Lima

Since it is Christmas Eve, I thought I would post a picture of a manger scene from Peru. We were in Lima, and saw many different types of manger scenes - most tacky, some colorful and some, like this one, rather regal. This particular manger scene was in the government section of Lima.

However, do you notice that there is no baby Jesus?

I am not going to pretend to understand other cultures, let alone the catholic faith. I am a traveler, but mostly an observer of life, seldom a scholar. I have no idea why the cradle was empty, and my Spanglish is very, very limited.

In Lima there were several tours that were suggested by the cruise line, but none were set up for a disabled person. So we simply hired a taxi driver and asked him to take us to places he wanted to share. He took us to the old town center (I may have mentioned we like this) and the government center was in the old town. So was a museum that housed the bones of many, many, many dead people. For some reason, the monks that buried the bones, decided to divide the bones up by size. There were piles of femurs, piles of skulls and piles of hip bones. Pictures were not allowed, and neither was Dennis.

He was allowed into a museum, however, that had mummies on display. They had been preserved in the simplest of manners, with banana leaves and such. Here is a picture of a baby that was several hundred years old.

South America, in the ports we visited, does have a long way to in means of accessibility. But the people we met were kind and helpful. And that goes a lot further in my little book than almost anything else.

Dennis and Ann

The Local Loco

I am starting with this picture, because it comes attached with one of my favorite stories from our trip. Our last stop before the disembarking stop was La Serena, Chile. It is a small fishing village located in a bay. On the opposite side of the bay is a developing tourist area. We did not make it over to the tourist area - we usually prefer to hang out where the locals spend there time.

There were quite a few fishing boats that had docked before we arrived and the fish were cleaned and ready for sale. But several sea lions and pelicans were still looking for more entrails, bait fish and other assorted foods to fill there bellies. I don't think this little cutie has ever had to hunt for his own food.

Dennis wants to return to this earth as a pelican, so I had to include a picture of these guys too. Frankly, I think his karma is quite a bit higher than a pelican, but then again, maybe this is the easy life that he deserves next time. He has promised to come to me if he ever sees me on a beach somewhere out in this big old world. And I will call "Danielito" every time I see some pelicans, just in case.

After we finished taking in the scene, we entered the restaurant area of the village - all serving the catch of the day. I ordered a pisco sour for all of us because a person is not supposed to leave Chile without trying at least one, since it is the National Drink. It's a bit of a cross between a Daquari and a Margarita.

Then we ordered empenadas. Dennis and Raquel were not feeling so well, so they went for the cheese filling. I could not leave without downing some fresh seafood and I ordered one filled with the catch of the day. Out came a meal in a pocket - it was the size of two fists put together. It was delicious.

There was a single man sitting at a table behind Dennis and Raquel, but in my view. He started at us the whole time. Not a luring stare, or a curious stare, but a very menacing stare. He was talking into a phone and playing with his hair. He wasn't really eating, though he had food in front of him.

All of a sudden Dennis started chocking. I dashed out of my seat and started a Heimlich while Raquel and the table of people behind me pushed the table away and called for help. It was all over in a minute, and we went back to enjoying our food.

A few minutes later, the people at the table behind us began to leave. The woman spoke English and said she didn't want to scare us, but the man that had been staring at us was calling the authorities. He was ranting about how I was trying to kill my husband and he had witnessed the whole thing. The waitress came over and hid our pisco sours, trying to protect us in case the police did show up.

The dude then left the restaurant, and we paid our bill and left too.

We named him the Local Loco. Raquel and the waitress figured he was taking some sort of drugs. I think he was simply delusional. Whatever, we made it out safe and sound, and Dennis survived his latest chocking event.

It's nice to have my computer back!

Ann and Dennis

Hospise

We had a hospice worker come out an explain the process and the services offered by hospice. While we are not quite ready for hospice yet, we are getting close.

Dennis is barely breathing and has been having panic attacks lately. Other changes are coming at us rapidly. He no longer can walk in the hallway. He takes a half a trip around the table and that seems to be the end of it. Which has also led to a weeks worth of constipation. The walks have gotten him going for quite some time now, and we are relying more on drugs than the walks.

Yes, we are still going on the cruise and yes, we have great travel insurance in case something goes wrong. We know that we will need to take it very, very easy during this trip, but that is okay. I have new books for my Sony Reader and we can always find a seat in a covered deck to watch the ocean and world go by. I think I will spend sometime reading to Dennis - I will take along one of his favorite poetry books and the information we just received on hospice.

Life goes on, day by day. And, somehow, we remain happy and looking forward to tomorrow.

Until later,
Ann and Dennis

Another Vacation

I can't quite believe this, but we now have two vacations booked and ready to complete. Not only will we be cruising the Alaskan coast in late August, but we will also be visiting London in late September.

We have decided to travel, rest 3 weeks and travel again. I don't know how long our energy or bank accounts will hold out, but we will keep on until one or the other says stop already.

I have dreamed for years of retiring and traveling. Dennis and I had hoped at one time to buy a condo in Mexico and spend our winters there. While we are not interested in that anymore, we still want to be out and about with people in new and familiar places. I only wish airfare was at the price range it was when we first started out fulfilling our travel fantasies.

For those of you new to this blog, my sister and brother in law live in London. We used to be able to stay with them, but they have a typical 2 story English house. Dennis can no longer do steps under the best of circumstances, so we will need to stay in a motel. Finding an accessible hotel nearby was no easy feat, but thanks to my travel agent, we found one a few miles from Jane and Ralph.

