Summer 2013 - Where have I been?

Wow; I just noticed I haven't posted anything since late June. July, August and September was a combination of good and bad. In July we got to go to Chicago by train (!) to visit Andrew and Henriët and help them fix up their new house. The train trip to Chicago was awesomely fantastic train trip tbut I was really unhappy with my pictures and became discouraged with photography in general. Since I wasn't really happy with my pictures I didn't have motivation to make any posts.

Then upon our return, I got sick in August and was down for the whole month. I've had a problem for 30 or 40 years where I get a cold that goes directly to my chest and I spend weeks recovering. I've always ended up resorting to a combination of codeine and prednisone; a combination guaranteed to pull me into a dull but tightly wound string. It's always been diagnosed as asthma, but I've become increasingly convinced over the past 10 years that it isn't asthma; I don't have the characteristic wheeze and it is always brought on my a virus rather than pollen or other allergy reaction.

We switched to Kaiser this past year and they've been great. When I got hit in early August I went to my allergist and started the regular round of treatment. I kept calling back every week reporting I wasn't well and asked what else we could try. He eventually sent me for a chest x-ray and saw a couple of things that concerned him. So, I went in for an CT scan. The scan showed three spots in my lung that required follow up from a pulmonologist. When I met with Dr. Brixey, she in effect said "I have good news and good news." The first good news is that I don't have asthma; the other good news is that if I had to pick a chronic lung disease, bronchiectasis would be the one to pick. The lung's structure is similar to a series of repeating sugar cones; large on one end tapering down to a point. Coughing pushes mucus  from the narrow ends of the bronchia to the large ends and out of the chest as phlegm. Clearing the phlegm allows for clearer lungs and gets rid of bacteria that love the warm wet home of mucus. I have three spots in my lungs that are honey-combed and don't have that tapered structure; as a result mucus gets caught in these spots making me have an extended unproductive cough.

She prescribed an "Acapella" breathing device. It looks like an oversize duck call and has a oscillating paddle that pushes air back down the lungs helping to clear the phlegm. I now use that device daily to help keep my chest clear. In addition, at the first sign of a cold I need to immediately start a prednisone taper and an antibiotic to attack the bacteria that wants to take up residence in the bad spots of my lungs. I'm very happy that I've been properly diagnosed and now have a plan that is directed at my true condition.

Finally and more significantly Carla ended up needing some surgery in September. That directed my attention to things other than the blog. She had successful surgery and is rapidly recovering.

With all that behind us, I thought I'd try to get back on line. As for the picture taking I can either give up or remember it is the journey that matters. I don't have to be an expert; I just have to enjoy myself and try to gradually improve.

Thanks for attending my pity party; we did have fun times this summer. I'll post some pictures documenting the cooking and parties.

Background and Introduction

Introduction

My name is Howard; my wife (Carla) and I are planning a road trip on part of Route 66 this summer. We live in Portland, Oregon. We'll start by driving to Santa Monica, California for the start and then head over to Gallup, New Mexico, then head home. . We figure it will take 2 days to get to Los Angeles; we'll take a little more than a week on the Route 66, then head home from Gallup; stopping in Boise to visit friends.

Purpose
The purpose of the blog is three-fold.

• Share our planning and solicit feedback
• Gather suggestions to improve our experience
• Share the results and pictures of our trip so we can provide help to others who plan to do the same.

Background

I grew up in Palmdale, California (Mojave desert) in the 50's and 60s. My mom came from Arizona (Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff). In the summers we would drive from Palmdale to Winslow, Arizona to visit my grandparents, uncle and aunts. We'd head to Victorville to hook up with the Mother Road and head through Barstow, Daggett, Needles, Kingman, Seligman, Flagstaff, and into Winslow. My grandparents lived just 2 blocks off the highway on West Aspinwall.

My grandpa, H.H. Baker, would take me over to the La Posada hotel and the train station in Winslow. At that time Winslow was a major stop on the Santa Fe Railroad. We'd watch the Chief, the Super Chief, and the El Capitan passenger trains come in for a crew change, top off the diesel, an inspection and service. It was FANTASTIC. Certainly the highlight of the vacation for me, and a beautiful memory.

This past Thanksgiving we had a family reunion in Sedona and Cottonwood, where my aunt, uncle and his wife live. We took a day trip to Winslow and looked around. It was then that I knew what our summer vacation plan would be: a road trip. We'll go to California and re-trace our steps from back in the day.

That will teach my wife. When she plans a vacation we go to Hawaii or Europe; when I plan a vacation we drive out through the desert to take pictures of trains!

I remember the drive as exciting (but LONG). Of course so much of Route 66 lives on in our culture and zeitgeist. Along the way, we'll stop at the museums, the burger joints, motels, and what-not. I'll take some pictures and post them.

The blog will evolve, I'm sure. At the outset, I plan on having a page publishing our current plan and solicit feedback. We'll also have some pages with notes and pictures of our trip. If possible we'll post some entries along the way.