Bill and Cathy McArthur Spring/Summer/Fall 2008: 18
Monday, July 28, Bill arose at 5:00 AM and got ready for another paddle around Cape Island with Joe Link. The wind had blown fairly hard overnight, but was laying down a bit as the sun came up. Bill left our beach at 7:35 AM and headed down to Joe's beach in a fairly rough Bay. Bill landed and then he and Joe departed at 8:00 AM. When they rounded the point, the air temperature became chilly due to the cold ocean water. At the first Cape May jetty, they encountered thick fog which lasted all the way to the inlet. This trip, Bill had his GPS so that he could tell where they were. The fog was so heavy that the paddlers couldn't tell what Cape May beaches they were passing. They were accompanied by lots of dolphins. It was a good workout. Cathy went to aerobics in the morning. After lunch, Cathy took a walk along the Bay. Bill cleaned up his gear. We enjoyed a great sunset.
Tuesday morning found Bill's legs a bit sore. He decided to pay monthly credit card and cell phone bills while Cathy went to the gym. After lunch, we both rode our bikes to Cape May Point. It was a hot afternoon, but a nice ride. Later, Bill cleaned and prepped our backup portable grill. Bill grilled vegetables on the other grill: onions, red pepper, yellow pepper, zucchini, yellow squash marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Bill used an aluminum grilling plate and about 18 minutes. The veggies were fabulous! Bill grilled a chicken breast on our usual grill. We viewed "Disturbia" - entertaining in a very lightweight sort of way.
Wednesday started out foggy. Bill slept in until 6:14 AM and loitered over 3 crossword puzzles. Cathy went off to Becky's aerobics class. Bill headed out in a light fog for a paddle down the Bay. By the time he crossed the Canal, the visibility was very limited. He had to head right for the shore along Higbee's Beach as the fog really came in. He turned around at the creek north of Sunset Beach and headed back up the shore to the Canal. He crossed the foggy Canal with his fingers crossed (figuratively) and paddled back home as the fog lifted a bit. He made an 8 mile trip in 2 hours. After lunch, we drove to Bill's appointment with Kim, the P.A. at the Urology office. She went over the cat scan and, in consultation with Dr. Schutz, recommended a renal scan and a cystoscopy. Bill is resigned to this endless testing and just took it all in stride. Kim told Bill that his prostate is 5 times normal size and weighs around 100 grams. We got back home at around 5:00 PM. We cooked burgers and chicken for dinner.
Thursday started early for Bill, who rode his bike to Steve and June Sheftz's house to meet them at 7:00 AM. He helped to set up their network and DSL line as well as put a wireless card in Steve's computer and get everything working correctly. Cathy went to the gym. We both ate lunch on the deck. After lunch, we drove to Cape May Court House and picked up the RV. We drove it home and got it ready for us to reside in it for a few days.We went to dinner at Louisa's and enjoyed the meal as usual.
Friday started early for both of us. Bill dropped Cathy at ACME at about 7:30 AM and headed for the Lobster House to buy swordfish and bread for dinner. He picked up Cathy after running his errand. Cathy headed for the gym and Bill headed out on a surprisingly rough Bay on his kayak. Son Bill, Stacey, Sarah, and Billy arrived from Philadelphia Airport in a rental SUV at about 12:15 PM. We all had lunch on the deck. After lunch, the 6 of us loaded the SUV and went to Wal-Mart to buy a few items. Bill walked to Lowe's to pick up a dryer cord for Phil for the rental house in Sea Isle City. Alex, Phil, Erin, Bridget, and Garrett arrived about 3:30 PM. After everyone settled in, Alex, Bill, Bridget, and Erin went down to the beach for a while. The highlight was Garrett on all fours in the Bay slurping the water like a dog. When that group went in, Stacey and Sarah came out for a walk on the beach. Bill grilled swordfish and marinated vegetables for dinner on the deck. The dinner was great and the weather was perfect. We enjoyed strawberries for dessert with a sunset on the side. Later, Bill loaded photos into the computer while Cathy tended Erin, Bridget, and Sarah in the RV.
Saturday, Bill and Phil were going to run in the Coombs/Douglass Memorial Bay Run, but a huge thunderstorm came through as they were getting ready to go over to Town Bank Fire Hall. Numerous smaller storms passed by as the morning went on, so they decided not to go over to find out if the event was held (it was). Bill washed the RV in between storms and drove to Ace Hardware for a gallon of car wash and two bags of conditioner salt. Phil got out for a run about the time that Katie and Rachel arrived from Doylestown. We ate lunch on the deck. Cathy and Stacey went to the Lobster House and K-mart with Sarah sleeping in the car. Alex, Phil, and family headed over to Sea Isle City by mid-afternoon. Bill filled the kiddie pool with air and Son Bill filled it with water on the deck. The remaining 3 grandkids had a ball in the pool. We ate a great oven baked haddock meal on the deck.
Sunday had an early start for Bill. After checking email and doing a crossword puzzle, he went for a 3 mile run shortly before 6:00 AM. He was back before anyone else was up for the day. He went inside and put coffee on and got breakfast. The rest of the crowd awoke and came down or in at their own pace. Bern and Megan Ernakovich arrived around 10:30 AM with baby Alex from the ferry. We took 3 cars and everyone except Tom drove to the Cape May County Zoo. We toured for a while and then ate lunch at the fly and seagull infested outdoor cafeteria. When we arrived back, Bill, Son Bill, Stacey, and the kids went to the beach for a while. Later, Bill went down to the beach with Rachel. They stayed on the beach for a couple of hours while Rachel enjoyed the beach and the water. Son Bill bought and brought take-out seafood from Fish and Fancy for dinner on the deck. The warm wind was blowing at 10-15 mph while we ate and after sunset. The wind kept the bugs away.
Bill and Cathy