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The Daily for Thursday Apr 15, 2021


richwmn
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I'm likely to break my Gatun Lake photos into 3 posts.  I've never done a partial transit of the canal but have done 8 full transits, all but one on Crystal.  My first 2 posts will be from my April 2018 transit on the Crystal Symphony.

 

Leaving the Miraflores and Miguel locks there are a few sights  passing through the lake.  First up was the prison where Manuel Noriega spent many years:

noriega.jpg

 

Lake Gatun is fed by the river Chagres.  Here's where the river feeds into the lake:

 

chagres.jpg

 

A lot of the work on the canal is accomplished with Titan, a HUGE crane confiscated from Germany at the end of WW2.  Apparently on this transit it was on the way to or from work at the Gatun Dam.

 

titan.jpg

 

Roy

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Midway on that same transit we passed the Neiuw Amsterdam on her way to the Pacific for the Alaska Season.  I had been watching on Marine Traffic and tried to be ready as she approached.

 

approach.jpg

 

There were lots of people out on the bow:

 

thebow.jpg

 

The ships passed very quickly:

 

passingna.jpg

 

Roy

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Good morning, thanks for the Daily!  ASL is a great thing to learn - DS was in a "sign club" at noon hours because there was a child in their grade who was hearing impaired.  These days there aren't any high fives, instead, I greet people with a traditional Thai wai (slight bow, palms pressed together).  I loved getting a new eraser in school - the "rich girl" in our class got a white one which we all envied.  If you were a friend of hers, she would cut off a teeny piece for you - I treasured mine, not wanting to use it up.  LOL

 

@baltic17 I was so happy to read of your DH's positive cardiology report - what a great relief for both of you!

 

We've been to Gatun Lake on the Coral Princess in 2005 - it was a great cruise, as 4 other couples we'd met on previous cruises decided to join us - none of them knew the others, just us.  They came from NC, MS, Calif., and Australia - and what a wonderful group they were. Great memories, as we became the favourite table of the maitre'd, who would bring us special treats from the kitchen every other night for dessert.

 

The snow is melting(yay!), meaning we can barbecue again tonight, so I think I'll make up a batch of burgers for us.  Along with a side salad, that will be placed on our table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them and even for those who don't think they do.  Extra prayers for Roy.  Clinking the glasses together to celebrate all on the happy list.  Stay safe, be well, wash your hands, wear your mask(s), and get your jabs!

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

 

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My final photo on Gatun Lake is from my most recent transit, MS Prinsendam's final HAL transit on the Grand South America voyage.  As we crossed Gatun Lake we all gathered on the Lido deck for a ceremonial photo:

 

massphoto.jpg

 

Roy

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Unfortunately, I just got the call from University of Maryland.  They have concluded that the second trial will also not work for me.  It will be a few more days to get into remaining alternatives.

 

Roy

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4 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Unfortunately, I just got the call from University of Maryland.  They have concluded that the second trial will also not work for me.  It will be a few more days to get into remaining alternatives.

 

Roy

Hang in there. We're all rooting for you.

I've read your cruise blog for years and always enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for that and for all you do for us here on the HAL blog.

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Good Morning from a warm and sunny day at the beach.

    Great selection of days. Kudos to all who know and use ASL. It has certainly opened the world to many.

    I have been to Gatun Lake on a partial Panama Cruise on Carnival back in the mid 90`s.

I remember there was a beach club where there was a pool and restaurant. There were also tours to see the locks from an observation room and a walk in the forest around there.  And of course, there were souvenir tables. It was an interesting day.

    Roy - very sad to hear this. Dont give up. We are all rooting for you!

 

Be safe and enjoy today.

 

Charlene

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16 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Unfortunately, I just got the call from University of Maryland.  They have concluded that the second trial will also not work for me.  It will be a few more days to get into remaining alternatives.

 

Roy

 

I’m sorry Roy, but I can’t like this post 😔 

 

That is sad news indeed. 😢  I hope you and your physician can find an alternative that works.

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Great collection of days.  Wish I knew ASL.  I was on a FEMA Webinar yesterday and there was someone "signing" for the presentation!  Great to see.

 

I have done 2 partial Canal cruises on Zuiderdam.  Next cruise in January (IF it goes) will also be same ship, but a full transit from San Diego to FLL.  Have stayed on ship both times, and we spent most of the day in the Lake.  It was so fun to watch huge cargo ships go thru the new locks.  

 

I got a new pair of hearing aids to try on Tuesday.  Really like the improved hearing, but yesterday was miserable--one was squeaking, and the other one was irritating my ear.  So back to see what can be done to get them working right for me.  Becomes quite complicated for the Audiologist appointment during COVID.  I WILL get this figured out because I really need the new hearing aids.  

 

Will be having dinner with family tonight--all of us vaccinated.  It is so nice to get together with my step-children and their spouses more frequently.

 

Have a great day, everyone.  (Sorry the trial won't work for you, Roy.  Keep strong, and I am sure that something will work out for you toward better heart health!)

