Back on Pacific Time

Ah ... there's no bed like home's.

Flying back was nothing out of the ordinary. United managed to screw up bags in Chicago by changing gates at the last minute, and we spent an extra hour in the plane as a result of it. That meant we got into Vancouver after public transit had ended. We took an airport taxi to New Westminster to the tune of $40. We didn't get to the apartment until 1:15 am.

The weather at 10C seems warm. (Indeed it is 20C warmer than we experienced for a week.) Fish and hamster are fine. I had checked the fish regularly from here while in New Hampshire.

Lots of catch up on with the computer, food, housecleaning, and getting ready for a brand-new batch of students tomorrow.


The rental car we turned in at the aiport didn't look quite
as good as when we rented it due to running on New Hampshire
roads in the winter.

Short and Sweet

We're up. We'll be visiting my dad, eating a big lunch, and getting on a United plane to Chicago at about 5:00. We should be back at YVR at about 11:00 tonight. I will add more information here on Sunday.

Boston or Bust

Maybe it's living out west where distances are far, or maybe it's just growing up, but everything in New England seems so close. Distances that I once thought were vast now don't seem so.

After breakfast this morning, we went one exit up 293 to I-93 south. We were in the center of Boston in 45 minutes. We exited right into the financial district. Parking underground Post Office Square was easy and allowed us to go up and walk around for a half hour. I don't think I've been as cold many times in my life. I guess it's because I didn't have a toque or gloves on. The wind was blowing off the harbor and down into the small streets. The sun was warming but generally the buildings hid it.



We were back a little after noon and stopped by a Subway restaurant.

We went up to the hospital later in the afternoon. Actually, we arrived as they were preparing meals. Dad talked a lot today but I'm not sure if he really understands the seriousness of his illness. He prides himself on his independence and it's going to be tough for him to fathom he's lost a lot of it.

Learning from One's Mistakes

I have a story from this morning that will probably move from being annoying to funny with the passing of enough time. We got going fairly quickly this morning. The sky was clear blue and the newly fallen snow was still pristine. Upon actually getting out of the hotel's front door we felt the nip. The wind was blowing at about 20 miles and hour with the temperature around 15F. It sure looked lovely though.

The snow on the car had to be scraped off. I opened the door and started the engine knowing that it'd be a while before things warmed up inside. We popped open the trunk to put a few things inside then slammed it shut. The snow and ice brushed off the car pretty quickly. Then, I tried to open the door and it had locked. This car automatically locks all the doors after a few minutes on the road. The car was running so it assumed we were on our way somewhere. We had only one key. It and the key chain were inside the running car. The heater was on full. The car was sealed shut.

I called the airport rental company as the airport is only a mile or so away. My car had Massachusetts tags and they had no other keys for it in Manchester. They suggested I call a tow truck company that opens locks. The tab would be my problem. I asked the front desk and got a phone number. I called and was told someone would be able swing by. During my second call, twenty minutes later, I was told it might take up to another hour. They were really busy digging and pulling cars out of ditches.

I went back out to the car. I happened to check how tightly closed the driver's side window was. I could push it down a half inch. So, I went to ask for a coat hanger and bend and turned. It was fairly easy to pull up the door locks in a few minutes. Why had we sat nearly an hour in the lobby? Surely, this whole incident will seem more humourous after a while.

For a few hours we drove around to see New England winter scenes. We ate at a buffet in Concord. In the afternoon, I dropped Jay off at the YMCA. He was able to use the facilities because of his Vancouver employee card. I visited with my dad in the afternoon. I was surprised to find him taking a nap when I arrived.

All This Way to Nap?

I think rugged New Hampshirites have become a bunch of wimps over the years I've been away. Today, there is a little storm brewing. It started snowing lightly around midnight this morning. Schools were called off. Many people didn't go to work today. The local TV channel is providing coverage on special edition programs. There's barely six inches on the ground! Maybe it's because they haven't seen a good nor'easter in a long while.

You do have to realize that it's 12:30 pm and we're just sitting in the hotel room though. We ventured out earlier and found the roads a little slick. In fact, I couldn't make it up the hill to the hospital where my dad is. We came back. Although the major arteries are kept clear, there's no place to go. Even driving around wouldn't be too much fun as the visability is so low. It looks like this is going to be a pretty boring afternoon.

Tuesday's News

It was bitterly cold out today. Well, 14 degrees Fahrenheit sure seems cold to me now, especially when the winds blow across my face or fingers.

Today, we didn't do much other than visit with my dad. Luckily, I happened there on the day when there was a patient meeting. In the board room, there were representatives from physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing. The case worker, and a clergy member were also present. Diane, arrived down for the meeting and dad himself attended.

It was good to be involved in the briefing.

