Perhaps it was raking pine straw, just everyday life, or residual effects from the second COVID19 injection, but my back began aching again a couple of days ago. It’s tolerable, but very uncomfortable. Oh, to be young again.

For several years now, a camera accompanies me on just about every bicycle ride, short or long. A macro photographer on YouTube, Mike Moats, specializes in photo cycling, carrying his gear on a bicycle and riding trails until he finds something he wants to photograph. Dan Olson and I have watched his videos and believe it gives one an opportunity to cover more ground than covered on foot. Consequently, we planned to give it a try a couple of weekends ago on the Delta Heritage Trail near Helena, Arkansas, but weather prevented us from going. On Friday, we loaded up bicycles and photography gear, and drove to Two Rivers Park in Pulaski County just west of Little Rock. Loaded down with photography gear, we began our first photo ride.

It was a good time for wildflowers on both the north and south sides of the Arkansas River.

The trail through Burns Park offered even more photo opportunities, and a few butterflies were flittering about.

We road a total of 12.28 miles, with many stops. When time allows, we’ll do it again.

Saturday was a quiet day for us as the back ache worsened. We attended church on Palm Sunday, my first time in over a year and only Kay’s second. Fortunately, the church has taken safeguards to optimize social distancing, and it felt safe to be a congregant. 

Kay’s cut and color did not happen previously as I reported—an error on the calendar. However, she was able to get it the beautification procedure done on Monday. Though she is always pretty, she was extra special pretty after returning home from the stylist. She played pickleball Tuesday afternoon, and spent most of Wednesday morning working with the Duffer’s orientation. Also of note was returning her remaining diamond earring to its seller for a replacement match for the one lost when she was removing a “COVID” mask

With our “schedule” of activities, it appears that we’re back in the full swing of things here at home in Hot Springs Village. What with golf, pickleball, photography, church activities, neighborhood gatherings, medical appointments, etc., there is hardly time to do anything “fun”—just kidding—about all we do is have fun, despite the aches and pains of aging!

In addition to everything else, Kay was quite busy Wednesday with all her recreational and social activities. I escaped to Cedar Creek Trail in the Village to check out the wildflowers.

Thursday was pickleball day, and relatively quiet.

Check out these photos of yellow blooms from Cedar Creek Trail made on Wednesday.

These white blooms proved difficult to photograph, but are beautiful.

Blooms of other colors were almost breathtaking.

And even a few butterflies flitted about.

Photography, pickleball, and haircuts were the order of the early part of the week. Kay was so glad to get a “cut and color”, and of course it looked nice, but then Kay always looks nice. I, on the other hand, was not able to schedule an appointment until mid-April!

Sunday provided an opportunity to visit Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area with good friend, Dan Olson. A few wildflowers had bloomed near the old woods road.

And, as the morning warmed, a few butterflies made their presence known, though they were flitting about with reckless abandon. In that regard, only this Spring Azure sat still long enough for a photograph.

Sue and Pam had been kind enough to ask for a photo show of our winter in Arizona. I tried to put them off as I know how boring and disinterested it is looking at someone’s vacation photos. Nevertheless, they persisted, so I put together a show, complete with music and effects. Monday evening was show night, and we all intently watched the pseudo “movie”.

I played partners pickleball with Bev Graham on Tuesday, joining two other ladies for a foursome, rotating partners after each game. It was extremely fast and competitive; Bev is a slammer and had a good soft game as well, and the other ladies were rated as 4.0, a step above Bev and me. The last game went to 18-16. After two hours, my butt was dragging. Kay joined several others to play as well, before driving to her appointment for a “cut and color”, something very important to her!

Kay is so glad to be home; she adores her house on the lake! I enjoy it too, but after just arriving home, there are so many chores that need to be done; oh well, one at a time. In reflection, we are so blessed to be able to enjoy the best of both worlds—home for spring, most of summer, and fall, and winter in sunny Arizona—blessed beyond measure even including the innumerable blessings heaped upon us each day.

