I've been out of the hospital for awhile, and should let you guys that I've been paroled. I thought I'd be back at the gym by now, and skiing next week, but things are moving a bit slower than I'd expected. I did make it to the Portland show last weekend, but I'm glad I have a bit more time til the next show. This old dog is stll a bit gimpy. The bills are starting to show up. The projected total is so large that the concept of ever paying it off is really beyond my comprehension. I'm not quite sure how things are going to shake out, but I'll post updates occasionally.
Since I haven't been out and about much, I don't have any new pics, so this seems like a good time to launch a series that I've been comtemplating -- Around My Neighborhood. I live in an area that has little zoning control, so I've been taking pics of some of the more unusual, i.e., eccentric, results.
This is a mailbox.

New nose tube, new nightgown, same problem. As soon as I ate something, the abdomonal pains started again, so I'm back in hospital for a little surgery. At least I'm in Spokane this time...but I'll be missing the show in Indianapolis this weekend :-(

Nothing like a week in hospital with a tube up your nose to really bring out that youthful glow LOL.

We were on our last leg of the loop through California...Family visited, Adrien retrieved, taxes prepared, Vallejo show over, and we were on our way to Fort Bragg....but somewhere around Santa Rosa, I started getting stomach cramps. We got to Fort Bragg, but things didn't improve in the night, and I was admitted to the hospital the next morning for a blocked intestine. YUCK! Nope, it just couldn't be something delicate like Nichole Kidman's tuburculosis in Moulin Rouge. I had to list burps and farts as "positive" events in my day :-(. Well, they finally shoved enough gunk down that tube to declare clear passage, and they let me out. Creighton and Adrien used foam and sleeping bags to turn the Escape into an ambulance,

and we made the Great Blast back home this weekend -- 19 hours driving for Adrien. We were so lucky to have him along! It was a long and unpleasant week, but it's over, and I'm getting better each day.
Sorry that I missed the Albuquerque show and the classes at China Phoenix 2, but I'll be re-scheduling the classes ASAP.

-Linda