I took my Dad to breakfast this morning. "How are your kids," he asks. "Matthew is in Seattle working fir Amazon, and Kat is doing well in school wnd graduates in the spring," I answer. We went to the same fast-food place he's been going to for several years. The same Septegenerians and Octogenarians were there at the big round table. The "youngsters," the two Lewis brothers, are in their late 50s or early 60s. They appeared to qualify by virtue of their grey hair and balding domes. Daddy's hair is very thin, grey, but covers his head and is just as wavy as when he was in the Army. He asks about the kids, "Where's Matthew?" "He's working in Seattle," I reply calmly. The repetitions are expected now, and for 95 years of age, he's doing pretty well! He doesn't move well these days, not so much due to Parkinson's disease that still manifests in shaky arms and hands. More likely his difficulty moving or going to the fitness center is attributable to his deteriorating memory. He literally cannot remember to get up and go. He shows me a book about the Korean War. Remote memories are still intact and a source of grounding for him.
The drive today was from Demopolis to the casino south of Memphis in Mississippi where my brother has a free room. A distance of over 250 miles, the day was marked with missed turns and GPS routes that were... eccentric. Eating at the buffet, he asked me "Is daddy repeating questions?" We decided he needs to go to the fitness center and that his tractor needs to remain unstartable, to keep him from hurting himself. The slot nachines were a cacophony of bells, whistles, music, and lights, designed to mesmerize patrons while house odds took effect.
Travel Log - Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Departed from Demopolis, Alabama approximately 11:40 AM
Arrived in Robinsonville, Mississippi about 6:05 PM
Approximately 300 miles, including about 45 "missed turn" miles
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