On Wednesday, Kay and Sue finished packing temporary items from inside the motorhome, and defrosted the freezer; I removed additional items from the outside storage compartments. It’s time for the old Winnebago to rest. Neither of us did much else, except enjoy being home. As it was St. Patrick’s Day, we had an outstanding corned beef and cabbage dinner at Diamante Country Club.

Thursday and Friday were “catch-up” days. A new modem/router from Suddenlink was installed, all the computers, iPads, and iPhones were reset and updated, mail was sorted, clothes were washed, cars were brought out of mothballs, outside plants were pruned, stuff from the winter was put away, and a bunch of other little chores were completed. Catfish dinners from Mulligan’s were the highlight of day on Friday; thanks, Troy and Patty.

I finally made enough time on Friday to photograph newly emerged wildflowers at McClellan Beaver Dam Trail in Hot Springs Village. While not a great flower photographer, it is immensely enjoyable.

We both woke up early Sunday morning, about 3 am, some 15 hours after receiving the injections with sore muscles and joint pain. Interestingly, all of my reaction was on the left side from shoulder to ankle. Kay’s reaction was not so discriminatory. In fact she said even her toenails hurt. Fortunately, her reaction was gone fairly quickly. 

Since we were all packed up, we left for home at daylight. Kay was over her Moderna 2nd injection reaction, except for a sore arm at the site of the shot. Early in the drive my reaction worsened. We took turns driving through eastern Arizona and New Mexico. However, we experienced 45+ mph winds and dust storms most of the way; fortunately it was a tailwind. Kay reported, “We stopped to fill up and it took both of us to shut the door on our coach!  We stopped a little earlier than usual because of the gusts.  These plains must have been brutal years ago.” We opted to stop at a nice rest area near El Paso to overnight. Reaction to the 2nd injection continued to worsen with a temperature of 99.9° (normal is 97.2), headache, and joint and muscle aches and pains. A couple of Tylenol helped. Reactions began about 15 hours after injection; it was now 30 hours post injection. Kay is doing great.

Thank goodness for Mondays. On Monday, March 15, reactions to the 2nd injection have ended, about 25 hours after they had begun. We are both now feeling great (except for the aches and pains of age). Thanks to all of you who went before us and provided a timeline and reactions as we had some idea of what to expect. We drove through wind gusts of 58 mph, with blowing dust. It’s supposed to be worse tomorrow. If it is in fact worse along our route, we’ll hunker down! We stopped at another rest area along Interstate 20 in Texas, just west of Fort Worth.

Despite the close proximity of the highway, and nearby semis, Kay slept reasonably well, and I slept great last evening. The forecast for today, Tuesday, for the portion of the route home indicates less wind than the previous two days. Consequently, we opted to continue eastward. Again taking turns, we drove the 400+ miles home, arriving around 5:00 PM. We unhooked the old Honda CRV at a nearby shopping center, and parked the RV at the boat launching ramp parking area adjacent to our house. There, we loaded all available cars, including Sue’s (Sue is Kay’s longtime friend and our FABULOUS house sitter), and returned the near empty motorhome to it storage garage. We were both exhausted and swore to never RV again (same old story after every long trip). A long hot shower welcomed us home!

While we’re awaiting our final Covid injection, Kay continues playing golf and pickleball, while I look for something to do, non-invasive to the left knee. It’s getting better, but ever so gradually. It is windy here in Casa Grande, and has been so all winter! Given our situation with social distancing and sports injuries, we’re both ready to return to Hot Springs Village, though dreading the wet spring weather and soggy golf courses there.

We did venture out on Sunday, making a loop south of Tucson to Madera Canyon, Lake Patagonia, and the Paton Hummingbird Center in the small village of Patagonia. Our first stop was at the Santa Rita Lodge where they maintain lots of various types of feeders. Surprisingly, there were only a couple of hummingbirds nectaring at the feeders, but no other birds—somewhat disquieting. And then, after several minutes this Cooper’s Hawk flew in—explaining the silence.

