The almost constant rain has essentially ceased, and summer Arkansas temperatures have risen into the 90s.  Because of the super wet conditions this spring, we didn’t get to take advantage of the typically great spring temperatures, and many outdoor offerings Hot Springs Village had to offer eluded us.  We are hoping for a great cool, dry fall.  As this paragraph is being written, Tuesday, June 23, temperatures are expected to reach 97° shortly after noon.

We still have moisture in the crawl space of the new house, but Renaissance is working hard to find the problem and fix it.  The entire front French drain and gutter drains were replaced.  We still have water pouring off the rear of the house when it rains at the corner of the sun room and lakeside guest bedroom.  The gutter and gutter guard have been altered, but thus far, to no avail as of this writing.

Father’s Day weekend was special, with a visit from daughter Jenny and her family.  We had a great time, and though they missed the Norfork house, they immensely enjoyed the Hot Springs Village house and especially the lake.  Harper is such a doll, and can lure you into doing whatever she wants with just a glance of her pretty eyes and face.  She is a precocious child, and is super active.  Her hand and eye coordination is phenomenal, and when combined with her lack of fear, can be a challenge to us older adults!  Jenny was an only child, so it is very interesting and amazing to witness the differences in our grandkids, and especially the young ones.  They are all special in their own way, and we just love them to death.  And I received very heartwarming notes, cards, and calls from extra son, Ron, and daughter, Karyn; I often wonder how a person can be so blessed, especially to have such great bonus kids—praise God.

Thank goodness life has settled down a bit, though we seem to stay busy with family and friends, and are involved in some of the many activities available at Hot Springs Village.  Again thankfully, we are slowly transitioning into a routine.

We really enjoyed John and Sandy’s visit.  John and I opened the month with a “mountain” drive over the Quachita Mountains.  The Winona Scenic Drive had many sections over 1,700 feet, which is high for Arkansas, and several great vistas.  Hoping to see a Diana’s Fritillary butterfly, we captured a photo (via cell phone so quality is poor) of this beauty instead.  I’ve asked for help with identity.
Our additional big events for this blog entry included lunch with Kaden (Kay’s 19-year old grandson), dinner and bridge with Jim and Jackie, Kay’s high school class (50-year) reunion, and attending Ridge’s (Kay’s 3 1/2-year old grandson) T-ball game.
Also, we selected new doctors in Hot Springs, and made appointments.  This was a big deal, and sounds easier than it actually was.  Many doctors in this area are not accepting new patients, and of those that do, several do not accept Medicare patients.  And of those few that do, the earliest available appointments are in October at the soonest.  We’re hopeful that the doctors selected are good—at least they have good ratings—and we were able to get appointments to for them to see us within a few weeks; time will tell.
As for our routine, Kay works out at Christ of the Hills UMC on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and at the Coronado Fitness Center on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, time permitting.  I work out at the Coronado Fitness Center three times a week as well, and rarely miss.  And, I have signed up to play the Tuesday golf scramble with the men at Christ of the Hills.  In fact, I managed 3 rounds this last week, including a hot, muggy round with Kay at Ponce de Leon Golf Course—95° and high humidity, too.

We are working hard to get to know folks in Hot Springs Village, particularly neighbors, and catching up on old friendships.  The Village is somewhat unique in that each resident has several things in common with every other resident, whether it be faith, religion, pastimes, sports, and culture, and though there are some significant differences in affluence, most everyone in the Village has had a successful career, and moved here for many of the same reasons.

For all intents and purposes, we have finished moving!  All the boxes have been emptied, and “stuff” that doesn’t fit or belong in the house is stored in the attic (said I’d never do that again) and crawlspace.  A significant water issue remains in the crawlspace, perhaps because of the recent heavy rains, or perhaps otherwise, but it is severely limiting what can be stored there.  Kay ordered several framed prints to complete the basic decor, and those have been hung.  Wow, did she ever do a good job in selecting them as they are very nice pieces of art.  And, she picked out a rug for the breakfast area and a long runner for the hallway, and they too are quite attractive.  Bassett Furniture is in the process of replacing the breakfast table and one chair, and adding an occasional table in lieu of one we delivered but did not order.  They have been very cooperative and exceeding expectations in their business dealings with us, particularly since “our” decorator left the store for another job just after delivering our furniture.  All that said,, we have essentially transitioned from building and moving to housekeeping and maintenance.  We immensely enjoy watching the sunrise from our bedroom, watching a pair of Green Herons, a pair of Mississippi Kites, and several female hummingbirds from the sunroom and the deck, and having a good soak in the hot tub every evening.

On Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, Karyn, Matt, Ridge, and Acker visited for the first time.  As they were pulling onto the driveway, Ridge said it was his new house with DD and KK!  Kids say the darnedest things.  He had a blast playing in the gravel with his cars, and enjoyed getting a “power surge” from the crystals embedded in the decorative landscape rocks.  The Big Green Egg was used for the first time to smoke ribs, and while everyone was complimentary, they were a bit dry.  We cooked hamburgers on the Egg on Memorial Day for a few guests, and the hamburgers were also a bit dry.  I’m having trouble getting the Egg up to temperature.

 We returned to northern Arkansas on Tuesday after Memorial Day for a blood workup for me, and my first Medicare appointment.  Of all things, I forgot my wallet, which had driver’s license and Medicare card.  Fortunately, Kay’s quick thinking baled me out and the cardiologist’s office faxed a copy to the doctor’s office.  While in northern Arkansas, Kay took care of some real estate business, and we both enjoyed a visit with Wayne and Loretta.  Many thanks to John and Sandy Simank for the use of their house.  Wednesday morning we chased down a prescription for Nitro that was forgotten Tuesday, and had a semi-annual visit to the hygienist and dentist in Calico Rock.  Though only living in Hot Springs Village a short while, we were glad to return to our house and home here.

On Thursday, we hopefully finished our recent buying spree with a 2015 Toyota Avalon.  We hope to do some car road trips over the next few years and wanted a more comfortable ride than either of our old autos provided.

We ended the month with a bang, as Karyn and the kids visited over the weekend.  We so much enjoyed having them here, and for the first time in a long time it truly seemed like family in our house.  Ridge and I visited the European national car show at the Ponce de Leon Center in the Village in the morning to see the valve cover races, and some of the restored European cars being shown. The first car we saw was owned and showed by an old acquaintance, Don Wiseman, formerly of Memphis; he was kind enough to let Ridge sit behind the wheel for a photo.

We returned to the house where we spent lots of hours picking up sticks and rocks so he could throw them into the lake.  And Acker was a real joy as well, as she is beginning to develop her own little personality.  We can’t wait for Harper, Jenny, and Brian to visit in the next few weeks, and hopefully we can get all the little ones together for a few hours.  On Sunday afternoon, we attended our second Estrella Lake party, and welcomed John and Sandy Simank for an overnight visit.