Thelma and Louie - Day +50

We were moping around in a funk, and our condition called for drastic measures. Time for Thelma and Louie to run away from home and head for the road. First stop, the condo in Holland. We waited for the winds and rain of late October to end, packed the van, and off we went. I drove to the rest stop past Kankakee, and Louie brought us through the traffic of I-80 to our doorstep.

It was a wonderful surprise to find that friends Lisa and Harry from Indianapolis would be up here too, and an even more superb surprise to meet up with them at our garage. It made unpacking quick, and we were soon sipping wine, munching on snacks, and catching up on our couple of months apart. Our chatting continued later over a dinner they brought in from one of the local restaurants. It was a whirlwind visit, for after we enjoyed apple donuts and fritters (we'd brought up from Curtis Orchard) over coffee the next morning, they were off. Bob slept the rest of that day and all of the next. He didn't know what to attribute his fatigue to, but it got us thinking that Holland just might be the first and only stop on our road trip.

We were surprised to find peak foliage color in our micro climate here on Lake Macatawa. We look across the lake at Kollen Park, and its trees were dressed in all of the rich fall colors. We could appreciate an Impressionist's view with their reflections in the lake. And, over the weeks we have been here, we have watched the leaves fall, buffeted by storms and strong winds. That weather also brought us a surprise.

On a cool rainy day we drove to Holland State Park to check out the removal of the sand dunes just to the north of the channel. Evidently those dunes were affecting the channel wall, and so the sand was bulldozed over to the main beach area. I miss their presence but understand the necessity. Anyway, it turned out that the dunes were not the story for we saw two guys in wetsuits kitesurfing. A first for us.

 

This photo is from the internet but gives you the idea of what they were doing.

Because of the inclement weather, the waves were high, crashing against the breakwaters beyond the channel, and spraying wildly into the air. These extreme sportsmen raced up and down Lake Michigan fighting to hold and control their kites in the powerful wind. Amazing.

Since Bob is still in a "bubble" with no immune system, I don't have much else to report about our time here. We've dined around 4 p.m. in a couple of restaurants when there were few other patrons, and we've done a bit of shopping during the week and often find ourselves the only ones in the stores. If there's a need to wait in a line, Bob steps away, and I pay. His fatigue and neuropathy limit our time on the go, and we finally decided not to venture to Traverse City and Frankenmuth (a Bavarian-like town with "the world's largest Christmas store"). Thelma and Louie have had their wings clipped but their wanderlust remains untouched (or at least mine does).

Day +50 is an important milestone for Bob because in another 50 days he'll be able to start getting his "baby shots" (against mumps, measles, etc.) to rebuild his immune system. Now he needs to rest to let his body recover from the chemotherapy and transplant, something that his chemobuddy keeps reminding him about. Winter is just a perfect time to do that.

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“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
                   ― Lauren DeStefano, Wither