White knuckle drive to Houston yesterday...thunderstorms and teeming rain for much of the trip.  Abbreviated MDAnderson visit today since Rusty will only see the Melanoma team every other visit now.  We come up every two weeks and team visits are now once a month.  He had blood tests and his immunotherapy infusion today.  All went well and he is feeling good.  His energy is almost back to normal and his spirits are high.  As you would expect, he is pretty glib with irreverent joking about  having cancer, just as Joe was with his ALS.

We braved the storms this afternoon to venture out in the truck to find a knitting/yarn shop and to visit the Houston Natural Science Museum.  We found the knitting shop but skipped the trip to museum because of the approach of violent weather.  Storms came through after we got back to the RV park.

Tomorrow we depart Houston headed for our July 1 Wimberley Market gig with a two day stopover in Blanco State Park.  Due back at MDAnderson on July 11.

Trip up to Houston Monday was complicated by needing to make vet arrangements for our sick dog, Buttercup and learning that the repairs on our Puma were not complete and we would not be able to pick it up for the trip.  (You may recall that when the tire came apart a few weeks ago, the steel belts in the tire basically beat a hole in the floor of the camper.)  so, for this trip we are back to the little Casita.

The June 13 visit to MDAnderson was pretty routine...lab work, EKG, visit with Melanoma team and infusion.  Dr. Amaria is pleased that Rusty seems to have recovered fully from the pharyngitis episode and that his blood work is stable.  She chided him about his age when he complained of less energy and of some memory loss.

Before the immunotherapy infusion we ate our picnic lunch in one of the beautiful outdoor patio areas in the MDA complex.

Back at the RV Park via shuttle about 4 PM...just enough time for a quick swim before leaving for D'Amico's Italian Market and Cafe to celebrate my (Grace's) birthday.

We return to MDAnderson in two weeks.
Thank you so much for your interest, prayers and encouragement!

A week before our May 30 visit to MDAnderson, Rusty was diagnosed by our local ER with pharyngitis...a very sore throat, fever, cough and generally feeling awful.  Our family doc, Dr. Boynton, communicated with the Melanoma team at MDAnderson and they directed that he discontinue the oral chemo drugs until the episode resolved.  They felt that the symptoms could have been caused by the oral drugs.  Rusty was put on antibiotics and by the end of the week was doing better, other than feeling stressed and worried about being off the oral Melanoma drugs.

At our May 30 visit to MDAnderson, he was well enough that the drugs were restarted.  He had lab work, a visit with his melanoma team and his regular immunotherapy infusion.  He is feeling much better.

While in Houston, we are trying to learn the public transit system...parking is very expensive.  We take a shuttle from the RV resort to and from MDAnderson, but for all other travel we are learning how to become bus riders!

Since we are due in Wimberley in June 2, rather than return to Corpus then travel to Wimberley, we spent two days at Bastrop State Park in central Texas before heading over to Wimberley.  On the way, we stopped at the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, Texas for a little tour and tasting!

Today is the June 3 Market in Wimberley, then we head home to Corpus on Sunday, June 4.  We return to MDAnderson on June 13.