Everyone was quite happy with his progress. Most stroke victims improvement comes within the first three months. After this initial period the progress may continue but at a slower and less noticeable rate. I was happy to hear that he really is quite mobile compared to when he arrived at the program here. We initially met him at the end of his occupational therapy where he was doing 'find the hidden word' puzzles. I don't think he ever really like that kind of thing when he was well. He's at a point where he forgets some recent things but older memories have returned and remain well intact.

His major concern is that he is not getting enough therapy as he wants to get well quickly and get out of there. Socializing with strangers doesn't strike him as a useful way to spend time. He'd rather be outdoors doing something.

Most reassuring was the fact they tentatively set another one of these sessions after three months. This means it'll be at least May before any sort of discharge or move is considered. Everyone seems extremely nice and very accommodating. The people present at the hospital seem to totally enjoy my dad's weird sense of humour.



(I'm keeping the posts stamped in Vancouver time, so you have to add an additional three hours to calculate when I was at the keyboard in New Hampshire.)

Racking Up a Few Miles

We're back at the hotel for a little rest. Last night we returned to the hospital and found my dad playing bingo. We chatted for a while then came back to the hotel with a little booty from a supermarket. After eating, we slept for about ten hours.

This morning, it was nice to shower and stumble down for a SuperStart PLUS breakfast. Then hearing that it was going to be mostly sunny, decided to drive around NH. There seems to be a big storm brewing that might dump quite a bit of snow on Wednesday. Therefore, it made sense to go today. I wanted Jay to see where I grew up. So we headed to Concord and walked around the State Legislature. Then we took I-89 to the exit for Sunapee. It didn't take much time to drive around the harbor, Lower Main Street, and out to Wendell. Well, the area used to be called Wendell back when there was a post office there. It's about 3 miles from town. Some things have changed but not a great deal. As Mt. Sunapee glistened so brightly we took a trip there and watched all the skiers sliding down the mountain, many of them on their butts.

After, we went to Newport but decided not to eat at Village Pizza although it was in the same place it was in the 1970s. The town's department store apparently couldn't compete with Claremont though as it was empty.

Then I thought rather than retracing any steps we'd go down Route 10 to Keene, NH. For another trip down memory lane, we went via Stoddard, NH. My grandmother had a summer cottage and as kids, we used to spend time there during summers. After finally getting into Keene, we stopped and walked around my old campus at Keene State College. It must be twice the size it was when I attended. Yet, come to think of it, I did start there 30 years ago this upcoming September! We ate a very late lunch at a Friendly Family Restaurant.

We came back via 202 and 101 to Manchester and were here before 5:00 pm.

We'll spend this evening with my dad. He seems to be in very good condition. There's no indication that his right side had been weak. He is pretty good at remembering things. I had no idea he knew how old I was even before any stroke. He told me I was 47. I suppose it's possible he did a little 'homework' before my arrival!

MHT: The Airport Code

The airport itself is really big nowadays. I recall having to pull off my own luggage and lug it into the terminal in the 1980's. Now the airport is enormous!

I'm typing this from the hotel in Manchester. Because we arrived here before 10:30 am, we couldn't check in directly. We drove around a bit. We discovered the location of the hospital and popped in already to see my dad.

We also drove around a little. We'd not eatten since Seattle unless you count the United pretzels. So, we found a Chinese buffet with lots of seafood. Upon returning back, we checked in and slept for almost three hours.

That's why it's 5:44 local time. We'll probably stop back to see my dad later this evening.

Ready, Set ...

I'm bored.

I thought getting ready was going to be such a rush as I needed to finish up my course yesterday. Yet, packing is finished although we started from scratch this morning. There's really not too much needed for a mere six nights. These other things have already occurred as well:

I cleaned up around the house and washed the sheets.

A few DVDs and have been copied and originals dropped back into the post.

I went to sit in the hot tub but had to get out after ten minutes as the temperature is set a bit too hot.

The fish have their ten day feeder and the hamster is stretched out in the tub with lots of food.

I set the timers on the satellite PVR so we don't miss any favourites.

My next entry tomorrow should be from the Super 8 in Manchester, NH. Although Vista is half installed on my notebook, I can still boot up in XP.

Today, Tomorrow, and Saturday

The end of a course is always hectic. This one is ever more so, as we'll be heading off on Saturday.

Today, my class will finish up their oral presentations. I have mentioned these many times in this blog. It is nice to sit and watch each student closely for ten minutes. This is something that rarely happens during normal classes.

Tomorrow, the three-hour final exam finishes at 5:00 pm. I will need to correct them and post final grades by Saturday at noon. We need to go to YVR in the afternoon in order to catch a 3-stop journey to New Hampshire.


In my mind, I still picture my dad as in this 20-year old photo. It
was taken when he came along on a cross-country car trip to Seattle WA
when I was attending grad school there. I am sure that seeing him in
the rehab hospital after last month's stroke, is going to be a bit shocking.