The white water rafting trip at Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania was fantastic! The Topping Clan was treated to the excitement of some pretty good rafting, the closeness of kin, and absolutely beautiful weather. Ohiopyle is about a 6 hour trip from Rochester and is located about ten miles north of the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border, and was well worth the trip. Here are some photos of us all running the rapids at Dimple Rock on our rafting trip with Laurel Highlands River Tours.


From left to right; Lance, Ian, Ryan, and Suzanne.


Johanna, Karen, Kyle, Kiera, and Gary.


Lance and Ryan. Ian and Suzanne have "hit the deck."


Cap'n Gary and crew in heavy whitewater, fighting to stay in the raft.


The kids and I (and of course Courage the dog) will be heading north this weekend to Parry Sound to attend to some unfinished business. We will be catching up on water testing this trip, and plan on performing tests this coming weekend and again early in the week after next just after the Canadian long-weekend holiday. The exact name of the holiday (officially known as "The Canadian Civic Holiday") varies from family to family, with such tags as “The Two-Four Weekend” (for 24 beers in a case) and the “Goddamn Long Weekend” common in the vernacular.

Suzanne, my mother, my sister, and my nephew Elijah will joining us at the cottage mid-week. Our mission is to continue on with the water testing that was so important to our father, and to spread some of his ashes in the place he loved. We plan on scattering some of his cremains in three Georgian Bay places revered by Pop; so called Mineral Island, a small uninhabited island near Sans Souci which Pop named for its wide array of diverse rock and mineral deposits; the South Channel in front of our cottage; and in the special gravesite Pop made for his faithful and beloved dog Shadrach, which Pop mourned over for quite some time after he died. We will then raise the flags at our cottage back to full mast.

Here are some photos from Kiera's "I'm Eighteen and Spreading My Wings" birthday flight, taken with Kiera's digital camera.


Here are Kiera and her friend Erika in front of the float plane just after enjoying the flight.


This is a photo of the Parry Sound inner harbor at the mouth of the Sequin River. You can see the "Big Sound" in the background behind the large dark-roofed building in the upper left side of the picture, which is the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts and home to the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame.


Here is a shot of Craganmor Point on McLaren Island in the South Channel near Seven Mile Narrows. Our cottage can be seen in the lower center of the photo, just above a small island in the channel. You can clearly see the bright blue tarp covering my work boat, which is in storage on a marine railway build by Brent Warga on our beach.

Here are photos of the bagpipers outside Trinity Church in Canaseraga playing for Pop's funeral, courtesy of Peggy Ann Glaister. Pop always liked the sound of the pipes and they were the perfect punctuation to a celebration of his life.

The Topping cousins are heading out of town for a three day white-water rafting trip in Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania, about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh. Going on the adventure are my wife Suzanne, daughter Kiera, and son Ian; my sister Johanna and her son Elijah; cousin Gary from Maryland, his wife Eileen, and sons Kyle and Ryan; and my other cousin Karen from Connecticut (Gary's sister), her husband Alan, and their daughter Leah.

The park's website describes it as follows:

"A crown jewel of the Pennsylvania park system, Ohiopyle is situated where the slopes of Laurel Ridge clash with the Youghiogheny River. This clash has resulted in waterfalls, whitewater rapids, scenic overlooks, rock outcroppings, and a steep mountainous landscape. Combine that with a maturing forest and wildlife, and you've got a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds, for all seasons." More information can be found on the website by clicking on this link Ohiopyle State Park.


Below is a panaoramic photo of the beautiful Thirty Thousand Island area in the heart of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. The shot was taken by my daughter Kiera while on her birthday float plane ride.

As a follow-on to the announcement of my mother assuming the role of Warden at Trinity Church in Canaseraga, here is a photo of Trinity taken by Peggy Ann Glaister on the morning of of Pop's funeral. I had looked online for pictures to include with my earlier posts about Trinity, but could find none. Thank you Peggy for sharing them with us.



Trinity Episcopal Church was organized July 22, 1857. The corner-stone of the church building was placed Sept. 26, 1864, and the edifice, built at a cost of $8,000, was dedicated Dec. 14, 1865. A rectory was built later at a cost of $1,500.

My mother was asked by Howard Shay the other day if she would be willing to assume the role of Warden of Trinity Church in Canaseraga, the post left vacant by my father's passing. She said ahe would think about it for a while, and yesterday morning she gave Howard the answer "Yes" that he was hoping for. My mother will make a fine (and I might add, exceptionally well organized) Warden. My father would certainly approve.

Congratulations to Carol Topping on her new role! I know she will make a huge difference.

Congratulations to Trinity Church on your new Warden! You have snagged a great lady and she will serve you well.

It's time to tell the story of the Saint Andrew's cross.

Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th November. The flag of Scotland is the Cross of St. Andrew, and this is widely displayed as a symbol of national identity. The "Order of Saint Andrew" or the "Most Ancient Order of the Thistle" is an order of Knighthood which is restricted to the King or Queen and sixteen others. It was established by James VII of Scotland in 1687.

Very little is really known about St. Andrew himself. He was thought to have been a fisherman in Galilee, along with his elder brother Simon Peter (Saint Peter), and both of them became apostles of Jesus Christ. St. Andrew is said to have been responsible for spreading the tenets of the Christian religion though Asia Minor and Greece. Tradition suggests that St. Andrew was put to death by the Romans in Patras, Southern Greece by being crucified cross in the shape of an 'X'. The diagonal shape of this cross is said to be the basis for the Cross of St. Andrew which appears on the Scottish Flag.

