Bob Irwin - Professor - Portrait

We recently delivered a portrait comission to Will Irwin of his late father, Bob Irwin. Debby Conn painted this remarkable likeness and it will hang at the University of Iowa where Bob taught for many years. Will was a pleasure to work with. He provided a biography, many photos and antecdotes about his dad which really made him come alive to me. I must admit though one of favorite shots was Bob in full fencing gear. Apparently when his school decided to start a fencing program Bob decided he wasn't too old to learn a few new tricks. Nobody commented on his fencing prowess however I will attest he looked quite dashing in his white ensemble!

My Bob went to visit his orthopaedic surgeon yesterday to learn more about his hip replacement procedure. Looks like he will be out of work for about a month. Considering the extent of the surgery I don't think that is TOO bad. Bob should be able to do some work from home via the phone and internet so he will still contribute to his practice. I, of course, managed to drive my husband insane as I asked him 20 questions when he got home that were NOT the same twenty questions that Bob had discussed with his surgeon... If looks could kill!
Everyone tells me "oh the recovery time is so fast nowadays" and "oh Bob will be up on his feet in no time". And of course all I can think is you mean "foot" don't you? and how does one throw a prosthetic limb if you can't bear weight on our "good leg"? And how does one do stairs and, and , and... I am certain all will be revealed. Some day. Soon.

But what IS news is that hopefully there will soon be an end to Bob's pain and he can progress in his rehab. The big thrill for the quarter is Bob's physiatrist gave Bob a perscription for the famous "C" leg. That is the limb that has a micro-processor in the knee that takes direction from a radio band that straps to your "good" ankle. It's kind of like power steering for your leg. The 'c' leg's signals help mirror the gait from one leg to the other and it has functions that enable you to squat, kneel or walk up a slope. All these things are virtually impossible now. Honestly I think it was a bit of a carrot to remind Bob what was waiting for him after the surgery. A reason to move forward. Works for me!

Move forward with your day. There is much to enjoy!