Day 64.

If happiness could be quantified in a sound it would be that of the crashing ocean waves.  There is nothing that an afternoon near the water can't fix!  Willie has been having a series of good days and we have been taking full advantage of them by taking day trips to the water.  On Monday we took a 45 minute drive to Half Moon Bay and spent a few hours basking near the water and enjoying the crash of the waves. 
Willie got some curious stares from others as he walked down the beach in his industrial grade filter mask, but we didn't mind.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the wind was cool enough to keep us moving down the sand.  I stood and watched Willie for a moment as he waited for the waves to crash on the sand.  He would stand his ground as the water lapped dangerously close to his toes before dancing away just before the tide touches his shoes.  It was a moment of pure and simple happiness, like that of a child. 
These are the moments I am most thankful for; the moments when everything in the world is right.

His appointment at the cancer center yesterday was perhaps the best one we've ever had.  Lenny was out on his rare day off so we saw Dr. Kamal who is a student in his last year of fellowship.  He was doing his rotation in the hospital when Willie had the transplant so it was good to see him in the clinic now.  He couldn't believe how much better Willie looks since he last saw him in the hospital and was happy with all of his lab work.  The elevated white blood cell count returned to normal which proves that it was inflated from the C-Diff infection.  His blood sugars have improved a lot since he dropped the steroid dose so the threat of insulin has been removed and his stomach is feeling 1000000% better now that the C-Diff is being treated.  It's amazing what killing a superbug can do for a guy!

Today we took a ride up to Benecia and walked around the waterfront.  We wandered through the cute shops that line the downtown strip and pet too many dogs to count.  It seems everyone in Benecia has a dog as an accessory and we got to see all kinds today from Chihuahuas to Labradoodles. 
There isn't a breed of dog that Willie doesn't like and we had a good time talking to the owners and learning about their dogs.  It sounds silly to be so refreshed by a day of petting strange dogs, but it was a recharge that we both needed.  We miss our dog desperately and count the days until we can be home for good, complaining about how badly she sheds!