When we arrived in Schenectady my dad was not looking very well at all. While we were touring schools he went to see his physician who promptly summoned an ambulance and sent him to the hospital. When we visited, he was still in this examination room after almost nine hours as the staff continued to monitor his condition. The entire family visited with him briefly before we had to leave for our return drive to Boston. My brother Mark flew in from Minnesota while sister Mayela coordinated from a distance. The latest reports have my dad showing great improvement and the situation as summed up by my brother – He is not going to croak. For me it was the first time I ever considered that as a possible outcome and we are all very relieved that we will get to enjoy his laughter for a while longer.