We arrived home yesterday, Sunday, to find the house in great shape thanks to housekeeper Louann, but the deer and bird feeders were empty and weeds had overtaken the place.  Consequently, the first order of business was to fill the feeders, and then eliminate as many of the weeds as possible without impacting the shrubs and flowers.  A healthy dose of Roundup combined with weed eating and pulling and hoeing Monday and Tuesday did the trick.  Deer, turkeys, and birds immediately began feeding, and we saw our first Summer Tanager at our place.  We drove to Springfield via Branson on Wednesday for shopping at the outlet mall in Branson and to have scheduled maintenance performed on the Honda in Springfield.  Of course, the trip to Springfield included a visit to Sam’s Club.  We returned to performing chores on Thursday, and we celebrated Independence Day quietly at home, just the two of us—no fireworks, hamburgers, or hot dogs, just recuperating from all the soreness!  With unseasonably cool weather, Saturday provided a great opportunity to wash the motorhome, and begin the two-day waxing job.  At least, the roof got a much needed wax job; the rest of the motorhome awaits.  Now that the weeds are mostly gone, and the motorhome washed and partially waxed, maybe we can “play” a little.  During the course of the week, in between all the homework, Kay and I went to Big Creek Golf and Country Club (we’re not members) for Kay to hit a few golf balls and practice her short game and me just to hit golf balls.  It’s a very nice golf course, rated among the nation’s best under 25,000 rounds, but we got spoiled last month in Hot Springs Village where the courses and practice facilities are superb.  As for “practice”, Kay constantly reminds me that improving one’s golf game is a process, not an event.  We returned to our “home” church Sunday morning, glad to see everyone for a few weeks before our next trip to the Village.  After spending a quiet, restful afternoon at home, we were dinner guests on John and Sandy, along with Ed.  Laughter and great food were in plentiful supply. 

This week completes our last week in Hot Springs Village; we have immensely enjoyed our month here, renewing many old acquaintances and making many new ones.  We have hosted two of our three kids and their families, and good friends, the Simanks.  Many books have been read, and hundreds of golf balls have been hit—some good, some bad.  Several rounds of golf have been played.   Yes, it has been a great month, indeed.

I played golf on Magellan Golf Course Monday, and played fair until it began raining on hole #14, stopping, and starting again shortly thereafter, accompanied by thunder.  It’s truly amazing how superb the maintenance folks keep this and the other courses.  Jim and Jackie Morris came over in the evening for bridge, and neither Jackie nor I had decent hands the entire evening.

Kay and Pam exercised at the Coronado Aquatic Center Tuesday morning, followed by lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  I played golf with Jim Morris on Balboa; Kay and Pam had a great lunch, while Jim and I had a lousy golf game as neither of us hit the ball well.  I sort of expected it as I woke up in the morning with a scratchy throat, and hit pretty inconsistently on the driving range.  We would be remiss if we failed to mention that Pam followed up lunch with a winning evening at the casino at Oaklawn Park.

Wednesday, I hit golf balls early in the morning, and Kay got a hair cut and color.  Our good friends the Simanks arrived at lunch, and after unpacking, we drove to Granada Golf Course overlooking the waterfall, where Kay met us for lunch.  The food was good, though the waitress was a bit on the weird side.  We explored the Village the rest of the afternoon, showing the Simanks our lot, a house being built with a floor plan we like, and most of the lakes and golf courses.  After a brief rest and adult beverages, we had dinner at the Last Chance, our now regular Wednesday evening hangout for dinner.  The food was very good, and the service excellent.

After coffee on Thursday morning, we drove to and walked around the farmers’ market at Grove Park.  The vegetables, baked goods, and other wares sold there are genuine, and sold by genuine farmers.  It is such a pleasure to eat tasty fresh vegetables, and the fried pies are to die for!  Back at the rental house, we ate breakfast before Kay and Sandy headed out for a sightseeing/shopping trip to Hot Springs while John and I caught up on a lot of IT work on iPhones, iPads, and computers.  We all drove back to Hot Springs for dinner at the Salty Oyster Grill for their catfish and “taters and onions.” 

