Among our life list items was a Baltic cruise.  After our great trip with Viking on the Grand European Tour in 2015, we opted to cruise the Baltic with them, and will be joined by Nan and George (Kay’s sister and BIL), Jim and Bernice (friends of Nan and George), and Ralph and Debra (also friends of Nan and George).  The cruise will take us, via the Viking Star, to Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden.

In order to catch our flight from Little Rock to Dallas, we departed home at 6:30 AM; Kay dropped me and the luggage off at the airport at about 7:30 AM, drove to the Holiday Inn, parked the car, and caught the shuttle back to join me.  Our flight to Dallas was uneventful, but at Dallas the British Airways flight was late arriving, and thus departing.

The overnight flight was long and tiring, and we arrived at Heathrow too late to catch our next and final flight to Bergen, Norway.

After several gyrations with Heathrow’s transportation, security, etc. we caught our rearranged flight to Oslo, Norway.

Getting through their passport windows and security was a real challenge, time wise, causing us to miss our rescheduled flight to Bergen.  We finally caught a flight to Bergen, arriving about 6 PM, though NO LUGGAGE.

Thus, the saga of flying from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, to Bergen, Norway.  Lesson learned:  we will try to never ever use VIKING AIR for flights accompanying their cruises—there is not enough time scheduled to make international connections!

On Monday, April 3, an appointment with Dr. De Castro’s ANP provided us with details regarding the impending laminectomy and recovery, including do’s and don’ts (mostly don’ts).  We followed that appointment with further preregistration for tomorrow’s surgery.

Tuesday morning early, 6:30 AM, found us at CHI Outpatient Services in Hot Springs. After an extended wait, I was ushered into the pre-op for another extended wait. 

Finally, about 10:15 AM anesthesia was applied, and I woke up about 11:45 AM thirsty and a little sore.  They sent us home a couple hours later—modern medicine—from what a few years ago would have been a week’s hospital stay. I managed to walk just shy of 2 miles that afternoon after arriving home.

I continued walking on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, feeling more pain each day.  Succumbing to the pain, I took Tylenol 4 with codeine, but it did not do much for easing the pain.  Restoration of bodily functions was a huge issue and the lack thereof contributed greatly to the pain.  Finally, on Monday, a week after surgery, I began to feel better, and have continued to progress—though it’s two steps forward and one step back.  Nerves in the coccyx area are awakening, and sometimes quite intense; a heating pad resolves the pain almost immediately.  I have continued walking every day, from 2 to 4 miles, and the sciatica is gone for the most part.  Some soreness remains in the calves, but possibly because they are being used extensively since no stoops or bends!

After two weeks, I got to drive (at least from the doctor’s perspective), and that helped with the boredom.  
It seemed like I was never getting “well”, but everyday, I would feel a bit better than the day before—this is going to take a lot longer than anticipated!

On May 1, Dr. De Castro released me to do anything I wanted, except lift heavy objects.  I had walked a total of 75 miles in the four weeks since surgery!  

Meanwhile, Kay continued to excel at golf, winning all of her last 3 events.

We used the next few days finishing packing for our biennial major trip, a cruise to the northern capitals on the Baltic.

With surgery impending on April 4, Kay and I invited Karyn, Matt, Ridge, and Aker to visit Jenny, Brian, and Harper in Memphis at the zoo.  It is so heartwarming to see our blended families spending fun times together, and that they did on Sunday.  Ridge and Harper were best “buds” again having not seen each other since Thanksgiving, and Aker was not to be left out, making her presence known the entire day.  As always, the exhibits were world class, and the LEGO sculptures were awesome.  Despite it being a long day, we had a great time knowing it would be a while before getting to see them all together again.

Kay and I continued playing golf in the Valley in early March, enjoying warm temperatures and high winds.  And, I got in some final bicycle rides on “level” ground before returning to the hills and hollers of Arkansas.  Activities are winding down in the Valley, as many residents left March 1, heading north, west, and east.  Our friend and neighbor, Jim Miles, returned from New Brunswick where he spent the winter with wife Reggie, recovering from serious liver issue.  It was so good to get to visit with him.

