swanhaven

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

Small world - yeah, we should definitely get together. If not in Van, for sure on the ship! I'm still procrastinating on which hotel to book for the Saturday night - part of my sticker shock, I now realise, is due to our crappy exchange rate. Seriously, over $400CAD for the Crowne Plaza in San Pedro? I mean, it's a decent place, but it's not worth that price! I probably should get on it, though...

Our dollar is such a letdown when it comes to u.s hey?  I think we got in for 225ish u.s - I don't want to do the math!!

If we pop down to Vancouver in the next while I'll dm you - April is so far away and I might need to go T&T to load up on snacks lol!

5 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

We should meet up! I literally live about 8 minutes walk from there!

We should! We go to Vancouver regularly (I grew up there and our son and my whole family live there - he's downtown too)

The next planned trip isn't until right before the Bliss LA - YVR trip you're on. We live in the Yukon so we'll piggy back on our flight to California to spend 3 days in Vancouver before heading out on the Bliss from LA.

4 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

It’s been a long month! Took the kids to our local Aussie bar this evening!

Love it there - we go often 🙂

50 minutes ago, geonurse said:

Wow- no, we sailed to San Juan, Amber cove and grand Turk dec 2-10♥️

Thanks and thanks for doing your review also 🙂 🙂

Was your sailing off the coast of Cancun last Monday?
I ask because we are on an island just off the coast but north of Cozumel and I looked out the window….lo and behold there was what I think to be the MG.

Normally we see them quite far out to sea but this one was close enough for me to count the lifeboats.

Thought it was odd.

I can see the pics in the last post 🙂

Thanks for the review also!

I can't see them either 😞

On 12/20/2021 at 11:26 AM, OrcaGirl said:

Random notes as I enjoy my first mojito of the day and wait for the husband to get back from the gym:

 

The husband thinks the Garden Cafe is smaller on the Bliss vs the Encore, I just think it’s a slightly different layout, e.g. the bar is at the very front and easy to miss. Cruise ship hash browns may be my favourite thing, but I didn’t see a single one this morning! Buffet remains self-serve but they seem to have staff at the juice/coffee stations.

 

I love the fact you refer you refer to your husband as 'the husband' - that's how I refer to mine also - - people either look at me funny or laugh when I first say that to them when talking about him.

In my phone his name is 'The Husband is Calling'

On Bliss in April from LA also so thanks for the review

I live in the Yukon and it's 8:35 here - 7:35 AK time

6 minutes ago, Von & John said:

 

Denali & part of the AK Range from the Talkeetna Overlook - SAT, 05/14/22

 

Your leaves are starting to pop….we’re almost at that point here too hooray!
The swans have moved on and the swallows just showed up yesterday bickering over the houses we have for them.

Spring is sproinging 👍👍

1 hour ago, Ukigirl said:

Haha I will. We saw the Fear Inoculum tour back in 2019

So did we! Great show🙂🙂

Apologies if this posted twice….having a glitchy Sunday 

11 hours ago, Ukigirl said:

Yes! His favorite band

Tell him a random on the internet thinks he has the best taste. They’re one of our favourites too 🙂🙂

Thanks for doing the report….and not just because of Tool!

3 hours ago, Ukigirl said:

 

By any fraction of a chance is that tshirt a Tool shirt?

On 4/16/2022 at 11:21 PM, Saint Greg said:

Then of course one of “the big four.” You don’t get to see this every day.

 

 

 

Nice!
We went to the Big 4 in Indio, CA however many years ago.

Was a great show and tons of fun

2 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

This particular dive is called Raglan and is in North Vancouver, just across the water on the seabus. First time there and will definitely go back! Raglans Bistro

We’re heading to town on Thursday and will try to make it over.

I need a cloned version of myself just to eat and drink (ok, let’s be real and reverse that order….to drink and eat) everywhere I go.

Thanks for the info!

Please do tell which treasured dive this might be.

I love divey bars and am in Vancouver regularly.

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

I forgot to post this pick from the second Happy Hour over the weekend. Frozen margaritas with fresh raspberries and an extra shot of tequila for $5.95CAD!!! The place was a dive but the drinks were awesome!!!!

 

On 2/24/2022 at 8:55 PM, ceilidh1 said:

And so it begins…so considerate of YVR to put the Stanley park taphouse right next to my gate!

