Silversea Water Cooler: Part 3, Welcome!

[jillyf]

JP, we are just home from our Indian trip and have to say that it was wonderful. First meal home was lamb chops, steamed vegetables and bakes potato.

We did love the Indian food and bought lots of spices in Delhi on our street food tour. Will try to cook some of the dishes we tasted.

 

 

Our blog isn't up to date yet but should be in the next week or two.

If you are interested - http://www.thefletchers.com.au

Edited February 17, 2017 by jillyf
spelling

[jpalbny]

Thanks for the link. We leave for home tomorrow night. Will be painful to make the journey but the trip was wonderful. More details to follow.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[TLCOhio]

Thank you Terry for posting such beautiful photos of "my" Old San Juan. I was born and raised in the San Juan area, though I've been living in the mainland for close to 30 years now. Shots, I hope you enjoy your visit, and remember to try our stuffed"mofongo"or "tostones". Across the pier, a block from the Sheraton Hotel, there used to be a cafe called Punto de Vista (pun on the words "outlook or opinion" and "view") and they served a pretty good mofongo stuffed with shrimp fricassé. Take the free trolley car from that same area and you can hop on and off in many interesting places. Enjoy!!

 

Appreciate this nice posting and the great sharing of added information on San Juan by this up-state New York resident. Great to have Camillus112 joining in and being active here at the "Cooler". Don't be shy! Keep it up!! I looked up your exact location and the interesting town history there.

 

As I mentioned, I was a part of a small group luncheon yesterday with a visiting group of young political leaders from Australia. Below are a couple of my pictures. Fun and interesting!! Always is great in that way when fortunate enough to spend time with Aussies!!

These young leaders are mostly staff for top Parliament and other government-related officials in Australia. We discussed much as to the differences as how their system where the legislative and executive "branches" are merged together compared to our American system with three equal branches. Learned why "back-benchers" are called that way. Much was discussed on their visiting earlier this week in Washington, DC, their impressions and meetings there, the economy in Australia, the representation of Aboriginal Australians in their government, how highly those in China view products from Australia and New Zealand, etc. Next, they are going to the Cleveland area today and then on to Oregon and then San Francisco before returning back home. They gave us some souvenirs from Australia. I got a key chain, which maybe surprisingly, was "Made in China"!!

 

It is always enlightening to learn from those in other countries, their cultures, histories, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 171,130 views for this posting.

 

 

Here are a couple of my pictures from our small-group luncheon yesterday with these young political leaders from Australia. First is part of our table having discussions at lunch. Second is a group picture that I took with the visitors in one of the historic rooms at the private Columbus Club that in the 1800's had been the Governor's residence in Ohio. In the center is the current Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice (grey hair) and also a previous Justice on our top state court (wearing red). Interesting group and sharing of information on Australia, politics, government, economics, etc.:

 

 

 

[jpalbny]

Disembarkation today... our flight isn't until 8pm, so we can stay on the ship until our airport transfer at 4:30pm. Breakfast and lunch are all included while we wait. And since they aren't turning the ship over today (next group isn't due on board for another week), we have our cabin until we leave. Very nice!

 

About 2/3 of the guests are already gone, so it's quiet. First transfers were at 4:30am! The large group going on the extension to Varanasi left at 5:30am. We were the only 2 in the dining room when we went at 7:30. It was strange!

 

It was a cool trip and we saw a lot. Not sure when we will return but next time I want to see tigers and I want to see mountains in the north as well as more of the desert in Rajasthan. It would be great if the Kashmir situation would settle down because I'd really love to see it. Probably not any time soon, though.

 

Best to all.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Safe trip home JP and Chris! Looking forward to your blog JP. You are a very entertaining blogger! :)

 

Have a great day/evening all!

[jpalbny]

Thanks mysty. Halfway home. Hanging out in the AF lounge at CDG waiting for our JFK flight in 3 hours.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[ShotsnCruises]

My wonderful countdown app on my phone alerted me today that I am 3 days from flying. It almost does not seem believable. We are packed, people are lined up to care for our pets, and I have programmed the security system for "vacation mode"!!! I guess now I just have to wait and get through the pains of modern day flying. Vacation starts once we are OUT of the airport. :D

[Camillus112]

Welcome back, JP, looking forward to details on your trip. Shots, have a wonderful voyage and soak on the sun for me. My next SS cruise is in May...still a long wait. Enjoy!

