Have Pen and Camera, Will Travel: August 2019

It’s been hard to get back to writing the blog entries for several reasons. For one thing, we’ve taken no big trips to write about—some little ones, but nothing with photos to write home about. More importantly, health issues have taken priority. After two accidental falls (in Death Valley and Rio Grande Gorge, see previous posts) this spring, my legs and hips were giving me trouble enough that I thought I ought to talk to the doctor. His initial diagnosis was spinal stenosis—according to the Mayo Clinic, spinal stenosis is “a narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine.” Suffers of lumbar stenosis may experience pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness particularly in the lower back, legs, and feet. For me the condition means that walking very far (a block or two) gets painful to my hips, my legs get very tired (lethargic or leaden), and my feet tend to drag instead of lift as I step. This explains a lot about how difficult it was to tour in Scotland and play big courses. Golf, though, is a little better than just walking because relief comes from the frequent stops to hit the ball [Did I just say that the worse I played the easier it got?].

St Fillans GC, where we are members, was a relatively easy flat walk with only one hill. It's a great wee course whether I'm healthy or not.

Coffee shops or tea rooms gave me a needed break from walking.

Boat of Garten GC in the Highlands was hilly, but taking an electric trolley (electric hand cart to our American friends) made the course walkable.

Fraserburgh GC in the NE corner of Scotland was one of the links courses we played. The links courses seem to be easier to walk.

After a tough round I'd find ways to reward myself, like with homemade ice cream for dessert at Anderson's Restaurant in Boat of Garten.

Treatment for the condition at this point is fairly basic—pain relievers, which for me is tylenol, and physical therapy to stretch and strengthen back and leg muscles. Physical torture, I mean therapy, has been twice a week sessions with a professional therapist and a set of exercises every morning (Anne and I agreed that we can’t have coffee or computer until after we’ve exercised)—it’s been a 100% effective incentive except when we went camping. PT has also developed a set of exercises to do in the gym on the days I don’t play golf—now that’s a real incentive to get to the golf course. I can’t walk the course yet, but I’m working to get to where I can walk 9 holes, instead of taking the cart (buggy, to my Scottish family) like I do now.

All this has meant that traveling and the blog have taken a back seat to the gym and golf. I am now far enough improved that I can at least put together this post. Part one you’ve just read and part two is some summer photos I’ve taken from the activities we’ve been able to do. Hopefully the next post will have more interesting content (and less old age aches and pains banter) with some small trips in our future.

Summer Photos at Highland Games. We attended both the McMinnville Celtic Festival (four days after we got back from Scotland) and the Portland Highland Games. Both were exciting, fun, and exhausting.

Here Anne is in our booth at the McMinnville Games. This festival is especially fun since I went to college at Linfield (where the games are hosted) for four years.

At the Mac Games it was fun to watch Mark Wechter, one of my former students at Brookings-Harbor HS. He is now world champion in senior division and competes worldwide.

Anne rests as we set up at the Portland Highland Games (about our fifth time to attend). We're in the gym at Mt Hood CC in Gresham where the games are held.

Here our booth is fully set up next to Granny Fi's Shortbread stand--we had the smell of great shortbread next to us all day. At the games most of the vendors struggled with sales--all except Granny who sold out everything.

Family Gathering and Ankeny Hill Wildlife Preserve. In early July Anne's family had a gathering in Salem to celebrate Anne's sister's 50th wedding anniversary. Bev and Noel Stryker wanted to renew their vows with all the family present. It was a grand party and I even got away a couple of times to visit a nearby wildlife preserve.

The Anniversary Couple (Bev and Noel) with grandkids (Stavros and Alex).

Kevin Hoiland tended bar for the affair. He's an expert mixologist.

The Stryker-Tsangaris-Hoiland-Jones Clan(minus me, the photographer)

Hawk Hoiland, nephew Jon's favorite pal

At Ankeny Hill Wildlife Preserve are several ponds, and even though June is little late, there were still babies about.

At least I can identify these: bee and California poppy.

And I know these are some kind of thistle.

The Sisters Campout. For several years we've made it our tradition to camp out with Anne's youngest sister's (Charleen's) family in the Sisters, Oregon, area. The Hoiland gathering is a large clan (34 this year) with lots of trailers and motorhomes. This year was our first not to be in a tent--this was our maiden voyage with our new travel trailer, Morse the MiniMax.