Quiet but Content

Dear Friends and Family,

A week has passed since we left Oregon and you have heard nothing from us. There were even a few rumblings concerning our silence. Let me asure you that we are well and it has only been our settling in and some natural, south of the border laziness that has delayed our reaching out. Now, we are ready to report back.

First, let me asure you that our cat, Quirk, made a successful journey. I will not say the transition was seamless, but, he too, is now adjusting. The trip was a bit rocky at first. Our daughter-in-law, Cyndi, and her sister were staying in our place for a week while we were in Oregon. In a hasty economic decision, we decided to come back to PV early and stay in a hotel for a couple of days. I had pre-paid the first night in person, being asured that it was a "Pet Friendly" hotel. We arrived only to discover that "Pet Friendly" actually meant "Dog Friendly"! No cats. They would not budge. So Cyndi and Linda graciously agreed to switch places. It was then that Quirk finally experienced his new home.

At first, he was pretty freaked. It was a new environment, open and very loud. Taxi cabs, folks walking up the hill, a few with more than one magarita or cervaza in their system, talking very loudly, gas trucks blaring the "Charge" refrain, garbage trucks rumbling on cobblestone streets all contributed to Quirk's "deer in the headlights" appearance. It was like his going from a world veiwed through a 12" TV to one suddenly displayed on a Cinemax screen with surround sound. However, after a week of snsory overload, he seems to be accepting it all and is, in fact, at the moment, calmly sitting in the window looking out one Calle Guerrero, seeming to rule over his tiny 5' x 5' kingdom.

The adjustment to the heat has been a bit more challenging, especially with his thick, all black coat. Most afternoons he retreats beneath the bed for a prolonged nap. Early mornings and evenings he becomes a bit more visible.

Beyond our cat and a nice visit with Cyndi and Linda, it has been largely refamiliarizing ourselves with the routine of Vallarta. We got up river with Cyndi and Linda last Friday afternoon for some music and a bit of beer. We had dinner with our Oregon friends, George and Pat, and John and Mollie on Monday and Tuesday was my birthday and our Mexican friends at La Fuente del Puente has a nice little surprise for me. 69 on Tuesday, but did manage a 4.5 mile run at that advanced age. No complaints and am moving aggressively on toward 70; what choice do I have.

Polley is doing well. Not back troubles at all and seems to be moving about better. By Saturday, nearly all the people we know down will have headed north. So, it will be quiet, but we enjoy that time here as well as those times we are socializing. It will grown warmer as April moves into May, but we will adjust (hopefully, so will Quirk). It was fun being home for a while and I am sorry that we missed a few people we enjoy. But we will be back on June 1st, In the meantime, I will try to keep you caught up on our slow, but satisfying life/

 

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Headed North

Dear friends and family,

The bad news is that it has been a while since I have written; the good news is that it has been a while since I have written. I say "good news," because there has been virtually "No news"! We have not visited a doctor in several weeks, Polley seems to have no indication of back probelmss and we have even made it down to the beach. There have been other necessary trips as well: manicure on Monday (Polley, not me - I read my book and drank a beer during that time), we both had hair cuts yesterday, and tonight, we are taking our favorite waiter, José and his wife to dinner. Last night we had last drink with a new set of friends from Vancouver

As we watched our final sunset (it was beauty)

Tomorrow, it is back to Oregon for the month of March. I am sure the return will take some adjustment as te weather here has been absolutly perfect. It is hard to leave it behind. However, friends, family and the US Government call!

We will miss our time with Kira

Who, as you c see, settled right in. We are looking forward to bringing our own cat down in April. Now that we have tested the security of the place, are losing our dear house-sitter, Sam, after 8 (9 ?) wonderful years, to his own apartment and are down to just a single cat, we thought we would give it a try. Stay tuned for that chapter.

So, to all of you who have kept up with our travels, another chapter comes to an end. We are in good health at the moment, enjoying life,

And hope to live the dream a while longer. See you all soon!

 

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Wasting Away in PV

Dear friends and family,

It has been far too long since I have written. Part of that is due to too little going on (that is not a complaint); the other part is that too much has been going on. Polley continues to struggle with pain issues and we continue to look for solutions.

Since the reading of her MRIs by an local orthopedic surgeon, we have been gathering opinions about treatment options. A couple of weeks ago we talked with a doctor who does stem-cell treatments that. Are combined with detailed physical therapy. Last week we met with another doctor who suggested something called Prolotherapy. It is a series of injections along with physical therapy. Both treatments are, to a certain extent, experimental ahd have levels of success and failure. Polley is not keen on surgery, so we look to alternatives. However, the plan is to return to the States and visit Kaiser and get there opinion as well. The hope is to return to Mexico in April, either just for relaxation, with surgery coming in the summer, or having on of the other options done down here. There has been a lot of exploration both in person and on the web.

