The Fleet Report and Daily for Wednesday July 20th, 2022

[cunnorl]

Good Morning from a warm and sunny day at the beach

      THe storms came in just as I was leaving for golf. They were pretty intense and 2 people got struck by lightening. ( just north of here) It is always amazing to me that people dont take shelter. Not sure what happened yesterday but it was thundering for awhile before the actual storm hit. 

      The sharks have been everywhere lately. My sister saw them at Cape Cod, and a teenage boy got bit here yesterday. He is ok.  THat is why I do not go IN the water, only ON the water.

        We all love ice cream sodas and DH and myself are both avid readers.  

Off to water aerobics this AM and then DH and DD will swim with me for awhile.

 

Stay safe and enjoy today

       

[lindaler]

Good morning all. Thanks Rich and all who contribute to making this place so great.  Yesterday we placed an offer on a house for my oldest son. It's a simple place but close to the heart of Mobile and will be nice for him.  It is close to his work. I am waiting to hear if our offer has been accepted. Today is work in the yard day to try to keep up the work my hired crew has done. Things grow so fast here. My sister is asking my planting plans but I have just unearthed the back yard so I want to live with it for a while, learn the shade patterns and then slowly plan what goes where. Gardening in a place where it has all the water and sun any plant could use and does not snow or freeze much is all new to me. I better get out if I am going to beat the heat today. 

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  Happy Wednesday!  Well, last night didn't go so well for leg pain but I still think I got enough sleep so I'm happy about that.  Did my exercising on the treadmill at 6 and said prayers for all on the Care list.  Prayed the best team would win today in soccer, but added in my opinion the best team was the Tigers, just in case there was any question!  Their game was at 7:30 am again today which is good for beating the heat in Orlando in July.  I texted DS and said don't forget to send us the results and he texted back it was halftime and the Tigers were ahead 5 to 0.  Today's opponent is a Connecticut team and they aren't the bullies.  Tomorrow at 6 pm they play the bullies, the L.A. Surf team, so Roy @rafinmdcould you adjust the Care list to reflect that tomorrow?  DS says the L.A. Surf players are watching the Tigers play now because they have the field right after the Tiger game is over.  I hope they've been told the dirty tricks aren't going to help you in life and they learn their lesson early.

 

Thanks Rich @richwmnfor the Daily and Fleet Report.  Today is quite the feast for junk food eaters.  First, try a Nathan's hot dog, with an ice cream soda, then finish it all up with a lollipop.  I remember my Mom used to bring home a little six Tootsie Roll lollipop package for the three of us kids left at home.  Really enjoyed that Tootsie Roll center inside it!  Today's quote is very nice.  I count reading as one of my favorite pasttimes.  The pork chili (chlle?) verde looks interesting.  Thanks to Tina @0106for the wonderful job filling in for Debbie.  thank you to Roy @rafinmdfor posting our Care and Celebration lists.  Like I said I got the prayers in early and hope they help anyone who needs it.  The Celebration list gets a shoutout from me!  Whoo-hoo!  

 

Valletta, Malta is an excellent port to visit as everyone has mentioned so far.  We enjoyed it immensely in 2017 on the Westerdam.  This is the first time we've had Valletta as our port, though we did have Mgarr before.  I'll look for a few photos in a while.

 

Terri @Cruzin Terri thanks for the photos of Valletta.  And I hope you enjoy the ride on the Colonial Parkway.  We used to go in and look around at the visitor center in both Jamestown and Yorktown.  Very interesting and pretty places on two different rivers.  Jamestown is on the James River and you cross the peninsula to Yorktown on the York River.  Hope it's not a scorching hot day for you.  Jacqui @kazuI love the flower photos and especially the one of Jose in front of that gorgeous dahlia. ❤️ The memes are great as always.  Thank you! 

 

I put the socks back on this morning and to keep me "chill" I put an extra fan on me.  I wore them before bed last night but still woke up twice in pain and went for a stroll in the dark through the house.  Gotta keep trying though.

 

Have a great Wednesday and try to stay cool everybody!

Edited July 20, 2022 by StLouisCruisers

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! Hot dogs and ice cream sofas sound like an excellent plan today. I’ll pass on the lollipop, though.it’s going to be warm today, but the real,heat doesn’t hit until next week. Tomorrow we head up to visit DS and BIL in the Okanagan. It’s even hotter up there. We’re picking up fresh Fraser Valley blueberries from a local farm on the way out of town, and swapping them for fresh Okanagan cherries when we get there. We pick the cherries at BIL friends orchard there and give them the blueberries as thanks.  It’s become an annual tradition.

