Coralc

You are a good dad, Bob. That sounds like a hideous amount of work. I've spent the last week cleaning the concrete grout in between our slate tiles in the entryway. Which has been done, like never. The hardest part was getting up and down off the floor stool. I used a mixture of half cup baking soda, about half a scoop of oxy clean, a couple of drops of dish soap and about 3 tablespoons of water to make a paste. I brushed that in firmly with a narrow hard scrub brush, and then sprayed it with white vinegar. Let it sit for few minutes and then wiped it with a water wet grout sponge. It looks greatly improved. I just have to damp mop it and have Bill seal it. They are irregular green slate tiles, and some of the concrete grout is over an inch wide. It is a very 60's dated sort of look, but the slate is an amazing product that repairs itself from scratching and dings because of the slippery stone nature of slate.

That is really pretty building decor on Saks. Is it seasonal, or does it look like that all the time? Great photos! Thank you for sharing them We will have to get to NY sometime.

Coyotes are kind of difficult to appreciate, aren't they? Good for you saving the deer. ☺️ We have a ton of coyotes here. They seem to eat mostly stray or pet cats and goats. Probably take deer sometimes, too. And they make the most disturbing and deranged noises in packs at night.

He was. I never knew that such a small bird could have so much personality and intelligence. I think it was partly because we interacted with him all the time.

My cockatiel used to love Animal Planet, and we would leave it on for him when we were outside with the screen door open. He also liked the X files with the opening noises and Jungle Book. And then he started screaming one day when we were sitting outside. He was watching Crocodile Hunter. And the croc was pulling a screaming pig into the water and Polly was shrieking. And he wouldn't watch it anymore after that. He was a very quirky bird. 😏 He also didn't like scary photos on the newspapers on the bottom of his cage. Or Balloons. He hated balloons.

Great Photo Mimi! Did you take that with your drone?😃☺️😃 <jk> I am glad that you have no problems with photos.

Aaah. It is so sad to lose your pet. They truly are members of the family. I am so, so sorry for your loss. Every time it happens, I don't wish to get another pet. But we probably will eventually. For right now, I am enjoying the outside pets. The squirrel and a skunk run around my feet, begging for walnuts. And this one large crow, starts at the railing, and hops on the opposite chair, asking for peanuts. They are very entertaining, and my enjoyment comes without vet bills.

We would. But we are still trying to move, and finding a cat and cat sitter is not on our list of priorities with all of the packing/moving/termite work and painting we are trying to schedule. Plus. Trying to get the other house cleaned out, so we can actually move there for our required two years. And put this house up for sale in the spring.

It is hard to get used to. We lost Gray Kitty almost 2 years ago and then Bobby in September. Bobby became a lot more interactive and talkative after Gray was gone. I swear that I still hear him jumping up on the nightstand in the morning to get us up or see him out of the corner of my eye.

I'm so sorry George & S. That is such a sad and difficult decision to have to make for them.

That is so sad. Poor baby. I am very sorry that he is ill.

He looks like a little astronaut, Sue. ☺️ Fun day.

I would not recommend the sky bridges. It is hot and a hike. The first time we stopped in Puntareanus, we stopped on a shoreside tour to see monkeys and a Coatimundi at someone's house. We stopped at the bridge over the Tarcoles to see the giant crocs. I was taking photos, and asked a guide on another tour why that horse was tied next to the water upstream. He said, "Maybe he is getting a drink of water." I said, "No. I think he is tied there." Classic response, "I don't know then. " No food. No big crocodiles. They don't even stop there anymore. ☺️And truly, I am not a person who cares if they feed them or not. It was interesting to see them when they did, and they are scarce now.

You can pick up most all of the excursions right at the pier. The Tarcoles river was really fun, until Costa Rica prohibited everyone from feeding the giant crocs. I know it sounds grisly, but they used to tie a horse or other livestock upstream, which is why they hung out at the bridge. No feeding. No giant crocs. But you can still get a tour to go to the sky bridges, tram, or one of the river croc tours with fake chicken, or anywhere else you wish to go. The local folks are very accommodating.

@Sunshine3601 Debbie, you asked about "Black River Orchard"? I would probably give it a 6 or maybe 7 out of 10. It was good if you are a Stephen King or modern horror fan. Chuck Wendig says in the author notes, "It is for fans of horror, demons, weirdness and apples". It has kind of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" vibe. And it gets a little wonky about 3/4 of the way through. But has a nice ending. The author lives in Bucks County, PA. So, I am sure the place names and locations would be more familiar to you than they are to me. I still like "Wanderers" and "Zeroes" of his other books. But it is definitely worth putting on your used book list. ☺️

Oh No Pat! That is horrible. I am so sorry. You might want to take that toe ring off, before your toe swells. What a miserable way to end the rest of the cruise. I always had mixed feelings about those r/t Princess cruises. I hope you are able to get around some soon without so much pain. 😌

I sort of get it now. OBC that you received with a Next Cruise booking should still be available and added. It might not be the amount that you wish for. I have one from 2013 that I haven't used yet. I have read on here that they may not honor the full OBC amount. Please let us know what happens. Push a bit. I still have all the paperwork for mine with the amounts.

Ebay is calling. ☺️☺️☺️

I don't know if anyone here is a Stephen King fan? My newer favorite author is Chuck Wendig , who is pretty much of the same caliber as SK as an author. I have read most of his books. "Wanderers was very good, as was the sequel. They are long, really sink your teeth into scary (but not super scary) novels. His newest novel is "Black River Orchard". I am about a third of the way through it. It is about mysterious (creepy) apples, but most of the story is set in Bucks County, and the Lehigh Valley, so it might be interesting for PA readers. ☺️

The insurance companies want to be able use their future predicting algorithms to determine how disaster prone and risky we are to set their rates. 🙄 So far, the state (Insurance Commissioner) has prohibited them from setting rates that way. But guess who will probably end up losing out? ☺️

I don't know Mark. Homeowner's insurance for the Bay Area house is about $1300/year, because we are pre-prop 13, so the property taxes are also low. Homeowner's insurance for the other house in a Red Zone fire area is $4800/year. It is not covered by prop 13, so the property taxes are also higher. (but not as high as in the Bay Area) Good point Harry. State Farm, Allstate, Farmer's and a bunch of smaller ones are all declining to write new home policies in California...Until the legislature changes things so they can make more money. 🙄 Stay tuned. Probably all of our policies will increase next year.

I am a little confused. There is no aqua park in Labadee. There is a very long zipline, one trip only. There is an alpine coaster. There is a slide that you might see at a pumpkin festival. Perhaps others can explain about Labadee. And you can probably do everything and still find loungers wherever you wish. 😊

$4.94 here James. Cash price, that I saw. DH, said that (in an article) we pay $26,000 on average, per year more to live in California. Not for anything specific, just to live here, rather than other states. ☺️ So. We are going to take a look at Beaufort, SC..in a few years. What do you think about that area?

No. But you and DH will each get 2 free days of wifi.

You might inquire with a travel agent to see if they might have suites available or look for you.