Dennis is already dreaming up the next destination. Stay tuned, folks.

Until later,
Ann and Dennis

Retirement

I turned in my separation papers to Human Resources on Monday. I considered all of the options and retirement was the right decision for me.

I imagine I will work again. But for a while, I just want to spend time with Dennis. We plan to vacation this summer, as always, and then again in the fall. Nothing, other than me, makes Dennis happier than travel. As long as I do not have to go to work as soon as we return from a trip, I will be able to enjoy and relax as much as Dennis.

In between trips, I will have time to write, paint and plan my next career.

Looks like a win-win to me!

Until later,
Ann and Dennis

MSA, Travel, and Dining Out

Like everyone else in this world, when Dennis and I first met, we looked for what we had in common.* Travel was my number one priority, and I found that Dennis had the travel bug, too. It is still one of the most precious parts of our relationship.

Another passion we share is dining in good restaurants. We both like finding new and different places to eat and relax and have a good conversation. Add in a bottle of a good red wine and we were as happy as two clams.

Both travel and eating out have changed so drastically for us these past few years. Three summers ago, we traveled through Spain. Dennis was still able to walk (with a cane), eat anything and everything, and taste the wines in it's original state. He was still understandable, and we had many a day of great conversations over glasses of Malbec and Rioja while munching on Tapas.

Two summers ago, we visited Paris for 2 weeks. Dennis had been using a combination of wheel chair and walker for a few months, and we took his personal wheel chair along for the first time. He was still able to eat a good meal and drink that wonderful French wine. Let's not forget the desserts - he would eat at least one every day. Paris is a wonderful place to indulge, but it was becoming noticeable that accessibility was becoming an issue and travel would need to look different for the two of us.

We went to London that winter, and Dennis was in a wheel chair full time, and was having significant problems eating. He was still able to enjoy a glass of wine, but his energy level had greatly diminished. We ate fewer meals out, and spent more time at Jane and Ralph's home or in the hotel in London. Eating had become noticeably difficult - the drooling issues and swallowing problems were slowing his dining, some foods he couldn't chew and he seemed to be choking quite a bit. One evening in London we were out with Lola and we stopped for a bite. That was the night that we found out lettuce was problematic. Long story short, he couldn't swallow a piece of lettuce, choked and we all (quietly) panicked. Soon a doctor came over and a Heimlich Maneuver later, all was okay.

This summer we spent a couple of weeks in Ireland, and I knew that travel and dining would always be different for us from now on. Dennis drank all liquids threw a straw (yes, much to the Irish chagrin, even Guinness), with a chin tuck. It was necessary to chop up all of his food, and a nice, long dining experience started to become simply a long experience. By now, Dennis is using a wheel-chair full time it rained every time I needed to put Dennis into or take him out of the car. I was exhausted by the end of the trip, but willing to try another trip, once again.

Oh, there is more, but for now, let's just say that we will continue to eat out as often as we can, as long as it is before 2:00pm. We also are not ready to throw in the travel towel, but perhaps next time, we will take someone else along. Everything changes so fast, and everything gets more difficult, almost daily with this rotten disease.

Until later,
Ann and Dennis

*well, not like most everyone, but like most mature people

A New Conundrum

Dennis will be getting "fit" for an electric wheel chair on Friday. While I am happy about this, in so many ways, I am also concerned about the implications of this next step.

I know that the less he moves, the shorter his life becomes. Yet, an electric wheel chair will help him regain quite a bit of independence. He also has been very good about working out at the Courage Center weekly. Last week, he pumped legs, body and arms, 3 days.

Travel is still our passion, but how will an electric wheel chair impact our trips? Do rental agencies even stock accessible vans? And the airlines - how pissy will they be about an electric chair? Will they charge us an extra 3o dollars for mentioning the word? Then another 30 for scanning it by hand? And another 30 for the battery pack? And how do you charge a battery pack in another country?

Then there is the whole car business at home. Do we turn in our current leased car and purchase a new van? Or do we lease another Nissan Versa - it has proven perfect for folding up his manual chair and storing it in the back. It's also easy to get Dennis in and out of this car. But it definitely will not work for an electric chair.

In the meantime, we found the perfect computer communication devise today. It is being processed through insurance now, and will be built for him in the next week or so. In a couple of weeks, Dennis will be equipped with a new toy that will help him communicate in so many ways. I will look up the link and add it to one of my posts. It seems to be a dream come true for Dennis.

And soon we will be a 5 computer family. Some people collect pets, others surround themselves with children and grandchildren, and we have electronics. To each his own.

Until later,
Ann and Dennis

Cemeteries Around the World

Dennis and I are very good travel companions. On our very first trip, a wonderful week spent in Bermuda, we discovered that we both loved visiting cemeteries. Sometimes the cemeteries contain headstones that are fun to read. I remember a headstone in Scotland that rambled on about a man who deserved to die from the drink that killed him. We have stumbled upon cemeteries where everyone is buried above ground because the town existed below sea level. Hours have been spent reading and revering our fore-fathers in Boston.

In Ireland, the Celtic Cross dominated every cemetery we visited. Often, the nature of a cemetery made it impossible for Dennis to get a close look. He viewed the stones through the pictures that I took. I hope you enjoy viewing a few of them as much as we did.

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These crosses were in a large cemetery in Kilkenny.

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This one, while not Celtic, is very famous. It is St. Kevin's Cross. It is said that five visits to this site equals one visit to Mecca. At least that is what the literature stated.

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Until later,
Ann and Dennis