Quartzsite Cruiser

Good morning from a partly cloudy and windy central Texas. It will be cooler today 94F, but not quite as cool as predicted -- 90F. This will be quick since I want to get the yard done while the temperatures are still in the 70s and 80sF. We also use quite a few onions when cooking. Living in Texas and Arizona, sunglasses are a must. I haven't played Bingo in 20 years, but I've enjoyed it. On an early cruise on a very small ship, they let the DD's play bingo since there was no age requirement. May people who played the last day to try to win the jackpot were upset when younger DD won. The CD told them she had been playing all week while they hadn't. The next time we were on the ship, they were no longer old enough to play. The quote is interesting, but I think people want to be loved and understood. The meal sounds good, but we'll pass on the drink and wine. I'm just not into blue drinks. We have been to Korcula once in 2016 on Prinsendam. It was a substitute port when our Black Sea cruise was canceled after the attempted coup in Turkiye. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad your DH's gout is improving. I hope Tana had a better night last night. @aliaschief I hope you find your neighbor's keys. @Crazy For Cats Enjoy your day in Halifax. Korcula as seen from the Prinsendam. The old walled town. You can either enter the walled town by climbing steep steps or by walking around the outside of the wall until you come to an easier entrance. One of the narrow and steep passages to reach the center of the walled town. Cafes lined the walk around the outside of the wall. DH inspecting part of the wall where a column was separating from the wall. One of the many plazas in the town One of the churches in the old town A small chapel Another narrow street down to the promenade The area outside the easier steps Part of the wall and tower from two angles The small boat harbor The Prinsendam waiting for our return We enjoyed our day exploring this picturesque port. Lenda

Susan, I'm happy you decided to adopt Monty. I think he is very lucky to have Bandit and you as his forever family. Lenda

Good afternoon again. The only thing left to do is folding the last load of towels. After the house was clean, I had to go up into the attic and change the a/c filter, which really needed changing. Note to self for next year is to change the filter in April or early May when it is still cool. I think I have finally cooled off enough to be able to take a shower. I will celebrate my beautician today, and schedule a visit later this week. I really miss my stylist who retired in 2020. She had a sign on her station that read: "I'm a Beautician, Not a Magician". Like a lot of things, forgiveness is easier said than done. 'I've only been in a canoe once at a summer camp. That is when I realized canoeing was not for me. The Socrates quote is so true, and more people need realize that they don't know a lot, much less everything. The meal looks good and I will save the recipes. This dish was served on the Koningsdam and except for the first time, it was good. My guess is the first cook went home and a new cook prepared the next dishes. We'll pass on the drink. The wine sounds lovely, but not the price. 😱 @grapau27 Graham, I enjoyed seeing the pictures of your church. It looks so peaceful and relaxing. If you are ever in Sydney, Nova Scotia, there is an older Anglican church not far from the pier. When we were there in 2019, the ladies of the church had it open for visitors. Somehow, I didn't get a picture of the outside. I loved the simplicity of the church. Thank you for your kind comments about todays pictures. @mamaofami Carol, I hope Sam is doing better and that he will be home soon. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad Tana is improving, but oh my, on the fever and night time cough. Hope things continue to improve for her. Glad that your DH is walking better and the gout is clearing up. @kazu Jacqui, your friend's garden is lovely, and I hope being there with friends and family, and not having to do anything is having a restorative effect. I loved the pictures of the M&G and Captain DD. @HAL Sailer Melisa, you summed up the Daily perfectly. Curt and your family remain in my thoughts. @ger_77 Gerry, have you tried making chicken Parmigiana in the air fryer? It has turned out well for me. @marshhawk Ann, DH can sympathize with you about the arm art. They had a hard time finding a vein for the blood test and for the IV, and it made for interesting designs. @Nickelpenny Bon Voyage and enjoy your cruise on the Westerdam. @1ANGELCAT 🥇 Yeah for the cats! @JazzyV Vanessa, I'm glad the leg is improving. Lenda

@mamaofami 🎂 💐 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROL! 🥂 🎈 I hope you are having a great day. Lenda

The second set of @StLouisCruisers Sandi's pictures. This is the interior of a rail car on the Kuranda railway. And here is the outside of the train... Our first stop was at Barron Falls... But due to little rainfall beforehand the falls were pretty sparse... But we all enjoyed the stop anyway... Unfortunately, this was my view from my appointed seat in the railcar... At this point I'd had enough of being inside so I stepped between the two rail cars to take photos out the left and right side. You had to be very careful though. This is the view at my feet. The metal plates can rotate a little so you had to keep your feet out of the way. The view out the right side... Sometimes all I had to see were trees, but other times I saw things like this... Or this on my right... Eventually on the flat land... At the end we stopped at Freshwater Station, where we got off. Back on the bus for our ride back to the ship. It was a fun day and I'm glad I went. These days DH doesn't go on every tour with me as he prefers to relax on the ship. It works for us to split up for a few hours so I can see what's around our ports of call.

