Quartzsite Cruiser

Carol, that is good news that Sam had his surgery yesterday and that it was successful. You couldn't have asked for a better anniversary present. Try to get some rest now that the surgery is done. Lenda

I agree about coming back to a messy house. DH doesn't always understand why I clean the house a day or two before we leave. Lenda

Annie, I'm sorry your DH's recovery from eye surgery will take so long. It's bad when therapists cut someone's time to help another. It sounds like they over scheduled with patients. Hope the woman answers and completes the sale. Joy, that is quite a bit of damage. I'm glad your DS was not injured. Gerry, I'm sorry you are still bothered by smoke. Joy, we've been dealing with the black crickets for a couple of months, but we are now seeing fewer crickets in the house. I still saw some in the yard the last couple of days. Maybe with our highs dropping, they are moving south. 😉 Jacqui, I know things in the yard have to be done before there is frost. I was thinking more about inside the house. Thank you, Graham. Lenda

Since it is possible to go to Kahului from Lahaina, especially if you rent a car, I decided to post the links to the times Lahaina was the port of the day. If anyone has pictures from Kahului with Lahaina as the port, they should be able to find them on the links. This is what I posted on May 4, 2022, of the areas that are also accessible from Kahului. I looked through my pictures from Maui and found some of our drive around the northern tip of the island, the Iao Valley and Hana. Here are a few pictures of the northern coast and valleys. It is a very pretty area of Maui, but the road is narrow and winding. There are small communities and settlements along the road. Hana is a long, winding drive from Lahaina, but the scenery is beautiful. We saw this bus parked in Hana. Hana would be more accessible from Kahului. We stopped at this hotel with the lovey lanai. Hana Beach Park We visited the Iao Valley in 2000 on P&O Oriana. At that time you could drive a long way into the valley. This is Iao Needle which rises 1200 feet above sea level. To protect the Iao Valley environment, it is now a state monument. You can only drive a short way into the valley to the visitor area with many walkways and trails. These are from our 2013 Zaandam cruise. Lenda

@mamaofami Carol, wishing you and Sam a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY today, and many more to come. I hope Sam can have his bleed fixed soon. Lenda

Ahoy Dailyites. It looks like it will be a nice day in central Texas with just a few scattered clouds. It is 73F and feels like 73F with 81% humidity and a dew point of 67F. There is an 8mph wind, so it should be pleasant for my walk a little later. The predicted high will be 93F. I'm not sure what is on the agenda today. I do need to get either grass seeds or sod on the bare strip of yard where the crabgrass was, but after two days of yard work I need to take a break today. I have the grass seed, but no sod, and I also could use a little top soil to even the ground. I'm not much for talking like a pirate and do not like butterscotch pudding. Dancing is nice, but that will have to wait for a while. The Robert Frost quote is true. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. I think with Shiraz as the main grape, I would like to try the wine before I bought a bottle. We have never docked in Kahului, but have driven through the town at few times when we rented cars. I looked yesterday for pictures, but couldn't find any. I thought I'd taken some, but I guess not. Good for New Zealand for giving women the vote in 1893. @kazu Jacqui, it sounds like you are making progress on the yard cleanup. Just do what you can and what really needs to be done. The rest can wait until after your cruise. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope you have a smooth and safe flight. I hope Ren feels better soon. Lenda

Glad you made it safely and had a good time. Lenda

Good afternoon from a beautiful day in central Texas. It is 90F now, but was in the 80s while I was still working outside. The sun was making it warm, but the last hour or so, I was in the shade, so it wasn't so bad. By the time I was finished, I was covered in dirt and grass, but I finally got most of the crabgrass in the front yard pulled, and quite a bit in the area which was not planted with grass. There is still a fair amount of crab grass in the unplanted area, but it is what I was not able to pull up, and there is a bit more on the edge of the back yard, but that will wait for another day. In about three hours, I managed to fill four 33 gallon bags and got them out in time for the trash pick up. Sadly, there is no composting or recycling in our area. I doubt if anyone would want compost from crabgrass anyway. My arms and legs are telling me that I did enough for one day. The weed pulling went a lot more quickly once I remembered DH had a couple of pads for kneeling, but i found it was easier to sit on them and rotate which one I was using as I moved forward along the weeds. It looks like I might need to get a few bags of top soil to fill in low areas before I spread the new grass seeds. It might even be better to put some Bermuda sod down if the garden center still has some left. The good news is that some of the Bermuda has spread from the area we planted to some parts of the area I weeded. A little fertilizer should help that grow now that the extremely hot weather is past. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm sorry you are not feeling much better. I'll second the suggestions that you talk to you doctor asap if the increased dosage of the Prednisone is not helping with the pain. I hope you can find a solution so you can feel better and won't have to cancel your upcoming trip to Rome and the cruise. Traveling while feeling bad is not fun. @ger_77 Gerry, that is good news that your DH felt like walking to the park. It sounds like the pacemaker is working and making life better for him. @Haljo1935 That hamburger has to be the smallest one ever, even smaller than a slider. @cruising sister Lorraine, I hope Murphy will gain weight on the formula. Sending positive thoughts for a miracle and a recovery, even if it's a long one. After fighting this hard, she deserves a long and healthy life. @durangoscots Susan, I'm glad you are feeling better. I'm sure the dogs had a hand in that too. 😉 @kochleffel Paul, I'm glad you are feeling better today. I'm sorry so many at many of the synagogues were ill over Rosh Hashanah. @Lady Hudson Katherine, I'm sorry your DH has bronchitis, and I'm sending positive thoughts that the antibiotics will work and quickly. @rafinmd Thank you for your pictures from Bimini, Roy. @aliaschief Bruce, I'm glad you made it to Atlanta. Safe flight home this afternoon. @Crazy For Cats Thanks for your review of the Zaandam cruise, Jake. Lenda

