Monday, August 29, 2005: Last week we made a day trip to Havre de Grace, which is pronounced without any trace of a French accent. It is at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay, right at the mouth the Susquehanna River. Arriving close to noon we picnicked at a park over looking one of the town's marinas. Just below the park at the marina is the launching point for daily cruises on one of the last remaining Chesapeake Bay skipjacks. (Here's a picture http://www.gunkhole.org/images/CRW_2866_RJ_jpg.jpg .) We decided to go on a short cruise out onto the Bay. I helped to haul up the large mainsail. There's no winch; it's all done by hand while singing a sea shanty. We were out for just over an hour. After sailing we had some ice cream and looked through a few of the town's many antique shops. The girls were happy to be given a couple of antique McDonald's happy meal dolls at one of the shops. On our way home we stopped for dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Aberdeen.

It's a big week next week. Tuesday we are off to the Ocularist for a routine look at the prostheses. Wednesday is Leela's first day of school. On Thursday Leela will miss a day of school so she can have an MRI. And on Friday Leela will spend the morning in school and the afternoon at the clinic for an appointment with Dr. Lawlor, Leela's oncologist. During that appointment next Friday, we expect to hear the results of the MRI and find out what the schedule will be for removing Leela's catheter. Once that happens, even those of you on the West Coast might be able to hear our giant sigh of relief.