This is the first set of @StLouisCruisers Sandi's pictures from Cairns. Arriving on the Sun Princess. A sunny day of course! A few photos around town. It was pretty warm there for sure. We walked through a farmer's market area. I won't show the dozen photos of lovely fruits and veggies. Next we walked by an arena. DH continued the walk while I left on my Kuranda and Barron Gorge tour. Here is a local pool. Very nice facilities. Then he walked on the Esplanade past the small boat marina to the ship. Meanwhile I arrived by bus tour at Kuranda, the rainforest village. There you could go through the butterfly sanctuary... or Birdworld... or go shopping... I'm not sure what you use the alligator heads for... I ran into CC friends Eileen and Clive who ran their own tour company. They were guiding a group that day. In case you've ever wondered how to spell didjeridu... I'll continue next post with the train ride through Barron Gorge National Park. Edited September 16, 2021 by StLouisCruisers

A quick good afternoon. I'm late today since I was cleaning house. It seems today might be about the only day in several days I could get this chore done. I am going to post my pictures from Cairns, which were posted on September 16, 2021. Then, I'll look for @StLouisCruisers Sandi's pictures. We were in Cairns once in 2002 on the APEC cruise on the Volendam. As per our usual habit, we rented a car. We drove north to Kuranda and then further north to Port Douglas. Many of my pictures are of the rainforest and streams, but there are a few from each stop, plus a few of Cairns. Most of the ones of Cairns were taken from the ship. These are from our drive to Kuranda through the rainforest. Barron Falls was also dry in 2002, so they must not have had much rain then either. Kuranda A couple of the older train engines The only picture from Port Douglas is overlooking Four Mile Beach, but it is a nice town. Cairns as we drove back to the ship with Volendam in the background of the last one Cairns from the ship The sun setting over the western mountains The sail away down the channel to the ocean was interesting. We were about a quarter mile down the channel, when Captain Peter Harris got a call from Medical that a passenger needed to go to the hospital. The ship backed down the channel to the dock. Captain Harris told us later that it was easier and quicker to back the ship up than to turn it around. Lenda

Welcome. Except for a few that followed the original Fleet Report, most of us were new to The Daily and were lurkers for a while. We were all welcomed and made to feel a part of what became known as the Daily Family. We hope to see you here often. During a couple of recent cruses, I've had the chance to meet some of the Dailyites on the Koningsdam. It was like meeting friends with none of the awkward getting to know you. Even without having met, we had cruising in common and also "knew" each other from the Daily. Enjoy your Westerdam cruise. Lenda

Welcome to the Daily (and Fleet Report). Since you've been reading and following for some time, you already know this is the friendliest, most supportive site on CC. Please join us any time. Lenda

A late good morning or an early good afternoon depending where you live. It is not quite noon and it's already 95F. Tomorrow will be the last 100+day until next Sunday. I never thought I'd hope for days in the 90sF, but we'll take any cooling we can. Instead of mowing the yard, which is beginning to look bad, today, I'm waiting until Monday. That will be the coolest day with a predicted high of 92F and cloudy. I've always liked the look of a log cabin, but have never stayed in one. Now days, they are more like log mansions. In Texas, is easy to find catfish, but it's usually fried. That's our version of fish and chips. I prefer my catfish grilled and with the right seasoning it can be good. We haven't had it in a few years as we mostly have salmon now. We don't drink cocktails often, but the bartenders on BHBs are wonderful. I like the Dr. Seuss quote. It's been years since we.ve had sloppy joes, but they are always with ground beef. DH really likes them, and I think they're okay. I may have to put Manwich on the grocery list. We will pass on the drink, but the wine sounds nice, and I enjoy a good zinfandel. We have not been to Guaymas -- yet. @Crazy For Cats BON VOYAGE! @StLouisCruisers Sandi, @Cruzin Terri Terri gave you some very good advice. Listen to your bodies and don't over do. At the same time, enjoy the rest of your cruise. @mamaofami Carol, I'm sorry Sam is still in the hospital, but if that prevents pneumonia then it's worthwhile. Enjoy your special day tomorrow. @HAL Sailer Melissa, I'm so sorry Curt has mental confusion on top of everything else. I hope that it is just a temporary side effect of the accident and anesthesia. I feel sorry for DH's DS having to sell her beloved lake property. It takes a strong person to make such a decision. I hope she is happy in her new home once she moves and settles in. Your family are in my thoughts during this time. @JazzyV Vanessa, I'm sorry the leg was not better last night. I hope the antibiotics clear up the infection soon. @dobiemom Your trip and cruise sound lovely. When do you leave? @ottahand7 The cabin with the grounds and lake look so relaxing. However, I could not put up with the mosquitoes and black flies. @Cruising-along The bunnies look cute. I hope you DD and DGS enjoy the rabbits. @Vict0riann Ann, DH had steroid shots in the outer hip near the bursa sac. They help him greatly for quite a few years before they stopped working. When we met you on the Koningsdam, Pat looked like he was doing all right, so maybe he just twisted his back wrong, and is at the stage where regular steroid shots will help for several years. Lenda

