Author Archives: Sparky
A slow start, but a start
2020 has started slowly, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We skipped the New Year’s Eve dance and dinner and celebrated quietly at home. The theme of the celebration was “happy to be alive” because being alive at the start of 2020 is something that, for Jett, seemed unlikely back in May. My Genealogy … Continue reading
Hair!
Jett began losing her hair in June and it was pretty much completely gone by July 4 (though she never lost her eyebrows, for which she was very grateful). In early November her doctor told her that her hair might never come back; that she might be permanently bald. While that was not good news, … Continue reading
Christmas meals
I had two Christmas meals this year: the traditional Christmas dinner at the RV resort and lunch on Dec 26 with my son in Ocala. The Christmas meal was quite good – and free! We only had to bring a pot luck dish; the turkey and ham was provided by the resort. Jett didn’t come … Continue reading
Health status at the end of 2019
Jett still has cancer and it is still incurable and inoperable. But what nearly killed her in May is now, if not in remission, at least at bay. The evaluation testing done in MA and FL has been very positive. All tumors have shrunk. No one is making any promises or even venturing a prognosis, … Continue reading
Genealogical research status at the end of 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, my count of known American ancestors stands at 353, with 211 being immigrant ancestors. Jett’s counts are 556 and 330, respectively. There were no major breakthroughs this year, though I did change my opinion as to the identity of her Egan great-grandparents. A deep look at the Egans that … Continue reading
A minimalist Christmas
Jett and I will be in our RV, alone, on Christmas. There isn’t a lot of Christmas spirit in our “house on wheels” this year due, largely, to Jett’s health. Or lack thereof. But we are making a feeble attempt. Jett insisted that I pull the box of Christmas decorations out of the shed and … Continue reading
“End Game” by David Baldacci
Copyright 2017 by Columbia Rose Ltd. Published by Grand Central Publishing. This is the 5th book in the series featuring the one-man army named Will Robie. The book starts with Robie in London single-handedly wiping out a band of 16 terrorists. But he is on the outs with his equally-lethal girlfriend, Jessica Reel, who while … Continue reading
Travel doodling, national parks, monuments and memorials edition
I guess because the 11,600 miles needed to visit all 30 MLB ballparks was not a sufficiently large challenge, I looked for a larger one. Visiting all 46 national parks in the contiguous US (well, 50 if you include Dry Torgugas National Park, Channel Islands National Park and Isle Royale National Park which are accessible … Continue reading
Travel doodling, MLB edition
While the summer of 2019 was intense in terms of medical drama, it was light on time-consuming activities. No softball, not a lot of golf or disc golf. Few outings to restaurants, theaters or even family events. I had spare time on my hands and the travel bug ate away at me. So I devoted … Continue reading
Chancellorsville Battlefield (Oct)
The end of the year is approaching and I am going back through my photos trying to spot any posts that I should have made but didn’t. This is one – my brief stop at the Chancellorsville Battlefield on my way south with Rusty in October. We had to get both the dog and the … Continue reading