Terry, sending you our condolences and deepest sympathy on Lou's death. Having him home and able to see so many loved one this past weekend was a true blessing for all. You, your family and friends will be in our thoughts and wishing you strength as the days pass. Lou will always be with you and your family in your hearts and wonderful memories. Lenda

Good morning from a cool central Texas. This is the lowest overnight temperature since last spring. The weather app says it's 64F and feels like 64F with 87% humidity and a dew point of 60F. It is sunny and the high will be in the low 90s this afternoon. Before it gets too warm, I'll be back outside pulling up more crabgrass. Such fun, but it's necessary to get rid of the majority of the crabgrass since it just "laughs" at any weed killer we've tried. 😁 After today, I think my arms and legs will need a break from weeding, so one morning Ms Crystal's auto repair will open just long enough to replace the remaining coils on the convertible. Since we had cheeseburgers last night, I'll need to fix something else for dinner today. DH and I enjoy rice Krispie treats, but I haven't made them in years. We should respect everyone every day. The Groucho Marx quote brought a smile to my face. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. I would like to try the wine, and the price isn't too bad either. We have not been to Bimini. Today is an important day in Irish history, and with Irish ancestors, I'll celebrate with them. @kochleffel Paul, I hope you feel better today. @puppycanducruise Melanie, I'm glad your niece's wedding was lovely and that the rain held off until after the photos were taken. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope you have a safe and uneventful flight tomorrow. I looked at the weather for Frisco, and the highs this week will be in the low 90s with lows in the low 70s along with partly cloudy skies. There is no rain in the forecast for now. I'm glad Ren got to play in yesterday's game and scored two goals. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad you sustained minimal damage from Lee. It was disheartening to see your pictures yesterday of all the downed trees. @Crazy For Cats Jack, can the damage to the model be repaired? I bet that's the last time DH locks Jasper in his office. @Denise T I'm glad you are over your bug, Denise. @aliaschief I hope you have a safe and uneventful flight(s) home today. @marshhawk Annie, I hope you enjoy the symphony. @dfish Debbie, I'm glad you enjoyed the shower and got to see your nephew yesterday. This last one reminds me of some of Dr. Pol's patients. Lenda

@0106 Tina, I hope you and your parents have a great time at the Orioles game, and that your dad gets his hat. I envy you still having your parents, and I know you realize how lucky you are. @Heartgrove Jack, thank you for you pictures of Kirkwall and the surrounding area. We enjoyed our day in town even though it was pouring rain. Glad you had a sunny time for most of the day. Lenda

