In Marion, NC

We have been busy since last post. We had a beautiful drive to Winston-Salem, overnighting near Knoxville where we topped off our fuel and propane. The trip over the Smoky Mountains was breathtaking with all the spring scenery at its best. We spent 2 weeks at the Fleetwood Travelcade Club Rendezvous there. I was in charge of Radio Talk-in and assisted with parking to keep me occupied till starting time. As usual a great time was had with the activities there. Unfortunately, Loretta still isn't back to her old self and didn't feel up to participating in some activities. However, we did take the bus tour to Mayberry (Mt. Airy). re we viewed much of the area where Andy Williams was born and raised. In fact, I got a haircut at Floyd's Barber Shop. Although much of the TV Program scenery was copied from this area, all filming was done in Hollywood.

On the first Friday I took Loretta to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital for her lab tests. A very large hospital, but the personnel were the greatest. These were supposed to be faxed to her doctor immediately. However almost a week later, the doctor was still waiting for results. So I contacted the hospital and got that straightened out. Monday we got the good news that Her protein levels are now near normal range and her medication is being reduced. This results in her starting to both sleep and feel better. She is beginning to participate more in activities.

Last Sunday after church service, we moved to Tom Johnson RV's rally park here in Marion. The regional Roundup of the Travelcade Club is being held here. Again, there have been Fun, Food and Fellowship activities. Many of the attendees were also at the Rendezvous, but much better to visit in a smaller group. I went on one of the tours also, but Loretta was not up to that either. Yesterday I took her to the local hospital for lab tests. This facility is located on the side of a mountain with another of the great area views from the parking lot. Again great folks there, and they take samples in the lab so there shouldn't be any mix up this time. Hopefully, results from these tests will show continued improvement.

The roundup is now winding down, and tomorrow after church service we will be heading back to Tennessee, and plan on making a few stops before return to Circle P Farm.

GOD Bless
Andy and Loretta
Andy@W2UCZ.com

Getting ready to move on

Well, it seems we have good news. Apparently the Cyclosporine that has been prescribed for Loretta is doing the job. She saw the doctor on Friday and got the report that the protein in her urine is now down to 114mg. They are pushing for zero, but hoping for 70 or under. But the Prednisone dosage will be dropping every couple of weeks and in about 2 months plans are to have her off completely. So we are expecting the unwanted weight will soon start to come off and she will start to sleep better. The doctor says she should walk, which is difficult to get her to do.

My head recovered well from striking the table, but not sure that the table did, HI. Sharon's monitor continued to act up, and a discussion with EMachines resulted in a new being sent to her then hers goes back to them for repair. So hopefully that is now straightened out. She also had a problem viewing pictures in her emails, this turned out to be a minor change in the way emails are displayed which I changed for her.

Loretta has felt up to going to church every week we have been here this time, although she opted out of Sunday School the first couple of weeks and didn't feel up to going in early for the 4th Sunday breakfast before church. This is some improvement over a short while ago.

Tomorrow we head for Winston-Salem, NC for a Fleetwood Travelcade Club rendezvous. I am in charge of the Radio talk-in there and also have been asked to assist the parking group. So we are arriving early to prepare and assist members as they arrive. We are looking forward to a great rally, and barring something unforseen will follow that by attending a regional Travelcade Club rally in Marion, NC. This will be at the same park that we attended our first Avion rendezvous in 1995.

There have been several birthdays here this time (including both of ours) so we have been doing some dining out to celebrate those - of course, we don't need to celebrate so have been checking out some of our favorites and O'Charley's has opened one in Columbia. Two of our favorites also have wi-fi access points. So I have been taking advantage of that as cell phone and dial-up connections here are really quite poor. As usual, there has been a few honey dew and preventative maintenance jobs to keep from becoming too bored also. I was approached by Sharp Transport as a possible part time driver also, however their insurance company required 1 year over the road experience in the past 3 years. I was long past that, so won't be working for them.

This afternoon, we were invited down the road to Loretta's son and his family for Easter dinner and visit. It sure is beautiful in this area in the springtime with the hillsides in bloom and the trees and meadows turning green. However, the past 3 nights we have had temperatures in the upper 20's and in fact on Friday evening we saw light snow in Columbia. BRRRRR. The weather is supposed to warm up in the next few days, so we look forward to nice travel weather.

Guess that gets us up to date.
GOD Bless
Andy and Loretta
Andy@W2UCZ.com