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

[brillohead]

Tuesday report on the newly discovered family!

We started the day with a mid-morning breakfast with my son joining, as well as my new Aunt Linda. And I did bring my pen and a notebook to write down all the immediate family members!  My grandfather had four kids with each of his three wives, and the family refers to them as his "litters"... "the first litter was these four kids, and our litter was Jack, Bill, Charles, and Linda, and then he married that old cross-eyed witch and that litter was these four kids...."  LOL  And then each of the brothers from my litter married / had kids with three different women.  Aunt Linda was the "easy" one -- she just has the one husband, but they still had four kids. 

After breakfast we went to their hotel to drop off Uncle Jack so he could put his swollen feet up on some pillows (sound familiar, Bella cruisers?).  Bill showed my son his Army pictures from Vietnam (my son just completed his Army enlistment at Christmastime) and gave him a medal from when he was in the Army.  

Then Bill drove me and Matthew around and showed us a few places he used to frequent back in the day (he lived here for five years in the late 60s/early 70s). We dropped my son off at his place for the afternoon, did a bit more driving around, then back to the hotel.  Bill and Jack told stories on each other all afternoon (these guys never stop teasing each other!), then we went off to meet "the kids" (my son and his girlfriend) for dinner.  

After dinner, Bill and Jack and I went out to Aunt Linda's house again, and I got to meet one of her daughters and son-in-law.  When it was time to leave, it was hugs all around again, and Linda hugged me tight, let go, then pulled me in for a second hug and told me how glad she was that I found them. 

 

I'm invited to "Easter Dinner" on Saturday night at Linda's house.  I will only be able to stay for a couple hours (because I work the night before and that night), but I can't pass up the opportunity to get to know these loving people!  I'm hoping I can get my son and his girlfriend to join... my son has half a dozen cousins (technically second cousins -- Aunt Linda's grandkids) who are right around his age (within five years in each direction), and I think he'd fit right in with these kids.  

We left Aunt Linda's and went back to the hotel. Bill and Jack were going to hit the road early this morning, so we said our goodbyes last night.  Not gonna lie, I teared up a little saying goodbye to Bill... this sweet man is still beating himself up for not knowing about me for the past 50+ years, and nothing I say will stop him from feeling guilty about something he had no possible way of knowing about.  I hope that with time he'll learn to just accept it like I have, and just enjoy the time we do have together now that we know the truth.

And I don't usually post pics on CC, but I feel like you guys are invested in the story.... here's a pic of me with Bill at dinner last night:

 

 

Oh, and my luck has officially run out -- I had five tickets for last night's Mega Millions lottery drawing, and I had one number on one ticket and one number on another, so no big Group Cruise courtesy of the Michigan Lottery!  😂
 

[Ocean Boy]

5 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Tuesday report on the newly discovered family!

We started the day with a mid-morning breakfast with my son joining, as well as my new Aunt Linda. And I did bring my pen and a notebook to write down all the immediate family members!  My grandfather had four kids with each of his three wives, and the family refers to them as his "litters"... "the first litter was these four kids, and our litter was Jack, Bill, Charles, and Linda, and then he married that old cross-eyed witch and that litter was these four kids...."  LOL  And then each of the brothers from my litter married / had kids with three different women.  Aunt Linda was the "easy" one -- she just has the one husband, but they still had four kids. 

After breakfast we went to their hotel to drop off Uncle Jack so he could put his swollen feet up on some pillows (sound familiar, Bella cruisers?).  Bill showed my son his Army pictures from Vietnam (my son just completed his Army enlistment at Christmastime) and gave him a medal from when he was in the Army.  

Then Bill drove me and Matthew around and showed us a few places he used to frequent back in the day (he lived here for five years in the late 60s/early 70s). We dropped my son off at his place for the afternoon, did a bit more driving around, then back to the hotel.  Bill and Jack told stories on each other all afternoon (these guys never stop teasing each other!), then we went off to meet "the kids" (my son and his girlfriend) for dinner.  

