Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[mysty]

The tripod is very light and has a storage bag with a shoulder strap. It will work with Myster's video camera too. And I wasn't sure the table top version would sit very well in the sand. :) I am happy with this purchase Professor. Please don't feel terrible about it! And Francis (my new camera's name) loves it so it will not be used for stew!

 

The floor is actually vinyl tiles that have weathered much action. They were installed in 1990 and still look presentable. They were designed for a checkerboard application but I asked for just the one colour and I have never regretted it. I am honoured to share design tastes with you and JP. :) Myster doesn't much care about decor so I have the run of things (in moderation of course).

 

And Old Betsy is making friends with Francis so she will tag along on the cruise (as backup but don't tell her that). :)

Edited September 23, 2015 by mysty

[UKCruiseJeff]

That is lovely!

 

If you haven't already completed the full baptism ceremony of Francis ... may I humbly suggest a minor adjustment to the name?

 

Perhaps Frances? And in full "Frances de la Tour" a much loved and talented British Actress, and of course you do intend that your Frances to do La Tour don't you. And so much more elegant, and regal.

 

If you knew of Frances you would love her and she would Tour well.

 

Jeff

 

ps .... this homage will also help you avoid Rising Damp under that floor ... and under the tripod in the sand ...

Edited September 23, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

That is lovely!

 

If you haven't already completed the full baptism ceremony of Francis ... may I humbly suggest a minor adjustment to the name?

 

Perhaps Frances? And in full "Frances de la Tour" a much loved and talented British Actress, and of course you do intend that your Frances to do La Tour don't you. And so much more elegant, and regal.

 

If you knew of Frances you would love her and she would Tour well.

 

Jeff

 

ps .... this homage will also help you avoid Rising Damp under that floor ... and under the tripod in the sand ...

 

 

As it is written so it shall be done! The new camera is now officially named Frances de La Tour (and I didn't spill any holy water on her :D). Perfect suggestion! I looked her up on Wikipedia and it turns out we have something in common. We both have French blood. My ancestors came to Canada from France in 1696. :)

 

I went to play outside with Frances and I asked Myster to pose for me. He graciously accepted. What follows are 3 pictures of him in my ornamental grass garden.

 

 

 

 

This one was shot in sepia.

 

 

 

Don't we make a cute couple? :)

[spinnaker2]

He has a nice, er, smile.

[spinnaker2]

DH went to a conference on the future of medicine last week. Seems there is some irony there. By Sunday, he was grey and having chills. Still sick today, coughing and febrile again. It hit him hard. Hadn't had a flu shot yet. Today I tried some postural drainage. Seemed to help some. He cancelled patients, a rare occurrence. Been home all week.

Now I am also afflicted.

 

Message, get flu shot.

[mysty]

He has a nice, er, smile.

Thanks spinnaker2! He does have an awesome smile. Doesn't like to have his picture taken though so I have to strike while the iron is hot! Ha Ha!

 

Sorry to hear that you and your DH are not well. Hope you both recover soon!

Edited September 23, 2015 by mysty

[UKCruiseJeff]

Decent music back in the Main Dining Room ....

 

I wish I'd done it earlier. I had stored a decent HP TouchSmart all in one PC, a decent meaty Sony amp and some really great speakers and a nice big woof woof and so a touch screen jukebox.

 

Mysty ... that man he eat TOO much .... :D

 

Nice piccies. Have you tried P with half to a full stop down yet?

 

Jeff

 

 

[TLCOhio]

Terry lovely piccies ... I have had another few days in Nicos Taverna and remain perplexed at how useless I am at anything practical. When I say useless I mean deply useless. If I look at a hammer I bleed. However Nikos Taverna now has a new light circuit of Fishermans lights and old fashioned filament bulbs and I did it all ... even though it took me three days and I pulled my back. Tommorow I have 2 kilos of lovely mussels, a box of langoustine and 4 large plaice to bbq for the next few days.

 

mysty: New Toy For Camera My newest toy arrived today so I thought I would take this opportunity to test my P skills. (Not pee but P) I got an extendable light weight tripod as per your suggestion good sir. I want to try the time lapse thing on our desert excursion out of Dubai. The first picture is the small version with no leg extension.

 

spinnaker2: Medical bulletin DH went to a conference on the future of medicine last week. Seems there is some irony there. By Sunday' date=' he was grey and having chills. Still sick today, coughing and febrile again. It hit him hard. Hadn't had a flu shot yet. Today I tried some postural drainage. Seemed to help some. He cancelled patients, a rare occurrence. Been home all week. Now I am also afflicted. [b']Message, get flu shot.[/b]

 

Appreciate the kind comments from Jeff on my pictures, plus the many details on the home building/lighting projects, etc. Look forward to great pictures on that new lighted area. PLUS, those mussels, langoustine, etc., sounds great.