[spinnaker2]

Hello all...

Lots of goings and comings.

I await details of all to relish and then devour.

 

Hot and humid here only a few miles south of Mr. T, and not the one with the muscles and Mohawk( although he does sport a mean do).

Going to make spatchcock chicken on the grill.

Cutting the backbone out will give me some relief from pent up angst.

 

Enjoy this day all.

[jpalbny]

Hello all...

 

Going to make spatchcock chicken on the grill.

Cutting the backbone out will give me some relief from pent up angst.

 

Enjoy this day all.

 

Love that term, and the cooking method. I use it on Cornish hens. Marinate a few hours in the fridge, and they grill in about 10 minutes.

 

Taxiing to the gate at JFK after a ton of airtime. Now to collect luggage, the car, and head home (3h drive). We will need to scrounge up some food when we get there, then probably I will be snoozing by 6pm...

 

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! We have bright sunshine today finally! And the temps are around 44 F. Love it! Hope your area is also warming up JP! Might be hard to adjust otherwise after the temps in India.

 

 

Spins...that chicken dish sounds awesome! I had to look up the spatchcock bit though.

 

J....Myster made the Thai mussels last night using your suggestion. I think this is my favourite one yet. :) So thanks for that!

 

S...we're thinking of you!

 

Have a great day/evening all!

[spinnaker2]

Safe drive JP.

Glad you are home safe albeit exhausted.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon Coolers ...

 

Lovely to see a few posts. Shots ..... not long now but a bit longer for Camillus!

 

Spins ..... I've ordered my stuff for delivery tommorow and one of our meals is going to be a lightly Indian spiced spatchcock chicken which I'm looking forward to.

 

M. So pleased the mussels dish worked out well .... it just takes the mussels into a new realm and g*d made those shells for scooping that lovely sauce. When I do mine I like to slow braise onions first for added sweetness and then cookout the curry paste and add the coconut with a nob of butter for added richness and then some more sweetening if needed and a very light veg boullon makes up the liquid for the mussels to steam. A nob of cream doesn't harm.

 

JP ... safe driving back although I guess you'll read this after your return.

 

Soapy is fine and just doing the normal things one has to do at times like this - I know we all understand and are thinking of her.

 

Just completed tommorows food goodies order. We have some nice bream which I think I'll dust in flour and fry in butter/olive oil/lemon with some saute parsley Charlotte potatos and some peas and pulses. Lamb neck kebabs with salad. The chicken previously mentioned and soem fettucine with the sauce I made and froze last week.

 

Another week .....

 

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

Greetings Coolers! We have bright sunshine today finally! And the temps are around 44 F. Love it! Hope your area is also warming up JP! Might be hard to adjust otherwise after the temps in India. !

 

spinnaker2: Hot and humid here

 

YES!! Glad that J.P. and Chris are back on USA soil. Safe driving home.

 

For those suffering with those "hot and humid" challenges' date=' come on up to Ohio to gain some relief. See AccuWeather for our week below. Sounds and looks great. We are now only eight days till we depart to Fort Lauderdale and getting on our 15-day cruise that will transit the [b']Panama Canal[/b] and ultimately arrive on March 15 in scenic San Francisco. Lots to do in the final week to get ready, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 221,831 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

For Central Ohio today and during the coming week, here is the update from AccuWeather. Looking good for winter in the Midwest?:

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Fingers crossed for Heloise Letissier aka Christine and The Queens on Wednesday in the Brit Awards ...... against Beyonce! :eek:

 

If she wins .... and she is the best new act to emerge for many years .... you may wish to sing along ..... :)

 

Jeff

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=50673506&postcount=4170

[spinnaker2]

Terry

what ship will you be on??

I don't know if I can wave goodbye to you, but I would give it a shot if possible.

