Grand Detour

Just south of where we live, in Brooks, Oregon, is Antique Powerland. It is indeed a great place, with all sorts of farm equipment, motors, trucks, and railway stuff-I'm sure there is a much more respectful term, but it escapes me at the moment. Two weekends a year-the last weekend in July and the first weekend in August-they have the annual Great Oregon Steam Up.

With apologies to farm equipment, motor, tractor, railroad, and all the other fill-in-the-blank enthusiasts, let me state, that if one is not farm equipment, motor, tractor, railroad, and all the other fill-in-the-blank enthusiast, this event could be pretty boring. Oh, logging equipment. I forgot logging equipment enthusiast. It is impressive. There are many beautiful examples of this 19th & 20th century technology. The shopping opportunities were ... limited, but pleasant.

There are not enough benches. There is lots of walking.

In my family, I am surrounded by folks who really do appreciate a fine machine and the wonders of mechanical thinking. So I go to these things. We walked. I sat when I could. My feet hurt. We did not overspend. It was hot. We did not overeat. Dr. Parts took lots (and lots) of photos & videos. We only got a little sunburned. The little dog did not bite anyone. She only had one illicit food opportunity.

How does this relate to diabetes? Does it relate to diabetes?

These machines, as I walk among them, show the loss of physical exercise that has contributed to the current epidemic of obesity among north americans. They show the development of technology that is part of the ancestry of the technology that we use in day to day modern life. The improvements that make the tractors safer, now make my car safer. The food on my table is plentiful, due to the efficiency of food production, harvesting, refrigeration and transportation.
And my magical little meter, that give me my numbers. How could I live without that?

My photo is of one example a display of painted tractor seats. (can't get photo to load-curses) They were ornate and beautiful. Similar purpose: to hold up the farmer, hopefully with a minimum amount of discomfort, as he worked. Variations in shape and size, in placement of logos, etc. All the same, all different.

That reminds me of the people I know with diabetes. In my office alone, today, I interacted with two people who have the diagnosis of diabetes. One guy, he's lost twenty pounds, and he's off all diabetes meds. He's working on getting off the blood pressure meds next. (I just wish I hadn't found his lost twenty pounds. Still, he solved a major crisis for us today. ) Caution bells go off in my head for him, though. His future is not that much different than mine. His sugar process is not normal. If he gains weight, he will regain his diabetes.

We are everywhere. I wish we weren't. I wish there were more and more former people with diabetes, "cured" diabetics, if you will.