With upset tummies, we skipped breakfast and drove a roundabout route to Magellan Golf Course to hit a few balls and work on our short games. Kay finished her small bucket of balls, and was working on her short game when I spotted her on the phone near the clubhouse Giving a thumbs up.  I thought it was in reference to a call to the “potential” builder of a “possible” new house in Hot Springs Village.  Seeing and hearing her, I asked what was going on, and she said we were all clear for an October 17 closing date; no appraisal and no inspection—that makes today S-28 (selling date minus 28 days).  While the inspection part didn’t bother us, we were both concerned about the appraisal given the history of low appraisals in the area.  Once again this miracle can only be explained by God’s intervention; God has intervened in every facet of this move, including the timing of each step. Both Kay and I are blown away by this, and to say that our faith has been strengthened exponentially would be an understatement. Now, we can relax a couple of days before getting serious about packing, moving, and finding a permanent place to live; it appears that we’ll be living in the motorhome for a minimum of 6 months–fulltimers, so to speak.  I played golf–not too well–while Kay hung out with girlfriends.  That’s how our day went, how about yours?

I drove straight to the Village (Hot Springs Village) on Sunday, arriving at the storage facility shortly after lunch, and unpacking the Expedition; it really held a lot of stuff.  Kay arrived, after a couple of stops in central Arkansas, just as I finished unpacking and was pulling the door down—her timing was impeccable.  After leaving the storage facility, we moved into our rental efficiency apartment for the upcoming week.  Jim and Ginny Passe invited us for cocktails and soup, and especially to view their new luxury motor coach.  It was spectacular, with all the bells and whistles one could want, including a bath and a half, a dishwasher, and many other luxury options.  After the viewing, we enjoyed a bowl of Ginny’s fabulous tortilla soup, followed by a boat ride around Lake Balboa.  We had a busy day!

Even though the Village is a bit isolated, it is not nearly so much as is where we live in Norfork.  Consequently, we take advantage of the shopping and dining while in the Village.  Over the course of the next few days—Monday through Thursday—we practiced golf, played golf, read, and visited with friends, taking as much a break from our hectic lives as our situation would allow.  My golf game started out decently, and progressively got worse over the course of the week; Kay has labeled golf “the devil’s game”.  Speaking of the “devil”, Pam’s gonna kill me for the last photo; it’s Kay’s fault, she took the picture.

We continued packing on Friday, with a goal of completing the hobby room/shop, and succeeded in getting everything packable into boxes, and labeled, including whether for climate controlled or non-climate controlled storage.  As you might imagine, our lives have been taken over by the “move”.  Of course, all the packing is being done on faith, as “it ain’t over until the fat lady sings”.  We also took a break from packing to put the cover on the pontoon, perhaps for the last time—weather and schedule will dictate. 

On Saturday we began packing power tools (table saw, drill press, band saw, router and router table) one-person pontoon boats, paddles, hiking staffs, PFDs, extra bicycle, gun cases, and kayaks into and onto the Expedition, for the trip to storage facilities in Hot Springs Village, while guns and other ammunition, a few personal things, golf clubs, and our clothes and toiletries were packed in the Honda CR V for storage in Matt’s gun safe in central Arkansas and for our week in the Village, respectively.  Dave and CJ Reece from the Memphis area dropped by, accompanied by their neighbors, to say hello.  They are here for a few days’ fly fishing and relaxing.  Dave and I worked together in New Orleans in the late 1970s, and again in Memphis in the late 1990s before I moved to Little Rock in 1999.  It was good to visit with them, if only briefly.