Many years ago my mom tipped me off that my father had admired a cross and chain he had seen in the bookstore of Diocesan House on East Avenue in Rochester, the headquarters of the Rochester Episcopal Diocese and not far from our present home on Ericsson Street. Pop visited the bookstore when he was serving on the Standing Committee (sort of like the Board of Directors for the Diocese) under the leadership of The Rt. Rev. Robert R. Spears, Jr. in the 1970s. I acted on my mother's tip and purchased the cross, which was in the style of Saint Andrew's, and I gave the silver cross and chain to my father as a Christmas gift. Pop was thrilled, and started wearing the cross full-time immediately. This all happened over 25 years ago, and my father had rarely if ever removed the cross since then. In fact you can see the cross in the photo below, which was the one used for Pop's obituary and was taken a few years ago.



After Pop was rushed via ambulance to the emergency room at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell and was there on a BiPAP ventilator, the attending nurse, who was merely following hospital protocol, started the motions to remove the cross from his neck. However, Pop had other ideas and steadfastly refused to surrender it, shaking his head vehemently from side-to-side indicating that he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. The nurse acquiesced, as many other nurses did that followed her during the period of his hospitalization, and the cross stayed on him.

When Pop was in the ICU at Highland Hospital I would always straighten the cross on his neck and chest, untangling it from the knot of monitor wires and various types of tubes for medication and sustenance, and the connections for his ventilator. Finally one afternoon, just prior to him getting a tracheotomy, the staff had to adjust his intubation tube and the cross was in the way, so they snipped the continuous chain with surgical shears. When my mother and I went back in to visit him, I spotted the cross and chain on the table in his ICU room. We quickly grabbed the cross for safekeeping so it wouldn't be lost or misplaced in the in the hospital.

The weekend before Pop's funeral, we went to visit Mom in Hornell to plan the specifics of the service and interment. While there, my mother gave me the cross and chain and said she wanted me to have them. Later that week just before Pop's funeral, Suzanne and I went to Krikorian & Co. Jewelers in Rochester where three weeks prior we had purchased a ring for our daughter Kiera's High School graduation. I showed the cross and chain to Harry Krikorian, a very friendly and talented Master Jeweler which I have been a customer of for some time now, and explained the circumstances. Harry quickly swept the cross and chain away and disappeared into the back room. Amazingly, he returned in less than five minutes with the cross in hand gleaming like new, and the chain fully repaired. I asked him how much I owed him, and he just smiled and said, "No charge." I put the chain and cross over my neck as we left the store and haven't taken it off since, wearing it silently, but proudly, under my shirt and tie at the funeral. I intend to continue to wear it always.

The Topping family would like to thank all of the kind people that have made memorial donations in Dad's name to his favorite charities. We have been notified that the Hornell Humane Society and Animal Shelter, Lollypop Farm in Rochester, and the Parry Sound Branch of the Ontario SPCA have all received memorial donations in his name. I am sure that many other such notifications will follow, much as the flood of cards and notes that we received from people expressing their condolences and sorrow over Dad's death. We are grateful for everyone's generosity and touched by the fact that they chose to honor him in a way that he would highly approve of. Our father was committed to helping these various organizations and would be thrilled by the outpouring of support that people have bestowed on some of his most favored charities. There could be no higher tribute to him than supporting the causes that meant so much to him personally.

Pop had been donating great quantities of food to the Red Cross Food Pantry in Hornell for quite some time now. He had also been giving significant amounts of support to the Hornell Animal Shelter, in the form of large bags of dog food and things like dog toys that he had purchased when the opportunity arose. Mom mentioned that she delivered some of the dog food that Pop had squirreled away at their house to the Animal Shelter in Hornell a few days ago. The staff there told her that they had only made the connection between her and Pop when they saw the car she had driven up in, and that he had stopped in on a regular basis and had quietly dropped off supplies with little fanfare. They said that they didn't know a lot about him, but now that the memorial contributions were pouring in they had made the connection to just exactly who he was, and were grateful for his dedicated support based on his love of animals. The shelter will be sending Mom a list of all the donors who have made contributions in his name sometime in the near future.

Pop's obituary appeared in the Parry Sound North Star newspaper today and can be viewed on the North Star website by clicking on the following link Stan Topping Obituary - Parry Sound North Star. The identical obituary will appear in the Parry Sound Beacon Star on Saturday.

Pop’s funeral was the perfect celebration of his life. This is precisely what he would have wanted. His choice of Trinity Church in Canaseraga was ideal, as it was his daily place of worship and thus a fitting and wholly appropriate venue. The church was filled nearly to capacity, but not so much that those in attendance were left without seats. Pop has always championed the underdog, and Trinity, with its congregation advancing in age and declining in size and financial resources, is a prime target for closure by the diocese. Pop’s involvement with Trinity as its Warden was both as much about receiving nourishment from participating in something good and right, as it was about helping a small parish “on the ropes” avoid closure amidst declining attendance and dwindling support from the diocese for Trinity's role as a rural outpost of the Episcopal Church.

