Whether caused by the weather or plane ride or grossly uncomfortable seats in the Toyota truck, my back has been really hurting since arriving in Arkansas (Dan’s Toyota truck is very comfortable, but it is more towards top-of-office the-line.) Sunday was no exception. I did make it to Maumelle to visit with Karyn, Ridge, and Aker. Ridge landed his first somersault on the trampoline, and Aker is only a few jumps away. It was sure good seeing the family and having such a nice visit, and I got valentines.

After returning home, I stayed in or near the bed all day with severe back pain. It hurts in the lower back area, but there is no neuropathy in the legs as has been typical with lumbar spinal stenosis. Apparently one of the symptoms of COVID is severe lower back pain, but I have not had a fever or any other symptoms. It seems like every ailment suffered now is one of COVID’s symptoms, so one never knows! Sunday was the HSV group golf game at Palm Creek.

The partnership of Kay and Steve won the money. She’s sure been winning a lot lately with different partners; wonder if she’s been sandbagging this whole time?

Christ of the Hills UMC Board of Trustees met Monday morning, and I was able to attend. We travel so much that it is often difficult to match schedules. Fortunately, Bill Baker stepped in for me, and he is an encyclopedia of knowledge regarding church business. Afterwards, Jim Morris and I had breakfast at Raffaella Rose (Cortez Golf Course). Jim is one of my dearest friends and it was good catching up. And then, it was back home again to the bed for more back rest which doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Meanwhile, Kay had a full schedule with pickleball and a street Valentine’s Day party. She made Jack’s cherry cheese cake which is always a big hit, and another dish, but didn’t get to stay long because of other commitments.

For the sixth night in a row, good sleep evaded me. However, tonight’s lack of sleep was due to early flights Tuesday morning from Little Rock to Dallas and to Phoenix. I dozed on the plane on both legs, but no fitful sleep was to be had. Once again, Southwest Airlines delivered ahead of schedule, arriving in Phoenix before 10 AM, and Kay was dutifully there to pick me up. We stopped at Big Wa’s (Chinese food) for an early lunch, and finally we were back at the motorhome. No amount of napping relieved the fatigue caused by lack of sleep.

Thursday morning early Kay and I drove to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. She dropped me off at the Southwest Airlines door, and after a couple of minutes, I realized I had left the iPhone in the car. Here comes Kay to the rescue bringing the iPhone! Fortunately, the day got a bit better, and the two flights, Phoenix to Dallas to Little Rock, were uneventful. After renting a bottom-of-the-line Toyota pickup, I arrived home late afternoon, starved for food and sleep. Little did I know that both would escape me for the next five days. Meanwhile, Kay remained behind, playing pickleball late in the afternoon. She just gets better and better.

Sleep was in spurts Thursday night and early Friday morning as I awoke shortly after midnight. Available news was read and puzzles worked before sleep overcame me; the short “nap” did little to alleviate the absence of sleep. The day was pretty much wasted as I did little except downloading and backing up photographs, though I did play a few games of pickleball at Balboa Baptist Church. Kay joined the HSV group at Palm Creek for an afternoon of social pickleball.

I drove to Bradford Saturday morning to attend visitation and the funeral for my sister. It was a bitter sweet day, and it was difficult saying goodbye but good to see so many cousins and other kin. Carma’s obituary follows.

Carma Frances Dunn Feagin, 80, of Judsonia, Arkansas passed away Tuesday, February 8, 2022. She was born July 21, 1941 in Bradford, Arkansas to the late Marvin U. and Nellie Rae Malott Dunn. 

Carma was an avid Arkansas Razorback baseball, basketball, and football fan. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, crocheting, ceramics, and various other types of crafts. Carma enjoyed bird watching, especially Red Birds, but it was the love she had for her family that truly kept her going. Many know her as Carma, a loving wife, sister, aunt, and friend, but her most favorite is mom and grandma. Her proudest moments have been her children and grandchildren. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine” echoes through our memories as she sang this song to each of us. She had a warm and embracing smile that would give so much comfort. She will forever hold a special place in our hearts. 

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Gerald Feagin; children, Lisa Williams and Lynn Feagin (Kristi); grandchildren, Jessica Williams, Brian Williams (Krystal), Zachary Feagin (Jessica), Lauren Feagin; great grandchildren, Finn Feagin, Hallie Feagin, Isabelle Williams; siblings, Donald Dunn (Kay); and a host of nieces, nephews, and other family and friends. 