It’s Monday, and 46 days until the tentatively scheduled sale of the house, and possible sale of furniture and household goods, and pontoon boat.  We remain on pins and needles, wondering if some glitch will happen between now and then.  After walking about 3 miles in the early morning, we cut some short cedar stumps to transport to Texas for bowl making by Paul Graham and Jim Miles.  Following that, we put surveyor’s tape on the property corners, and washed the canoe, readying it for transport for winter storage before the move to Hot Springs Village.  Mail and package delivery today brought a settlement for a “Heart Attack” insurance policy Kay insisted taking out on me when we first married; obviously she knew something I didn’t because, at the time, I poopooed the idea!  It will come in handy when time comes for furnishing the new house.  We spent part of the afternoon going developing a strategic plan for moving, i.e. a checklist of items to be done and dates for completion, knowing that most will occur during the last week prior to the actual sale of the house.  A call in the late afternoon from the prospective buyer informed us that they did want the furniture and household goods for the asking price, and were prepared to write a check on the spot.  Kay advised them to wait until closing to write the check.  Their decision to buy the furniture and household goods tremendously helps us with scheduling the move, reserving moving trucks, and making arrangements for helpers on each end to load and unload, respectively, the remaining personal items being moved.  I woke up shortly before midnight, and worked on preparing some paperwork for the move (bill of sale for the pontoon and instructions for operating the boat lift).  And, we’re still seeing a few butterflies—and, we’re never too busy to take photos of them!

It’s 45 days until the tentative date for sale of the house.  After a skimpy night’s sleep, we awoke Tuesday to another great cool morning, and after reading email and newspapers, did our 3-mile neighborhood walk.  Breakfast was at the Norfork Cafe, and was as good as it has ever been, and clean too; about a year or so ago it had become a bit dirty, and the food was really greasy.  After returning home, I began working on changing out the potable water pump in the motorhome while Kay called the various utilities and companies servicing the house to ascertain the logistics of terminating/changing accounts when the house sells.  None make it easy, and DirecTV is absolutely the worse, requiring us to send in all the equipment, and having the buyer establish a new account requiring a service person to come install equipment.

After walking in the warm, humid morning air Wednesday, we ate breakfast and drove to Quarry Marina, loaded with boat cleaning supplies.  We dusted the Bimini top and cover, vacuumed the carpet, removed spots on the carpet, and then cleaned the always present spider droppings from the upholstery and sides of the pontoon.  Kay is leading the charge on packing, and seems to have boundless energy—I don’t how she does it.  She worked on the downstairs today, and made significant progress.  We showed the boat to the buyer late this afternoon, and it, too, will be sold as part of the package.  In addition, the buyer asked if we would consider moving the closing date up a week as they had a long-standing commitment for October 23, and we readily agreed.  For us, that means advancing everything a week, and the most challenging part of that is arranging for a rental U+Haul truck and helpers to load the truck on this end, and helpers to unload the truck at the storage facility in Hot Springs Village.  Consequently, we are now shifting the selling day to October 16, so this becomes S-36.

We awoke early, 3 AM Thursday, not being able to sleep because of all the impending packing awaiting us, among other moving chores.  Kay began packing again, and out of guilt, I assisted!  We worked on the storage room on the lower floor, and then the shop area, and finally the out-of-season closet.  Despite getting rid of a lot of things, we still have much to pack.  Thank goodness we’re not moving furniture and household goods!  We are using the lower garage as the mobilization area for completed boxes, with a plan to park the moving truck nearby, quickly load the boxes, drive to the Village, and unload either into regular storage or HVAC storage.

We received an offer on our house on August 28, and accepted it on August 29, settling for significantly less than we priced it.  But, there’s a fair possibility that the buyers will also purchase the household furnishings and pontoon boat for fair prices, making the deal much more palatable. 

The young buyers for the house really like how it has been decorated and landscaped, and in this regard have offered to purchase the furniture and household goods; since our decor is all about fly fishing and trout, and we’d have to store it for several months, we readily agreed.  Now, we have to reach agreement on price.  Kay and I separately estimated the value, added and subtracted items, and then averaged the value.  When it comes right down to it, one’s material possessions aren’t worth much, and certainly not what was paid for them!  Much of our furniture is new, having been lived on for only 5 months, and several of the Persian rugs are irreplaceable.  Oh well, this would give us an opportunity to start over—in our mid-60s!  We spent a good portion of Sunday after church and Labor Day doing an item by item inventory to insure no misunderstanding on which items we would take; we have several pieces of art that are signed and numbered, and others done by friends and family, some of whom are deceased, and others who are no longer able to paint.  And then there are a few sentimental items that would make us look heartless to leave.  The young couple came by on Saturday evening (September 6) to go over the inventory.  They expected only a paragraph, and were quite surprised at it being 10 pages long.  They asked if we would sell only certain items and Kay quickly responded “No” as it’s almost as easy for us to move all of it as it is to move some of it.  We reviewed every item, taking almost 2 hours.  This is their 4th visit to the house, with 3 of the visits lasting about 2 hours each!  The buyers also want to purchase the 2006 Aloha 25-foot pontoon, docked at Quarry Marina.  We have provided a very fair price, and scheduled a test run for Wednesday evening (September 10).

