Day 8 - Part 2

Hi everyone,

We did head out to Muir Woods after the hospital today.  Stanford isn't in San Francisco - it's in Menlo Park, about 40 miles south of San Francisco and closer to San Jose.  Muir Woods is about 10 miles north of San Francisco in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  I say all of that because when we left Menlo Park it was sunny and when we arrived at Muir Woods it was cloudy, colder, and drizzling.  Not the best weather, but hey, we're troopers.  We parked, paid our admission, and went to...the gift shop!  Haha, just for a minute though.  We did the basic loop that dad and I had done on Saturday.  With the time change it was getting dark quickly and dad was getting cold and tired.  I took a bunch of pictures, but with the weather and being in a hurry not many of them were good.  I also shot a short video because I hoped it would do something of such beauty more justice and I want to be able to remember it forever.  I'll try to add it later.

Here is a photo of mom and dad standing on the path in a redwood grove.  Dad is 5'8 and a redwood can grow to be over 300 feet tall!

Like I said before, Muir Beach is only three miles away from the woods and you can drive or hike there.  Dad and I kind of wanted to drive down there for a minute, just to say we had seen it, but all of those hairpin turns down the mountain to the parks scare mom to death and she didn't wan't to be driving around there in the dark.  It was just as well given the unrelenting weather.

We talked to David on the drive back and were glad to hear that his big engineering test went pretty well today.  He says things are okay at home.  Overseeing grandma care is a stressor for him, but he and Nicole seem to be managing.  Mom boarded Hedwig, Oscar, and Winnie at the vet.  So that just leaves Arthur at the house.  Hedwig and Oscar are sort of a pair so it made sense to send both of them.  Hedwig hates it but Oscar is really laid back.  Winnie starts crying in the car as soon as you reach a certain intersection near the vet's office and will have to be pried off of you, but she usually adapts after a bit.  Arthur did okay at the vet the first time we boarded him, when we had only had him a couple of months, but after he really became attached to us leaving him was much harder.  He'll flip his bed and hide under it hissing, biting, and scratching anybody who comes near.  Last time we left him they didn't take very good care of him because he was so difficult and he ended up sick.  So, we left him with David and Nicole.  David said that Arthur has moved in under the couch in the family room, which is what he usually does when he is sick, and only comes out when they are home.  He's been an upset baby.  Poor thing.

On our way back into San Francisco we made an executive decision to stop at Buckeye Roadhouse for dinner.  We didn't know anything about it except that when we had passed it after going to Muir Woods the first time it had been packed.  We've been trying to eat and do things that are free or cheap since the total treatment and travel expenses are probably going to be astronomical, so this was a treat.  First of all, the place is gorgeous.  Lots of dark woods and leather, a large stone fireplace, and decorated for fall.  Dad had said he wanted a nice sit down meal where he could relax last Saturday when we went to get mom and that didn't work out.  So I'm glad he was able to have something nice on the night before surgery.  He ordered ribs which came with maple mashed sweet potatoes and coleslaw.  Mom and crab cakes.  I had a crab cake sandwich with garlic fries (healthy, I know!)  Then we had coffee and ordered one dessert to share - S'more Pie.  It's supposed to be the local favorite and it was featured on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Food Network.  The waitress said that Tyler Florence picked it and that he eats there all the time.  So that's a pretty good endorsement.  And it is good.  Everything, right down to the hamburger buns, are homemade.  Was the pie the best thing I ever ate?  Well, no, it wasn't.  So if you go there maybe you should try the baked lemon pudding with blueberry sauce.  That's our waitresses favorite dessert.  It turns out that the restaurant is also a bit of a historical landmark.  It opened in 1937 along with the Golden Gate Bridge and some of the decor and building materials are remnants of the original Golden Gate Bridge.  Pretty darn cool.  So if you are ever in the area check them out.  You won't regret it.  We had a lot of calls from friends and family while we ate.  I know dad appreciated them, but it probably also made the impending surgery more "real."

He was stressed and tired as we drove home and made a wrong turn.  We ended up crossing the bridge three times and the southbound toll is $6.  We tried to get out of paying it the second time and they said they were going to bill the rental car company.  Whatever.  We have bigger problems right now.  Dad barely made it home driving he was so tired.  I probably should have insisted on taking the wheel.  Bob says that dad will likely feel significantly better and more energized - even before he leaves the hospital.  I can't imagine what it would be like to wake up with complete blood flow to your brain after having it constricted for a long time.  More oxygen, more glucose, more everything.

Mom and I dropped dad off at the hotel and ran over to CVS to get a contact case for me.  I just can't wear them for days on end.  It's too hard on my eyes.  We also picked up a little chess and checkers set.  Dad and I are going to play chess in the hospital.  I need to learn so I get a fancy "Wizards Chess" set like his.

Well, I'm the only one left up and it's about 11:30 pm California time.  We have to get up at 4 am and be at the hospital at 5:15 am.  They changed our time.  I've got our stuff packed and ready so getting out should be fairly easy.  Remember that surgery is at 7:30 am our time and should be done by 2:30 pm.  I'll likely be posting real time updates on Facebook and blogging when I can.  I don't think he will mind if I take the computer to the hospital again.

I guess I better get showered and hit the sack.  Talk to you all tomorrow.

Love,

Rocketgirl