After packing and waiting for traffic in the metro area to subside, we departed Norton, Ohio, for Hamilton, Ontario, to visit friends Al and Sharon Crawford.  The day’s drive took us through northeast Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, upstate New York, and into Ontario, Canada.  Much of the drive was along Lake Erie and included the largest area of vineyards we’ve ever seen short of those in Germany.  The border crossing involved only a 15-minute wait, and we arrived at Al and Sharon’s place mid-afternoon.  They have a really nice house in a fabulous setting, and we immediately felt at home.  With a few hours of daylight left, Al and I immediately headed for Dragon’s Fire Golf Course adjacent to his house, and got in 17 holes before darkness set in and dinner called.  Despite unusually hot weather and a drought, and the resulting damage to the bentgrass fairways, the course was very nice, and challenging.  After dinner, we played bridge—our favorite card game!

Saturday, August 27, was my 67th birthday and one thing that is apparent is that getting older is not for sissies!  However, despite all the aches and pains and prescriptions, we’re so much better off than most—praise the Lord!  After a light breakfast, Al drove Kay, Sharon, and me to Toronto; my, what a large city.  I was surprised by the myriad of high rise condos everywhere!  After finding a rare parking place, Al and Sharon treated us to a harbor tour aboard the Oriole.  The Oriole sailed around the major part of the Toronto Islands, providing a spectacular view of the harbor (harbour) front including the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre, formerly known as the SkyDone, where the Toronto Blue Jays play baseball.  The harbor area was bustling with activity, and filled with young urbanites.

(NOTE:  Traffic congestion to/from Toronto is the most I’ve ever seen, despite it being a weekend.  Imagine if it had been a work day.)

Following the Toronto tour, we stopped for dinner at Mandarin, a 4-star Chinese buffet, for dinner.  It was spectacular, and perhaps one of the best, and definitely the cleanest, Chinese buffets at which we have eaten.  Back at Al and Sharon’s, we played bridge and they let the birthday boy win big (seriously, I got great hands, and Al and I made a small slam on the last hand of the evening).  

Sunday was a quiet day; late morning, Al showed us photos of Chuck Mercer through the years, and for Kay and me it was a memorial service celebrating Chuck, a great friend who passed a few weeks ago; we shed more than a few tears and he will be greatly missed.

We also saw photos of some of their RV trips and of Bentsen Palm RV Resort through the years. though Al and Sharon took Kay on a tour of Hamilton while I enjoyed a short afternoon nap.  We played bridge again Sunday evening, and they all trounced me, payback for the day before.

Al and I were up early Monday, and joined a couple of his friends for golf at Flamborough Hills Golf and Country Club.  Again, the course was quite good and plenty challenging, and the 19th hole beer was even better.   Kay and I departed for Niagara Falls, Canada, after returning from golf, our last stop on the “Escape the Arkansas Heat” tour.

Al and Sharon were consummate hosts and treated us like royalty; we can only hope they give us a chance to repay them with Arkansas hospitality.  Thank you, Al and Sharon, for the complimentary golf and harbor tour.  We had such a great time—maybe next year we’ll stay a couple of months!

Still lacking bicycling the remaining portion of the towpath trail within the boundaries of CVNP, we drove back to Peninsula on Wednesday, unloaded the bikes, and rode almost 15 miles north to Rockside Station in the southern part of Cleveland.

Along the way we stopped at the Canal Visitor Center where a “working” lock was adjacent to the towpath.

At Rockside Station, we waited for the arrival of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train to ride back to Peninsula.

The private, volunteer supported, not-for-profit Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is one of the oldest tourist excursion railways in the country and operates in conjunction with the CVNP.  A feature of the railroad is the Bike Aboard! in which you bike the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail in one direction and ride the train in the other.  One can bring their bike aboard and ride for only $3—what a deal—simply by flagging down the train at any of the boarding stations by waving both arms over one’s head!

Our ride back to Peninsula was relaxing, and after unloading the bikes from the train and loading them back on the car, we drove to the Jailhouse Tavern and Pool Hall for a last Warsteiner beer before leaving northern Ohio.

On Thursday, our last day in northern Ohio, and with a pile of dirty clothes awaiting laundering, Kay volunteered to drop me off for a final long ride while she washed, dried, and folded clothes.  I unloaded at Botzum in north Akron, Ohio, and rode north 20.1 miles to Rockside Station in south Cleveland where Kay picked me up.

Tomorrow, we leave for Hamilton, Ontario.

A return to CVNP was the order of the day this Tuesday, to include visiting all the ancillary parks and reserves, followed by riding the south section of the park’s towpath trail.  Our first stop was the Boston Store Visitor Center housed in an old canal-era building, adjacent to the canal and towpath.  CVNP volunteers provided information on places to see and things to do in the park, recommending a couple of waterfalls and an area known as the Ledges.

