On our way to another ADVENTURE!!!

Mexico, here we come!  Looking forward to the sun and fun and beach and the pool and just relaxing.   I will be taking lots of pictures and not thinking of you!!!

Happy December everyone.  I know I will be enjoying it...

Our furkid is two years old

We took a walk through Green Timbers Park (Surrey BC), saw bunnies, ducks, people.  He was so good, no barking and just kept his nose to the ground, sniffing new smells.  I think GypsyBlu is finally becoming an adult!

What is so interesting??

On a recent walk around Crescent Beach (White Rock) BC I came upon this group of five trying to see through the cracks in the fence.

I wonder what was so interesting???

Just Munching on Dandelions

We were driving along the TransCanada Highway and we spotted this little critter just munching away on dandelions at the side of the road.  He was about 15 feet away from us down a hill so it was somewhat safe to snap a few picks.

He really is a big guy and I am glad he was not up close and personal!!!

We are on a road trip just wandering around British Columbia, Southern Alberta, Montana, Idaho and Washington..  It has been a spectacular trip so far.  Only one day left to dawdle along before heading north to home.

Serenity

Cruising through my son-in-law's garden the other day, I snapped this picture of serenity.  One of my favourite places to just sit and meditate.

Pot-filler spiggit

We toured some very large homes in Punta Mita while in Bucerias and in one of the kitchens, I noticed this funny tap. It is a pot filler. You put your pot on the stove and then just fill from this faucet rather than lugging your full pot across the kitchen. My question: How does one empty the pot after use????????????? You would still have to cart a large pot across the floor to the sink to empty it! Unless of course, you have staff!

It is sort of in the middle of the photo.

Garage Door in Kitchener On

When I saw this garage, I just had to take many pictures.  I love the colours and different levels of texture.  To me, the bonus is a bit of rust on the latch.   I forgot to take a picture of the whole garage and only have close ups of various parts of it.

HERITAGE tower in the middle

 

of a brand new subdivision of Toronto.  The plaque on the side of the tower says: 

We knew where it was on the map but finally finding the tower and being able to walk around it took tenacity and determination on the part of the driver (that would be me!!)  After driving around, trying to follow the map when not all the streets were listed, it was an accident that I spotted the roof of the tower through an opening between several streets of houses.  From seeing it to actually finding it was then a matter of zigzagging in and out of cul de sacs, streets and finally being on the right road and driving to the end. 

An exquisite flower.  I love to see the perfect design that Mother Nature has put into the hated dandelion.  This picture taken just before my grandson in Kitchener kicked the crap out of it......

OUR LIVES AS AIRLINE PASSENGERS

Here we are once again, off on another adventure. I haven't blogged about our trips so far in 2010. A quick recap. During the last days of the Olympics we received a phone call from April's daughter asking us to come to Halifax asap. It seems April's grandson - Zac, 19 yrs - was in Halifax hospital and was only given a 20% chance of surviving. Apparently he was sitting on the family couch with his little sister - Payton, 13yrs - when he coughed and started bleeding profusely. Payton took one look at him, got up and called 911. This probably saved Zac's life. The doctors tried to stop the bleeding from his lung but they were not able to do so. Zac was whisked off to Halifax (he lives in Fredericton NB) because they have the best thorasic doctors.

To make a long story short, we could not get a plane out on the last day of the Olympics and had to be satisfied with the red-eye arriving in Halifax at 7 am. When we arrived at the hospital, Zac had been in a coma for 5 days and not getting any better or worse. On Thursday he finally started fussing and it seemed he was trying to come out of it and finally on Friday morning, he opened his eyes, spotted his grandmother (April) and he said "Well look who it is!". From then on he has been getting stronger every day. He got out of hospital and was home on Mar 8th. More testing has been done since then but there is still no reason found for the bleeding and the doctors do not know what caused it.

We did get to play for one day and took a trip to Peggy's Cove. It was bloody cold and as windy as I have ever seen but beautiful, clear day. We enjoyed the break.

