Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[BonTexasNY]

@dani negreanuDani, thank you for sharing your wonderful celebrations with us, your 50th wedding anniversary and DH's birthday. "until 120" - long life.   Beautiful setting but then Tel Aviv and Old Jaffo hold special places in my heart.  My favorite place to meander on our visits to Israel was always Old Jaffo.  And how I love "Tel Aviv!  I need to agree with other posters that you both look wonderful, you especially beautiful.  

[George C]

23 minutes ago, Coralc said:

Question for @George C ? Have you had any problems with your Subaru Outback battery? There is a class action lawsuit, and I just filled out a claim form today. We had problems with ours. The battery died twice in the first week we owned it. We had to take it back to the distant dealer a week after purchase, who replaced it with a new Subaru battery. And that one died about 9 months later. Bill was fed up at that point and replaced it with an Interstate Optum something battery. I submitted for reimbursement on the Interstate. May hear something in a few years. 🤔

My wife has had no issues with battery or with anything else in the less than two years she has her outback. I always replaced my batteries with interstate batteries.

[Coralc]

4 minutes ago, George C said:

My wife has had no issues with battery or with anything else in the less than two years she has her outback. I always replaced my batteries with interstate batteries.

Thanks! I wondered if we might just be unlucky. We aren't driving everyday like we used to. ☺️ We had a fuel pump replacement recall, too. 

[taznremmy]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

Some rocket scientist at the insurance company finally did the math and realized that $6K/year for Repatha is a heck of a lot cheaper than $250K/year for heart attacks and strokes.  

Great that your Mom's Dr. was willing to write that letter.

[taznremmy]

8 minutes ago, Coralc said:

Thanks! I wondered if we might just be unlucky. We aren't driving everyday like we used to. ☺️ We had a fuel pump replacement recall, too. 

Note to self....don't buy a Subaru Outback....😁

[Coralc]

Just now, taznremmy said:

Note to self....don't buy a Subaru Outback....😁

They are nice vehicles. IMO, there are just so many electronics in it, that I can see why battery drain might be an issue. ☺️ There are screens, and seat warmers and electronic lift gate and lane assist and cameras and OnStar and all kinds of stuff on the Limited. I kind of miss my basic Camry. But we need the all-wheel drive for the snow. 😃

[A&L_Ont]

@dani negreanuwonderful photos from your anniversary trip. Congratulations to you both. ❤️

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, MJSailors said:

We bought a 2022 Honda Accord last March. It is a hybrid that doesn’t need to be plugged in to charge the battery. It recharges as the car is driven. Has lots of safety features which I appreciate.

However it does not have a spare tire,not even those temporary (doughnut) tires. There is a kit similar to a fix-a- flat product in the trunk.

I'm planning on ordering a Sonata hybrid soon. Not certain if that one holds a spare or not. It appears that they got rid of the spare for the '23 model. I'm not a fan of the lack of a spare tire. Weight-saving measure to gain better fuel efficiency. Seems weird since we're only talking about 45-50 pounds (tire including lug wrench, etc.) out of the total 3,500 (roughly 1.5% of the overall weight).  

 

 

[taznremmy]

@Coralc Patti, I was just giving you a bad time. 😃  I have similar issues with my Honda CRV, and have had to have it jump started numerous times after a cruise.  The AAA guy said exactly what you mentioned, all the electronic accessories.  He suggested either a trickle charger or disconnect the battery cables when I'm going to be gone for any length of time.  Funny, I also traded in a Camry when I bought my Honda.

[Ourusualbeach]

7 hours ago, brillohead said:

I'm already planning to stop again on my way back to Houston at the end of these cruises!!!

I should have gone when we were in Houston in November, instead we used our rental car to get my new avatar picture. 

[Bailey & Sophie]

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.

[sgmn]

14 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

I'll quote some of the series in the list compiled awhile ago [my personal marked in red] --

 

JD Robb "In death" 

Georges Simenon Series 

Gideon Oliver -Aaron  Elkins  series 

Louise Penny’s Gamache series.

The Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell 

Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley Series. 

Donna Leon’s Brunetti series. 

Any books by Tana French

Any books by P. D. James 

JK Rowling (author of Harry Potter series), writing under the name Robert Galbraith -- the Cormoran Strike series.