After egg sandwiches for breakfast Friday morning, John and Sandy left for Norfork, and Kay and I drove the short distance to Magellan Golf Course to hit golf balls.  We “chilled” the rest of the day, and both of us took afternoon naps; now, Kay is developing a scratchy throat; time for the Zicam.   With time running out, we scheduled a mid-afternoon tee time for Coronado Golf Course for Saturday afternoon.  The Passes hosted us for adult beverages and pizza and a great visit Friday evening, but we didn’t get to go out on Lake Balboa because of high winds.  However, we always laugh a lot during our visits with them.

With nothing scheduled, we enjoyed a quiet morning Saturday, packed, and loaded the kayaks for the trip home on Sunday after church.  We sure enjoyed our month in Hot Springs Village, and learned a few things regarding our move here in the coming months.  First, we really enjoyed the sunroom, and have added it to a list of our “must haves” in the house we buy or build in the Village, and second, we both really enjoy the social life and amenities available in the Village.  The costs in the Village and surrounding area appear to be 15 to 20% less than in Baxter County, though this was no surprise to us as Baxter County businesses have a captive “audience” and make us pay through the nose for goods and services—shameful!  And finally, a butterfly settled in the oak tree just off the deck and posed for a photograph.  We were able to tee off early at Coronado, and Kay hit like an experienced golfer, particularly on her drives and fairway shots; the short game still eludes her, but she’s working on it!  We got hit by thunder, rain, and then lightening on the 9th hole and took a rain check—actually, a refund—for the back nine, and it continued to rain for most of the rest of the evening, making our decision a good one.

Sunday morning, we finished packing, except for the refrigerated and frozen foods, and attended the 10:10 AM traditional worship service.  The folks at the church have really made us feel welcome.  Afterwards, we packed and loaded the refrigerated and frozen foods, tied the kayaks down front and rear, and left within a few minutes of noon—I drove towards our house and Kay drove to Maumelle for a last visit with Ridge for a few days.  I arrived at the house at 3:30 PM, unpacked, and washed the Expedition, and Kay arrived a few hours later.  It’s always good to return to the place we call home, whether it’s the house or the RV.

This week proved to be our busiest week yet with Kay hosting her book club, two rounds of golf, and hosting Harper and her parents over the weekend.

Monday was our quietest day of the week as we hit a few golf balls and hung out at the rental house, as Kay made preparations (food) for book club.  

Kay exercised Tuesday morning, now a regular routine on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with other ladies at the Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church.  I played golf with what’s becoming a regular foursome, including Jim Morris, Fred Douglas, and Bill; we played DeSoto Golf Course, the first to be built in the Village and just refurbished last year.  The greens were lightning fast, and it was difficult to make a putt; to date, it is my least favorite of the courses at Hot Springs Village.  Jim and I ate at a great Mexican restaurant in the Village, with the coldest beer around.  While we played golf, drank, and dined, the book club ladies went to Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs, and tried their luck at the casino.

Kay hosted book club Wednesday, with the ladies arriving around 11 AM.  They dined on quiche, grape salad, corn dip, broccoli salad, Harry and David’s onion dip, tortilla rolls and salsa, fresh fruit, ice cream frozen dessert, chased down with Mimosas.  It was a great time to exit stage left, hit a few golf balls, and join others in the foursome to play Balboa.  Another course I haven’t played, it proved to be a well groomed course, but requires one to stay in the “short grass” to make a good score; I had a fair game, certainly better than some shot the last few weeks.

Karyn, Kay’s daughter, received a major award at the Little Rock District, US Army Corps of Engineers annual Engineer Day picnic in central Arkansas on Thursday.  Kay traveled there to honor Karyn as she received Project Manager of the Year award, while I remained behind for yet another golf lesson.  Today’s lesson was about keeping the right shoulder down through impact, and rotating the body toward the target after impact—two small, but essential  elements in improving ball contact.  As for the lessons as a whole, it is a slow process, but improvement is being made week by week.  One of the most difficult things is remembering that the ball doesn’t go quite as far (and the body doesn’t flex near as much) when hit by a person in their mid-60s compared to a person in their 40s or even 50s.  We chilled Thursday evening.

