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Hello again, fellow travelers,

Our first view out our window.

We arrived safely back in Petersburg on the morning jet Tuesday, April 24.  After being away for 102 days (who's counting), to say it was great to be home is an understatement.  Being met at the airport by friends bearing flowers, escorted home by neighborhood friends, and finding more baskets of fruit and flowers on our doorstep, added to the wonderful feeling of relief at finally being home.  All of this reinforces our feeling that Petersburg is undoubtedly the most caring community on the planet.

That it was such a beautiful day to arrive home was the icing on the cake.  When we first looked out over the glassy-smooth sound, we saw a small pod of harbor porpoises cruising by.  On the first two evenings home, while eating dinner, we watched whales feeding out in front of the house.  This morning is a bit drizzly, but the clouds create a comforting tapestry of shapes and colors, much like a soft quilt, over the mainland.  The lingering mist of whale blows, much like little geysers, appear and disappear against the dark backdrop of Horn Cliffs.  To top it off, there is a beautiful, nearly transparent, iceberg on the beach.  Where else in the world could one enjoy all of that natural beauty in one location from the comforts of home?

The travel itself took more of a toll on me than I expected.  We had to leave Hillsboro at 2:00 a.m. (AK time) in order to catch our shuttle flight to Seattle to make the morning jet to Petersburg.  We had a ton of luggage plus a "fish" box, with some organic chicken and free range beef, to load and unload.  Lugging carry-ons up and down long concourses felt like a much bigger chore than usual.  I was totally exhausted by the time we got home.  The first order of business when we got in the door was a long nap, but after two days and two decent night's sleep, am still feeling tired.  I'm glad we waited three weeks to recover from treatment before making the trip home.  Perhaps it would have been better to have waited even longer.  

Our last visit with Rowan

The rectal pain subsided enough last week that, after a full month, I quit taking Vicodin all together in the hope that I would have time to adjust prior to the trip home.  I did not experience any withdrawal symptoms from the narcotic, as such.  However, as predicted by our son-in-law, quitting the pain killers allowed me to feel a lot more of my "normal" accumulated aches and pains, which had been masked by the narcotic.  I can see how someone could get "hooked".  I'm also beginning to be able to identify more with the old saying that if you are over 65 and wake up without feeling some pain, you are probably dead.  It will take some time to fully readjust.

At the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

Cozy with our grandsons

Spending the extra time in Oregon allowed us to watch Rowan grow from a premature baby into a happy, interactive little guy.  He looks a bit down in the mouth in this shot, which we like to think is because he is sad we are leaving.  We will miss our daily visits with him and his parents very much.  During our last week in Oregon, our son, Matt, and his family flew in from Massachusetts for a visit.  It was great to catch up!  Six-year-old Caden has become a master Lego builder and a very charming young fellow.  What a treat to have both of our children and their spouses, and both of our grandchildren together, even if it was for way too short a time.  While Petersburg is still "home", our hearts are now definitely torn.

This entire experience has helped to make us realize what is really important in life and to cherish the many wonderful people who have been with us every step of the way all that much more.  Thank you is just not a strong enough word to express our profound appreciation for all of your support, prayers, and love poured out to us in so many ways during this journey.

Shalom,

    Barry and Kathy

Oregon dogwoods in full bloom