After dinner, Bill and Jack and I went out to Aunt Linda's house again, and I got to meet one of her daughters and son-in-law.  When it was time to leave, it was hugs all around again, and Linda hugged me tight, let go, then pulled me in for a second hug and told me how glad she was that I found them. 

 

I'm invited to "Easter Dinner" on Saturday night at Linda's house.  I will only be able to stay for a couple hours (because I work the night before and that night), but I can't pass up the opportunity to get to know these loving people!  I'm hoping I can get my son and his girlfriend to join... my son has half a dozen cousins (technically second cousins -- Aunt Linda's grandkids) who are right around his age (within five years in each direction), and I think he'd fit right in with these kids.  

We left Aunt Linda's and went back to the hotel. Bill and Jack were going to hit the road early this morning, so we said our goodbyes last night.  Not gonna lie, I teared up a little saying goodbye to Bill... this sweet man is still beating himself up for not knowing about me for the past 50+ years, and nothing I say will stop him from feeling guilty about something he had no possible way of knowing about.  I hope that with time he'll learn to just accept it like I have, and just enjoy the time we do have together now that we know the truth.

And I don't usually post pics on CC, but I feel like you guys are invested in the story.... here's a pic of me with Bill at dinner last night:

 

 

Oh, and my luck has officially run out -- I had five tickets for last night's Mega Millions lottery drawing, and I had one number on one ticket and one number on another, so no big Group Cruise courtesy of the Michigan Lottery!  😂
 

It has been a great story. Really happy for you. However.... a lottery win could have improved it....😉😊😇

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

We leave for Vegas tonight for a few days. Bags are almost packed and we get Owen at 2:15pm. Photos to come, mini review ish.  
 

We fly back Saturday morning. 

Something tells me this trip is automobile related ?

[Ocean Boy]

4 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Something tells me this trip is automobile related ?

Does that mean two people fly home and one drives?

[jmh2006]

13 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Tuesday report on the newly discovered family!

We started the day with a mid-morning breakfast with my son joining, as well as my new Aunt Linda. And I did bring my pen and a notebook to write down all the immediate family members!  My grandfather had four kids with each of his three wives, and the family refers to them as his "litters"... "the first litter was these four kids, and our litter was Jack, Bill, Charles, and Linda, and then he married that old cross-eyed witch and that litter was these four kids...."  LOL  And then each of the brothers from my litter married / had kids with three different women.  Aunt Linda was the "easy" one -- she just has the one husband, but they still had four kids. 

After breakfast we went to their hotel to drop off Uncle Jack so he could put his swollen feet up on some pillows (sound familiar, Bella cruisers?).  Bill showed my son his Army pictures from Vietnam (my son just completed his Army enlistment at Christmastime) and gave him a medal from when he was in the Army.  

Then Bill drove me and Matthew around and showed us a few places he used to frequent back in the day (he lived here for five years in the late 60s/early 70s). We dropped my son off at his place for the afternoon, did a bit more driving around, then back to the hotel.  Bill and Jack told stories on each other all afternoon (these guys never stop teasing each other!), then we went off to meet "the kids" (my son and his girlfriend) for dinner.  

After dinner, Bill and Jack and I went out to Aunt Linda's house again, and I got to meet one of her daughters and son-in-law.  When it was time to leave, it was hugs all around again, and Linda hugged me tight, let go, then pulled me in for a second hug and told me how glad she was that I found them. 

 

I'm invited to "Easter Dinner" on Saturday night at Linda's house.  I will only be able to stay for a couple hours (because I work the night before and that night), but I can't pass up the opportunity to get to know these loving people!  I'm hoping I can get my son and his girlfriend to join... my son has half a dozen cousins (technically second cousins -- Aunt Linda's grandkids) who are right around his age (within five years in each direction), and I think he'd fit right in with these kids.  