FLOWERS in and around Vancouver, BC

It is awesome to live in this paradise!!! Having just travelled from Nova Scotia to British Columbia and noticed there are no flowers yet in Halifax and so many in Vancouver, I feel blessed to live here. Winter blues are being chases away by bright, colourful flowers !! Hey, Mother Nature, keep up the good work !

NATURE'S DOODLES

This rusted post is fascinating. Nature has certainly been doodling through all the layers to make these beautiful designs. I love rust as an artistic expression. It is so random and yet has a pattern. Peggy's Cove, NS

ZAC IS HOME...

Zac is home and sleeping in his own bed!!! There is a bed, nurse and doctor shortage in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick like here so the patient gets to go home as soon as they can get him out of the hospital. He will have to go for X-ray and a broncoscopy in about 4 weeks, just to make sure he is ok. And he is on antibotics for the pneumonia.

What caused the bleeding? The doctors do not know. Is anyone researching this, Probably not. No money, researchers or time. So we may never know.

Sherri and Darren (parents) are finally coming down from the roller coaster ride. Imagine, one week ago we were all sitting a waiting room in the ICU, tears in our eyes, not knowing whether Zac would live or not. The prognosis was not good! And today he is home, weak but still home, walking slowly and a bit unbalanced but he is getting better and stronger every day. He is a fighter and a survivor and well loved. Thank you to everyone who sent their hugs and prayers. It worked.

I will keep you posted on Zac, on his progress and I will let you know if anything new comes from the doctors.

WE ARE HOME, at last

It seems so long ago we were called to come to Halifax asap. Here we are a week later and it has been a round trip. Zac is doing great. He was moved to a semi-private room, is mostly lucid, is very hungry - a good sign that he is on the mend. But, he is also very weak and must slowly build up his body again. Yesterday (Saturday, March 6th) was a beautiful, sunny day in Halifax so we decided to take one day and explore. Since we were so close, we chose to go to Peggy's Cove. Just a short distance from Halifax (45 minutes). We started out at Tim Horton's and got a cup of tea, a muffin each and then headed out on another adventure....

The landscape is from some science fiction, very barren yet hauntingly beautiful. The soft curves of the time worn rocks. The contrast of some nature-made Inukshuks against the blue sky. Peaceful and very windy.. I attempted to get closer to the lighthouse but the wind was blowing so strong that I was almost blown off my feet so I abandoned my destination and April and I went into the little gift shop instead. No wind in here. After we wandered around the shop for a while, it was time to continue on our way.

April and I have a game we like to play called the Right Left game. One person drives and other gets to tell them where to go. April said left so we did a circle route from Halifax and back, just to see what we could. We encountered quaint little houses, beautiful scenery and no open restaurants...Good thing I remembered to bring water, some fruit and a knife. Picnic in the car looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.

We got back to Halifax by 3 pm and did a check on Zac, just in time to watch as he was wheeled passed us on his way to the ward on the 6th floor. No more ICU, no more pampering. And hopefully, no more bleeding and life and death situations. The doctor thinks if Zac continues with his recovery at the same speed as this last week, he should be home in Fredericton by the weekend (Mar 13th). WOW! All this is one week. I am totally amazed. Who would have thought???

We are so happy that this story has a happy ending. Now to see what the fund-raiser will bring and to watch Zac recover completely. It would be wonderful if he could play football again soon, but only time will tell if this will be possible.

Thank you for coming along on this rollercoast ride. We are so glad it is almost over so we can get on with some more fun exploring.

Next stop......Puerto Vallarta and this year, we are going to stay in an all inclusive in a little town north of Puerto Vallarta called Bucarius. TEN more days but who is counting?

YAHOO !!!

great NEWS!!!!

Zac is breathing on his own and has been for over 24 hours. He is now talking some sensible sentences, has opened his eyes and recognizes faces. And he out of ICU. We are so relieved and happy.

April, Sherri (Zac's Mom), Darren (Zac's Dad) and I were talking tonight that this last seems so surreal. One week ago the doctors were not holding out any hope of Zac coming out of the coma let alone be up and walking today. He stood for a minute or two, was lucid, ate breakfast and had a decent dinner. Not much but decent. Hospital chicken, mashed potatoes and a bit of turnip. This is such a triumph.

