The Waning Days of Summer

beautiful western pennsylvania sunset near somerset PA

We managed to have a little fun as summer came to an end even though we were still busy with way too many medical appointments. The good news is that all turned out well with the appointments. Tim had cataract surgery in both eyes and had a good recovery. He still has issues with bright lights and will probably need to keep using sun glasses for awhile. Also, his hand was bothering him again so he ended up getting shots that seemed to have helped. Hopefully that will last all winter.

It seems that every appointment I went to ended up with me needing more appointments. All the tests they run to see if the sarcoidosis is impacting my internal organs seem to point to other potential problems. This year it sent me to Cardiology who ordered more tests. Luckily they found no issues but started me on a daily baby aspirin and cholesterol medicine. My mammogram was similar, had a suspicious area that required a diagnostic mammo and an ultrasound which ultimately showed a cluster of small cysts. Pulmonology didn’t want to wait until I get back in the Spring and wanted me to get another chest CT scan before I left. It didn’t show any changes from the last one and no signs of sarcoidosis. So all is well with me until the tests start again next summer.

In between the appointments, we continued to enjoy the campground at Pymatuning and spending time with family in Pittsburgh. I feel that we got to spend more time with family and friends this year but it still feels like we didn’t get to see everyone. We spent the most time with Katie, Jon and Rosie since we live with them when we are in Pittsburgh. I got to see a few places in our own backyard that I didn’t even know existed.

Jon told me about the Pennsylvanis Trolley Museum in Washington, PA. It is definitely worth a stop if you have never been there. Lots of great transportation history and many historic trolley’s to explore. Jon, Katie, Rosie, Jon’s dad Brian, and I all made a trip there one day. Similar to the Lumber museum, there were many interactive displays and a playground to keep a toddler entertained while the adults could read, learn and explore the exhibits. We even got to take a ride on a Streetcar named Desire.

I thought the snow clearing equipment on the trolleys was really interesting

Tim and I also took a short trip in the motorhome to visit our friends Kelly and Bill in Somerset, PA. We had an appointment at Ansley RV to get the motorhome inspected and to get a few warranty issues repaired. We spent 2 nights in their parking lot while the work was being done and then headed down to Somerset for three nights before heading back north to Linesville. It is always good to see Kelly and Bill and we highly enjoyed our visit.

our site and beautiful sunset in somerset

While in Somerset, we decided to visit the Flight 93 Memorial. It had been a few years since we were last there and the Tower of Voices was being built. Since we hadn’t see it yet, I wanted to go see the Tower and hear the bells. Unfortunately, there was no wind the day we were there so we could not hear the bells. I was able to find a recording of it on the national park service website so played that while we wandered around that area.

Just like our last visit, the emotions of that day came flooding back and brought me to tears. Such a tragic day for our country and such bravery of those passengers on Flight 93. This is definitely a solemn place and we wandered through the exhibits in silence. It was a warm day and it is a long walk down the hill to the field and the wall of names. Tim only went part way down and decided to go back up and get the truck and pick me up at the bottom. That was really nice and saved me walking up the hill in that hot noon sun.

On another visit to Pittsburgh, Katie, Rosie and I found some time to visit the National Aviary. I hadn’t been there for years and some of it had changed. I don’t remember the penguin exhibit and have to say it was one of my favorites on this visit. Of course, spending time visiting places with a 2 year old and seeing it through her eyes really enhances the experience. Pittsburgh has many great places to see and the Aviary is one of the best especially if you are visiting with children.

Rosie and katie enjoying the penguins at the National aviary

flamingos are one of my favorites. Love the colors!

Since two of my appointments were over near West Penn Hospital, Tim went along with me to help with parking the truck. It doesn’t fit in the garages near the hospital so he dropped me off and then found street parking. On the way home, both times we stopped at one of our favorite places, Redfin Blues. This is a seasonal restaurant located along the Allegheny River. Definitely a great place to lunch and a drink enjoying the view of the marina and boat traffic on the river. Very relaxing and scenic. A good place to relax and unwind after a Stress Test!

nice view of children’s hospital from our deckside table

I always enjoy restaurants by the water especially if they have nice water views. We found a great little place in Conneaut Lake, Silver Shores, that we have stopped at a few times for lunch. It is also at a marina and has a great view of the lake although both times we stopped it was a bit cloudy and rainy. I stilled enjoyed the views and the food. We will definitely have to stop there again next year maybe on a sunny day.

As we ended our summer, we started to prepare the 5th wheel for winter storage and got the motorhome ready for winter travels. Since we had to move a bit of our stuff from one RV to the other, the campground gave us an empty site to park the motorhome to make the move easier. Now it is time to start moving slowly south to Florida for the winter. Look for updates on our travels in the next post.

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