We left Aunt Linda's and went back to the hotel. Bill and Jack were going to hit the road early this morning, so we said our goodbyes last night.  Not gonna lie, I teared up a little saying goodbye to Bill... this sweet man is still beating himself up for not knowing about me for the past 50+ years, and nothing I say will stop him from feeling guilty about something he had no possible way of knowing about.  I hope that with time he'll learn to just accept it like I have, and just enjoy the time we do have together now that we know the truth.

And I don't usually post pics on CC, but I feel like you guys are invested in the story.... here's a pic of me with Bill at dinner last night:

 

 

Oh, and my luck has officially run out -- I had five tickets for last night's Mega Millions lottery drawing, and I had one number on one ticket and one number on another, so no big Group Cruise courtesy of the Michigan Lottery!  😂
 

Thank you so much for sharing your story!  I really do see a resemblance between you and your father!  So happy for you and your son to start this new family chapter!

[Sea Dog]

8 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I have no idea what the old ones compared to this one.  This is my 1st Apple computer.   The touch pad is huge.  Not sure yet why.  There is an option to get a mouse.  This is all new to me.  So much to learn.  I had to. Google how to make a new file 😆.   Here's a pic to give you an idea how big the pad is.  It has surprised me how heavy this thing is.

There are lots of videos you can watch on YT about being new to Mac. The learning curve is very short and you will pick everything up very easy. I love the simplicity of it all.

[ValerieJo]

3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

We leave for Vegas tonight for a few days. Bags are almost packed and we get Owen at 2:15pm. Photos to come, mini review ish.  
 

We fly back Saturday morning. 

Have a wonderful time.   We love Vegas. The weather should be perfect this time of year.  

[George C]

12 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Any Doobie Brothers fans here?  My BIL has just driven from Adelaide to Sydney (1,374.6km) to see them perform at the State Theatre in Sydney over the Easter Long Weekend.

We have seen Michael McDonald a few times including on a cruise a couple of years ago , he was great , his wife was one of his backup singers . They were added recently to the rock and roll hall of fame.

[ValerieJo]

@brillohead  What an amazing story.  You definitely can see the resemblance between you and your father.  

[xpcdoojk]

23 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

You could get a Wireless Mouse with a Dongle and still be able to use a Mouse. I hate using a touch pad on a laptop for anything.

Bad enough to have to have extra hard drive attached on a mobile device and really bad to have a mouse attached.  The MacBook Pro historically has a good touchpad.  It just  becomes sketchy as it ages.  So, yeah a mouse is still a better answer, but an extra pain.  

[dpostman]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

You could get a Wireless Mouse with a Dongle and still be able to use a Mouse. I hate using a touch pad on a laptop for anything.

 

40 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

Bad enough to have to have extra hard drive attached on a mobile device and really bad to have a mouse attached.  The MacBook Pro historically has a good touchpad.  It just  becomes sketchy as it ages.  So, yeah a mouse is still a better answer, but an extra pain.  

 

I cannot comment on how well this works on Macs, but I use Adobe Premiere Pro on Windows and have been using the Tour Box Neo controller for the past year.  I'm really enjoying it and had increased my efficiency substantially.  Once you get everything setup to your liking and customized the many buttons to your most used functions, it is faster than keyboard shortcuts.  There is also a wireless (I think Bluetooth) version, but I have the USB version.  It is also quite hefty so it does not slide around and feels nice.  It also changes it's functions automatically to whatever software/window is active.  I even use it in Excel.

 

dp

[BonTexasNY]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

Tuesday report on the newly discovered family!

We started the day with a mid-morning breakfast with my son joining, as well as my new Aunt Linda. And I did bring my pen and a notebook to write down all the immediate family members!  My grandfather had four kids with each of his three wives, and the family refers to them as his "litters"... "the first litter was these four kids, and our litter was Jack, Bill, Charles, and Linda, and then he married that old cross-eyed witch and that litter was these four kids...."  LOL  And then each of the brothers from my litter married / had kids with three different women.  Aunt Linda was the "easy" one -- she just has the one husband, but they still had four kids. 

