kplady

Good afternoon!

I've been reading all day (at work), but just got home and am able to post.

So sorry for all the illnesses in our Daily Family.  Glad to celebrate with those who have good things happening ( @rafinmdcongratulations Roy on your birthday!).

We were in San Francisco for a few days before our 2019 Maasdam cruise (21 days). We did all the touristy things - Ghirardelli, Fisherman's Wharf, riding the cable cars, walking both down and up Lombard Street (!!), touring Alcatraz, and a bus tour of the city, including going over the Golden Gate Bridge.  We had beautiful weather, and really enjoyed seeing the sights around town.

Enjoy!! Looking forward to your Iceland updates, we'll be there on the NS in August!

Good afternoon everyone!

I just returned from a baby shower for a friend's daughter....a lovely afternoon!

DH and I were in Dominica in January 2017 on the Oosterdam.  We decided to do a ship's excursion to Trafalgar Falls and the Emerald Pool.  On the booking documents it said that it was a "moderate" excursion.  DH has some balance issues and walks with a cane, but can handle moderate.  WELL....it was 133 steps up to the falls, and then about 140 down to the Emerald Pool.  We complained as soon as we got back to the excursion staff - this one should have been marked "strenuous!"

After all that, we had to try the local beer!

Prayers for all in need ( @kazuJacqui, we all miss you and hope you're doing better!), and I'll lift a glass tonight to celebrate with all.

Laura

Good morning!!

I love that today is Eat What You Want - I'm going out to lunch with my DSIL for my birthday, so plan to eat all the goodies!  I've been celebrating all week - I brought goodies to work on Monday to start the celebration, then went out to dinner for an early family celebration (DS's schedules wouldn't work for going out today).  It's a BIG birthday, but I don't feel any different from the last decade!!

So glad to see some of our friends back - @marshhawkglad you enjoyed your vacation.  @kazuI know you have a lot on your plate right now, but the memes really brightened my day, along with your posting.  All who have issues are always in my prayers, with hopes for better days ahead.  Happy to celebrate with those on the Celebrations list.  Take care of yourselves everyone, this is the first place I go in the morning to visit with our Daily friends.

Enjoy,

Laura

Good morning - Happy Mother's Day too all (mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunts, mothers of furry friends, etc).  Hoping everyone will have a great day today.

I found a photo of my family with my mother, taken in 2004 at her assisted living facility.  She was a wonderful mother, and always supported me.  Miss her every day!

Prayers for everyone on our Cares list, and hooray to all on the Celebration list!!

Stay safe,

Laura

Good afternoon!

We've been to Hawaii twice - once on the Zaandam in 2011 (didn't get to Lahaina, surf was too high for the tenders), and again on the Pride of America in 2016. 

I have pictures like others posted, especially the banyan tree.  We did a ship excursion to Haleakala at sunset - the ride up the mountain in the bus was an adventure!

As the sun was setting, the fog rolled into the crater, and our tour guide was so excited because it formed a circular rainbow over the crater!

Prayers for all in need, especially @kazu Jacqui and @cat shepardAnn.  We'll lift a glass to celebrate all the good news, and everyone lucky enough to be on a ship right now!

Laura

I couldn't resist....

@kazuJacqui, I am so sorry to read your post about Jose's passing.  I may not post as often as I should, but I read everything every day, and have been following your struggles.  You and your family will continue to be in my prayers every day. I hope you can remember all the good times you had together. Please take good care of yourself!!

Laura

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Do you mind a question?  I noted on another thread discussion of 14-day cruises out of Vancouver and saw that they were generally stopping in Valdez.  Valdez was actually my first HAL port of call on a 1997 SS Rotterdam cruise Seward to Vancouver.  I don't remember HAL stopping there recently.  Do you know if HAL has stopped there since you started doing the Fleet Reports?

 

Thanks

Roy

Roy,

We were in Valdez in 2019 on the 21 day Maasdam cruise.

