Things Are Winding Down

Almost 75 years old! Just last month I was 27, with dreams of marriage and a happy family. Last week I was 50, widowed and facing diabetes. Yesterday I was retired, comfortable in controlling diabetes and having a ball cruising the San Juan Islands in a small boat. And today I'm on dialysis three days a week in a battle against kidney failure. Things are spiroling down, and that is as it should be. Good Lord, I'm almost 75!

There have been good times and bad; I choose to remember the good. Some of these good things are --

Growing up in a wonderful family. My father and two of his brothers had a construction company, Goodfellow Bros., Inc., in Wenatchee, Washington. Dad was away a lot, but when he was home he always had time for his wife and kids. His family came first with him. Mom gave up her career as a newspaper reporter to marry him, and never looked back. As with Dad, her family came first. My sister Elizabeth, my brother Bert and I were the beneficiarys of this. Donny, Bert, Betty (Liz), Dad and me. about 1939

Mom, Bert, Liz, about 1934

Winning the right lady. Janet Kay and I grew up together. In fact, we often shared a play pen while my parents and hers played bridge. We were best friends for 27 years before our marriage. The picture shows her in 1982, on vacation in Hawaii. We were married in 1961, and this was our first major vacation. Thank God we had that time! She became ill two years later, and passed away in 1985. Janet Kay was a lady of grace, talent, courage and accomplishment. During World War II she was honored by President Roosevelt, Lou Costello and a popular radio comedian whose name I don't remember for her prowess in selling war bonds. They each presented her with a $100 war bond. She was 10 years old. During the last year of her life she battled her illness with courage and grace, secure in her faith. After 23 years of widowhood I still miss her, but thank God for the time we had together.

A wonderful daughter. Gretchen (who now prefers the name "Romilly") has been everything one could hope for in a daughter, a lady I am proud of and who I love beyond words. The picture shows her in the cuddy cabin of our 21-foot sailboat, "Harvey-Go," about 1979. Her K-9 friend is Muffin, a German Shepherd devoted to family and to sailing. An equally terrific son-in-law. Carey is family-oriented, of strong moral values and obviously in love with his wife. What more could I ask for? If I ever get a picture of him, I'll add it here.

A great career. I loved technical writing, and did it for 40 years, with a few excursions into other lines of work.

Hobbies that kept my brain and my bod alive -- hunting, fishing, black powder shooting, boating, desktop machining, computing, off-road 4-wheel driving, and a short but fun period with motorcycles. Most of these things are discussed in other areas of this website.

There were some bad times, as there are in everyone's life. But even these had some positive elements.

The very worst for me was the loss of my wife to lung cancer. She fought it for a year and a day, with good days and bad. The bad days made the good ones that much better, for they helped us to appreciate them. Her loss in 1985 was the blackest day of my life, but her courage and faith during that last year was an inspiration that remains with me still.

My brother and I had a portable asphalt plant and rock crusher in the late '70s. We were doing fine, paving Forest Service roads in Western Oregon, when the lid came off petroleum prices. Asphalt is a petroleum product, and its price went sky-high overnight. There was no escalation clause in our contract, and we went broke in a matter of days. The good side? We proved to each other that we could trust each other without qualification. My marriage and my partnership with my brother had one thing in common: the first priority was the other partner's well-being.

We went down again, in a partnership in a printing company. We were too old for this, and had too little experience in offset printing. Going into it was a mistake. Illness had a part in that business going down, but basically we did not have the experience needed to make it work. But again, the good side of it was the relationship with Bert.

Loss of my brother. Bert died a few years ago, of prostrate cancer. He maintained his good humor to the end, and left a family that loved him and honors his memory.

When I came down with diabetes, I didn't know what was happening. I knew I was sick, but thought I could wait it out. I got sicker by the day with all the classic symptoms of diabetes, but was unable to recognize that this was a serious illness. One day my sister came to visit. She took one look and hustled me off to Harbor View hospital in Seattle. According to the doctors there, I was just hours away from checking out. Liz saved my life then, and has kept on saving it to this day. After several years back on the job in Southern Washington and California, I retired to her home in Washington, and lived with her for four years. The last year was precarious, as kidney failure brought on scary bouts with weakness, fainting and too many calls to 911. Liz, six years older than I, was a pillar of strength, handling emergencies with skill and good humor. But the situation was taking its toll on her. Finally, Liz, my daughter Gretchen and I agreed that it would be better if I lived closer to Gretchen, where she could "keep an eye" on me.

