As Thanksgiving day approached, the holiday season, at least for us, slowly accelerates. As always, there will be good times with family and friends, and too much food.
I continue playing golf, as weather conditions permit—yes, I’m a “fair-weather” golfer—and the both of us play pickleball up to four times a week, again as weather conditions permit.
On the Thursday before Thanksgiving, we enjoyed an early Thanksgiving meal with Ron and Cheryl and their immediate family. The occasion was to celebrate Kaden (Ron’s son and KK’s oldest grandson) and Diane’s visit from San Antonio. And then, another feast was celebrated on Thanksgiving day, again at Ron’s, with KK’s family and Cheryl’s family. It’s always good to see family during the holidays, especially the grandkids.
Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving was pickleball play for the both of us—a great way to unwind after all the food and celebration.
I spent a good portion of this reporting period making a YouTube video, “Sizing, Printing, Matting, and Framing a Photo”. This was the 23rd or 24th video created, and though they’re fun to create, they don’t get a lot of views.
Photography has slowed a bit during this transition between fall and winter, as the birds have a lot of natural food available, and don’t hang out in the nearby trees and shrubs. However, on Monday, November 17, a few birds showed up including a Golden-crowned Kinglet, Tufted Titmouse, and Carolina Chickadee.
But the real star of the “show” was a Turkey Vulture perched in an adjacent tree.
Turkey Vulture
A few more birds began appearing towards the end of the month. In addition to the regulars, species observed included a Downy Woodpecker, Pine Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Dark-eyed Junco.
It was a relatively quiet couple of weeks ending September. Most days found us either playing pickleball, golf, or both. Significant items were Kay’s birthday, her departure for a girls trip to Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi, and repair of the house deck.
Kay celebrated another birthday on September 23, yet she doesn’t look a day older. Her son took her out to Pancake House in Hot Springs and she immensely enjoyed it. And then on September 30 she and a girlfriend flew to Biloxi, Mississippi, on a gambling junket at Beau Rivage. Also on September 30, a father and adult son removed rotten wood from the rear deck and replaced it with new material. As best I can tell, they did an acceptable job, but he grossly misstated the hours worked (at $55/hour). There was little I could do except pay, but we’ll not recommend him nor use him again.
As temperatures cooled, butterflies and dragonflies were observed less and less often; consequently, I switched to photographing birds.
On September 16, a Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird were photographed.
A surprise visitor, a Northern Parula Warbler, showed up earning on the morning of September 18, and was photographed chasing, then losing a caterpillar. This is only the third Northern Parula Warbler I’ve seen.
Northern Parula Warbler
The following photos show the sequence of catching then losing a caterpillar.
A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was observed and photographed on September 21, an unexpected visitor.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Another unexpected visitor, a Chipping Sparrow, was observed and photographed on September 26.
Chipping Sparrow
On September 27, a solitary Ruby-throated Hummingbird was photographed.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
An exciting birding day at our place was September 28. On that Sunday morning before church, a Nashville Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Northern Flicker were observed and photographed. The Northern Warbler was a “LIFE BIRD” and the Northern Flicker was the first-time I had photographed that species.
Lastly, a Brown-headed Nuthatch was observed and photographed on September 29. Nuthatches are often seen going down trees head first, clinging to bark with their strong feet rather than leaning on their tails like a woodpecker.
The first couple weeks of May have been beset with wind and rain, and generally mild temperatures, making gardening and photography difficult.
On April Fools’ Day, Thursday, our Green Heron hung out by the dock for a while, and allowed a few portraits to be made. The bird looks so funny with its crest sticking up. It was intent on catching small fish for breakfast.
Kay spent most of the day assisting with preparations for the United Women of Faith (UWF, formerly United Methodist Women) from our church prepare for the annual garage sale. It’s a BIG deal, and over $20,000 is raised each year for deserving charities. I played a pretty decent game of golf at Magellan golf course. Also on Thursday, a gardener removed leaves from the from beds, trimmed all the shrubs in the yard, and planted four azaleas.
Kay worked as one of the cashiers for the UWF garage sale on Friday, and I played pickleball at Diamante. Pickleball was a blast with a number of really good games.
The gardener returned on Saturday and placed mulch on the front beds, and removed gravel to expand the butterfly garden. Removing the gravel really saved my back! Six bags of top soil were dumped in the newly cleared garden. Last year’s garden, though smaller, attracted 41 species.
