One of us is mildly superstitious in general, but very apprehensive about the number 13. The year 2013 did nothing to allay this case of triskaidekaphobia. It was an exceedingly difficult year for both our families. In January, Erika had surgery for peripheral artery blockage. At age 92, the procedure dealt her a crushing blow. Even after rehab, she was tragically unable to resume her independent life at home. She went from rehab to assisted living in Charlotte and then in Greensboro to be near Marion. Her health deteriorated over time and she passed away on September 11.
Meanwhile, Woodie's cancer had metastasized to his liver and other organs. Treatments that once looked promising turned out to be ineffective, and his general health and weight steadily declined under the burden of both the disease and the toxic treatments meant to destroy the cancer.
With all this going on, our travel opportunities and enthusiasm were stifled. Ken spent many weeks in Charlotte, alternating with Marion, to attend to their mother. During that time, I worked vigorously at home, unpacking a plethora of storage boxes we still had left over from our 2009 move because travel had left us with little time to deal with them and because of limited space in our apartment. Many trips to Goodwill later, our home was more organized and half a room of living space had been reclaimed.
We managed to grab a few brief trips on Ken's weeks "off" but did not engage in any significant travel until we took Jeanne to London, Paris and Venice in October. In November, we were back on a long domestic road trip that lasted into December. The remainder of this challenging year we spent at home in our Peachtree City townhouse, enjoying living without moving boxes in view.
2013 Summary
Major Trips
- Las Vegas Honeymoon: 40 Years Later (May 9-15). A quick week's break from Ken's mom duty to celebrate our 40th anniversary.
- Southern Sibling Sojourn (June 2-6). Knight sibling time in Charleston with Ken and Nanamama.
- Along the Natchez Trace (July 19-24). Exploring the sites along the historic Natchez Trace from Nashville to Natchez.
- Wonders of the Oregon Coast (August 8-16). Flew to Portland and took a long road trip the length of the Oregon Coast.
- European Adventure with Jeanne (October 4-23). A three-week, three-city visit to Europe with sister Jeanne.
- On the Road Again (November 6-December 2). A 27-day extended road trip exploring the West and Southwest.
States We Visited in 2013
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wyoming
Countries We Visited in 2013
- France
- Italy
- United Kingdom (England)
Other Events in 2013
- January - Blowing Rock with Prager family (and Jeanne)
- January - Erika's surgery in Charlotte
- March - Dianne to Tallahassee to help June with foot surgery
- April - Dianne to Millry with Jeanne and Woodie
- June - Historic sites in Mississippi with Thornton cousin kids (Dianne)
- June - Carolina caper to capitols of both states and quirky sites in Bishopville
- July - July 4 celebration in Millry
- September - Erika's funeral
- October - Woodie's birthday in Franklin with Jeanne and Nanamama