The weather-beaten exterior of the beautiful old church stood in sharp contrast to the vibrant sound of the quartet of bagpipers and the energy of the celebration occurring inside. Howard Shay and his family, one of the longstanding pillars of Trinity for many, many years, was a good friend of my father. Howard and my father stood together in a brotherhood of solidarity; their mission being to protect and sustain Trinity. Thank you Howard for your friendship and caring, and your regular calls during Pop’s illness to inquire about how he and our family were doing. I am confident Howard will continue to be an integral force at Trinity, fed by the strength of his faith, and I would also suspect a loving memory of my father.

The service was absolutely beautiful and the celebrants delivered a magnificent tribute to my father, his life, and his faith. I can attest that the people who knew and loved him were plentiful in attendance and moved by the experience. As the sound of the bagpipes faded, the funeral procession made its way to the cemetery for the Rite of Committal, where the bagpipes resumed and the celebration continued. Below are pictures of the bagpipers at Rural Cemetery in Hornell, courtesy of David Lind.





The celebration concluded with the final interment of Pop’s ashes into a hole in the ground in the Topping family plot. Everybody in the crowd was then encouraged to throw a bit of dirt on the cremains box to ceremonially send Pop off on his journey from the bounds of the physical earth and into the arms of God. Farewell Pop, you are well loved and now at peace, and you will never be forgotten.

Here are photos of the flags at our dock at Seven Mile Narrows on the South Channel in Georgian Bay. Our cottage is located on McLaren Island, which is about 8 miles by water from the town of Parry Sound, Ontario.







The flags were lowered to half-mast after my father passed away as a mark of respect to his memory.









In America, the US flag is typically flown throughout the country at half-mast a prescribed number of days based on rank, service, or importance of the person being honored. For example, 30 Days from the death of the President, former President, or person of great importance; 10 Days from the day of death of The Vice President or a sitting or former Supreme Court Chief Justice; from the day of death to the day of Interment of The Governor of a State, territory, or possession of the United States, etc. The president can also direct that the flag be flown at half-staff as a symbol of respect for great Americans, and other officials and foreign dignitaries who are noted for their non-government service and achievement.





We will fly the flags at our cottage at half-mast for 30 days, as my father was someone of the greatest importance to us.

We believe he was also of great importance, to the very same South Channel he loved so.

We salute you Pop!

Dear Blog Readers,

The past week has been a very difficult and extremely busy time for our family. For us this was also a time of great mourning. As you are aware there have been no blog postings for a few days, as we all prepared for and participated in my father’s funeral. Each time I went to do a post, I found it hard muster the inspiration and focus that a good blog demands. However, as my Pop taught me, “Life goes on”. And it does. It must. And so will the blog. I have many topics to write on and many things to share. Details about Pop’s funeral and this past weekend. Things about people, occurrences, and conversations. Things about my father, his dreadful illness, and his views on life. Pictures, pictures, pictures! (Pop loved posting pictures on the blog, and I have been remiss as of late in that respect). And ongoing information and observations about the South Channel, the purpose of this blog in the first place.

With copious amount of love and support from family, friends, clergy, and caring and assistance from other folks like Bill Bishop, the funeral director from Bishop and Johnson Funeral Home, and the bagpipers who played at the funeral, our family made it through this tough chapter of life in grand fashion. My Pop would be proud. In fact, my Pop IS proud. However, I know there are still many difficult times ahead of us, as well as many good ones, and I hope to be prepared for whatever the future may hold.

Pop’s obituary in the Rochester D&C appeared yesterday and can be viewed at Stan Topping Obituary - Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. There will also be obituaries in the Parry Sound North Star and the Parry Sound Beacon Star in the next few days. Maps and directions to Trinity Church in Canaseraga where his funeral will be held tomorrow can be found by following these links: Stan Topping Funeral Directions - Microsoft Word Document and Stan Topping Funeral Directions - PDF Format.

As my mom would say, “Today is a new day.” Our hearts are heavy as we prepare for Pop’s funeral, but we are nourished by the incredible outpouring of love and support from family and friends. A perfect example of this was a letter we received from a dear old friend Phillip Kerman, who resides in Portland, Oregon.

Phillip and I attended college at RIT together many moons ago. Although we live on opposite sides of the country, Phillip makes a yearly trip to the Rochester area and usually stays at our house so we see each other about once a year. Phillip is very bright, inquisitive, and quite an unusual character. While in college, he rode his bicycle solo across the United States from Portland to Rochester. He also used to jet around campus (and almost anywhere else) on his skateboard, and made a big impression on Pop when he rode his skateboard about 10 miles from RIT to our home in downtown Rochester to share in a Thanksgiving celebration with our family. What really blew our minds was that he did this in about 20 minutes!

Anyway, I spoke with Phillip on the phone last night and thanked him for his note. I also asked his permission to reprint it here on the blog, as it captures the very essence of my father. Phil’s note dated 6 July 06 follows:

Dear Lance, Suzanne, Kiera, and Ian,

I’m really sad and sorry about your dad/granddad. I followed the blog off and on over the last few days. When I read it today it made me really sad – but it was good that I got to experience the sadness nearly the same time as you.

I remember Stan quite well. I probably would never have learned about such interesting topics as “moth man” if it wasn’t for him. I remember him from a Halloween party or two also. He strikes me as “big” in more than just his size. I’m sure his memory will remain similarly. No one fades away when they’re gone, but in his case I think your love for him will make him stay forever.