I’m enjoying morning coffee in the cool,breeze now before the sun gets higher and the heat rises.

Happy Wednesday, everyone. A cool breeze aboard a BHB would be even better!

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Crazy For Cats said:

Good Morning Everyone, thanks for the daily fleet report.  Today’s lunch will be hot dogs with some leftover sauerkraut. I haven’t had an ice cream soda in a long time but it would be nice on this hot day.   Today is going to be a busy one since I kicked off four work projects yesterday.  I hope everyone has a good day today.

 

Your cat is gorgeous.

Graham.

[aliaschief]

Good morning. Decided to sleep in this morning as tomorrow will be a long couple of days of travel. We will fly to JFK tomorrow morning and fly overnight direct to Edinburgh.Will be in Scotland until August 13 and then fly to Amsterdam and board MS Rotterdam from August 14-August 28 on a Best Of Norway cruise. Then we will return home until October and our Scenic Line river cruise in France.

Our kind neighbors are taking us out to dinner tonight and will drive us to airport tomorrow morning which is only a ten minute drive away.

We had a lovely lunch date yesterday which was enough that we didn’t need dinner. The kitchen is closed down, the fridge is pretty bare, bags are at front door and it’s Post Time here at the homestead.

Depending on WiFi I’ll try and keep you posted on our travels.

Thanks for the Fleet Report and various post.

[StLouisCruisers]

In August 2017 we arrived in Malta late evening after a stop in Mgarr earlier in the day.  

 

So after enjoying the night lights we got a good night's sleep so we could explore in the light of day.

 

Walked past all these nets and a fishing boat.

 

 

First we went to the Lower Barrakka Garden.

 

 

 

Westerdam off in the distance

 

 

 

Next we passed by Fort St. Elmo and turned left towards the Old City.

 

 

 

The Maltese Cross window display in a jewelry store we passed by.

 

This cafe looked inviting to me

 

 

This pedestrian walkway was all steps

 

Wow!  

 

Rabbit is popular on menus in Malta.  Poor bunnies!🐇

 

 

 

Church of our Lady of Victory

 

We enjoyed seeing all the cafes, churches, public buildings, shops and cannons to take photos of DH in front of them.  He's way up on the steps.

 

 

 

Then we stopped to see the Upper Barrakka Garden before heading back to the Westerdam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for a great lunch on an air conditioned ship, and I can assure you...rabbit was not on the menu!

 

 

 

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

Final score for today's game is Tigers 5 and AC Connecticut 0.  I say it's time for an ice cream (soda)!!

[grapau27]

7 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

In August 2017 we arrived in Malta late evening after a stop in Mgarr earlier in the day.  

 

So after enjoying the night lights we got a good night's sleep so we could explore in the light of day.

 

Walked past all these nets and a fishing boat.

 

 

First we went to the Lower Barrakka Garden.

 

 

 

Westerdam off in the distance

 

 

 

Next we passed by Fort St. Elmo and turned left towards the Old City.

 

 

 

The Maltese Cross window display in a jewelry store we passed by.

 

This cafe looked inviting to me

 

 

This pedestrian walkway was all steps

 

Wow!  

 

Rabbit is popular on menus in Malta.  Poor bunnies!🐇

 

 

 

Church of our Lady of Victory

 

We enjoyed seeing all the cafes, churches, public buildings, shops and cannons to take photos of DH in front of them.  He's way up on the steps.

 

 

 

Then we stopped to see the Upper Barrakka Garden before heading back to the Westerdam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for a great lunch on an air conditioned ship, and I can assure you...rabbit was not on the menu!

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent collection of photos Sandi.

Shops is usually Pauline's first priority wherever we go.

Graham.

[aliaschief]

2 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Final score for today's game is Tigers 5 and AC Connecticut 0.  I say it's time for an ice cream (soda)!!

Congratulations!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[durangoscots]

Good morning to all. I have been trying to work on the house and keep up with the renovations at the shelter. Add the city contract for services which has to be rewritten, and I have been busy. I am pretty well recovered from the fall.... my eye is still blackish, but I have my new glasses on order and also a medical alert system.  Doctor gave my eye an all-clear... no damage. This growing older stuff is tough.