After breakfast we went to their hotel to drop off Uncle Jack so he could put his swollen feet up on some pillows (sound familiar, Bella cruisers?).  Bill showed my son his Army pictures from Vietnam (my son just completed his Army enlistment at Christmastime) and gave him a medal from when he was in the Army.  

Then Bill drove me and Matthew around and showed us a few places he used to frequent back in the day (he lived here for five years in the late 60s/early 70s). We dropped my son off at his place for the afternoon, did a bit more driving around, then back to the hotel.  Bill and Jack told stories on each other all afternoon (these guys never stop teasing each other!), then we went off to meet "the kids" (my son and his girlfriend) for dinner.  

After dinner, Bill and Jack and I went out to Aunt Linda's house again, and I got to meet one of her daughters and son-in-law.  When it was time to leave, it was hugs all around again, and Linda hugged me tight, let go, then pulled me in for a second hug and told me how glad she was that I found them. 

 

I'm invited to "Easter Dinner" on Saturday night at Linda's house.  I will only be able to stay for a couple hours (because I work the night before and that night), but I can't pass up the opportunity to get to know these loving people!  I'm hoping I can get my son and his girlfriend to join... my son has half a dozen cousins (technically second cousins -- Aunt Linda's grandkids) who are right around his age (within five years in each direction), and I think he'd fit right in with these kids.  

We left Aunt Linda's and went back to the hotel. Bill and Jack were going to hit the road early this morning, so we said our goodbyes last night.  Not gonna lie, I teared up a little saying goodbye to Bill... this sweet man is still beating himself up for not knowing about me for the past 50+ years, and nothing I say will stop him from feeling guilty about something he had no possible way of knowing about.  I hope that with time he'll learn to just accept it like I have, and just enjoy the time we do have together now that we know the truth.

And I don't usually post pics on CC, but I feel like you guys are invested in the story.... here's a pic of me with Bill at dinner last night:

 

 

Oh, and my luck has officially run out -- I had five tickets for last night's Mega Millions lottery drawing, and I had one number on one ticket and one number on another, so no big Group Cruise courtesy of the Michigan Lottery!  😂
 

Beautiful father/daughter picture.  I too see a resemblance!

Your luck hasn't run out.  It's just beginning!  The good kind!!

 

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

We will walk through the casino but we will not be sitting at a machine. 🤞

 

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

So you will be standing?

 

 

I was going to ask if he was going to be sitting at a table.

 

 

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

LOLOL, I doubt that too.  Lisa and I might spend a few minutes at the slots at some point, but seems unlikely. 

 

We land tonight about 10pm Vegas time which is after midnight here so it couldn't be tonight. 

 

Slot machines never sleep.😉

[bobmacliberty]

I'm finally caught up.  I've been on a guy's golf trip to Pinehurst Resort the last 4 days.  Way too much alcohol, not nearly enough sleep, and a lot more physical activity than I'm used to, means I'll need a couple of days to recover.  

 

For those not familiar with Pinehurst, it's located in North Carolina about an hour from Raleigh.  It's known as the cradle of American golf, with the first course there opened in 1901.  They currently have 9 courses, which are all known by a number.  We played No. 2, No. 8, and No. 9, plus their par 3 course called The Cradle.  Pinehurst Number 2 is the most famous course.  It has hosted 3 US Opens (and will do so again in 2024 plus 4 more times in the future), a US Women's Open, a Ryder Cup, a PGA Championship, and numerous other senior and amateur tournaments.  It's a bucket list course for golfers.  It has brutally hard greens that are high in the middle and slope away in all directions.  You must hit a great shot to keep the ball on the green.  If you roll off (which happened to me WAY more often than not), you have a difficult chip shot, or long putt from off the green, to try to get back near the hole.  That course kicked my butt!  It really makes you appreciate the talent that professional golfers have.  They play a very different game of golf than I do.

