More Hospital Time

This time it isn't me though. My son called me Wednesday and said his chest was hurting him. I told him to come get me and we'd go to the hospital. He didn't like the idea because he's been in the hospital far too often as a kid.
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Three years ago, his left lung spontaneously collapsed. I was holding him when the surgeon put the chest tube in. Let me tell you, it was not a fun experience. He was in the hospital about a week and I stayed on a tiny cot beside his bed. When it came out, we were told it wouldn't happen again. Well, a week later it happened again. The hospital where he was the first time wouldn't touch him again and he was sent to another hospital 45 minutes away. They refused to allow me to be in his room and I could only be in there for 20 minutes every few hours. That can't happen anymore.
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So we get to the hospital on Wednesday and after a CT and Chest X~Ray, he had another lung collapse, so I was standing there holding his hand while the tube was inserted. It kills me that, as a mother, I wasn't able to protect my baby. He's 20 years old, but he'll always be my baby. Mothers understand that.

It's now Sunday and I have been out of here for less than an hour. Yesterday, I had to go home and shower. I could smell myself and it wasn't pretty. :(
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The chest tube was crimped yesterday and his chest e~xray today looks good. When the surgeon looks at him, he'll pull out the tube and if it looks good enough, he'll he able to go home. We're hoping that happens. It's been a very long week.
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I've been here too long and I'm starting to lose my mind. I think I'll be going home today, whether or not he is released today or tomorrow. I need a break, it's time for Daddy to sleep on this lumpy couch.
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I missed the Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous for the second year in  a row. Last year, I had just had knee surgery and couldn't walk around. I'm having the knee fixed again next month because the first surgeon really did a lot of damage to me. I can't forgive that. He knew he wasn't qualified to fix my knee but did it anyhow. I would never allow him to work on my pet rock.
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The snow is really coming down hard. I'm not looking forward to driving home in this. I rarely drive anymore. The pain and other health problems have takeaway my ability to live a normal life. What did I do in that previous life to deserve this punishment? I hope I at least lot of fun doing it!
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Will update this after I talk to his surgeon. Have a good day, all!

Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous

The annual Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous has started and will be in full swing as the week goes on. Since I can't walk yet, I sent my hubby and daughter to get a cheesesteaks from one of the food booths and take a few photos, so I can see the incredible work. My surgeon doesn't want me putting any weight on the left leg until tomorrow and even then it will be baby steps only.

I do hope to at least get down there one day. Probably Friday because everyone will be working, but the massive crowds that will attend the annual carving auction won't be here until Saturday. There are literally thousands of people who attend, hoping to pick up a piece of original extreme art. Chainsaw carving has increased in popularity since the Boni brothers started this event over a decade ago. The first year it was open to the public, less than a handful of carvers attended. Now there are hundreds that attend and create such beauty out of a log. If you have never seen this unique artistry, you are truly missing out on a treat of a lifetime. It kills me not to be there every day. I've asked hundreds of the carvers how they create the image out of a log. They explain that they look at the log and see the finished piece just waiting to come out. We have several small pieces. My daughter bought the cutest mouse a few years ago and I bought an incredible walking stick that was hand carved by a master artist from down near Gettysburg. I take it on all our walking trips. I tend to stumble when walking, so the staff works wonders.

I've met and interviewed carvers from around the USA and the world. My favorite are the Germans because I speak broken German, so interviews with them are half German and half English. It somehow works! They are always surprised to be greeted in their own language in this tiny town. They should have learned by now, if you want to learn from the masters in painting, go to Paris, if you want to learn from the masters in the extreme art of chainsaw carving, you go to Ridgway. A champion carver from England told me that several years ago and I can never forget it. Everyone in that world has heard of our town thanks to the Boni family. With less than 5,000 people living here in the middle of the Allegheny Forest, that is staying something. We've had international journalists cover the event. It was one of my favorite events to cover every year.

The carvers are all friendly. Even if they can't speak more than a few words of broken English, a smile is universal and there isn't a carver out there that doesn't smile while working for when they catch the eye of a visitor watching them. Their time has come. They finally have respect and their art is finally commanding the respect (and price tag) they so richly deserve.



The art and chance to talk to people from so many States and countries isn't the only draw. There are food booths! My family's personal favorite is the cheesesteak/hot sausage stand. I think I need to stop there tomorrow after my doctor's appointment. There are also the most sinfully delicious dessert ever created ~~ deep fried Oreo cookies! I just give up on my diet this week. It's impossible to go there, smell that delicious food cooking and not stop and buy it.

Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous Day Four

Today is the fourth day of the 14th annual Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous. The morning started out horrible with sleet and snow turning the town into a cold, slippery, miserable mess. Of course, the extreme artists couldn't be out working in those conditions. Schools in town were operating on a two-hour delay, hoping the roads would be clear and it would be safe to bring the students in. I had a County government meeting to cover at 10 a.m., so Arielle dropped me off there while she ran around town taking care of a few errands.

Following the meeting, we stopped at home to grab a backpack to carry my gear in and keep it out of the rain and dry as well as an umbrella to keep my camera safe, then walked down to the closest area set aside for the carvers. It's only about a two-minute walk from our front door. Sadly, only one artist was working, but there were plenty examples of the stunning creations at each tent.



After we photographed our favorite pieces, we came home to have lunch and catch up on one of the TV shows we enjoy watching on SyFy called Face Off. It's a contest for make-up artists that allows you to see behind the curtain and learn how the make-up and other special effects are created. There is a new episode on tonight, so we want to watch last week's show to see who was eliminated. We'll go uptown later this afternoon (hopefully, it will stop raining by then) and check out all the work there. We hope to find a little piece to bring home to help remind us of the incredible amount of talent in this world. We pick something up each year. My absolute favorite piece is a stunning walking stick created by a carver from Gettysburg. It goes with every year we visit.



The Rendezvous continues through Saturday, so I'll be posting many more photos by then. That day, I also have to photograph a business expo in a near-by town as well as my cousin's daughter's wedding. That will be a very busy day.