She is preceded in death by her parents, Marvin U. and Nellie Rae Malott Dunn; and a brother, Ronald Dunn.

Visitation is 1-2pm Saturday, February 12, 2022 at Bradford Baptist Church with the funeral service to follow at 2pm. Interment is in Bethlehem Cemetery in Denmark.

After the burial, I drove to Magness Lake near Heber Springs to photograph Trumpeter Swans in Arkansas for the first time. A couple hundred or more of America’s largest waterfowl, with wingspans up to 8 feet, are spending their 30th straight winter at Magness Lake and two nearby unnamed lakes in Cleburne County, a half-dozen miles east of Heber Springs. They arrive each November before migrating back north in late February. Nearly driven to extinction a century ago, the white-feathered aquatic birds today number an estimated 35,000, mostly in the Upper Midwest and Mountain states. Cleburne County is the farthest south they’ve been known to travel.

There were also a couple of Tundra Swans on the lake, but too far to photograph. Also, there were more Trumpeters at a couple of nearby lakes. Also, there were many Ring-necked Ducks.

A Bufflehead came close and allowed a photograph to be taken. Those on our lake are so skittish that it is near impossible to take their picture.

And, a few Mallards were flying about looking for food.

Kay played pickleball again with her 2.5 group, but skipped a concert/dance Saturday evening. The band was good according to sources that attended.

Saturday was another windy day so no pickleball. In fact we didn’t do anything all day. However, there was a Country Western dance in the evening, and while the band was mediocre, we did enjoy several two-step dances, a few country rock dances, and one waltz. 

A return to the golf course on Sunday, partnering with Mary Seitz, proved to be one of underperformance—poor Mary, stuck with me on this particular Sunday afternoon. I was embarrassed for her, but it just seemed that I could not hit any decent shots; that’s golf, a four-lettered word!

More wind on Monday kept us in the RV most of the day, though Kay did go to the potluck in the early evening.

Tuesday was all about pickleball for both Kay and me. Kay played in her round robin at 10 am, and I played the challenge courts in the morning, and the mixed round robin Tuesday evening. It seems that I’m not getting better, perhaps even getting worse! Even Kay admitted that my play was not up to par. (It’s difficult to see well at night, thus I wear a cap backward and yellow safety sunglasses to increase contrast.)

Tuesday night I received a dreaded phone call informing us that my sister, Carma, had just passed away. She was the matriarch of her family, and will leave a huge void in their lives.

Wind prevented pickleball play on Wednesday. I spent the morning making reservations to fly back to Arkansas, not knowing exactly when funeral services would be. It proved difficult, if not near impossible to find a ride from the airport to our house in Hot Springs Village for Thursday afternoon, and from Hot Springs Village back to the airport Tuesday morning; and, we put our cars on insurance vacation. Thus renting a car seemed to be the only reliable option—car rental for the cheapest available car exceeded the cost of the expensive round trip air ticket! Kay played golf with the 99ers in the morning, but was not real proud of her play. We canceled our bridge game/lesson with the Seitz’s Wednesday evening as my ability to concentrate was even lower than usual.

A couple of sessions of pickleball on Tuesday pretty much wiped me out. Kay is playing better and better and had good matches. The mixed matches Tuesday evening were fun, but it was difficult to see well on the dimly lit courts.

Kay played golf Wednesday morning, and I stayed in from pickleball  because of 20+ miles per hour winds. Thinking the scheduled concert for the evening was at 7 PM, we discovered it actually began at 6:30 pm, but we were only a few minutes late. The show, Tapestry, the Album, is Katherine Byrnes and Khris Dodge’s collaborative tribute to one of the greatest albums ever recorded. She also co-leads the band Sweet Ghosts with her partner Ryan Alfred, who played bass. The show was excellent, and the band even better. In fact, all the band members were musically educated with at least a Masters Degree, and vast experience in symphonic and jazz music.

Yesterday’s winds brought in cold weather, at least for this part of Arizona, with the low temperature Thursday morning being 27°. Fortunately, our tee time was for 11:35 am, and it had warmed enough to play at least with a jacket. Steve, Rod, and I played at the recently re-opened Arizona City Golf Course, and since there were just the three of us, we played a game called Wolf. It was a lot of fun, even though Steve won all the money!