While the weather was fantastic in the RGV this winter, my activities—particularly birding, butterflies, and photography—were significantly hampered by back pain from lumbar spinal stenosis; almost two years of spinal injections are not working!  We started saying our goodbyes on March 9, and departed for the trip home to Hot Springs Village early on Saturday morning, March 11, arriving at Carthage RV Campground for overnighting—nice place to spend the night.  Up relatively early, we drove the remaining 300+ miles home, glad to be back in our stick house.  The process of unloading went quickly, and the motorhome was stored awaiting our next trip.Kay and I have made the trip so many times now, that we are able to return to “normal” activities at either place instantly.  So, it was back to golf, haircuts, beauty appointments, church, etc.


Ridge and Aker and parents came to visit shortly after our return home, and it was great getting to spend time with the grandkids, and parents, too!  Kay took Karyn, Ridge, and Aker to Garmin Gardens on Friday, and the grandkids enjoyed the playground at Mountainside UMC at a hike on the Beaver Dam Trail on Saturday morning (Karyn spotted 4 snakes on the trail).  Karyn and Aker returned home Saturday evening, but Ridge wanted to spend another “night nap” with DD and KK.  He had a great time catching up on Netflix action hero shows Saturday night, and returned to his mom, via KK, on Sunday morning.

I began our first round of spring medical appointments on March 24 with Dr. De Castro, my neurologist.  I told him the spinal injections were not working, and we decided on surgery.  An MRI was done the following day, and surgery was scheduled for April 4!
Kay ended the month by having our taxes prepared, and finding out we owe the IRS $X,XXX.  Too bad we’re not wealthy and tax free, but someone has to fuel the country!!!

As the season draws to a close (March 1 for many, mid-March for most of the rest), one tries to jam pack all the “to do” list of activities into the few remaining days.  The CanAm golf tournament was held on February 16; Canada has won the last two!  Tim, Kay, and I arrived early to assist in getting everything ready, including Kay decorating our cart.

After a shotgun start at 9 AM, we finished shortly after 1 PM; Kay and I shot an 81 in the two person scramble.  The tournament was a hoot, with really good golf being played, and plenty of wine, beer, sodas, and water.  After lunch, Tim announced the US as the winner, and I received the trophy on behalf of Team USA.  Canada sure missed Al Crawford!

I was not able to hold out the entire season without a haircut, and joined Kay and Sue Mercer for a haircut.  While this was pretty uneventful, I rode to the salon on a cycle, and was chased by two sets of ferocious dogs, but managed not to fall or get bitten; for me, this is the scariest part of bicycling.

Among our favorite things in the Valley are the cultural music and dancing shows at the high schools and University of Texas RGV.  On Saturday, Sue Mercer, Wayne and Loretta Bodenhamer, and Kay and I attended La Joya High School’s Folklorica and Mariachi concert.  It was incredibly outstanding, and while the mariachi music was great, the folklorica (cultural dancing) was fantastic.  This is an annual event for us, and we continue to be amazed by the students’ talents.  After the concert, we said goodbye to Wayne and Loretta as they depart the Valley for home tomorrow. 

In addition to being the real President’s Day, February 22 is also Wayne’s birthday.  We called to congratulate him.  Further, February 22 was the late Churk Mercer’s birthday.  Chuck and I rode many miles on bicycles during the course of our friendship, and I dedicated the ride today in memory of Chuck.  He is truly missed.

And, Van and I finally did a ride together late in the month.

We both continued playing golf, and I had the misfortune of stepping on a fire ant mound.  Within seconds, at least a dozen ants bit my right ankle, and helps began forming.  They weren’t too painful, but burned for several days.

As most of the blog readers know, Kay is a movie aficionado, and she talked me into seeing Hidden Figures.  We both thought it was outstanding and highly recommend it.

Among other activities this month, Kay hosted another Ladies’ Luncheon. 

The resort’s annual “hidden” talent show was on Saturday evening, and though I didn’t attend, all who did said it was one of the best.  Kay directed a 5-part harmony choir rendition of Amazing Grace.  She is a woman of many talents.

February has come and is now almost over; time seems to pass very quickly when one is having fun!

We both continue playing golf; Kay play’s nine holes on Monday mornings with the ladies, and I play Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  The weather has been incredible, though a little warm—no complaints!

Kay also finished another Swedish weaving project, spending countless hours over the last couple of seasons working on this masterpiece.

Finally, Apple Series 2 42 mm watches became available, and I received mine—a late birthday and Christmas present; thank you Kay.