 

Some very silly birds built a nest way up over my front door on a very narrow ledge. Frankly, it is the sloppiest nest I have ever seen. Well, day before yesterday I came home to find a little baby on the porch. It looked in poor condition.... Mom and Dad were flying about so I just avoided it as best I could. When I went out the next morning no sign of baby or parents.... don't know what happened. However, when I went out this morning, the nest was the porch and there is another baby there... and parents are flying around. It looks fairly healthy.  I will leave everything (I don't have to go out until afternoon) and hope there is some sort of resolution to the situation that does not involve me clearing away any dead birds. Those parents need a lesson in nest building. My dogs showed no interest in nest or baby.

 

It is hot and for some reason, today's food items do not appeal although normally I would be up for any one of them. Will probably order some sort of carry-out this evening so I don't have to prepare anything. Or just maybe a salad. I do not do hot very well.

 

Am enjoying all the pictures. Have not been to Malta. And, I am so envious of those cruising right now. I dream....

 

Congratulations to the Tigers on their win.

 

Susan

 

 

 

 

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing and caring.

 

Happy Hump Day.

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

It is a big difference in temperature today.

68°F compared to 96°F this time yesterday.

I am sitting in the sun to warm up.

Graham.

[ottahand7]

We are heading to town on bumpy roads. Have a wonderful day and thank you for the Daily Reports and the care lists.  

We had a beautiful sunrise ahead of a deluge. 

[smitty34877]

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

Good morning. Decided to sleep in this morning as tomorrow will be a long couple of days of travel. We will fly to JFK tomorrow morning and fly overnight direct to Edinburgh.Will be in Scotland until August 13 and then fly to Amsterdam and board MS Rotterdam from August 14-August 28 on a Best Of Norway cruise. Then we will return home until October and our Scenic Line river cruise in France.

Our kind neighbors are taking us out to dinner tonight and will drive us to airport tomorrow morning which is only a ten minute drive away.

We had a lovely lunch date yesterday which was enough that we didn’t need dinner. The kitchen is closed down, the fridge is pretty bare, bags are at front door and it’s Post Time here at the homestead.

Depending on WiFi I’ll try and keep you posted on our travels.

Thanks for the Fleet Report and various post.

Have a wonderful time in Scotland and Norway!

[1ANGELCAT]

@aliaschief, Are you doing the Tattoo In Edinburg? I visited the Royal Yacht many years ago.

[irishjim]

10 minutes ago, smitty34877 said:

Have a wonderful time in Scotland and Norway!

+1

[kazu]

1 hour ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Final score for today's game is Tigers 5 and AC Connecticut 0.  I say it's time for an ice cream (soda)!!

 

YAY 👏 👏 

 

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

We will fly to JFK tomorrow morning and fly overnight direct to Edinburgh.Will be in Scotland until August 13 and then fly to Amsterdam and board MS Rotterdam from August 14-August 28 on a Best Of Norway cruise.

 

Safe travels.  Enjoy Scotland and Norway on your BHB 🙂 

 

2 hours ago, mamaofami said:

Jacqui, your garden looks beautiful as always. I’m sure it must make you smile.

 

Thanks Carol.  I enjoy seeing the flowers but the smiles are infrequent this year.

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

An ice cream soda sounds good, but I prefer an ice cream sundae on the rare occasion I have ice cream. And that will be today, to celebrate my lower A1C the other day.  My favorite, Peanut Buster Parfait.  I was waiting for a warm day (to enjoy it to the fullest) LOL. It will reach almost 80 today, heading to mid-high 80's next week.  I know that isn't much compared to what a lot of you are going through!

 

Hot dogs also sound good, maybe we'll make a trip to the grocery store.  Not a fan of lollipops, other than Tootsie Rolls when I was a child.  The quote is a good one, will pass on the meal and drink.  The wine sounds very good.  

 

We were in Valletta in October of 2019 on our long 65-day anniversary cruise(s) on the NS and the Koningsdam.  We took an all-day tour that day, starting with a 90-minute walking tour of Valletta, then visited St. John's Co-Cathedral, to the Tarxien Temples dating from 3150 B.C., a glass blowing factory (I rarely buy anything at the shops but fell in love with a few pieces there).  Then lunch, and on to Mdina where we had a huge thunderstorm and had to dodge the driving rain. Even still, it was a great day!

 

@smitty34877Terry great news that your niece and her DH have tested negative now.

@kazuJacqui thank you for posting photos of some of your gorgeous flowers.

