Four Hours To Kansas City

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View Of Data Centers From Our Holiday Inn

It's 7:30, and I've been sitting in the breakfast room of a Holiday Inn for an hour, sharing the space with roughnecks — workers here to build the massive data centers rising behind the motel. We are in Pryor, Oklahoma, just off Highway 69. It's 67° and shaping up to be a windy, overcast day for a road trip. I still have a cough, but it's improving.

Wednesday was a hard day. Around 8:00, we had to say a reluctant goodbye to Beth as she headed to the hospital to spend the day with Rami. We passed the morning packing and making sure the house was ready for her return that evening. Leaving felt a little easier knowing Rami's mom was there to step in and help. We're ready to go back the moment we're needed, and the kids have all volunteered to come as well. As of this morning, Rami is still in intensive care — a sobering reminder of how fortunate it was that he was taken to the hospital on Tuesday.

Oklahoma

Some Color

We left at noon and spent the first hour grinding through six or more lanes of Dallas traffic on Interstate 75. Eventually, the congestion thinned to two lanes, 75 became 69, and before long, we were in Oklahoma — flat land stretching in both directions, brush on either side of the road, and the occasional small town breaking the monotony. We passed numerous lakes, none of them inviting — a murky, dirty orange with no boat traffic in sight. I drove the first three hours to McAlester, where we stopped for gas ($3.25) and a quick bite at McDonald's. Evie took the wheel from there and drove us the rest of the way to Pryor and our Holiday Inn. We got settled in the room, only to find the TV wouldn't work — a frustrating discovery after a long drive — and had to switch rooms entirely.

Landscape Rarely Changes

Once we were sorted, we relaxed for an hour before walking next door to the Double D Bar and Grill. As I'd half expected, the bar was full of data center workers — no women in sight except Evie. She ordered a berry salad; I had a chicken wrap. Both were surprisingly decent. The owners were warm and genuinely grateful we'd stopped in. We headed back to the room, watched a bit of basketball, and scrolled our phones until 9:30, when we finally switched off the lights.

A Two Minute Walk From Our Holiday Inn

Today we have a little under four hours ahead of us to our son Tom's house in Lee's Summit — and to our great-grandsons, Rhys and Tommy. We can't wait.

ALARMING, IF TRUE11

Another Try: North To Oklahoma

Kayak Morning: 4/22/25

Morning Clouds And Sun: 4/22/25

It's 8:15, and Beth, her mother-in-law Chelo, and I are up, enjoying our coffee and getting ready for a long day. Rami went to the hospital yesterday morning and spent the night, so we pushed our trip to Kansas City back by a day. It's now 8:45, and Beth and Chelo have just left to see him, leaving us behind to get the house in order and feed the dogs before we head out around noon.

Yesterday began as usual. Beth and I were up early, around 6:00, had our coffee, and she was off to school by 7:00, leaving Rami and me to ourselves. We had some breakfast, fed the dogs, and let them out into the backyard. Evie was up by 8:15, and we were planning to leave around noon for Oklahoma.

Unfortunately, Rami wasn't feeling well. We kept checking his blood pressure, which was hovering in the low 80s/50s or high 70s/50s — worrisome numbers — and he seemed somewhat confused when he spoke. We texted Beth, and she decided to come home. After speaking with his doctor, who encouraged her to get Rami to the hospital, she called EMS. They arrived shortly in a massive ambulance, five or six men strong, all of them capable and reassuring. I kept the dogs in the bedroom while they attended to Rami. Beth followed in her car, and we decided to push our trip back a day — no big deal. We'll leave today around noon.

With the afternoon ahead of us, we got busy changing the beds, washing the sheets, and making sure the house was in good order for when Beth and Rami return. Chelo, Rami's mother, flew in from Florida and arrived by Uber around 2:30 to help out once we leave. The three of us settled in for the afternoon, catching up — we hadn't seen her in years. None of us were very hungry, so we made do with leftovers; Evie put together a ham omelet and a bagel for me. We sat around talking and watching the NBA game until around 8:00, when Chelo headed to bed, being an early riser.

Beth didn't get home from the hospital until about 8:45. We stayed up talking until 9:45 before finally calling it a night — the end of a very long day, especially for Beth.

“I would have won Vietnam very quickly. I would have, if I were president.” DJT

North To Oklahoma

Nap Time With Tin Tin And Kaia

It's 7:00, and Beth and I have been up since 6:00, with Rami having just joined us. Beth is making his breakfast and will then head off to school. It looks like we'll have rain today on our drive north to Oklahoma. We're not leaving until around noon and expect a short four-hour drive today, followed by 3.5 hours tomorrow to our son Tom's house in Lee's Summit, MO. I actually got a good night's sleep for once, with little coughing — which is why I woke at 6:00 — and I hope it continues.