We ordered boxes and packing materials online from U+Haul, mainly to pack hanging clothes, books, and tools; U+Haul is bit more expensive than some other sources, but the quality is supposed to be superior; since our belongings will be in storage for 6 months, we thought the difference was worth it, and U+Haul  offered free two-day shipping.  We have been hesitant to begin packing because of the possibility of the sale disintegrating (this happened to me in 1999, after the moving van pulled out).  But, all indications are that the buyers realize the superior quality, superior materials, and the many extras in the house and property, and that they are getting a heck of a deal to boot.  So, we’ll begin packing—power tools and other items we rarely use, fly fishing and tying materials, one-person float tubes and pontoons, etc.—and transport these items for storage in Hot Springs Village when we go in mid-September.  We’ve rented climate controlled storage space and non-climate controlled space.

Over the course of the last few months, we have looked at several houses, both existing and new, and discovered that there is no difference in price per square foot; consequently, we will likely ‘build new”.  In this regard, we have been impressed by a young builder, Brandon Tedder of Renaissance Homes in North Little Rock, and viewed the progress of one of his projects in the Village—excellent quality, attention to detail, and energy efficient.  The plan we really liked was too expensive given all the extras we wanted, so using a smaller version of the plan, we backed off on square footage, added a sunroom, and other extras, and now have a design we really like.  The builder has been very patient, and we have come to basic agreement, and except for dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s”, we’re about ready to execute a construction contract.  And, we have completed the paperwork—another Labor Day weekend chore—for a construction/permanent loan.

Thank goodness for the motorhome.  It will provide us a place to live for the days between the sale of the house and when we leave for Texas, for the time while in Texas, and for the time when we return to Arkansas if the house is not finished—about 6 months minimum.  Mechanically, I have to install a new potable water pump, inflate the tires to the proper pressure, and reinstall the windshield wipers (they were removed to keep from oxidizing in the sun this summer.)  We haven’t begun packing clothes and foodstuff, but that will occur towards the end of September.  Just before our clothes and personal belongings are moved, we’ll drive the motorhome to Quarry Park and stay there until our business and doctors’ appointments are completed, then spend a week in central Arkansas visiting grandkids and kids, and then drive to Texas.

On to more important things.  This first week of September has brought a Baltimore Oriole to our place, sipping nectar from the hummingbird feeders.  This is the first time we’ve seen a Baltimore Oriole anytime except for late April.  Also, there have been far fewer butterflies than we’ve had in the past.  What’s up?

Back at home, it was time to take care of business!  I drove into Mountain Home on Friday morning for oil and an oil filter for the motorhome.  Returning home, I changed the oil and oil filter, and began greasing the motorhome, but ran out of grease.  Kay also drove into town to take care of business.  Otherwise, it was quiet on the home front.

Jenny, Brian, and Harper were scheduled to visit over the holiday weekend, but Harper had been sick for almost 3 weeks, and Jenny’s lack of rest and weak immune system resulted in her becoming sick, thus they are remaining home for much needed rest.  Consequently, Kay and I drove to central Arkansas on Saturday morning for a Malott (my mother’s side of the family) family reunion.  None of my mother’s generation is still living, and there are only 5 first cousins of the current “oldest” generation present.  It was good to see the cousins, but I didn’t know any of the children, grandchildren, or even great grandchildren.  With all of us aging, this may have been the last Malott family reunion. Not having visited a driving range or playing golf for 3 days, we’re beginning to have golf withdrawal.

Despite this being a holiday weekend, we are almost back to normal, attending church and Sunday school today.  And then, of course, we ate at Chen’s Chinese buffet, and I was able to receive the senior citizen discount for the first time.  Upon returning home, I finishing greasing the motorhome and cleaning the stabilizing jacks, and Kay finished taking inventory of our household goods.  I slept the rest of the afternoon, and we thoroughly enjoyed a quiet evening.

