August 4 2008

The photos below are of Joan checking out the fish for sale in a sculpture in Bergen. a quiet cove in Sweden, and a view from a fjord in Norway with the snow capped mountains in the background. I took no pictures on the ten day cruise on the yacht in New England but the days in Newport, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Province Town, New Hampshire and Maine were memorable, not to mention the lobster feasts! I'll return to Hawaii in two weeks. Long time away!

July 18 2008

     On June 13 Chris, Bob, Ryan and I flew to Copenhagen and drove from there to Guteburg, Sweden where the Florence Academy of Art opened a new school. Chris and Bob are on the board of the Academy, thus were asked to be present. We had a week in which we toured Guteberg with its art, historic buildings, parks, and fish markets. We also visited the scenic area about 20 or 30 miles north where we went to a watercolor museum and to an island with an old stone fort on its hilltop. There was one short street on the way to the fort  that was so steep Ryan insisted on carrying me up piggyback style.  

     The following week we flew to Bergen, Norway, where we had a couple of days to tour that city before we boarded a yacht to explore the fjords. It had long been my desire to see Norway so Chris and Bob planned this special cruise. The scenery is awesome! Every curve of a fjord presents another spectacular view of steep snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, picturesque small villages, isolated houses up the mountainsides so steep you can't imagine how one would get to them, etc. The cruise was one of "oohing" and "aahing"! We stayed on the yacht some nights and at times spent the night at lovely hotels at the edge of one fjord or another. Our captain was a charming man who played the accordion and entertained us with information about the area as he had grown up there and had worked on hydro-electric projects in the place where we spent our last couple of days. 

     Simon surprised us by showing up in Flam, a village near Sognefjord, and spent three days with us. We saw some truly gorgeous waterfalls and I can't really describe the beauty of the fjords. I'm simply grateful I was privileged to have this adventure. 

    Returning to Santa Barbara, I caught up with some business, got back on the chemo schedule and packed for this month's trip. I flew to Newport, Rhode Island to join Chris and Bob on Seafarer, their yacht. We have since cruised to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. We'll be heading for Provincetown at the end of Cape Cod and on to Maine where I'll leave them to return to Santa Barbara and get back on the chemo schedule. Will post pix soon!

Spring of 2008

Today's date is May 26. I am back in Santa Barbara. My last blog update was early in March, I believe. I had about six weeks in Hawaii, allowing me time to catch up on business (income tax included!) and to enjoy time with friends and relatives. My friend Clark Martin with his daughter and a friend visited for a couple of weeks. Simon and his lady, Julie. were with me several weekends.She is a wonderful companion for him and we are very fond of each other. Simon accompanied me on this last trip to Santa Barbara as he had never heard my grandson Nick sing professionally and wanted to attend the concert in Orange County when Nick had the lead tenor part. The performance was magnificent and we are all so proud of Nicholas. He and Kathleen will be on a singing tour of France and Italy in July with the John Alexander Choir.

Simon and I were also here in time to see Ryan play volleyball in the Southern California championship games. His team made the quarter finals with Ryan as the team captain. He is also one of the star players. His graduation will be June 11 and he has been awarded a merit scholarship at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business . Two days after he graduates from High school, we'll be off for two weeks in Sweden and Norway. Returning to Santa Barbara the end of June, I'll have two weeks here before joining Chris, Bob and Ryan on their yacht in New England. By then I should have posted another blog with the schedule for August and the rest of the fall.

On the cancer front, the chemo that worked so well seemed to have lost its efficacy as the tumor and lesions had grown a little and there was growth in a new spot in the lung. The doctor at UCLA has me on a new chemo which is proving to be very effective in fighting cancer. The drug is not yet approved for pancreatic cancer although it is approved and widely used now for breast cancer. The downside is that I have to go to LA once a week for about 3 months and I have to pay for the actual "drug" at the rate of $6000 a month. The upside is having favorable odds of keeping the cancer at bay. I am, as always, optimistic and positive. I'm feeling fine most of the time and having a wonferful life! There is so much for which to be thankful!.

Photo etc

Here we are in the new year. I spent the holidays in Hawaii this year, the first time in a long time I wasn't in California. I returned to Santa Barbara early in February and joined Chris and Bob on the "shakedown" cruise in Florida on the newest Emmons yacht. In the photo above,we were at a resort in the Florida keys, in the Jacuzzi on the top deck, drinking champagne. Chemo continues weekly and seems to be doing a good job of keeping cancer at bay. I'm feeling energetic, enthusiastic and healthy. What more could I ask? I'll be in the Bay area next week and will return to Hawaii on March 10. Aloha to all, Joan