Update

I have been absent a lot and for that I apologize.  It has been difficult for me to talk about this, but it is getting easier.  In late December I was diagnosed with very early stage Breast Cancer.  I have been considered high risk for this because of a significant family history and have been monitored since I was in my 30's, with increased monitoring in the last few years after genetic testing revealed I was at even higher risk.  Thankfully, this has been caught very early and it was not considered an emergency, so we were able to take our long-planned trip to Las Vegas and surgery was scheduled upon my return from the trip which turned out to be a great diversion.  We went to 5 hockey games, spent lots of quality time with our little grandson and granddaughter and had two sets of friends come in from California to spend a few days each with us.  

Surgery went well.  I was at the hospital at 5 am and home by noon.  Pain was easily controlled with acetaminophen which was no longer needed after a few days.  The pathology report had no surprises and there were good margins, so I am in great shape to move forward.  I will need some radiation therapy in April, and I will also need endocrine therapy for 5 years, which are both standard measures to reduce the risk of recurrence.  And most importantly, none of this will interfere with my trip to South Africa in late March.  

After one week, we went to NYC for the weekend to stay with our little granddaughters, while their parents went several different evening affairs. On this Sunday morning, my husband took me to B&H photo for a new prime lens for Africa. I brought my camera and I was able to try it out with both the 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverters.  It had not been released yet, but B&H has 300 of them and I was number 297!  As I write this, it is scheduled to be delivered today. Needless to say, I am quite excited. 

So that's what's been happening here and hopefully I will get back to blipping on a more regular basis.  

As we emerged from the newly renovated "Moynihan Train Hall" and crossed the street to go into B&H, I saw this shot of the Empire State Building.  It is an iPhone shot. 

backblipped 2-24-2024