 

We stayed in the Carolina Hotel, which is a 100+ year old, 4 diamond hotel.  The hotel itself was great but service across the resort was generally poor, especially in restaurants.  That seems to be a common problem everywhere these days.  However, we had a great drink called Eagle Fashion.  

The recipe is Makers Mark Bourbon, Muddled Orange, Cherry and Brown Sugar with Maple Syrup and Bitters over an Ice Sphere, garnished with a Slice of Bacon.  Yup, bacon.  Bacon really does make everything better.  Eating that slice of bacon (that has soaked up the cocktail) once the liquid is gone is a great way to finish a drink.  

 

While I'm glad we went there, and especially played the No. 2 course, that resort is a one and done for me.  My friends had the same opinion.  There are several golf resorts that I haven't yet been too (Bandon Dunes in Oregon and the Kohler Resort in Wisconsin in particular), and many that I very much want to return to (Kiawah, Bay Hill, Streamsong, PGA National), that are ahead of a return visit to Pinehurst.

[A&L_Ont]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

Oh, and my luck has officially run out -- I had five tickets for last night's Mega Millions lottery drawing, and I had one number on one ticket and one number on another, so no big Group Cruise courtesy of the Michigan Lottery!  😂
 

I think these last few weeks you have hit the real jackpot. The Mega Millions would be a nice second place. 😁

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Does that mean two people fly home and one drives?

Sometimes these kind of cars you don't want to put on miles on like that, so you have them transported on a trailer.

[Ozark_Kid]

3 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

That is huge, is the keyboard full width it looks smaller?  

It is a good size.  The only thing I miss is a calculator pad on the side.  You have the option of adding a keyboard and mouse.   I am going to see how it goes without them for now.  If and when I start using it at a desk I might get them.  Nice to be able to sit on the couch and use it.  I will see if I enjoy it while in the car today.

[A&L_Ont]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Something tells me this trip is automobile related ?

We will be using an Uber…

 

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Does that mean two people fly home and one drives?

LOL, that would be especially nice if we went to Shelby America but that’s not the case. 

[Jimbo]

5 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

I'm finally caught up.  I've been on a guy's golf trip to Pinehurst Resort the last 4 days.  Way too much alcohol, not nearly enough sleep, and a lot more physical activity than I'm used to, means I'll need a couple of days to recover.  

 

For those not familiar with Pinehurst, it's located in North Carolina about an hour from Raleigh.  It's known as the cradle of American golf, with the first course there opened in 1901.  They currently have 9 courses, which are all known by a number.  We played No. 2, No. 8, and No. 9, plus their par 3 course called The Cradle.  Pinehurst Number 2 is the most famous course.  It has hosted 3 US Opens (and will do so again in 2024 plus 4 more times in the future), a US Women's Open, a Ryder Cup, a PGA Championship, and numerous other senior and amateur tournaments.  It's a bucket list course for golfers.  It has brutally hard greens that are high in the middle and slope away in all directions.  You must hit a great shot to keep the ball on the green.  If you roll off (which happened to me WAY more often than not), you have a difficult chip shot, or long putt from off the green, to try to get back near the hole.  That course kicked my butt!  It really makes you appreciate the talent that professional golfers have.  They play a very different game of golf than I do.

 

We stayed in the Carolina Hotel, which is a 100+ year old, 4 diamond hotel.  The hotel itself was great but service across the resort was generally poor, especially in restaurants.  That seems to be a common problem everywhere these days.  However, we had a great drink called Eagle Fashion.  

The recipe is Makers Mark Bourbon, Muddled Orange, Cherry and Brown Sugar with Maple Syrup and Bitters over an Ice Sphere, garnished with a Slice of Bacon.  Yup, bacon.  Bacon really does make everything better.  Eating that slice of bacon (that has soaked up the cocktail) once the liquid is gone is a great way to finish a drink.  

