A "U" Turn

On Saturday we were not in a rush to get on the road to San Antonio since the distance is only 196 miles with all interstate highways. Joe insisted on driving the entire way because I have had some issues with pain down my right arm caused by a bulging disc and disc pressing on top of each other. It was diagnosed after I got to Houston from Emory Orthopedic from tests I had before we left Atlanta. The pain from the shoulder down to the hand has been getting worse and worse and I even went to an internist here in Houston to give me pain pills and an anti-inflammatory prescription so I could hold out till I got back to Atlanta. There is no way I could have surgery here in Houston under the circumstances.

The drive to San Antonio was only three hours with no hassles and Max was excellent the entire time. Even after stopping at a rest stop Joe wanted to continue driving so I let him. Little did I know that would be a huge mistake in judgment. We got to La Quinta near the Riverwalk about 3:15PM. I had messed up the reservation and only did Sunday night but the registration staff got us a room for both nights although we had to wait for about an hour for our room on the 7th floor. My mistake, I went to the back parking lot which I thought was the self parking lot. Joe took the duffel bag and cooler as I handled an excited Max. But not more than a walk across the street, Joe has to stop and sit and rest. He looked strange and so pale that it startled me. Around to the front of La Quinta is a short way but it was trying on Joe so when we got to the lobby, I insisted he just sit on the couch and wait as I got us registered. I told Joe we had to wait till the room we wanted was cleaned up within 10 minutes time which turned out to be an hour. I found out where the real self parking lot and I went back and drove the car to the right area. It was about 4:30PM when we got up to our lovely large room which Joe was pleased with. The room has a reclining chair that Joe took to right away and just chilled out. He asked me to find him a Dr. Pepper and Fritos so I started my search. Of course the first vending machine would not take my money but I finally was directed to one near the conference rooms. Joe was patiently waiting and was glad that my venture found exactly was he desired. He fell asleep in the recliner and I in the luxury sheeted bed with fluffy soft pillows. We did not wake up till 7:55PM and we had reservations at Baudo's at the Riverwalk at 8:30PM. The Riverwalk started right across the street from our hotel by going through Macys into Riverwalk Mall. Really cool when one comes to the River as you walk across Macys first floor.  Riverwalk was full of people and lots of families. There were riverboat taxis taking people on tours up and down the river. Since we had never been here before, we had no idea how big the area was and how it meandered. The river is bordered by granite with wide windy sidewalks on both sides with enormous fully grown live oak trees with flowering gardens and with Venice arched bridges to get from one side to the other. There was lots of happy friendly people strolling all about. Also there are scores and scores of restaurants and hotels all along Riverwalk with several floors and patios with outside tables. Joe had a hard time walking and I wanted him to rest on the benches since he looked ghostly and breathing heavy. Keep in mind that we had not walked very far at all. We came to a fork in the river where we had to decided to go one way or the other. The Riverwalk maps do not show the individual restaurants or hotels so I called the restaurant since I knew Joe could not handle a wild goose chase. I got the specifics after several failing tries at communication with the restaurant staff and the told me that we were a short walk away. We had to walk over two bridges to the other side. The restaurant was a short way as they said. I had Joe sit down in a chair right away to rest while I got our table. The hostess proceeded to take us to the back of the restaurant when I stopped her to alert her that I had requested a river view table when I made the reservation so we go back to the front and waited a few minutes while our table was cleared off. It was such a lovely setting being outside along the river being able to watch the boats go by as well as the masses of people strolling along the riverbanks. The large live oak trees made a canopy over the riverwalks and river. The colorful lights from the restaurants and hotels made it a magical showcase. We could hear various bands playing along the river that also added ambiance to the comfortable cool temperatures on a clear night. We took our time ordering and eating. Baudros is known for their tableside making of fresh guacamole. It was super good. Joe and I both had steaks

I woke up about 8AM on Sunday morning to take Max out and walk around a bit but Joe had awaken just as I was going out the door. So I told him my plan of heading back to Houston and why. Thankfully, he agreed with me stating he did not realize how weak he was and was sorry to ruin the weekend. I told him he was my only concern and someday we could come back to this fabulous city and tour the Riverwalk and Alamo. After walking Max I packed up the room and Joe and I headed down to a nice breakfast of orange juice, fresh waffles, and lean sausage. We packed up the car and let Joe wait there as I ran up to get Max and check out of the hotel which went very smoothly. I canceled our dinner reservations and also the Segway Tour at 2PM before leaving the parking lot.

It was an easy three hour drive back to Houston. I unpacked our bag and cooler as Joe rested. I drove most of the way back and Joe drove an hour. Joe laid on the couch and watched football as he snoozed in and out. I took a pain pill and crashed into bed for several hours.

Again, the Falcon football game was not on TV. So we drove over to the sports bar restaurant called Champs which was in a very pretty shopping center about a mile from out hotel. There we watched our Falcons win over the Rams and had linner (lunch/dinner).  When we got back to the room, we both changed into comfortable clothes and just took it easy. We enjoyed watching the American Music Awards where there were many great acts by notable singers and groups.

Our next two days are devoted for Joe to rest. He already looks better this evening and does not looks as ghastly as he did in San Antonio. He needs to be in decent shape to start the next round of chemo on Wednesday.


Ciao!