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.

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.

Life in Florida

They were still having technical problems with one of the radiation machines yesterday.  Another long delay.

Meanwhile, back at my brother's house...

They were enjoying this gorgeous sunset on the lake while we were driving home from Sarasota.

Last night there was a huge storm with thunder and lightning.  I lost a lot of sleep.

Apparently these otters who live in the lake had a rough time, too, and needed some drying out!  Can you see the otters sunbathing in the grass?

We have been binge-watching a series on Amazon Prime called Mozart in the Jungle.  It is about an oboe player from North Carolina who is trying to make it into the New York Symphony.  It is funny and quirky and delightful.  I highly recommend it!

Must get ready for the drive again.  It is taking about two hours now since it is tourist season.  At least we are not leaving at 5:45 AM like we did last fall.  I love my mornings!

Dramatic Skies Class with Tom Lynch

Last weekend was Art of the Carolinas...a Raleigh trade show and artist instruction conference sponsored by Jerry's Artarama.  I have attended quite a few lessons over the past few years.  In fact, that is how I got started on watercolors.

This year we were away for all but the last day.  I signed up for a Sunday afternoon class with one of my favorite art instructors, Tom Lynch.  The title of the workshop was Dramatic Skies, Clouds, and Sunsets. Here is the photo used for the class information page.

Tom Lynch artwork

I probably was too worn out from the trip to Florida for hubby's surgery, but I did learn some neat tricks.  I think I need to do them again when I am not so wiped out.

We were not aiming for finished paintings in this class, but rather practice of new techniques.

Here is a colorful sky created by letting three different colors of wash blend together.

Here is a big fluffy cloud.  I need to add some more color to this one, I think.

 This one is a fail.  The top one got too dry before the colors could blend.  The bottom one got too wet and got a big water blossom.

The sunlit mountains are a technique I will probably use again.  We did the dark strokes first, then added a wash of orange/gold on top.  The dramatic dark sky also got a little too wet but I like the contrast.

Tom is a good instructor, and I would love to take a more intense class with him.  Perhaps when we are finished getting my husband's cancer treated, I can take a week long class.  Maybe in Tuscany some day?

Great Blue Heron Painting

Here is a little card I made for my new friends from the Dattoli Cancer Center, Fiona and Howard from the U.K.  They had rented a house on a pond, and Fiona got pleasure from feeding a one-legged great blue heron.  I thought she might like this little memory of her stay here.

Fiona's Friend, Jeanne Turner McBrayer, 2015

We have made some very nice friends at Dattoli.  Everyone there is in the same boat.  It is nice to talk to people who are sharing the same experience.  Howard finished his treatments today, and they are so glad to be heading home.

After treatment today we went to Siesta Key for breakfast at Another Broken Egg.  It has become very well-known thanks to college hoops sportscaster Dick Vitale, who eats there frequently. No Dickie-V sightings today, Baby!

We ate outside.  I love the pottery coffee mugs.

I had a delicious and unusual breakfast of fried brie covered with apple, pecan, and raisins sauteed in Grand Marnier liqueur.  Oh, man!

Charlie had a Belgian Waffle with blueberries.

After breakfast I surprised him with a trip to the Apple Store in Estero, Florida, near Fort Myers.  There is a very nice shopping center there called Coconut Point.

I bought Charlie a motivational gift for being a "good boy" during all his radiation treatment.  He now has an Apple Watch.  He loves gadgets and is very good at figuring them out.  I think this gave him a little lift as his treatment winds down.  We are both homesick and ready to be back in North Carolina, but this will give him something new to play with.

There is a major hurricane brewing off the eastern coast of the US, but it is sucking all the moisture out of the air here in southwestern Florida.  There is no humidity, the temps are lower, and there is a light breeze.  Yesterday we went to the beach at Lido Key and loved the more pleasant temps.  There were actually some waves, which have been kind of rare since we have been in Florida.

Tonight was so pleasant that we sat out on the deck and enjoyed the sunset.

It is raining cats and dogs at home in North Carolina thanks to Joaquin.  We are enjoying being on the right side of this hurricane.

Sunrise, Sunset...and a Rainbow

Every morning that we drive from Ft. Myers to Sarasota, we leave before dawn.  I am not a morning person.  I do not like getting up at 5:00 AM.  But here is one little gift every morning...a sunrise over the Peace River near Port Charlotte.  I like to think of it as a gift of peace for my soul.

Almost every evening, there is a gorgeous sunset reflecting in the lake behind my brother's home.

And the other day, there was a rainbow in the sky...ending right over the Dattoli Cancer Center.

My soul is grateful for these gifts.

Trip Around the World

Here is the Trip Around the World Quilt that I finished for my friend Marcia.  She and her husband joined us at our mountain cabin last weekend.

It is so large that my husband and I had to hold it up and take a picture remotely with his iPhone camera.

She was thrilled to have it done.  Her mom made the top before she got ill in her last few years.  We found it in her stash when we were going through her bins of fabric.

The quilting does not show in the top photo, but I did lots of swirls and feathers to soften all the lines and squares.  The photos are from when it was still being quilted on the machine.

We enjoyed a good time in the mountains.  It is getting very pretty up there with the fall foliage.

That's Marcia and I on top of our mountain.

How about this sunset on the way up on Thursday night?  Spectacular!

Tom and Pauline also came back up, and Tom and the guys finished the stone steps from the upper to lower driveways.  Now we need to decide how we will finish the walls.  Probably paint or some fake rock.

It was a relief to get the drain system and retaining wall done before the winter sets in.

Visiting my Gammill

I went to Clayton on Wednesday 

to visit my Gammill's foster mother and help her get set up with a quilting project.  That's her working on a very pretty batik quilt.

Even though I've done hundreds of quilts, it took me a little while to remember everything.  We had done several rows before I remembered to attach the side clamps!

This weekend we are visiting our kids and grand kids in South Carolina.  It was so good to see the little ones again!

This will be our Christmas visit with them.   Tomorrow it will be about 75 degrees here!  That works for me...the kids can play outside all day!

It has been warm at home, too.  Yesterday I walked our dog up our road right before dark.  We got to see a spectacular sunset over the lake.

I got my new laptop, which is light and sleek and FRUSTRATING!  It has a touch screen and Windows 8.1.  I used to teach Windows to the teachers and students at school, but I am totally lost!  Maybe after I watch 100 or so tutorials I will figure it out.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

 

Spectacular Sunset

Last night's sunset started out golden, reflecting on the waters of the inlet and marsh behind our cottage.

Then some big storm clouds on the mainland rolled past.  The sky and water turned purple and orange.

As it got darker, the color became more intense and dramatic.

Then there was a lightning show in that big cloud on the right.  I was not able to capture that on camera.

A memorable night at Sunset Beach!

Hawaii Night

The cottage that we rent every year is named the Mauna Kea.  This year we decided to have a Hawaii Night.  There were McBrayers in two other cottages that came over for the luaua.

Clam chowder from Bill's Seafood, steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, salad, bread, and grilled fresh pineapple.

All in all, a very fun night!

It was a full moon last night, and the water was so high in the marsh that it totally submerged our dock.

Normally it is well out of the water.  I like this little scene, and sketched it this morning for a possible future watercolor painting.

Too bad I am not having any fun...