 

Spatchcock chicken was delish. We had cocktails and tapas by the pool first. There was a lovely cool breeze. I should have taken pictures of the chicken on the grill. It had a beautiful brown outer crustiness and tender juicy meat. To accompany it, I cooked haricot vert, plunged them in cold water, chilled in the refrig and added a simple vinaigrette. Cooked up a batch of crispy french fries in the air fryer... et voila! Add some sauvignon blanc and it became a lovely Sunday repast.

Today I am trying once again to organize photos. UGH. I spend entirely too much time looking at them instead of just categorizing.

 

Sophia, I am thinking of you often and sending good thoughts to you.

 

Jeff we await your food photos!!

 

Mysty tell us more about your upcoming crossing!

 

Shots are your feet still on the ground? You will have a BLAST! ENJOY IT! and please then share with us plebeians. Well some of us may not consider ourselves in that category, but do tell all to us please :-)

 

JP hope you and Chris have recovered from the jet lag.

 

Enjoy the rest of what left of today.

[jpalbny]

Spinnaker2, that meal sounds great. Would have loved some pictures.

 

We are making some progress against the jet lag but it's almost impossible to recover from 10.5 time zones in less than a week. So it will be a bit of a process. We left Kolkata at 8:30PM on Saturday night (10:00AM Eastern Standard Time) and landed at JFK 11:30AM Sunday. We slept only 2-3 hours at most on the flights. Luckily there was no traffic and we made it home in under 3h from the time we left JFK.

 

I haven't seen the Van Wyck Expressway that empty in years, and there was just a little stop and go on the Hutchinson Parkway which didn't hold things up too badly. Chris took over halfway up the Thruway and we were pulling into our driveway at 3:20. Ashley was happy to see us. She looked OK for an ancient cat, and promptly begged to be fed.

 

We had just enough energy to go out for a hamburger with fries and a beer at the pub down the street. After that meal, I managed to stay up until about 8PM but that was a chore. I was surprised that I lasted that long after all that travel and no sleep. I slept until 2AM then dozed on and off until about 6:30.

 

Today, we have been running around all day doing stuff. Early grocery shopping at two stores. We made waffles with fresh berries for breakfast. We went for a long walk in the nice weather this afternoon, took my car in for service, returned our library books, and cooked a big steak on the grill. Yes, we are still making up for lost beef!

 

 

We have also done too many loads of laundry to count. Our last task for tonight will be to clean the aquarium. Will try to stay awake until 8:30 this evening. Only 2 hours to go! Back to work tomorrow.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Camera

iPad

 

Focal Length

4.28mm

 

Aperture

f/2.4

 

Exposure

1/15s

 

ISO

80

 

[spinnaker2]

Jeff...

Yummmmmmm

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Spins ....

 

Today's brochettes.

 

Jeff

 

Camera

iPad

 

Focal Length

4.28mm

 

Aperture

f/2.4

 

Exposure

1/15s

 

ISO

400

 

 

 

 

 

Camera

iPad

 

Focal Length

4.28mm

 

Aperture

f/2.4

 

Exposure

1/15s

 

ISO

100

 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! Overcast today but at least it is not horribly cold (29 F).

 

JP...Glad you are settling back in and getting your craving for beef satisfied. That steak looks awesome! Hope the jet lag dealings are as successful!

 

 

J....your dishes, as always, are drool-inducing! I passed on your mussels hints to Myster for the next time he performs his kitchen magic.

 

Spins.....we had originally planned not to travel too far for 2017. However, I stumbled on the March 27 crossing on the Wind and the universe conspired to make it happen. We have never sailed on the Wind before (our previous cruises with SS were on the Whisper) and we have never crossed the Atlantic by sea. Many of the ports will be new to us (Funchal, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Cartegena). Myster is set to retire at the end of April and has some vacation time to burn. So, it will be a early retirement celebration. We were suffering from cruise withdrawal and this just seemed to be the ticket!

 

Have a great day/evening all!

[TLCOhio]

Terry. What ship will you be on??

I don't know if I can wave goodbye to you, but I would give it a shot if possible.