I was there for breakfast yesterday…..only it was wine instead 🙂

Have a super trip!!!!

13 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

Question for fellow Canadian TRIBE members.  I'm trying to educate myself on what it is like to be a resident of Canada.  Our current neighbors are from Canada and were explaining to me that they can only spend so much time out of the country as snowbirds, it's a law.  They were also explaining to me that as they biologically age the cost of the health insurance they must purchase to spend time in the US goes up and eventually it is too expensive.

 

What I am wondering is how is retirement income calculated in Canada?  Is it similar to US's social security?  That is based on the highest income one makes during so many quarters and it is paid monthly.  Is Canada's system similar?

 

Thanks in advance.

I can’t speak to comparison between social security and our system but I can comment on the 6 month thing.

We can leave Canada for as long as we want - the catch is health care. If we leave for more than 6 months we lose our healthcare perks so the bulk of snowbirds venture off for no more than 6 month stints.

Workplace pensions vary…..where I work, it is based on your best (highest paying) 5 years of income.

Some employers provide RRSP contributions instead of the system my work has- I think an RRSP is similar to a 501k or is it 401? but I don’t actually know that for sure.

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

Well, my non drinking streak ended at two days last night. I sort of wish that I didn't, as I may have gone slightly overboard. At least I did finish and fold the laundry. I honestly don't even remember doing that...

don’t post much -if at all, but was compelled by this post.

I like it when I wake up and the washrooms are sparkling and the laundry is all folded - housework is better when I don’t remember doing it.(I know it’s me that does it, the alternative is parallel universe stuff- I can count on one hand the # of times the husband has cleaned a washroom)

Doesn’t happen often but when it does…..yay me!

On 4/22/2021 at 5:43 PM, ceilidh1 said:

Reported on the BC news today was that Alaska was vaccinating Canadians up in the Yukon! Thanks Alaska!

I'm just catching up on this thread but as a resident of the Yukon - whichever channel this information came from is misinformed. We lucked out and have enough moderna to double dose every resident in the Territory - the hard part is getting everyone to do it.

One of our local breweries is now offering a free pint to anyone who comes in with proof they got their first shot within the past 24 hours of their visit - the company wants us to open up as much as we can asap so they can make moolah.

And we can have more fun.

DH and I had both our shots completed 2 months ago.

@Von & John we've had about 75 swans hanging around our place for the past week or so resting and enjoying the smorgasbord.....further up the lake they have only counted about 800 so far. I think it was a couple years ago when they counted about 3000.

Our weather is so messed up lately we'll see what happens this year.

22 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

Pimento Cheese  --  UGH!!!

Grew up in the Mid-West where it was popular & never a fan...

 

@Slainte57 - Our Annual Goal is to have ALL Snow/Ice gone from our yard by Memorial Day...
Not always successful - but that's the goal 🙂 

There have been years where I've stomped the snow/ice to break it up & disburse it - so it'd be gone by June 1st...

So looking forward to a couple of months in warm weather this coming winter 🙂

@Von & John

I'm "next door" in the Yukon- - - they say it's spring, the swans are here in droves and this is the view right now - someone forgot to tell the weather though.

I'm in Canada also but are one of the lucky ones - I live in a very small jurisdiction so the husband and I had both Moderna's done by early March - my mum is in Vancouver BC (75 years old) and is getting her first shot on Thursday.  My son is under 30 in Vancouver also and is scheduled for June-ish.

We got ours early mainly due the fact our hospital where I live here simply doesn't have capacity for any sort of outbreak (we have 4 ICU beds)

Very appreciative for getting the shots so soon for sure!

15 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Sadly, I'm not classed as "essential" despite having worked throughout the pandemic, face to face with the public in a position that I can't do from home. 

Oh my interpretation was the age based rollout was separate than the front line rollout - my bad! 

27 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

My cruise BFF in MA got her first shot yesterday. Second scheduled first week of April. At least one of us might get to cruise soon. Meanwhile in BC.....crickets....

About half way down this page an update 🙂

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/covid-19-vaccines-teachers-grocery-store-workers-first-responders-next-in-line-for-astrazeneca-dose-in-b-c-1.5352291

My son gets April and my mum is eligible starting March 27