Winds were again the major distraction from events at Palm Creek. The hot air balloon fest was canceled as were other special outdoor events scheduled for the weekend. With 21 miles per hour winds forecast, Kay and I opted to travel to the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Friday morning with camera in hand. Even though it was only about 40 miles away, the forecast there was for 6 miles per hour wind. I knew we were in for a difficult day when the areas along Pond 5 where the photographers normally gather were totally empty. We saw a few hummingbirds nectaring, but few offered a decent photo opportunity. There were almost no shore or water birds, at least within camera range, and we saw very few flying in and out of the ponds. While a few photographs were made, it was almost a shutout—and the fewest birds I have made pictures of at that particular location.

Sunday morning began for us by FaceTiming and singing Happy Birthday to Aker, our now 7-year old. Why is it that grandkids grow up so darn fast! Another Hot Springs Village group golf game took place on Sunday afternoon followed by a great happy hour hosted by the Star’s. Since Kansas City lost in the NFL playoffs, my interest in pro football will have to wait another year for the 2023 playoffs!

Monday was all about pickleball, and it was so good returning to the courts after several days’ absence. I rode to the courts first thing Monday morning and watched Kay play a few games in her group’s round robin. The first game watched paired Kay with Barb, and both are improving quite rapidly. It is fun to watch them “mature” in the game of pickleball.

I played the 3.5 Creek round robin at noon, and played halfway decent for a change. Kay returned to the courts mid-afternoon for and Advanced Beginner class. We joined other Arkansans wintering here at Palm Creek—great group of folks— for a Mexican-themed potluck/happy hour. Our lives are blessed!

Here are some hummingbird photos from last Tuesday’s visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Time to go on another photography outing.

Kay and I cancelled our pickleball matches both Friday and Saturday because of high winds and accompanying dust. In fact, most pickleball matches were cancelled Friday with winds gusting at over 20 miles per hour. I have had a really bad headache since early in the week—swollen sinuses caused by allergic reaction to dust. We turned on our air conditioning for one of the few times to help filter the air inside the motorhome. Thus, we don’t have much to report.

However, there are still a number of photographs from our trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum that have not been posted, so here goes with a few butterflies we observed. If you look carefully at the first yellow butterfly (Southern Dogface), you can see a silhouette of a poodle’s head. (Next blog post will feature hummingbird photos.)

Dust allergies are bad this year at Palm Creek! Perhaps it’s because immunity resulting from allergy shots completed some 15 years ago has worn off, but nevertheless, we’re thankful for Allegra!

After the Free Flight show Tuesday morning at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Kay and I wondered around on the trails. Specifically, we were targeting hummingbirds, but there were so many interesting things to see. Neither of us had ever seen an Ocelot. The Ocelot is a medium-sized wildcat, has a distinct “chain rosette” spotted coat, a long ringed tail, and slightly rounded ears. Once ranging throughout the Southwest, today the only breeding population of Ocelots in the US is in Texas, where fewer than 60 ocelots remain in two small populations near the Mexican border. In Arizona, a male ocelot, the only known one in the state, has been observed 94 times since 2012, offering some hope.

Another of my favorite birds, the Cactus Wren, offered plenty of sightings at the museum, seemingly atop every Saguaro Cactus. 

And while we’re not here long enough to witness the widespread cacti bloom, there were a few early bloomers.

Despite allergy problems of her own, Kay managed to play both golf Wednesday and pickleball on Thursday.

Thursday, our foursome played golf at the Francisco Grand Hotel and Golf Resort on the outskirts of Casa Grande. Steve, Ron, Rod, and I had a great game, with Rod winning most of the money, playing the best game I’ve ever witnessed him play—perhaps he’s been sandbagging! In the first photo below, L to R are Ron, Rod, and Steve. And then, yours truly in the second photo.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles of walking paths traversing 21 acres of desert landscape. Our main goal in visiting the museum was to see the Raptor Free Flight program. In this program, only birds native to the Sonoran Desert are flown. The birds fly so close you can feel the brush of feathers as they whiz by, completely untethered, and without any jesses (leg straps)! The demonstration was awesome, as the raptors fly in the open desert.

We joined Dan, Pat, Arnie, and Toney in the packed queue for the demonstration. After a brief introduction, the first raptors to fly were Chihuahuan Ravens. These birds are known for being exceptionally intelligent birds; they can recognize faces, and, being incredibly playful, have been documented stealing windshield wipers off parked cars to goof around with them. (NOTE: You make click or double click on each image to enlarge it.)

Next to fly were Crested Caracara. We have seen them previously in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. When seen from a distance it is often mistaken as a bald eagle. The Crested Caracara looks like a hawk with its sharp beak and talons, behaves like a vulture, and is technically a large tropical black-and-white falcon.

