Something I had forgotten.

I drove up to the Veterans Administration Hospital  in  Tampa, FL today to visit with Bob H. 

It is a sixty four mile drive, and it took me seventy five minutes.

Bob is the former St. Boniface Church (Sarasota, FL)  employee who had an industrial accident at the end of November 2014.    I was pressed into service to visit him in the Trauma Unit of Blake Hospital in Bradenton, FL.  There were days when his sisters, his partner Frank, and I wondered if Bob would live.

He showed some signs of progress in mid December, and was transferred to the V.A .Hospital (he is a U.S. Navy veteran) for more intensive rehab.

Oh my!  He is making great progress, thanks to the V.A. He can walk for short distances, and his mind is beautifully focused. (He even responded appropriately to my corny humour).  We had a GREAT visit!.

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The Tampa Hospital is on a huge and sprawling campus.  When I arrived there I wandered lonely as a cloud as I looked for the Polytrauma Building.

Of course I got it wrong, and I wound up in a rehab clinic. There I encountered a young USAF man from  Tennessee.  His daily regime of rehab having been done,  he offered to walk me through the campus so that I could find the place I needed to be.

I suspect that he was a wee bit bored, therefore he was happy to be my escort.  What a cool guy. He insisted on telling me his name  (Shane West), and I hope that I will long remember his gracious hospitality.  It was military honour at its best.

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All well and good -  until my drive home.  On that journey I encountered "something I had forgotten": viz  a traffic accident on an interstate highway/motorway.   

There was such an accident   on I-75 south today.  It took me one hour and forty minutes to travel nine miles. 

So my journey home took three hours instead of one hour and fifteen minutes.

I had not eaten lunch, and I needed to pee.

Once at home I had a good pee, then I walked Penne (who had also been crossing her legs!).

That being done I had a bit of toast before taking Penne on a longer "pee and poop" walk.

After which I thanked my lucky stars that I had prepared dinner in advance -  a mess of "Hoppin' John"  all ready to be heated.  SO GOOD!

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