Bailey & Sophie

11 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 Serenade will be getting ongoing upgrades all year. New beds, refrigerators, recovering furniture, possible new TV's, and eventually 3 laundry rooms.

 

John, do you think Serenade will keep the laundry rooms after the WC? 

On 2/12/2023 at 11:03 PM, Coralc said:

 

Castello Di Amorosa is in Napa. We haven't been there yet, but it looks cool. https://castellodiamorosa.com/

John 's brother did all the electrical work on this winery. It took him over 10 years to do it.

2 hours ago, cruisin73 said:

I need to print this out.  Where did you get this?

It's his own personal scavenger hunt.

6 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Anyone watching BD? A squabble between two yachts is a new twist for the show. 

That was great! All that bluster for nothing.

On 1/22/2023 at 7:19 PM, Jimbo said:

Got right on with the Lightning Lane,about 10 minutes.

 

People had to say their goodbyes to the ride I guess...We would never stay in a line that long.

We waited nearly FOREVER to go through the haunted house. Because Michael Jackson was in the park that day and demanded he go through the house alone. Didn't know he was there and never saw him.

We went many years ago. Bought discount tickets from a seller in our hotel lobby. The best deal was a 5-day pass and we could come and go between parks as much as we wanted. We used 3 days, came home and sold the remaining  2-day passes to co-workers. 

7 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I'm usually hypercritical of removing things.  Especially that are/were customary, like nuts and pretzels on a bar.  BUT, I was never a big fan of reaching into a bowl of nuts, chips, pretzels, or popcorn that just about everybody else reaches into with their bare hands just after leaving the restroom, picking their nose, scratching, never mind.  I say, "good riddance".  Individual packets would be fine and appreciated, though.

We no longer dip into shared snack bowls in bars. Once saw a woman eat nuts from a spoon like it was cereal and then replace the spoon. The bowl was passed around the bar after.

7 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

12-hour excursion when the ship is in Ashdod....

Drive with your guide across the Negev Desert to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Masada, perched at the edge of a desert plateau that overlooks the Dead Sea. Along the way you will pass Qumran, where the famed Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in a cave in the mid-20th century. Upon arrival at Masada, ascend to the fortress by cable car, taking in spectacular views. Constructed just before the time of Christ by King Herod, it is arguably the most impressive archaeological site in Israel and is the site of a famous Roman siege that ended in the tragic mass suicide of Masada’s residents. Later, continue to the western shores of the Dead Sea. You will stop at a seaside resort so you can take a dip in these buoyant waters, known for their curative properties for centuries.

12-hour excursion when the ship gets to Haifa (and stays there overnight)..  

 

Witness the legacy of Jesus in two of Christianity’s most important cities. After a scenic drive, make a photo stop at the Mount of Olives and its panorama of the Old City. See the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Church of All Nations; then, walk into Jerusalem’s Old City. You will find the Western Wall, where Jews insert written prayers into the mortar’s nooks. From here, view the Temple Mount, crowned by the glittering Dome of the Rock, sacred to Muslims. Follow the Via Dolorosa—or “Way of Sorrows,” the road that Jesus walked while bearing the cross—to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of Christ’s crucifixion, entombment and resurrection. (A visit inside the tomb cannot be guaranteed.) Continue to Bethlehem for exterior views of the Church of the Nativity, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major place of pilgrimage for Christians.

 

Next day, still in Haifa...  about a 9 hour excursion...Visit some of the most important places in the life of Jesus. 

Journey with your guide into Canaan of old, crossing the coastal mountain range to Nazareth, city of Jesus’s youth. Stop at the Church of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel announced the coming of Christ, and the Church of St. Joseph. Browse the city’s Arab Bazaar before continuing to the Sea of Galilee. En route you will pass through the village of Cana, where Jesus is said to have turned water into wine, and ascend the Mount of Beatitudes, where he delivered the Sermon on the Mount. In the small fishing village of Capernaum, see the ruins of a synagogue where he is believed to have preached. In Tabgha, visit the Church of the Multiplication, named for the miracle of loaves and fishes that occurred here. Later, stop along the banks of the River Jordan at Yardenit, site of Jesus’s baptism.

