Pat & Walter

Bathrooms

We've completed the renos of our two upstairs bathrooms. We started the first (ensuite bathroom) when we discovered the other one had some leaks. Once the ensuite was completed and we had a usable shower we started the second (original which is now guest bathroom). And when I say "we" I mean our friendly contractor Ron Davies. But we did do the demolition for the guest bathroom!

I think they turned out very nice. Pictures are at my new photo site here. Right now there are two galleries on that site. One is the bathrooms. The second is some photos we took to print and hang in the new guest bathroom. I thought it was fun to try to take some "artsie" photos. They are black and white since pictures always look better in black and white.

Enjoy,
Walter

PS. Pat is still doing fine. Staples are out. She is working about 3 days a week now.

Ouch!

Pat and I went up to Tremblant for a week of snowboarding and fun and had a great time. Well, it was fun up until Thursday at about 4pm.

We arrived on Friday after Pat had spent most of the week cooking soups and stews that we could freeze and have at the condo. We had a few days of snowboarding and the conditions were great if not a little crowded since it was some sort of Quebec spring break. Went to Tremblant National Park for some cross country skiing, and we made it around the loop in about half the time we did it in last year. Plus the drive to the park is snow covered and twisty which makes it very fun drive in my Scooby. Pat thinks I have more fun on the drive to and from the park than I do skiing. She's probably right. Wednesday night we went dogsledding. Pat was bundled with a blanket in the sled while I tried to get the dogs to follow the group in front. The lead dogs (Portos and Alan) did their best to shorten the trip and find the shortest way home instead of following the group. The dog's trainer had to pull them back inline multiple times, but it was still a lot of fun. Although it was a bit chilly, the stars were out in force twinkling brightly and cheerfully.

Thursday snowboarding started out very good as well. The crowds had thinned out from the Quebec spring break, the sun was shining, it was a bit cold but we were dressed for it. I wanted to stop after lunch but Pat was having such a good time she wanted to keep going. So we did a few more runs. Just before the lifts closed, we arrived at the bottom of the hill and Pat again decided it was such a lovely day we should do a final run. We stopped at the top of the hill at the chalet and soaked up the sunshine. We wanted a nice leisurely run down the hill with as few people as possible after the crowded runs earlier in the week. We started down once the gondola had stopped bringing more people to the top. Lovely time. Bright sunshine. The hill to ourselves. Riding through a flat section of the hill, just minutes before the end of the run. I notice out of the corner of my eye that Pat has taken a little tumble. Then, all hell breaks loose.

Pat lets out a bit of a yelp, then the woods are filled with incredible screams as she yells out "It's Broken!" I am filled with the most sickening feeling, and Pat is continuing to scream. I get out of my bindings and run over to try to console Pat. The hill is almost empty so it takes a few minutes of my yelling and waving to flag someone down. It takes about 15 minutes (hard to say really) for the ski patrol to arrive and a bit longer for the sled to arrive to carry Pat down the hill. Another few minutes to stabalize Pat's arm. Pat of course is in incredbile pain whenever someone touches or moves her arm. A couple of minutes to get Pat off the hill in the sled. Remember we were only a couple of minutes from the bottom of the hill... and we had plans for snowshoeing and fondue that night (maybe some other time). And then a short trip to the clinic at the bottom of the hill.

The clinic is surprisingly (well, maybe not since it's at a ski hill) well equiped and have their own x-ray machine. A few snips of the scissors to get the glove and wrist guards off Pat's left hand, and the doctor is able to see that it is a compound fracture. One of the bones had caused a puncture in the skin. So their main concern was infection. Started pumping Pat full of antibiotics, and finally some demerol for the pain. The doctor phoned Montreal General and told then we were on our way for emergency surgery. Pat gets in the ambulance for the 1 1/2 hour trip to Montreal. The nurse very graciously offers to help me pack up the condo since I will be taking the car to Montreal and not coming back. I might have violated a few speed limits getting to Montreal. I find out later that the doctor had forgotten to give Pat another shot of pain killer before the trip to Montreal. About 10 minutes out of Tremblant the pain killer has worn off, so the trip for Pat is painful. Anyone who has driven in Quebec knows how bad the roads are.

I arrive in Montreal about 9pm. Pat goes into surgery about 1:30am and comes out about 3:30am. I meet her in the recovery room about 4:15am, but am soon kicked out because they do not allow visitors there. Pat gets wheeled up to her room on the 18th floor at about 6am. I leave her so she can try to get some sleep.

Around 9:30am I get back to Pat's room and she immediately asks where I have been all this time. Apparently by 7am they were serving breakfast and she had been visited by quite a few doctors between then and now. So not much sleep. My bad.

The doctors say everything is fine and Pat can go whenever she feels like the pain has subsided and she feels up to it. So, of course she is ready to get the hell out of there. We make plans to leave about noon and head to Ottawa to visit Pete and Sue. First because Sue is not feeling well, and second to break up the drive back to Georgetown.

Do to some other complications we do not end up leaving Montreal until 6pm, and we make our way to Ottawa (more crappy roads). It's Friday night.

Saturday we head back to Georgetown after stopping at both Mom's and Dad's to explain the adventure Pat has had. Better in person than with a phone call.

Update on March 13th: Pat is doing fine. She doesn't even have a cast since the doctors want her to keep her arm moving. Pat's pissed since she doesn't get a cast for people to sign.

Enjoy the x-rays.

Walter