Ireland Part IV

National Museum of Ireland. As you enter and look up, this is what you will see. We went just after opening and it became fairly crowded soon thereafter. This was the only photo I took.

Packing our rental vehicle was a planned out operation. All of the luggage could only fit in one way to allow space in the third seat for our granddaughter to hide out. Good that she is double jointed and fairly thin. I don’t know how she survived two weeks surrounded by luggage. Months earlier, when planning the trip, we had requested a 6 passenger van, which they actually had on the lot the day we picked this up, but we couldn’t use it and had to settle for this VW SUV.

Coastal town of Kinsale. Really picturesque village. The fellow in the white shorts is our grandson, Adam. We stayed in a three story Airbnb that had some interesting quirks about it, like a door to a lanai that closes and locks behind you. We had to put our washed clothes outside on racks to dry and in going out, this door closed behind us.

The harbor of Kinsale.

Strolling about town.

It’s good to know where the end of the world is.

Ireland Part 3

St. Anns, Dublin. This is the Anglican version of St. Anns. There is also a Catholic version of St. Anns Church in Dublin. I guess there was a shortage of saints, so…….?

We took a day trip to of Dublin to a Neolithic site called the Hill of Tara. This was on the path towards to hill and the ancient site.

No Neolithic in Ireland would be complete without the ever present sheep.

Our Family next to the bus we had for the day. We had an amazing guide for the day who was full of info to share as well as humor. Left to right in the photo: Jess ( our daughter in law), yours truly, our son, Ian ( his son, with the ginger hair), Elliott, our daughter Larissa, behind Elliott ( she kept on task, organized and busy throughout our trip in Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland; her son Adam, my wife, Dianna, Maddy, our granddaughter peeking around Dianna and Mark, our son in law.

My next post will take us to Kinsale, Ireland. Thanks for coming along!!

Edinburgh Pt. II

The Royal Mile, courtyard adjacent to the Writers Museum.

Followed by: Holyrood Palace, Grayfriars Bobby ( with our daughter doing the ritual ), Various flora.

Next post ( stop ) will be Dublin. We spent three days in Edinburgh, which included going to the Annual Military Tattoo, which was as amazing this time as our first.

Architectural note: Edinburgh is the only major city in the world that does not have or allow skyscrapers. Although the city has an “old town”, the entire city seems old- like stepping back in time.

Recent Idaho Road Trip

Most of these images are from our two day stay in a very tiny town in Idaho called Downey. The mill or grain storage facility must’ve closed years ago, but it this is a glimpse into the American past. This is what is referred to as the high desert.

Early Spring Images

A few early Spring images from Seattle. Also, a shot me at the Cancer Center getting my 17th immunotherapy infusion.

Entropy, 2012

Some images taken in 2012 in the Georgetown area of Seattle. Years ago I was shooting in a few neighborhoods or sections of Seattle that seemed to be gentrifying faster than I could cover: Georgetown, First Hill and SODO. At the time of shooting these images, this wall ( if you zoom in a little), you can see the large, metal support poles holding this free standing brick wall. Developers, with the permission or encouragement of the City, rarely side with the notion of preservation. Eventually, this policy, destroys any hope for a sense of history to survive. If you control the perception of the past, by elimination, you lose the sense of connection to the history of our past.

{Quick health update: my last scan showed that the areas of concern are ‘stable’, which is good news. I’m still doing immunotherapy ( Durvalumab) every 28 days, which will continue ‘indefinitely ‘. Being a cancer patient for 18 or so months has been weird, but so far I think I’m one of the lucky ones.}

Fall: Past Images

Quick health update: original plan was to do immunotherapy for one year, which would’ve ended with November’s infusion. Last month the oncologist told me I would be doing immunotherapy ‘indefinitely’. So, a little disappointing, but you just move on. Not everything in life has a beginning, middle and end.

All good 👍🏻.

🫶🏻

Hidden West Seattle

Nestled between Delridge Ave. and 35th Ave. is a couple mile stretch of green space. This is a marshy, pond area created by a beaver. We saw a family of ducks as we walked along the trail, and an old power substation complete with a high wall and cameras surrounding it.

Mt. Rainier

From my walk yesterday. Time to clear my mind.

Health update: Saw a doctor yesterday to discuss my condition and next steps. I see a new oncologist tomorrow as well as do an MRI. One more oncologist to see after tomorrow then the doctors huddle up and present my case to the Cancer Board that meets weekly. Right now things are leaning toward both radiation and chemotherapy. We’ll see how things shake out over the next couple of weeks.

All good 👍🏻💪🏻.

🙏🏻

Washington Coastline

I’m almost sure this is Sunset Beach, on the Olympic Peninsula coastline. It was taken a few years ago.

Health update: I have a CT needle biopsy this Thursday morning.

Good juju welcome! 🙏🏻.

Be well.

Update-

6 June 2024:

Pathology report came back positive for cancer. I’ll meet with doctors on the 19th and 20th to discuss next steps. Disappointing, but not surprising. This is the third chapter in my cancer journey, which initially started back in early 2019.

🙏🏻

Friday View

On my walk a few minutes ago. A cloudless sky in Seattle- who would’ve thought?

Note: health update coming next week. I’ve seen one of three doctors, after my last CT on the 8th. Two more still need to weigh in. Based on what the first oncologist said, I have a sense of where things are going. It’s a mixed blessing/bag. All good.

This journey started in 2018, with the first CT scan. It’s just the nature of ‘c’.

Blessings 🙏🏻

Health update:

Easter

I’m a week away from my follow up CT scan. This scan will validate ( or not) that the Targeted Radiation I did in Dec/Jan was successful.

Last Friday I had a dermatology appointment to address some skin issue I’ve had for a few years-actually started right after my first encounter with NSCLC, in 2019. It was a new dermatologist for me, so he wanted to do a full body exam. Everything looked pretty typical until he got to the back of my left, upper thigh. There/was a patch of red skin in a place I would have never noticed. He took a biopsy, but is 99% certain it is basal cell carcinoma. When the biopsy is finished he’ll call me with results and next steps. I’ve been so focused on my lung tumor …well, this event took me by surprise. So, now tracking two cancers in my body. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤔.

Wishing everyone a belated Easter. Warmer weather is on the horizon for us here in the Pacific Northwest 🤞🏻.

Blessings to all 🙏🏻.