Monday, July 19, was quiet; Kay had her second sleep study. That’s not the reason it was quiet, there’s just not a lot going on as I’m still hobbling around and she’s staying out of the heat.

Tuesday, Dan and I tripped to Weedhaven in Bradley County. Weedhaven is a name given to house and property owned and lived in by a good photographer friend; he and his wife have allowed it to grow naturally, and have supplemented that with native wildflowers and plants. He has mowed paths throughout the property, and it’s a photographer’s paradise. There were spectacular wildflowers blooming…

a few butterflies flittering about…

and even a few dragonflies made an appearance.

Nothing spectacular happened on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday Ridge and Aker came to visit for the weekend. It was so good to spend time with them.  However, on Saturday after breakfast, I began to feel feverish and achy with a slight headache and sore throat, all symptoms of COVID19, DELTA VARIANT. And, even though we have both been vaccinated, there were several hundred people at the pickleball tournament, and we guessed that the majority had not been vaccinated. Kay rushed the kids to meet their mom and their weekend with us was cut short; thus, no photos.

I continued to exhibit the symptoms on Sunday, and remained in or near the bed most of the day. The symptoms continued Monday, and I underwent a COVID test at the local pharmacy—and tested NEGATIVE. The slight fever—99° vs my normal of 97.2°— broke Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, Kay was carrying the load of taking care of me and doing all the household and outdoor chores.

We drove to the greater Memphis area on Wednesday to spend time with Jenny and her kids: Harper, Linc, and Sutton. We had not seen them in person since October! They all had grown a ton, and Harper, 9 on July 30, had become a tall young lady; the top of her head is even with Kay’s eyes, and she wears a women’s size 8 shoe. She is such a beautiful girl, inside and out. Linc, 2 years old, was motoring around everywhere and getting into everything. He is chunky and solid with long blonde hair and beautiful eyes. Little sister Sutton is almost a year old, and is a quiet child, though she did warm up to Kay. Harper joined us at the hotel for swimming; it was an indoor pool with HIGH levels of chlorine in the water. Regrettably, she had red eyes for a few hours.

After pool time, we had Harper’s birthday dinner at the restaurant of her choice, El Mezcal Restaurant, with the whole of Jenny’s family, and said our goodbyes until next time. 

We departed early Thursday morning for home to pack and prepare for our next adventure, stopping on the way at David’s Burgers for a $7.99 cheeseburger, no fries and no drink. We arrived home shortly after lunch. We continued packing and preparing on Friday and today on Saturday, with temperatures in the low 100°s.

The second pulled hamstring has really put a damper on activities, though Kay continues to stay busy with social obligations, golf, and pickleball.

We reserve Monday evenings for trip planning, and there are a couple in the works for August and September, mainly to escape the oppressive heat and humidity in Arkansas—more to come in the weeks ahead. Tuesday 13 was an errand day for Kay, and I remained around the house, making a few photos in the back. Still hobbling around like Chester on Gunsmoke, I attended a HSV Camera Club workshop, Low Light and Long Exposure, which was quite good. We still do not socialize much, and are cautious when we do, as a result in the exponential uptick of the Delta variation of COVID in Arkansas; don’t you just love Arkansas!

Wednesday 14 was Kay’s sports day with golf in the morning and pickleball. For someone who has never participated in sports, she is adapting very well and becoming credible in both golf and pickleball. As with yesterday, I made a few photos in the back yard, still hoping for the arrival of a few butterflies.

Thursday 15 was a really quiet day for us. Kay dropped off some stuff for her PEO group yard sale, and once again, I searched for the missing butterflies. We are blessed to have an abundance of dragonflies, though they are the same species day in day out.

The Spa City Classic pickleball tournament was held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Hot Springs Convention Center. Events included Men’s and Women’s Singles, Men’s and Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles with Adult and Senior Divisions for each as well as featuring  JUNIOR DIVISIONS. With over 400 participants on 36 courts, it was pickleball madness. I worked the tournament on Friday and Saturday, and Kay worked Saturday. Most of the participants were under age 50, and a large number were aged below 40—it’s not just an old people’s game! 

We stayed home on Sunday, 18 and after church, relaxed. About 4 PM I ventured out with the camera and was rewarded with four species of butterflies and a number of dragonflies. Despite the sports injury, it was a good week.

We were glad to usher in a new month, hoping for cooler weather. Kay and Pam met a new Village resident at the Diamante pool, Brenda, and offered to show her the ropes on Thursday. They “visited” all the gates, drove around Hot Springs, and had a girly lunch in town. I continued the slow recovery from the pulled hamstring. On Friday, Kay and I drove National Forest roads near Hollister and then drove to Forked Mountain to enjoy the picturesque mountain vista. We chilled Saturday.

July 4, Sunday, was celebrated at Jim and Jackie’s with a hot dog cookout and luscious desserts. Along with Jim and Jackie were Pam, Don, Martha, Bobby, and Kay and me. After the cookout, Kay and Pam enjoyed the annual Hot Springs Village fireworks. Monday continued the Independence Day holiday, but for us it was a quiet day, mostly spent at home. The hamstring pull has very much limited my activities.

Kay resumed her social activities on Tuesday, attending a PEO meeting, etc. I used the day—another “free” day— to edit old photos and delete duplicates and photos not meeting the quality standard. Kay played golf Wednesday morning. While butterflies have been largely absent from out place, dragonflies zoom all over the place. Some even posed long enough for photos.

Anxious to get back in the swing of things, I opted to play pickleball on Thursday morning—a huge mistake! Despite stretching and warming up, I pulled the same hamstring before the first point was ever recorded. This is going to mean a long, drawn-out recovery. While I remained home with ice packs on the hamstring, Kay played golf on Friday, followed by pool time in the afternoon. Saturday and Sunday were “quiet” days as I continued the slow recovery. This injury seems worse than the previous one—more time to work on photos.