Helen Fields -- the Perfect series.

Karin Slaughter -- the Will Trent series

Daniel Silva - Gabriel Allon series

Janet Evanovich—Stephanie Plum series.  Fox and Hare series.

Ian Rankin’s Rebus series

Peter Robinson’s DCI Banks series

Nevada Barr’s National Parks series

Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters

John Sandford , the Prey series and the Virgil Flowers series

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.

Edited January 19, 2023 by sgmn

[aussielozzie18]

@dani negreanu Congratulations again on your golden anniversary & DH’s birthday.  Lovely photos.  Hope you got a table on the outside veranda for your first eggs Benedict to soak up that lovely weather and view. Despite the disappointing food, pleased that  the wonderful company and attentive staff made for a lovely evening 

 

I was intrigued by the floating tree.  Apparently it was created by an Israeli artist and installed in 1993.  It’s a full size orange tree that bears fruit. Love the ideas that artist’s come up with.

[aussielozzie18]

@DaniDanielle Your grand-daughter is an adorable detective.

[sgmn]

13 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

We're back after a night spent in a hotel near Old Jaffa, celebrating our golden wedding anniversary (and DH's b'day BTW) with a dinner with dear old friends.

 

After a lot of time spent on researching for the right hotel, we decided to remain "locally". The hotels I've researched in Jerusalem were in the range of 700-800$ per night, with a check in at 3PM and check out at 11AM. Or, as DH said, every breath we'll take will cost us a dollar...

 

Especially, we wanted an historic hotel, like the King David, where all the US presidents visiting are booked. And King David wasn't even the costliest one.

 

My BFF and her DH [on the right side] celebrated theirs a year and a half ago at an 5* hotel [paid for by their kids] and suggested to check the rates, even if we knew they're over the top.... and we were pleasantly surprised to find a "winter mid-week deal" for a "mere" 342$ a night [the cheapest basic room], with a check out at noon!!! Hurray !!!

 

Their stay included a meal at the hotel restaurant, which we decided to enjoy too. My BFF, her DH and my BFF's 3rd cousin, who was actually "responsible" for our meeting, were to join us for dinner. With the cousin I go back to my early days at the new immigrants school, and he took my under his wings.

 

We started the celebrations with an Eggs Benedict b'fast at our "to go to" establishment right on the Med beach. We were really blessed with wonderful weather. You can see old Jaffa in the background.

 

 

Christmas and Hanukka are still on....

 

 

 

Then, after a few mins drive, we arrived at our hotel. Pleasantly surprised that we were upgraded to their best room, with a balcony and with a sea view [I might have mentioned our golden ann. when I've booked by phone directly with the hotel...]

 

It is a very old neighborhood, and the building (150 years old) was completely renovated. We strolled around, DH took lots of pics, and... it was time for dinner. 

 

The meal itself was quite disappointing, I really can't understand all the mixing of weird ingredients one with another. Some of our dishes were quickly replaced, and the crew were very attentive to the 6 of us. We stayed over 3 hours, and the time went by quickly. At the evening end, I've told hubby that I should be disappointed and a bit sad that the meal was sub-par, but I was not, since the ambiance and dialogue between us, so old friends, was amazing.

 

 

OTOH, the b'fast this morning [supplied by the same in-site restaurant] was excellent, and, again, we choose Eggs Benedict.

 

We checked out, left our trolley, and took a leisurely stroll through the Old lanes of Jaffa, enjoying the sunshine.

 

A suspended tree --

 

 

Just look at the sea....

 

 

I want to thank you again to for the good wishes on the occasion of our double celebration 🙏

Very many congratulations to you both on your Golden Wedding anniversary Dani, and to your lovely talented DH for his birthday 

Your trip looks wonderful. So lovely to see the beautiful blue/green sea and blue skies. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by sgmn

[aussielozzie18]

12 minutes 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 

 

I second Sue’s recommendation. Here is book one - The Thursday Murder Club (probably different covers in US & UK).  
Currently reading book 2 - The Man who died twice - and enjoying it.