Monday was typical: Beth was off by 7:00, and the rest of us got up at various times — first Rami, then me, then Evie. Rami had an appointment in Dallas at 8:30, and I wasn't sure whether he needed me to drive him. He's usually reluctant to let someone else take the wheel, so he left around 8:10, leaving Evie and me to the morning. I sat around reading, enjoying coffee and a bagel, and writing the blog. Evie was up by 8:30 and joined me, and we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves other than clean the kitchen and organize a few things. I still didn't have enough energy to walk the dogs, so we let them run freely in the backyard for most of the morning. I ended up taking an hour nap around 10:30 and woke feeling more like myself.

For lunch, I had a ham and cheese sandwich and some of Beth's chicken soup. I wasn't sure what the afternoon would bring until Rami called to ask if I could take an Uber to the hospital and then drive him home. The nurses wouldn't allow him to drive because of his low blood pressure. The ride to the cancer center was interesting — mostly a long stretch of businesses, restaurants, gas stations, and malls, seemingly going on forever. I arrived at the Presbyterian Hospital Cancer Center and finally found Rami in the infusion room, along with ten to fifteen other patients sitting patiently with IVs in their arms. It's quite a place — people constantly coming and going — and it gives you a real sense of how many people are fighting cancer each day. The nurses were wonderful and finally gave Rami the okay to leave once his blood pressure was high enough. We were home in fifteen minutes, an easy five-or-six-mile drive. Rami was relieved to be home, especially after what should have been a two-hour appointment stretched into six. 

Thank you, Ms. Albaran

Beth arrived home excited because he sixth graders, knowing that she had missed a few days because her husband was sick, had a gathering to show her how much they appreciated her. How neat. Later,  I drove to the pharmacy to pick up another inhaler — a steroid inhaler called Symbicort, which I had used a few years ago.

For Beth

I watched the Cavs game during wine time, since it tips off here at 6:00. Dinner had already been made — turkey chili over pasta and a salad — and we watched two more episodes of Season Two of Landman before everyone but me went to bed around 8:45. I then watched the Knicks blow a late lead and lose to Atlanta at Madison Square Garden, quite the upset. I finished the night with the first half of the Nuggets and Timberwolves, a game eventually won by the Timberwolves.

"In fourteen months, Trump has turned America into a country people hate, fear, and laugh at."

A Texas Monday

Kayak Morning: 4/20/25

It's 7:25, and Beth has already left for school. I was up around 6:30 to find both Rami and Beth already awake. The day looks cloudy here in Dallas, with a high near 70° expected later. It's our last full day with Beth and Rami — tomorrow we drive halfway to our son Tom's place in Lee's Summit, MO. I'm still fighting this cough, especially at night, and I'm afraid I'll have to live with it a while longer.

Biking Webb's Trail: 4/20/25

On Sunday, Beth and I were both up early and decided to get the week's shopping done at Central Market to beat the crowd — though it's always crowded regardless. We left around 8:30, and at least traffic was light at that hour. Central Market is a culinary delight: a vast store carrying virtually anything you could want, staffed by a seemingly endless number of employees, even on a Sunday morning. We easily piled Beth's cart high with food and were lucky to find an open checkout lane. The scones are to die for, and I'm enjoying one as I write. I've never seen so many ready-made dinners available for takeout — a genuine godsend for a busy working family. We stopped at Walgreens on the way home to pick up some prescriptions and were back by 10:00.

Evie was up when we returned, wishing she'd come along. I had a scone with blueberry jam and a coffee for breakfast — delicious. By noon, Evie had started on dinner: short ribs in the pressure cooker. The first NBA playoff game was just getting underway, and I drifted in and out of watching it whenever I wasn't needed to help hang a painting or tackle something around the house. That set the rhythm for most of the afternoon — the four of us getting things done, then pausing to relax, check our phones, watch the game, and then getting back at it. The biggest project was running an electrical cord under the living room carpet, which meant moving the couches. Around 6:00, the doorbell rang: a neighbor stopping by to welcome Beth and Rami to the neighborhood with a bottle of wine. They apparently have a wonderfully active neighborhood group that gathers a couple of times a year. After a warm chat, we sat down to dinner — short ribs over mashed potatoes with gravy, even better than Brazil's in Westfield. Rami and I both went back for seconds. Dessert was cherry pie, enjoyed as we finished the first season of Landman over dinner and into the evening. Once it ended, everyone was ready for bed — though I stayed up to watch the first half of the Trail Blazers/Spurs game.

43º In Dallas

Kayak Morning: 4/19/25

It's early — not quite 7:00 — and Beth and I have been up since 6:15, neither of us able to sleep in. I was coughing, so I got up, and she's an early riser by habit. The temperature surprised me, a little warmer than it was at the lake. Fortunately, it looks like a sunny, clear-blue-sky day here in Texas.