Love, Phillip Kerman

Today we are busy finalizing arrangements for Pop’s funeral and things are falling into place beautifully. The bagpipers are all lined up, and I think they will be able to help us create the atmosphere that Pop had in mind.

The Hornell obituary appeared in the Evening Tribune last night and we are all very happy with the way it came out. We are especially pleased with the photo, which was a relatively current image of Pop and accurately portrays him the way we remember him. A copy of that obituary can be viewed on the funeral home website at Stan Topping - Hornell obitiuary. There will also be obituaries in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and the North Star and Beacon newspapers in Parry Sound, and they should appear in the next few days.

Pop was committed to helping his community in many ways. Over the course of his life he donated over 25 gallons of blood to the Red Cross. That’s one heck of a lot of blood! He also took the problem of feeding the hungry very seriously, and donated large amounts of food to the Red Cross Food Pantry. Pop also was always an animal lover and a supporter of Humane Societies. The following are links to organizations particularly important to him:

The Hornell Humane Society
The Ontario SPCA - Parry Sound Branch
Trinity Anglican Church in Parry Sound
West Parry Sound Health Center
The Hornell YMCA

Please make memorial contributions to one of these charities, or to any community oriented organizations.

As I wheeled around the corner of the hill on South Avenue this morning, the brick facade of Highland Hospital loomed into view. This is a sight I have become all too familiar with during countless visits over the forty days and forty nights of my father’s stay in the ICU, and a grim reminder of what happened here last Thursday. It’s also a sight that my sister Johanna sees daily, as she makes her way to work as a registered nurse in Highland’s West 7 unit. The purpose of my visit was to once again accompany my mother to the ICU, but this time not for a visit to see our Pop, but rather to complete consent paperwork for his autopsy.

The hospital called my mother this morning and told her that the autopsy, which was originally supposed to be performed last Friday, had been delayed due to paperwork technicalities. My sister’s cell phone had rung as my mother and sister were hastily fleeing the hospital immediately after Pop’s passing, and Johanna rushed back in to sign the consent form for the autopsy. Unfortunately, my mother was his primary health care proxy and Johanna was authorized as a substitute only if Mom was unable to consent herself. The ICU staff told her this morning that she needed to be there to sign in person and have the signature witnessed. I had known Friday that this was a possible issue when I spoke with the Director of the Morgue on the phone from our cottage, but repeated calls to the morgue at Highland on Saturday and Sunday went unanswered. I guess it’s dead there on the weekends.

Mom and I went to the ICU desk and spoke with Dr. Perillo, the head doctor in charge and the Director of the ICU unit at Highland Hospital. ICU Room 10 was just a few feet immediately to our left, and a new customer was occupying the bed where my father had spent his final minutes. I couldn’t help thinking that I hoped their outcome is more positive than that for our family. Mom signed the consent forms as Dr. Perillo and I discussed the details of the autopsy procedure; including the specifics of the diagnostic tests involved and an expected timeframe for a preliminary diagnosis. We hope to know more information in the next few days as to what was responsible for Pop’s illness, and ultimately the cause of his death.

I just returned from a long, productive day in Hornell where we met with the funeral director and worked out all the details of the funeral and interment of our father. We discussed even the minutest details about how everything would work, and I think my mom, my sister, and I are satisfied that things are as they should be and that my father would be pleased. We also met with three different priests and hammered out the specifics of the funeral service itself; including readings, music, prayers, and the specific roles people would be playing. The funeral service will be held at Trinity Church in Canaseraga, NY on Friday, July 14th at 11:00 AM. Trinity is located on North Church Street in Canaseraga. It’s a small parish which my parents have attended religiously (pun intended) for the last few years, and my father has been the Warden there.

Death is such a complicated thing. We spent time today writing an obituary, deciding the specifics of handling ashes, determining transportation for the funeral, and discussing the myriad of other details that go into planning such an occasion. My father was a very practical man and didn’t care much about what happened after he died. When asked about how he wanted a funeral service or interment handled, he would reply with something like, “I don’t really care, because I’ll be dead.” The one thing that he did mention many times was that he wanted to have bagpipers at his funeral. The pomp and circumstance of bagpipers in their kilts, with the magical, but somewhat eerie sound of pipes wailing away as people mourned, has always appealed to Pop. So bagpipers it is.

As expected, my mother and the rest of our family are deeply affected by our loss. Everyone seems to be doing relatively well given the situation, but we are all very weary from the experience. We are still in a phase where the thought of Pop’s death unexpected catches you off guard and hits you, and before you know it you are overcome by sadness. Mom has been a trouper and instinctively redirects her sorrow to planning and getting things done, but these are only temporary distractions from the reality of what has happened. Rest well tonight, Mom. We love you. Tomorrow is a new day.

Weather-wise, the day continues to be beautiful in Parry Sound. We made a dump run and said good-bye to our friend Pete Hodge, and Matt and Natalie at Craganmor Point. The “big push” is now in full swing and we will be leaving the cottage in a few minutes. We expect a smooth trip and should be in Rochester before midnight.

Goodnight cottage. Goodnight Pop. Goodnight moon.

