First RV trip in 18 months...... 18 miles.

 We are bringing you this content from the Hidden Valley RV Park in Derry, NH.   We are hoping to complete a four-night shakedown experience to make sure that all is well with the motor home,  since it has been in storage for eighteen months.  This was only an 18 mile trip, so we did not tow the Jeep.  We have a camping trip planned for mid-September with some old friends, so we want to make sure that all systems are working and that we have restocked it properly.  We have reserved side-by-side sites at Pine Ridge Campground in Acton, Maine for September.

 

This trip will also give me a chance to finish trimming out the new flooring that we put in.  We can't have the RV on the condo property except to load and unload, so doing any work on it has been an problem.  We did bring it to the condo a few days ago to check the water system and dewinterize it.  So far the only issue we have encountered is a cracked p-trap on the kitchen sink.  It is so different doing short trips than living in it full-time. 

 

As a prologue to the last blog entry about the night from hell, Pam slept for fourteen hours the next night.    Too bad I wasn't able to sleep fourteen myself.   I wonder if all old people have trouble sleeping.  Our sleep patterns are so erratic.  Although last night wasn't bad.  We both slept through the night with only one short spell at about midnight.

 

I was hoping that Pam could do some socializing with other campers while we're here.  But we are tucked into the trees surrounded by seasonal campers so there are few people out and about.  The roads in our area of the campground are all dirt, so pushing her transport chair around is not much of an option.  She spent yesterday either napping or watching TV.  

Pam's biggest complaint for the past ten days has been her hip and leg.  She has suffered with sciatica for several years.  But lately it seems to have gotten worse.   We have been going through lidocaine patches and she has resorted to ibuprofen for the last couple of days.   I am sure this will be the main topic of discussion with her PCP in October.

Pam's dementia symptoms continue to progress.     As expected with Lewy Body Dementia, her physical abilities are diminishing.  Getting in and out of the car is getting difficult because she can't lift her legs high enough to get over the door threshold.  We have been fortunate that she can still take care of her personal stuff, like showering, dressing, bathroom, etc. I expect that we will start to see that affect showering and dressing.  She has always been very private about that stuff.  It is what I would call "straight laced".  I think it will be a very hard transition for her to need assistance with that stuff.

On a high note, we went out on Sunday, with other residents of the condo, to the Majestic Theater for a performance of Nunsense.  We both enjoyed it and Pam got to chat with a few other people from the condo.  Interestingly, it reminded me of visiting my grandmother's sister when I was about 6 years old.  Sister Ferdi, as we knew her, was a nun and the Mother Superior at a hospital in Kentucky.

Well, that's good enough for today.  I need to enjoy the peace and quiet of camping....