Yesterday was a strange one. We hoped to get things done, for whatever reason, didn't accomplish much until late afternoon. I still have the cough, though no fever, and Doctor ChatGPT says it may stick around for another week or two. Great. The morning slipped by quickly — cleaning up the kitchen, having scones for breakfast, a couple of coffees, and sitting around talking and petting the dogs.

It was a nice surprise when the Cavs game, the first of the playoffs, tipped off at noon, giving me something to do most of the afternoon. Two more games followed, plus one at 7:00. Evie made me a great lunch — fried potatoes and eggs — which I devoured, since breakfast had only been a scone. Rami had a rough day and slept through most of it, clearly needing the rest. Meanwhile, Evie and Beth were more productive, prepping tonight's turkey chili and doing the wash. I tried to nap, but the cough wouldn't let me, so I ended up watching parts of three different NBA games.

Ready For A Walk?

By 4:00, Rami was feeling better, and he and Beth managed to get a few things done while Evie and I relaxed. By 4:30, I was restless from too much sitting and basketball, so I took the dogs for a quick 15-minute walk. Along the way, we navigated around two pairs of mallards casually grazing on the front lawns of a couple of houses. Bizarre.

Dinner was leftovers — ground beef spaghetti and chicken with artichoke hearts — and I had some of each. Everything still tasted great, so that was a win. We then settled in for three more episodes of Landman before Evie and Beth headed to bed, and Rami and I stayed up watching the Lakers/Rockets game until 10:30.

More games on today. Hoping we get more done than yesterday.

Thunder And Rain In Dallas

Kayak Morning: 4/18/25

A Cloudy Morning

It's 8:40, and I've been up with Beth for an hour while Evie and Rami sleep in. I was awakened by a tremendous thunderclap around 7:15 and the sound of rain on the windows. It looks like it will stop soon, but not before leaving its legacy: a day in the 60s rather than the 80s.

Friday was another day of coughing, though this morning I sense some progress — the steroids may be working. It's strange to think back on the day, because I can't remember much. It all blurs together: sitting around the living room, occasionally retreating to the bedroom to lie down, taking a nap, reading, stepping out when the coughing started, walking outside. That was my day.

And yet, thinking about it now, we did get things done. Much of the late afternoon was spent with the four of us deciding where to hang the many paintings — works by Rami's sister Patty, as well as those Beth has painted. Four people means four opinions, but we made some progress and will likely make more today. In the early afternoon, after a ham-and-cheese sandwich and a bowl of Beth's soup, we allowed ourselves a guiltily enjoyed episode of Landman.

Evie put together a delicious dinner at 5:00 — chicken thighs and artichokes, with a Caesar salad — while we waited for the movers to deliver a tiger maple table that Beth and Rami had ordered from an Amish craftsman in Chautauqua County, at least twenty to twenty-five years ago. The movers ran late, so we ate and watched the series finale of The Pitt before they arrived. Beth and I had been prepared to put the table in the garage, but to our surprise, the movers managed to get it up into the garage attic. They were capable, pleasant guys. Once that was settled, we finished off the last of the apple pie, did the dishes, and watched another episode of Landman. Evie was exhausted by the end and headed to bed; the three of us watched one more episode before following her. All in all, it turned out to be a fairly productive day — in every respect but my cough.

Warm, Humid, Partly Cloudy

Kayak Morning: 4/17/25

Woodlawn: 4/17/25

It's after 9:00 as I start this, and all four of us are up, enjoying coffee and scones. Delicious. Beth is staying home from school again, so hopefully she, Evie, and I can help get things done today.

Yesterday was not much better than the days before. My cough persists — if anything, it may be a bit worse — so I texted my PA in Chautauqua and drove to Albertson's late in the afternoon to pick up a pack of steroids and albuterol. It's great that he's so responsive. Rami, however, seems to have improved over the last two days, which is good news.

The day went like this: Beth went to the store to get the ingredients for her chicken soup — something that sounded appealing to Rami — and was gone about an hour. Evie tidied up the kitchen, and I helped. I spent the rest of the morning in the bedroom reading or in the living room when no one else was around.

When Beth returned, she made her soup, and I had a bowl for lunch. Loved it. I napped in the afternoon, and while Beth and Rami were organizing their bathroom things, Evie and I moved the furniture and vacuumed the living room and kitchen. I sat outside occasionally, as the humidity seemed to ease my cough. Mid-afternoon, the exterminator came — a friendly older Hispanic man — and made his way around the house, inside and out. We relaxed after that until happy hour, enjoyed wine until 6:00, and then Evie and Beth drove off to Chick-fil-A for dinner.

Evie and I had both been craving their chicken sandwich, but we were both disappointed. Despite having recently watched Landman, we agreed to watch it again, thinking Beth and Rami would enjoy it — and they did. So did we, even seeing it a second time. Lots of laughs, especially when Tommy's wife appears. Everyone but me went to bed around 9:15. I started a fairly new Netflix film called The Rip, with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. I'm not taken with it so far, but I'll stick with it.

Spoken By Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear