El Paso via Alpine, Marfa
     Getting out of town every spring break is a yearly requirement. We allow AirB&B to throw us out  of our house during SXSW for a fee, and we take that money and spend it on a vacation. This year  Chris and I visited my dad in El Paso by way of Alpine and Marfa. I must say, the  climate was dry and windy, about  par for this time of year.  
​     Now I know what you're thinking, "West Texas is no way to take a vacation!"  El Paso  is just a place to stop on the way to San Diego or New Mexico  or out west somewhere.  Having heard all the jokes and incredulous statements about driving to El Paso  because I have been making the trip,  by myself or with a gang of several, for over 42 years. The haul just gets easier and easier, especially when it is broken up like it was  this last time.  And yes, it does feel like a vacation, complete with  mishap  and joy. 

to Breaking (it) Up is Easy to Do    
     Our first stop was Junction on I-10. We stayed at the Roadway  Inn  on Main Street; shopped at Lowe's Market for soup, pasta and ice cream. I was pleasantly surprised  to discover  a riding shopping cart. Most small towns I have visited don't have that accessibility device. The Roadway Inn provided  a shower chair and  a handicapped room,  complete with the fancy  grab bars and extra towels to sop up the water that did not make it to the shower drain.
​      For one reason or another, Marfa, was packed with tourists. Restaurants were either closed for special events or had a   two   hour wait. The pizza parlor had a four and a half hour wait. We had to eat at the not so quaint Dairy Queen where there was no crowd. 
​    There  must have been an art festival  going on, though we never found out the cause for so many tourists. Luckily,  we found a place called the Planet Marfa Beer Garden where we quaffed a beer and,  after the DQ, headed  for the  Day's Inn  in Van Horn.




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​Lost Cell Phone
​ You know I've gotten to the point where I'm always thinking I have forgotten something. Even though I haven't.   You know that feeling you get when you think you've  misplaced something and don't know  where you last left it. It can cause a lot of anxiety because you have looked everywhere that you think it could be only to find out it is lost for a good, or you're hoping somehow it will show up where you least expect.
​      Well, when we finally got to El Paso on Sunday, Chris discovered that her phone was   no place to be found. She called it and called it on my phone, and it rang until answered by her voicemail. To make a long story short, it was not until one and a half days later when she checked her email on Jimmy's   computer  that she found a notice from the manager at McDonald's in Van  Horn, a guy name Victor Rodriguez, saying he found the phone.

This Trip, Frequenting McDonald's is the Norm
​      Of course, we do not make a habit of going to McDonald's, but since we missed having breakfast at the motel in Van Horn, an Egg McMuffin and coffee seemed like a decent alternative. Cheap, quick and easy.  Chris had sent her phone down when we had to move tables because my chair would not turn  and she left her device on a ledge. And there it stayed until, luckily, Victor Rodriguez found  it. Leave it to my tocayo.
​       Up until the time Chris had located the damn phone, I could tell she was really preoccupied, not able to fully enjoy herself.
​      We had gone to McDonald's again on Monday morning because my dad loves their pancakes. Then later in the day, in an effort to  locate Chris's device, we  went back  to Mickey D's  to use their Wi-Fi. And then for  a fourth time, we had breakfast when we picked up the phone.  Everything we did  seemed  to revolve around a missing phone.
​      Even in  their absence, cell phones can be a distraction.
​     In fact,  we were so distracted that I didn't call my good friend and neighborhood pendejo, Roger, to even let  him know we were in town.  I had hoped to go to Las Cruses with him to see his new  digs. Next time.

     'Slip slidin' away" was the popular  tune By Simon and Garfunkel, back in the day. It goes something like this:
 
                          Slip sliding away, slip sliding away
      You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away.

​        I'm sure that's how stroke survivors feel when they get so close to recovery that they can smell it. Only it's just so elusive, always keeping us at  bay.  Like  when something falls just out of reach, as it does in  actuality, and you look for some other object  for help (a shoe, a fork  or a  stick) that you can  use in order to  drag it within  touch.
​       When I find myself in those situations angst  overtakes me,  I  breathe in  deeply,  grimace and say to myself, "not again." It usually happens  when I'm on the couch, when I discover the TV remote is on the other side of the coffee table. So I grab a piece of cushion and scooch over a bit while swinging the table  around toward me until I can reach it. 
​      Or today when I dropped a sardine sitting at the table. I decided that I would just leave it for Bam to lick up, but then realized it  might start smelling like… fish. And besides that Chris would not be too happy with me. What I  wanted to do first, was what any able-bodied person would try to do – pick up the sardine.
​       You would think that as tightly as they are packed together, sardines would remain intact when you try to pick it up. But that's not the case.   Sardines are  really  pretty fragile, and tend to break off  in tiny chunks. By the time it's all over, you have created  a slimy mess.
​        I had to move the table back so I could  have a better angle to reach the stinky little fish without bumping my head against the tabletop.  It  remained just beyond reach. Mind you, I was frustrated by the fact that I could  use only my left side. Same old story.
​         A couple of days prior, I received  my Shoe Slider in the mail .   It  is something I  discovered two weeks ago online as a possible answer to  my right side drop foot woes.  The Shoe Slider is actually a bowling accessory designed to help​ bowlers  slide better on  the  follow through. And since I have been having problems with my in-step dropping  and catching up on the  floor, I   thought it would be a good product to  look into.
​      It has worked out quite well for me, though it's only good on wood floors and  other smooth surfaces. It doesn't slide as easily on carpet, but it doesn't get stuck either. ​ Unless  a concrete  surface has been polished or finished smoothly, it will stick. 
​     The  Shoe Slider is easy to put on and take off.