 

That's it. Next day we leave Israel for Cyprus. There is a 2-day (overnight) thing that they offer for Holy Land touring but it doesn't include as much sightseeing overall. I know it'll be LONG bus rides but probably a chance to catch up on some sleep! Thanks for any additional thoughts. 

 

 

This sounds awesome. I love long bus rides. You get to see parts of the country a lot of people don't. I like seeing laundry on the lines, dogs in the yard, kids playing--every day life. I never tire of looking out the window.

9 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Here are a couple grandkids pictures for you.  One of the reasons I was missing for a couple days, because they have been trading sickness, and we were watching them. Thankfully it was not Covid.  
 

So I have an AI app that will give them a movie star look, and you can even swap out backgrounds. 
 

Grandson tried his first. 
 

 

Then granddaughter 

 

 

We tried to do Ricky, but it said it couldn’t find a face. So he must not have a future in the movies. He just has to use his regular face. 
 

 

The kids tried it on both of us, and we haven’t looked that good in years. 🤣

 

Beautiful, even Little Ricky.

13 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

From yesterday's bike ride... 

 

 

 

We did not go on a bike ride. Too much white crap all over.

8 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

22 Seconds was good.  The 23rd Midnight book comes out in March. Yes, I love them too.  I think the 23rd is the only book I might buy to read on the Bella cruise.  They really are wonderful reads.

I'll be bringing a couple of Lee Child's and Clive Cussler on the Bella cruise. I'll be donating them to the library at the end of the cruise unless someone wants them. I just have to figure out which ones are next in line.

15 hours ago, sgmn said:

A new easy reading series/author constantly in the top five of reading lists in the UK are by Richard Osman. 

He's written three now. All set in a British retirement community. The four main characters are in their mid to late 70s and have had interesting careers and use their lifelong skills to solve old cases.  They're more human interest mysteries rather than thrillers. With lots of twists they are an enjoyable read. It's interesting how he develops the characters in each book.

He's already got a successful TV career but got the idea when visiting his mother in her retirement community and realising what interesting lives most people there had lived.

I just finished Thursday Murder Club. I could visualize those elderly "detectives" going about their murder. I loved it and have to read more by him.

14 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

I hope you enjoy it.  After you read, please post what you thought of the ending.  No spoiler alerts here.

I also finished The Boys From Biloxi - John Grisham.  I was not a fan of this one and the ending left me unsettled. I seem to remember @Momof3gurlzDeb stating the same.   I'm waiting for the newest Women's Mystery book by James Patterson.  Library doesn't have it yet and I'm too cheap to buy also!

 

 

I also have Biloxi on reserve.

I'm in the middle of 22 Seconds. I listen to it when I run errands which are infrequent so it will take a while to get through. So far I like it. 

Is there a 23rd murder club out yet? I really like them.

On 1/16/2023 at 3:03 PM, BonTexasNY said:

I am in the midst of reading a "can't put this" book down.  The Housekeeper by Joy Fielding.  Categorized as a thriller.  Housekeeper ingratiates herself into the lives of an elderly couple she is caring for and the adult daughter who hired her starts to see things...amiss.  Getting ready to read more!

I've now got this on hold at the library. (I'm too cheap to buy every book I want to read!)

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

BD Adventure.... 

Oh boy. What a bunch of mis-matched crew.

Seth (is that the name of the replacement guy who is also his own captain?) will certainly abuse his new power. I saw snippets tonight.

The chef (who is really a cook imo) doesn't seem to want to impress the guests. I hope she follows through on her thoughts of quitting. She's a jerk.

The Captain seems a bit touchy. I think if he really let his temper loose....yikes.

And yet I tune in every week.