Part of the time-consuming part down here is understanding the system. At home you just call Kaiser, get an appointment (alright, that's not always easy!), get in the car and go. Here I have to go to the actual hospital or clinic, determine the right doctor, get an appointment and then get Polley in a cab, go, work our way through the appointment and the language, find another cab and get home. Oh yeah, then to a famacia for yet another prescription or two! That's part of the reason for not writing.

The other part of the pain issue is that it seems to come out of nowhere. Polley can be fine and 30 minutes later, miserable. Or the other way around. We have cancelled numerous dinner reservations or having no made them, found that she suddenly felt like going. Last night we missed a wine tasting because of a sudden attack. Right now Polley has been in bed and mostly sleeping for the last 13 hours. It has been hard.

However, having said all that, the days have been lovely, the temperatures nearly perfect and we have caught a few beautiful sunsets

We also are still enjoying Kira, our resident cat

We also have acquired 4 stays who seem to enjoy our front porch buffet for breakfast lunch and dinner.

So, there are some struggles, but generally we both have maintained our positive outlook and still are pleased to have this opportunity and to enjoy it in the moment for as long as we can. More later and home in two weeks!

 

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Latest News

Dear friends and family,

Here is the latest on Polley's condition. Over the weekend she was in a great deal of pain. Monday, despite it being a Mexican holiday, we were very fortunate to get an appointment with Dr. Max Greig, a noted orthopedic surgeon who also happens to be the brother of our old landlord. Dr. Max spent about 2 1/2 hours with us, assessing Polley's MRIs. His diagnosis is that Polley has a badly compessed disc at the bottom of her spine. For you experts, it is the L4-L5, with some other damage to L3-L4. He sees surgery as the only option for relief. He did give her some cortasone shots, with an additional shot yesterday and one scheduled for Friday. He feels that this will see us through until our scheduled departure on March 4. At that time, we will get further assessment from Kaiser and proceed. If surgery goes forward, we will not be returning the Mexico for April-May. We are told that full recovery is about 3 months. We may look into another option which involves ozone and stem cell treatments, but it is experimental and is not the solution for all.

So, that is the latest. Polley has been relatively comfortable thus far, following the injections. She got out for lunch yesterday and we even got down to the Malécon last evening for sunset. So, all is not bleak. The skies are clear, it is an even 82 degrees nearly every day. How can one complain. More soon.

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Polley Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Again, thanks to all that have expressed good wishes to Polley on her recovery. I am sorry to take a while to give the latest information, but we went through a series of tests and I also was waiting for a response from our doctor at Kaiser. Polley had two MRIs last Monday and Tuesday. Each took more than an hour and then, not included in the bill of more than $500, was delivery. It was me on a city bus for 30 minutes each way to get the results, which, of course, meant nothing to me as they were all in Spanish! So, it was back to our local doctor whom I was told could see me right away. 65 minutes later, I was ushered into her office. The results of the first were pretty much what one could expect from a nearly 79 year old. The second one, however, revealed a pinched nerve. This would explain the frequent sharp, stabbing pains that she is dealing with. So, we are trying anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants. At times, it seems better, at others, it does not. I think that ancient healer, time, will be answer. In the meantime, we shall muddle (shuffle) along. At least, it is warm which puts it one up on Oregon at the moment.

Other than the medical update, there is little to report. We have tried to make it down to the Malécon each evening for sunset.

Some, as you can see, have been quite dramatic. Clouds have moved in the last couple of nights and, in fact, last night there was nothing visible at all

I did have a fun moment on my walk the other morning, as I came across a group of people, pardon the expression, "getting their rocks off" . . THE BEACH!

We have had particularly high tides the last few days and it is amazing how many rocks the beach can throw up over night. This was the beach in front of a nice restaurant, Daqueri Dicks, where they normally set out tables and chairs on the beach. It was not happening on this day, unless some people got out and moved the rocks. They were all doing their best.

The amazing thing is, that the sea can come up and take them all away as quickly as they were deposited. Don't mess with Mother Nature.

So, that is it for now. No dramatic developments, but, at this point, we are just hoping for a "blessed miracle." In that even, you will be the first to know. Thanks, again, for caring.

 

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Struggles Abroad

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been more days that I'd like to admit since last I wrote. They have been a bit difficult. Both Polley and I have been ill. Mine, I think, is just a cold, but Polley has really been struggling. A week ago today she was suffering from a terrible pain in her back. I got an appointment and we got to the doctor. She is a terrific internist and cardiologist, Dr. Lewgot. She quickly determined that Polley had "Walking Pneumonia"! Polley has had this terrible hacking cough for two or three months and we kept telling our Kaiser doctors about it. She had a swallow test and worked with a speech pathologist on controlling the cough. Now it is likely that it was a low grade pneumonia the whole time. Polley had a chest x-ray and the infection was confirmed. So with some meds, we glided home, happy that we now had a diagnosis. After months, we had met the enemy.