Last Tuesday, when April and I were wandering around the airport waiting for 6 long hours to board our plane, we bought two Olympic t-shirts that say "BELIEVE". It was a small gesture but we sensed we needed some small hope, even if we had to carry it in our suitcase. It worked. We believed that Zac would come back to us and he did.

Did I tell you that all of Zac's friends are holding a silent auction and beerpong and having t-shirts printed to sell and all the money is going to help Zac and my step-daughter and step-son-in-law out financially. At one time or another this last week, his friends have come to Halifax to see him, talk to him through his coma and I believe this all helped to bring Zac around.....

This one for the graditude journal!!!

FABULOUS NEWS !!!

We are dancing in the streets !!!! Zac is breathing on his own, the tubes have been removed and he is somewhat conscious. Who knew this could possibly happen?

When we were called on Sunday morning and asked to hurry to Halifax asap because there was doubt that Zac, April's grandson, would make it through the night, it looked certain we would be planning a funeral. I was prepared to help in any way I could to keep everyone from falling to pieces and, to some extent, I did.

When April and I finally arrived at 7 am on Tuesday morning, and saw Zac for the first time, he did not look good. His whole body was swollen due to the air escaping from his right lung. He had pneumonia and the blood was still in his lungs. Not a good sign! As the day progressed, he did get a bit better and on Wednesday, a little of the swelling had gone down, but the doctor was still very worried about this and cautioned that he was not anywhere near being well and he could take a nasty turn for the worst. By Wed evening, he was doing better on the reduced oxygen mix being pumped through the tube into his lungs. Thursday the doctors asperated a lot more of the blood clots from his lungs, pneumonia was still there and quite severe. He was given ice baths to bring his temperature down, he had cold cloths on his body and a fan blowing over a bowl of ice - all to gethis temperature down to normal.

Obviously, these treatments worked and the decision was made to remove all tubes and he was able to breath on his own. He is also coming out of the sedation and was pleased to see his life-saving sister, Payton, his Nana and grandpa and the rest of us. He is talking - most of it about wanting to leave this 'hotel' because it is not as nice as the one everyone else is staying. It is funny to hear him and know he will be so embarressed when he finally hears what he did today.

This morning April and I took some time and went through the Atlantic Museum of the sea and walked through the Titanic portion. The museum has a few bits of information but a friend has a lot more memorbilia and info than what there was displayed here.

Since Zac is doing so well, we are taking a day to drive to Peggy's Cove because we have not been tourists here. It is supposed to be sunny and clear and the temperature is supposed to go up to 7 degrees.....YAHOO ! Today we walked about 5 blocks from where we parked to the museum and it was so bitterly cold and the wind was biting. We both have wind burn but I am sure this will be gone by morning.

I will keep you posted and will add pictures tomorrow (Saturday).

Oh, and the rest of the good news......April is coming home with me . Originally we did not have a return ticket for her. I got a seat-sale on WestJet and on the same flights I am on so we are both happy campers.....

Stay tuned.......

Thursday Update on Zac

HALIFAX NS: This is the view from our room. I imagine it will look lovely and not so grey when the sun comes out on Saturday.

Things are looking up today with Zac. We arrived at the hospital around noon and were greeted with smiles from Sherri and Darren. More good news on his progress. Today his oxygen % levels were down to 40.. This is a long way from the 95% O2 volume he was at on Tuesday when we arrived. He could be taken off the respirator over the weekend.

The doctor did another bronoscopy and took more clots out of his right lung but they did detect an infection - pneumonia - which could set him back a bit. Now Zac is receiving large doses of antibiotics so hopefully this will clear it up soon. By this evening, Zac was sporting a fever of 38.9 and rising so the nurse gave him an ice bath and put a fan on him to cool him down. Hopefully this will work. Darren (Zac's dad) went up after dinner to see him again and there is no change.

