Grandma Rennison passed away on October 4, 2010. She was born in 1918 in Warrensburg, Mo and married Grandpa in 1936. They raised five children during their marriage.
Everyone who was able gathered in the Braymer, Mo and Kansas City, MO area to celebrate her life on the weekend of Oct 9-12.
While it was no doubt a very sad event, it was also really nice seeing so many family members. And as is usual for these events, we got to see many photos and hear stories never seen/heard before.
The night before the funeral, we all gathered at Ralph and Wilma's home to eat and be together.
We also made a trip to the funeral home for a private family viewing this evening. We were happy to have this opportunity. Grandma looked really great.
We returned to Ralph & Wilma's home to spend time together. We celebrated Grandma's birthday - she would have been 92 on the 20th of October. Some moonshine showed up which made for a pretty funny evening as a few folks (to remain unnamed) over-indulged. And we all admired Ralph's new tattoo! Men gone wild - turn 74 and get a tattoo! It was a good time.
The next day was the service. It was the first day of the weekend that the weather was cold, rainy and sad. We attended the funeral in Braymer, then made the drive to Mt. Moriah cemetary in KCMO for the grave-site service. Grandma is buried next to Grandma and surrounded by many family members including her mom - Callie Merle Carson Foster (my namesake). It's always been a great source of pride in the family that we are related to Kit Carson. Callie Carson was his niece.
As I left the cemetery to head back to my hotel, I got to watch the most beautiful sunset in the rear-view mirror.
Anyway, I won't chatter any longer. Enjoy and celebrate a really lovely woman known to many as mom, grandma, great-grandma and even great-great-grandma.
Callie typing for Dave...he can type at about 2 words a minute right now. :)
I have to admit, after seeing probably 75 various surgeries over the course of my 14 years in the medical device industry, I was fairly nervous going in for this, my first surgery.... I've seen a fair amount of unprofessional behavior and lackluster skill levels in various ORs throughout the country. So some of these thoughts were running around my brain as I contemplated my surgery.
Upon seeing that after some time, my bicep in my right arm just wasn't working, I knew something had to be done. Instead of a 'stand up' bicep when flexed, it just hung to the front of my arm. My anxiety was reduced since my hand/arm specialist orthopod gets great reviews and has performed distal biceps tendon reattachment many times in his career. He was confident that he would be able to fix me up with a nice strong reattachment.
Time is of the essence in this repair surgery as the longer one waits the more difficult it is to retrieve and reattach the severed biceps tendon. So, the whole thing was on the fast track once the doc reviewed the MRIs.
In the two screen shots of the MRI scans, I believe you can see the severed biceps tendon. In general, the portions of anatomy that show white on the scans is either swelling or traumatized tissue.
I received my diagnosis Saturday morning. The surgeon performs surgery only on Tuesdays and Fridays. I was in his office early Monday and surgery was scheduled for the next day. Early Tuesday morning I drove to DIA (aka DEN) to pick up Callie who flew back early from the KCMO area where she was attending her grandma's funeral.
We drove straight to the hospital where my status as a 50 year old required me to have an EKG for my surgery. I guess they wanted to make sure my ticker worked. The EKG actually showed to be abnormal - but only because my resting heart rate is 42 which is not common for a 50 year old. It is not uncommon for a fit person though so I was cleared for surgery.
After the EKG, we went to the surgery center to drop of the EKG. To my surprise I was quickly admitted for pre-op. Before I knew it, I was in well-ventilated hospital gown and the nurse was working hard to get the compression hose onto my frog legs. Surgery was happening then, not at 3:15pm as originally scheduled.
Callie interjects: DAVE WAS WEARING A DRESS AND HOSE!!! HAAHAHA.
Dave back dictating now. Sheesh.
After a short initial wait, a nurse came in and got me set up on an IV drip, shaved my arm, and reviewed medical history/information. Callie and I then waited for my turn with the surgeon.
A little while later the man with the happy juice showed up, asked me a few questions, then squirted a syringe full of something good in my IV. They wheeled me toward the the OR. That is my last memory pre-surgery.
Next thing I knew I woke with a foggy head and a hell of a sore arm. The nurse worked with me to get the right pain meds in my system. My head started to clear a bit and Callie was allowed back to the post-op area.
