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Cataract surgery
Like so many people getting older, my eyesight is getting worse. Not noticeably so, as over the long haul you get used to it. Everything appears normal. Then you notice that your vision isn’t what it used to be so of you go to the ophthalmologist.
It didn’t take long to figure that my cataracts need to be removed and replaced with a new lens. So, I scheduled the surgery, one eye at a time. Now, both eyes have been done and I am in the healing process.
Despite some healing issues (that takes time, too) it is immediately obvious that there is a significant improvement. Most noticeable was color, much brighter. I hadn’t realized how my eyes used to apply a brown tint to everything. And, my focus is better. I can now actually read most everything without glasses, although a cheap set of readers does help.
The picture below (very scary!) shows my left eye (the one on the right) still dilated after a doctor visit. Both eyes have had the surgery and lenses replaced. But in general it is back to life as usual.

Dallas Blooms
The Dallas Arboretum is one of our favorite places to take a walk. As a bonus, there is always something going on, and this time it was Dallas Blooms. This is where the Arboretum showcases their new plantings, and many flowers and plants are in bloom. But I think the late spring and cold temperatures made the flowers later than usual.
There was a lot of work going on with new planting, and even some construction work with new concert viewing areas. Quite a few flowers were already showing blooms, although we think it will be much better in a few weeks. Maye we’ll have to plan a return visit.
In fact, we will be back, as we have signed up for several concerts in the park. Let’s hope for good weather!











Museum of Art
We’ve never gone much to the Dallas Museum of Art, probably never. That was for two reasons: lack of time and the distance from Lewisville to the DMA. But now that we live in Mesquite, those restrictions are no longer valid, so we went for our first visit to the DMA. Also, it was free, but parking was $15 :)….
That place is huge. It would take weeks to visit all exhibits, and when you’re done, you can start over because exhibits keep being updates. So we just used this visit to get a lay of the land, and learn the best way to get there and view the exhibits.





The Meyerson
With COVID finally starting to slow down, and since we are fully vaccinated, we decided to go to a few concerts. Both were held at the Meyerson Symphony Hall, under strict COVID measures. You had to show that you were vax’ed, or else had a recent negative test, before you could even get in. And masks were mandatory inside the hall and surroundings. So we felt safe, at least, as safe as could be.
The Beatles
The first concert was a Beatles tribute, put on by a Beatles cover band, accompanied by the Dallas Symphony. The first part featured both together, arranged to show the Beatles’ music accompanied by the Symphony. Then at the end, the cover band by itself put up a rocking selection of popular Beatles music. It was nice getting out!

Lay Family Organ
The second concert was a presentation of the Lay Family Organ. This magnificent organ, built into the Meyerson Symphony Hall, is one of the world’s largest, with 4,535 pipes. It is hard to describe just how much sound this instrument can put out! Rivals all the amplification by big time rock bands.
In the photo, you can see the sound baffle in the ceiling, which looks like a giant horseshoe with lights. This assembly weighs something like 50 tons, and can be lowered and tilted to make a sound chamber to suit the music. In the picture, it is all the way up for the mighty organ sounds. But we have also seen it way down for a more intimate performance, an example would have been the Yo Yo Ma concert.

Flamingo Gardens
While we were in Fort Lauderdale, we went for a visit to the Flamingo Gardens and Animal Retreat. This is about 60 acres of reserve for local birds and animals, and has become quite the tourist attraction. We enjoyed our relaxed visit, both for family time and visiting the animals.









New boat; Ft. Lauderdale
Tanya and Shane have been sailing for years and decided they wanted to buy a sailboat and go on the water full time. About the time we were looking for a house, they found the boat of their dreams, a Leopard 45 Sailing Catamaran. They are popular, and not easy to find, so they bought it. Located in Fort Lauderdale, it meant frequent trips from DFW to FLL to outfit their new home on the water.
That worked well for us, since they had to get rid of everything in their house. An estate auction was set up, but we had a chance to buy some of the items we were interested in before the auction. So if Tanya and Shane come and stay here, they will feel right at home!
So Stacy is settled in her house, we in ours, and Tanya and Shane about to hit the briny deep. It made sense to spend Christmas vacation together on their boat. So Stacy, Romola and I flew to FLL where Shane picked us up.
Staying in their boat worked well. It is a 3 bedroom/3 bath boat, so there was room for all of us. So we all got together and admired their new home, and even did a day sail in Miami Bay.









