How's Robb?

... Remember being a kid, and zooming around on your bike? Remember the sense of freedom that you had, and the feeling of the wind in your hair? Remember the joy of going, really, really fast? Now, imagine if you were a severely disabled child, who could only get around using a wheelchair. Imagine how exhilarating it would be to be able to ride a bike, to race around and just have Kid Fun. Imagine having a huge selections of special adaptive bikes to choose from, anytime you want to go cycling. Imagine being blind, and going bike riding on a bicycle built for two, or zooming down the ski slopes with a trained guide. Imagine that you're a frail teenager in a wheelchair, who also happens to be a killer basketball player. Imagine competing in national tournaments with your team of wheelchair athletes. A sweet unattainable daydream? An impossible goal? Something only available to the very, very wealthy? Not so! This is a Revolution, and we hope you will join us in becoming Revo

... I've been entertaining a particularly delicious image, lately. I take one of my unfinished sweaters out to the park, and I launch it into the air like a kite. The as-yet-unknit yarn serves as a kite string, and the sweater sails into the sky. It soars with arms at full extension, looking very much like a child's drawing of a sweater. When my ball of yarn runs out, the wind keeps blowing and the sweater starts to unravel. As it soars higher and higher, the sweater unknits itself, until there is nothing left. There's one sweater I wouldn't mind trying this with. I started knitting this particular sweater some time before Robb's accident, which is over two years ago. This was a cute lacy sweater made out of crazy fuzzy cobweb-thin expensive yarn. I had just gotten to a point where I realized I didn't know what I was going to do about the sweater's shaping and needed serious sweater-guidance, when Robb shattered his spine, and all thoughts of knitting

... Does anyone what to join us at the Berkeley Kite Festival this weekend? It's loads of fun!

... Robb had a long-scheduled doctor's appointment today, at one of the many many medical clinics associated with Stanford University. But he was so sick that I took time off from work and drove him to his appointment. It's the weirdest thing. Robb is really, really sick. He goes through horrible, feverish bouts of tooth-chattering shivering or miserable overheating. But his body temperature reads as normal. None of the doctors that he's seen seem particularly alarmed by this. It's freaking me out. I've never seen a fever (or whatever Robb has) last for three days. He's on antibiotics, and they say he'll be better in seven days. I'm not writing a whole lot because all of Robb's shivering, panting and thrashing doesn't add up to a decent night of sleep for either of us. Some time in the middle of the night, I gave up on trying to sleep in our bedroom, and decamped to the couch. I'm tired. One thing that's keeping me smiling is the

... I had to finally admit that the sweater I knit a while back did not fit me. The sleeves were too short and too tight. But since I had knit the sleeves from the cuff toward the shoulder, unraveling them wouldn't be so easy. I had to do the knitting version of Open Heart Surgery. Cut the stitches and laboriously unravel one row, all the while trying not to have the teeny tiny stitches fall off the toothpick sized knitting needle. Robb asked if I called it Open Heart Surgery because it was so delicate and potentially fatal. I replied that it was terrifying but necessary. We're both still feeling under the weather. Robb has had a fever, with almost no other symptoms. He's been bundled up in the alpaca sweater I knit him, which is the warmest thing he owns. It's July, and he's huddled under a blanket and shivering in a sweater.

... Robb and I went to the kick-off party for the BORP fundraising ride . We had a blast, and are very energized about doing our bit to help this great organization . I started feeling crabby and miserable as we were leaving the event, and about an hour later, I realized I was getting sick. Now both Robb and are suffering from strange zombie-flu. We are both zonked out on the couch, unable to use our brains.

... Robb has been sick for the past few days, and it seems he has otitis , which is inflammation of the inner ear. Strangely, this has been affecting Robb much like a flu. He's been to the doctor, and I hope he's feeling better soon. Robb has been dragging around the house.