After receiving confirmation of a visit from our youngest grand baby and her parents, Kay and I drove to Walmart Friday morning for a few groceries and gasoline.  The Walmart store is across the Village a couple of miles outside the West Gate (the original main entrance).  Harper, Jenny, and Brian arrived late Friday evening, and we visited a bit before retiring for the evening.  Harper is recovering from tonsillitis and Jenny is still fighting this viral malady.

We were all up pretty early Saturday morning, but Jenny was definitely sleep deprived.  Brian, Harper, Kay, and I spent a good portion of the morning riding around various parts of the Village while Jenny napped.  Of course, Harper fell asleep, and slept almost the entire time we were riding.  Back at the rental house, we all loaded up in the Expedition in our swimsuits, and drove to Balboa Beach for a couple of hours of lake and beach time.  We all had a good time, throwing a Frisbee, and just lounging about in the lake.  The sound of thunder signaled time to depart, and we just beat the light rain that began to fall.  After the rain, we drove to the Family Area where Harper, Jenny, and Brian enjoyed playing on the slides and climbing areas.  Harper is a real climber, and knows no fear.  She has tremendous upper body strength, and is quite fast, and will escape your grasp before you know it, though we could tell she still didn’t feel well, despite a pleasant attitude and healthy appetite.  Back at the rental, Jenny and Brian went for a long walk, Kay entertained Harper, and I prepared dinner.  Afterwards, we all collapsed on the sofa and love seat, falling asleep about 9 PM—no last man standing in this crowd.

After breakfast Sunday, Jenny and Brian packed their car, and we all went for a ride around Hot Springs, driving down Bath House Row, and checking out the locations of Mid-America Museum and Magic Springs Amusement Park.  They departed for Memphis upon our return, Kay went shopping in Benton/Bryant with a girlfriend, and I washed clothes, cleaned house, and hit a bunch of golf balls—my best practice yet.  We watched television a short while in the evening before I cried “uncle” and went to bed—I sure am sleeping a lot!

Our visit with Ridge and parents continued Sunday, so we opted to play hooky from church and Sunday school, a rarity for us.  In our spring cleaning endeavor, Karyn helped immensely by pulling items off the top shelf of the pantry, and she and Kay packed up out-of-date items.  We have even begun checking “use by date” labels in stores and it’s amazing how many of the items are already out of day, particularly at small country stores, and at convenient stores.  Taking advantage of the weather, we drove to Norfork Lake, uncovered the pontoon, and enjoyed some time on a sandbar and then on the lake where Ridge went to sleep.  He woke up after only a short while, a bit cranky from all the excitement and lack of a long nap, so his folks loaded up and drove home.  We had anticipated their staying until Monday, and cancelled a get together with Frank and Diane, RVing friends from northwest Arkansas.  Hopefully, they understand and forgive us.  After a week away from the house, and company over the weekend, we collapsed and watched television for the rest of the evening, going to bed early!

After catching up on local, regional, and national events, we arose Monday morning to clean house, particularly since someone might possibly come to look at it!  And then, it was off to the driving range where I hit golf balls; I’m so frustrated that the thought of giving up the game entirely has surfaced.  Since I am not fishing the Norfork or White Rivers these days, the days get pretty long, and it’s a real struggle finding things interesting to do.  Consequently, the patio, porch, and deck get cleaned every morning.  And today, we hung the pontoon cover over the upper deck railing and washed it. 

Kay and I both got haircuts today, Tuesday, and ran several errands in Mountain Home.  I traded cars with her and had the chips in the Honda windshield repaired at Mountain Home Glass; we highly recommend them for any of one’s glass work.  In switching cars, I forgot part of my golf paraphernalia, and returned home while Kay spent most of the day in Mountain Home.  Bored, I drove back into town, picked up a copy of a blood panel from last Friday, and hit golf balls again, faring a bit better, though there were still enough bad hits to be frustrating. 