Ann, I'm sorry to hear that your DH could hardly walk last night. I don't want to alarm you, but those are the same problems that DH has. Tell him what happened to DH Tuesday night. After two nights in the hospital and getting an IV with 1000mg of Prednisone, he can walk again. He will be having out patient physical therapy beginning Tuesday. I agree a visit to the hospital or walk-in clinic might prevent your DH from going through what we did this week. Sending very positive thoughts and best wishes that things improve for him soon. Lenda

Sandi, that is great news. Hope he feels like a stroll through what looks like a lovely town on a beautiful day. Sorry you can't find the lemonade concentrate, and it's not something you could have sent to you. I'm not sure about the lemon cordial concentrate. Lenda

The pink lemonade frozen concentrate is sweetened. When I looked it up on the grocery store site, the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, and another further down the list is simple sugar. The lemonade was not overly sweet, but it wasn't really tart either. The lemonade is not a major ingredient at 6 ounces, but it does provide the lemonade flavor. Regular lemonade might not be as sweet. It is about the easiest pie I've ever made since I used a store bought crust. All you have to do is mix the ingredients and put the filling in the crust. I'm very glad @ger_77 Gerry shared her recipe with the Daily. Lenda

The lemonade pie was a success. At first, DH said it was good, but after the second bite, he amended it to very good. Even using the extra creamy Cool Whip, the pie was very light and refreshing. It would be good with the graham cracker crust, but we thought the Oreo crust added just the right touch of sweetness to the pie. @mamaofami Carol, that is good news the PCR test was negative. Even though Sam can't be there, I hope you enjoy your birthday. @USN59-79 Ray, glad you can go longer between shots. I hope you are right and the shots are curing you. @marshhawk Ann, DH likes Spam, and would fry it when he was in colege. When we've been in Hawaii, he would have it for breakfast with his eggs. DH reminded me that we have been in Alter do Chao on our Amazon cruise on the old Regal Princess. The port that day was Satarem, but our taxi drove through Alterndo Chao and we stopped at the church. My pictures are similar to the ones @Vict0riann Ann posted earlier. Yesterday, we noticed gas prices at at least two statioms had dropped another 24 cents per gallon. Wonder if they will go up again for the July 4th weekend. Lenda

@VMax1700 Have a safe flight home tomorrow. I hope the airports are not horrible, and that everything goes smoothly.

@USN59-79 I forgot to say what good news your eye examination was. Do you still need the shots on a regular basis? @ger_77 Gerry, I thought I'd show you a picture of the pie before we cut into it later today. I doubt that with regulate Cool Whip it would have piled up that high without running over the sides. I'll let you know how it was with the Oreo crust, but then what could go wrong with chocolate? 😉 Lenda

Vanessa, I'm sorry your leg and foot are bothering you. I'm glad they gave you an antibiotic and I hope it helps solve the problem soon. Ann, thank you for sharing your pictures of Alter do Chao. It looks a lot more prosperous than Boca de Valeria that we visited on our Amazon cruise in 2006. Lenda

Ray, I do not look down on those who enjoy fish heads or any other exotic food. I realize that different cultures enjoy different foods, probably based on what was available before transportation opened up the world. In my case, I have tried foods from different distant lands and have enjoyed many of them. There are some fish I enjoy, but I'm not a big fish eater, and fish heads, just like parts of lobsters other than the claws and tails do not appeal to me. Growing up in west Texas, we did not have access to much fresh fish, except mostly mostly catfish and bass. Our diet relied mainly on beef, pork and poultry, which might explain a lot about my preferences. BTW, those of us who do not enjoy fish heads and eyes leave more for those who do. 😉 Lenda