After a trip to Home Depot Sunday morning, more top soil was added to the butterfly garden, and butterfly and hummingbird friendly flowers were planted. While it looks good, it is till relatively bare until even more flowers are planted and all the flowers mature. That will also help control weeds.
Kay and I both played pickleball on Monday morning; she played at Diamante and I played at the POA courts on the west side.
A few bird photos were made on Tuesday morning, and our Tuesday golf game was held to nine holes because of rain; and, it did rain the entire nine holes.
Kay played golf on Wednesday morning, and had a good round. Meanwhile, I observed a lone Great Blue Heron pausing on a neighbor’s dock, offering a “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” photograph.
Without any planned golf or pickleball I began a new project, a dust collection cart for the workshop. Anytime woodworking power tools are used, sawdust envelopes just about every surface in the garage. I acquired the components to build a dust collection system, and it worked well. However, it was not very mobile. Consequently a dust collection cart was designed and built using limited lumber and various available items. The cart was designed to be mobile and hold the vacuum cleaner and the dust collector and bucket. Parts of the next few days (when temperatures were cool in the garage) were devoted to building the cart. Rather than go into a lengthy and verbose description of the process, here’s a photo of the end result. There are still a couple of items to be added such as a “box” on the bottom shelf to hold vacuum cleaner parts.
The Book Club May meeting rolled around on Thursday, May 8, and I played a poor game of golf.
A competitive round of pickleball was played on Friday morning. I’m almost too old to be competing with the “youngsters” playing in the group. Kay celebrated Mother’s Day having dinner with her kids and their families Friday evening (I had a queazy tummy and remained home).
Kay and I both played pickleball Saturday morning, and enjoyed a quiet Mother’s Day Sunday.
Pickleball was again the activity of the day on Monday with Kay and I both playing in the morning with our respective groups. And then our resident Green Heron posed for photographs on the shoreline while “fishing”.
A successful visit to the cardiologist on Tuesday morning was followed by yet another poor game of golf in the afternoon. For some reason, I seem to be topping the ball with all the clubs—it’s got to be caused by lifting the body up on the front swing! Kay is correct when calling golf the devil’s game.
Kay played golf on Wednesday morning and took the opportunity to capture a few birds in the back yard. I played the pickleball ladder at Diamante in the afternoon. Kay played bridge Wednesday evening.
Even a damselfly was photographed.
On Thursday, I finally broke out of the weeklong golf slump, and shot bogey golf on the back nine of Desoto golf course. Of course, luck had a lot to do with it!
And that wraps up our mundane first couple weeks of May 2025.
I suppose it’s been obvious from the previous post that “pickleball” has not been mentioned. I played twice and enjoyed both times; however, it’s not the same as the great group at Diamante. It was competitive enough, and the players were friendly (even though the first “old” lady I played with instructed me on how to play the game). But, it just wasn’t the same and there were no warm fuzzy feelings.
Also, it’s been difficult to find birds, etc. for photo ops, though I’ve worked really hard and walked a bunch of trails towards that end. And, it’s been cold here by Texas and Arizona winter standards, with afternoon winds making it feel even colder. (Note to self: Could it be that I’m homesick? Who knows, but it is the first winter I’ve ever felt like this. Maybe that’s a good thing.) Anyway.
Kay had a cut and color on Wednesday, January 8, and was not too shocked that the price was almost double what it was in Hot Springs Village—it’s expensive in this part of Florida.
After tons of research in eBird, we took a day trip on Friday,, January 10, trying to find somewhere to find something to photograph. We ended up at Emeralda Marsh, east of The Villages. The Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area (EMCA) is a 7,089-acre conservation area administered by the St. Johns River Water Management District, In December 1974, it was designated a National Natural Landmark Our objective was to explore via the EMCA wildlife drive. When we got there, the gate was locked as the drive is only open seasonally. Nevertheless, we opted to walk the drive, and immediately upon starting, Kay spotted a Zebra Heliconia butterfly.
Zebra Heliconia butterfly
As the drive continued, it became obvious that there weren’t many birds, but there were several blooming marsh plants.
And then, a few birds were flitting about among the adjacent trees. An American Robin, Palm Warbler, and Gray Gnatcatcher were photographed.
