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.

Beach to the Mountains

I have been working on a Trip Around the World quilt for my friend Marcia.  Last week, I spent a few days with Marcia and her husband at Topsail Beach, NC.  They have a lovely home that faces the Intercoastal Waterway and is just a short walk to the beach.

Look at my bed in the guest room!  This is another of Marcia's mother's quilts, a Grandmother's Flower Garden.  So pretty!

The weather was not good...cold and drizzly.  We were able to walk on the beach and sit out in their screened room near the water.

This is a sea turtle nest, protected from predators by wire fencing, sticks, boards, and signs (for the human predators.)

There was an osprey, or sea hawk, perched on a scraggly tree right behind the house.

On Thursday morning I drove back to Raleigh, hopped in the truck with my husband, and went to our mountain place.  About halfway there, the sun came out and the skies turned blue.

The leaves are just starting to turn color.  The mornings were misty and the colors looked stronger against the gray.

With so much rain this summer, my flowers on the front porch of the cabin have flourished!

This weekend's project was to build steps between our upper and lower driveways.  I was not expecting them to look this fine!  The project is still not finished.  Our friends from Raleigh, Tom and Pauline, came up to work on the steps and the wall.

Someday the wall will be covered with something...stucco or stone.

I got to entertain Tom's mother, who came along to enjoy the mountains.  We went to the Church of the Frescoes in Glendale Springs, where there is a huge plaster painting of The Last Supper.

We also rode up Mount Jefferson and were treated to a clear view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I guess that is enough scenery for one post!  I am burying thread tales on Carolyn's quilt, stitching the binding on Marcia's, and now must replace the binding on a quilt I made for a high school grad years ago.  And tomorrow I am spending the day at an art museum with friends!  

Life is good!

Beach Weekend

We took a long weekend starting on Thursday to celebrate a whole bunch of family birthdays at Sunset Beach, NC.  Our son, Bryson;  his son, Avery; our daughter-in-law, Emily; and her mother, Maribeth.  The weather cooperated and we spent each day out on the beach.

After arriving late Thursday afternoon, we let the kids go down to the beach in their clothes with the admonition, "Just don't get wet."  Yeah, right!

 

Friday was supposed to be a wash-out, but the rain ended early in the morning.  It was windy but so nice to be on the beach.

 

 

Notice we had both our dog, Kasey, and Dave's dog Roo on the beach with us.  In the summer, they cannot be on the strand during the day.  We got Kasey's hair cut the day before we left just in case it was hot.

 

This was our granddaughter Charlie's first beach trip.  I think she liked it!

 

 

The condo we rented was ocean-front, but there is a large buffer of dunes and scrub trees between the houses and the beach.  We were startled to see this deer right on the sand dunes in front of our place.

 

 

I got up early on Sunday morning to walk the dog and take some pictures of the sunrise.

 

 

Sure hated to leave on Sunday morning.  We are lucky to go back to Sunset Beach every summer for a week of vacation with our family.  This was a good preview!

 

We're Ba-a-a-ck

We left our rented beach cottage on 40th Street, Sunset Beach,  behind this morning.

We will miss being with our kids, grandkids, and grand-dog.  And the other four houses of Turners and McBrayers in the neighborhood.

Both of the grands were so delightful and well-behaved.

It was a wonderful week, very hot but usually with nice breezes.

The one-lane drawbridge to Sunset Bridge caught us on the way home.  It opens on the hour for pleasure craft, that have to wait for the bridge to swing open. We had to wait an additional twenty-one minutes while sailboats and other craft went through and the bridge swung back.  There are usually interesting sites to see in the marsh while we wait. Today there was a guy net-fishing, several interesting birds, and some jet-skiers in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Here is the ramp to the almost-completed new bridge.  It should be in use by this fall.

So this was probably our last passage over the rickety wooden bridge that goes up and down with the tides.

The new one is almost ready.  The charm and slow pace of the drawbridge will be a thing of the past.

On the way home we cross the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, NC, the setting of the two scary films by the same name.  When I looked at this photo, one of the clouds looked like a giant seagull.

Fun at the Beach

The beach house does have WiFi, so here are a few pictures of our vacation so far.  The first night is always Hat Night.  This is my grandson Avery in his daddy's hat.

Sunday was my granddaughter Lily's fourth birthday.  She got a new dress

and a princess outfit

Can you tell that I enjoy having a little girl finally?  Here she is in her mermaid tail.

They are charging us extra for this being a "dog-friendly" house, so we decided to let Dave and Emily bring their little dog, Roo.  So far he is being an excellent house dog, and he loves being able to go on the beach and crash through the waves.  Dogs are only allowed on the beach early in the morning and after 6:00 PM during the summer months.

This is our view from the deck as we drink our morning coffee.  The next-door neighbors put their kayaks into Madd Inlet early this morning, since it is high tide.

                                      

It is so nice to feel the ocean breeze and enjoy being here with my loved ones.