• Slips on over the sole of a shoe to increase sliding ability.
• Perfect for synthetic surfaces, high humidity areas or anywhere additional slide is needed.
• Scan-suede construction with elastic retaining band
• One size fits most, From Youth size 5 up to a Men's size 14, medium width.​

​ If you want to check it  out, click here.

       Foot drop has been, along with the chronic  right knee hyper extension,  the bane of my existence.  The shoe sliding device helps me to step forward without catching my foot on anything.
​       I  mainly use it inside my house on wood floors. If I need to, I will walk on carpet. I practice my walking by extending my hip forward then following with lifted  knee and aim for a robust stride.
      I am always on the lookout for items that can help  me  better adapt  to everyday  situations, and make life more accessible. The  Shoe Slider is not perfect. I still need something that can work on rough surfaces,  while remaining durable  and still be  made of fabric,   This product has the potential to help "you nearer your destination."
​       Until next time.
​     

Where can the disabled go to maintain their physical fitness? If you're lucky enough to live in Austin, Texas, you might try going to The Easter Seals LIFE Center. There they have weights of every type, a spin cycle, leg press machine, parallel bars and arm cycles. Machines that can tell you the distance and for how long, thigh machines, machines that a person to pedal from a wheel chair, Universal Gym that simulates rowing and push-ups. There is an exercise for any conceivable strengthening. The best thing is there are people to assist you and make it all safe!

After my stroke, I was asking myself, "Where do I go from here?" I didn't have a clue. It's a good thing I had such qualified and concerned therapists and doctors encouraging me to keep up with therapy and stay as active as possible.

Still in a wheelchair in November 2012, I started visiting the St. David's Wheel Chair Fitness Center located in the Hancock Shopping Center. Last year, we moved a little farther north to become part of the Easter Seals LIFE Center on Cross Park Drive.

For this reason, I started a personal fundraiser for Amplify Austin, March 2 & 3, to help the Easter Seals LIFE Center reach its overall goal of $30,000. I have committed to raise $1000, and I cannot do it without the help of friends, relatives, and others like you.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to fund the free Fit Ability Gym, Spinal Cord and Neuro Recovery Program, and the Outpatient Rehab Facility. All of these programs are crucial to the well-being of disabled children and adults that Easter Seals LIFE Center serve.

Will you please schedule a donation of at least $20 or more? This year the St. David's Foundation is including Easter Seals Central Texas in their match. This means they will match donation dollars up to $1,000,000 across roughly 60 organizations Texas.

​Donate here!

VSA is an international organization supporting the arts and the disabled. We are in 31 states and 52 countries, from Albania to Uruguay, representing Europe, Asia, South America, North America, the Middle East, and Australia.

In Texas and around the world, VSA has had an enormous impact by providing opportunities for the disabled to both create and appreciate art in all its many forms.

Disabled artists can find solidarity in the fact that artists from all over the world enjoy success and personal fulfillment through VSA. This worldwide organization, founded by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, increases access to the arts for everybody.

VSA Texas provides those opportunities all across the state. It gives disabled artists in the performing and visual arts a chance to pursue their passions. Our organization helps integrate artists into society who might otherwise feel marginalized due to their disability.

VSA Texas has programs like Opening Minds Opening Doors, Bodyshift, New Media Arts, and Audio Description, along with their Veteran's Services and Side by Side Internships. They help shed a positive light on how people with diverse abilities can contribute to society as a whole. Many programs involve family and community partnerships.

 Making art inclusive is full of obstacles. As you can imagine, funding for programs is one of the challenges VSA Texas faces. As a VSA board member, I have committed to raise $500 during Amplify Austin's community wide fundraising event on March 2&3.

To meet my goal I must have the help of my friends, family and others. Please support my efforts by scheduling your donation today. Together, we can make a world of difference in these artists' lives.

 Donate here !