Bill and Cathy McArthur on the Road 2010: 22

  Monday, November 8, Bill was up at 4:30 AM. His right calf still hurt when he walked, so he canceled our hotel room in Key Largo for Friday night. Unfortunately, . Cathy went to the gym for a couple of classes. Afterward, we went to Publix/Starbucks for a couple of items. During lunch we viewed the first episode of the 2nd season of "24." After lunch, Bill rested his calf. Cathy went for a walk. We had quinoa/frozen meal for dinner and viewed "Killers" - interesting mix of romantic comedy and action movie.

  Tuesday was a beautiful day, but Bill's calf still hurt. He went to Office Max around 8:30 AM to print some information about the ASTYM treatment for soft tissue injuries. He dropped Cathy at the Golden Gate library to meet with her student Elda at 9:30 AM. Then Bill went back to the medical walk-in clinic and met with Dr. Medina. Bill asked for, and received, a script for physical therapy for his calf. Bill went back to the libary and look at some issues on Elda's laptop computer. Then Bill Called the Medical & Sports Rehab Center for an appointment, arranged for 2:30 PM on Wednesday. We headed home for lunch. Bill decided to rest his leg and watched the surprisingly funny "Sex Drive." Cathy went for a walk. Then we went to Starbucks/Publix. We grilled burgers for dinner while we watched "Beyond a Resaonable Doubt", which was a good, not great, movie with a predictable plot twist.

  Wednesday was another ideal day weatherwise. Cathy went to the gym. Bill did crunches and pushups, but his right calf hurt too much for any other activity. He browsed on the computer and on streaming NetFlix. After lunch, Bill drove to Office Max to print a couple of photos for the Veterans Day luncheon at Rock Creek. Then we drove to the rehab center for Bill's appointment. Bill met Bruce, the owner and head therapist, who is a marathoner. Bruce and Bill talked for a while about the calf injury and Bill's running history and plans. Bruce checked Bill's range of motion on some stretches and probed the tissues of his right calf. Then he did the raking of the ASTYM treatment. Bill had also talked about some I-band pain outside of the left knee, so Bruce stretched his hip, the source of the tightness. Bruce had Bill spend some time on a stretch board and then used a laser and electrical icing to finish up. Bill's next appointment was set for 1:30 PM on Monday. Bruce encouraged Bill to try some walking or running, whichever he could do without pain. Bill had limped into the facility and walked out without pain. When we got home, we headed out for a 2 mile walk. Bill tried a couple of jogging steps, but the pain was still there. The walking was OK. We went to the bridge for Happy Hour. Bill got a shower afterward and then we went to Grouper and Chips for dinner. Later, we viewed "Nine" - a strange musical with a great cast and great performances. Bill purchased "War" for his Kindle app on the iPhone and read for a while before sleep.

  Thursday was Veterans Day. Bill changed his profile to his Thailand photo for the day. The weather was great again. Bill went out for a 13 mile bike ride and his legs felt very good. Around 9:00 AM, a neighbor from the Park, Ron, came over with his laptop for help in posting a Craigslist ad. Bill helped him by creating and hosting this ad. Together, they posted the ad on Craigslist for South Florida. Afterward, Bill hung the new shade for the utility room. Kevin Sands and Kevin Jr. stopped over to say hello. They were talking to a neighbor about some porch work. We went to the Veterans Day luncheon at the clubhouse and sat with three Canadian couples. Later, Bill picked up his new bike stand from the office. He put each of our three bikes up on the stand for cleaning. It was a good buy for $35 from eBay. Bill emailed Dave Moses and told him about the stand. Dave said he would stock it for his clients. As the sun was setting, we went for a 2 mile walk. Bill jogged for .2 miles to test his leg. It was OK, but not completely restored. We had tortellini for dinner and viewed "Spread" - an OK movie with a realistic ending.

  Friday, Bill joined Ron from Rock Creek on his boat for a fishing trip. The boat was a 19' center console on a trailer that Ron had only owned for a week and hadn't had on the water yet. Bill and Ron stopped for gas and bait (Bill paid $12 for shrimp) and then headed to the boat ramp near the Cove Motel in Naples. Two other boats from Rock Creek had already launched. Bill, in his first driving with a trailer since 2004, backed the boat down the ramp and then parked the trailer (Bill put $10 worth of quarters in the meter). Then they headed down the bay and south down the ICW. It was a warm and sunny day and quite comfortable on the water. They found the two other boats near marker #52 and fished for a while to no avail there. Bill handled the anchor. They followed another boat to Marco Island and anchored near the pass. No fish again. They tried a couple of other spots and then managed to lose all of the shrimp by leaving the bait bucket overboard while moving the boat. The line on the bucket had broken, but Bill snagged it with the boat hook. Baitless, they stopped on the beach at the south end of Keewaden Island to look for fiddler crabs. Another fisherman beached there donated some dead minnows and Bill and Ron headed for a couple of other spots. They found the two other boats back at marker #52. For the day, Ron caught a couple of catfish. Bill caught a small Mangrove Snapper and a small catfish. They also went aground a few times. Ron dropped Bill back at the boat ramp. Bill drove the car and trailer back to the campground while Ron piloted the boat up Rock Creek to the dock behind his house. It was an interesting day on the water. After Bill got home, he and Cathy went for a walk/run. Bill was able to do an easy 2 mile run and felt good. We went to Happy Hour on the bridge and stayed talking until it was dark. We had quinoa and a frozen meal for dinner and viewed "Extract", a fluffy piece that was mildly entertaining.

  Saturday, Bill was supposed to be running a half marathon in Key Largo, but his calf injury kept him from the start line. We went out shopping for a few items during the morning. Just before lunch, Bill drove to Naples on the Run to register for the 20K on Sunday morning. He figured to run slowly and see how far he could go without pain. After lunch, we went to the grand opening of the Naples Botanical Garden's new gardens. We decided to join as family members for $75 per year. We were very impressed by the old and new gardens. It was a beautiful day, perfect for seeing the plants and flowers at their best. Bill occasionally rested his legs as we walked around the facility. We went to Carrabbas for dinner. Because of the gas outage effecting SW Florida, they had a very limited menu and more empty seats than usual. We sat at the counter and enjoyed our meals. We viewed some episodes from the second season of "24."

  Sunday, Bill was up at 4:15 AM, getting ready for the 20K race. He went through his usual pre-race rituals and left the house at 5:45 AM to drive to Naples on the Run. Once on site, Bill picked up his chip and did some walking and warmup jogging. His legs felt great. It was a great morning for a run with clear sky and perfect temperature. Bill lined up as the last runner in the pack for the start and ran easily at a 10:00 min/mile pace. His legs felt great until he had to stop just after the 1 mile marker. He turned in his chip to the sweep cyclist and walked back to the car accompanied by calf pain. When he got home, he went out for a 40 mile bike ride, which aggravated his calf a bit more. After lunch, we drove to Tin City and parked the car. We walked over to Cambier Park for the Naples Band's Patriotic Concert. We were very early, so Bill went to Starbucks for a cappuccino and a Sunday Times. We sat on beach towels and Bill worked on the crossword puzzle. The concert was great and Bill almost finished the puzzle. We walked to the beach and lay on the sand for a while. Then we walked back to the car and headed home. In spite of a bad start, it turned out to be a good day. We had quiche for dinner and watched more episodes of "24."

        Bill and Cathy