Well it's been awhile since we up dated. We ended the last blog with hoping to have a happier, healthier and more adventurous new year. The first month and a half went alright.
 * Feb.- We did some planning for another short camping trip by the gulf the end of the month. We were totally surprised by a visit towards the end of the month by friends from WI. Our daughter and son in law helped our friends, Jake and Dawn plan a trip to see us.
 We were surprised when they walked into the yard. They planned on staying a week with a short trip to Orlando for all of us.
 The first part of the week we relaxed, played cards and drove over to the beach. Wednesday we all went down to Orlando. We went to one of those escape rooms. None of us had done this before. You get a hour to try and figure out the clues to escape. Well, we almost escaped. We probably needed another half hour. It was a good time.
 For Thursday they planned a fishing trip for the guys and the girls Universal Studios. So the guys got up early and drove over to the Indian River area to meet up with their guide. Amanda, Dawn and I grabbed a uber and headed to Universal. I'm not one for roller coasters but I did go on the other rides.
  Later in the day we texted the guys to see how things were going. We got back a picture of a bandaged hand and a text saying explain later. It was clearly Rays hand and we thought he got hooked.
 We got back around 7 and got the details of the guys trip. Ray ended up getting finned by a saltwater catfish. It went through his little finger. He said he was fine up until midnight and his hand was swelling up and hurting. By 4 we ended up waking up Amanda and off we went to the ER. They checked him over, gave him some pain med and IV of antibiotics. We were sent back with a prescription for antibiotics and more pain med. They said he should get it rechecked in 24 hour if it wasn't better. As we were driving away from the hospital Rays portable oxygen machine quit working. He had his bigger unit at the hotel.
 At 9 I was on the phone trying to find out how to get some type of portable oxygen to make the 3 hour drive back home. Getting lots of run around, we're suppose to check out of the hotel and as the time went by Rays hand was looking worse.
 We ended up packing up and taking him back to the ER. The doctors came in, went out, came in and said they needed to air transport  him to the trauma center at ORMC he needs surgery right away.
 He ended up getting necrotizing fasciitis caused by vibrio vulnificus. Which is a known as a flesh eating bacteria and its fast moving. The doctors said they haven't seen a case in 5 years. The infectious disease doctors are writing up a medical paper on his case.
 He had surgery the first three days in the hospital. The first week he was fighting for his life. The next week he was doing better but he had a long way to go. They did more surgeries to clean out the wounds and make sure it hasn't spread. He had incursions from the back of his hand to his chest and also on the inside of his arm.
 He was in the hospital for 33 days and had a total of 8 surgeries. The last one was a skin graft to the back of his hand.
 All the time he was in the hospital I stayed at the Hubbard House next to the hospital. Our son and other daughter flew in from WI the day after he was admitted. Each of our three kids took a weeks turn staying with me. If it wasn't for the Hubbard House I don't know what we would of done.
   *April- Ray was back home a week and a half before Easter. My sister Pasty flew in from WI and spent Easter with us.
   We ended up going back to Orlando for the out patient skin graft surgery on April 6. By the end of the month I was driving him to therapy twice a week.
   *May continued with therapy twice a week. We were driving 45 minutes up to Valdosta GA to see a hand therapist. Appointments were scheduled so we could stop for lunch before or after. We also made a trip (3 hr) to Orlando to see the doctor. The appointment was early in the morning so we stayed the night before at the Hubbard House.
  Rays family wanted to come down and see him when he was in the hospital but we told them to wait until he was out. So his brother Russ, and sisters Darlene and Charlene came down for 4 days and were able to celebrate Rays birthday.
  At the end f the month we enjoyed a visit from our grandson Alex and his fiancé Emily.
  *June was the same as May, therapy twice a week and another trip to Orlando.
  *July- The weather has been warmer than usual in FL this summer. I think its been in the 90's since the beginning of May.
   Ray has been doing well with therapy. he wears a splint at night and a different one during the day. They help to pull and bend the fingers down to make a fist. Still doing therapy twice and switched to a new hand doctor in Gainesville. Shorter drive (1 hr 45 min).
  We had a great weekend mini vacation in Tarpon Springs. Did some site seeing, a boat ride and tried some Greek food.
   Well this was our exciting first half of the year. Sorry no pictures.