 

Best for Candy!! So when you say "Is there a doctor in the house?", are not the results all perfect and healthy? Get well soon.

 

For our Canada friend, on tripods, I have had very mixed results. Have several types and sizes. Although I have taken them on several cruises. seldom, if ever, however, have I uses them. Why?? With my main SLR camera being set at an ISO/speed of 800, that gives me a very good speed range, even in limited light. PLUS, I am good at shooting and doing things hand-held at a 1/30 or 1/15 of a second. Then, there is PLAN B!! How to hold things steady? First, gently squeeze! Use door frames, walls, tables, chair tops, etc., to give more "stability" and lessen the blurs in lower-light situations. A tripod would help, yes. BUT, that means more stuff to lug and with which to "mess".

 

Without the time wasted needed to do a tripod, I can be quicker in looking, being creative and grabbing things that pop up, etc. Tripods can involve safety issues and/or making it awkward in crowded/busy locations. As always, there are trade-offs and various pro/con factors. Just sharing my experience and encouragement to think "creative/mobile" with your picture-taking. Just my two-cents worth!!

 

Reactions?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 186,172 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[mysty]

Not yet to the half or full stop down yet. Still getting the feel for the controls. :) I'm working on it! Nice sound system Jeff! I like the floor too!

[mysty]

Thanks Terry! I promise I will be careful and judicious in the use of the tripod. :)

[jpalbny]

Enjoying all the posts on this page...

 

Well, I didn't enjoy hearing that spinnaker2 and the spin doctor are sick, so both of you please get well soon!

 

Lola, the best wine pairing is the one you enjoy the most. Now that I look at your recipe again, if it's primarily a yogurt sauce then it may not be too heavy for a Savvy. Were the sauce creamier (a la Jeff's recipe) something heavier might be called for. Love experimenting though. Why not open several different bottles? ;)

 

Jeff, your stories about home repair cracked me up. I used to be very handy; I gutted and replaced the kitchen and bathroom in our first house, and replaced the fuse box with a nice new breaker box, redid most of the wiring... Redid two bathrooms in our second house... Built a nice deck on the back of the current house 10 years ago... But I've become lazy in my middle age and don't do as much of that these days. I still do know how to reverse a drill, though! And in a pinch I can still do decent electrical work.

 

Definitely looking forward to new updated pics of the taverna and the food. Tomorrow, I think we're going out to dinner as I've been working for 5 nights in a row and I'm ready to do nothing. Tonight's dinner was simple; cube steak cooked in beef broth with mushrooms and onions. I cooked them this morning before leaving for work at noon, and Chris made some smashed potatoes with garlic to accompany it, and had it all ready when I got home from work. I hope that you're not too worn out to cook.

 

Nice sound system. This year I didn't even bother putting the outdoor speakers up. Oops.

 

mysty, I have enjoyed the pics of you and myster. You make a cute couple! I haven't brought a tripod on vacation in forever. I hold my camera away from my body and pull it tightly against the neck strap to hold it steady, and that's usually good enough. Or I rest it on something if the exposure is longer than 1/2 second.

 

Counting the hours until we head to the Finger Lakes on Friday afternoon to meet up with our friends! Good night all.

[MrsWaldo]

24 hours lets you improve things I added toffee and Lindt orange chocolate with a light grating

 

;)

 

Bummer I tossed that one... There's a better one

Edited September 24, 2015 by MrsWaldo

[mysty]

Thanks JP! I know the tripod seems like overkill. The thing is that we only have to worry about transporting it on the way to the ship and the way home. I really want to try the time lapse photography of the star-filled sky from the desert and that will require a tripod. Also, Myster and I are a wee bit shakier with cameras these days and Myster's video camera needs a more stable hold than can be "humanly" provided. And if we want to "film" the sail out of Kotor from our balcony, the tripod would be a great asset. :) I really appreciate the concern expressed by Terry, Jeff and yourself that I overdid it with camera accessories. Thanks for that concern! It's good to have friends watching my back! :)

[mysty]

That looks like an absolute delight MrsWaldo!

[UKCruiseJeff]

2kg of mussels gone. They were so fresh nd lovely that only one out of the whole bag net an over-cautious disposal.

 

Piccies including befores and and table carnage afterwards. You cannot buy decent moulesin a restaurant imho because it is a cheap menu dish and they don't spend enough on it. Make it at home. Please.

 

 

 

 

 

Prep ...................

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff

Edited September 24, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[jpalbny]

Yum! Jeff, one herb is parsley but what is the other one? Also, what's in the white bowls besides minced garlic and red onion (the bowl in the lower center of the picture)?

 

I am sure that they are better at home. After working every day since we've come home from Germany, though, I think we are too tired to think about cooking tonight so we'll go out for dinner.

