KELLY FELT THINGS WENT WELL TODAY

 CONE FLOWERS AT GRAND BEND'S BEACH AREA THIS MORNING

My eyes popped open at 4:57 a.m. and our day was underway.  Kelly was up minutes later and by 6:23 Subie rolled out the driveway with Kelly, Pheebs, and I aboard heading for London.  It was probably one of the first unobstructed sunrises we have seen since our traveling days years ago.  Traffic was lite as we made our way south.  A lot of road construction north of the hospital on Richmond Street around Fanshawe Road but we navigated through it okay.  Dropped Kelly off at University Hospital's front door at 6:30 a.m.  She was in good spirits and ready to take on the day no matter what the liver transplant committee might throw at her.

 PHEEBS PATIENTLY WAITS FOR KELLY TO COME OUT THE DOOR

 A QUICK SHOT OF THE SUNRISE

 DESCENDING INTO LONDON AND THAT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION AHEAD

 SEE YOU LATER PHEEBS

Pheebs and I right away headed north out of London through all the construction with our first stop being at the Ten Mile Road cemetery for a leg stretch.  

 HEADING BACK OUT OF LONDON THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE

 OUR PIT STOP AREA ON TEN MILE ROAD

Not wanting to rush home along the same route we had just come I decided to head in a northwesterly direction to where I knew a Tim Hortons coffee shop in Ilderton Ontario to be.

 ILDERTON'S TIM HORTONS COFFEE SHOP

Coffee in hand we leisurely wandered further west from there looking for some new and unfamiliar roads to travel.  With a few turns here and a few turns there I finally managed to get us into some unfamiliar territory for a change.  I was always aware of where we sorta were but never quite precisely sure.  I like when that happens.  I could have easily pressed the 'Home' button on the Garmin GPS but what would the fun in that be.  So, we just followed Garmin's compass in a northwesterly direction until we blundered into Parkhill Ontario.  I knew our way home from there but again, where's the fun in knowing where you are when you are not really interested in knowing where you are.  

 THE WHOLE MAIN STREET OF PARKHILL WAS TORN UP SO WE HAD TO PICK OUR WAY AROUND THE BACKSTREETS...I LIKE THE BOARD AND BATTEN ON THIS HOUSE

Instead of heading north out of Parkhill,  we headed west and I wasn't exactly sure where we were for a short while until we rolled up into the familiar east end of Port Franks.  Well, there were no more unfamiliar roads left to mix myself up with from there so we turned right and headed for Grand Bend.  Besides, I was getting hungry and knew that a new McDonalds had just opened up in the Bend and I was curious to have a look at it and grab us guys a snack.  So, with a sausage and egg McMuffin in hand Pheebs and I were soon parked along Grand Bend's beach on the shores of Lake Huron.  We weren't long in munching down our breakfast.  Every time in Grand Bend now I am amazed at how quickly its main street is changing.  There is very little of the 'old' Bend left anymore.  At least from the days back in the early 60's when I first remembered it.  From the Bend, we headed straight home under semi-sunny skies and rolled into our driveway at 10:20.  It had taken us one hour to get to the hospital this morning and three hours to get home.  I like when and how I can make that happen sometimes:))

 A SECOND  AND LARGER PAVILION HAS BEEN BUILT ON GRAND BEND'S BEACH

 I LIKE WHAT GRAND BEND HAS DONE WITH THEIR SHORELINE

 THE BONNIE DOONE MANOR HAS BEEN THERE FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER BUT YOU CAN SEE HOW NEWER IDEAS ARE MOVING IN AND BEING BUILT NEARBY

 THIS IS ABOUT ALL THAT'S LEFT OF THE 'OLD GRAND BEND STRIP'

 THE BEND IS DEFINITELY TRANSFORMING FROM THE ROWDY PLACE OF MY YOUTH

 IF I WAS A YOUNG GUY AGAIN I WOULDN'T LIKE ALL THESE FANCY PANTS CHANGES BUT BEING A SENIOR NOW I SAY 'BRING IT ON AND LET IT HAPPEN':))

Feeling tired after arriving home this morning I couldn't help but think of how tired Kelly must be feeling as she weaves her way through all the appointments and interviews at the hospital.  About 2:45 this afternoon the phone rang and it was Kelly saying she, and her daughter Sabra were just leaving University Hospital and would meet Pheebs and I at Exeter's A&W.  So, without further ado, I loaded up the furry Kid again and we headed to Exeter where we met Kelly and Sabra.  They grabbed some A&W snacks then Sabra headed back to Cambridge Ontario and Kelly, Pheebs and I headed back to Bayfield.  Kelly said everything went fine today but she was really tired by the time we got home.  They drew 18 vials of blood from her, and then as if that wasn't enough, the puncture wound began bleeding again shortly after she had walked out to the reception area.  Blood on her brand new blouse, down her arm, and onto the floor.  It's a wonder she even had enough blood left in her to make it home.  

 KELLY TOOK THIS PHOTO OF THE 18 VIALS OF BLOOD 

London's University Hospital has done 30 liver transplants so far this year.  That works out to an average of five a month.  They weighed Kelly today and she is a mere 103 pounds. They told her that she has to get her weight up to be considered for a liver transplant.  She also has to go back next week for a physio session to test her physical strength.  And sometime after that, the committee will make its decision as to whether Kelly is a suitable candidate for a liver transplant.  Kelly also said that all the specialists she met today were very nice helpful people.              

 KELLY WITH HER DAUGHTER SABRA COMING OUT OF A&W WITH SOME SNACKS

Al's Music Box:)) Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry from the album 'Chuck Berry Is on Top'.  1958  And be sure to check out this fellow's focused Guitar Only version of Johnny B Good as well.

 HERE'S PHEEBS PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE SNACKS TO COME OUT THE DOOR AT A&W 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An older couple wakes up in the morning and the husband looks over at his wife and says, " Wow! You wouldn't believe the dream I had..."  The wife replies, "Yes, go on tell me."  So the husband says "I had a dream that you left me after 20 years of being married."  The wife says, "Oh, it sounds more like a nightmare."  The husband says, "No, I am sure it was a dream.

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After church, Robbie tells his parents he has to go and talk to the minister right away. They agree and the pastor greets the family.  "Pastor," Robbie says, "I heard you say today that our bodies came from the dust."  "That's right, Johnny, I did."  "And I heard you say that when we die, our bodies go back to dust." "Yes, I'm glad you were listening. Why do you ask?"  "Well you better come over to our house right away and look under my bed 'cause there's someone either comin' or goin'!"

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A man is skydiving, enjoying his free-fall when he realizes that he has reached the altitude where he must open his parachute. So he pulls on the rip cord, but nothing happens.  “No problem,” he says to himself, “I still have my emergency chute.” So he pulls the rip cord on his emergency parachute, and once again, nothing happens.  Now the man begins to panic. “What am I going to do?” he thinks, “I'm a goner!”  Just then he sees a man flying up from the earth toward him. He can't figure out where this man is coming from, or what he's doing, but he thinks to himself, “Maybe he can help me. If he can't, then I'm done for.”  When the man gets close enough to him, the skydiver cups his hands and shouts down, “Hey, do you know anything about parachutes?”  The other man replies, “No! Do you know anything about gas stoves?”

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