I lowered the flags at the cottage to half-mast this morning in observance of our father’s death. Natalie, from Craganmor Point called, and said her husband Matt had offered to come take our flags to half-mast and it would not be a bother. Thank you for your kind offer, Natalie and Matt. I am a little embarrassed that I didn’t think to do that myself, and my dad would probably chastise me for such a slip in protocol. He was quite knowledgeable in the area of tradition and observances and many, many other areas, and he always made sure things were done properly to honor important events. The mantle already bears heavy.

Today, and always, we honor you Channel Man.

The big orange orb slung itself slowly over the horizon on the bay this morning, a sight frequently seen and revered by my father as he rose early to get a jump on things and experience the beauty of the morning on the South Channel. Sparkles of sunshine glistened off the waves and danced and jumped like a chorus line of light, mimicking the reflections of light from the tears that fell to the cottage deck, which I helped my father build here more than 30 years ago. Our place at Seven Mile Narrows is as much an embodiment of our father, as it is a place for vacation time and retreat from the stresses of daily life. Signs of Pop’s presence here surround us and are in some ways a comfort, but also a constant reminder of what has happened and the fact that we will never share intimate moments together here with our father again.

The temperature currently is a welcomed 25°C (77°F), with bright skies and a light veil of haze. Today we will be packing things up and battening down the cottage hatches, and we expect to make the “big push” to get ready to leave for Rochester by late afternoon. Tomorrow, we will be meeting with Bill Bishop, the funeral director in Hornell, to finalize details for Pop’s funeral and interment. We are also coordinating paperwork and specific family requests for a full autopsy with the Director of the Morgue at Highland Hospital, which is expected to be performed sometime later today or tomorrow. We are hopeful that the pathologists will uncover enough information to facilitate a definitive postmortem diagnosis, which would go a long way towards furthering our understanding and acceptance of the quick, unexpected illness that unmercifully took our father’s life. I am reminded of a phrase I’ve heard countless times from my parents as I grew up and over the years, and that is that, “Life goes on.” And it does. It must. My father would insist on it being that way.

It was a spectacular sunny day here on the bay. There were clear blue skies, a light breeze, and the temperature was just perfect; hot, but not too hot. We headed into town at noon for one of Kiera’s 18th birthday gifts, an aerial tour of Parry Island and the South Channel via float plane. Kiera took her friend Erika on the ride with her and the huge smiles on their faces as they exited the plane told the whole story. Kiera also snapped a bunch of aerial photos of the area and of our cottage, which we will post on the South Channel Blog when we return to Rochester.

It’s been a difficult day of mental adjustment, trying to come to terms with the death of our father yesterday. We are all heavily impacted by his loss and each of us is finding our own way of coping with the grief of losing someone we cherish so much. There are so many reminders of Pop in this place that has became his home away from home, and we find ourselves pondering and reminiscing about good times we spent here as a family over the years. Pop’s physical presence here at our cottage will be missed immensely, but we know his heart and soul are all around us in this place that he loved so.

We will be leaving for Rochester tomorrow and plan to be in Hornell Sunday to meet with members of the clergy to plan the memorial service and make funeral arrangements. The funeral will be held on next Friday in at Trinity Church in Canaseraga, with more specifics to follow as they become known.

There is terrible news that I have to share today, and this is the blog post that I have been dreading I would have to make. Stanley Marley Topping passed away today at 12:00 PM after a battle with low blood pressure and overall instability this morning. He was a warrior and fought like hell, but in his weakened state his illness ended up getting the upper hand. Arrangements for a memorial service and funeral will be forthcoming. It was his wish that he be cremated and his ashes be spread in Parry Sound, the place he has always loved with all his heart.

Dear Lord, please take care of our Pop and help us get through this difficult time of grief and pain. We ask for everyone’s prayers and remembrance of our father today. I love you Pop.

It’s a beautiful day here at Seven Mile Narrows, with bright sunshine and a light breeze. The temperature is 22°C (72°F). We are heading in to town to put up wine for my parents and will be dropping off supplies for the luncheon at the upcoming South Channel Association meeting at Don and Marion Wheeler’s cottage on Manship Island. Kiera has decided to wait till tomorrow to take her “Eighteen and Spreading My Wings” flight around the bay on a float plane and has a reservation booked then at 12:00 PM. She’s seems very excited by the prospect.

Things in Rochester are still not good for our pop. He is essentially unchanged from last night, but that doesn’t remotely hint at him being in good condition medically. I spoke with Mom for a while this morning and it was a difficult and somewhat somber conversation, punctuated by distractions of details about things going on at our house and at the cottage. She and Johanna will report back later today with more details from the hospital. We love you Channel Man.

Kiera’s birthday celebration was a success today and we all had a lot of fun. We decorated the camp with balloons and streamers, and everybody wore a silly party hats during the main festivities. The theme of Kiera’s presents this year centered on preparations for college. She got sheets, a sewing kit, storage containers, and many other assorted dorm supplies. One of Kiera’s other presents is a float plane ride over the South Channel and around Parry Island, which weather permitting she is planning on talking tomorrow. For Kiera’s birthday dinner we all took a boat ride out to Henry’s Famous Fish Restaurant at Sans Souci, where we pigged out on fresh battered and pan fried pickerel, French fries, and “The World’s Best Caesars”. The fish at Henry’s is delicious, but we suspect it’s the gallons of grease that makes it soooo irresistible! We are winding down the night with carrot cake and enjoying the good company of our old friend Pete Hodge from Kineras Bay. Pete went to dinner with us and stopped by afterwards to have a bite of cake and make us chuckle with his “Tales from the Pete-side”. Pete is always hilarious and is a sure fire way to lighten things up!