Another month has come and gone, too quickly.  We really enjoyed our time in Hot Springs Village during the month, and experienced record low temperatures at the beginning of the month, only to return to hot, humid days at the end of the month.  Kay and I hit lots of golf balls, and played several rounds of golf; both our games are improving.  And, we further cemented lasting friendships, immensely enjoying spending time with our HSV “family”, cherishing the sense of community that exists there.  September will find us prepping the motorhome for the winter journey south, continuing efforts to sell our house, and enjoying the deer, turkeys, birds, and last of the season’s hummingbirds and butterflies hat inhabit our little place on this earth.

Sunday included church and a family dinner at Cracker Barrel to celebrate my 65th birthday early, compliments of Karyn.  We sure enjoyed the visit, and of course, Ridge and I played before, during, and after the meal, much to the chagrin of nearby restaurant guests!  In his defense, he sat through church earlier, and then waited patiently in the restaurant for 30 minutes before Kay and I arrived!  Upon returning to the rental house, Kay and Pam went to Oaklawn to pickup their complimentary “gambling” money while I enjoyed some relative peace and quiet.

It’s still hot; in fact, today (Monday) is the hottest day of the year, with a high temperature of 99°.  It is highly possible that we will make it through the year without a 100° day.  Kay was off mid-morning to look at furniture and have some repairs done to the Honda CR V, and I drove to Arkansas Golf Center in Conway for my last of 12 golf lessons.  Today’s focus was on a fix for the ever-continuing fade, and by golly, Brannon installed a finish to my swing that should cure the problem.  Now, it’s a matter of practice, practice, practice.  Upon returning to the Village, Kay and I hit a few golf balls at Granada Golf Club, then had dinner at El Jimidor, in a humid, 85° restaurant (you think the AC wasn’t working).

Tuesday morning was quiet.  With a near noon tee time, I played golf with Jim, Fred, and Bill at Magellan, doing okay but not great as I’m working on the new and improved swing.  Kay did the Oaklawn Casino with several members of her book club; they had dinner there, and she returned to the rental house finishing the night ahead, money wise.  Jim, Fred, and I had a sandwich and beer at Charlie’s, a pizza place just outside the west entrance of the Village.  Life is good.

Today, Wednesday, is my 65th birthday.  Now, I can get the senior discount at Chen’s Chinese buffet!  Kay and I had an early afternoon tee time at Grenada Golf Club, one of the Village’s most scenic.  We both played the front nine (I scored a 48) and then Kay excused herself, and I played the back nine solo, shooting a 41, my best effort is many years.  She picked me up at 5 PM, and we went to dinner in Hot Springs, meeting Pam, Jim, Jackie, Martha, and Bobby, all to celebrate both Pam’s and my birthday.  The catfish was very good.

After a fun-filled 4 weeks in the Village, we packed everything up of ours at the rental house Thursday morning, and drove home, separately, arriving early afternoon, and finding everything okay.  We were quickly unpacked and returned to normal, or at least as normal as Kay and I get.

Up to now, we have escaped the hot days typical of an Arkansas August, and have had the mildest summer in our memory.  However, that is changing with highs forecast in the upper 90s this week.

Up early and with only 3 hours’ sleep, I returned to the Village Monday morning.  Kay went for her last chiropractic appointment, and believes it has resolved the pain she had been experiencing in her left foot.  Anxious to do fun stuff, the lack of sleep proved to be too much, so we had a relatively quiet afternoon and evening, staying inside and out of the heat.  Jim and Jackie came over for bridge, and it was fun despite Jim getting horrible hands—the ladies beat us soundly.  He is restarting bridge, and it just doesn’t seem fair to get such lousy hands, but he did well with “the hand that was dealt him.”

Kay was off about mid-morning Tuesday for a “cut and color” and I traveled the short distance to the driving range to hit a few balls.  Rusty and stiff after a few days off, it took a while to get in synch.  We drove to pick Ridge up, stopping in Benton for lunch.  With an intermediate stop at his house to pick up toys, clothes, etc., we picked him up at his daycare about 2:45 PM, and returned to the Village for two days of “fun with grandson” wondering if we had enough vitamins for the next 48 hours.  We played briefly before he announced he wanted to go to the beach; we all changed into beach clothes and spent the next hour and a half at Balboa beach.  With a partial overcast sky and a decent breeze blowing off the lake, it was quite pleasant tossing pebbles into the water and building sand castles, molding crabs and turtles, and dumping water onto them until they dissolved.