 

The local French restaurant has a new fall menu this week. That sounds nice!

 

Have a great day all. Maybe I'll finish my blog post for the third day at some point...

Edited September 24, 2015 by jpalbny

[TLCOhio]

2kg of mussels gone. They were so fresh nd lovely that only one out of the whole bag net an over-cautious disposal. Jeff

 

mysty: Thanks JP! I know the tripod seems like overkill. The thing is that we only have to worry about transporting it on the way to the ship and the way home. I really want to try the time lapse photography of the star-filled sky from the desert and that will require a tripod. Also' date=' Myster and I are a wee bit shakier with cameras these days and Myster's video camera needs a more stable hold than can be "humanly" provided. And if we [b']want to "film" the sail out of Kotor from our balcony[/b], the tripod would be a great asset. I really appreciate the concern expressed by Terry, Jeff and yourself that I overdid it with camera accessories. Thanks for that concern! It's good to have friends watching my back!

 

Appreciate from Jeff the wonderful pictures of the "processing" of those great mussels. Glad that they found a nice "home". Looking good and fun.

 

For our Canada friend, your added background for the tripod uses and needs does help gives us a better idea about your smart goals and needs. Here's, however, a caution with your plan for doing the Kotor sail-in. I would strongly stress being up higher on the ship than your balcony for both the sail-in and sail-out. The sights and amazing views are all over the place. If you are viewing things only from your balcony, you will miss much . . . BOTH for your eyes and the camera to capture and remember. See below two of my picture samples/examples. Getting up, UP high above this scenic Kotor location can be totally wonderful, too!! Balconies can be nice, but somewhat limiting for certain special circumstances.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 24,917 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

 

 

For Kotor, I got up at 5 am for the sail-in through their wonderfully scenic fjords, etc. Below is one picture from the front of the ship on that early path through these narrow areas to reach Kotor as the sun is rising. We tendered at 7 am near their tender docking pier. It was a short, easy tender to arrive on land for our bus tour.:

 

 

 

Here’s our bus driver going to up, back and forth, through twenty-seven serpentine twists and turns to rise up the 4000’ high mountain above Kotor as we headed to the old Royal Capital of Cetinje. You can see our cruise ship down below tendered in the scenic harbor.:

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi JP,

 

The parsley s just cut two ways. The finer cut includes more stalk and goes in the cook, and the less finer leaf is thrown on top at the end. The bowl is grated lemon skin.

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Thanks Terry for your words of wisdom! It makes perfect sense to head to a high point for filming "ins and outs". The tripod won't go on many shore excursions with us. It will go for the desert adventure but we won't have to lug it around (travel to and from the desert is motorized :)). We will also use the video camera for the Venice sail in. I think it will get enough use over the years to pay for itself. And my new camera Frances de La Tour loves it. :)

[mysty]

J... that meal looks awesome! You are gifted in many ways (just maybe not home maintenance and repair). But you can't be great at everything! It would not be fair to us lesser mortals. :)

[mysty]

J.... don't want to gush BUT... that was a beautiful, heart-warming response you gave to nelsonbc on another thread! It made me cry! You have a big heart and so very much compassion!

[jpalbny]

It was mighty kind, I agree. And lots of useful tips, too.

[UKCruiseJeff]

That's kind of you M. It was no trouble at all ... and I'd been thinking about it overnight and how I'd feel so wanted to help in a practical way.

 

I think we can feel that Dad want's to retrace his steps to where he last saw wifey really happy and remember those days and share some of those moments with his daughters, perhaps moving on. When you're 88 those moments I guess are really special and for obvious reasons precious. Regent or anything else won't do that. I think it can be made really great.

 

I hope they are on the right cruise and I hope she (from Canada :eek: ) joins us here as I'm sure she'd find some help and friendship.

 

I actually have a few more ideas .....;)

 

Jeff

 

edited: thanks jp ....

Edited September 24, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

I'm sure you have wonderful ideas up your sleeve J. And I'm sure they would be greatly appreciated. nelsonbc seems like a wonderful daughter who just wants to honour her dad's wishes and make sure her dad would be happy with the result. That is a very noble goal!

 

Today was the weekly pounding of our clothes against rocks in the stream. I.E. the dreaded day of the laundry. Almost done then I plan to take Frances de La Tour out for an amble. Many things for the two of us to "focus" on. :)

[mysty]

Frances and I took an ample around the house and yard to photo play. The two pictues below were taken using the Photo Creativity setting available for use with the Intelligent Auto or the Superior Auto. It allows for changes such as Background Defocus (really changing the aperture), Brightness, Colour and Vividness with easy access to each on a sliding scale so you can see the effect on the viewer.

 

The first one was taken using only the Background Defocus option.

 

 

 

 

The second one was taken with changes made to each of the four categories.

 

 

 

 

Thoughts? :)