Laura

1 hour ago, USN59-79 said:

I suspect that we have cruised together with a lot of the Dailies.  This cruise was great as it was 60 days that started and ended in Los Angeles.  It was also the cruise where the Executive Officer of the USS Pueblo arranged a tour to the DMZ between North and South Korea.  We were on the Amsterdam World Cruise with @rafinmd and the last Westerdam cruise with @sailingdutchy that ended in Cambodia.

Ray

 

Ray,

We were on a Princess cruise in 2013 with veterans, and the XO of the Pueblo was on our cruise - in fact, he set up the meet and greet! We also met Joseph Galloway and Col. Bruce Crandall, discussing the book "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young."  My DH is USMC, and one of the highlights was meeting General James Conway, 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps.  Short cruise (4 days) but extremely patriotic and fun!!

Laura

Good morning everyone!

Two out of 3 days is pretty good - I'm an only child, and I've been working in libraries since high school! (and still working in one).

Haven't been to the destination but have enjoyed pictures of a beautiful remote place.  Food and drink not so much.

I'm still recuperating after my knee replacement.  It's amazing how quickly it's improved - the first couple of days were quite painful, but now it's more of an uncomfortable feeling.  I go to the doctor tomorrow to have the bandage and staples removed, and then (since it's my left leg), I'll be able to drive again!

Hoping everyone will have a good day, and sending healing prayers to all who need them (which is pretty much everyone at one point or another!).

Take care,

Laura

Good afternoon - from HOME!

I had my surgery yesterday afternoon, and was discharged from the hospital this afternoon.  All is good, and I'm definitely happy to be home.  Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers, they definitely helped!!

Laura

6 minutes ago, dfish said:

You should be good to go by August.   For my first knee I had surgery in May and cruised in August.  Went hiking in Acadia National Park and walked for miles in Quebec.  That knee did just fine!   The second knee was a bit more trouble, but it is fine now.  You'll do well.  You remember the drill.  The best thing I did as soon as I could was start doing heel slides in the bed, bending the knee a bit.  I had quite a bit of flexion by the time the physical therapist came to see me.  

I did well with the first - had it at the end of January and cruised on the Maasdam to Alaska (21 days!) in May, and had no problem.  I did the heel slides as soon as I woke up in Recovery, and kept moving as much as possible.

7 minutes ago, dfish said:

 

Wishing you the best on the knee surgery.  I am glad both of my knees are done and doing well.  I don't want to go through that again.

I've already had one done three years ago, hoping this one will go as well.  We're cruising in August!!

Good afternoon!

I haven't posted in ages....things here are a bit hectic.  DH had a prostate procedure and is doing well, but still not back to normal.  I just came back from a long weekend in NC at my best friends house, celebrating her BIG birthday (I'll be catching up to her in about 6 weeks!).  Now I'm getting ready for knee replacement on Friday, dealing with medical clearance appointments, etc. and still trying to get to work before going in to the hospital. So tomorrow is a work day at the library, instead of working from home. 

So very sorry to hear of beloved pets crossing the Rainbow Bridge.  Also so sorry to hear of Covid cases at home and on ships.  It's been such a difficult time for everyone!

I truly appreciate Vietnam Veterans Day.  My DH is a vet (USMC 1967-1971), and served 2 tours in Nam near the DMZ.  He is active in a few veterans groups, but especially the Vietnam War Veterans Association, a local group here on Long Island.  Since they all experienced the same thing it's been very beneficial.  We also will be going back to Kokomo, Indiana where an annual Vietnam Veterans gathering is held every year.  Thousands of veterans come and camp (or stay in hotels, like us!), and they have music and time to gather and chat.  The field (used to be a corn field) is call the Healing Field, and it feels like that every time we go.  So thank you to all the veterans here in our Daily family - I appreciate your sacrifices and time spent away from family and friends.

OK, back to work (from home) for a few more minutes.  Thanks for this absolutely wonderful place, I can't wait to read it every day.

Take care,

Laura

Bon voyage, have a wonderful time!