Though Kay did a Book Club night Wednesday evening, Wednesday and Thursday were all about Ridge, including lots of beach time and rough-housing.  He had a couple of firsts, such as sleeping in a “big boy” twin bed and “drifting” in Balboa Lake unassisted, except for his PFD, and of his own accord—oh, how important the small things in life are!  We returned him to his parents Thursday afternoon, and though he never once complained, he was glad to be home, to see his mommy and daddy, and play with all his toys.

(NOTE:   On Wednesday morning we met with Brandon Tedder, the prospective builder of our house in Hot Springs Village if and when we sell the other house, and pretty much finalized everything needed to execute a construction contract.  Please say a prayer for us.) 

Friday was spent recovering, and getting back to a routine.  Not having had catfish in some time, we had lunch at the grill at Isabella Golf Club, and enjoyed a great catfish po’ boy sandwich. In the evening, we had drinks and dinner with the Passes, and really enjoyed their company.

Kay ran errands Saturday morning, and spent pool time with Pam at the DeSoto Pool in the afternoon while I played golf with Jim at Cortez.  With temperatures hovering near, but not at, 100°, it didn’t take long to tire, and the golf game showed it.  We stayed in Saturday evening, and I went to bed at 8 PM, tired from lack of sleep caused by stress and a continuing daylong headache.  (NOTE:  Harper and Jenny are still sick, going on 2 weeks now, when Harper began organized daycare in lieu of being taken care of by a nanny; her doctor says she has an immature immune system.  Kaden, our oldest grandchild, was delivered to Arkansas Tech University today to begin the next phase of his life:  college.  He is majoring in mechanical engineering.  He was just slightly older than Ridge [almost 3 years old] when I first met him.  His Sir Donald wishes him nothing but the very best in all things, and that he remembers to be nice to people, to do the right things at the right times, and honor his Christian background; his daddy did a superb job raising him.)

As it is late August, the trees are beginning to slightly change, with some losing their leaves a bit early.  This is always thought provoking as we typically don’t think about the changing colors until late October and early November.  The transition is so gradual that fall just sort of glides in, particularly with the hottest temperatures of the year just now occurring.  Kay and I have had one of the busiest summers of our lives together, and it has flown by.  And, change seems to be a constant with us, mostly self-inflicted—sometimes it feels like life is a speeding merry-go-round that we barely grasp with a handhold, only to get thrown off again, then run as fast as we can, only to grab hold and get thrown off again, etc., and it’s exhausting.  Of course, Kay handles changes, life events, and stress so much better than I, and fortunately provides a much needed stabilizing influence.  Wonder what next week, next month, and next year will bring?

We attended church in the Village Sunday morning, and sat with in a row with friends Bobby and Martha Altom and Pam Williams.  After church, and changing clothes, Kay and Pam were off to Hot Springs to do some shopping and pick up their complimentary $s from Oaklawn Casino.  I remained at the rental house and watched the rain-delayed PGA Championship; it was a real nail biter until the very end.  Kay joined in watching it when she returned, and we watched the conclusion while eating at the Granada Golf Course restaurant where, it seemed, everyone had taken sides.  It was a hoot.

Monday was all about golf, in fact, maybe too much golf!  Kay was off first thing for a chiropractic adjustment—all which appear to be helping.  After returning, we had breakfast and she and Pam drove to Coronado Fitness Center for a workout while I drove to Conway for my next to last lesson with Brannon Watson, Arkansas Golf Center.   Today’s lesson focused on improving “lag” on the swing.  Kay wanted to hit a few balls when I arrived back in the Village, and we drove to Magellan Golf Course where we each hit balls.  I asked pro Rich Ross to help with the “lag” issue and he gave me a short lesson, gratis, despite a strong offer to pay.  After a couple of hours of cooling off in the rental house, I drove back to Magellan for a lesson in chipping from Bobby Altom.  Bobby and his wife, Martha, are longtime friends of Kay, and he is a very good golfer.  The lesson really helped, and will provide a basis from which to practice.  With three lessons, entailing hitting lots of golf balls, I was a tired “puppy” as the evening came to a close.

