Day 38 - Aug 8

Awoke early, but kept quiet so Jake could sleep in. Slipped out for some chow and then went outside to find a quiet place to read. 

More than quiet, I found a tranquil bench next to a pond surrounded by ancient trees whose branches reach for the clouds. Water trickling and gurgling over the little waterfall on the pond was the only sound to be heard. In this little slice of Eden, I read my scriptures for an hour or so.

 I disturbed Jake's deep slumber when the time came for his meds. For most of the day, we lounged about and rested. We had a big day yesterday so a day of rest was in store. Our lounging was pleasantly interrupted by an early evening BBQ.

A local group put on a BBQ dinner for the wounded warriors. We ate grilled food, sipped cool water, and talked with nice people for over two hours. It was pleasant to feel the love and gratitude of others while sharing a bit of our lives together.

Air began to cool and sun sank low later in the evening so I returned to my bench beside the pond. I sketched a mountain scene with peaks, a lake, and a few trees.  Jake has climbed his share of rocky ridges this last month and deserved a day of rest on a well earned plateau, but the top of his mountain is yet to be crested as his range of motion exercises demonstrated before bed.

I helped work his legs before bed in an effort to achieve greater range of motion. He's barely able to bend them at a 90 degree angle before experiencing significant pain. There's much hard work to do, a mountainous peak to scale, in the days ahead. But for today, we took a breather and enjoyed our selves.