Today, another new and curious chapter in my life, I am heading out to the Lake George Steamboat Company where I will meet a van full of Mansion residents and go with them on a two-hour boat ride around Lake George, complete with a catered lunch. The trip is totally paid for and this week, I saw how complex it is to take a van full of older people on a trip like that.

Sometimes I look at my own life, and ask, really?

It’s a 90 minute drive to the boat, the same back of course.

There is no simple trip for the extreme elderly.

Aides have to come, ramps have to be considered, moving people in wheelchairs (some) the width of bathroom doors, special food needs and enough people to help out. So I’m joining the helpers, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m leaving Red behind, he has enough troubles with linoleum floors, let along boats.

I’m bringing my camera of course, and I am much uplifted by how excited the residents are. Because some of the staff had to stay behind and care for the other residents and couldn’t come, we bought another batch of tickets for Saturday, the staff needs the boat ride as much as the residents, and this way, everybody who wants to go gets to go.

I’ll share photos from the trip later. Thanks for your support, you are committing small acts of great love.