Yesterday’s activities took a toll on this old body as I didn’t sleep well, getting up at 1:30 AM and staying up for almost 3 hours.  I had a little bit of heart ache (literally, and I understand this may never disappear).  Tuesday was a new day, and Kay was off to exercise at the church.  Without our toys—kayaks and bicycles—we’re limited to indoor activities or golf and fishing, and of course, it’s difficult to beat the fishing in Baxter County.  Consequently, I was back on the golf driving range and short game practice area.  We met Pam, Martha, and Bobby at Jim and Jackie’s for happy hour before going out for dinner at Italian House, a restaurant just across from the west gate.  Good food and lots of laughter resulting in a great evening.

Kay was off to the chiropractor again Wednesday morning, and believes the treatments are greatly helping to resolve the pain in her foot.  I met Jim Morris and Fred Douglas at Balboa Golf Club for an afternoon of golf, hitting a few balls beforehand to warm up.  I played badly, the worst since very early June!  It seemed that my grip was not comfortable and the swing was out of synch—bottom line is that it just didn’t feel right; even the short irons weren’t working.  Every time this happens I question whether or not it is tome to give up this game!

After yesterday’s poor showing at the golf course, we were off to Magellan Golf Course to hit golf balls Thursday morning.  Kay is hitting here “woods” really well, and is vastly improving her short game, but is reluctant to hit the irons.  After hitting a few balls, we practiced chipping, using the technique passed on by Bobby Monday; it works!  Afterwards, I drove to Coronado to walk and play the front nine where my grip and swing returned to some semblance of normality.  I got behind a very slow foursome, but had fun nevertheless, hitting as many as three balls on each hole—good practice.  Kay joined me on the back nine where we both rode and played.  After the first 5 holes, she had parred 3 holes and had bogeys on two others.  We had a blast playing, and really enjoy being together on the course.  As we were both going different directions on the weekend, we left the golf course for dinner El Jimidor, our new favorite Mexican restaurant—it was very good.  On Thursday’s they have a mariachi band which is loud and fun to hear, though not very good.

Kay and I left the house Sunday morning, she for church and I to meet a friend from California at Mt. Magazine State Park.  Kay’s plans included lunch with Pam in Hot Springs, and then a movie.  They saw Guardians of the Universe, and Kay said it was quite good.  After driving scenic Arkansas Highway 7 north to Arkansas Highway 10 west, and Arkansas Highway 309 north, I met Chris Tenney and his brother, Jeff, at the Visitor’s Center at Mt. Magazine State Park.  Chris is an accomplished amateur lepidopterist (butterfly person) who resides in our “circle” at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission, Texas, and Jeff is an award-winning writer, having won a Spur award for an historical fiction account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Our goal was to see and photograph Arkansas’ state butterfly, the Diana Fritillary, but we struck out.  However, we did see some 25 other species of butterflies, including several male and female Giant Swallowtails, Pipevine and Spicebush Swallowtails, and numerous Skippers.  Kay and I arrived home about the same time, and spent the rest of the evening catching up on telephone calls, mail, text messages, junk television, etc.

We took separate paths Monday morning—Kay was off to Coronado Fitness Center for exercise and an appointment with a personal fitness trainer, and I drove to Granada Golf Course Driving Range to hit a few balls.  Back together for lunch, we caught up on email, crossword puzzles, and iPad bridge until mid-afternoon, and then drove separately to Cortez Golf Course where Kay played 9 holes (and did well), and I played 18 (some good, some bad).  This is the second oldest course in the Village, but underwent a complete overhaul a few years ago.  This photo, taken from the white tees, does not do it justice, but shows its signature par 3 hole.  Afterwards, we watched two of our favorite programs, Major Crimes and Longmire.