Brandywine Falls is just east of the Boston Store Visitor Center, and involved a long trek down a wooded walkway.

Great Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are in the northeastern part of the park and are part of the Bedford Reservation, a City of Cleveland Metroparks facility.  Both were scenic, but small by national park standards.

Our last non-cycling stop was at the Ledges, an area of unique geological features and abrupt changes in elevation.

Having seen highlights of the CVNP, we returned to the towpath trail and biked, roundtrip, from Botzum to the north side of Akron, Ohio.  Kay loaded her bicycle, and drove to Peninsula, while I backed downstream (north) from Botzum to Boston Store and back to Peninsula.  We met on the deck of the Winking Lizard for beer, bacon-cheese fries, and Buffalo wings, before returning to the rental for an early night.

While the Expedition started this morning, the “Electrical Charging System” failure message continued to be shown.  We waited for to traffic to subside, and drove to the nearest Ford dealership about 5 miles away.  They took us, even without an appointment, and after an hour or so advised that it was indeed the alternator, the part had been ordered, and it was expected to arrive about noon.  True to their word, we were out of the shop about 1:15 PM, some $722 lighter.  Except for brakes and other regular maintenance, that’s the first time any repairs has been made on the 2004 Expedition so we considered ourselves blessed.

We returned to the VRBO to change clothes and load the bicycle, and then drove south to Amish country.  Ohio has the largest population of Amish in the world (one of every 6 Amish live in Ohio’s Amish country) comprising several sects varying from the old order Amish (very conservative) to those accepting more modern conveniences.  There are almost 40,ooo Amish living in Holmes, Wayne, Ashland, Tuscarawas, and Coshocton Counties in Ohio, and the population is expected to double every 16 years.  The afternoon drive took us through Orrville, home of Smucker’s corporate headquarters.  The Smucker’s factory was HUGE, occupying several acres, but the town of Orrville was quaint.  Our first stop was at Kidron, Ohio; we ate lunch at a local restaurant which was not very good at all.  Expecting good Amish food, we got greasy open-face roast beef sandwiches, in which the roast beef was shredded, the bread soggy, and the potatoes instant—yuk!  As we were leaving the parking lot, we did see a couple of Amish men buying block ice.

Kidron is the home of Lehman’s Hardware.  Lehman’s Hardware was founded to supply non-electric goods to the Amish in the surrounding area.  Today, it includes 4 interconnected buildings, and the non-electric merchandise ranges from cook stoves to canning supplies to lanterns and everything in between.

As we drove the local roads through Wayne and Holmes County, Amish farms were everywhere and we encountered many horse/buggy and horse/wagon combinations.  The families were busy harvesting hay and tending their fields, all the old fashioned way with horse-drawn equipment.

Kay dropped me off at Fredricksburg, and I rode the Holmes County Trail to Kilbuck, a distance of about 16 miles.  The 16-foot Rails to Trails Holmes Country Trail is unique in that it is 8 feet of paved trail for bicycles and other non-motorized means of transportation and 8 feet of paved trail for horses and buggies.  I saw several horse/buggy combinations while riding the trail.  Kay visited some of the local shops, but didn’t find anything she needed or wanted.  Amish Country in Ohio is very pretty and serene, but the small towns and villages are heavily commercialized!

We stopped at a local pub near the rental for a mug of draught Warsteiner beer and a cheeseburger—both were very good.

We awoke refreshed Sunday morning, and Kay was feeling a bit better.  After a slow start, bicycle tires were inflated, and the bicycles loaded for a drive to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP); CVNP is between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, and includes parts of both cities.  They CVNP is the 11th most visited national park in the national park system, due in large part to the original towpath along the Ohio & Erie Canal being converted into a hiking/biking trail, considered by many to be a cycling mecca.  (HISTORICAL NOTE—This large, urban green space faced development pressures in the 1960s, but, along with its historic features, was protected by a coalition of citizens, and local and state governments.  Following its designation as a national recreation area in 1974, the Cuyahoga Valley became a national park in 2000.  Notable among its historic features is part of the Ohio & Erie Canalway,  The Ohio & Erie Canal was opened in 1827 between Cleveland and Akron, consisting of a manmade canal and system of locks for transporting people and goods, eventually connecting Lake Erie and the Ohio River.  Boats were towed by mules walking along a towpath adjacent to the canal.  The Ohio & Erie Canal was vastly important in the westward expansion of the US.)
Our purposes in visiting this area of northern Ohio were to escape the sweltering heat in Arkansas and begin conditioning for a late October bike ride across Missouri.  With temperatures in the mid 70s, and anxious to cycle, we unloaded the bikes at Peninsula, a quaint village about midway of the CVNP, and rode upstream (south) to Botzum, 6.7 miles.  Along the way, we saw and photographed several old lock chambers.