American RobinPalm WarblerGray Gnatcatcher
And a Gulf Fritillary was nectaring on a far away shrub.
Gulf Fritillary
We met another person on the trail that mentioned more robins further along the drive, and that he had seen a mama black bear and two cubs. We were not so fortunate. We asked him about places to observe birds, and indicated that there was another area of the Marsh just north of us that offered shorebirds. Kay and I drove to that area and were immediately rewarded with birds. We immediately saw a Red-shouldered Hawk and an Osprey, the latter with a fish in its talons.
Red-shouldered HawkOsprey
And then we saw Anhingas, Glossy Ibises, and Snowy Egrets. There were also several other bird species but they were too far to photograph.
AnhingaGlossy IbisSnowy Egret
From Emeralda Marsh, we drove to the Fred Funk Butterfly Garden(s) at the Lady Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and were a bit surprised to see several nectaring Monarchs.
Monarch
Also, a small Cassius Blue butterfly (?) stopped long enough for a photograph.
Even though the holiday season is in full swing, it has been relatively quiet here on the home front these first couple of weeks in December, at least for me. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons holiday depression has not reared its ugly head for the first time in perhaps 40 years! Kay, of course, has been busy with parties, etc, including hosting The Book Club for the month of December.
As we continue to spend winters away from home, medical and dental appointments abound this time of year. We both had dental appointments, Kay had visits with two doctors. I FINALLY got my hearing aids working (actually they were replaced) after several months, and I got a new prescription for contacts in both eyes±—close up in the left, distance in the right—and I can wear them at night for up to two weeks.
We both p played pickleball a couple of times, and ventured out on the golf course as well. Surprisingly, the courses remain in good condition.
As for projects, I put the finishing touches on the rolling workbench, trimming it out and adding a shelf.
Only a few birds were flying the last few days, and they were regulars at the feeders. I did manage to shoot a few photos on December 2, 4, 8, 9, and 15.
While Kay was out and about on Monday, December 2, a Brown-headed Nuthatch, a Carolina Chickadee, and an American Goldfinch visited our “sanctuary”.
The Christmas season is upon us. Kay has begun decorating—at first a bit slow, but picking up speed as the month matured. Since we’re typically gone in the January through March timeframe, decorating early allows us to enjoy the season for a tad longer.
Besides golf and pickleball, Kay was busy with medical appointments and social events, while I took a break from pickleball for the last couple of weeks, but continued to play golf, 9 holes at a time. We both really enjoy our Sunday afternoon “Couples” Golf with the Seitzs, Baggetts, and Grahams.
While Kay was at a dental appointment on Tuesday, November 19, I waited patiently for birds to land to take their photo. Only a couple “posed” long enough for photos: a Tufted Titmouse and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Tufted TitmouseRed-bellied Woodpecker
The big project for November was design and construction of a rolling workbench. Fortunately, friend Dan had the same idea and came sup with a design for his workbench that was really good. I slightly modified it, and he and I cut out the pieces on Thursday, November 21.
Pencil Drawing of Rolling Workbench
I photographed birds on Friday, November 22, and again on Sunday, November 24, but nothing was processed to “write home about”. Also on Friday, November 22, The Christmas season began in earnest with a performance of A Christmas Carol, A Musical Performance by the HSV Players. It was awesome!
Cast of A Christmas Carol, A Musical Performance
Parts of Saturday and Sunday, November 23-34, were spent assembling the rolling workbench.
My carpentry and wood working skills are quite rusty,, but the project was fun and will work for the intended purposes.
Finally, on Monday, November 25, a few new birds showed up and were photographed.
House FinchAmerican GoldfinchAmerican Crow
Also on Monday, I returned to the Costco Hearing Aid Center to have hearing aids adjusted. This is the third or fourth time in the last few months I’ve been there to have adjustments. After much discussion and testing, the hearing specialist agreed that the hearing aids weren’t working; that’s what I told him several months ago before I finally stopped wearing them. A loaner pair was provided and they work great. Now, if mine will come back working…
The rolling workbench project that was begun on November 21was finished on Tuesday, November 26. It’s important to note that good friend, Dan Olson, devised the original design, and I only modified it slightly.
