Most days Michael is in pain....and some days the tremors are bad and his balance is wonky.....this has made working out increasingly difficult. Swimming is an exercise he can do... He has prodded the kids into swimming too. He likes swimming rapids and long swims. Nolan and Alex have joined him for the long swims. They did a couple of practice runs and then hit upon a goal: to swim from the forks to the mouth of the Smith River. This will take several long swims to accomplish. Stacia is doing great on the practice runs and can swim a few rapids, but isn't confident enough to go on a two or three hour swim.
On their first swim, they swam from the forks of the Smith River (a spot we drive by daily to get to Mom G's) to the Footbridge at Jedediah Smith State Park.
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| NPS photo via Google Images |
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| Footbridge at Jed Smith - via Google Images |
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| Alex and Dave |
Don't bother telling me Michael shouldn't be doing this. He needs exercise. His neurologist told us to go make memories and that is what he is doing. If not now, when? He knows his limits and will not push beyond what he or the boys can accomplish in a day.
Michael is disappointed to report he found a school of suckers in the swim today. He and some friends thought they'd cleared out the river decades ago. There are still none in THEIR part of the Smith River, but they are making a comeback.
We plan a quiet evening....