Great. I figured you had, but just wanted to be sure. Lenda

Good morning from sunny and hot central Texas. It was humid this morning when I went out to pick up a prescription for DH, who is doing well. It would be nice if we could see the fairies and if our fairy godmother could wave her wand and make everything all right. The modern food trucks are good even though we have not tried one yet. The one that came to my dorm on Sunday nights was from an Italian restaurant near the UT campus. Sunday dinner was an individual pepperoni pizza. We do not have a dog now nor do we work, but when DH did, the dogs often came to work. I love today's quote and laughter does help. We are not curry eaters, but if we were there would be no curry with fish heads. We'll also pass on the drink, but the wine sounds nice, and we like Pino Noirs. We have been to Brazil a few times, but not to Alter do Chao. @Sharon in AZ 💐 🎈 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🥂 🌹 @StLouis Cruiser Sandi, I'm sorry your DH is still testing positive. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your DD. @richwmn Rich, I hope your FB account was not hacked. You might still want to go into FB (but of course not through the email link) and change your password to one you have never used on any other site. Last month, someone in Florida used my password to send a link to everyone of my friends, and then to their friends. We got an email from FB within a few minutes and at about the time I saw several messages from friends about the link, plus posts on my page. We changed the password, but they found it. The second new password, that no one but my father and I ever even mentioned 50 plus years ago, has not been found. In my case, we think they got in through messenger. We checked several software sites which say there are problems with messenger and to uninstall it if you have it. We did uninstall messenger, which means I have not read the messages since then. @grapau27 Graham, I'm glad the steroid shot is working so well already. There should be more imprudent in the next day or two. @smitty34877 Terry, thanks for the latest picture of Camilla with her Grandpa. She is precious and growing so fast. I'm glad Tana and your DH got to watch the graduation on line. @1ANGELCAT YIKES! 😱 More delays in getting a response to medical requests from the doctor or his nurse. No matter how busy he is, existing patients should have their needs met quickly. I'm glad the new medicine is working. @durangoscots Susan, I'm sorry there are more Covid cases among the staff. Hope the rest of the renovations can be completed easily. Glad you are getting some much needed rain. @jimgev Safe travels tomorrow, and BON VOYAGE Sunday on Eurodam. Have a great cruise. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad your plane is on the way, and safe travels. Have a good weekend and let your sister and friends comfort and support you if necessary. That's a great picture of Jose. Glad you new iPhone is in safe hands. @marshhawk Ann, it sounds like you got a fairly good report from the doctor if she lowered your medication intake and did not take away your treats. Keep up the good work and strive to be her best patient. @ger_77 Gerry, I made the Lemonade Pie this morning and we'll try it at supper tonight. I listened to @dfish Debbie's advice about tweaking recipes, and changed the crust to an Oreo crust. When we were on Koningsdam, I had lemonade with my chocolate chip cookies, and they went well together, so I thought the Oreo crust might work. I'll let you know how it went. Also, I have been using the extra creamy Cool Whip which is thicker, and I was able to pile all the filling in the crust. Lenda

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us. I've enjoyed tagging along.

@kazu Jacqui, I hope you sister and friends can help make this anniversary and weekend less painful. Safe travels. DH and I want to thank everyone for their support and good wishes. He is doing well and has started doing the home exercises. His walking has greatly improved, too. This truly is the place to be in times of joy and times ofstrss and sorrow. Lenda

Good afternon. As usual, it was hurry up and wait, but DH was discharged about 1 pm and we were home about 1:30. I got everything we took with us and all the used and non-used items from the room put away. The unused toothpate, toothbrush, shower gel and body lotion will be taken to Quartzsite. They will be donated to a place called Carol's Closet, which gives used clothes to the needy, and I think it is an off shoot of the food bank. They said they can also use toiletries and laundry supplies. After a couple of stressful days, we're just relaxing this afternoon and staying cool inside. Tonight we'll have hamburgers grilled on the George Foreman. It’s 101F and too hot to cook out. @dfish Debbie, I like the blonde hair, but the last version was good too. @grapau27 I'm glad the shot didn't hurt much. @1ANGELCAT Sorry this doctor does not seem to support his patients with timely prescriptions and by putting off necessary appointments. It sounds like your hospital needs to add another neurologist. @Crazy For Cats Congratulations on the negative test results. BON VOYAGE and have a great cruise. Lenda

We just saw the physical therapist. She had DH walk around the hall and showed him some exercises to do at home. We decided to come here twice a week for therapy too, so he can use some of their machines. Today he is walking pretty well. The nurse practioner, and she is doing the discharge paper work. It turned out the new medicine was a shot for people who are in bed here for a long time and is given to all patients. Since DH is going home today, he refused the shot. So things are looking up. Lenda

🎂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COLIN! 🥂