Springtime on Kent Island: 4/26 - 4/29

—Blogpost written by Bob 

Monday, April 26

I was woken up by bright sunshine beaming into our boat from the stern.  The sky was clear but it was a bit chilly outside (47 degrees F), but normal for this time of year. 

Come on, sunshine!

 

Last night I dreamed about all the changes that are in our future.  Within my lifetime, we will probably all be driving electric cars (as one of the simplest changes ahead of us).  Most of our electrical power will be generated by renewable means.  As a mechanical engineer, these changes are exciting to me but I would guess they would be scary to others.

After today's radiation treatment, we had a delicious lunch at The Boatyard in Eastport.

Lunch at the Boatyard in Eastport.

The number of tables for indoor seating was still restricted due to COVID and the outdoor seating in a large white tent was still popular at the Boatyard.  We got back to the boat in the middle of the afternoon and fatigue kicked in (from my late-morning radiation treatment) and I took a two and a half hour nap.  (I'll be glad when my radiation treatments are over!)

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In the evening when I went to apply the second coat of 33% thinned oil finish to my knife handle, it seemed like a lot of the turpentine I used to thin the oil had evaporated out of the shot glass, despite the plastic sheet held in place by a rubber band.  So, I added a capful of turpentine to the mixture before applying the second coat of the day.

Tuesday, April 27

Warm and sunny again today, the temperature shot into the 70’s for another beautiful spring day.

After my radiation treatment and lunch at Italian Market, we did some serious grocery shopping for us and Lola.  We purchased items suitable for our Keto diet (like almond milk and ingredients for a Keto-friendly granola for breakfasts) which we intend to start soon after my treatments are over.

By the time we returned to the boat at about 3 PM I was overcome by fatigue (again) from the radiation.  I napped until after 5 PM, totally wasting the beautiful afternoon.  (I was warned that the fatigue will get worse close to the end of my treatment routine and, sure enough, it has become much worse.)

My completed project on making and
finishing this knife handle.

I did get two more coats of (50% thinned) oil finish on my knife handle today to complete the finishing task.  Now I just have to sharpen the knife and it is good to go.  (Our poor dinghy has been sitting on the dock for over a week now with little progress made on its bottom painting.  Other spring boat projects have been delayed as well.)

Wednesday, April 28

An overcast sky greeted us in the morning.  The outside temperature was in the low 60’s but expected to hit 80 degrees after the sun established its position as the dominant feature in our sky in the afternoon.

This morning for breakfast, we had Cheerios with blueberries and almond milk (for the first time as a trial).  Cheerios are, of course, not Keto-friendly but we wanted to try the (unsweetened) almond milk—it tasted only slightly different than regular milk but with a lot less carbs.

We went out for lunch at Italian Market and had pizza (which I absolutely love).

Again today, I was totally wiped out from the middle of the afternoon on.  We came back to the boat and I took a 2 or 3-hour nap.

Thursday, April 29 (My last day of radiation!)

I was excited about today being my very last day for radiation treatment!  I was very careful to stick to my routine for my preparation.  By 11:40 it was all over!

My oncology technicians, Laura (left) and
Christine (right) were with me all the
way through my 8-1/2 weeks
of radiation treatments.
(I couldn't have been
in better hands!)

I got to ring the bell, shown in the background of the above photo, on my way out the door (and did I ring it!).  

We went out to lunch at Carrol's Creek Cafe after my last radiation treatment.  When our waiter (who we have known for a long time) found out our lunch was a celebration, he brought us an apple tart with ice cream for dessert (on the house).

The fatigue will most likely follow me around for the next couple weeks but will gradually diminish.  I'm looking forward to getting back to normal.  Stay tuned for "normal."

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