I have spoken to Riley a few times since he and Katrina landed in California, and it’s clear they’re gradually becoming comfortable in their new home.  They are renting a great apartment in the ‘nice part’ of San Pedro, and Riley is loving the spacious floor plan (lots of rehabilitative laps in his chair) and the view (they overlook the bustling harbor, where tugboats hurry around 24/7 to orchestrate the coming and going of huge container ships — a novelty to a mountain man like Riley to say the least).

They’ve remained very busy since their arrival running daily errands; some of their favorite destinations: Whole Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, and Riley’s new primary care doctor’s office in Redondo Beach for 3x/week administration of his blood-thinners (as he still remains at risk for blood clots).  Katrina has continued to be ‘the busiest woman on Earth,’ doing, well, everything, and Riley has been logging a ton of active wheelchair time–his arms have been sore (in a good way) every morning from pushing pushing pushing.  He’s finding that some of his best rehab to-date is just living his daily life outside of the hospital walls–no waiting, no class schedule, just the freedom to push himself (both literally and figuratively).

When I spoke to Ri yesterday, he said he had spent a good chunk of the day on the phone interviewing for a stationary bike that he can power with a little help from some strategically placed E-Stim patches on his legs and back.  There’s also a lift at the pool in their new complex, so he’ll be hitting the water soon for some low gravity therapy.

The biggest positive that Ri has experienced since the move has gotta be the mental benefits of going back to work.  He has been putting solid days of work together, as he and the rest of the Poor Boyz production/editing  team continue to work on Transitions (the 2-year documentary featuring Simon Dumont I’m sure you’ve all heard about).

Other than that, Riley just wanted me to relay his best sentiments to you all … he is still without internet access at the new apartment, but it should be up and running within the next couple of days, at which point he’ll be able to re-insert himself into the web world (working on his Macbook Pro is becoming easier and easier, by the way).  He remains eternally grateful to all of you for the support, good vibes, and friendship.

-Jamie Starr