The following Monday, we returned to the doctor for a second round of shots and some more meds. Unfortunately, two days later, last Thursday, we were back with Lewgot, as Polley was suffering again from this back pain, seemingly located in her lungs. Lewgot put her on a respirator/humidifier for half an hour and we were to come back on Friday. We did that yesterday and there seemed to be some improvement. However, by last night, the pain had returned and by 2 am this morning she was in agony. I have an e-mail into the doctor and we will see what additional steps will be taken. It is difficult when you are so far from home. Mexican doctors have been great, and Dr. Lewgot comes highly recommended, but I do fear that we may be in for the long haul with this. More later, as we make progress.

On a brighter note, we did have a night out, in between bouts of illness. We went to Barcelona, a tapas restaurant that we enjoyed about 6 or 7 years ago. It is located at the north end of El Centro and had just fallen off our radar. After making our way up endless flights of stairs, we did find ourselves with a lovely table for two with a breathtaking view of the bay below.

As you can see, it was a beautiful evening. The restaurant comes around and takes the photos and then prints them and sends them by e-mail as well. Makes for a very special mimento. Food it also very good. Not just another pretty view!

We also managed a night or two of trips down to Roberto's for sunset. As with most nights, very impressive.

It has been fun to watch the sun come around to the north over the last month. It now sets off the point and we see it disappear into the ocean horizon. Last night was, in fact, one of the first nights that it set off land. Termperatures are also heating up, although the Mexicans are still complaining about the coolness of the mornings. You see them everywhere in their hoodies and jackets while us Gringos are walking the Malécon in tank-tops and sandals.

So, not a lot of action. Mostly trying to low low and heal. More on that soon. For now, I sit ast 6 am feeling a bit useless and hope the doctor will call. Best to all for now.

 

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Alive in Paradise

Dear Friends and Family,

Nothing really staggering to report, but we are alive and enjoying ourselves in the sunshine. Actually, when discussing the weather, it has been a bit cool in the mornings especially. We have had lows in the upper 50s. I don't expect much sympathy from those of you upo north, as I realized the other morning that our low was still about 15 degrees warmer that you high was going to be for the day. I will, however, confess to needing long-sleeve shirts in the morning and for the last two night have worn long pants down to the Malécon for the sunset, some of which have been spectacular.

Last night, as you can see, we had one of what I call a "Ben Hur" sky, light of God and all that.

We have gotten to know two Canadian couples and have enjoyed their company as they come down to the Malécon most evenings for some refreshment and conversation. Ray and Yvonne are from Vancouver, B.C. And Wally and Pat are from a very small place about 4 hours further east our of Vancouver. Very nice people who enjoy just sitting and talking, somewhat of a lost art I am finding,

Tuesday, after the sun went down (we like to make sure that even occurs each evening), we wandered over to a place on the Rio Cuale, called The River Cafe to see, for the first time this winter, our Scots friend, Bobby Tansen, the hippie flute player.

Bobby plays all over town, but on Tuesdays is paired with Gilberto, a great guitar player, for several sets of the hits of our generation. It is basically the same show they do up river on Friday afternoons. We sat and had glassed of wine and had a chance to talk with both Bobby and Gilberto for a few minutes. You always have to plan to share Bobby with other groupies who seem to gather wherever he appears (of course, that is what groupies are supposed to do, right?). It was a nice evening and we enjoyed reconnecting with Bobby. We plan to catch him and his son who are playing at an Irish pub on Saturday.

I did have one light-hearted, "lost in translation" moment a couple of days ago. I wanted to get my beard trimmed. I like to go to this old Mexican barber. It is another opportunity to connect with the locals. He has no English, so it challenges me to use my Spanish. I ask him for trim, on the short side. In just moments, his clippers had removed one whole side of my beard completely! What could I do? The trim quickly became a complete shave and I was, shockingly, reintroduced to my face. After the shave, feeling somewhat honored by the fact that the old man (probably my age!) used the first razor blade he had ever owned, I returned home and with every fiber of my being, started on the new beard!

So, with that, I bid adieu. All is well, we lover our house, we cherise our daily routine and it is so nice to have time again the read. I particularly enjoyed two novels my Kate Atkinson, a re-reading of "Life After Life" and her companion piece to it, "A God in Ruins," both highly recommended! Until next time, we think of all of you often and hope all is well in the north.

 

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