Our weather has been wet of late, and rain is forecast every day this week, putting a damper on outdoor activities, and we’re not seeing many birds or butterflies.  We are still slowly cleaning out excess stuff, room by room, as we don’t want to pay to move stuff we don’t want or need now or later. With extra time on hand, I have begun making popping bugs again, returning back to my first love of fly tying, in anticipation of fishing for bluegills and bass in the many lakes at Hot Springs Village.  We took down family photos today, Wednesday, and filled and spot painted nail holes, and making a a few small drywall repairs.

A few more repairs and spot painting were done Thursday, and the house looks great for showing.  In addition to cleaning out excess and preparing for our month stay in Hot Springs Village, Kay has been using the down time to read, and has finished a couple of books this week.  I downloaded all the photo cards not yet downloaded, and processed a few photos, including this one of a hummingbird trying to knock a butterfly off its feeder, taken several days ago.  The butterfly hung in there and continued sipping the sweet nectar.  With a couple dozen popping bugs ready for painting, I painted several a florescent chartreuse and others a baby blue, a color that really works for bluegill and smallmouth bass alike (a trick I learned from Harry Murray, a one of the nation’s most notable smallmouth fly fishers).  Over the course of the last couple of weeks, Kay has been working to resolve problems with an Amazon order for a couple of lamps.  The first set arrived about 3 weeks ago, and one of the bases was irregular and one of the shades had a broken strut.  They were supposed to have held the replacement set for shipping this week, but attempted to deliver last week while we were out of town, and since we were not here to receive them, they were sent back.  After a couple of calls, another set was delivered this week and looked even worse than the original set.  Here’s Kay’s review.

“I ordered one set of these lamps and when they arrived, the bases were dented, defective, shoddy workmanship and one of the shades had broken splines. I sent pictures of the defects and another set were delivered to me. Both of the bases were off set and positioned incorrectly. I am amazed at the lack of quality control at Uttermost. I am so sad because the lamps would have looked beautiful in my great room. But, I am not about to pay almost $500 for lamps that are shoddy and ill made. The company that I ordered these lamps from via the Amazon marketplace was wonderful to work with; positive, understanding, good communicators and anxious to satisfy me. They are homeandliving.com and I can recommend them wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, my experience with the Uttermost company has been tainted by this whole ordeal. I’m still looking for new lamps but I won’t be looking in their direction again.”

We took advantage of a break in the rain early Friday morning to put the clean cover back on the pontoon.  Back at the house, I installed kayak racks on the Expedition, and Kay trimmed shrubs and weeded.  We drove into Mountain Home where she took care of some business and I hit golf balls—better than the last few days, and back to where I was before getting new clubs.  I think the new ones are going to work just fine, and the distance is a bit longer than the old clubs.  If I can only get the slight fade to go away…  Back at home, I applied the final coating, epoxy, on the popping bugs to give them a great durable finish, and took a wonderful nap while Kay read.  The evening was spent packing—in getting the fly tying materials ready, I discovered that I have more rubber legs for popping bugs than most fly shops, no kidding!

More rain was forecast for today (Saturday), however, we started packing the cars early, beginning with loading the kayaks.  Gosh, the Expedition is tall, and we had to use a two-step stool to get them in their racks and tied down.  The SUV was wet from having set outside in all the rain because with the racks, it’s too high to get in the garage.  We’re taking both cars, and because the Expedition is larger, it will carry the bulk of items.  In anticipation of visits from Harper and Ridge, we are taking  the Pack-n-Play and car seat, which along with PFDs and paddles, and other grown-up toys, take up a good portion of the rear of the Expedition.  As with most other trips we take with high anticipation, we were packed and ready to go by noon, and nothing to do in the afternoon.  Guess that’s why the old Army adage, “hurry up and wait” originated!