Braving the unknown, Kay is having a new dental crown installed by a dentist in Mexico; it’s so much cheaper than in the US, about 70% less!  Her dentist, Dr. Munoz, is a perfectionist; she had Kay come back a second time to install a band at the gum line.  Consequently, we made a couple quick trips to Mexico, including a late afternoon visit; it was relatively quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of mid-day.

We joined 15+ couples from the resort at Republic of the Rio Grande restaurant to celebrate Valentines Day.  The food was good, but our long table was quite crowded with almost no room to raise one’s hand to eat!

The windshield repair business in the Valley is booming, and after getting a new windshield, we quickly had two new chips; $60 later, both had been repaired. Wonder how long this windshield will last?

Finally, Kay and I both are assisting Tim Creaghan in managing the Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort/Ratama Village CanAm golf tournament; this tournament is a big deal.  Kay was a major asset in raising money and gifts for prizes, and I helped with administrative work.

After all the activities last week, this week was anticlimactic!  Sleep received a lot of priority, until the Ideal Rest mattress (similar to a Sleep Number) malfunctioned.  In the four years since we’ve had this motorhome, we never read the instructions, and consequently, the controls accidentally were operated to set the mattress to the hardest level possible; for me this causes severe back pain for several days!  Late one evening we lifted the bed, removed items stored underneath it, and opened the access to the air pump.  I deflated both sides, and we slept a bit better.  However, I failed to reconnect Kay’s side properly and it completely deflated, and she woke up an unhappy woman—if momma ain’t happy, no one is happy!  So, I crawled back underneath the bed, reinstalled her side, and she was able to adjust the bed correctly—one of the many joys of RVing.

BPVRV Resort’s annual Derby Days event was held on Sunday afternoon; perhaps the best attended ever.  I assisted Dale Short in preparing and selling mint juleps, and we ran out of bourbon about midway through the races. 

Kay was a racer, though she didn’t win! 

Kay continues to improve her golf game, having lower scores the last two Mondays than I.  Perhaps she needs to give me some hints.

I played golf several times, including another try at Santa Tierra where I shot better than last time a couple weeks ago.

Here are Tim (left) and Dale, golfing buddies this year.

And, being multi-talented, Kay was a model at the annual BPVRV Resort Ladies Luncheon yesterday (February 2).  All the ladies had fun.

Bicycling took a backseat this week—either too windy or too tired—though I did manage 20+ miles, including a 15.7 mile roundtrip to Anzulduas Park on the Rio Grande River to have an annual KFC lunch among a group of friends, several being former BPV “residents.”

Despite very heavy winds but with mild temperatures, I cycled on January 14, 15, 18, 21, and 23, amassing 114.9 miles.  It’s a great way to see some of this south Texas metroplex of some 842,000 people.   On the 21st, Van and I cycled to Los Ebanos Ferry, the last hand-drawn ferry in the US (across the Rio Grande River), connecting the US and Mexico.  Regrettably, it was locked up tighter than a drum—such a shame that it’s a victim of border phobia—and no one was in sight, not even Border Patrol agents or Texas State Troopers.  This photo was from 2012; since, all the ambiance is gone due to a multimillion dollar Customs and Border Patrol facility being built on the US side, and not being used!

Kay continues to play golf on Mondays with other women from the resort, while I play on Mondays and Thursdays, and sometimes on Tuesdays.  While Kay is improving dramatically (enjoying the Texas roll on the hard-packed fairways), my game is about the same.

With high winds, butterflies have been far and few between.  We drove to Salineno, just downstream of Falcon Lake on Thursday, January 19, to view the birds, but there were not as many as usual.  Of course, a hawk made its presence known, and many were too frightened to come it to the feeders.  Decent photos of the Altimira Oriole, Orange-crowned Warber, Black-crowned Titmouse, Long-billed Thrasher, and Golden-fronted Woodpecker.

On Monday, the “Old Girls” (Betty Wallace, Lois Schmidt, Pamela Williams, Jane Ann Bilon) came to visit.  Along with Kay, these ladies all taught together many, many years ago at Northside Junior High School in Pulaski County.  Kay played tour guide, and all were sufficiently tired to welcome the trip home.  They enjoyed the Rio Grande Valley weather, shopping, and food, and their day trip to Mexico.

Kay hosted over a dozen women from the resort for lunch at one of the local restaurants; she began these lunches several seasons ago, and all the women seem to immensely enjoy them.