I spoke with Mom and Johanna in Rochester tonight and they reported that things overall are not going well with Pop. He is extremely critical again and continues to be very unstable. His blood pressure and low blood oxygen saturation episodes are becoming more frequent and harder to control, due to numerous complications. Each time Pop takes a scary dip on the roller coaster; it drains his precious energy and makes him weaker and more susceptible to the next problem that comes along. Mom and Jay had productive meetings with Dr. Shelley, the infectious disease specialist overseeing Pop’s case, and Dr. Pirello, the chief doctor responsible for the entire ICU. Both Dr. Pirello and Dr. Shelley were very helpful and patient, and answered many, many questions. Unfortunately, neither of them painted a rosy picture and they conveyed the message that Pop’s overall prognosis is fairly poor. We are all in the process of absorbing this news and are taking a minute-by-minute approach as to Pop’s current condition and what the future may hold. We ask your prayers for Channel Man Stan and our entire family in this difficult time.

Today is Kiera’s 18th birthday, and the birthday festivities are getting into high gear. Happy 18th Kiera! We are starting with a tasty breakfast of pancakes and Canadian bacon and have a special treat in store for Kiera in town later today or tomorrow.

Unfortunately, Pop’s condition worsened overnight and his is once again unstable and fighting to maintain adequate blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation. The settings on the ventilator were all increased to support his respiratory needs and Mom and Johanna headed off to the hospital around 9:00 AM. Mom is expecting to meet with the chief doctors in the ICU to discuss the particulars of his condition, treatment, and prognosis. She will also be inquiring about the discontinuance of itraconazole and the possibility of a phone consultation with an infectious disease specialist familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of patients infected with mycological pathogens. I expect Mom to call back early in the day with an update. Hang in there Pop!

The news from the hospital is not very encouraging tonight. Pop continues to be unresponsive and the ICU staff is growing increasingly concerned about what may be responsible for keeping him in his foggy state. His fever has subsided, but he had problems with low blood pressure earlier today and had to be infused with norepinephrine to correct the situation. His blood oxygen saturation level has been sporadic, so the doctors increased the PEEP setting on his ventilator to 12. They also had to increase the FiO2 level, the amount of oxygen he is getting, to keep him saturating acceptably. I spoke with Mom and Johanna late tonight and we are in agreement that we want to encourage the doctors to order a CAT scan as soon as is reasonably possible to ascertain the details of his brain function. However, we will defer to their recommendations as to when this would be feasible given his condition. We are hoping all will pray for his recovery.

Our trip to town today was very productive, with us completing all of our tasks, except for getting drinking water and putting up wine at the Wine Cellar Club. We even climbed the fire tower on Museum Hill, after feasting on large helpings of delicious Mr. Chip French fries served up by none other than Wayne, Mr. Chips himself. I spoke to Ian, the manager at the Wine Cellar Club this morning, and arranged for us to go in Thursday at noon to bottle up the batches of wine that are lying in wait. (Interesting enough, the owner of the Wine Cellar Club’s name is Lance and the manager is Ian, the same name as my son.) It was a beautiful day on the bay today with lots of sun and the perfect temperature. I completed compiling and recording the water testing results tonight and should have them posted on the South Channel website in the next day or two. Preliminarily, the results look better than the last test results we received two weeks ago. Redner Bay is the winner of the cleanest water this time around, with zero detected total coliform and zero detected E. Coli.

We are elated to be in this beautiful place, but our joy is tempered by the seriousness of what is happening back in Rochester. Dear Lord, please help see our Pop back to wellness.

Thankfully, the thrills from the roller coaster have been absent for the past few days. Pop’s condition has been improving and he has been stable. Unfortunately, we had a reminder this morning that we were still on the ride, as Pop didn’t do as well last night as he has bee doing lately. He started running a temperature again, around 38.5°C (101°F), but this is being controlled with the help of Tylenol. The doctors had to increase the PEEP setting on the ventilator to 10, although his blood oxygen saturation is still at 92%, which is acceptable. His vital signs are still holding, but we are concerned that the lack of itraconazole antifungal treatments may be having a detrimental effect. He is also starting to have lung congestion again and the ICU staff is working to keep the possible reemergence of pneumonia at bay. We will be closely monitoring the situation and Mom is looking to discuss his condition with someone on the senior staff. Our family will probably press for resumption of the antifungal treatments if things deteriorate rapidly, especially in terms of his respiratory function.

Today is the 4th of July in the United States, or Independence Day as it is technically know. Happy Independence Day United States of America!

The morning here started sunny and that’s still the case, although clouds are slowing creeping into the sky and it looks like a little rain may be in our future. There is a very light breeze and the temperature is a comfortable 23C° (74°F). The water samples are happily cooking away and everything looks good as far preliminary results. We are all loaded up and ready to head in for the big trip to town, and have much to accomplish there. The post office, book store, beer store, grocery store, Wine Cellar Club, barrister’s office, propane place, and Chamber of Commerce for a fishing license are all on the task list. Oh, and don’t forget Mr. Chips. Yum! The kids won’t let us out of town unless we get a dose of homemade French fries made right from the Mr. Chips truck. We will definitely be busy.

