"Man, life is good"

This is what my dad just declared as he prepares to go to bed after another interesting day.
Some of you may have been a bit skeptical, although you didn't ever show it, when I mentioned that my early retirement was precipitated by my desire to gift my dad with travel.  What I noticed about him was that he was diminishing quite rapidly after the loss of my mother, his bride of over 63 years.  It is almost two years since we lost her.   My dad, even under the care and superision of my oldest brother, Brian, was not thriving and was becoming frail.  Unknown to him and us, my dad had developed a kidney stone and his kidneys were functioning at a low point at 29%.  In medical terms, he was in kidney failure.  We took over his care when he was only 114 lbs.  At 5'9" he was very thin and frail.   With the help of three doctors and two hospital stays of short duration, he started a goodly turnaround.  With over 50% kidney function and now a weight in excess of 133 pounds, he has regained much of what he lost physically over the past four or five years.   Last winter he was hesitant about traveling with us, thinking that he might be in the way, or that it was our trip he was crashing upon.   He now understands it is "our" trip, and if he had anyplace he wants to stop and see, we will try to meet those wishes.   For the most part, he is a great traveling companion.   He has turned into a rock-hound and drift wood collector and most recently he has expanded it to the new flora he is discovering as we travel north.   He declared today after one of our quicker-than-normal beach viewing stops that each stop takes off one year of aging.   Although he only remembers smaller bits and pieces of our trip than we do, he may be enjoying it the most.   He has no worries, concerns or pain, replaced by wonderment, exclamations that he never saw something so beautiful or majestic.   To some extent his inner child has been reborn where everything is to be explored and enjoyed.   In his walk after supper, without Louise and I, we watched as he donned his little blue sport cap with a red beenie on top and put on his new favorite jacket he gained at Monterey, and he headed out.    My comment to Louise was that it would be difficult for him to get lost since the county RV park, although rural, was completely fenced.   Just to be on the safe side, I gave him a 3X5 card with our space number written on it.   45 minutes later we saw him approach our truck and trailer with an older couple.   He got lost and they helped him find his way back.  He didn't know for sure it was the right rig even though he had been living in it for the past four months, until he open the door and recognized us.   This is the mix we live with, but it is a good way for him to live and experience life.  He is happy, genuinely happy, and thankful.  "Life can't get better than this," was his early evening expression.   I agree.  -Kevin