Good afternoon from a mostly sunny and warm central Texas. The weather app says it's 86F and feels like 88F, but the weather station thermometer is reading 89F. Either way, it sure beats triple digit temps. I got the yard trimmed and mowed, and one large bag of crab grass pulled. At this rate, I'll be pulling crabgrass forever. Unfortunately, I think pulling those darn weeds is the only way to get rid of or at least lessen the amount of crabgrass in or near the yard. It doesn't seem to respond to Round-Up and even the expensive stuff that is "guaranteed " to kill it, only turns it yellow for a while. I'll get out there again in the morning, earlier than today I hope, and pull some more weeds before our trash is picked up. I also need to pull as much as possible before the ground dries after our rains, and it becomes much harder to pull. Rocking that part of the yard is looking more appealing all the time. 😁 Thank you, Graham. Joy, I'm glad that neither your sister or the other driver were injured. Enjoy your day with your DS and DDIL. I'm glad the weather is cooler for their visit. Gerry, I think you don't really notice how tiring stress can be until it's over or if it last a long time. I'm glad you and your DH got some rest yesterday. I was surprised that your DH is not allowed to shower for several days. It's interesting that DH will be able to shower after the stent is placed in spite of two incisions with staples in his scalp and an incision in his belly button. The only thing they said was to wash his head with baby shampoo and pat it dry. The staples will be in about two weeks, and he is not to be in the sun or wear a hat until the incisions are healed. Katherine, I'm glad the seas are smoother and the cruise is going well. Enjoy Greenland. Karen, I'm very happy the COL went so well and was well attended. It says a lot about the kind of man Phil was if the mailman stopped by to honor him. Enjoy your day with your cousin and her DH. Annie, I'm sorry you're not feeling well on top of all the problems that hit at once. I hope everything can be straightened out soon. Be sure to have your neighbor contact their insurance company, but also get your insurance company involved so they can work with the neighbor's company., I hope your eye is doing better, but please have a doctor check it out soon if you haven't already done so. I'm sorry so many trees did not survive the summer. Congratulations on the 24 day cruise next summer. How long will you be on the Eurodam? Denise, I hope you are feeling much better by now. Vanessa, I'm glad you had a good night's sleep and are feeling better. Congratulations on getting the iCloud working without losing data. Brenda, even though neither of us had our pockets picked, we'll never forget that garage. It is so big, you could get lost in it. We avoided the garage the second time we were in Taormina by taking a local bus which used the parking lot at the bus depot. DH had someone try to pick his pocket on a city bus in Palermo and the Metro in Rome, but felt them trying. He confronted each one and they both got off at the next stop. He didn't have anything worth taking either time. Susan, I hope you are doing better this afternoon. It is amazing how our dogs know when we feel bad or need some love. The meatloaf sounds interesting. I love meatloaf sandwiches, especially for breakfast. Lenda

@tupper10 I hope you have a great cruise and decent weather in Alaska. Lenda

I found some pictures of the area around Naxos, the tender port we used in 2019, for our visit to Taormina. There are a couple of pictures of the street from the bus depot to the old citty gate, plus some pictures of the drive along the coast. On this visit, we took the Interbus from Naxos to Taormina and back, and it was reasonably priced. The street from the bus depot to the city cate. I use the term depot lightly, as it was really a parking lot with a kiosk. Sights long the coast road The Veendam is the ship on the lefthand side of the picture. Naxos You can see a bit of the Naxos Cruise Terminal in this picture. It was really a canopy, ramp and dock. Lenda

We have been to Taormina twice on BHBs. In October 2017, the Prinsendam docked in Messina, and we took the transfer to Taormina. In August 2019, the Veendam tendered at Naxos just down the coast, and we took a local bus to Taormina. The first two pictures were taken from the top of the parking garage where the bus dropped us off in 2017. The top one is the road from the coast up to Taormina, and the second is Mt. Etna. The next ones were taken in 2017 as we walked around the walled part of the city. The next pictures are from our 2019 visit, where we started from the other end of town. The first is the remnants of the city gate. The street leading to the ancient Greek theater and a view of the ocean A few pictures of the Greek theater which is still used for concerts and other events. Both times, we stopped at here for gelato, and the view. The town outside the old city gate Lenda

Good morning from a cooler central Texas. It is 69F and feels like 69F, but our high today will be 88 to 90F with sun. Right now the humidity is 98% with the dew point at 68F and a 3 mph wind. I need to do some yard work today and tomorrow in order to have more weeds ready for the trash pick up tomorrow. After all our hot weather, it seems strange that I'll have to wait a bit to start so it's not too chilly early on. What a difference a week makes. Hats off to the Texas Longhorns on their 31-10 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys last night. Citizenship and Constitution Day seem to go together and are worth celebrating. We need to do everything possible to save the red pandas. I like the W. D. Handy quote, and it is very true. The tacos sound good, but we'll pass on the drink and the wine. We'll probably have hamburgers and fries for supper today. We have had the pleasure of visiting Taormina twice, and the second time we tendered to Naxos. The discovery of bacteria was an important advance in medicine. @Mr. Boston Thank you for your pictures from Corsica and Florence. @puppycanducruise I hope your niece has beautiful weather for her wedding. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad you saw the coyote before he saw you and the dogs. I'm glad you had a good visit with your DS and family and that your DS will try to come back and help. I hope your DH remains comfortable and that the pain meds help with that. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad you and Ivan came through the storm safely even if you are tired. I hope the big branch that fell did not damage your house. @dfish Debbie, I hope you and your DSs enjoy the wedding shower. Safe travels. Lenda