It was another banner day on the South Channel. We enjoyed bright sunshine, a light breeze, and the temp was around 27°C (81°F). We finished gathering up propane tanks that need to be filled and empties to go back to the beer store, and sterilized and prepared empty wine bottles for the batches of wine that my parents have ready for bottling at the Wine Cellar Club. I had a good cruise in the boat this afternoon, zipping all over the bay gathering water samples and taking water readings. The ColiPlate test plates are prepared with the water samples and are cooking in the incubator as I write. The results from the tests will be ready to measure and record tomorrow evening. I tested two additional “spot” locations this time around, one near the Big Sound Boat Works and one just east of the swing bridge. The OPP police boat was hiding in a speed trap behind the bridge pilings across the channel from me, lying in wait for the unlucky jet-skier or cruiser that didn’t heed the “Slow – No Wake” sign before the bridge. I wondered if the police would come my way and do an equipment check since I was stopped near the edge of the channel and probably looked suspicious, but they didn’t seem to give me a second glance. My guess is they probably checked me out with binoculars and realized I was doing water tests or something and that I wouldn’t be a likely candidate to help fill their quota of tickets.

The channel is quiet this evening and we are all settling in for the night. The occasional baritone bullfrog can be heard crooning in the dark, with a bevy of peepers serving as backup singers. A very brief sprinkle at around 9:00 PM foretold the possibility of a shower tonight, so we battened down the hatches and took everything inside just in case. A family of five ducks came paddling out of the cove as we were down buttoning up the boat. There were two parents, two young ducks about half the size of the parents, and a tiny little runt duck. I couldn’t help wondering what made him so small in relation to his siblings and thought maybe he’s a “tough young bird”, like my Pop started out so many years ago.

Pop continues on his road to recovery today. The doctors successfully lower the PEEP setting on his ventilator to 8 and his body seems to be tolerating it well. A healthy person’s PEEP from their lungs alone would be around 3 or 5, or something around there depending on the person. If things keep going as well with his respiratory function as they have been, the ICU staff may be able to extubate him (remove his breathing tube) soon and let his lungs take over breathing on their own. Pop’s vital signs overall are strong, but he still remains in a deep fog. Jeremy, his nurse this evening, said that his body is full of all of the drugs that were administered to him over the past five weeks, and that some people just take longer than others to come to a fully conscious state after being so heavily sedated for such a long time. We are all impatient for him to truly awaken, but are confident that the fog will eventually burn off.

Rest up Channel Man. The Channel awaits you.

Yesterday was a simply gorgeous day here in Parry Sound, and today looks like more of the same. It was sunny and warm all day, with a light breeze to keeps things comfortable and help chase the bugs away. The kids all went swimming and we continued our clean up and organization efforts around the camp. Hope Warga, Kiera’s friend from Kineras Bay, brought a bunch of fireworks to share with us and we enjoyed a day-late Canada Day pyrotechnic celebration on our beach last night. Thanks for lighting up the skies, Hope! I am starting to prepare to do water testing later today and plan on collecting samples this afternoon, which will yield results by early tomorrow evening.

Channel Man Stan continues to improve today. Yesterday, the doctors successfully lowered the PEEP setting on his ventilator to 10 and he was able to tolerate the change. His vital signs are all good and his kidneys are working well without assistance from the dialysis machine. Besides a Foley catheter and the tracheal tube, Pop now has only has one IV line in him. This has reduced the number off possible infection sources and will help to keep him from getting another secondary infection. Channel Man still remains in a deep fog. However, his body is busy metabolizing the remnants of the numerous sedatives, pain killers, and various other drugs that he has been infused with over the past 5 weeks, and hopefully he will start becoming more alert soon. The ICU staff also told us that the doctors had discontinued his twice daily infusions of the antifungal itraconazole, as he had completed a 28 day course of treatment and they want to hold off for a while and monitor for changes. Mom will be trying to talk to the infectious disease specialist to get updated with the latest lab results, learn more about the overall treatment strategy, and discuss the rationale behind the discontinuance of itraconazole. We would all prefer that Dad stay on the itraconazole until the lab has more definitive results, but given his stability and recent improvements in his condition, I can’t say this is terribly alarming at this point. However, as Pop would say, “The Chief Wonk will be watching.”

On another medical front, Brenda Lind's knee-cap surgery went well on Friday and she is home resting comfortably, but is frustrated by being "down" at the onset of summer. Hang in there Brenda! Johanna and Brenda and the kids had planned to spend next week at the cottage, but will have to wait a while before making the trip to allow Brenda's knee to mend. We all wish Brenda a speedy recovery.

It’s a sunny day here at beautiful Seven Mile Narrows. The channel has had a steady stream of boat traffic all morning and there is much activity on the bay today. The temperature is currently 23.5°C (75°F) and there is a good breeze blowing from the southwest. The troops are starting out the day slowly and everyone is just enjoying being here. We decided to postpone our own beach version of a fireworks extravaganza last night due to weather, and we'll just have to wait and see what tonight brings. I’m certain Ian and Elijah will be insistent that we should light them off as soon as is humanly possible, and that we’ll be launching them at the very first opportunity.

