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.

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 👍🏻💪🏻.

🙏🏻

A Magical Place

My brother lives in southern Oregon, a few miles from a tiny town called Merlin. There are 11 deer living on his property. This doe likes to lay in the shade, on his porch, and listen to the TV.
Graduation Day

Yesterday I finished the targeted radiation treatments. Now I wait till my next CT scan, in April, to see if the treatments worked. Hoping, but if not, I’m sure there is a Plan B. In the meantime, my PCP has referred me to another oncologist, one who specializes in blood issues. My labs have been consistently off for the past year and for most of that time we thought it was anemia caused by CKD. My kidney labs don’t support that theory anymore, so…. I won’t be straying too far from the cancer clinic. This oncologist will hopefully fit this piece of the puzzle with the rest of the stuff I have gone through since 2019 and my first go around with cancer.

In the meantime, still dealing with post surgery issues on my lower back. Hoping some PT this Spring will help that situation and maybe I’ll recharge the batteries on a couple of cameras and get back out shooting 🤞🏻.

My best to all!!

❤️

Health Update

A month ago I had lower back surgery. Simultaneously, I was also dealing with a different hospital /doctor group for my cancer. I have an inoperable tumor in my upper left lobe/lung. Juggling two critical health issues at the same time was more than enough for me to deal with. I haven’t posted as I have rarely left the house, hence, no new photos to post. I actually have a few from before surgery, but it’s tough to get past the circumstances of surgery, etc.

This morning I got a call from the doctor working on my cancer case. The two biopsies they took 10 days ago were NEGATIVE. This was the best news. Now things are in motion to treat the inoperable tumor with Targeted Radiation. Next week the the Radiation Oncology doctor from another clinic will be contacting me to schedule an intake exam and treatment schedule.

I’ve left out a couple of health related issues that have occurred in the past month; I’ve lost 35 pounds, kidney function dropped, etc.

Targeted Radiation has its own set of side effects. I feel good about handling just one treatment course. Had one or more of the biopsies been positive I would be facing chemo in addition to radiation.

I was so relieved to get the good news this morning; nearly in tears. My family and more have been so supportive these past few months;prayers, hugs, chicken soup….

My goal has been to stay alive and relevant for as long as is possible. Today’s news gives me hope that I still have work to do and things to photograph in this crazy world we live in.

Blessings to all,

Fred,

The wandering photographer

📷🎞️

Up, Up…..

Our grandaughter a few years ago, in their Portland, OR neighborhood. She’s now a teenager.Time passes too quickly.

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Our granddaughter at a local beach park in Seattle a few years ago. The hat…

Wandering around St. Andrews, Scotland

Her Middle Name

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Our daughter’s birthday is June 3rd. Her middle name is Rose, as is her daughter’s middle name. Happy Birthday!

November 6th & 7th.

Our son’s book will be released Tuesday, November 6th. It’s available on Amazon.

Wednesday  evening he’ll be at the Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn for a conversation and signing event with Tobias Carroll at 7:30PM. I’ve read the book and it is amazing and makes sense of the seemingly chaotic and random history of rock n roll. Laced with interviews and more, it’s a real page turner for music buffs and musicians alike.

If you live in  or near Brooklyn, stop by and say hello. I live in Seattle, otherwise I would be going. Ian is very approachable and has my self deprecating sense of humor.

PS: I took the back cover photo and the one you see on the bookstore page, via the link above.

Maternal Grandfather

fullsizeoutput_3d8fThis is a photo of my maternal grandfather at age 11, taken in 1913. His name was George and he was Dutch, part of a family that were early immigrants to New York.