Finished Rolling Workbench
Also, on Tuesday, Kay cooked for Thanksgiving, making my mama’s cornbread dressing and a sweet potato casserole, and I photographed a Downy Woodpecker.
Downy Woodpecker
We enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast at Kay’s son and daughter-in-law’s house. All the food was really good.
As the days of late November came to a close, a significant cold front invaded the mid-south, dropping temperatures to a more normal level—lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s. This Carolina Chickadee, photographed on Saturday, November 30, has become a best friend of the seed feeder.
The title is absolutely wrong! According to the internet (the internet is never wrong), the phrase “same old same old” is an idiom that means something or someone’s behavior remains the same, especially when it’s boring or annoying. Our days are pretty much the same, but our lives are neither boring nor annoying.
Despite the heat and humidity, Kay and I kept busy with pickleball and golf, and of course she had tons of club meetings, etc. Kay is playing pickleball three or four times a week, and golf a couple times a week. And, she continues to improve at both sports.
With a fairly healthy body, I have really been into golf, playing four times a week, and most days playing pickleball before hand. I turned 75 this month, and am realizing the “old” body can not longer perform at that level—too bad.
On Saturdays and some Sundays, we traveled to Maumelle or Little Rock to watch the grandson play soccer. Life is such fun for us.
The butterfly garden is still attracting new species as well as several that keep hanging around. I spent about 30 minutes each day on August 17, 18, 23, 28, and 30 making photographs in and around the garden.
On Saturday, August 17, a Blue Dasher dragonfly posed, seemingly begging for a photograph.
And then on Sunday, August 18, our Maumelle family visited. This is one of our sweet, sweet granddaughters.
And out of nowhere, this miniature white horse showed up on one of the giant quartz rocks.
A Hoary Edge skipper also made an appearance.
A number of butterflies were photographed on Friday, August 23, including a Fiery Skipper, Common Buckeye, Pearl Crescent, and Orange Sulphur.
Not to be outdone, an Eastern Pondhawk and a Halloween Pennnant dragonfly presented themselves.
Halloween PennantEastern Pondhawk
Wednesday, August 28, was a great day for butterflies. A Hackberry Emperor, Sachem Skipper, and Dun Skipper, Southern Brokendash, and Sleepy Orange were found nectaring in the garden.
While golf and pickleball dominated our activities the first half of August, Kay has played bridge several times this month, and she regularly places among the top scorers. It’s an activity that we really miss but there just doesn’t seem to be time to play regularly.
The new butterfly garden is paying dividends way beyond expectations.
The absence of butterflies in late July was, I expect, the result of too much irrigation and moisture applied while were gone for the few days in late July. Letting it dry out a bit yielded a number of butterflies, many new to the garden. I photographed on August 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 15.
Saturday, August 2, yielded Clouded Skippers, a Pearl Crescent, a Fiery Skipper, and a Common Green Darner dragonfly.
A Pipevine Swallowtail, Common Buckeye, and Hoary Edge and Crossline skippers appeared on Sunday, August 3.
Common BuckeyeCrossline SkipperSilver-spotted SkipperPipevine Swallowtail
On August 8, a Northern Broken Dash, Fiery, and Crossline skippers were present, as well as a Blue Dasher, Slaty Skimmer, and Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies. Also, a Fragile Forktail damselfly revealed itself. And not to be outdone, a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds exhibited their usual acrobatics.
A few new species and some “old” ones showed up on Saturday, August 9. These included Northern Brokendash, Northern Cloudywing, Dun, Silver-spotted, Sachem, and Southern Cloudywing skippers. And, of course, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird was not to be outdone.
Dun SkipperSachem SkipperSilver Spotted SkipperRuby-throated Hummingbird
August 10 was all about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
An Orange Sulphur was observed for the first time on August 13, along with a host of other regular visitors.
Orange Sulphur
Two more “new” species of butterflies appeared on Wednesday, August 14: a Little Yellow and a Red-spotted Purple.
Collection of trails and greenway quotes, terms, acronyms, tools as well as trail publications and presentations and 100s of photos from my bicycle and hiking adventures. .
This journal was begun several years ago, and reflects an accurate record of each day fished. Please enjoy it, and remember that fish are too valuable to be caught just once, and the places they live are too valuable to be mistreated.
Dunngone's Photos and Blog 