Moving Around with Glenn, Linda and the Girls: January 2-3, 2013

We are still in the "relaxing" mode...trying to adjust to "no schedule" and no "have-to-do's". I know that sounds crazy but it is not as easy as one would think! The day didn't start off quite as we had planned it...we spent the morning searching the internet for a "reputable" ophthalmologist for me to see because I was having "floaters" and "flashers" in my left eye...completely different from the one or two dots "floating" that I had experienced in past years. This time it was "flashes of color, and spiders and pinheads floating, along with what seems to be a permanent "fingerprint" on my left eye! I had hoped they would go away but when I check the internet for causes/remedies and it indicated one should "immediately see an ophthalmologist because it could lead to blindness", we decided we would! I was able to get an appointment with Sarasota Ophthalmology at 10:15 this morning. Yeah! Since we are not "morning people", we decided to see where the office was yesterday afternoon so we would not risk being late for the appointment today. We printed the required forms off the internet, I completed them, and we hand-carried them to Sarasota Ophthalmology. Then we drove the few blocks to Sarasota Bayfront and had a wonderful afternoon just walking around the park and marina.

Of course, we had to stop at Lowe's on the way home for Glenn to "get his fix"!

It was very foggy when I walked the dogs this morning but it was so pretty that I decided to take a few pictures with my phone of the lake where we like to sit on one of the park benches.

Then it was off to the ophthalmologist where the "good news" was that I do not have a torn or detached retina. The "bad news" was that "as we get older, people who are nearsighted (like moi) tend to have these problems". Oh well, just another reminder of "at your age" which is what the orthopedic surgeon told me two weeks ago when he said I had arthritis and a torn ligament in my knee! I now have another appointment with the ophthalmologist in two weeks, unless it gets worse in the meantime, and an appointment when we return to Irmo in March with the orthopedic surgeon to repair my knee! Reminds me so much of my Dad saying, "Them Golden Years aren't always so golden", and that their "schedules revolved around doctors appointments"! Oh well, enough of that!

When we left the ophthalmologist we stopped at St. Paul's Lutheran Church where our wonderful friends and neighbors, Rev. Leroy Trexler and his wife Mabel, served in the late 1950's and early1960's. Leroy passed away last February at age 89 but Mabel continues to be a dear friend, neighbor, and true inspiration to us! Once again, I am thankful for my "smart" phone and camera, because I did not have my "real" camera with me!

Ann Olsen, a parishioner since 1974, was gracious enough to take me around for the pictures. A lovely lady!

Then back to the campground to go to the gym, ride bikes, and relax! I took a few more pictures of the resort with my phone...it sure does come in handy!