I ended my last report , with the news that my MYASTHENIA GRAVIS condition had taken a turn for the worse, and it had forced me to return a few days earlier than planned from a short ‘baby sitting’ trip with my grandson in Texas.
On my return to Canada, with very little energy, the medics were informed , and I awaited another session of IVIG treatment to be set up.
Although I was finding it difficult to walk without getting out of breath, on Friday 3 June , I managed a couple of hours with friends at the nearby Mohawk International Raceway . My friend , Chantal, drove over from Gatineau , Que , and we watched the races from the pit grand stands. I never ventured , out on the center to take my usual racing pics.
My lack of energy , and loss of breath, meant that Saturday and Sunday were spent at home sleeping and relaxing.
My energy level was almost zero, and I could not climb the staircase at home without stopping to take two or three breaks .
By Monday morning , I’d had enough, and decided a trip to the ‘Emergency’ at the Cornwall Hospital was in order.
After several tests, my blood hemo-globen levels were considered dangerously low, and the doctors ordered a transfusion, straight away. I had to be kept in overnight, and it was Wednesday by the time I was finished at the hospital.
I was back home relaxing , by Wednesday afternoon, with a notable increase in energy. The new blood had made a difference !
There was a full weekend schedule of racing coming up, so I chose to accompany friends, to some of these and only attend them on a ‘limited capacity’ .
On Friday , I went to Autodrome Granby with Chantal for the DirtCar Prostock Series (and Mods) , then on Saturday ,the regular show at the Brockville Ontario Speedway , with Ron Morin.
Granby’s Pro Stock Series race went to Stephane Lamire, while Francois Bernier took the nights 358 Modified Feature. During the Modified heat races, fans were treated to some high altitude action , when Michael Parent managed to vault his car over the fence and out of the ‘park’. He was lucky to walk away OK, and even came out later in the night in his back up car.
On Saturday 11 June, Ron Morin and I went down to the Brockville Ontario Speedway, for the regular weekly show. It’s always a bonus when I go with Ron, because, as a long time friend of promoter Paul Kirkland , he parks his big Chevy truck on the middle, as a back-up track packer, so I don’t need to carry my camera too far.
It was a nice night for picture taking, and I got enough action shots to keep me happy and to put into the gallery.
We got lucky, and once again , with the Modified’s being one of the first divisions to run their Feature.
Although I like all kinds of racing , it’s the Mods that top my ‘priority list’ and when they run early, It gives me the choice of an early exit.
We had a surprise winner on this occasion, when long time trier, John Mulder got his first win in eleven years. John and his son Madison, are some of the most recent teams to take advantage of the Dale Planck ‘mentoring services’ . Proud Dale, was one of the first into Victory Lane to congratulate John.
Sunday 12 June , was a cold and miserable day, but it wasn’t raining.
I spent most of my day on the couch at home, watching the build up, the race, and post race TV coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix from Montreal.
It was yet another win for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.
It was still cold and windy around 6-00 pm when it was getting close to start time at the Cornwall Motor Speedway. Standing out side in that kind of weather, is not the ideal way to recover from hospital treatment, but I decided that a couple of hours would not harm.
I arrived at the track just before 7-00 pm and got a few pictures from the pit tower, before stationing myself in the warmth of the control tower.
The Vintage Mods were also making a rare appearance on the program Once Chris Raabe had clinched the Modified Feature, and I’d got myself a decent Victory Lane picture, I was on my way back home to the warmth and comfort of my couch.
My recent down turn in health , has meant that I need regular ‘blood work’ check ups, and that’s where I was on Tuesday 14 June.
I still have to take things easy , and I had the perfect way to do that on Wednesday 15 June.
My Buddy Ron Morin, called me in the morning and asked what I was doing in the afternoon. He was taking his pontoon boat out for a cruise around Cornwall area of the St Lawrence.
He picked me up from my place and we drove to the nearby marina, where the boat is docked. We then joined his brother Denis and his girlfriend, for an afternoon afloat.
It was great to travel up the river and see some of the Cornwall Landmarks from the water .
We were out on the water for quite a while,
We looped around Cornwall Island and back along the Akwesasne/New York/Quebec side of the river , where close to Fort Covington we spotted an Osprey on her nest. Before heading back to port ( the marina) we stopped off at ‘Dimitris’ a nice waterside restaurant at Summerstown for supper.
An great end to a relaxing afternoon on my local stretch of water , Just what the doctor ordered !