Worse than Waterboarding

March 24
1000 Trails Verde Valley

We have moved to the reunion gathering spot at the 1000 Trails Park near Cottonwood. By 3:00 pm all 15 expected rigs had arrived and the party began. Hors’d’oeuvres were spread and we grazed and sipped for a couple hours until the planned dinner get together which was catered by the park. Not a meal that will be recorded in the Betty Crocker Hall of Fame, but at least nobody had to cook. The prepared video was a hit…as expected.

The morning walk with Annika revealed a day perfect for golf, and a foursome was dispatched to the local links at Cornville (true). Unfortunately, yours truly was still “confined to quarters”, as my father used to say in his army parlance. The skin on the face is still inflamed, but the top is looking more and more like the promised “baby’s bottom.” Cortisone therapy is helping. So, this will be a quiet day of catching up for us as the group disperses to explore the local historic spots. We've seen most of 'em during our previous visits to the area.


March 23
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Cottonwood, AZ

We have spent the past couple days at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, one of our favorites in AZ. We were joined by 4 other caravan couples (Sam and Jeanne, Bob and Cathy, Russ and Geri, and Brian and Debra). We’ve had 2 evening campfires and taken a group trip to Jerome, one of my favorite western towns. Another great lunch at the Mile High Grill, appropriately located 5280 feet above sea level.

The big story remaining is my inflamed face. The top and forehead are scabbed over, an appropriate reaction to the Efudex treatment. The ‘surprise’ is the inflammation of my lower face, forehead and below, which are having a secondary Efudex reaction, despite the fact that I did not apply Efudex to that area. My eyes are mere slits due to swelling of surrounding tissues. A call to the dermatologist’s yesterday brought no answer until this morning, and even then, it wasn’t too satisfying: “What’s happening is normal.” Hurting like hell is normal?
The response: Efudex is great medicine except for the inflammation and pain. It would be a great substitute for waterboarding. Janice has just been sent on a mercy mission to the drugstore to purchase some cortisone cream. Again, the blog censor has banned publication of close-up facial photos.

The scheduled golf for Wednesday is in jeopardy.