Fifteen years ago there were only about 80 known nesting pairs of Gray Hawks in Southern Arizona. Through riparian conservation efforts, and practicing wise use of the land those numbers have increased to nearly 200 nesting pairs. The Gray Hawk is a predominantly Mexican and South American species, though a small population migrates to spend the spring and summer months in southern Arizona. It is found in lowland riparian areas and mesquite bosques, and specializes in reptilian prey, especially lizards.

One of my favorites, the Harris’s Hawk is the only raptor species in the world that hunt as a family using strategy similar to that of wolves; they are one of only two truly cooperative hunters in the raptor world. They will live in pairs in the tropical areas, or places where prey is abundant; in areas like the Sonoran desert where prey has a lot of good cover, they have been documented in groups as large as 9 birds. They will take turns harrying a rabbit or squirrel, chasing it out of cover towards other family members, etc. Although the Harris’s Hawk is found in the southern half of Arizona, southwest New Mexico, southern Texas, and all through Mexico and South America, cooperative hunting is only observed in the Sonoran Desert region of their range.

Sunday was golf day for HSV folks here at Palm Creek; today it was a plain scramble. The wives choose a paper slip with one of the husband’s names, and they partner up. Today, Bev Graham and I played as a team, and she is a good golfer. Though tied on scoring, we beat Kay and Gary Star for 2nd place based on scoring difficulty of holes played. Afterward, we enjoyed a great happy hour on the Graham’s patio overlooking the 18th hole. Not a big fan of the NFL, we missed the great playoff game between Kansas City and Buffalo; such a shame one had to lose.

Monday was a resumption of pickleball, and Kay and I both played, despite my not feeling 100 percent. Our allergies—caused by dust—this year have been debilitating. Though we don’t feel terribly bad, we don’t feel good; It’s always something. A big potluck was held at the Tennis pavilion to celebrate Helen Baggett’s birthday, and meet and greet kew arrivals. As always, the food was great and the conversations was even better. Laurie and Dale Furney, our street neighbors here at Palm Creek for three years, joined us at the potluck; just this last July they moved into a newly built house in Hot Springs Village; what a small world, and they play pickleball, golf, and bridge—doesn’t get much better than that.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we travel to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum specifically to watch the raptor free flight program. The Desert Museum is an outdoor museum with birds, butterflies, wild animals know to inhabit the desert, cacti, etc. Here are a few photos, in advance.

So here we are, mid-January, with high temps in the high 60s and lows in the 40s. The Arizona sunrises and sunsets are spectacular, and the skies are mostly cloudless, i.e. clear, during the day, and the humidity is around 30 percent. Activities at Palm Creek are so plentiful that there is not enough time to do all that one wants, particularly when “one” spends six days a week on the pickleball courts, sometimes playing tow different sets of games. Indeed, it doesn’t get much better.

While I’m thinking about it, here are a few more photos from the visit to the Gilbert Water Ranch on January 12. Just click on an image to enlarge it.

Sunday was our Hot Springs Village couples’ 9-hole golf match. It is so much fun, particularly the 19th hole at someone’s place.

Immediately after happy hour, our street “Desert Spoon” had a street party, and it was great getting to converse with neighbors (typically, we’re so busy that time doesn’t allow for much visiting). Interestingly, a couple at the end of the short street—our neighbors for 3 years—just built a house in Hot Springs Village, spending 6 months there and 6 months here at Palm Creek; we had not met them before.

The rest of the week was all about pickleball. I played twice on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; this old body doesn’t handle that much physical activity well! Kay played four days and her knees suffered the consequences. On Tuesday, I bit the bullet and got a haircut—actually, it was more like a scalping—at about a half inch! Kay says I look younger, but I sure miss the curls.

On Wednesday, we played bridge with the Seitz’. We played duplicate style, and reviewed the plays after the game was played. Their knowledge of the game—both bidding and playing—is way beyond my level of competence; I felt so ignorant (I used to be a good duplicate bridge player 40 years ago, but that was then). At the least, perhaps we can learn something.

The HSV group at Palm Creek played pickleball Friday afternoon, and there were some very competitive matches. Norm and Barbara Bushee have really picked up their game since arriving; in fact, Norm is becoming a terror on the court! After pickleball, the group was joined by recent arrivals Don and Helen at Barro’s Pizza.

We danced to the sounds of DJ and the Midnight Sun Saturday night. They were good, if not a bit old (even by our standards), but after all the pickleball this week, I only lasted just short of 2 hours, much to Kay’s chagrin.