Lodi, California 7/14/2013

JULY 14, 2013 (Sunday)

 

Mike here. So, no pictures today. We are in Lodi, California, staying at a friend’s house. My first wife was Renee. She was a nurse in the Peace Corps in Honduras. She got to know Maureen, also a nurse in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Their friendship remained strong throughout the rest of Renee’s life.  Renee and I married in 1975, in South Korea. I was in the Army, she was out of the Peace Corps and an Associate Professor of Nursing at Sonoma State University.  Maureen was our dear friend throughout.

Renee lost a hard fought battle with cancer in 1984. Maureen was a true and strong friend. All of the Peace Corps friends were there for us. Maureen was living in Stockton, CA and would travel 2 ½ hours to cook a meal, wash a wall, or do whatever we needed.  Besides being a delight, she has been a wonderful and faithful friend to me and my second wife, Edie. Also, she has been a devoted and loving aunt to my kids. When our daughter, Alexis (aka Lex), was in the 4th grade in Gonzales, CA, her teacher asked the students if any of them knew any health professionals that could address the class.  Lex invited Aunt Maureen and her husband, a physician, Uncle Don, to travel 3 hours to present healthy ideas to her classroom.  Lex’s Aunt Maureen came through for her.

When we lived in Galt, CA, Don was our family physician, and what a great job he did. On the school playground our son suffered a terrible gash on his chin. We rushed him to Don and he trimmed, sutured and bandaged the wound so well that there is no visible scar today. Don and I rode bicycles for miles, played racquetball and enjoyed wine, great food and lots of laughter with our families.  Don now suffers from Parkinson’s Disease. Maureen’s load is heavy. We like to come stay and insist that Maureen get away for a time to recharge her batteries. This is the last chance for awhile to offer this respite.

We got up early to see the friend of Maureen’s who was coming by to get her and take her on her trip. Edie and I will be totally focused on Don through Friday or Saturday. Maureen will be hiking with Margaret through Yosemite. We plan a trip to a favorite winery with Don and will photo and blog about that. Mostly we want to respect their privacy and dignity. We will resume our adventure on 7/22/2013.

Hope you have a great week!