23 hours ago, mets07 said:

@John&LaLa Someone on this thread mentioned author Allison Brennan. She writes "romantic thrillers" .... with central characters such as FBI agent Lucy Kincaid, reporter Max Revere, and more. I am making my way through them. 

Lucy Kincaid books are fabulous. They should be read in order as they kind of build on relationships.

15 hours ago, Lionesss said:

So we are the proud owners of 2 unique radios. 
 

This one in our finished basement. From great grans house. 
 

 

And this one in our half bath off kitchen. It was made from a kit in the late 70’s 
 

 

Yesterday on our way home from Akron we stopped at an antique store near Ravenna and it was the first time we ever went to one. 
Besides tons of junk, and over prices “ relics” we walked around for 2 hours. I cannot believe how many items looked familiar from family homes. 
 

As we walked the DH found a model car of a 66 GTO. Well sticker shock $125. But it was gold. I saw it at a different time because we went our separate different paths. Me in house stuff. Him in car stuff. 
 

So as when we catch up he goes “ did you see the…….”  I finished his statement. “….GTO”

 

I go if you want it get it. 
He goes it’s $125

 

So we go back to that area and I tell him to look through the display and see if there’s another in black. 
He finds another gold. Same package. But the price was $65. 
So now we are scrutinizing both packages. And they are identical. 
 

So we check out and that day there was a 10% discount on it. 
 

Now we have to find a way to paint it black without ruining it. 
 

I found a serving dish on a platter for $19. 
 

 

 

 

Yup. We will be going back. That store is massive. 

Tricks of the trade: Most antique stores will give a 10% discount on items-it depends on their policy. Some is anything over $10. sometimes over $20, etc. Depends on the shop. Just ask if they have a shop discount.  (Note that it does not include items that are firm, on sale or marked down.)

You can also try to make an offer and they'll call the dealer. Sometimes I'll take an offer of 20-30% off, depending on how long I've had it. 

Nice tray!

4 hours ago, mets07 said:

This made me laugh, with all kindness, as our house was built in 1927. Your renovation does look beautiful!  

Our house was built in 1900. We have a "seriously" small kitchen. No way to expand it as it is surrounded by 2 sets of stairs and the main chimney.

21 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

I'm sure Bonnie  ( @BonTexasNY) would agree with her new "scientific" name 😉

Don't you just ADORE auto correct? I tried to go back in and correct it but I was too late.

12 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

Finally had my graduation.  Got to wear my red gown, I had it on through lunch and got quite attached to it.  It feels strange that this is really the end of me coming to Sheffield University, I have been a part time student and the whole journey from application to graduation has been ten years ,! !

 

I don’t share many photos but I am sharing today’s. 
 

Many many Congratulations!

14 hours ago, Luckynana said:

 

That's a tough one, since I can't enlarge this picture🤨

I can enlarge but it didn't do any good. 

17 hours ago, grapau27 said:

I'm sorry to hear of the death of your dear Auntie and send our condolences to all your family.

The item looks like a serving dish and nicely decorated but no idea of its value.

Thank you so much for your kind words.

Bontex, Ozark and our hostess-with-the-mostest Dani helped identify it for us. Passover Sader dish. Catholic girls just don't know these things!

19 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

Test -- I'm trying to post a video of DH trying his best to comply with the kids' requirements of "hand made pasta".... If the experiment will succeed, he will proceed to find more suitable tools instead of just hangers....

 

 

IMG_7391.MOV 24.17 MB · 17 downloads

 

 

Looks delightful. Creative use for the hangers. I love it.

19 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Sorry for the loss of your Aunt.   May she RIP🙏

That's wonderful that she was able to cruise the world and enjoy life.

Thank you. She instilled a love of travel in most of her nieces and nephews!

We always just walk outside and get in the taxi line. There is a constant stream of cabs. I don't think we've waited more than 15 minutes for a cab. We try to get a later flight so we don't stress over it. 

I don't think you will have problems unless you have a very early flight.

3 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Maybe try this out.  Google will search pics for you here. 

 

https://images.google.com/

Looks good. Thanks.