A couple weeks ago, we managed to get away to Santa Fe. The fall colors (yellow aspen, purple asters and yellow rabbit brush) and warm weather made for a welcome break from the cold summer we've had here in Berkeley. It was also nice to take a breather from all the medical appointments and treatments that fill our time. However, the altitude (7,000 feet), our energy levels and Tim's ascites cut down on how much hiking and photographing we were able to do. But, we still had a good time visiting family and friends. And, we finally found Devil's Claw in flower for the first time.

Shortly after we returned from Santa Fe, Tim had his ascites tapped. This time they got 9 liters of fluid. Having already put off chemo for almost 2 months, Tim decided he needed to further postpone chemotherapy because he was just feeling too sick most of the time. Tim wants to wait until he sees the results of a PET scan on October 11. The results should indicate whether or not the chemo has been effective or not… and whether or not to resume treatment.

Over the past few days, Paul has been really sick from a fungus and a virus that together eventually landed him in the emergency room. Because his immune system has pretty much been wiped out during his transplant, Paul is now very susceptible to all the germs, viruses and many other bugs that most people have already developed immunity to over the years. He's now on the mend. At some point a year after his transplant (December 2017), Paul will need to be re-inoculated for everything from measles to shingles to pneumonia. Eventually, Paul should catch up with everybody else.

Devil's Claw (Proboscidea parviflora),Diablo Canyon, New Mexico