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

[BonTexasNY]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

Glad to hear you had a wonderful evening  last night, between your wonderful dinner and then the Genesis Concert afterwards.  It is so sad when our favorite performers have aged, along with their voices.  We felt that way after going to the Melanie Concert last year.😟

I was happy to hear Tom Jones belt it out on The Voice U.K. a few years ago.  He was spot on!

[dani negreanu]

Yesterday we came back from a one day [and night] stay in Nazareth. Our first visit there, and the main conclusion we draw from this visit is "not on the spur of the moment". The main attractions, while being in close proximity in the old city, are open at weird hours -- one closes at noon and opens again at 2PM, this one closes for 2 hours between noon and 2PM -- bottom line - hire a guide...

 

It was also a sad visit. Nazareth is built on foreign tourism, the majority being pilgrims. With Covid and the Omicron ban on foreign visitors, the city is "dead". Many-many shops and market booths were closed. Rows and rows of them...

 

 

The guest house were we stayed holds 18 rooms.

 

 

 

We were the only guests and were treated like VIP. Fresh Arab salads for b'fast.

 

 

The Church of Annunciation 

 

 

 

Inside

 

 

At night

 

[BonTexasNY]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I was right in predicting that Erica would win the game.I would also like to take the opportunity to complete my discussion with you that in my mind was never ended.I saw your response to Bonnie and that is fine but I need to explain from my point of view .I had a discussion this morning with my Barber who is an Orthodox Jew.He like me has a great love of Classic Rock music.I told him that I am conflicted because I love the music of Pink Floyd and own nearly all of their albums even though their lead singer Roger Waters is a Holocaust denier.He said he is as well.

 

Confused here 😵

[Arzeena]

Beautiful pictures Dani.

[BonTexasNY]

54 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

My trek to Texas took me thru Virginia (both of them), Tennessee, Alabama,  Mississippi & Louisiana.  At various stops along the route, I was called Darlin' more than a few times.

 

At least they didn't say "bless your little heart". 🤣

 

Mimi, on a serious note, I hope you're doing well with your new pacemaker. 

 

[dani negreanu]

Nazareth - 2

 

The tallest tree in the Middle East. In "normal" times, this square is packed solid.

 

 

 

 

Another guest house.

 

 

The tree in "our" guest house

 

 

[Arzeena]

9 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Confused here 😵

🥫🪱🪱🪱   🤐

 

 

 

 

[BonTexasNY]

41 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

Whoa! Your Orthodox barber is a denier?

Did I read that right?

That's how I read it but didn't want to mention it.  

[Sea Dog]

4 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I love chocolate cookies but my all time favorite is peanut butter cookies with miniature hershey kisses on top.    

 

 

I love those too. I have a box kit for them that we will bake next week. Yummmmm.

 

 

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

They say that 100 years ago today, the first Bloody Mary was mixed and served in Paris. 
 

Doing my part to celebrate. 
 

 

Cheers to you and Bloody Mary or whoever she is. I love them spicy!

 

 

 

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

Big winds here from the storm that Greg experienced last night.

 

 

Today Owen is in a hockey tournament called Silver Stick. It’s comparable to the World Cup qualifiers in soccer/football. If they win this they move on.

 

We got this wrist bands to wear for re-entry tonight.  It reminded me of this. I need a holiday. 
 

 

 

Stay safe those winds were bad. 70 mph here at home.

 

Good luck to Owen. Go win the whole thing.

 

I think you need a cruise and I need one of your fantastic reviews

 

 

50 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

Crazy Cat Lady here.  Gloomy and rainy today.  These cheer me up…

 

 

 

Looks exactly like our Kylar. I love black cats. Their fur is so shiny and smooth.

 

14 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 

It was also a sad visit. Nazareth is built on foreign tourism, the majority being pilgrims. With Covid and the Omicron ban on foreign visitors, the city is "dead". Many-many shops and market booths were closed. Rows and rows of them...

 

 

Beautiful photos and yes very sad that people can't visit and enjoy themselves. Christmas decorations without people around them is very depressing.

 

[Keksie]

34 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

To be perfectly honest, I never knew what they looked like until someone at work pointed it out.

From our game camera when we lived in Texas.

 

[dani negreanu]

Nazareth - 3

 

There are no street names in the old city. Only numbers... Our WAZE (navigation system) went crazy, telling is to "keep right and turn in str. #6089"... Go figure with no names, unless someone painted the number on the walls....

 

Narrow side walks. No parking, people are stopping in the middle of the road, parking everywhere. While waiting for our car to be retrieved where it was parked 4-cars deep (leave your keys with the attendant), I witnessed a desperate mother trying to navigate with her pushchair the obstructed side walk, and another young woman having no choice but to walk ON the road...

 

 

 

 

No police. Every one smiling and taking its time. We were stuck in the evening with heavy rain and took cover under a balcony. No taxis to be seen. Out of nowhere a youngster appeared with an umbrella and told us: "take it", disappearing before we could offer payment and thanks...

 

I've posted this Good Samaritan "experience" on my book of faces, asking to share. It was such a moving gesture. We were drenched until we reached our guest house, and DH has a cold.

 

[Sea Dog]

WARNING THIS VIDEO HAS GRAPHIC CUTENESS !!!!!!!

 

 

Today we got to visit our new puppy Elizabeth "Lizzy" before we get to take possession of her on the the 26th. She is so sweet and so lovable I got teary eyed when we left. She is so adorable. We gave her a blanket and Christmas moose play toy with our scents on it for her to get used to us. She was shaking the moose all over and was hilarious. We had so much fun it was hard to leave. I shot some video of her other brothers in the litter. They are all spoken for except for one. People come from all over the country for this breeders dogs. We are so happy she lives close to us. Enjoy!

