The last couple of weeks of December were all about family. Saturday, December 16, was basketball day for the Adams kids; Aker played in the morning in Maumelle and Ridge played at Bee Branch in the afternoon. We really enjoy watching them both play. Ridge is a really good player, and well advanced beyond his age group. He is a force to be reckoned with.

And then on Sunday, Kay and I traveled to the Memphis area to celebrate Christmas with Jenny, Harper, Lina, and Sutton. It was a subdued celebration as they all were recovering from strep throat. Kay and I masked up, and did not stay long. We sure would like to spend more time with them as this is only the second time we’ve seen them this year.

On Christmas Eve, Kay’s kids visited for brunch and gift exchange. The food was delicious and once again they outdid themselves in gift giving. This was more like the Christmases I used to experience many years ago, and it felt very comfortable. 

We attended the Communion and Candlelight service at church, a tradition Kay and I began when we first started seeing one another. After the service we celebrated Christmas with Jim, Jackie, Pam, and Jackie’s sister and brother-in-law; this too has become a yearly tradition.

Kay and I have celebrated Christmas Day the last several years by deconstructing the Christmas decorations at the house; this year was no exception. And, by this time I was ready to be through with the holiday season as some of our decorations have been up since Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving was early this year.

We also usually travel on or after Christmas but follow-up dental appointments this year have necessitated our remaining home for just over 10 additional days. The dental office staff were dressed for the holiday.

New Year’s Eve was uneventful and we were in bed by 10 p.m. to wrap up 2023.

The first part of December was marked by Christmas concerts and parties, and medical and dental appointments. 

As the Christmas season began, we were surrounded by music: the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra performed their Christmas concert on Sunday, December 3 in Hot Springs Village to a sold out house. And then, on Friday, December 8, Kay joined other PEO sisters in presenting their Christmas concert. 

We only attended one Christmas party this season, the Court Sports party on Wednesday, December 6, at Diamante Country Club; our pickleball group was well represented.

I continued “experimenting” with sourdough. Here is a photo of the first batch of cinnamon rolls baked.

I had two dental appointments on Tuesday, December 5, and again on Thursday, December 14. A cavity was discovered under a crown, necessitating a new crown, and resulting in a delay of our departure for winter in Arizona as the crown won’t be ready until after the first of the year. 

Least I forget, I had the dreaded colonoscopy on Wednesday, December 13, which meant a day to “prepare,” and day for the procedure, and a week to “recover!”  Because of age, this was my last one.

And this month marks the last month of my term as Chairman of our church’s board of trustees. The last meeting of the year was Monday, December 7. It was a labor of love, but I’m glad to pass the torch.

Kay and The Bookclub finished their year with a Christmas party in Hot Springs Village. It was a somber occasion as one of their longterm members passed a few weeks ago.

Neither of us played golf this reporting period, but we played lots of pickleball. It’s such a great game. This photo is the result of yet another fall.

Regretfully, I did not make any nature/wildlife photographs. However, if you or you know of someone that’s in the market for a really good used camera, I am offering this Sony A7riii for sale for $1150. It’s in 9+ condition (near mint). Just let me know.

The month of November was unusual in the sense that nothing extraordinary happened; I don’t mean bad or exciting extraordinary, just anything out of the ordinary. And, it doesn’t seem that we lead mundane lives. 

On Thursday, November 16, we attended White Christmas put on by the HSV Players; they did a good job, and on November 30 we attended the HSV Big Band Christmas concert—these folks are really good!

The Maumelle grandkids provided a marathon watch session with 4 different games on Saturday, November 18. We were pretty tired when the last one was over at about 4:30 PM, having arrived for the first one at about 8 AM.

Mid-November saw Kay decorating for Christmas. She really enjoys both the process and the look, and works really hard. This is the first holiday season in at least 35 years that I have not felt depressed and just wanted it to be over with. As we age, there are not too many holiday seasons left!

Kay stays quite busy with Naomi Circle (church women’s small group), PEO (a philanthropic women’s group to aid and assist women), pickleball, golf, and a few never-ending medical appointments.  

I have been easing back into pickleball (4 or 5 times a week) and golf (occasionally)—oh, I bought a new pickleball paddle, a Selkirk LUXX, and absolutely adore it. The carpeted court at Balboa Baptist Church and I had a run-in, and the carpet won. This is about the 4th time one knee or the other has been scarred.

My responsibility as chairman of our church’s Board of Trustees also keeps me busy. And, I have been working on a special project for Kay every spare moment, and have been slowly getting the motorhome ready for its annual trip to Arizona. This included all new batteries (one chassis and two house); and I’m getting too old to lift the heavy rascals.

Also, I began “experimenting” with sourdough, making English muffins, cinnamon rolls (the cinnamon rolls were a bit dense), and blueberry muffins. The blueberry muffins were the best either of had ever eaten. Not over eating these tasty delights will be a challenge, particularly with a new diabetes diagnosis! 