When April went in to see him early this afternoon, she put her hand into his hand and he squeezed it. What a thrill. He understood what she was talking about and responded. A few hours later his best friend went in and said "Zac it's Diesel" and it seemed like Zac was trying to say the name and to sit up. The doctor immediately put him on more sedatives to calm him a bit so he does not rip out all his tubes.

Zac has been receiving volumes of mail from all his friends and their families. It is totally heart warming to read these and see how much he is loved. His friends have a fundraiser happening. One of the young women is having t-shirts made and these will be sold to his adoring public, bottle drives are being done, and businesses and others are being asked to donate something. Wish I was going to be here to help out but I really must get home. April will stay on for at least another week so she can keep me updated and I will pass the info along on this blog.

We are staying at Point Pleasant Lodge in Halifax, just about 2 blocks from the hospital. Apparently, this lodge is the only one of its kind in Canada. It is a not-for-profit (no star) place for people who have a loved one in the hospital, can stay and the cost is $60. plus tax per night. The restaurant only has one choice on the lunch and dinner menu but for $10. it is great food, a lot of it and there is an attempt to be healthy.

This is the update for today. I will keep you posted as long as I am here. I leave the lodge on sunday at 4AM with flight out to Calgary at 6:30 am. Long day but with all the time zones, I arrive home around noon.

Chat with you all soon. Thanks for reading.......

Nancy Q & April too

GOOD NEWS about ZAC

HALIFAX: Yesterday was quite an emotional day, wondering if Zac was going to make it or not. Today is so much better.... When I saw him today, the swelling around his face and neck has started to go down, he is responding to the respiratory doctor's changes, his friends are here and they are making a difference to Zac's responses.

Now for a few details. Yesterday the doctor changed the mix of oxygen in Zac's ventilator from 100% to 75% to see if Zac could breath on his own a bit more and to see if his body would be able to make up the oxygen. At first they had to go back to 95% and that worked. Later on they changed it to 75% again and this seemed to be ok also. YES!! He had a good night and by morning he was holding his own at he 75% so the doctor lowered it throughout the day so tonight the last mix was only 50/50. You can see his chest rise and fall as he takes a breath, instead of the machine making him breath.

This afternoon the doctors performed a bronchoscopy on Zac to see if there was still bleeding and to find out what they are dealing with. During this proceedure they managed to clean as lot of the blood clots out of his lungs. This should help him breath better and more on his own. Also today, the nurses turned Zac on his side to get the air to move in his lungs rather just staying at the front of the lungs.

This evening the doctor changed out the respitator with a newer version and this one shows more functions. One of the things is it shows that Zac's bloodpressure reacts to the sound of his friend's voice, another good thing. It means that whenever someone goes in to see him, he knows it and is happy to see them. Proof one more time that people in a coma can hear you and do respond in some ways.

I left the hospital this afternoon and went for a walk to the historic area down by the water. I found some interesting shops and great buildings but the sun was not shining and everything was drab so I am waiting until friday till the sun comes out to play and all will look better in the photos. I also discovered that Peggy's Cove is just 68 miles down the road and maybe we will just take ourselves on a little drive. And maybe have a picnic... I wish I had more time to stay and tour but that will be another trip.

Looking forward to more good news tomorrow!

Just a little happy note: After Zac was taken to the hospital, his sister, Payton (13) sent an email to Make a wish foundation asking for a British Bull dog puppy for Zac. They replied quickly but unfortunately, Zac is over the age of 18 and cannot be part of the program.
AND his friends are putting together a silent auction and sale in Fredericton to raise money to help Sherri and Darren with the expense of hotels (probably for another month in Halifax) and they are not working so there is no income to speak of. Aren't kids wonderful. Zac and the Cann family are very popular around UNB and Fredericton and Zac is much loved and Darren (his dad) is the beloved coach of the UNB soccer team and he received the Maritime Coach of the Year award last year. I am just so impressed with the community rallying around to help my step-daughter and son and grandson out of this horrible financial burden.

Makes me proud to be part of that circle of light. Thank you everyone.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more updates and hopefully I will get some pics and post them also.

Stop the World!!! or at least slow it down. Here we are into our 3rd month of a new year and I have no posts since May 2009. Slipping here.......