6 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

  I cannot admit it to anyone except you, my cruising friends, but I was in a hurry to figure out this hip problem because we have a cruise booked for July, going to Iceland and Greenland, and I just ow there is going to be a lot of walking involved.  It sounds terribly selfish!

 

 

Ann, I agree with you - I need to have a knee replacement (had the right one done 3 years ago, now it's the left's turn). We're sailing for 24 days to Canada, Greenland and Iceland in August, so I've scheduled the surgery for April 1st (April Fools Day!), figuring that 4 months recovery should be fine.  Hope you can find out what your hip problem is so you'll be fine to walk around on your cruise!!

Laura

Good evening, I'm finally on later today! (was at work and didn't have time during the day...)

Wish I still had a dog to walk. I had a poodle when I was growing up who was my little brother - he would even sit on the end of the couch and watch TV with the family!  Once I got married my DH and I couldn't agree on what kind of dog to have - I was up for almost anything, but he would only have a Boston terrier (his grandfather used to breed them). I had a bad experience with a Boston who lived on my block growing up, so since we couldn't decide we didn't get a dog.  Once we had kids, I always said I was waiting for them to be housebroken before we got a dog....still waiting!!

Finally another port we've been to.  We were in Victoria on 4 of our 5 Alaska cruises. In 2008 (Amsterdam 7 day) we sailed with DH's two sisters. His one sister and I went to the Empress Hotel for High Tea, and DH and his other sister went on a pub crawl (yes, they sent a HAL staff person to make sure everyone got back to the ship!)

In 2012 on our first 14 day cruise on the Amsterdam, we went to Butchart Gardens....DH wasn't sure about it, but once we got there he was as awed as I was!

We went back to Butchart Gardens in 2017 on our second 14 day Amsterdam cruise.  DH had fallen on a tour boat in Homer, and ended up with a broken bone in his foot and wearing a removable cast. I wasn't sure if he really wanted to see the gardens again but he was insistent that we go...and he walked the whole time we were there!

We went to Victoria again on our last cruise in 2019 (21 days on the Maasdam), but decided to do something different.  We did a brewery tour which was a LOT of fun!!

Hoping everyone is having a good evening (or afternoon, or night, depending on your location).  Prayers are always said for our Care list, and even those not on there but needing one.  Cheers to our celebration lists. @irishjimHappy birthday and so glad to hear good news about Sheila!

Take care,

Laura

Good afternoon from a cloudy and chilly New York....

Love the days today (Chocolate Mint is only acceptable to me as Girl Scout Cookies, not a fan of ice cream with that flavor).  Whale day made me go through my photos and find one from our 2017 Amsterdam (14 day) cruise to Alaska.  We did a whale watch tour, and happened to see a bubble net feeding!  The crew on the boat were all so excited, it was the first of the season for them also!

Prayers for all needing them (Jacqui, Jose, Tana, @irishjimand those I can't remember, but keep in my prayers every day.  Cheers for those cruising - we have 165 days until our cruise, which we're really looking forward to.

Stay well, be happy!

Laura

Good morning everyone!

I've been reading, liking and laughing every day (multiple times a day, to keep up with everyone!), but don't always have time to post. Most of the meals and drinks aren't very interesting to me, and I'm not a wine connoisseur so some might be good but I'd have to try them (something to think about on our next cruise.....!!).  Boy Scout Day is something I'll definitely celebrate today - both our DSs started in Cub Scouts (I was the den leader for both!), and our younger son continued on to Boy Scouts and eventually earned Eagle Scout.  Obviously I'm a very proud mama for that!

Since we live on Long Island, we've been to NY City quite a few times.  I'm probably in the minority, but if we moved away I wouldn't miss it terribly.  We did sail from there a few times (2008, Noordam to Caribbean, 2013, Carnival Splendor to Caribbean, 2013 Norwegian Breakaway to Bermuda, and 2014 Breakaway to Caribbean).  Most of my pictures are very similar to those already posted.  My favorite was when we were returning to New York early in the morning on the Splendor.

