Vampire Weekend

The first week of July is typically quiet and predictable. Fourth of July festivities, Deborah's birthday, nice weather, a few turns cooking outdoors.

This year there were a few extra fireworks..

Lynn's been taking some medication to keep blood clots at bay that was making it hard to stop bleeding in general. He spent two nights in the Emergency Room under observation, getting blood transfusions that seemed to just vanish from his lab results. No vampires in sight, but do you ever really know?


During a fun weekend with Lynn back at home with Jono, Dana and Meghan tested out the rooftop grill in our apartment.

Deborah's mother Joyce joined the West Coast crew, and took Deborah on an overnight birthday adventure to Skamania Lodge, a spa/golf resort in the Columbia Gorge just over the Washington State border past Bridge of the Gods..




Lynn's blood count continued to drop, so he was admitted to the OHSU hospital to figure out what was going on. The team determined that it was best to replace the blood clot medication with a mechanical device to keep blood clots from traveling and installed a small filter in a vein to do the trick. Lynn got terrific care at the OHSU Kohler Pavilion - especially enjoying the fancy hoist that keep moving him around. To the delight/embarassment of his nursing staff, he would sing a few refrains from Peter's Pan's "I'm Flying".

In case you forgot this memorable baby boomer musical, here's a link to Mary Martin's performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EecrNTxaUy0

(think Lynn actually prefers the Cathy Rigby version)




Giving Joyce a tour of OHSU helps us appreciate the care and surroundings there. Things that stood out: --the view of Mount Hood from the hospital room

-- mouth watering descriptions of meals on the daily menus
-- inspiring artwork everywhere
-- an air bed...with extensions (extremely nice for a 6'1" patient!)
-- direct access to real time test results so we could stay on top of information
-- free coffee for visitors over age 60 at all the hospital cafes

Taking care of Lynn was not quite as colorful as the photo below, but I liked the imagery!