Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2007: 3

   On Tuesday, May 29, we were home for the season, greeted by summery weather. We enjoyed a walk on the beach at Cape May Point, where we saw some dolphins cavorting in a calm ocean. As we ate dinner at home, we enjoyed watching a gorgeous sunset. On Wednesday, we got down to some work around the house. First, Bill did the NY Times crossword puzzle, lifted weights and went for a 3 mile run and 3 mile walk to the canal. Then, we went to Lowes and bought a power washer and flowers for our containers. After lunch, Bill started power-washing the deck while Cathy worked on the flowers. Later in the afternoon, Cathy took a walk while Bill unlocked the kayaks and washed off his Manta. We ate a wonderful meal at Tisha's in Cape May. Bill started Thursday with a kayak paddle up the Bay to Green Creek. During this 7 mile round trip, he saw some nearby dolphins. Also, a couple of fish hit the kayak and Bill's paddle as they flew through the air. Afterward, Bill continued powerwashing the deck. After lunch, Bill powerwashed the deck furniture. Our exterminator, Tim, came by to check on the mouse situation and to spray a bee-infested piece of driftwood. Bill powerwashed until late afternoon. During dinner, we watched one of the worst movies we've ever seen: "Night in the Museum" - what a waste of talent. On Friday, Bill finished the powerwashing. During mid-afternoon, we drove to Cape May and walked up the beach past the lighthouse and then down the promenade to Convention Hall. We stopped into a few of the stores to see some of the people that Cathy used to work with and near. We finally found a suitable container for the Sahara Desert sand that we picked up in Senegal. The sand now resides on our mantel. We had burgers for dinner and viewed "Pan's Labyrinth", which was very good. On Saturday morning, after he watered the flowers, Bill joined our neighbor Tom for an outing on his boat. They went to Breeze-E-Lee Marina to put the boat in the water (with them in it). Then, after a gas stop, they went to Tom's slip and set up the lines. Tom's wife Joy drove to Harbor View Marina to pickup Tom and drive him to his truck. Tom was soon back at the boat slip and he and Bill went out fishing in the back bays. It was a lovely day with a moderate south wind, but they caught but one small flounder. Cathy and Joy met Tom and Bill back at the marina for lunch. Later in the afternoon, we walked down the Bay beach for a couple of miles. We viewed "Casino Royale" during dinner - typical Bond movie with lots of good action. Sunday, the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry started to move in. Bill got in a misty 6 mile walk before the harder rain started. Cathy supplied dinner for our neighbors Jim and Fran Lewis. Fran suffered a severe heart attack the weekend before. On Monday, we took a somewhat rainy 6 mile walk. Bill had an early lunch and then drove to a 1:00 PM appointment with his urologist. He had a renal scan which showed no stones - good news. He didn't realize that he was supposed to have had a blood test for PSA before the appointment, so he had to go to Lab Corp in Cape May Court House on the way home and has another appointment with Dr. Schutz at 11:30 AM on Wednesday. We had a great haddock dinner and watched a chick flick, "The Holiday", which had a good cast. On Tuesday morning, we shopped at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for some summer items, including new shower curtain for outside. Bill walked for 9 miles during a hot afternoon. We watched the Republican debate and had some laughs. We had a bit of rain on Wednesday morning. Bill went to ACE Hardware to get some hardware to secure the outdoor shower curtain rod which fell during the night. After he installed the hardware, Bill dropped Cathy at aerobics. Bill drove to Somers Point for another appointment with Dr. Schutz. He found that his PSA was still high, so a biopsy was scheduled for June 15. Bill went to the labs of Shore Memorial Hospital to get an EKG and bloodwork in preparation of the procedure. He had flashbacks to his extensive testing during 2002. Bill walked for 4 miles while Cathy prepared another