 

Appreciate Spin's good question. For the record, we will be the Island Princess next Tuesday afternoon as we do the 4 pm sail-away from Fort Lauderdale. Fortunately, it looks like both Candy and I will be able to "hook-up" next Monday evening at a special Italian family place for a private and secret dinner. BUT, don't worry, both of our spouses will be along for the fun!! Sounds like a chance for Spins to check out if I have horns, as some have claimed, on the back of my head. I promise not to mention about how often has Ohio State beaten Michigan in college football since 2000.

 

Just found out last night the details last night from Verizon as to how to use our iPhone to use the ship's wi-fi to make phone calls without paying the huge $2.99 a minute charges that the conventional international calling would involve.

 

Appreciate Jeff's fun food pictures, plus J.P.'s updates, etc. That food looks great. WOW!! on the challenges as noted by J.P. for "it's almost impossible to recover from 10.5 time zones in less than a week." The Cruise Critic boards have had technical problems in the past day or so. Getting better, but not sure all has been fixed.

Our weather has been great and Spring-like here in Central Ohio. Below are some examples of the "photo evidence" from Sunday for the sun and warm weather we have been enjoying. If this is penalty for "climate change", then we in the Midwest have had a great and super mild winter so far.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 171,424 views for this posting.

 

 

First, here are two Spring flower examples just east of our patio as to what has happened with our mild winter. Hard to believe this has been happening in mid February in Central Ohio. Plus, here is one of our wild deer checking out our back yard area in our home ravine area.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are our two English Labs enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon on our brick patio. First is Roxie, nearly 14 years old, female Black Lab with just a little "grey" to show her senior citizen status. Second is Rudy, nearly age 11 now, a male Yellow Lab. Are they cute?:

 

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good afternoon ....

 

Coolers may be interested in Trevor Philips and Melanie Phillips (not related .... ) editorial in yesterdays Times and Guardian take on what over-exuberant PC is costing society .... which I've "shared".

 

Jeff

 

Political correctness kick‑started populism

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/19/trevor-phillips-i-dont-care-about-offending-people-has-political-correctness-gone-mad-channel-4

 

 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/political-correctness-kick-started-populism-fbrncdrwd?shareToken=c349b5c49b6b75d794e7f699dcd4f083

Edited February 22, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[les37b]

Terry, I note you called your dogs "English" Labs

 

American friends of mine have 2 golden retrievers which (very pale cream almost white) they also call them "English" golden retrievers.

 

Ours are just labs and goldens.... no differntials to where they came from or other anomaly ... simply the breed.

 

I know in the US, "English Goldens" are meant to genetically be less prone to cancer and hip problems... at least that's what I read. Colour variations shouldn't matter I'm guessing.

 

Is this a similar thing for your "English Labs"?

 

They look very well for their ages! I bet you miss them when you're away!

[TLCOhio]

Terry, I note you called your dogs "English" LabsAmerican friends of mine have 2 golden retrievers which (very pale cream almost white) they also call them "English" golden retrievers. Ours are just labs and goldens.... no differntials to where they came from or other anomaly ... simply the breed. I know in the US, "English Goldens" are meant to genetically be less prone to cancer and hip problems... at least that's what I read. Colour variations shouldn't matter I'm guessing. Is this a similar thing for your "English Labs"? They look very well for their ages! I bet you miss them when you're away!

Appreciate these great questions and reactions from Les about our "English Labs". Based on what a couple of different expert breeders explained to us, the "English Lab" has a little shorter face and is supposedly smarter and better behaved. That's compared to the "American Lab". Yes, yes, I know that will bring up some snide and interesting questions/comments comparing "people", English versus American??!!

 

Our two Labs had the same mother here in Central Ohio. That mother was a "champion" Our female Black Lab had a father whose sperm was FedEx'd in from Texas. For our male Yellow Lab, the father from Texas was a son of the father of the Black Lab, also from Texas. The two dogs are very, very different in their personalities and smarts. The female Black Lab is the "alpha" personality, very smart, had a sister who won top competition honors, etc. The male Yellow Lab is super loving, a little "slow" mentally and in attention span, very positive, etc. Always interesting!!?? But, very different! For our upcoming trip, yes, we will miss the dogs, but it is our grandsons in Virginia that we miss most. We will have pictures up in our cruise ship room of the grandsons.

 

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 209,780 views.

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