We scouted the playgrounds for ideas. Ryan wants something like this on their play structure.
Then we all went to Portland for a while.
The grandkids posed dutifully for the inevitable group photo to prove that they all existed in close proximity and harmony during one brief moment in time. Actually, they get along great. It's those annoying parents that keep foiling their plans. Spencer is convinced he would be much happier living with us and his mother is tempted to give him the opportunity to find out.
We brought the play structure along on it's evolution to Water Park/Play House/Boat/Bus, whatever.
The climbing wall will have to wait till the next phase. For now we put up a baby fence to keep Louis from stepping out the hole in the railing.
I'm working on a design for some sort of water/sun deflector over the top.
But the weird part was that grandpa was higher that a kite for most of the time. My most sincere apologies to all my friends I meant to reach out and talk to while I was taking a week "off" in Portland. Little did I know how "off" I'd be. Specially to Emil and Sara whose solstice anniversary I remembered, just not sure when. And to Bill in Homer, hope the roof went well. I'll bring what meds I have left.
Seems that I "strained some back muscles" moving concrete block around my back yard. The pain was getting a little intense so I took a little detour during our family touristing outing on the Portland Tram. Remember a couple posts back I mentioned that I rode the tram up to the VA, well this trip I decided to run over there and see if they could renew some really old pain meds that had expired. Turns out it required a visit to the ER and after three or four hours (Teri says more like five or six, probably more accurate) all they could offer me was Vicodin and Methocarbamol (a muscle relaxer) every six hours.
The problem was that the Vicodin wore off in about three hours. You know you are in trouble when you are chewing two Vicodin tablets and holding the paste under your tongue for the fastest absorption. For a better appreciation take a bite of a Vicodin (don't worry, you'll spit it right out), they make aspirin taste like dessert.
I started logging every dose in my iPad because I new I couldn't be trusted to remember my last dose. So it was take meds then, when the pain was gone, work on the play structure, then break for meds when it came back. Ryan and Teri filled in with the complicated stuff like driving to the lumber yard and using power tools. We got stuff done and it was pretty much fun but I don't remember the details.
I was about ready to go back to the ER and suggest that the plan wasn't working very well ( mainly because the prescription was running out) when I remembered I had some super ibuprofen (800mg) left over from my last kidney stone episode. It was only a little over a year old so I tried one of those along with the Methocarbamol. Finally, 8hrs sleep and no Vicodin. For now the ibuprofen seems to be holding the line with decreasing dosing. I'm scheduled with a phone consult with the Dr. in a few days.
So now we are packing for our San Francisco trip for the VHPA reunion. We'll get back around the 8th and I'll repack for my trip up to Alaska for the fish harvest. Then it's back to Portland for, you guessed it, Timbers games and Dr appointments.
I have no idea what the weather is like. Tomorrow I plan to look outside.
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