As far as photography, the camera lay idle for most of month, with the exception of Tuesday, November 21, when Dan and I went to Creek Natural Area for a shoot. I did print a mount a bunch of photos during the month.

We had a great Thanksgiving with most of Kay’s family at Ron and Cheryl’s. As always, the food was abundant and delicious.

And, that’s a wrap for November 2023.

October is a month with a lot of birthdays. Karyn celebrates her birthday on October 6 and Jenny celebrates hers on October 13. And then, Kaden’s is on October 15 and Ridge’s is on October 21—whew!

Kay was really busy this month with sports and social engagements. Typically, she plays pickleball on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. And then, she plays golf on Wednesday and Friday. And that’s just the beginning of her activities. This reporting period she also was extensively involved in her PEO chapter, had some dental work done, practiced for the PEO Choir Christmas program, participated in her women’s church group, Naomi Circle, had an appointment with her ophthalmologist, and lastly, attended The Book Club. On a sad note, two of her long-time friends died this reporting period. Saying goodbye to friends is an all to commonplace endeavor at our age. In addition to all the above, she had various “beauty” appointments.

We were so happy to see friends Mary Emily and Tim who stopped by on their way home. They’ve been on an extraordinary RV and motorcycle two-month trip out west.

I returned to playing pickleball almost every morning and took care of a bit of church business—quite a mundane life! I did manage to take a few photographs as we said goodbye to our visiting hummingbirds.

The respite from the heat and humidity didn’t last long as temperatures in the mid-90s returned to end the month of September; and the early mornings were warm and humid. And, it was quiet at the Dunn household—no trips taken or even planned for the remainder of the year. Therefore, there is little content on which to report!

On Saturday, September 16, we joined the Morrises for dinner at Luna Bella to celebrate Jim’s birthday. 

Kay continued her many social activities as well as regular golf and pickleball. I played pickleball a couple times a week, and continued physical therapy, but only once a week.

Kay and granddaughter Aker had a girls’ day on Saturday, September 30, and had a blast shopping.

And finally, I made it out to take photos on Sunday, September 17; Monday, September 18; Friday, September 22; Monday, September 25; Wednesday, September 27; and Saturday, September 30.

This month marks a return to normal, whatever that is—well, at least maybe near normal. Labor Day weekend proved to be a busy one for us. We entertained Karyn and her family Friday evening; and played pickleball with Karyn and Aker Saturday morning (Aker is progressing nicely.) They went to the beach after pickleball leaving Kay and me on our own for the remainder of the weekend. Kay and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary also on Saturday. It’s been a great 23+ years!

On Monday, Kay and I traveled to Little Rock to watch Ridge play soccer (he is growing not only in stature, but also in level of play.) 

Physical therapy is continuing twice a week for the near term as the shoulder and bicep are healing remarkably well. 

Kay remained busy with social functions (PEO and Naomi Circle), and I had several church duties the following week—the first full week of September. Good friend Dan and I explored a new natural area (Goat’s Beard Bluff Natural Area in Saline County) on Tuesday, September 5, snapping a few photographs along the way. It was so terribly hot and humid that perspiration was dripping off my clothes, and left “water” on the seat of the car. 

We played golf on Sunday afternoon, September 10, the first time for me since mid-January. All went well with no shoulder or bicep repercussions. Of course, the golf game pretty much stunk in all areas except for chipping.

As a side note, the hummingbirds are seemingly swarming at our place as they make their way south. We are feeding about a dozen and they are so fun to watch and photograph. These photos were made on Sunday afternoon as well.

The following photos were made on Monday, September 11.

And these were made on Wednesday, September 13.

The first half of August was without fanfare, as we stuck to our normal routine. Church on Sunday for the both of us, physical therapy on Monday for me, pickleball on Tuesday for Kay, golf on Wednesday for Kay and physical therapy for me, pickleball on Thursday for Kay, physical therapy on Friday for me, and pickleball on Saturday for Kay.

Also, we had duplicate bridge tutoring sessions with the Seitz’s every other Thursday evening. Sue, Kay’s longtime friend, came for a vision on August 13 and 14, and they enjoyed a trip down memory lane with a visit to their hometown, Morrilton, on Monday, August 14.  I made it out in the “field” to make photos on August 1, 10, 12, 13, and 15.

On Tuesday, August 1, the butterfly garden at the Woodlands in Hot Springs Village provided the outdoor studio for photographing a few butterflies. Three species presented themselves: Hoary Edge and two species of skippers.

I walked the Beaver Dam Trail in Hot Springs Village on Thursday, August 10, the first walk since surgery on June 7. Photography subjects were few and far between—mostly dragonflies, but some butterflies and flowers.

