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. 

Thursday morning, we arrived at the world-famous Greek Island of Mykonos, where gleaming white-washed buildings seem to climb atop each other to reach the azure sky.

After deboarding, Kay and I walked the waterfront, full of shops and restaurants. There were over half dozen cruise ships anchored just offshore; luckily, the Odyssey of the Seas was able to dock at the waterfront pier making it much easier to access the city seashore. We really enjoyed the day—no scheduled excursions or activities—sunny with a comfortable sea breeze. Catching a “sea bus” to the shore front, people watching was very interesting as there were all nationalities, shapes, and sizes enjoying the narrow alleyways and streets/sidewalks. I think, perhaps, Americans were outnumbered, and English was definitely not the first language. 

We were the beneficiaries of a time change last night, turning “time” back one hour. Today, Friday, we are at sea all day. Desperate to occupy spare time in the absence activities and internet, I finished reading the third of three books on Kay’s Kindle list; these three had already been downloaded to our iPads.

Today, we visited the Ancient City of Ephesus, had lunch at a rug-weaving school, observed the skill and artisanship of rug weaving, and shown a number of hand-woven rugs.

Ephesus is another of the Seven Churches of Revelation and was once a bustling port town graced with wide, colonnade-bordered streets and a population of 250,000. Despite attempts at recovery, much of Ancient Ephesus has been lost.

Remains of the huge Agora and Library reveal much of the glory of Ancient Ephesus.

The ancient world once declared the Temple of Artemis to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but today only a single column remains to mark its site. We climbed step after step to view the terrace houses, also known as “the house of the rich,” which provided a true impression of ancient lifestyle, complete with private toilets where sewage was removed by running water.

Interestingly, only about 15 percent of the ancient city has been excavated and catalogued.

The Great Theater of Ephesus was constructed in the Hellenistic period (about 1st century AD) taking 60 years to complete. It is the largest theater in Asia Minor with accommodation for 25.000 people; 24.000 seats and 1000 standing places. It served not only for dramatic performances, but also for demonstrations of a social, political, economic, religious nature and for gladiator games. The theater is often mentioned in the context of St. Paul’s visit to Ephesus (Acts 19.)

unch was at a Turkish rug-weaving school. The craft of rug weaving was demonstrated, and we were shown a number of professional weavers’ wares. Hand-woven rugs were also for sale, and we are the proud owners of one to be shipped to Hot Springs Village. After rug weaving, we briefly explored the Museum of Ephesus for an up-close look at some of Ephesus’ antiquities and ancient artifacts. It was hard, yet amazing to grasp the reality of civilization some 2,000 years ago—the art, architecture, and extravagance.

While Kay did an excursion with EO, I stayed onboard, relaxing and catching up on sleep.

Rhodes, the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands, is known for its beach resorts, ancient ruins and remnants of its occupation by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades.

The Greek Island of Rhodes was home to Agora and Collachium, where the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem lived and worked during the Crusades. Rhodes has stunning churches, an exquisite Jewish quarter, the Inns of Knights, and the Palace of Grand Masters. The city of Rhodes has an Old Town featuring the medieval Street of the Knights and the castle-like Palace of the Grand Masters. Captured by the Ottomans and then held by the Italians, the palace is now a history museum.

Here are photos of mosaics made during Kay’s tour.

This morning’s excursion, began with a drive through the city of Athens enroute to Corinth, stopping for a bathroom break near an excellent viewpoint for the Corinth Canal. The Corinth Canal is an artificial canal in Greece that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. At the city of Corinth, we viewed Ancient Corinth, including the Market Place and Temples. We visited the site where the apostle Paul met fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla and received a vision from the Lord saying, “I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.” As Paul spoke, Crispus (chief ruler of the synagogue) and many others believed and were baptized, establishing the church at Corinth to whom Paul later wrote his two epistles.

Click on each photo below to enlarge.

We took communion near the Bema where the apostle Paul stood before Gallio to face charges brought against him by the Jews, and then walked through the remainder of the ruins.

The tour stopped for lunch (macaroni and cheese as an appetizer, veal with potatoes and rice, salad, and a baklava) at a restaurant near the Aegean Sea where we enjoyed very brief internet access for the first time in four days.

After lunch, the day’s excursion included a drive through Athens and past the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and many other historical and national buildings. And then, we were taken to rather highlight of the day, the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens including the world-renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon and the Erectheum.

We stood on Mars Hill as did the apostle Paul when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” After climbing a long steep grade, we strolled, in awe, through the Agora (ancient market place and center of Athenian public life), where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” to the skeptical Athenians.

Back at the ship, it was dinner, a couple of shows, and bed.

I apparently got confused in yesterday’s blog entry, thinking it was Crete that had the switchbacked access to the top of the island. However, the switchbacks were on Santorini. That blog entry has been edited.

Today’s stop was the island of Santorini, considered by most to be Greece’s most beautiful isle. Santorini is one of the world’s most popular islands, known best for its dramatic scenery, whitewashed villages and fiery volcanic activity.

We anchored not far off shore, requiring a tender to the island.

There, we were met with extremely long lines (20+ minutes) to catch the cable car to the top of the island to its capital, Fira, a bustling cliff-top town awash with old cathedrals, enthralling museum collections and cozy tavernas. (The alternative to the cable car was to climb the difficult switchbacks. Regrettably, several people who walked the switchbacks slipped and fell on the rain-slicked cobblestones.)

At Fira, narrow, crowded streets awaited us.

After a brief walk along some of these streets, we again waited in a long line (20+ minutes) to catch the cable car back down the mountain. 

Back at the ship, we had dinner and watched “The Book,” a cirque-type production of the highest quality. The Book is an epic journey for the imagination that brings the magic and tradition of storytelling to life through cutting-edge tech, including a wall of robotic video screens, 12K projection mapping, and talented live performers.