The only question remaining was how I would make the move from the West Coast to North Carolina. Everyone wanted me to sell my pickup truck/travel trailer and fly out. But I was darned if I was going to take my last trip across the country in a flying sardine can. I insisted that I would drive across, towing and living in the trailer, and stopping along the way to take in the sights. And so it was. The rest of this page documents that trip.

The Big Move In April of 2008 I moved from Edmonds, Washington to Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina to live near my daughter and her husband in that town. I drove there in a 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck, towing a 23-foot Thor Wanderer travel trailer, in which I camped along the way. Previous to making the move, I shipped most of my possessions in a container, which arrived in North Carolina before I started my trip. Those goods are in storage, awaiting my finding an apartment. The truck and trailer were loaded with those things I had to have available before retrieving the things I shipped. The trip was a logistics challenge, because I had to schedule dialysis along the way. Once I had the route planned with proposed stops for dialysis, the dialysis center in Lynnwood, Washington set up appointments for me in Bozeman, MT; Rapid City, SD; Peoria, IL; Roanoke, VA; and Fuquay-Varina, NC (my new home for dialysis). Once those appointments were confirmed, my route and schedule were "locked in," for if I fell behind all appointments would be void, and missing dialysis could be hazardous to my health!

(Actually, the various centers probably would make adjustments to accommodate me.) I planned a leisurely trip, with time to smell the flowers along the way, and this made the whole adventure a fun thing. Note that this was my third road trip to North Carolina. The first was the Southern route, from Los Angeles, driving a U-Haul truck for Gretchen on Interstate 20. The second was the "middle" route, on Interstate 70; and this one, the Northern route, on Interstate 90. The Northern route was the most interesting, with the middle route a close second. The Southern route sucks.

I kept a day-to-day journal of the trip, with a few gaps when I forgot to make the day's entry. The following drivel is a transcription of that journal. Note that I made entries late in the day, which accounts for (occasional) lapses in spelling and grammar. Normally, my use of the language is impeccable! <g>

Saturday, April 12, 2008
Finished packing the truck & trailer. Brian disassembled the desk, so it fits easily in the truck's bed. Got to bed about 10. Slept in the trailer.

Sunday, April 13, 2008
Up at 5:00. Had bacon & eggs in the trailer. Brian, Dick & Lynnette, Tom and Trenton arrived at 7:00 to hook up the trailer for me. I could have done this, but I had dialysis late the previous evening, and the fistula access wound was too fresh. Was afraid the exertion might start bleeding. They made a party of it, and then escorted me through Seattle and onto I-90. (Following this entry is a private note concerning some financial aid they felt would be helpful and they all chipped in to provide. I could have made the trip without that help, but it would have been strictly business, with no stops to smell the flowers. Is this a great family, or what?)

Pulled in at Riverside Inn (Alberton, MT) at 7:00 pm. Full service RV park for $25.00. Filled water tank and voided black and gray water. Had restaurant dinner. No more of that this trip! Too much food and too much money! Now that I have shore water and power, I'll take a shower before bed. It is now 9:30. I'll be in bed by 10:00.

Tuesday, 4/15/08
Woke up at 8:30 to alarm clock. 2" snow on ground, and still snowing! Called Gretchen. Had nice talk. She is looking for apartment for me. Cleaned up trailer (somewhat) after breakfast.

Gretchen called me about 11:00. Dialysis center had called her because they didn't have my cell phone number. Asked that I call them to reschedule dialysis. Called them

& rescheduled for 2:30 - an hour earlier than previously scheduled. Good deal. Trailer's battery is weak. Maybe replace it here at Wal-Mart. (Did it) It has stopped snowing and roads are bare and wet. Hope I can get out of here tomorrow on schedule, with no snow. Snow resumed about 10:30. Total 4". Drove to dialysis center in snowstorm. Visibility limited, but roads clear & wet. Dialysis 3 to 6:00 pm. Back to Wal-Mart. Had dinner about 8:00 pm. Snow stopped, but more forecast tonight. To bed about 11:00 pm.

Wednesday, 4/16/08

I forgot to make this entry yesterday, so am doing it today (Thursday, 4/17) and probably will miss some stuff. I had intended to go to Cody, Wyoming (Yellowstone Park) but a road sign advertising the Custer battlefield convinced me to stay on I-90 to Sheridan. Spent 2 hours at the battlefield, then went on to Sheridan. That put me 100 miles ahead of schedule, making it an easy 200+ miles to Rapid City Thursday. Sometimes things work out in spite of us! The picture at right shows the monument on the top of the hill at the Custer battlefield. It lists the names of those who died in the "last stand." Many were killed before that, and are not listed on this monument. Underneath the monument are the bones of the horses that died there,

most killed by their riders, who used the bodies for protection against incoming fire. Went to bed about midnight after a good time with the internet. Temp dropped to 24 degrees during the night, but I slept warm.

