Phutu...springing into leaf...

4/25/2006 Bryce's hearing issues have been keeping me busy of late. Three days last week I was either at a class for him or at a hearing appointment. We have started the process that leads up to him receiving a Cochlear Implant (CI) which are also known as bionic ears. This device is basicaly a computer that sends electric impulses along his auditory nerve to the brain which serve as a replacement for the impulses that his inner ear is failing to produce. The surgical procedure itself is of some concern since he will be put under general anesthesia, but I am also concerned about the long-term issues of having an implant. I know of nothing that can be put inside the human body and last more than about 15 years. But, because the advantages seem to far outweigh the disadvantages for him, it seems likely that Dory and I will ultimately decide to have him undergo the procedure. It is followed by a few weeks of recovery and then the fitting of the external pieces of the device and the mapping of the sounds so that he can start to learn to interpret them. We have met with one 5-year old who has an implant and will be meeting with a couple others before Bryce has the implant, this allows us to learn the partents' perspectives after their child has been implanted.

The projected benefit for him is far greater than he could ever hope to receive from his hearing aids. Hearing aids amplify sound, but Bryce would never be able to hear high pitched sounds such as a tea kettle, birds, or "S" sounds in speech with them. This is ultimately the reason that an implant will be far superior- it allows equal access for him to all frequencies, where the hearing aid does not. The trade-off is that it will destroy any natural hearing that he posseses in the ear that receives the implant and he will still be deaf without the device.

Yesterday Bryce and I went hiking out of Stinson Beach with a friend of mine from the bonsai club, Rebecca. I just looked at a map of Mt. Tam state park and picked a trail loop that I wanted to follow: as usual things were a little different than I anticipated. The forcast had been for partly cloudy, but as we arrived at the trailhead there was a light mist falling. All the grass along the trail was wet, resulting in soaked shoes, socks and pantcuffs. Bryce seemed to have a fun time, he pointed at the birds and slept for about one hour of the four-hour hike, Rebecca was interested enough to take a couple photos of us while hiking and eating lunch. The second half of our journey ended up being a retrace of the first half, despite the fact that I had been planning a loop hike. We came to a trail section where we simply could not discern which direction was the correct one. At that point we were so tired that we decided retracing our steps was preferable to the potential for getting lost. It wasn't that the hike was so long, I think it was about 6 miles in total, it was the fact that it was very steep the whole way, with no steps even to make the trail easier. I believe over the course of 1.9 miles we gained 1300 feet of elevation; that's a steep trail! I got one photo of a magnificently grand old snag standing in the fog among what are most likely its many children and grandchildren. I was so impressed by that magnitude and architecture of this now dead Douglas Fir that I had to stop and contemplate it for a while...that and catch my breath. The funny thing about the hike was that I actually found the downhill sections to be much more difficult than the uphill ones. I am in good enough shape, after a winter spent at the gym, to carry Bryce in the backpack up even a steep hill. But what my gym workouts have failed to do is train the muscles that I use as I am descending the hill. I knew that there was no substitute for hiking as a training regimine...which is why I guess that I went. Hopefully by the summer I will have all the neccesary muscles up to snuff and I will be able to hike until the sun goes down...although I doubt it.

In my spare time, while Bryce is sleeping, or while Dory is home and I have time to myself I have been doing a couple wood-carving projects. These, of course, are for bonsai purposes, they are stands to put the trees on when they are in shows. "Root stands" are carved wood, meant to imitate the roots of a tree, and placed under the tree during to display to evoke the feeling that the roots are being seen. The stands that I have been working on are unique, in that they are not available from a commercial supplier; one is made from a round cut from the burl of a Yew tree. I have six sections and started on one of them some time ago. So far I have spent an estimated 35 hours working on it. I hollowed out most of the bottom using a router then went at the sides with a drill and a dremel. I've also started, and moved along much more quickly, a stand that is a hybrid between a square traditional stand and a root stand. I don't know exactly where I got the idea, but I am hoping that it turns out well. Between the carving and pot making I have been getting downright practical about my bonsai display.

3/22/2006
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1/25/2006
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10/8/2005
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12/28/2004
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1/15/2004

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