[Keksie]

10 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

WARNING THIS VIDEO HAS GRAPHIC CUTENESS !!!!!!!

 

Today we got to visit our new puppy Elizabeth "Lizzy" before we get to take possession of her on the the 26th. She is so sweet and so lovable I got teary eyed when we left. She is so adorable. We gave her a blanket and Christmas moose play toy with our scents on it for her to get used to us. She was shaking the moose all over and was hilarious. We had so much fun it was hard to leave. I shot some video of her other brothers in the litter. They are all spoken for except for one. People come from all over the country for this breeders dogs. We are so happy she lives close to us. Enjoy!

She is so adorable.  Cuteness overload for sure.  The 26th will be here soon!

[Ozark_Kid]

36 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

Yesterday we came back from a one day [and night] stay in Nazareth. Our first visit there, and the main conclusion we draw from this visit is "not on the spur of the moment". The main attractions, while being in close proximity in the old city, are open at weird hours -- one closes at noon and opens again at 2PM, this one closes for 2 hours between noon and 2PM -- bottom line - hire a guide...

 

It was also a sad visit. Nazareth is built on foreign tourism, the majority being pilgrims. With Covid and the Omicron ban on foreign visitors, the city is "dead". Many-many shops and market booths were closed. Rows and rows of them...

 

 

The guest house were we stayed holds 18 rooms.

 

 

 

 

Dani, I always love seeing the pics you share.  The ones you posted today are no exception.  I am curious what the food is that looks like slices of pizza.  At first I thought it might be a pizza like meal with pesto but looking closer I am thinking not.

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, Keksie said:

@helen haywood They look like good companions.  I love that room with all the windows and beautiful floor.

Thank you!  That’s the landing from the first to the second floor of our house.  Facing East so flooded with sunshine in the mornings.  Cats are very good at finding warm spots 😺…

[dani negreanu]

13 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

 

Dani, I always love seeing the pics you share.  The ones you posted today are no exception.  I am curious what the food is that looks like slices of pizza.  At first I thought it might be a pizza like meal with pesto but looking closer I am thinking not.

 

Pita bread smeared with za'atar. It's an acquired taste, which I didn't manage to acquire 😉.

DH, OTOH, being born here, acquired IT from early childhood. He got plentiful to take home...

 

Za'atar  is a culinary herb or family of herbs. It is also the name of a spice mixture that includes the herb along with toasted sesame seeds, dried sumac, often salt, as well as other spices.

[Ozark_Kid]

All is about done with the deck.  We will stain/paint this spring.  The new patio door needs the trim finish on the inside of the house.  I was a little apprehensive about getting blinds within the glass but we are enjoying it.  They help take the glare off the tv.  I am thankful they are finishing it now.  The whole family is coming tomorrow to celebrate Christmas this weekend.

I think we are going to love the storage underneath.  They installed two separate double doors and installed a covering under the open deck to shield off water.  It will free up some garage space.  I plan to move the kayak and garden stuff soon.

 

 

Nice to have a deck again.  Yesterday was warm so we were able to enjoy the screened in area.

 

 

And we really enjoy the view.

 

The girls are excited to hang out on the deck this weekend. We are too!

[Sea Dog]

7 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

The girls are excited to hang out on the deck this weekend. We are too!

I love your deck. It turned out great. What I nice place to relax or entertain. Enjoy and cheers to you!

[dani negreanu]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I told him that I am conflicted because I love the music of Pink Floyd and own nearly all of their albums even though their lead singer Roger Waters is a Holocaust denier.

 

He said he is as well. [My "take" -- conflicted because he also loves the music of Pink Floyd]

 

@Arzeena and @BonTexasNY

 

[dani negreanu]

2 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I love your deck. It turned out great. What I nice place to relax or entertain. Enjoy and cheers to you!

 @Ozark_Kid same here   👍

 

 

@Sea Dog

 

Lizzy is beautiful -- those eyes of her are amazing, kind and clever.

[h20skibum]

16 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I was a little apprehensive about getting blinds within the glass but we are enjoying it

I like the look of the deck.  You will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. 
 

We put a Pella patio door, with the blinds in the glass, in our dining room about 20 years ago.  It still looks like new, and we have had no problems with it. 
 

One thing I like about ours, is the sliding screen is spring loaded, and automatically closes.  Comes in handy when you have kids around who forget to close doors. 

[Ocean Boy]

9 hours ago, George C said:

Our cats are not interested in going outside, which is great since we have bobcats and coyotes in the neighborhood.

My cats have been indoor only. If they are  brought up that way they are ok with it. Looking out of a window seems to have suited them fine.

[Sunshine3601]

4 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

Phil Collins has really declined since we saw his solo tour in 2018.  The first song, Turn in on Again, was hard to listen to as he was painfully flat and missed some lyrics.  He now has two backup singers that sing along with him when he can't hit a note or needs the lyrics.

My Brother and SIL felt pretty much the same as you.     They said Phil had some really good moments as well as a couple of bad moments while performing but they hid it as best as they could.  Fun night is a good night!   

[helen haywood]

Yes, ours love looking out the windows.

 

[Arzeena]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

WARNING THIS VIDEO HAS GRAPHIC CUTENESS !!!!!!!

 

 

Today we got to visit our new puppy Elizabeth "Lizzy" before we get to take possession of her on the the 26th. She is so sweet and so lovable I got teary eyed when we left. She is so adorable. We gave her a blanket and Christmas moose play toy with our scents on it for her to get used to us. She was shaking the moose all over and was hilarious. We had so much fun it was hard to leave. I shot some video of her other brothers in the litter. They are all spoken for except for one. People come from all over the country for this breeders dogs. We are so happy she lives close to us. Enjoy!

LOVE her! She is so adorable, so innocent, so huggable. 🥰
And so are her siblings!