... Last year, with help from our friends, Robb and I participated in a fund raising ride to support a wonderful organization ( BORP -- the Bay Area Outreach Recreation Program) that provides recreational opportunities for people with disabilities. When Robb left the hospital after shattering his spine two and a half years ago, he was determined to give himself the best outcome he possibly could. He knew that if he could just get moving again, he would have a better chance at recovery. When we found BORP and their fleet of adaptive cycles, Robb realized that he could integrate cycling into is recovery plan. We rode on BORP bikes, and eventually eventually Robb got his own set of wheels. And as a way of saying "thank you" for all the kindness and support that we have received along Robb's road to recovery, we participated in BORP's Revolution ride. Last year, we raised over five thousand dollars for this amazing organization that brings so much to the disabled commun

... All during our recent trip, I was thinking of the phrase "leaving your comfort zone." The obvious joke is there: going to a place where you are in discomfort. And, yes, there was a bit of that. But for me the real value of this trip was the opportunity to push my limits, find new limits and then push those, too. Sixteen months ago, on our last trip to the Northwest, it would have been unthinkable for me to go on an all day outing, negotiate very rugged shoreline terrain for a couple of hours, get up the next day and do it again. Not to mention following that up with a two hour kayaking trip, a wine tasting and dinner–– all in one day. Turns out I can push myself a lot harder than I thought. Oh, I pay the price later but even that's not as bad as I had imagined. For the moment, it's nice to settle into a new comfort zone knowing I won't be staying long.

...

... Closer... Even Closer... Blog-writing will re-commence some time after we return from our glorious vacation.

...

...

... Holidays are times for hanging out with friends, and drinking a beer or two. Holidays are also a time for a bit of reflection. Looking back, I realize how much our lives have improved (and -- honestly -- how much we're still dealing with). Last year, I was feeling terribly isolated and lonely . It seemed to me that while lots of people kept up with us on the blog, we didn't actually have a whole lot of friends. The changes in our lives have made it much more difficult to have a "normal" social life. But heck! We've never been what anyone would call normal, right? And the year before that? Well, Robb and I were pretty thrilled because for the first time since his accident, he actually sat on the ground. We had so much to overcome at that point, that any little milestone was worth celebrating. And, now, if you will excuse me, we've got to eat breakfast and pack up out stuff. We're taking a ferry to hang out with Angela and her family and friends

... We are in the middle of period of exceptionally low tides (four feet lower than usual), so needless to say, we begged our Flickr friend Minette to take us out to see tidal life in Seattle. She brought us to her favorite spot, under a ferry dock. And she loaned us chest-waders. What a darling! We were not disappointed. The types of sea life that we saw was so different than what we've gotten used to in California. We saw gigantic anemones. Tiny anemones. Colorful sea slugs. (That's nudibranchs, for you scientific types). And some of the Pacific Northwest's famous gigantic clams. They really can squirt you in the face, if you're not careful. That's the business end of a gigantic clam. Robb did amazingly well, using his trekking poles, and stepping carefully to avoid treading on creatures. And then we came back to the hotel, and he passed out from exhaustion.

... We are secretly a little shy, but once we get over that, we're very friendly. If you would like to get together for some easy letterboxing or a meal or something, do give us a call. We will be staying in Seattle for two nights at the Extended Stay America, on Stone Street, North. After that, we'll be at the Red Lion Inn on North Lincoln in Port Angeles for three nights. Then, we'll be staying somewhere in Seattle for another night, and then flying home. We really have no idea what we'll be up for. This entire trip is a big experiment, to see if Robb can handle travel. So please understand if we have to go slowly. 510-299-DAMN Lisa 510-299-3270 Robb

... So, based on nothing more than whim, we think we're going to structure our trip to Washington this way. Fly to Seattle. Stay over night. Go tidepooling with Minette at Lincoln Park. ( Minette provides chest-waders . What a hostess!) Drive and take the Edmonds Kingston ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula. Stay several days. Return to Seattle. Do some stuff. Fly home. Beaches? Craggy landscapes? Meteorological phenomenon? Chilling out and doing very little? It all sounds good to us! Will this be like packing for an outing in the Bay Area? Do we need to bring garments for every possible type of weather, and assume that we'll see most of it? As it is, I'm packing my galoshes for tide-pooling. Does this sound like fun? Can anyone help us fine-tune our plans? Will the people who gave us enough advice for a month of fun in Seattle forgive us for forsaking your fine city?