Saturday, August 12, proved to be pretty special. Good friend Dan took me to a place I haven’t visited in three years, and it was full of blooming Thistle, the bane of cattlemen and women, but a good pollinating plant. A couple days earlier, he visited the area and discovered a plethora of White-lined Sphinx moths. It didn’t take long to make some decent photographs. And some butterflies got into the action as well. It was a spectacular day, and I’m very grateful to Dan for his friendship.

He took me out again on Tuesday, August 15, for a “shoot” at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area. Again, he guided me to one of his favorite places to shoot our target species, the American Rubyspot damselfly. They were in abundance, and other damselfly species were there as well. In addition, we photographed a few butterflies and dragonflies. That trip proved to be the last photography for the month of August.

While the last month of August was pretty routine, there were a few items of consequence. We were blessed to host a couple of grandkids on Saturday and Sunday. We had a really good time with Ridge and Aker. They especially liked the pickleball early Sunday morning.

And Sunday, August 27, was also my 74th birthday. We did not celebrate due to other activities, but we’ll get around to it soon. The biggest item was the 12-week post-op visit with the ortho folks. I was given permission to do most anything I wanted to do except to lift heavy items above my shoulder. I was released from intense physical therapy and I do not have to return to the ortho folks for a follow-up visit. The PA said to consider myself released after another 6 weeks, and I could do basically anything I wanted. And then on Thursday, August 31, Kay, Pam and I attended a great play at Murray’s Dinner Playhouse.

High temperatures and humidity kept us in most of the month, except for Kay’s playing pickleball and golf, and family time, especially with the grandkids. I did manage to get out in our “yard” a few times for photographs.

The month kicked off on Saturday, July 1 with the annual Hot Springs Village Independence Day fireworks show in the evening. Kay and Pam witnessed the brilliant display of  “low explosive pyrotechnic devices.” Here’s her report the following day, “Beautiful fireworks at Lake Balboa in HSV last night.  Cool breeze too.  Very comfortable.  Happy 4th, everyone!”

A few dragonflies were feeding on Sunday, July 2, but I have been so “out of it” that I didn’t post process the photos until the writing of this blog; go figure! Here are a few of the results.

And then to our immense pleasure the Maumelle grandkids and parents came to visit that afternoon, and spent a couple of days with us. They had a ball at the beach and pickleball courts.

On Tuesday, July 4, we hosted an old friends cookout with hotdogs, etc. It is almost unbelievable that we’ve been in Hot Springs Village for 8 years. Perhaps that’s why we all look a bit older.

Kay, Pam, and a couple other ladies they knew flew to the Gulf coast for some fun and games at Beau Rivage on Wednesday, July 5, staying until Saturday, July 8. Kay needed and deserved a break after the intense month of June, but she may have left Beau Rivage empty-handed! 

On Tuesday July 11, a dragonfly, a butterfly, a female Northern Cardinal, a House Finch, and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird were photographed. And, after only 8 years both the Frigidaire refrigerator and Frigidaire microwave oven have gone kaput. A new refrigerator was installed late in the afternoon. The microwave oven was installed on Friday, but the display is faulty and the microwave oven replaced again.

We drove to Memphis on Sunday, July 16, to visit Jenny and the grandkids. It’s the first time we’ve seen them in person since the Christmas holidays, and the grandkids have grown a bunch. I sure wish they were closer and circumstances more favorable to see them more often. They are growing up too fast and we’re getting old too fast!

Tuesday was sanother “yard” photography day. The same butterflies and dragonflies were photographed once again. At least I’m practicing a bit.

And also on Tuesday, I had a 6-weeks follow-up visit with the orthopedic surgeon. She seem pleased with the healing progress, and especially the gain in range-of-motion; she approved of my walking/hiking, sleeping in a bed, pitching a golf ball less than 100 yards and putting, and a few other physically light items. Most importantly, the sling was no longer required, and that was a big deal! Kay’s hand sewn Turkish rug was delivered on Friday.  It was even more beautiful than she remembered. She picked it from a sample rug at the Turkish rug factory near Ephesus when we were on our “Journeys of Paul”Mediterranean cruise.

More dragonfly photographs were made in the yard on Saturday, and the Maumelle bunch (kids and grandkids) came to visit over weekend.

It was beach day at Lake Balboa, then Granada Grill for dinner.  Sunday morning the kiddos played pickleball at Diamante for an hour plus; Ridge and Karyn are natural athletes and Aker was working hard to keep up despite her young age.

The last week of July was relatively quiet. Harper’s eleventh birthday was on Sunday, July 30—she’s growing up way too fast. 