Edited by cruzn single
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Good morning, all! My hat is off to all who learn ASL. Yesterday I made good use of rubber erasers - I was mapping out our far future itinerary, more of that later. The meal sounds good, but today is Take Out Record day, so we’re still deciding which local restaurant to order from! 
Yesterday we booked the final leg of our epic 2022 - 2023 adventure. We had a very small gap over Christmas to fly home and back from FFL, figure out what to do with the luggage, and pray we didn’t get snowed in anywhere along the way. So we booked the Zaandam holiday cruise and just stay on board in the same cabin as the 2023 GWV. All in all, we will be aboard the Zaandam for 221 consecutive days. We board in Montreal and circle back to Fort Lauderdale four times. We change cabins once, half way through. There are a lot of details to work out, but we have a year and a half to work it out. The big one was finding out we don’t have to return halfway through to reset our residency requirements after all!

@dfishI'm glad to hear your dental issues can be resolved by replacing the crown. That’s a relief! DH wasn’t as lucky, and will be looking at root canal surgery. Ouch! @rafinmdRoy, I’m so sorry to hear the second trial won’t work for you. Hopefully they will come up with a viable alternative that may be better than the trial would have been.

The sun is shining here, and it’s supposed to be warm today. We’re heading out shortly for a morning walk with a friend. We may have new restrictions announced today, so we’ll get the visit on a distanced outdoor walk in while we can.

Meanwhile, Happy Thursday, as we think of our BHB’s!

8326DE54-99CA-43F2-A7BD-31B81255E16C.thumb.jpeg.a178b3b18c864acae4e3ae30d3671c41.jpeg

 

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39 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Unfortunately, I just got the call from University of Maryland.  They have concluded that the second trial will also not work for me.  It will be a few more days to get into remaining alternatives.

 

Roy

I am  really  sorry  to  hear  this  after  your  long  wait  for  answers. Hopefully  alternative  medical  options will  be  found  for  you  soon. We  are  all  in  your  corner.       Terry

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Thank you Rich, Roy, the drinks and recipe ladies and everyone who enjoys the Daily.

 

Used ASL in a past life but have forgotten most of it.  Virtual high 5's are the only ones available at the moment.  Love my rubber erasers, still - great for puzzles I do in pencil.

The meal looks good, I think I'll do a riff on it for dinner as it would use up some leftovers.

 

The heart test yesterday was a stepping stone to a possible lung transplant for DH in the future.  He is still 'too healthy' for the transplant but we are trying to get all the tests done so that if something happens to cause a precipitous drop we will be ready to go.  DH is much cheery today and doing well.

Again, thank you for all the support.  I love this thread.

 

I need to go look at our Panama Canal pics from Dec 2019.  As we came into Gatun Lake it was sunny but you could see the storm coming towards us.  I'll post pics later.

 

Prayers to those on the care list and those who need them.  Best wishes to all.

@rafinmdSorry to hear about the 2nd trail.  Definitely keeping you in our prayers for another alternative.

 

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We have been pouring over cruise itineraries and travel plans.....with fingers-crossed that cruising will hopefully be opening later this year....

 

It is such a relief to be vaccinated.....as the door to "normal" has cracked opened....but it isn't over and everyone needs to do their bit.....!! 

 

Then...we can all get back to doing our favorite things......like cruising.....:)

 

 

EyzbwI7XMAAehfc.jpg

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Good morning all!

Another beautiful sunny day.  I spent yesterday transplanting seedlings and will do more today.  Tomorrow and the weekend are forecast to get to the mid 70's -- not sure I remember those temps here before in mid April!

 

I wish I knew sign language. Some of DH's relatives are hearing impaired, use sign language and even the latest baby in the family signs.

 

A virtual high 5 to everyone here who reads and contributes to this thread!  The wine and drink of the day both sound good.  I agree with Debbie again that the meal has too many carbs for me.  I think I'll do as @kazu, and make the dish sans the pasta. 

 

We did a partial canal transit on the Zuiderdam exactly 12 years ago, but I can't find photos of Gatun Lake.

@rafinmdRoy I'm very sorry to hear the latest news, we are all rooting for you to have the best medical options and outcome.  

 

 

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Thanks for the daily Rich. My prayers are with you Roy. My last cruising was round trip through the canal on the Rotterdam February through March 11, 2020 ending in San Diego. The last full cruise of the Rotterdam and some of the last to disembark with no restrictions. We just showed our passports, claimed our car and headed home. Little did we know. 

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1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

Unfortunately, I just got the call from University of Maryland.  They have concluded that the second trial will also not work for me.  It will be a few more days to get into remaining alternatives.

 

Roy

So sorry to hear this. Praying that some alternate treatment will be of help. 
 

St Louis Sal

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1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

Unfortunately, I just got the call from University of Maryland.  They have concluded that the second trial will also not work for me.  It will be a few more days to get into remaining alternatives.

 

Roy

So sorry, Roy, that you were not qualified for the trials.  Prayers that UMD comes up with a good alternative for you.

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Today’s Daily has been a real treat for me.  Panama Canal Transits are my favorite cruise, so I’ve been enjoying all of the pictures of Gatun Lake.  Gatun Lake Shore Excursions have never been offered on my cruises through the Canal, so I will have to look for a cruise that includes them.  I cannot tell anyone how many Panama Rolls I’ve eaten!  

 

Re broken crown and broken teeth:  I went through a two year period where I was breaking a tooth and/or losing a crown just about every other month.  My dentist started joking that I would soon have replaced every “extra” piece of anything in my mouth.  Knock on wood, the breaking/losing stopped and I have had a year of just regular check-ups.

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