The headstones above mark where the soldiers' bodies were found.

The photo above is their actual burial place, This is located in the wooded area shown in the picture at left.

Thursday, 4/17/08
Got up at 8:00 and was on the road at 9:00. Fascinating countryside, took lots of pictures "on the fly," as terrain went from rugged mountains to prairie. Butch Cassidy/Sundance Kid country! This is Black Hills country, so named for the color of the soil.

Arrived Rapid City at 3:00, and called the dialysis center here to confirm my appointment tomorrow (2:00 pm). Dropped off the trailer at the Lazy J RV park, and drove 25 miles to Mt. Rushmore, where I wandered through the park and took pictures of the sculptures.

The entrance to the Mount Rushmore park. The columns with the flags represent each state of the union. At right is a bust of Gutzon Borglum, who sculpted the presidents. The bust was done by Borglum's son.

Rapid City is a tourist gold mine. I'd like to spend a couple of weeks here and explore. Gold mines, Crazy Horse Information Center, Sitting Bull Information Center, caves, etc. The little town of Keystone is a combination "old west" town and tourist trap that in itself would need a couple of days to explore. In fact, the whole area is a tourist trap, but the bait is well worth getting trapped for!

According to the local write-ups, this is where the plains Indian wars started. The pesky redskins were unhappy that we were killing off all their buffalo. Can't imagine why they didn't like that - they only needed the buffalo for food, clothing, shelter - stuff like that. Then prospectors found gold in them thar hills and thousands of them flooded in to muck around in Indian land, and this really pissed them off. They started beating their drums and knocking off an occasional prospector, which in turn ticked off the Great White Father, who in his wisdom sent one George Armstrong Custer and others to round them up and ship them out. For some reason the Indians thought we were supposed to honor our treaty with them - after all, the water still flowed and the grass still grew and the treaty was supposed to last until that situation changed. So at the Little Bighorn they let the good general know that they were unhappy with the change in plans, and bye and bye the general was not too pleased either. There was a happy ending, though, as descendents of the survivors on both sides are now making good livings in the tourist trade. War is good for business, once the killing's over!

Arrived back at the RV park about 7:00. Had dinner then tried to get online. My laptop can't find the WIFI management says is here, so I worked on this journal instead. Hopefully I'll get online soon.

After dinner I worked on an email to ship out if and when I get online. It's now past midnight. Luckily, I can sleep in tomorrow!

Friday, 4/18/08
Got up at 9:00, and after breakfast went to an RV shop to get a new load leveler locking clip to replace one lost on the road. They didn't have the right size, and after screwing around looking for one I ran out of time, so went for my 2:00 pm dialysis appointment. Got back to the trailer about 7:00 pm, and found the outside shower had broken and dumped all my fresh water. Luckily, it dumped outside the trailer. But now I have no water - none for washing dishes, showers, or toilet. Will take the trailer to the RV shop tomorrow (if they work on Saturday). If they can fix it fast enough and cheap enough, good! Otherwise, I'll do without. Dialysis schedule rules! Probably the shower froze in that 24-degree night in Sheridan.

Saturday, 4/19/08
Got up at 6:30 & had breakfast. Hauled water in pans for dish washing and toilet. Started out at 8:00, but stopped at park manager's office to see if he had something that would work as a leveler locking pin. He did, and gave it to me no charge. I mentioned my plumbing problem & he called a friend who repairs RVs. The guy came out and capped the shower. $97.00. I figure that was a bargain, considering it was Saturday (his day off) and he made a special trip to fix it on-site. I didn't have to go to him.

Finally on the road at 10:00 am.

Missed the I-29 exit at Sioux Falls because of some confusing construction. Didn't know I was off-course until I saw a sign that said, "Welcome to Minnesota." Oops! Lost an hour getting back on track. Pulled in to a KOA campground in Sioux City at 9:00 pm in the dark. Had dinner and made this entry. Now to bed.