Hoping everyone has a good day.  Prayers for those with medical issues, heat issues, and family issues.  Cheers to the much longer Celebration list!  This is such a warm and friendly place to visit - I would love to cruise with ALL of you sometime!

Take care,

Laura

@grapau27Graham, thanks so much for posting Father David's sermons.  He has a wonderful way of expressing his thoughts, and I really enjoy them every week.

We ended up getting about 18 inches of snow here....we've cleared the sidewalks, but still have to do the walkway to the side door.  I have to get the car cleared for my DS so he can go to work tomorrow (he's in NYC seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as his birthday present!).  My DH and I do a little, then come in and warm up, then go back to do more.  I know lots of people don't like this weather, but I think it's great! 

Also, thanks so much to @kazuJacqui for letting us know about Sno Joe - we bought one and it worked GREAT!  The snow is a bit deep but we just did the top layer and then worked our way down.  All 4 of us had fun yesterday clearing the sidewalks and the car still parked in the street. (yes, that's me all bundled up with it)

Sorry all our Florida friends are feeling the chill today.  Hope everyone has better weather and stays comfortable and warm!

Laura

Good snowy afternoon from New York!

We've got over 10 inches of the white stuff so far, and it's not supposed to stop until dinnertime.  They're predicting 12-18 inches total.  It's hard to measure because it's also extremely windy - we've already shoveled the sidewalks twice, and they're completely covered again!

We were in Talkeetna on our Coral Princess land and cruise trip in 2014.  Any pictures of the town that I may have would be similar to @Quartzsite CruiserLenda's pictures. It was a cute little town, and we enjoyed our visit there. We also were at the train station to catch the train back to Whittier.

@grapau27Graham and Pauline, I second the other comments about visiting Alaska.  We went for the first time in 2008 (Amsterdam 7 days), with my DH complaining about seeing girls in parkas, he'd rather see them in bikinis.  After that trip we've been back FOUR times at his request - 2012 (Amsterdam, 14 days), 2014 (Coral Princess, 7 days plus land), 2017 (Amsterdam 14 days), and 2019 (Maasdam 21 days - our favorite).  The scenery and wildlife are beyond amazing, and we've had temperatures in the 70s in Anchorage (which feels warmer than 70 in New York). 

So glad to hear some positive news about Tana, and hopeful news about Jacqui visiting Jose.  Praying that all on our Cares list can be moved to the Celebration list very soon!

Stay safe and warm, and if you're in the path of this storm, be careful!

Laura

3 hours ago, Btimmer said:

While we're not done yet, thanks to everyone who's followed along. Are we cruising again? Look for a thread this summer when we go north to Alaska for a land and sea tour.  Then in August, we're off to Greenland & Iceland.

Hi Tim,

What cruise are you on in August to Greenland and Iceland? We're doing 24 days on the Nieuw Statendam going there!

Thanks for your blog and posting here - I love traveling along vicariously with you. Stay healthy!

Laura

Good afternoon!

@grapau27Graham, thanks so much for posting the weekly sermons.  Your vicar has a wonderful way with words, and I'm enjoying them every week!

@smitty34877Happy birthday!

Laura

Good afternoon!

I tried to get on earlier, but food shopping took me away from the computer. Hoping everyone is safe from the weather - we're supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow (and I'm going in to the office and having a retirement luncheon to boot!)  So praying that the snow plows keep the roads cleared.

We've been to Grand Cayman twice - once in 2016 on Coral Princess and again in 2017 on the Oosterdam.

On the first visit we went on an island tour which included Hell and Rum Point beach.  We hadn't thought to wear/bring bathing suits so we just enjoyed the view.

On our second visit, we were supposed to go to a beach for a relaxing morning...however, the surf was very bad and that tour was cancelled.  For our alternate, we chose to drink the morning away - we went to the Cayman Brewery, Tortuga Rum Cakes, and Cayman Spirits...all before lunch!!!

Prayers for all in need, cheers to all celebrating!

Laura