Busy weekend
Hello boys and girls and welcome for another (delayed though it might be) installment of “How is Merle Doing Today!” I’m your host…um…er…Merle, and well, let’s get to it.
I am in day 5 of my 2 month reprieve from hospitals and I have to say I’m a little lost as to what to do with myself. Actually, I have to come clean; I actually will go to the hospital a couple of times in the next 2 months, but that is to attend the pancreas cancer support group the first Thursday of each month.
Physically, I’m getting better and better each day. I have slowly built up my tolerance to running and am again running at 6mph again (I had been running closer to 7mph before all this fun stuff began, but when I went back to running a couple of months ago, I could hardly muster 5.5mph. I’m glad I’m getting my running legs back. It’s my goal to be able to run the Pancreas Cancer fun run in November. 
This weekend was particularly busy. As I have mentioned previously, I am on the training staff for this years WoodBadge program. We have had 4 staff development meetings and next week we start the real thing. Originally, I was tapped to be part of the logistics team (and I continue to function in that capacity), but I was also tapped to be the course photographer, too (which I love). So I’m looking forward to the coming weekend.
You see, on Day 2 of the training, the participants engage in an activity in which they make rockets out of coke bottles (they’ll be filled with water and pressurized and then “launched.” One of the staff members, though, has an airplane and while they are having the rocket lauchings, he and I (and maybe another staff member) will go to the airplane and I’ll get some aerial shots of the activity. Anywho, we flew the trip this past weekend and it was a blast. That was my first time in a Cessna (or any really small airplane) and it was way cool. I got some pictures of the fun!
Ross’s plane is named after his wife (I believe)
For some reason, Ross let ME fly the plane!
Me with Trixie after the flight. Did I mention it was way cool?
On the downside of things this weekend, I got some discouraging news about my Dad. As you will recall, he had surgery to treat his lung cancer last May. Well, over the past several months, he has had difficulty breathing, which, it turns out, was due to some pneumonia. Well, he and a bunch of other folk from the family went on a cruise this past week and on Saturday, my father was feeling so yucky that he ended up being taken off the cruise ship and admitted to a hospital in Nassau.
I talked with him today and he is due to be discharged either today or tomorrow (depending on when he and my step mom can get a flight out of Nassau. I suggested to my Dad that perhaps going into the hospital was a bit extreme for wanting to stay in the Bahamas. He agreed.
Okay, kids, it’s time for bed. In short, I’m okay. The family is okay. My dad, well, he’s working on being okay.
Hope you are okay…
Merle
Periodically I check in on your journey. It is thrilling to see you in the cockpit of the coolest plane with your fab hair in the wind. Keep on Flying!
Sorry to hear about your dad. Hope is feels better soon. Bummer he had to miss out on part of the cruise. I am so happy for you though. What fun! Love the little plane!