Sunday, 4/20/08

Up at 7:30, on way at 8:00. Opted for restaurant breakfast on way. Forgot to complete this day's entry, and since my short-term memory is not as good as it used to was, this entry will be a short one. Did I say my short-term memory is not as good as it used to was? Anyway, I went on past Cincinnati to an RV park near Lexington, Kentucky. Most beautiful park I've seen so far! Room for over 200 RVs, plus space for tent campers but laid out for some privacy. The whole grounds are a well-manicured lawn - acres of it! Yet the place was the least expensive RV park I've stayed at to date, at $23.00. The park is intended for the horse racing crowd, especially owners, with race horse exercise areas, stables, etc. What gorgeous animals! While registering, I mentioned to a local that this had to be one of the most beautiful areas I'd seen on my trip. He positively glowed, as if he were personally responsible for the appearance of the

Lexington area and that park in particular. To bed at 9:00 for an early start tomorrow.

Monday, 4/21/08
Up at 7:00, had breakfast & a shower and hit the road at 9:00. Trip was uneventful, except passed through some of the most beautiful country I've seen to date. Kentucky - at least the part I saw (Lexington ' east) has the appearance of a well-maintained golf course or a well-manicured lawn. The grass is bright "Technicolor" green, and is everywhere. The road is as smooth as if it were brand new, and I saw no litter anywhere! Could the $500 fine for littering have something to do with it? Lots of road work in W. VA and VA. Arrived Roanoak 5:30 & found the dialysis center. Programmed it as HOME for the GPS & went looking for a place to stop. Could not find an RV park, so settled for Wal-Mart. This means I will take the trailer to dialysis & park on the street. Dialysis 6-10. I should be on the road before noon, headed for destination (last stop). To be sure of making my 6 a.m. appointment, I must get up at 3:30 to allow for breakfast & a shower. G'nite!

Tuesday, 4/22/08
Up at 3:30. Had light breakfast & sponge bath, & took off for dialysis at 5:00. Arrived there at 5:30 & parked w/trailer on the street. It appeared to be a tough neighborhood & I was worried about leaving it unattended, but no problem.

Left at 11:00 after dialysis, headed for Fuquay-Varina, hoping to find an RV park along the way. No luck. Arrived F-V about 4:00, called Gretchen & she gave directions to a campground at Jordan Lake, & met me there.

Trip over at 3,365 miles.

Note: I missed 2 days somewhere in there. This entry should have been Thursday, 4/24/08.

Friday, 4/25/08

Got up at 10:00, well rested. Left the phone in the car last night for recharging, so missed Gretchen's and Carey's calls this morning. Gretchen came out at noon, and took me to lunch. I'll stay here for a couple more days while we look for better interim digs. Awning damaged. Probably from trees in Liz's driveway. Had difficulty deploying it, as aft end cover was broken and bent, jamming the roller. Broke the cover off and deployed the awning. Dumped my waste water & disconnected trailer. Good for several days now, except probably will need propane soon. Air conditioner keeps things comfortable, even in this hot, muggy temp. What will I do when summer comes? (g)

My home for two weeks. A lovely place to camp!

Saturday, 4/26/08
Dialysis at Fuquay-Varina 10-2. Arrived at Gretchen's place 2:30 for lunch. They took too much water at dialysis & I felt punk. Carey had arranged for a storage unit, so Gretchen & I emptied the truck. I think I'll need a bigger unit when I add the contents of the pod. The job completely exhausted me, though Gretchen did most of the work. I simply could not do it. Went back to campsite & burned the excess cardboard boxes. Just as I finished a rain storm came & put out the embers. To bed at 9:00.

Sunday, 4/27/08
Up at 9, had breakfast & was at Gretchen's place at noon. We went looking for another campsite, as this one is limited to 2 weeks & has no on-site sewage. Also, they lock the gate at 8:00 pm, which kind of cramps my style. Found an RV park in Selma for $499/month. Full service, with laundry & clean showers available. I'll stay there until I find an apartment - 1 to 6 months waiting list for the one I want. Move there 5/4.

Returned to camp at 7:00, and am writing this in the middle of a violent thunder/lightning & rain storm. Carey & Gretchen came out to return the cell phone I'd left in her car.

Tomorrow I'll dump some more stuff in storage, to make more room in the trailer. A local couple out walking stopped by to chat. The man offered to give me a hand when it's time to hitch the trailer - next Saturday. I'll move to the new park Sunday, May 4. Now for dinner! Oops! The starboard propane tank ran dry. Switched to port tank, which is almost empty, I think. Will replace the starboard tank tomorrow, and the port one when it runs dry. Not bad, 2 weeks operation on one tank, with the furnace on a couple of nights.

At Home in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina

So that was the big move. Now I'm firmly ensconsed in a cozy one-bedroom apartment in Fuquay-Varina, making a little money on the internet (with hopes for more), having dinner once or twice a week at my daughter's home a mile away, looking forward to trying out the local pistol range and to some bass fishing. Life is still good!

My new home

Cheers!