great fish dinner for Jim and Fran. We viewed another chick flick: "The Lake House" - whoa. Thursday was another beautiful day, but the south wind persisted. Bill lifted weights and did a 3 mile run and 3 mile walk while Cathy went to morning aerobics. We had lunch on the deck. Bill went out for a kayak paddle, but ended up fighting a nasty wind and got a 40 minute workout. Bill took his first outside shower of the season after arriving back home. Later on, we took a 4 mile walk along the Bay. We viewed "Rocky Balboa" during and after dinner. Bill loved the movie, while Cathy barely tolerated it. On Friday morning, Bill and Jim Sosna took an early morning 10 mile paddle to the Concrete Ship. The day continued to be a very hot humid one. Cathy and Bill went to lunch at Lucky Bones and then went to the Lobster House to buy fish for the evening meal for Jim and Fran and us. We went for a hot 4 mile walk in mid-afternoon. Bill wrote his first opinion in quite a while. We viewed "Deju Vu", which Bill thought he might have seen before, and found it too be the most scientific approach to time travel we've ever seen. Saturday was another nice day. Bill took a 6 mile walk to the canal on the beach while Cathy did aerobics. After lunch, we walked along the ocean beach into Cape May where we drank frappucinos. We viewed "Apocalypto", which Cathy found too violent, but Bill liked a lot. On Sunday, we drove to Glen Mills to enjoy Bridget's dance rehearsal. After dinner, we enjoyed the concluding episode of "The Sopranos" and the first episode of "John from Cincinnati". On Monday morning, Bill had to go to Armada Motel in Wildwood to work on a networking problem. Afterwards, Bill watered the flowers and did the NY Times crossword puzzle while Cathy went to ACME. After lunch, we drove to Cape May Point and walked to Poverty Beach. We walked around 7 miles and had to hurry back to the car when a thunderstorm threatened. We viewed "Catch and Release", another chick flick. We drove to the Cove Beach in Cape May early Tuesday morning. Bill brought his Yak Board. We met Jim Sosna with his kayak. The waves ranged from miniscule to tiny, but Bill and Jim paddled near dolphins and enjoyed a couple of hours of fun in the water. Bill changed clothes in a restroom (illegally) and we picked up George Pechin around noon. We went to Geckos Restaurant for a nice meal al fresco. Bill noticed some black clouds coming over as we finished lunch. By the time we started to walk back to the car, a downpour had started, so we waited under an awning for a while. We walked to the car and tried to race the storm back to our house, but we fell short. Bill ran into the house and brought umbrellas out for Cathy and George. Bill remembered that his late mother-in-law had declared him waterproof, but with the nearby lightning crashing all around, it was a touchy moment. Inside of the house, we hunkered down and watched hail bouncing off of the deck. Once the storm had passed, George viewed our cruise photos until almost 6:00 PM. We drove George home and watched a Yosemite documentary that our son-in-law Tom had recommended. On Wednesday morning, Bill lifted weights and did a run/walk to the canal while Cathy did aerobics. After lunch, we went to Rio Grande to see "Knocked Up" - very hilarious. During and after dinner we viewed "Man in the Middle" - very good cast, good action, and good story. On Thursday, Bill worked on research for a proposal for a couple of Wildwood clients. Cathy went to aerobics. We couldn't help but notice a bulldozer next door which cleared the vegetation for a new house. We've had a nice 12 years with a wild lot next to us, but that's over. We drove over to Cape May Point after lunch and walked on the beach on a cool, cloudy afternoon. We went to dinner at Alfe's in Wildwood and had the usual large quantities of good food. We viewed "The Breech" - good action and intrigue. On Friday morning, Bill had to fast. He lifted weights and watched Cathy eat. We both left at 9:15 AM to drive to Somers Point for Bill's prostate biopsy. From Bill's point of view, the procedure went well. As the doctor entered the room, Bill said a hello and was immediately out cold. When he awoke, Cathy was