 

While I'm glad we went there, and especially played the No. 2 course, that resort is a one and done for me.  My friends had the same opinion.  There are several golf resorts that I haven't yet been too (Bandon Dunes in Oregon and the Kohler Resort in Wisconsin in particular), and many that I very much want to return to (Kiawah, Bay Hill, Streamsong, PGA National), that are ahead of a return visit to Pinehurst.

Should have made it a little longer trip and went to the Masters in Augusta, Ga. Only about 200 miles from where you were.

[xpcdoojk]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Should have made it a little longer trip and went to the Masters in Augusta, Ga. Only about 200 miles from where you were.

 A bit harder to get a tee time at Augusta National!  

[BonTexasNY]

We somehow lost internet last night.  Fast forward to 7am this morning. Jack said he was on the phone with AT&T from 2-3am trying to straighten it out.  Guy at AT&T worked on it the whole time from his location.  He had Jack do stuff with the tv and finally, voila we now have internet restored on our smart tv and laptop.

 

One great thing about a tempurpedic mattress is that the whole bed doesn't move/shift when someone gets in and out of bed.  Makes for an uninterrupted night sleep.😴

[bobmacliberty]

My two cents on grits...I didn't know grits existed for much of my life.  Then I never had a desire to try them.  More accurately, I actively avoided them.  But when I moved to Florida, I was told that I MUST give shrimp and grits a try.  Boy am I glad that I did.  Most shrimp and grits recipes seem to include chopped bacon (didn't I just say that everything is better with bacon?), but I prefer a version with andouille sausage.  

 

@helen haywood - If you haven't been there yet, give the Down Under Restaurant a try.  It's literally "down under" the bridge to the island.  Not a fancy place but good food and I really like the shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and a sherry cream reduction.

[helen haywood]

2 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

My two cents on grits...I didn't know grits existed for much of my life.  Then I never had a desire to try them.  More accurately, I actively avoided them.  But when I moved to Florida, I was told that I MUST give shrimp and grits a try.  Boy am I glad that I did.  Most shrimp and grits recipes seem to include chopped bacon (didn't I just say that everything is better with bacon?), but I prefer a version with andouille sausage.  

 

@helen haywood - If you haven't been there yet, give the Down Under Restaurant a try.  It's literally "down under" the bridge to the island.  Not a fancy place but good food and I really like the shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and a sherry cream reduction.

Oh, yes, we were familiar with Down Under before we moved here!  In fact, I was sort of sad the whole road to it got paved because I used to feel like an in the know local going there on the sand road…. We’ve seen lovely boats go by…and DH especially likes watching the railroad bridge rotate out when a train comes by.

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

@Luckynana Maryanne and JIm,

Hope all worked out good at your dentist (? wasn't that why you had to leave FL early?)

We are back too and now doing the daunting and overwhelming task of cleaning out, donating, packing boxes, etc etc etc.

Thank you, Arzeena.  We just left the dentist.  All is good.  We're so fortunate to have him..he and his office staff always squeeze us in when we need them.  We got up at 5:30 this morning to get to his office on the Island on time☺️

Another silver lining by coming home...I'm able to jump-start the yardwork.

Best of luck with your packing.  We moved a lot of stuff to our new home, "just in case" and got rid of a lot of stuff.  When do you officially move?

So it looks like we'll have to wait until Bella2 before we physically get to meet.

Congratulations once again on becoming Florida residents 🥰

[bobmacliberty]

6 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Should have made it a little longer trip and went to the Masters in Augusta, Ga. Only about 200 miles from where you were.

 

The Masters is definitely in my future.  Getting tickets is the hard part.  You need to enter a lottery and get lucky, or buy scalped tickets.  My parents used to live in Aiken, SC, just across the border from Augusta.  They'd enter the lottery every year.  I think they got practice round tickets a couple of times and tournament day tickets only once.  It used to be that if you get caught using someone else's tickets, they'll kick you out and ban the person who you bought tickets from.  Not sure if that's still true.