At church early for Kay to practice with the Crossroads Band, we received word, via email, that neighbor Tom Hearns had passed.  Tom was a God-fearing gentleman that moved into the neighborhood over 10 years before us.  He was polite, considerate, and respectful, and counted neighbors Wayne and Loretta as his best friends.  They went above and beyond in making him feel part of their family, having breakfast together every Sunday morning, and visiting him several times daily in hospice.  Tom said his goodbyes to us a week or so ago via phone in a very personal conversation.  Tom was one of the good guys and will be missed.

Up ant at ‘em early Monday morning, we departed towards Hot Springs Village for a few days to take care of some remaining business.  Our trip took us by Arkansas Golf Center at Conway to pick up new irons that had been ordered a few days earlier.  We drove to the Property Owners Association to obtain permanent photo IDs but there was a snafu in the paperwork.  Kay dropped me off at Magellan Golf Course to hit a bucket of balls before playing a round with Jim, Bobby, and Randy, the two former being husbands of a couple of Kay’s book club members.; hitting with the new clubs proved a challenge, and a very high score was the result.  Meanwhile, Kay drove to out the west gate to pick up the paperwork for us to obtain the IDs, got her ID, and checked us in at our “home away from home”.  While in Hot Springs Village (HSV or Village) we stay at an efficiency apartment or casita on the lower floor of someone’s house.  They have the small casita on one side and a larger apartment on the other, while they live on the main floor.  It meets our needs and the view is great, overlooking a small mountain stream.  We are getting more familiar with the Village, and have eaten as several of the restaurants in and nearby.  For the most part, the food is great and the prices are less than we pay in northern Arkansas.  We found a Mexican restaurant that has an almost identical menu to the restaurant in Mountain Home that we used to frequent, and the food was equally as good; and, we were each able to eat two meals on our serving.  I played golf again on Wednesday at Ponce de Leon, and again played terrible.  Seems like practice goes okay, but then on the course…

Because we have committed to moving to the Village, we are trying to get as familiar with it as possible.  Some of our initial observations about the residents are as follows:

• significantly older than we anticipated (we see a lot of folks aged in their mid to late 70s)
• very few obese residents (compared to what we see in Baxter County)
• very few residents using oxygen
• quite active
• a bit more sophisticated

Again, these are our first impressions.

We departed the Village Thursday morning, driving to Conway for my 4th golf lesson.  I have developed a terrible fade, have no distance on golf shots, and, in general, have returned to hitting the ball lousy.  Apparently, I’m still lunging at the ball, etc., etc.  Will it ever improve?

Thursday evening, we attended high school graduation ceremonies for Kaden (center in photo), Kay’s older grandson.  He graduated with honors, and received a humongous scholarship to Arkansas Tech University where he plans to major in mechanical engineering.  Seems like only yesterday he was a toddler, sitting in my lap piloting the pontoon on Greers Ferry Lake. He was not much older than Ridge is now when we first met.  Congrats, Kaden, the future is yours.

We traveled home late Thursday night, arriving just before midnight, and getting up early Friday morning for a “blood work” appointment, hitting golf balls, getting groceries, etc.  Ridge, Karyn, and Matt arrived early evening for Memorial Day weekend, and while Karyn and Matt had a “date” night at PJ’s, Ridge babysat Kay and me.

Saturday was a hoot.  Karyn and Matt drove into Mountain Home for shopping while Ridge, Kay, and I spent the morning outside playing in the kiddie pool and with the water hose.  We resumed after nap time, and spent several hours playing in and with the water; I got really wet as the recipient of spray from the hose.  Karyn assisted in removing “dated” products from the pantry, and that chore is nearly finished; we can actually see shelving!  After a great dinner of glazed pork chops and roasted vegetables, we all went to bed early, tired from a very active day.