there. Dr. Schutz put Bill on light duty for about a week; a followup appointment was set for Thursday, June 28. When we got home, Bill chilled out on the sofa and watched T.V. We viewed "The Sentinel" - excellent story with a great cast. On Saturday, Bill washed and tested the grills and washed off one of our coolers. Meanwhile, Cathy went to aerobics. Bill also worked on a prototype for sending emails from the Front Desk program. After lunch, we took a slow 4 mile walk along the Bay. We grilled fish in two "seatings", one for Fran and Jim and one for us. We viewed "A Good Year" - surprisingly good chick flick with Russell Crowe. On Sunday, we got started with preparations for the afternoon's kayak party and cookout with Cathy's former teacher colleagues. Bill was still on light duty, so poor Cathy had to do all of the lifting and carrying. On Tuesday, Bill took it very easy to make up for too much activity on Monday. On Wednesday, Cathy accused Bill of "doggin it", so Bill put up gates at the top and bottom of the steps and walked for 6 miles. We viewed one of the top five worst movies that Bill has ever seen: "Because I Said So". On Thursday, Bill sprayed the driveway with Roundup. Then, he lifted weights and walked 6 miles while Cathy did aerobics. Bill went to Ace Hardware to buy some signs to mark our private property on the "illegal" beach path by our house. After lunch we stopped at Cape Camping for a water pressure regulator and some toilet chemical for the RV. We also stopped at Home Depot to buy two metal saw horses for the signs. We picked up the RV and brought it home. Bill put up the "Keep Out" signs and prepared a document about the saga of the illegal access path by our house to give to interested trespassers. Bill worked on connecting the electricity, water, cable, and sewage to the RV. Then, Cathy washed and vacuumed the inside while Bill washed the outside. We enjoyed a great dinner at the Moonfish Grille. After dinner, we watched most of "Munich" - better than we thought it would be. Katie, Tom, and Rachel arrived around 11:45 PM. We helped them get organized, chatted for a while, and then we all turned in for the night. On Friday morning, Bill made coffee and oatmeal in the RV. Then, he read the paper, watched NBC news, and ate breakfast there. Cathy was the next up and then Rachel got up. Katie and Tom got up a bit later. Tom went for a bike ride and the rest of us went to the beach at the Cove in Cape May. It was very windy, but we enjoyed two and a half hours of surf and sand. We returned for lunch. After lunch, Rachel and Katie took naps, Cathy went to the ACME, and Bill took a 6 mile walk. We all enjoyed dinner at Lucky Bones. We had a quiet evening and early bedtime. On Saturday morning, we headed back to the Cove for another morning on the beach. The McArthur Reunion got underway as Julie, Dave, and their 4 toddlers arrived from Michigan. Joann, Joan, Paul, and their two girls came down from North Jersey. Bill's sister Joan, Ralph, and Ralph's sister and husband arrived from Toronto and Northwest Jersey. Bill's brother Bob, Marty, and Julie arrived from Maine. Cathy and Bill headed over to sister Joan's room at Summer Station for an open house. Seven of us went to dinner at George's Place later in the evening. The meal was inexpensive and OK, but not great. On Sunday morning, we headed for our beach and waited for son Bill, Stacey, Sarah, and Billy to arrive from Georgia. They arrived around 10:30 AM. After lunch, we brought a couple of kayaks to our beach. Bill got in a 4 mile kayak paddle. Alex, Phil, Erin, Bridget, and Garrett arrived during early afternoon. Bill enjoyed the late afternoon on the beach with Phil, Erin, and Bridget. Thousands of small jellyfish appeared in the Bay near the shore. Bill and Bridget had a good time scooping them up and throwing them into the water. Cathy prepared a feast of Shells with Red Sauce and Italian Sausage. Katie had made an excellent Boston Cream Pie for dessert which we ate watching a beautiful sunset to end a beautiful day. Everyone went to bed early. At a bit after 5:00 AM, a rain shower came by and lasted for a couple of hours. This was totally unexpected.

        Bill and Cathy