The series is  hugely popular over here too.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by aussielozzie18

[Ocean Boy]

8 hours ago, Coralc said:

They are nice vehicles. IMO, there are just so many electronics in it, that I can see why battery drain might be an issue. ☺️ There are screens, and seat warmers and electronic lift gate and lane assist and cameras and OnStar and all kinds of stuff on the Limited. I kind of miss my basic Camry. But we need the all-wheel drive for the snow. 😃

Most of those electronics are not active unless the car is running. I don't see why they should kill a battery. I do, however, wonder about cars that have auto stop engines where batteries are powering everything while cars are stopped at red lights, etc. 

[Ocean Boy]

6 hours ago, taznremmy said:

@Coralc Patti, I was just giving you a bad time. 😃  I have similar issues with my Honda CRV, and have had to have it jump started numerous times after a cruise.  The AAA guy said exactly what you mentioned, all the electronic accessories.  He suggested either a trickle charger or disconnect the battery cables when I'm going to be gone for any length of time.  Funny, I also traded in a Camry when I bought my Honda.

I keep a battery tender hooked up to my lawn tractor as well as an old Ford Taurus station wagon that I occasionally use. They really extend battery life. I can't remember the last time I've had to buy a battery for either since I started using the tenders. They are very inexpensive, too. 

[Sunshine3601]

29 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I keep a battery tender hooked up to my lawn tractor as well as an old Ford Taurus station wagon that I occasionally use. They really extend battery life. I can't remember the last time I've had to buy a battery for either since I started using the tenders. They are very inexpensive, too. 

We do the same with our riding mower during winter when not use.   We also put trickle/tender charger on my convertible and his challenger hellcat that get stored in garage for the winter.    Cost about $10 each and well worth it.

 

What is the itinerary on your upcoming Odyssey cruise?

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We do the same with our riding mower during winter when not use.   We also put trickle/tender charger on my convertible and his challenger hellcat that get stored in garage for the winter.    Cost about $10 each and well worth it.

 

What is the itinerary on your upcoming Odyssey cruise?

Ft. Lauderdale, Sea day, Labadee, Sea day, Aruba, Curaçao, 2 sea days, Ft. Lauderdale. 

[Sunshine3601]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

Ft. Lauderdale, Sea day, Labadee, Sea day, Aruba, Curaçao, 2 sea days, Ft. Lauderdale. 

Nice!   Look forward to seeing pictures of the CA lighthouse and whether they are letting people walk up to the top again.

[Ocean Boy]

From yesterday's bike ride... 

 

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

[bobmacliberty]

9 hours ago, Coralc said:

They are nice vehicles. IMO, there are just so many electronics in it, that I can see why battery drain might be an issue. ☺️ There are screens, and seat warmers and electronic lift gate and lane assist and cameras and OnStar and all kinds of stuff on the Limited. I kind of miss my basic Camry. But we need the all-wheel drive for the snow. 😃

 

 

I had battery problems on my 2009 BMW.  I drove it to work and back, about 5 miles each direction and never more than 45 mph.  Other than that, I only drove for an occasional local errand or two.  The electronics drew a lot of power and my driving habits didn't allow the alternator to recharge the battery well enough.  After a couple of expensive battery replacements, the dealer said my options were to use a trickle charger periodically or to drive a couple of loops around Cincinnati's I-275 circle freeway every month to give the battery a good charge.

 

I'm now seeing a similar problem with my Mercedes.  I drive even less here, and probably average a slower speed.  My nav system wouldn't come on the other day.  A couple of full charges with the trickle charger fixed it.  I've set an alert on my Outlook calendar once a month to plug in the trickle charger.

[h20skibum]

On 1/17/2023 at 4:54 PM, bobmacliberty said:

Unfortunately, it's a complicated discussion.  Without knowing your exact setup and budget, I can't recommend a specific make/model.  Sorry for the long reply that follows but there's no easy answer.

Thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole.  You are right that it is complicated.  It appears that even if everything is Atmos capable, you still may not get it, depending on the apps used.  
 

The Netflix app currently requires that playback devices be capable of decoding Dolby Atmos natively, instead of simply being able to pass through Dolby Atmos to an Atmos-capable soundbar or AV receiver.

 

When I started looking at what I have, vs. what I would need, I came up with new tv, new AV receiver (although my speakers would be good), new Roku, and new Apple TV.  
 

I think I will be satisfied with my 7.1, until things wear out.