Birds of Humboldt Bay

Sacramento Doggy Dash 2017

Bailey was excited to see Laurel again.

William Land Park

Sacramento, CA

April 8, 2017

We do not own a dog (yet) and this posed a serious problem when Laurel heard a radio commercial many times for the upcoming Doggy Dash. She was very serious in pleading her case that she would be responsible for a dog. Laurel had a lot of confidence in her tone. She even started training for the event weeks in advance. 

Lisa verified that you needed a dog to participate in the event. We are not quite ready to rush into acquiring a dog, so Lisa started to call around to see if we could "borrow" a dog for a day. Laurel was getting a little desperate, she started to ask any stranger she saw walking a dog if she could borrow the dog(s) for the Doggy Dash. As the event approached, Lisa asked around at work and fortunately for us, a wonderful co-worker (HUGE thanks to S and J) agreed to let us borrow her dog, Bailey for the day.

We met them at a park a couple of weeks before the dash so Laurel and Bailey could get to know each other. It went well and Laurel did a great job of working with Bailey.

We were reunited with Bailey an hour before the Doggy Dash. Laurel took her responsibility extremely seriously as she held the lease, gave commands, and rewarded with treats. I think the only thing Laurel was really worried about was having to use a plastic bag.

It started to rain minutes before the Doggy Dash started, but this did not damper Laurel's enthusiasm. She led Bailey around the 2K Course like a seasoned dog owner and as we crossed the finish line, she said holding the plastic bag, "I'm glad I didn't need this".

Miss Highpointer - February 2013

Back in 2012, the Highpointers Club put out a call for picture submissions for their 2013 Highpointers calendar. They mentioned the several states that up until that point were never featured in a calendar. Among the list was Delaware. The highpoint is at a busy intersection in a suburban residential area without any noticeable elevation changes. The only views are the same as just about anywhere else in suburban America. In other words, it's not the most scenic or photogenic. I immediately looked through our pictures from our 2009 visit and found a nice picture of Kellisa smiling in her travel wheelchair. I hoped Kellisa at the top of Delaware would be chosen for the upcoming calendar and we were all very excited to learn our picture was selected. 

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Blizzard of December 2009

On top of Delaware

Kellisa had the week before Christmas off from school and I had a few vacation days left. Our plan was to fly to Philadelphia before visiting the highpoints of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. If we had time, we would also visit the highpoint of Washington DC and I was secretly hoping that we could also drive through Shenandoah National Park. What we didn't know was a major blizzard was going to hit shortly after we touched down in Philadelphia. We had to be flexible since we would only accomplish about half of our goals, but we still had an amazing trip!

Our first stop was Ebright Azimuth, the highest point in Delaware. Reaching 448 feet above sea level, this is the second lowest (behind Florida) of the 50 state highpoints. It was cold, but we completed our assault on the summit before the snow started to fall.

A few statistics from the record setting blizzard of December 2009:

1. The most snow (2 feet) in any 24 hour period in Washington DC.

2. In Philadelphia, the most snow (23.2 inches) from a single storm in December.

3. The storm was 500 miles wide and hit 14 states.

Counting what was already on the ground, drifts, and higher elevations, we were surrounded by 2-3 feet of snow in every direction for hundreds of miles.

Pushing Where Wheels Weren't Meant To Go

Colorado - September 2004

While Hurricane Francis was hitting our home in NE Florida (we lost some tree limbs and gutters), we were hiking a rugged trail in the mountains of Colorado. This was Kellisa's second hike on a trail not meant for wheelchairs. The hike was extra special because we were hiking with some of Kellisa's aunts, uncles, and cousins. We gained invaluable experience and confidence on this hike. 