We stopped for a rest break about midway at Hunt Farm and noted Szalay’s Farm Market across the trail; what a find!  It was packed with people shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables and eating roasted corn on the cob fresh from the field.

Continuing to the day’s terminus of Botzum, we saw more old lock chambers before turning around and riding back to Hunt Farm.


Kay opted to quit for the day, and I rode on to Peninsula to the car, driving back to Hunt House to pickup Kay.  She had used the time to eat ice cream at Szalay’s.  On our return to the Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) apartment, the “Electrical Charging System” failure light came on in the 12-year old Expedition.  We unloaded the bicycles at the apartment, and drove to Walmart for an electrical system check and possibly new battery—the battery was okay, but something else was wrong—I suspected the alternator. This means a trip to the Ford dealership tomorrow morning.  Back at the VRBO, it was showers and bed.

We were up early Friday morning, finished last minute packing, locked up the house, and hit the road.

Kay was coughing and had a scratchy throat, suspecting an upper respiratory infection or allergies.  It rained almost all the 530 miles to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, our overnight destination.  The drive through Kentucky, from the southwest to the central north, proved to be relaxing as the Purchase Parkway was surrounded by forests and cropland, and in very good condition. To our surprise, we had crossed the time boundary, and were now on Easter Daylight Savings Time.  Kay’s conditioned worsened during the day, identifying it as an upper respiratory infection.

Our original plans were to depart Elizabethtown and drive to Cincinnati for a brief visit with Kay’s nephew, Greg, and his wife and baby, Sunny and Carter.  However, Kay’s infection continued to worsen and not wanting to infect Greg, Sunny, and/or Carter, she opted to delay the visit until another time.  Before we left Elizabethtown on Saturday morning, she bought a bag full of over-the-counter remedies.  We drove through Louisville before rain struck again, but it ended before Cincinnati, and while cloudy, it did not rain the remainder of the day.  As we drove through Columbus, we veered off the interstate, driving to Millersburg in Holmes County, Ohio.  Holmes County is the center of Amish country in Ohio, one sixth of the world’s population of Amish live in Holmes County and surrounding areas, and the largest population of Amish in the world live here.  Interesting enough, we saw few Amish farms, or even Amish buggies driving on the “main” roads.  We drove through Millersburg to Berlin, having lunch at one of the notable restaurants in the area.  It was just okay, and not quite as good as the Amish restaurants in northern Indiana.  We’ll return and try another eatery in a couple of days.  After lunch, we were both tired from the drive, and Kay was especially tired having slept little the night before because of coughing.  We arrived at the Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) in Norton, Ohio, about 4:15 PM, and Kay immediately fell asleep; I followed after unloading the car and bicycles.  We took it easy the rest of the evening, going to sleep early.

All this week, at least through Thursday, was spent taking care of last minute items such as doctors’ appointments and social engagements, and preparing for a road trip to northern Ohio; Hamilton, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, Ontario (Niagara Falls is a bucket list item).  

Regressing a bit, On Monday, I had a spinal injection and Kay had a follow-up visit relative to her cataract surgery.  Tuesday was a chiropractor appointment.  On Wednesday, Kay accompanied Pam to an eye appointment in Little Rock while I had another chiropractor appointment.  Thursday was Book Club day for Kay, and I had a last chiropractor appointment for a few weeks.  Honestly, I can’t tell whether or not the 12 chiropractor visits have helped, but the spinal injection on Monday certainly did as I am having almost no pain at all.

We filled in these few days readying bicycles and packing for the trip north.  We leave tomorrow, and can’t wait to escape hot weather and rain.

Seems like these days our lives revolve around grandkids and the weather.  The first several days of the month were marked by temperatures in the mid to high 90s, with heat indices well over 100°.  In fact, a few days were simply too hot to safely play golf.  And then, almost each afternoon has been marked by rain showers, with heavy deluges beginning on Friday, August 12; in four days’ time we received over 6 inches of rain, and as this is being written, it’s still coming down and forecast to continue for the next week.  Thus, golf has been sporadic at best as I have only played 5 times this month, and rained out two of those, while Kay has played twice.
We drove to Memphis to visit with Harper and Jenny on August 5, celebrating Harper’s 4th birthday a few days late.  She is growing so much, and talks like a “big” girl.  She began junior kindergarten on Monday, August 8.  Jenny took a great photo of her at the kindergarten door, and Harper looks much too grown up!