From what Callie tells me, I repeated the same questions a number of times until I must have been satisfied with the answers. I obviously was most concerned about whether they had to take tendon from my leg (they didn't) and if they paralyzed me for the surgery (they did). After a couple of jellos, a lot of graham crackers, and several cups of juice, I was beginning to feel almost normal. Since I tolerated food and drink well, it was time for my first two percocets and shortly thereafter I got dressed with the help of my live-in nurse. Then I got wheeled out to the car. The recovery had officially begun.
Dave's warning: This blog entry contains no pretty pictures. Instead, only thoughts of the day will pervade…
While having lunch at the dining room table today, a house finch was eating at the feeder when no other birds were present. Upon a closer look, it was obvious the bird had a significant growth around its eye. Its behavior was atypical for such a small bird; slow movements, seemingly relaxed, but obviously struggling to stay alive… This bird was in a tough situation and its survival was obviously in the balance. When I saw this bird, I realized it was truly in peril. Sad, but it helped me bring my current situation into perspective…
12 days ago, very early in the morning, I went next door to help a neighbor with some damage control necessitated by a faulty plumbing connection. A substantial amount of water had sprayed out of a faulty feed connector and flooded several areas of her home. We worked quickly to remove water, rip up soaked carpet and move furniture as needed to minimize damage. A big bummer for her, but not a big deal physically eh? That is, until I lift the corner of a bed with my right arm and a loud ripping sound emanates from my elbow and I cringe in pain. Yikes. What the hell just happened?
I had just been climbing in the Utah desert for the last four days, cranking my body weight on my arms at will many times during the trip. Suddenly, I can barely move my right arm without a yelp and I can no longer effectively help my neighbor. I walk home a bit shocked. I take a quick shower with my good arm and carefully drive off to work. A couple of hours later, I’m at my cube when my notebook starts to fall off my desk. I instinctively reach for the book with my right arm to keep it from dropping to the floor when I hear another popping noise from my right bicep and I find myself wincing in pain in my 6x6’ corporate cube… What the hell is wrong with my arm??
A couple of days pass, the pain lessens slightly and Callie and I leave for a four day birding trip to Cape May NJ to celebrate her birthday. My arm is quite tender and I have to be very careful even wielding the weight of a camera… but it is less painful than the first couple of days. At this point, I’m still convinced that it’s just a partial muscle tear and it will heal on its own, although I make a point to shake hands with new acquaintances solely with my left hand… We have a really fun trip despite lackluster weather and head home Monday evening. A couple of days later, I’m concerned that my right bicep seems to be changing shape, becoming even softer and less responsive. This injury is making me nervous now…
Acknowledging Callie’s concern about my arm, my own intuition and the suggestion of a good friend who is an experienced physical therapist, I make an appointment with a sports medicine MD to check out the arm. The doc performs a series of kinesthetic tests, pokes around a bit and proclaims “you have significant defect in your right bicep… at least a grade 2+ tear” and recommends an immediate MRI scan at the local hospital. We wait in the exam room while the doc goes above and beyond the call of duty to work with his assistant to get me into the imaging center at Boulder Community Hospital that afternoon. We leave his office and drive straight to the hospital’s imaging center and next thing you know, I’m assuming the “superman” position for 30 minutes of MRI scanning to see what’s going on in my arm. The position is somewhat uncomfortable, but I hold as still as possible to get the best possible images for radiological evaluation.
After about an hour at the hospital, we leave with a CD that contains a copy of my scan dataset. With my work in the medical device industry over the last 14 years, I’ve seen a lot of MRI scans, but almost all of them were cranial or spinal studies. As I look over my arm scans, I realize I have no idea what I’m looking for, but there appears to be a significant injury site near the elbow… We finally head off to bed while my mind wanders, wondering what information the scans will provide to the expert. In the morning, Callie departs for the airport to attend services for her recently deceased Grandmother. I head out to our garage to continue the post remodel organization of the “man cave”, trying to only use my one good arm.
