It has been over 4 years since I last posted. Life has been busy and I got out of the habit. Time to change that.
I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and it seems like a good time to go back and be reflective. I found a lump - actually it felt like a 2 inch piece of cord - back in late spring. Then began a round of doctor visits, mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies and fear. The hardest part is having to wait constantly for results or plans. I am a planner and once I know that something is going to happen I like to get on with it. But this process is different. You get some info and then wait and worry. Then you get another bit of info and wait and worry. I finally had surgery - a lumpectomy and sentinel node removal and now am waiting and worrying again. A month has gone by... and next week I have another doctor visit, with an oncologist this time. Hopefully I'll get some answers and schedule the next round of treatment. Maybe. We'll see.
In the meantime my parents took me on a road trip to Big Bend National Park. I have never been there as it isn't on the way to anywhere I tend to travel and it's a day and a half drive from Phoenix. This is the off season as it usually is pretty hot. We were lucky and had decent weather and not many other people around. We stayed up in the Chisos Basin where it was nice and cool - at least compared to the 110-ish temps we've had in Phoenix lately. Saw 2 new species of birds - White-tailed Kite and Chihuahua Ravens. The trip was 6 days in total and was a very welcome and enjoyable change of pace.
 |
| They call these Lubbers. They're about 3 inches long with bright red underwings. All over the roads in Big Bend. |
 |
| View from our Lodge balcony. This is called "The Window" and looks out on the valley floor 100's of feet below. |
 |
| Walls of the north portion of Chisos Basin. |
 |
| Casa Grande in the morning with low foggy clouds. |
 |
| View of The Window from the valley below. The mountain in the middle is Casa Grande. |
 |
| Cactus wren fixing up the winter abode. |