Kay left early for church Easter morning, and I remained home with Jenny, Brian, and Harper.  Kay made it home in time for us both to say goodbye.  We sure enjoyed having the younger grandkids, and of course their families, visit over Easter.   After all the kids left, I sprayed the season’s first application of Roundup, as the weeds have gone crazy.  And then, we did a deep cleaning of the house, particularly since it is for sale and showings are possible at any time.  I drove into Mountain Home to the driving range at Big Creek Golf and Country Club, hit golf balls—really good for a change—and for first time felt like the lessons were paying off and that I could become a serious golfer.

After coffee and breakfast Monday morning, Kay got a call that a realtor was on the way with clients to view the house.  We hurriedly put up a few things, and were preparing to leave about the same time they showed up.  We exchanged greetings, and left for a few minutes to allow them privacy as they toured the house—the cleaning yesterday was fortuitous!  After returning home, we drove into Mountain Home and I hit golf balls again at Big Creek, and had another great practice, with mostly good hits.  So far, so good.  We have been in contact with a builder, Brandon Tedder of Rennaissance Homes, Inc. for a couple of weeks, and really like him.  A few days ago, we asked him to look at the build ability on a lot in Hot Springs Village, potentially our new place of residence when we sell the house.  He emailed tonight indicating that he was going to the Village tomorrow (Tuesday), would walk the lot, and provide feedback.  We are anxiously awaiting hearing back from heim.

Kay and I went into Mountain Home again on Tuesday, where she dropped me off to hit golf balls, while she went to Lowe’s to buy annuals—marigolds and periwinkles.  I had a good, though not great practice, but am still satisfied with progress that is being made.  Upon our return home, I “broke up” the beds while Kay planted the annuals.  We received an email from Brandon providing particulars of his waking the lot.  Since it is a lake lot, one of our questions concerns pool elevation versus building elevation, and potential for flooding.  He provided a tentative answer, but promised to have his surveyor check particulars tomorrow.  Again, we anxiously await hearing from him.  

On Wednesday, I drove into Mountain Home again to hit golf balls, and had another good, but not great practice.  We received another email from Brandon, verifying the information he provided yesterday.  With positive information at hand, we made an offer on #38 Panorama, Hot Springs Village.  Now, its wait and see if it is accepted.

Heavy rain was predicted for Thursday, and while Kay was in Mountain Home for some medical tests, I worked around the house, resetting wireless printers, updating computers, etc., then worked outside.  I planted Creeping Jenny between the large flat rocks we had placed last year as stepping stones in the back, and Lariope along the gravel path to the back faucet.  And then, I cut weeds, by hand, that had begun to grow in the septic field (the weeds were too fought for a WeedEater),—the improved golf swing came in hand swinging the weed cutter.  When Kay returned, the back of the car was full of more annuals and cypress mulch.  The hummingbirds and butterflies should really appreciate her.  I loosened the beds while she planted the annuals, and then we both spread mulch, trying to beat the rain which never came.  I saw a first of season (FOS) Baltimore Oriole at one of the hummingbird feeders, but could never get a photograph.  I played its call extensively on the iPad without results.  We wrapped up a busy day playing cards with the Todds, and enjoyed the visit.  Kay checked her email and saw that the owner had accepted our offer on #38 Panorama—another step forward towards our relocating to Hot Springs Village.

Kay had more medical testing scheduled for Friday; I dropped her off at Baxter Regional Medical Center, and continued to Big Creek where I had the best practice yet—hitting over 80% good shots.  Kay texted that she was finished with testing, I picked her up, and we stopped at Chen’s Chinese buffet for a late lunch; it was the best this year for Chen’s.  We followed lunch with an almost daily trip to Walmart for groceries; do we really eat that much?  Back at home, we napped and enjoyed the peace and quiet of Dunnhill, seeing our FOS Rose Tuesday was spent spiffing up the place Grosbeak.  It must have been a young male based on coloring and the fact that it didn’t venture too far out of the trees.  Back on the patio, the hummingbirds were going crazy, and are emptying feeders with some frequency.  Is this a good life or what!

Our routine was more of the same on Saturday.  I advised Kay that since I basically quit fishing near our house, there’s LOTS of available time to be bored, particularly with a bad dose of laziness.