About 9am I come into the house for a cup of tea and I see that I have a message on my cell phone from a number I don’t recognize. I punch in my password and listen to the message. It’s the doctor from yesterday – he has reviewed the MRI scans. He says “you have severed your distal brachial biceps tendon and it has retracted 4.5 centimeters so far… I have called the orthopedist in order to fit you in asap… please give him a call as soon as possible”. What does this mean?? It means that I can either live with a 70% reduction in the flexor strength of my right arm for the rest of my life, or I can have the biceps tendon surgically reconnected… Not many options eh? My heart sinks. I’ve never had surgery. I’ve never been down for 4-6 months. I’m 50 and I don’t heal quite as fast as I used to. I have K-Mart connective tissue…
Although outpatient orthopedic surgery and a 4-6 month recovery time is certainly not tragic in the grand scheme of things, it does represent a major paradigm shift in my life. How will my body heal from the impending surgery? How will my brain deal with the physical down time? Will I recover to 100% strength? How will Callie deal with the challenges of a gimped out Dave for months at a time?? Thank goodness I know I will have Callie’s full support, no matter what goes down. Stay tuned for more info…
Here is a link to a site that provides an excellent summary of the condition if you might want more information:
Dave headed out to Indian Creek for some climbing and socializing. My schedule didn't allow enough time for that trip, but I did manage to get a few days and I got some cheap tickets to head to Houston for a quick trip.
We did a lot of nothing. Lots of TV. A pedicure. And more of nothing. And it's what I wanted to do. We did celebrate my sister and my birthday when I was in town which was fun. But mostly it was relaxation time.
As usual, there were critters around. This trip, there were several baby peafowl to play with. And of course, there were the parrots to see. Dayle, Dewey and I showered and had a nice blow dry. :) Contrary to the photo (I caught Dayle with his nictating membrane closed), they bathed in the shower, not the sink. Dayle broke his back when he was only six months old so he is on a towel in the sink as I blow dry them. Dewey, his mate, is more than happy to be where ever Dayle is.
While in Houston, I heard from Dave. He had a good time in Indian Creek and was home. While there, helping a neighbor, he hurt his arm. Loud awful sounding rip came from his bicep. His wing is wrecked. More on that later...
We are still playing blog catch-up. This blog entry focuses on some climbing Dave did with our friend Gabe in September. It may be the last time he climbed before hurting his wing. More on that later!
Dave here: In Jim Erickson’s 1980 guidebook “Rocky Heights”, he describes the Naked Edge in Eldorado; “An exceptional classic, it was likely the most difficult long free climb in the country when it was first done. The vectorial line, the infinitely varied climbing and the inimitable exposure combine to create an unforgettable climbing experience”.The route was first free climbed in October, 1971. 39 years have since passed and the “Edge: remains an undisputed classic.
While certainly not at the extreme edge of difficulty by today’s standards (5.11b), the Edge still provides a fantastic climbing experience and is found on the hit lists of many aspiring climbers. One’s first trip up the Edge is especially memorable, given its history and reputation. On a warm and sunny afternoon last month, fellow Taco member “GOclimb” was keen to head up the Edge for his first time and I was happy to join in the fun. We met at the Eldo lot after work and left the car about 3:30pm.
It’s important to start your first trip up the Edge with a confident, “can do” attitude as you can see GO displaying in the photo below… However, it’s not unusual to show just a hint of fear and hesitation at the same time. After all, there’s the finger crack, the heinous chimney pitch and the evil black ramp to contend with along with several other challenging sections…
After simul climbing 230’ of easy terrain to the base of the route, GO took off up the first pitch, a beautiful thin finger crack in an obtuse dihedral. He styled his way up to the crux section, pulled that after a little thought and found himself working through the final thin tips jams below the belay. The crowd was cheering him on and success was so near when a slight slip of the foot caused GO to experience gravitational acceleration for just a few feet… the free cold one for onsighting the first pitch was lost, but his enthusiasm was not. GO quickly shook out and completed the pitch without further incident.
I followed the pitch, grabbed the gear and linked the next two pitches together to put us at the base of the chimney pitch. Pitch 2 of the Edge is very cool, with some beautiful and exposed transition moves around the arête, followed by a tricky section just before the belay. Pitch 3 generally follows the arête with easier climbing. As you can see from the picture below, GO was psyched with the quality of pitches 2 & 3… Next up is the infamous chimney pitch. This pitch requires a variety of climbing skills and although short, it keeps your attention and gets the blood pumping. Here I am up in the slot, about ready to exit the roof and traverse over to the classic and exposed belay below the last pitch.