@SusieKIslandGirl Have a wonderful time on your cruise. Lenda

Great pictures as usual, Bruce. Safe travels back to your recliner. Lenda

Terri, I'm glad the meds have started working and the pain has lessen considerably. Lenda

Good afternoon. We got a little light rain about an hour ago, but not enough to measure. Karen, the Celebration of Life and family picnic sounds like a nice relaxed why to pay tribute to your DH. I'm glad so many family members from Canada will be there. Enjoy your last day at the beach with your family, Bruce. Safe travels tomorrow. Charlene, thank you for your pictures from Picton. Sharon, I'm glad you have dates for your cataract surgery. Susan, I'm glad the Australian ETA went through quickly this morning. Lenda

@Haljo1935 I hope you have a wonderful cruise. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas. It is 73F and feels like 73F, but the humidity is 94% with the dew point sitting at 72F. Our predicted high is 83F, which sure beats the 103F last week. There is only a 20% chance of rain, and looking at the future cast on the radar, the big storm west of us will die out before it reaches us. But, that was what the radar future cast said yesterday too. Of course, getting 3.5 inches of rain in two days is probably enough for now. Besides, I think I might have jinxed our chances for rain last night when I took the fancy rain gauge apart to see if there was a problem with it. There were several pieces of bark mulch stuck in the drain, but I don't know how they got in there since the opening on the gauge is several inches above the mulch. An interesting and good group of days to celebrate today. I discovered this week that my paternal grandmother was very active in the American Legion in the 1920s and 1930s. When the DDs were younger, we would collect rocks and polish them. I still have a jar of polished rocks. I'll definitely celebrate step families. The grandfather I knew was actually my DF's stepfather, and a wonderful father and grandfather. My father remarried after my mother died, and although I was already married then, my stepmother was wonderful to me and the DDs. She also took very good care of my DF, and without her, he would not have lived nearly as long. DH's stepmother also took good care of his DF. The Margaret Mead quote is very true. We'll pass on the vegan scallops, the drink and the wine. We have not been to Picton. We have been to the place in Plymouth where the Pilgrims sailed from and to see Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims actually set out from The Netherlands, but had to stop at Plymouth, England, for repairs. I'm sure Mexican Independence Day will be celebrated in many places in Texas. When I looked at yesterday's Fleet Report/Daily this morning, there was a message that the thread was closed to further comment. At that time, you could still read yesterday's Fleet/Daily. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope Ren's new team has improved since Mexico City. I'm glad the new computer is working so well. @kazu Jacqui, I hope the wind does not get too high where you are. Stay safe. @Lady Hudson Katherine, it sounds like your cruise is off to an interesting start. I hope the seas calm down, and the remainder of the cruise is smooth sailing. @rafinmd Roy, I'm sorry about the positive test. We've seen rebound cases when the person takes the drug when they first test positive. @Crazy For Cats Jake, I hope rain is all you get from Lee. @dfish Debbie, thank you for explaining vegan scallops. They might work when our vegetarians are here. That is, if I can find that variety of mushrooms in central Texas. @marshhawk Annie, I'm sorry about the damage from the tree, and your eye injury. I hope the neighbor's insurance will cover the damage and removal of the tree. It might even cover your medical expenses. I join the others in urging you to have the eye looked at today. I cut my eye about 45 years ago, and it was painful. The doctor gave me some cream for the eye and had me wear a gauze eye patch for several days. You do not want to get an infection in the eye. @ger_77 Gerry, I'm glad Maurice is doing so well, and that the pacemaker is working. Lenda

Marcia, enjoy LV now that you finally made it there. Lenda

Denise, our condolences on the passing of your father. I'm glad that he was able to be home in familiar surroundings for a while before he died. I hope you can take comfort in knowing you did everything you could to make his life and his wife's life easier the last few years. May the good memories of your time with your father give you comfort. As others have said, cruise when you are ready, but don't rush anything. Lenda

Good afternoon. I think the rain is over until sometime tonight and into tomorrow morning. At least that is the prediction for now. The sun is out and there are scattered clouds. We've warmed up to 78F and it feels like 83F. It's still humid at 80% with the dew point at 72F. DH's weather station says we got 0.31 inches of rain, and my old fashioned one reads 0.4 inches. They are less than 12 inches apart, so who knows why they read so differently. Ann, thanks for the pictures from Fiji. Susan, I hope they can bring the hiker home for the family's sake. Teri, that's really a bummer. I hope it doesn't take too long for them to get the samples. Debbie, I hope you can get some relief for your back pain so you can continue your hikes. Lenda