My shoulder is healing well. As of Tuesday, July 25, I was 7 weeks out from surgery, with an estimated heal of 35%. Physical therapy at Village Golf and Physical Therapy—three times a week—is really good, and range of motion and strength are gradually returning. There has been little to no soreness (just a bit after PT). Except for not being able to return to normal activities outside, I’m doing well, occupying time by producing YouTube videos on our YouTube channel, DunnGone Travels.

We were up way too early Sunday morning (May 28) in order to depart the ship at 5:30 am. Because it was so early, we had to manage our own luggage which wasn’t an issue. There was mass confusion as to which exit ramp to take, and we were sent three different places before finding the correct one. We arrived at the airport, passed through Italy’s Passport Check and Customs without a hitch. The plane from Rome to DFW was a bit late, but the delay was more than made up as we arrived at DFW an hour and half early. And then it was off to Little Rock, then home, arriving some 24 hours after getting out of bed!

Sleep came easily in our own bed, but we were up at 2 am on Memorial Day, in concert with our body time. Kay was not feeling well, and tested positive for COVID, the first time for either of us. She rested throughout the day and much of the week, beginning to feel better on Friday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday I received a call to schedule surgery to repair a rotator cuff and bicep tear in my right shoulder. Anticipating a 6 to 8 week waiting period, the surgeon’s office surprised me with a June 7 surgery date. They knew I wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible, and kept the early date open for me.

The days leading up to surgery were a whirlwind, what with Kay testing positive again, and then negative, and our preparing for shoulder surgery.

The next week, the second week of June, was all about shoulder surgery. Arriving at the outpatient clinic at CHI in Hot Springs on the morning of June 7, I was prepped, then taken into the OR, “waking up” an hour later in Recovery with a bandage and cooling pad on my shoulder, and my arm nestled in a sling. With the nerve block still effective, I felt no pain.

We returned home about three hours later, and the recliner became my home for the next week. Everything was coming along just fine, and then the nerve block began wearing off the day after surgery, and the pain began, intensifying almost every minute. Despite the oxycodone the pain was about 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. To supplement the opioid I took two Tylenol and an Advil, and repeated the three medications every 6 hours. After the first six hours, the pain began receding, hovering about “6” for another few hours—tolerable. The pain quickly receded and I felt no discomfort at all. And no more pain medicine.

I spent the first seven days after surgery taking it easy, and not putting the shoulder in any kind of motion or bind. Regretfully, Kay again tested positive for Covid. Though she didn’t feel terribly bad, it really neutered her always busy schedule. On Day 7 after surgery, we visited the surgeon’s office where the stitches and bandages were removed, and the surgeon gave instructions for the next five weeks. (Note: The surgeon was Dr. Cari Cordell; she and all of her staff get a 5-star rating in all categories from us.)

The following week, the second week after surgery, Kay returned to her two mornings of pickleball and one morning of golf. I continued taking it easy and began physical therapy.

The next week, the third week after surgery and the last full week of June, Kay continued with pickleball, golf, and a few other social activities while I continued the recovery and rehabilitation process. I did venture out to take a few photos.

I spent a lot of time at the computer learning new software, and creating a YouTube channel, DunnGone Travels.

The next few days, those at the end of June, was a continuation of the last three weeks. This is going to be a long, hot and humid summer! 

The Odyssey of the Seas sailed into the port at Naples, Rome, early Saturday morning. After coffee, we had breakfast at the buffet—basically eating the same things we eat at home with a few unusual things thrown in like Eggs Benedict and Mueslix with granola. Disembarkment was at 8:00 o’clock am. We traveled by bus towards Mount Vesuvius and the ancient city of Pompeii to observe the well-preserved ruins and uncover the fascinating history of Pompeii.

Pompeii is a preserved ancient Roman city 14 miles southeast of Naples, at the southeastern base of Mount Vesuvius. Around noon on August 24, 79 AD, a huge eruption from Mount Vesuvius showered volcanic debris over the city, followed the next day by clouds of blisteringly hot gases. Buildings were destroyed, the population was crushed or asphyxiated, and the city was buried beneath a blanket of ash and pumice. For many centuries Pompeii slept beneath its pall of ash, which perfectly preserved the remains. When these were finally unearthed, in the 1700s, the world was astonished at the discovery of a sophisticated Greco-Roman city frozen in time.

Grand public buildings included an impressive forum and an amphitheater; lavish villas and all kinds of houses, dating back to the 4th century BC, were also uncovered.

We began a long, guided walking tour of the ancient Roman city’s archeological ruins. With our guide, we traversed the historic excavation site through the city’s forum and past grand temples, mansions, and Roman baths. On view were artifacts recovered from the 79 AD volcanic blast, when 20 feet of ash and pumice buried the entire city.

Inside were some preserved remains of people sheltering from the eruption; others lay buried as they fled; bakeries were found with loaves still in the ovens. The buildings and their contents revealed day-to-day life in the ancient world—and stirred 18th-century interest in all things classical.