This past weekend, August 12-14, we babysat Ridge and Aker while mother was in Paris/Spain and father working.  With rain all weekend, all activities were indoors.  The kids were great and for the most part, behaved well.  But, we’re getting too old for this—it’s not difficult getting down to play with them, but getting up is another story!  Oh, we’re very strict grandparents, as the grandkids have it entirely too hard!


As an aside, it seems like we’re spending more and more time at doctor’s offices, though we’re both in good health—another frustrating thing about aging.

Two words can be used to describe July 2016 here in the Village—hot and humid!  It’s the hottest July either of us can remember with most days experiencing heat indices over 100°, and the 11th hottest on record (some 150 years of records).  It was too hot to take photos as just walking outside gets one hot and soaking wet!  However, here are a few family photos from last month:  from left to right Jordan, Cheryl, and Ron; Jenny, Harper, and Brian; Karyn, Aker, Ridge, and Matt; Kay and me; and the whole family, minus Kaden.

The month was “normal busy”, what with golf, medical appointments (Kay had successful cataract surgery in both eyes), Kay’s social activities, and three fun weekends with grandkids (though we didn’t get to celebrate Harper’s 4th birthday with her because of her family’s other commitments).  

There were a few notable exceptions.

We had a relatively quiet Independence Day weekend, celebrating with Jim, Jackie, Pam, Bobby, and Martha with a fried chicken potluck, followed by watching the Village’s fireworks show from Bobby and Martha’s pontoon on Balboa Lake.

We met and made new friends on July 6 at the Balboa Club over hamburgers and beer.  The first Wednesday evening of the month features a cookout with live entertainment.  One of the couples was the McAdow’s, Tom and Patricia, and the other was Bob and Emma Pinson.  We plan to meet there again on August 3.  

We also got to know our immediate neighbors a bit better as the couple across the street (Dane and Gerry) hosted a happy hour for Paul and Brigitte, Steve and Dora, and us.  It’s always interesting to find out a little more about your neighbors, and some of the unique things they’ve done.

Lastly, we recognized two birthdays at the end of the month:  Harper turned a whopping 4 years old on July 30, and Matt celebrated a birthday on July 31.

We ended the month much the same as we started—playing golf.  Golf is so readily available in Hot Springs Village with 8 great courses.  Kay plays on Wednesday mornings, and is getting better each round.  I managed to get in 10 rounds the last 15 days, taking breaks to spend time with family and, along with Kay, attend an LPGA golfing tournament.

Jenny, Harper, and Brian came over Friday afternoon for Father’s Day weekend.  The three of them went kayaking/fishing late and returned after dark.  They caught fish almost every cast by the Lake Estrella Dam.  As Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthday, and Christmas gifts all combined, Karyn arranged for a photographer to take family photos on Saturday, and all the family was here except Kaden, who had to work.  Photos of each family unit were made, as were photos of the individual grandkids.  The photos were fantastic.  I can highly recommend Jacquelyn Suzann Photography. 

From left to right:  Harper, Jenny, and Brian Painter; Ridge, Matt, Karyn, and Aker Adams; Kay and Donald; Cheryl and Ron Higgins, Jordan Williams.

After the photo session, Ron, Cheryl, and Jordan left for home and an afternoon at Lake DeGray, while the rest of us went to the beach at Balboa Lake.It filled our hearts with joy watching Ridge, Harper, and Aker playing together.Ridge and Harper played as if they were best friends, and not a single argument, injury, or crying spell ensued—an unheard of miracle.  Karyn and her family left before evening, Jenny and Brian went kayaking/fishing again until after dark, and Harper entertained Kay and me.  Jenny, Harper, and Brain left after lunch on Sunday, making for the best Father’s Day ever for me.  Thank you kids, grandkids, and Lord.

The following week was filled with golf, almost daily.  Saturday morning early (June 25) we drove to Rogers for the Northwest Arkansas LPGA Championship.  Meeting up with Phyllis (longtime friend of Kay’s) and her husband Sonny, we watched the talented ladies play golf from along the 17th hole at Pinnacle Country Club; the 17th hole is known as the loudest hole in the LPGA.  That evening we all had dinner together joined by Corlys who worked with Kay and Phyllis.  We returned to Pinnacle Country Club Sunday morning for the final round, setting up under a tree at the 8th tee box where we were able to see the 7th hole green (our favorite for the week, Stacy Lewis), the 8th tee, and the 18th fairway.  I was amazed at how small the ladies were, most at or around 100 pounds, how friendly they were, and how they could crush the golf ball!  We returned home about mid-afternoon, and watched the final two hours on TV.  Lydia Ko won the tournament, and is an awesome golfer.

We finished the month playing golf.