Johanna called with the report from the hospital today. Channel Man Stan had a very good night and continues to slowly recover from his serious illness. The mental fog state he is in hasn’t lifted yet, but the doctors say it should start to dissipate as the Ativan begins to leave his system, which could take several days. The ICU staff will be lowering the PEEP setting on his ventilator today to 12 and hoping for him to be able to maintain that setting. This is the slow bloat to recovery, but it’s looking like Channel Man Stan is successfully navigating the voyage.

It was a nice day here on the bay. We got all of our stuff put away and finally got settled into the McLaren Island groove. The day was a mostly overcast sunny day with a few sprinkles in the afternoon, but was a fairly warm 25°C (77°F) with a light breeze. The kids all went for a swim out to the small island in front of our cottage and a good time was had by all. Although the weather looked uncertain, we took the boat in to see the fireworks in the harbor at about 9:30 PM and were not disappointed. The wind started to pick up near the end of the show and we got a very brief shower from a passing cloud, but the trip has become a tradition and was well worth the effort. The troops are quietly settling in now and it’s time to relax a little.

Johanna called this evening with an update on Pop and said he is still continuing to slowly improve. The doctors successfully lowered the PEEP setting on his ventilator to 14, but his breathing seems a bit labored. His vital signs, including his blood oxygen saturation, are excellent. Pop remains in a deep fog and they have decided to completely discontinue the sedative Ativan that he has been receiving since he was first intubated just before Memorial Day. This will force him to start taking over breathing more on his own and will help the fog to lift. To keep him relaxed they gave him some Haldol, an antipsychotic agent, which will him deal with coming off the Ativan and the shock of becoming more conscious after over a month has passed being in the ICU. A common disorder that some patients experience after longer term critical care is ICU psychosis. ICU psychosis is characterized by patients waking up in the ICU and being disoriented, agitated, and sometimes angry or violent in reaction to the disturbing reality of what has happened to them. Haldol will help alleviate some of the symptoms of ICU psychosis and will hopefully help make Pop’s recovery go smoother. Follow this link for more information on ICU Psychosis.

Today is Dominion Day, more commonly know as Canada Day, which celebrates Canada’s independence from British rule on July 1st, 1868. On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her Majesty's loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1st. The July 1 holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day. Happy Canada Day, Canada! The town of Parry Sound will be sponsoring a fireworks display over the harbor this evening, which we plan on attending in our boat. To Ian’s and Elijah’s delight, I also picked up a small fireworks kit at Canadian Tire (affectionately referred to in Canada as “Crappy Tire”) and we will being doing a little bit of celebrating of our own on our beach at the island as well.

It’s a very pleasant day here on the channel, with hazy sun, a temperature of 23°C (74°F), and a light breeze. Many of the rocks from the paths around the cottages have been overturned, almost certainly by a black bear passing through and foraging for insects and grubs for food. I’ve noticed a higher than normal amount of this type of activity this season and wonder if it’s related to the Ministry of Natural Resources installing an electric fence at the transfer station, forcing the bears to wander farther and work harder to find food. It also could be related the decreased dog activity here, as my parents and their two dogs have been absent for a longer than usual period. You can see photos of the electric fence at the transfer station that Pop posted earlier this spring by following this link Transfer Station Fence, which references his blog post from the cottage on Sunday May 7th, 2006. You can also view all of the past South Channel Blog posts by scrolling and following the reference links to the blog archives, which are located at the lower right in the panel on the right hand side of this web page. You’ll find some other pertinent info and few handy web links there too.

Pop continues to slowly improve today. The doctors removed his Quinton catheter yesterday, the port used for dialysis, and feel his kidneys are functioning well enough on their own that treatments with “la machine” are no longer necessary. Any of the catheters or lines into the body are possible sources of infection, and the doctors can always reinsert the Quinton to resume dialysis treatments if needed. Pop’s blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation are good today and the goal for the day is to reduce the PEEP setting on the ventilator to 14 to see if his body can tolerate it. He is on very little medication now and the treatment strategy at this point is to give his body some time to rest and recover. Go Channel Man, Go! You’re going to miss the fireworks! (I can see Pop rolling his eyes right now, as in recent years he has graciously declined attending what is in his words is a “zoo of boats”, all descending on Parry Sound harbor in anticipation of the big show)

Live from Parry Sound, it’s the South Channel Blog. We finally arrived and unpacked, and it’s good to be here. The temperature right now is a comfortable 17.5°C (64°F) under mostly clear skies. We didn’t finally get out of Rochester until after noon and everyone is bushed from a longer than normal trip (7 hours including stops), and then shopping for groceries, getting water, and hauling our gear up into the cottages. Most of the troops have gone to bed, as I will soon. As we drove our stuff up the hill, we saw a small brown rabbit race up the road in front of us, being lighted by Baby Huey’s headlights. Of course, Courage the dog took off in hot pursuit. Later, we saw the rabbit again up near our smaller cottage. Once again, Courage was on top of things, but we quickly discouraged his interest. We regularly see a lot of other wildlife here on the island, but I don’t really remember seeing a lot of rabbits around. I wonder if it has something to do with the place being “dog-free” for a while.

Johanna called earlier and said that Dad’s condition is most the same. He still has a rash that the doctors can’t identify, but Dr. Shelley, the infectious disease physician, is taking a special interest in figuring it out. Tomorrow, the ICU staff will be trying to lower the PEEP setting on Pop’s ventilator to 14 to continue the process of weaning him off needing artificial respiration. Go Pop! Have a good night.