, he took it at night, and he has not had much problem.  He will get the second new drug, Xofigo, by IV on Thursday.  This is the one containing radium.  It sounds scary.

Meanwhile, we have been trying to amuse ourselves and pass the time.  We have been to two nice restaurants, one on Phillippi Creek in Sarasota, and one on the bay on Longboat Key.

Our 46th anniversary was Monday.  The Table at Creekside was beautiful, serene, and very special.

The first time we went to Dry Dock Waterfront Grill was with our new friend Bill from Dattoli.  He recommended this place for the great view of Sarasota Bay.  It did not disappoint.  We liked it so much that we went back today when my brother Jeff and his wife and son came up to visit from Ft. Myers.

New friend Bill and Charlie at Dry Dock

With my brother's family at Dry Dock Waterfront Grill

View from Dry Dock 

We also finally saw our first Gulf sunset.  We went to South Lido Beach Park.  It was very entertaining to see the pelicans dive-bombing the water for fish.  The sunset was great.

Sunset at South Lido Beach Park

Again, if we have to be going through cancer treatment away from home, it is nice to be in such a beautiful location.

Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy, Part 2

Here are a few more faves from our visit last Friday to the Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy.

There are large outdoor sculptures of many animals in the garden areas.

I love the palm trees made from wine bottles!

Lots of nice seating areas and gardens.  Do you see the artful woodpeckers?  There was a pileated woodpecker in our neighborhood the other day trying in vain to peck through a metal utility pole.

I am really glad that I finally got to visit this place before it closed again for the "off-season."

Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy

One week of radiation is past...Charlie is still feeling good.  They switched him to a morning appointment today.  All of the staff got a well-deserved early start to the long holiday weekend.  We went to lunch at Sunnyside Cafe, and then to the Marietta Museum of Art And Whimsy.  

I have been wanting to visit this place since before our first trip to Sarasota.  It was closed for renovations or for the off-season every other time we have been in town.  It closes tomorrow until November, so we took advantage of the longer afternoon to finally tour the museum and gardens.

I can safely say that, next to the beach, this is my favorite place in Sarasota!  There is art everywhere...the walls, the gardens, the parking lot, the restroom, the trees!

Inside, there are some lovely paintings, as well as mobiles, sculptures, and some great wooden benches and tables.

In one of inside galleries, a docent turned off the lights and turned on the laser lights.

More next time!

Getting Started

Charlie and I met with the team at Dattoli Cancer Center yesterday.  There is a whole new medication regimen.  It has not started yet...it reminds me of buying a car.  Paperwork, questions, signatures, approval.  One of the meds is a radium injection once a month at $12,000 a pop.  Yikes!  Here we go with insurance and Big Pharma dominating our lives.  Whatever it takes.

It looks like this time he will have one hour of radiation per day, starting at 1:00 PM and lasting until July 24.  Tomorrow is the "dry run" where they run the computer systems but don't actually radiate. 

Today we enjoyed a day off and went to the beach at Lido Key in Sarasota.  That was just what we needed to de-stress.  How lucky to be having cancer treatment in such a beautiful place.

We also went to Yoders, an Amish restaurant/produce market/deli not far from our rental house.  We got a chicken pie for supper, fresh corn on the cob, Honey Bell oranges, and a Key Lime Pie for dessert.  Then we walked it off at the Arlington Park nature trail right near our place.  Kasey loved seeing the dozens of squirrels, although they are brave here and actually taunted her as we walked along.

And here is a nice feature of downtown Sarasota...these little free libraries!  This one is on the street as you leave the park.

I have not been to the Sarasota Public Library yet, but plan to get my temporary library card soon.

Florida Fun

We have just returned from a wonderful week on the Gulf coast of Florida.  First stop was Sarasota, where my husband Charlie had his one-year check-up at the Dattoli Cancer Center.  Scans and ultrasounds and exams showed no recurrence or new cancer!  Great news!

Then it was on to Lido Key Beach for a couple of days.  We stayed once again at the Sand Castle Resort.  It was only steps to the water from our room, and warm enough to enjoy sitting on the beach.

On Thursday, we drove down to Ft. Myers for the weekend with my brother Jeff, his wife Anna, and their son Michael who has recently graduated from Florida State.  He leaves on Thursday for a new job in Washington, DC, so we were glad for a chance to visit with him, too.

Jeff took us on a boat ride up the Caloosahatchie River in Ft. Myers, right up to the bridge we crossed every day on our trips to Sarasota for Charlie's treatment.

We saw a lot of great sunsets on this trip.  This one is from the deck behind my brother's house.

And on our last night, we sat on the causeway to Sanibel Island and watched our last Florida sunset for awhile.  

Next check-up is in September, and we hope that visit will be just as magical.

Great News, a Fun Week, and More Great News!

We have just returned from a week on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  The purpose of the trip was to revisit the Dattoli Cancer Center in Sarasota for my husband's six-month check-up.  If you have experienced cancer in your family, you know there is always a bit of anxiety when you go back for tests or exams.  Fortunately, Charlie got the all-clear:  he is still in remission.  Yippee!  Charlie had Stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread throughout his skeletal system and lymph nodes.  We are still numb with shock that he is in remission.  Thank you, Dr. Dattoli and your staff!

On to a week of fun in Florida!


We stayed in Sarasota for two nights and enjoyed great dining, the pool, and some sunsets.  Then we spent one night in St. Petersburg on the beach.  Great sunsets!

On Thursday we drove south to Fort Myers to visit my brother Jeff and his wife Anna.  We had some great meals, a beach day, and a boat ride.  

We left on Monday, and got home before Hurricane Hermine would have affected our flight.  

After that we planned to go to our mountain place for Labor Day weekend.  Instead...my daughter-in-law went into labor!  She was about a week early.  Maybe the change in barometric pressure from Hermine had something to do with it.  

Now I am proud to present my newest granddaughter, Layla Grace McBrayer!

We kept big sister Charlotte all weekend, and then had a family day on Sunday.

Of course I have not finished Layla's baby quilt, but I have at least started it.  Here are some patchwork strips and pieced butterflies.