Photo on right by Cindy Bucher

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Everglades Winter

We spent a couple of days in January 2009 exploring Everglades National Park

Long Weekend in New England

June 2009

New States for Kellisa:

New Hampshire

Vermont

Massachusetts

Connecticut

Rhode Island

Highpoints:

Mount Washington (NH)

Mount Greylock (MA)

Jerimoth Hill (RI)

Our first objective for this trip was the top of Massachusetts. We had two options to reach the summit, an auto road and a cog railroad. Since Kellisa loves trains, the decision was an easy one. Kellisa (Right) wheeling around with Mount Washington in the background as we wait for the cog railroad.

A Day in El Paso

El Paso
Texas

March 27, 2009

We landed in El Paso around noon after spending an unexpected night in Houston because we missed our connecting flight due to bad weather which caused us to circle above the Bayou City for two hours. After gathering our baggage and selecting the rental car, we found a great Mexican establishment for much needed refueling before an afternoon of fun. 

After lunch, we headed to the Wyler Aerial Tramway in Franklin Mountains State Park. While on vacation in Gatlinburg, TN a couple of years prior, we learned how much Kellisa loves ski lifts and trams. 

Juniper Springs

Juniper Springs Campground

Ocala National Forest, FL

July 2013

Laurel became very interested in tent camping. I had hoped to take the girls to northern New Hampshire for a long weekend of camping in a forest with a high concentration of moose, but that plan didn't work out. I didn't want to disappoint Laurel, so I took her on a 3 day, 2 night father/daughter tent camping trip in Florida, in July. We were extremely fortunate as the temperatures topped out in the low 80's and we didn't have a single drop of rain!

As soon as we picked a campsite, Laurel helped to scout out the best location for the tent. Once she picked a good spot, I let her get the tent out of the car. The stillness of the central Florida jungle ended when I heard Laurel screaming. I looked back to see that she had fallen into the fire pit with her legs in the air and the back of her head against the metal fire ring. 

Dark Forest

Sunset - Juniper Prairie

Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Ocala National Forest

January 3, 2006

Two friends, Amber Peck and John Parker from Gainesville, FL leave for a backpacking trip to Hidden Pond in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness in Ocala National Forest.

150 miles away, a 19 year old male wakes up in Largo, FL and decides he wants to know what it's like to kill someone. He boards a Greyhound bus headed to Ocala with a concealed AK-47 in a duffel bag. While in Ocala, he purchases camping gear before taking a taxi to the Juniper Prairie Wilderness.

January 4, 2006

Just outside the Juniper Prairie Wilderness area, the young man from Largo hitches a ride back to Ocala.

Lake Erie Circle Tour

November 7-11, 2008

804 Miles Driven

New York - Ontario - Michigan - Ohio - Pennsylvania - New York

Kellisa had a couple of days off from school and I had a few extra vacation days that were not scheduled. That combination can only mean one thing: time to get out the Rand McNally Road Atlas and plan a trip. Driving around each of the Great Lakes had been on my mind since our July 2008 vacation to Sault Ste. Marie. The greatest "Circle Tour" is around Lake Superior. However, we did not have the time for Lake Superior. We did have time to circle around Lake Erie, the fourth largest of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie also happens to be the 11th largest lake in the world.

It was decided we would fly to Buffalo. I know it was Novemeber, but it was early in the month and I was hoping for some mild weather, you will see from the pictures that the weather was freezing, even by northern standards. It also snowed everyday of the trip, including more than 12 inches one day.

Kellisa's First Kayaking Adventure

Lake Oneida

UNF Campus- Jax, FL

March 2007

Grandma was visiting from Chicago and Lisa wanted to visit the outlet malls in St. Augustine. I asked Kellisa if she wanted to go shopping with mom and grandma or go out and have fun with dad. If she picked shopping, we wouldn't have a blog entry. To this point in time, Lisa did not allow me to take Kellisa kayaking...something to do with the 1,000,000+ alligators that call Florida home. Oh yeah, and they view kids as meals. Lisa asked what I had planned before leaving and I claimed I did not know yet.

