Sunday, January 23, 2011

Getting around GJ (The Grand Valley)

Last week saw me driving to San Francisco to enjoy the big city, and this week I found myself flying to my "happy place," so I can visit with and help out my 84 year old parents a bit.
My mother is recovering from a pretty extensive replacement surgery on her shoulder, and my father who is usually "Johnie on the spot" in the helper department has landed himself in the hospital with congestive heart failure (CHF) so we are focusing on him more than mom at this point.
My father is going to be just fine after they wring out all the extra water from his legs and tweak his heart medicine a bit so that it hopefully doesn't repeat itself in the near future. He had his knee replaced a couple of months ago, and the mitral valve in his heart repaired (effects of rheumatic fever as a child) in 1993. This somewhat compromised heart, along with immobility, age, and probably other factors has given him some CHF.

I'm going to show you the hospital and views of the valley.
This will be fairly boring so you may want to move on to something else. Just sayin'.
Here is an old shot from 1960 of the hospital, pretty much the way I remember it from my youth.
 Now, after several remodels, here is a picture of the new hospital.

Brad and Camille at Dr. Kelly's office building (our brother) where she works
Anyway, my little sis and her hubby, took me up to the hospital's new wing to look out at the big valley that I grew up in from 8 stories up and on a big hill.
 This is the new St. Mary's Hospital towards the north-west from the street.
Now, up on the 8th floor towards my parents home and the home I grew up in. Bookclift mountain chain is on the horizon. Intersection of 7th Street and Patterson Road, and old hospital wing in the foreground.
To the east are more hospital buildings and in the skyline is the Grand Mesa. (worlds largest flat topped mountain, with hundreds of lakes and a decent ski resort)
Mesa State College and the San Juan Mountains in the very very tiny weeny background.
My high school in the middle of the picture. G-J-H-S , Go Tigers!!

...and my Dad's computer is not cooperating with me so ....later.

It's later now and I was able to get home to Nor Cal and use my own computer. Ahhhhhh, nniiieecce!!!
Just one last picture to add of the western view towards the Colorado National Monument where the Colorado River runs toward Utah through all the cool red rock formations.  Squint and you can see some inspiring monoliths, creviced canyons, and coke oven formations that make up the beautiful park.

4 comments:

  1. It's always good to go back home, isn't it? Even when it's for less than wonderful reasons.

    Sounds like everybody will be on the mend soon, though. And it's good that your sister is still there to keep an eye on your mom and dad.

    =)

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  2. i love that you call it your happy place. that's how i feel in LG. :) glad they are doing better & that you're there to play nurse vicki.

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  3. wow! that's a lot going on in your family. Hope everything turns out OK. Awesome that you are able to be there to help. I'm sure it's much appreciated.

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  4. weird, grandpa's heart surgery was in 1993? weird. speaking of old places, the people that bought our house in beaverton let it fall apart, it's a travesty to drive by there now that it's the eyesore of the neighbothood, hopefully g&g's house is still in good shape, that place was sweet

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