Let me say that my journey to this day has been one hairpin turn after another. To start from today, here we are in Halifax Nova Scotia - a city I did not dream I would be in in 2010. This was scheduled for a different year! But here we are, still in disbelief of why we are here.

Last Thursday April's grandson, Zac (19 yrs), was sitting in the living room at home in Fredericton NB, watching the Olympics with his little sister, Payton (13 yrs) when he coughed....and he started spewing blood from his mouth and nose. Payton, our heroine, instead of screaming and getting hysterical, calmly walked to the phone and called 911 for an ambulance. This brilliant move probably saved her brother's life.

The doctors at the Fredericton hospital assessed the problem, could not get a scope far enough into the lung causing the problem to find the reason for the bleeding, so they medivac'd him to Halifax hospital where there are better doctors and much better equipment (blame the government for this slight oversight to upgrading the hospitals across Canada).

They have stopped the bleeding but discovered a hole in the lung that is allowing air to excape into the thorasic cavity. His body is so swollen he is almost shiny. At this point, Zac is in a coma, hooked up to 12 different apparatus including oxygen. Yesterday the dr.s tried to lower the O2 levels to 75% to see if Zac could breath on his own and maintain a steady level of O2 in his system. Not to be at this time, so they upped the levels again. More exrays, more CT scans and on and on it goes...

So, how did we get here? Go back to last Friday. I was in Puyallup at the Sewing Expo show with my friend and April called me saying there had been a post to Facebook letting Zac's friends know where he was. She was understandably upset. I got home on Saturday evening, called Sherri (April's daughter) to get the latest. I asked if we should come down to Halifax but she did not think so right then. Sunday morning, around 7AM, Darren (April's son-in-law) called and asked if we could get down there asap. The prognosis was not good and Sherri needed her mother.

And guess what? It is the last day of the Olympics and there are no flights available for a hundred mile radius. Monday was no better because everyone had made reservations to get out of town after the big party in Vancouver. Finally WestJet had two spaces left on one flight to Halifax and I got them but they were not until Monday evening 6:15 Pm arriving in Halifax at 7:40 Am on Tuesday. I grabbed it, paid for it and started packing.

The rest of Sunday evening was calmer because of the impending flights and we knew we could get to Halifax.

Monday we were told to be at the airport 4 hours before the flight because they anticipated it to be a record-breaking day for airtravel out of YVR. We arrived around 2 PM, were the only people in line to check in and whipped right through with still 4 hours to spare until flight time. So we had a bite to eat, wandered around the airport in and out of stores and finally decided to go to the waiting lounge through security. Again, no crush of people, just a leisurely stroll through security and then to the Olympic store in there. No deals but we did find several items that we brought with us to give to Payton and Zac when he wakes up.

Walking along the corridor to the gate departures, I noticed on the notice board for arrivals and departures, our flight had been DELAYED !!! This added another 2 hours to our already long wait. Now we were scheduled to flyout at 8:38 PM pst. This is 9:38 pm in Calgary and we were arriving around 10:50 pm mst. Our connecting flight to Halifax was scheduled for 11:20pm take off. Yikes, this will be close.

We did make our connector (because the pilot delayed the departure otherwise he would have been flying with a half-loaded plane). And we made it to Halifax, me with no sleep since 7:00 am Monday morning. I was still able to function. I had rented a car so we picked it up and drove to Halifax Victoria General Hospital.

Zac was still in a coma, and Sherri and Darren were in tatters and very glad to see the reinforcements arrive.
We left the hospital around 1 pm to check in at the lodge we were staying in and get some sleep. 3 hours is better than nothing. So we managed to sleep from around 2 pm until 5 pm up again, walk over to the hospital, leave and search for food. Decided on the grocery store for quick warmups in the microwave and back to the lodge......Now that is another story completely. In the end we did get our food heated and we had supper. Bed came early for me.....around midnight. At last, a bed and sleep.......

Today, Wednesday, there is no new news but I will keep posting as it comes in.

I am off to the hospital, to meet up with April and Sherri. I shall return with, hopefully, better news later today.