Yesterday I had to go to Greenville for my three month follow up with my pulmonologist. (Details of visit at end of post.)
On the 2 1/2 hour trip home, I was thrilled to pieces that a small riverfront town called Plymouth and the golden hour arrived in my life at the same time. That happy juxtapositioning of events inspired me to spend some time puttering around with my camera, enjoying all the different shades of loveliness that were on display that evening.
I started up at the street level, looking down at the river.
And then I meandered along the alley that runs near the river . . .
. . . enjoying the 70 degree weather and the luminous air.
After I had strolled and shot for about 20 minutes, I saw that I had run out of strolling/shooting space; however, since the light was still so lovely, I hated to stop taking pictures. I decided to wander down the (almost deserted) main street and look at the variety of shop windows instead.
Imagine my delight when the end of my two block meander took me to an area of the river I hadn’t been able to access from my previous vantage point.
I was so happy! More golden light! More river! More pictures!
When the last light finally faded, I walked back to my car. Peaceful. Fulfilled . . .
. . . and thankful for a golden evening and a golden opportunity to go river walking.
Pulmonologist Visit:
From what the two doctors are able to tell, I have lost a little ground in some areas and gained a little ground in others. They’ve scheduled me to come back in another three months and they have also ordered a chest x-ray before that appointment, just to check for any obvious lung anomalies that are causing me to have these sort of “on again, off again” symptoms.
They did give me permission to stop taking Advair since it made me hoarse and caused my hands to hurt. (And I really wasn’t feeling much benefit from it.) They said the steroid I’m taking for my rheumatoid arthritis will actually do a little bit to help my breathing and I’m also supposed to continue with daily use of Spiriva and Albuterol as needed.
One thing that made me smile: when I told the overseeing doctor that several times a week I ride my bike for 45 minutes, he was absolutely dumbfounded. He said, “According to your test results, you really shouldn’t be having that sort of exercise tolerance. I am really, really surprised you can do that!”
So I left the office feeling thankful that whatever is causing me to have these challenges is not stopping me from doing the things I love.
Dear Becky –
As a longtime reader and fan of constructive criticism, I feel it is my duty to inform you that this post is all kinds of wrong. The date you attribute to these photos is January 28th. In January, there is no 70°, no luminous air. No ‘blithely strolling’ and no ‘golden light.’ We walk on rivers, frozen ones, because there is certainly no liquid water by which to walk alongside. I fear you are suffering time and/or memory lapses, because this simply cannot be from a week ago. Please double-check your data and try again.
Signed,
Frigid in Fairbanks
Dear Frigid in Fairbanks,
Sending “luminous air” and “golden light” your direction! 🙂
Hi Becky, Haven’t posted (or read) in awhile…trying to get caught up now! 🙂 But I had to mention that our first ministry was in the little itty bitty town of Roper, NC (which is the next one up from Plymouth on the way home to OBX. Now that there is a “bypass” around it, you don’t get to ride by our little house anymore.. 🙁 We still have good friends there. Don’t get to see them often, but friends all the same! Richard was youth and music minister at Zions Chapel Church of Christ right on the highway there!
He was in school at what now is Mid-Atlantic Christian College (was Roanoke Bible College) in Elizabeth City and drove back and for his last year from Roper.
Small world, huh. We love the little town of Plymouth and drive through it periodically when going from his hometown of Chesapeake to my hometown of Mesic, NC. 🙂
Usually from flying into Norfolk from Indy.
Glad to hear your tests had some positive aspects and keep on biking!
Buff
Buff, well, you started reading again just in time to see the Plymouth story. That worked out well! Sarah just spent a couple days at Mid Atlantic Christian College for a youth retreat she was on. It IS a small world!
As a longtime citizen of the California Bay Area, I not only enjoyed the scenic pics, but I was dumbfounded by the lack of wall to wall traffic and the absence of rushing humanity!! Gads! I could us some of that peace sometimes!!
Jojy, it’s funny, I don’t even think about the lack of crowds till someone who lives in a crowded place brings it up. I must admit it is a wonderful thing to have an “absence of rushing humanity.” Thanks for helping me to remember that blessing anew.
Gorgeous pictures, friend! And so thankful for the encouraging reports! How are you guys doing with the Daniel fast? My experience? “I was glad when they said unto me, Let’s go get a burger!!” Glad we did it but boy oh boy – not an easy thing! 🙂 Love Ya!
Sheri, We have one more day to go and then a burger would be just the thing! 🙂 Love you!
Your photographs are so beautiful and something I greatly enjoy Becky. Visiting your blog and previous sites have been part of my day for 10 years now.
Suzanne, I am still amazed by the people I continue to “meet” who have been reading here for ten years. Just. Wow. Thanks for being a part of of our lives. (And so glad you enjoyed the pictures.)
I may have to stop reading until New England temps rise! Only kidding! Those pics are beautiful and a couple really caught my eye to frame. Way to go with more positives from the doc, Becky. Good job. I guess visiting the jim everyday is paying off! 🙂
Guerrina, Don’t you just love that “jim” comment from FB? It truly made me smile. And here’s wishing you warmer weather very soon!
sounds like the ‘positives’ outweigh the negatives with your checkup. so, that’s good news, right?
St. Louis was 72 degrees yesterday and 40 degrees lower today with tornados in the forecast last night, but thankfully, we just had heavy rain, which made driving not too much fun.
Mrs. Pam, Wow–that’s a big temperature drop! So glad the tornadoes bypassed you.
Beautiful pictures, and 70 degrees. Oh, I miss the warm weather. Today our high is supposed to be clear up to 11 degrees 🙂 The cold hits again tomorrow. with windchills of minus 40 for us up here in BEAUTIFUL Minnesota 🙂 Keep blessing us and keeping us going with thoughts that eventually we will have warm weather to go take photo’s in too. I was out with my camera yesterday after we had 10 inches of snow taking the gorgeous snow pictures. Glad you dumfounded the Dr with your bike riding.
Wendy, Now that’s one thing I never get to do is to take snow pictures! I think that would be pretty cool. (Literally and figuratively.) 🙂
the picture are awesome, thought where is everyone? is 70 degree too warm for there? i would have thought people would be out enjoying the evening.
Becky, I guess a small town in the south in non-tourist season is a little sparsely populated downtown! There were a few people right near the river but not many; I enjoyed the quiet and solitude!
God certainly new where to put you and your family so that you could share and enjoy the richness of the land and water around you and the countryside to bike through to help you with your breathing strength.
Mary, Yes, I am so grateful for the beauty around us and especially having the strength to bicycle through it!
Lovely photos! Yesterday was our coldest day of the year thus far with the windchill bringing the temperature down to minus 40 so it was especially nice to seeyour colourful photos!
Have a great day!
Jenna, Minus forty? Oh my. It is a HUNDRED degrees warmer than that here. My hat is off to you and all the rest of the hardy Canadian folk!
WOW: a 100 degrees differencein temperature between our two climates right now is amazing! I love how God has created such a diverse world!