South Texas is known for cracked windshields, and the Honda’s was smashed so bad, about the size of a softball, that it had to be replaced.  Fortunately, windshield replacement is relatively cheap in the Valley, and the Honda windshield, with two cracks from previous years, was replaced.

Kay and I had a leisurely morning in the RV on New Year’s Day, sleeping late as a result of last night’s New Year’s party welcoming in 2017.  With temperatures in the high 80s and armed with a new lens (a Christmas gift to myself), the first day of the year proved to be good for butterfly observation and photography.  We are fortunate to live so close to the National Butterfly Center (NBC), and it has expanded several fold since our becoming members some 5 years ago.  With continuing warm/hot weather and little wind, several trips were made to the NBC, with a couple of “lifers” for me.  (NOTE:  After watching countless You Tube videos and making lots of photos, success with the new lens, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, continues to improve.)  In order of appearance, Brown Longtail, Zebra Heliconia, White Peacock, Red-bordered Pixie, Common Buckeye, Julia Heliconia, Mexican Bluewing, Crimson Patch, Question Mark, Malachite, Curved-wing Metalmark (center), and American Lady.

The great weather has also provided many opportunities for golf.  Kay is golfing at least once per week, and is really liking the Texas roll on the hard packed turf.  I am limiting myself to playing only twice per week—it sure makes it easier on this old body—and some days are good for scoring and others not so good.  Though most of the courses are relatively flat, water abounds, and one must accommodate winds steady at 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph; the wind totally changes ones game!  There are several good/great courses to play, and some pretty rough.  I tend to rotate among Cimmaron Country Club (private), Harlingen Country Club (private), Palm View Golf Club (public), Los Lagos Golf Club (public), and Tierra Santa (semi-private) playing occasionally at Mission West (terrible), Shary (pubic), and Tierra Del Sol.  The photo below is my playing partner, Dale Short from Louisville, KY, at Palm View Golf Club.

Dances are held every night somewhere in the Valley, and we’ve found two places we really like:  Buchanan’s and Mission Bell.  Both are on Thursday night, and usually there’s a crowd from Bentsen Palm Village going to one or the other.

Last, but certainly not least, is bicycling.  I have managed to get in 4 rides since the beginning of the new year:  Jan 4—17.6 miles; Jan 5—9.1 miles; Jan 8—15.7 miles; and Jan 11—14 miles.  The January 11 ride was in winds steady at 25-35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph; sometimes it felt as if I were pedaling like crazy but not moving.

The weather for the next 10 days looks great with a cold front (low 70s) next week, so more golf, buterflying, and cycling are in the future.

During the days preceding Christmas, we kept a watchful eye on the weather forecast for Hot Springs Village and cities along our planned route to the Rio Grande Valley.  Beginning the trip on Christmas Day appeared to offer the least possibility of rain for the two to three days of traveling.  Consequently, we left the Village early Christmas morning—8:15 AM—and drove the motorhome towing the Honda all the way to Colorado Landing RV Park in LaGrange, Texas, with no hiccups or problems.  There was little traffic, but surprisingly, most gasoline stations were open.  After a quiet evening at Colorado Landing, we drove to Mission, where we will spend the winter, arriving mid-afternoon.  This big buck was in a field adjacent to a pullover rest area.  After pulling into our site and greeting old friends, we set up the RV, hooked-up utilities, and turned on the AC—yes, it was in the high 80s.

Though it felt like home, inasmuch as we picked right up where we left off when we departed in March, we did spend the next few days catching up on news from old friends, including our former neighbors, Wayne and Loretta Bodenhamer.  The cycling trails beckoned and on Tuesday, after arriving on Monday, Van Holmes and I rode 15.4 miles along the streets and trails of Mission.

Kay and I wasted no time in “hitting the links”, playing Mission West Golf Club (formerly Meadow Creek Golf Club); the greens were much better, though this is not saying much, but the fairways are practically bare, essentially devoid of any grass at all.  I walked the course pushing a cart, and paid for it the next several days with severe back ache.  The cycling trails called again, and Van and I rode 17.6 miles on Saturday, to end the year with 681 miles.  Kay and I joined about 2o other couples from Bentsen Palm Village for dinner at Republic of the Rio Grande, followed by a New Year’s Eve party with friends at the BPVRV Resort clubhouse.  The year 2016 is now in the history books, and it was a good year for us.