Also shown are some pics of GO seconding the chimney pitch, which he did so in grand style and with a minimum of heavy breathing – good job GO! Next it was time for the final pitch… In Godfrey and Chelton’s book “Climb”, the authors have this to say about the 5th pitch of the Edge; “Many modern climbers have successfully climbed the first four leads of the Naked Edge free, only to fail on this strenuous final section”. Indeed, I have witnessed said behavior many times. Would GO fire the infamous final pitch? The lead was his call, but being a little concerned with the amount of daylight remaining, he opted to second and let the old guy lead. This pitch is in your face right off the belay with strenuous and awkward moves up a steep, slick ramp. At the top of the ramp is a fantastically exposed spot where you transition around the corner to a “rest” fingerlock on the overhanging prow, with 600’ of air under your butt – quite a spot. I took a moment to grab a photo of GO hanging out at the belay before heading up the final crack and on to the summit.
Sitting on top of the Edge, belaying and watching the sun set on a beautiful afternoon is an experience not to be missed. As I did so, I could tell that GO was moving up the pitch pretty quickly – he was doing well and I hoped he was enjoying it as much as possible. Soon, I could see him come out onto the final easy section that leads to the summit. He let out a loud hoot and you could see he was quite fired up to be finishing the Edge for his first time! The swallows swarmed and did their usual fly by’s in approval!
On top, we shook chalked hands, exchanged stories about our experience and watched the last of the sun disappear in the west over the high peaks as the moon was rising in the east. How can you beat a beautiful late summer afternoon on the Edge?? It’s the best way to forget you even went into work that morning...
My thoughts drifted back to my first time on the Edge in August, 1983… I’ve grown older, more gray and wiser(?), but the Edge remains the same – one of the great classic climbs in Colorado… get up there and enjoy it!
We are a little behind with some of our blog entries. This one comes from a couple of months ago.
Dave here - I went to a raptor program sponsored by a group called Hawk Quest, which is a non-profit group that strives to educate the public about raptors and their place in the ecosystem.
For the program, they bring a small number of raptors that are either disabled or have been raised by humans, hence they cannot be released in the wild.
For this program they brought a Red Tailed hawk, a Peregrine Falcon, a Bald Eagle, a Great Horned Owl, a Barn Owl and a Red Shouldered Hawk. They perch these birds in trees around the park and each raptor station has a program volunteer that provides detailed information about each bird, which is very interesting.
Since the birds are somewhat tame, you can get pretty close to them, about 10-15', hence it was fairly easy to get some nice close up pics of the birds. Although this wasn't challenging raptor photography in the wilds, I hope you enjoy the images and seeing the detail of these magnificent birds!
Grandma Rennison passed away on October 4, 2010. She was born in 1918 in Warrensburg, Mo and married Grandpa in 1936. They raised five children during their marriage.
Everyone who was able gathered in the Braymer, Mo and Kansas City, MO area to celebrate her life on the weekend of Oct 9-12.
While it was no doubt a very sad event, it was also really nice seeing so many family members. And as is usual for these events, we got to see many photos and hear stories never seen/heard before.
The night before the funeral, we all gathered at Ralph and Wilma's home to eat and be together.
We also made a trip to the funeral home for a private family viewing this evening. We were happy to have this opportunity. Grandma looked really great.
We returned to Ralph & Wilma's home to spend time together. We celebrated Grandma's birthday - she would have been 92 on the 20th of October. Some moonshine showed up which made for a pretty funny evening as a few folks (to remain unnamed) over-indulged. And we all admired Ralph's new tattoo! Men gone wild - turn 74 and get a tattoo! It was a good time.
The next day was the service. It was the first day of the weekend that the weather was cold, rainy and sad. We attended the funeral in Braymer, then made the drive to Mt. Moriah cemetary in KCMO for the grave-site service. Grandma is buried next to Grandma and surrounded by many family members including her mom - Callie Merle Carson Foster (my namesake). It's always been a great source of pride in the family that we are related to Kit Carson. Callie Carson was his niece.
As I left the cemetery to head back to my hotel, I got to watch the most beautiful sunset in the rear-view mirror.
Anyway, I won't chatter any longer. Enjoy and celebrate a really lovely woman known to many as mom, grandma, great-grandma and even great-great-grandma.
