Thursday

Well the morning started out around 6 AM as Uncle Mike got ready to head out to work in Winchester. Dee was spending the night at the V.A. Hospital so Nancy and I did our quiet time then had a bowl of oatmeal before getting ready to drive down to D.C. again. I walked Bonnie while Nancy got ready and we headed out around 9 AM.

The GPS saved us once again as we drove through the heart of the city and we finally reached the hospital around 11:30. We met up with Dee and checked in to see how Paw Paw was doing. Well what a change from yesterday as today he had his eyes open and while unable to talk due to the ventilator in his mouth we were able to communicate with hand squeezes, head shakes and facial expressions. He was in some pain but a whole lot better than the day before. After a visit with him and a shot of pain medication which caused him to rest we headed down to the canteen for some lunch. The food was very tasty and reasonable.

We met up with the surgeon and a couple of assistants around 2 PM as they came in to check on him. After a few tests they determined tomorrow they would take the trachea out and also the catheter and get him up out of bed so he can exercise. That will be a big step for him. We all headed out around 2:30 for our trip back to Woodstock. I told him Nancy and I would visit with him the second weekend in August for the Gravel Springs Church picnic which is always a hit with our families.

We made it back around 5 PM and Dee put on a large pot of frozen shrimp for a boil. Yikes was that ever good boiled in Old Bay Seasoning. We picked up a quart of cole slaw from this catering company in Woodstock to go along with the shrimp. After the cleanup we took Bonnie on a long walk in the neighbor hood then took a trip over to Massanutten Mountain.

We climbed to the top of mountain in the suburban then hiked on a trail to the old fire tower which was raised to about 50 feet above the mountain and climbed it. It looked out over the city of Woodstock and the 6 bends in the Shenandoah River. It was really a beautiful site and along the way saw some neat old log cabin houses as well as some really old stone houses. This is a beautiful small town. We stopped at Katie Kustard's stand and each had a cone. It was just very picturesque and especially with the full moon that was rising in the east overlooking the mountain and valley. What a great way to end another day filled with hope for Paw Paw's health and recovery and just getting out and away from the busy city of Washington, D.C. Tomorrow we will head back to N.C. LATER