With no prey in sight, it flew away, and immediately a myriad of birds returned to feed.

Even a butterfly (Mourning Cloak) appeared.

And, I finally got a good look at some Broad-billed Hummingbirds, a quest all winter.

From Santa Rita Lodge, we drove to the Whitehouse Picnic Area, parked, and hiked an almost two-mile loop along Madera Creek to the Proctor Parking Area and return. Birds were scarce as I photographed only a Hermit Thrush, but a a couple of wildflowers “posed” for photographs.

Our next stop was at Patagonia Lake State Park where we had a late picnic lunch. Patagonia Lake is a man-made reservoir in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States, located southwest of the town of Patagonia, Arizona, and northeast of Nogales on the Mexico border. The small lake, at only 240 acres, was created by damming Sonoita Creek, and is a popular area for boating and sport fishing. The state park as packed!

The final stop of the day was at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. Some 14 to 15 species of hummingbirds visit annually. However, due to COVID 19 and the lack of sufficient medical facilities in the area, the Center was closed. They do maintain a couple of hummingbird feeders near the parking area, and we were able to enjoy a couple of hummingbirds flitting back and forth, including this relatively rare Violet-crowned Hummingbird.

Thursday afternoon late, Helen and Don Baggett hosted a going away happy hour for us at their place in Palm Creek. It was lovely, and we decided to continue our weekly happy hours back in the Village when everyone returns from winter.

On Saturday morning, Kay and I received the 2nd Moderna injection. In two weeks we should be able to return to some semblance of normality, including hugging friends and family who have also been vaccinated. This marked the last obligation for us for our winter at Palm Creek in Casa Grande, Arizona. Consequently, we decided to leave a day early. Tomorrow, we begin our journey home.

Monday was a big day, pickleball wise. I was “observed” (graded) to determine advancement to the 3.5 level. The 3.5 level is considered to be advanced intermediate. Generally speaking, the 3.5 level is the level at which one leaves “social” pickleball and enters “serious” pickleball. Despite my being a bit handicapped with a bad left knee, the two observers recommended advancement! I immediately went to the RV and iced the knee. Kay also played pickleball, and continues to improve. Many beginning pickleball players come to the game with a tennis background and make a fairly smooth transition; Kay never played sports and thus handicapped, particularly regarding hand/eye coordination. What she lacks in experience, she more than makes up for with grit, determination, and perseverance. And, she practices several times a week!

Tuesday was an uneventful day for us, though we did enjoy some spa and pool time.

Kay played golf Wednesday afternoon, joined by a couple of men midway through the 9-hole round (their wives were joining them on the back nine). She shot near bogey golf, and is playing so good now that I’m afraid to compete with her. 

Dropping me off at the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert, Arizona, Thursday morning, Kay ran errands and shopped at Sam’s Club and Costco. It was our last trip to the greater Phoenix area this season. The Riparian Preserve is the Go To place in central Arizona for bird photographers. The irrigation ponds for reclaiming irrigation water is an attractant to a wide range of shore birds, and migrating song birds travel through the area as well. Today, the usual birds cooperated, and “posed” for photos. Some of the more common birds included the Curve-billed Thrasher, White-crowned Sparrow, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Shorebirds make for some of the most interesting subjects, and most are either too far away, or hidden among the shoreline shrubs. These include the Least Sandpiper, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, and American White Pelican.

Some of the more commonly found birds included the Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler, European Starling, Great-tailed Grackle, and Verdin.

Hummingbirds, particularly those nectaring, are an all-time favorite. The most common in this area is the Anna’s Hummingbird.

And, for some reason, I’m drawn to the Snowy Egret, most often hidden among the shoreline shrubs, but occasional close by searching for food.