Typical August weather has arrived, with highs in the low 90s, and the humidity is creeping up to an uncomfortable level.  Nevertheless, we are not going to let it stop our active lifestyle!  Kay was off to Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church for exercise this morning, while I was back on the Magellan Golf Course driving range Tuesday morning, hitting some 60 balls, and then spending time working on the short game.  After her exercise, Kay drove just out of the east side of the Village for another great haircut.  With plans to walk and play the executive length course, Coronado, a surprise call from Jim included an invitation to join him for 18 holes at Coronado.  We really compliment each other on the course, and had a great time.  I particularly hit the irons well.  

Wednesday proved to be a very busy day as we checked out RV storage at Bushee Storage, and to our surprise, found that a 45-foot unit had just become available—and we could store other “stuff” there as well.  Now, we have a decision to make!  Also on the agenda for the day was to check out marinas for a pontoon slip.  None of the Village’s marinas have lifts, and any boat stored would have to remain in the water; the marina on Lake Balboa did not have any covered slips available.  With time to spare before Kay’s chiropractor appointment, we drove around Lake Coronado checking out houses; there are few houses for sale around the various lakes in the Village, and all are priced at $135+ per square foot—despite their age and despite the location!  Kay was off for an adjustment on her left foot which has been bothering her for several months while I played the 18-hole Balboa Golf Course, walking instead of riding.  About mid-afternoon Kay drove to Benton to visit with Kaden a last time before he goes off to college, and then shopped with son, Ron, for a few hours, returning to the Village about 8 PM. 

Wow, the heat and humidity combination is uncomfortable.  It’s been a while since we’ve been in Arkansas for the hottest part of summer, and with the mild weather up to this week, it appeared that the hot, hot weather bullet had been dodged—and in some respects, it has as temps have not exceeded 95°.  However, even with temps in the mid-90s, any outside activities result in soaking wet clothes.  Kay was off to exercise Thursday morning at the Methodist church, and then, because her foot is still bothering her, visited the chiropractor again.  He was concerned about a hairline fracture in her foot and sent her to CHI clinic for and X-ray.  It did not show a fracture, and he treated her, with the consequent result of the stabbing pain and discomfort abating.  I hit golf balls, returned to the rental to cool off, and went back to Magellan to practice short game skills.  Kay and I met up in mid-afternoon, and I drove to Granada Golf Course to play nine—what a beautiful golf course!  Hole #18 is it’s signature hole, with a rushing stream/waterfall cascading off the hill most of the entire left side of the fairway.

It is getting hotter and more humid as the week ends.  Today’s (Friday) heat index was over 100°, and intermittent clouds and thunder were present most of the afternoon.  Kay and I opted to play Coronado, (Kay played 9, I played 18), and she was just about “even”, i.e. par, on the first four holes, had a not-so-good #5, and finished with 3 out of 4 good holes; she is getting better and better.  It is really fun for us to play together, and it seems like the world’s (and our) troubles just disappear (we really want a buyer with a decent offer to purchase our house).  The rain held off for a complete 18 holes, and we dressed for dinner at Martha and Bobby’s, prepared by Pam.  Shortly after arriving, thunder and lightening preceded a steady rain for the rest of the evening; a great time was had by all, with both great stories and great food.  It would be remiss to fail to mention the dessert of chocolate crepes stuffed with ice cream, and topped by chocolate sauce and whipped cream—yum, yum, good!

We awoke to overcast skies Saturday morning with no plans for the day.  The lack of internet has allowed my needed app updates to go unattended, with 11 now on the iPad and 9 on the iPhone; Kay updated hers on Wednesday while visiting with Ron and Kaden.  We went to Magellan Golf Course driving range and practice area where I used the driving range, and Kay worked on her short game.  After lunch, she went to Coronado Fitness Center to work out, then to Walmart to get gasoline, and then to Village Villas to check on another rental property, perhaps for next summer.  When she returned, I was stir crazy and went back to the driving range, not hitting well, and then hit a couple hundred balls at the short game practice area where I hit well; golf is such a fickle sport!  Cloudy skies and a good breeze made conditions very comfortable.  Kay prepared smoked salmon patties for dinner, and they were awesome.  I went to bed early, having had a very busy week.

P.S.  For some reason, perhaps all the outside activities, we’ve both slept long and very well.  Kay most always sleeps well, but I typically sleep about 6 hours; the last week has averaged about 8 hours!