I stopped at McDonald’s to pick up two caramel sundaes to bring to the nursing home.  My dad and I ate one apiece and then he went back to sleep.  I sat with him for a couple of hours and then took my leave in order to purchase a suitcase.  He was really groggy when I left and did not want to go down for a cigarette, which was unusual, but the weather was turning nasty so I told him to continue sleeping and that I would be back in the evening.  When I was shopping in Vestal, though, the rain turned torrential and started creating major problems in the tri-city area.  I got the hell out of there but only made it a few miles down Vestal Parkway and had to turn in to a shopping center perched high on a hill in order to avoid being swept away by the river that had formed on the side of the parkway.  The rain eventually blossomed into another major flood for this already flood-battered area, and I was stranded between McDonald’s and Outback Steakhouse for a few hours as things went from bad to worse.  I took a couple of photos with my cell phone, though you can’t see very much given the conditions and the poor picture quality.  Nicole Howard came to rescue me with her SUV, thank God, and I was back at their home by late evening after a very interesting ride.  This would have been a terrible night for the nursing home to have called to tell me I needed to get over there because we were nearing the end with my Dad, right?  I had no car and the second worst storm of the year was taking place.  Well, of course they did.  They called me via Steven in California (smart, right?) and he called and said my Dad had taken a bad fall, that he had asked for me and was not expected to make it much longer.  I had to wake Marie and Nicole, which I am sure they appreciated, being restaurant people who never get enough sleep, and Nicole drove me to the nursing home in all that mess.  When I got to the room, the nurses were repositioning him to make him more comfortable.  I told him I was there and he opened his eyes and looked at me.  He didn’t say anything and never opened his eyes again.