As soon as they were out the door and around the corner, I loaded the kayak on the roof and packed the Pilot with all the gear we would need for an afternoon of fun. We had to make a quick stop to buy Kellisa a PFD. I knew I was risking serious trouble, but I had kayaked 32 miles across the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and had several kayak trips to the Everglades on my resume. I was 100% confident in my ability to take Kellisa kayaking and return her home without serious incident.

I selected Lake Oneida on the campus of UNF because I was familiar with the area due to hiking the trails surrounding the lake on several occasions. It was a small lake, so we would always be close to land. Plus, it was a popular campus with students always within shouting distance. The hardest part of the trip was getting a 65# kayak, all the gear, and Kellisa in her travel wheelchair to the edge of the lake to start the adventure. 

Not surprising, Kellisa absolutely loved kayaking!

1996 Chicagoland Flood

An Illinois record was set on July 17 and 18, 1996 for rainfall in a 24 hour period. A total of 16.94 inches fell on the southwestern suburbs of Chicago, including Bolingbrook. About the only time we got lucky with our house in Bolingbrook was during this flood, our lot was actually high and dry. A part of me thinks we might have been better off if the house had flooded.

The entire area around our neighborhood flooded. Only high clearance vehicles had a chance of getting out of the flood zone. Lisa made it to work with our Isuzu Trooper. I stayed home with my Honda Civic and documented some of the flood in the pictures below.

God's Acre Healing Spring

God's Acre Healing Springs

Blackville, SC

September 30, 2009.

"The water from these artisan wells is said to have mystical healing powers."

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By nature, Kellisa has mystical healing powers. You can read more about Kellisa's early days here. 

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If you look at where Kellisa started and how much she has achieved in 10+ years, it's beyond comprehension. I give Kellisa all the credit for her unrelenting determination to fight through the challenges of her life. Kellisa has always had a large circle of doctors, specialists, nurses, therapists, teachers and aides that continue to help her stay healthy (by Kellisa standards) and reach her full potential in life.

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Recently, I became interested in alternative methods that might help Kellisa. I really don't know what I'm looking for or hoping to achieve. All I know is when Kellisa does reach her potential, I want to look back without regrets. I want to know we did everything possible to help Kellisa.

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While conducting a Google search for these alternative methods, I came across Healing Springs in South Carolina. I read historical accounts as well as more recent reports of the water healing everything from poison ivy to arthritis to cancer. The springs are only four hours from Jacksonville and I decided to make a trip the next time I was working in the area. Within two days of making this decision, a customer that I hadn't had any contact with for over a year called and requested a jobsite inspection in Myrtle Beach, SC. I would be within one hour of the springs...was it meant to be?

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Would this water help Kellisa? Myself? I must admit having parents die early scares a person about their own life expectancy. Based on my parents, I would have less than 15 years left to live. I figure I could use all the help I can get. And Lisa? Would this water help heal her nagging ankle and/or chronic back pain from lifting Kellisa? What do we do with this water? Drink it? Wash with it?

4' 10" AND You Need to Walk?

Fastcar Raceway

Golfland-Sunsplash

Roseville, CA

March 25, 2017

It is both a blessing and curse to live within walking distance of a waterpark, arcade, mini golf, laser tag, and a go cart track. The curse is that it can be seen just about every time we leave the house and 7-year-olds think we can just stop by at anytime for a quick visit. It was easy to avoid the park the last few months with all the rain, but the weather is finally getting nice and Laurel has been very anxious to try the go carts.

Lisa took Laurel go carting a few times last summer, but Laurel wasn't tall enough to drive. She had to be a passenger while Lisa drove. Laurel was convinced that she was finally tall enough to drive and a quick measurement at home confirmed that she was in fact just over 4' 10" tall. 

Kellisa has been a passenger in go carts over the years and loves the speed and wind in her face, but she's never gone around our "home" track. We decided that I would drive Kellisa while Laurel drives her own car. This would leave Lisa to take the pictures in this post from the viewing area.