81:365

(waiting areas near the laboratory and the radiology department)


It's been raining all day..... and I spent most all of today at the hospital.... in addition to my dad being sick.... now my mom is as well. The doctor's don't think she has pneumonia... but something pretty darn close to it. So, she had appointments, lab work done, x-rays done, etc.
Once we finally got her taken care of, then we visited with my dad. He seems to be having greater amounts of pain, and quite a bit of swelling in his legs... but he moves fairly well in spite of having the hip surgery. His appetite is poor... but then... he hasn't been horribly active.

(the aquarium on Long Term Care )

And so... I got to wander around the hospital quite a bit. I worked here from 1986-1990; when I got married and moved away. There are complete sections that are new to me... and it can be somewhat confusing.. . but the core of the hospital is the same. I can still find my way to the cafeteria and such. I ran into an a friend who works on housekeeping there. She is awesome. After working at so many different hospitals all over the US; I can honestly say that Charles Cole is one of the cleanest hospitals I have ever seen. Some of the decor and such still look circa 1950-60's.... but I think that this just lends itself to the charm of the place. It is a larger place, but definitely has a home-town feel... which if I were a patient... I would really appreciate.


(vending machines on the 2nd floor)


(a familiar view)


And so... almost all the photos I took today are from the hospital. It is very challenging sometimes to continue with the 365 project... especially on days like today... but I think it is helping me to grow as a photographer... to see things in what most view as the mundane.

And now.... off to take some Tylenol for my continued headache *going on 48hrs now*.... and maybe do some laundry before I head off to bed.


(rainy night parking lot blues )

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

80:365

-----------------------------------a collage of photos taken at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital today



Today was one of those weirdly busy days... I ended up driving alot of people different places... to the store... to get groceries... to get movies.... out for dinner.....to the hospital and back... just different things. Kind of a "hurry up and wait" kind of thing at times.....
The hospital that dad is getting his rehab at is Charles Cole Memorial Hospital. It is the closest... and basically.. only ... hospital in the area. The next closest is about an hour away. And the one that dad had his surgery at is about 3hrs away.
CCMH is a good hospital. It has undergone sooooooooo many changes since I last worked there in 1990. But then, that is to be expected.
Dad had a bad day today. Alot of pain... still alot of swelling.... poor appetite... and generally not feeling well. He promised to take some pain meds tonight and try to rest......

........................................................................... a couple photos from one of the few alleyways in Coudersport. The mural was painted on the back of this building when I was in high school, by some fellow high school students. I think it still looks pretty cool.

I also love the brickwork on the buildings here. Alot of the downtown area features buildings built around 1880... so they are all brick... with Gothic and Victorian touches here and there. This is the backside of one of the buildings... and I just love the old iron staircase....

For dinner.... Kristin and I went down to Fox's Pizza... (formerly the Tastee Freeze when I was a kid). It still looks exactly the same as it did in the 1970's.... only the food has changed ever so slightly. You can still get pizza, burgers, fries, and soft serve ice cream and sundaes... but now they also offer Gyros and sub sandwiches, mozzarella sticks and other "fast food" items.

When I was a kid... they actually had a brown bear in a pen out back for "tourists" to gawk at... fortunately... they do not do that anymore. It's one of the few places for people to hang out at.... and the ice cream is still pretty good.....PLUS... ya gotta love that they still have gumball machines with cheesy toys in them.....

And then there was this guy... just taunting me from his perch on a porch in town. Nothing screams EASTER... like a plastic light-up bunny . My mother-in-law would've loved it... so in her honor, it became my photo for the day.....

---------------------------------------------------> all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Links:

Charles Cole Memorial Hospital: here

Fox's Pizza: here

Info on Coudersport, PA: here