@cat shepardAnn congratulations on the "all-clear" from the dermatologist.

@StLouisCruisersSandi thank you for your photos of Valletta, great photos.  Also a big cheer for the Tigers' win!

@durangoscotsSusan so glad that your eye is better.

@ottahand7your sunrise photo is frame-worthy!  So beautiful.

 

Here are some photos from our day in Valletta -- The weather wasn't the best (and terrible in Mdina) so I don't have many outdoor photos.

 

The Koningsdam in Valletta

 

Valletta

 

I had to pick just a few of the many, many photos I took inside St. John's Co-Cathedral

 

 

 

Tombs underneath the floor of the church

 

Next 3 photos are from the Tarxien Temples

 

 

 

Unfortunately I got very few photos in Mdina because of the thunderstorm.

 

The rain was pouring off buildings and we spent a lot of time running from shop to shop just to stay somewhat dry.

 

 

[kb4683]

Good Morning Dailyites!

 

Haven't had an ice cream soda in years (lemon or chocolate were my favs), had a Coney dog for lunch Monday, and had a lollipop (DumDum) last Friday after my visit to the dermatologist -- yes, they put out DumDums at the check-out 🍭.

 

Cheers to those on the congratulatory list and hugs to those on the cares list.

 

We have been to Valletta, Malta, twice.  The last time was on Pacific Princess (4/8/2016), the TA segment (Venice to FLL) of the World Cruise.  Our pictures are mostly the same as has already been shown, so I will just post a little food porn.

 

DH had read that stewed rabbit is the Maltese national dish so he just "had" to try it.  We found this little hole-in-the-wall and away we went!

 

Shared starter

 

Spaghetti Bolognese for me - no thanks to 🐇

 

Here's the star of the show -- stewed rabbit

 

It also came with salad and fries -- we were stuffed when we walked out!  Of course a bottle of red wine to wash it all down 😉

 

Have a great day, everyone!

 

Kay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from sunny and breezy central Texas.  

 

An interesting collection of days and all related to the F&B department in some way.  I prefer root beer floats to ice cream sodas.  We have hot dogs occasionally, and maybe tonight.  It's been a long time since I had a lollipop.  The best ones I ever had were the ones the company my father worked for gave out.  He worked for the electric utility company in our area, and the lollipops were cherry flavored and shaped like Reddy Kilowatt's head.  Boy am I dating myself.

 

Today's quote is very good, and as a reader I can relate to it.

 

We've had Pork Chili Verde years ago at a Super Bowl party.  I haven't made it, but would definitely try one of the recipes.  @0106  Tina, another great job, and thanks for the explanation of the different types of chilis.  We'll pass on the drink and the wine.

 

We have been to Valletta at least five times, and all but one on BHBs.  I'll look for my pictures in a few minutes.

 

@kazu  Loved the pictures of the garden, especially the one of Jose with his dahlias.  Great memes too.

@cat shepard  Ann, the girls had another hit with today's meme.

@smitty34877  I'm glad your niece and her DH are now testing negative.

@kochleffel  Good to know the futon/daybed question is solved.  As I said when you asked for suggestions, the trundle bed we with got with the daybed gives us room for two guests without taking up space in the day time.  It turns our our DD's SO needs it since he is 6"5' or 6"6' and he couldn't fit on the daybed because of the arms on the ends.

@lindaler  Fingers crossed 🤞 they accept the offer on the house for DS.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, glad the Tigers won.  Hope they win tomorrow against the LA team.

@aliaschief  Safe travels tomorrow and the next day.  Enjoy your time in Scotland and on your cruise.  We enjoyed touring the royal yacht Britannia, and were surprised it was not very formal, but comfortable in the décor.

@rafinmd  Roy, I appreciate the mention of DH's neurologist on the care list, but had to laugh when I saw it.  I really think he is a good doctor, but as a neurologist he thought his in-office tests pointed out the problem, not realizing they were symptoms of the problem.  Still, we believe he dropped the ball by not ordering the scan.  I think a neurosurgeon would have considered the brain CAT scan right away.

@durangoscots  Susan, I'm glad to hear you are over the worse of the fall and that there was no damage to the eye.  Glad you got a medical alert device.

 

Thank you @kb4683 Kay, @Cruzin Terri Terri, @StLouisCruisers Sandi, and @Cruising-along Carolyn for sharing your pictures.

 

Lenda

[Sharon in AZ]

Good morning!  Thank you for the Fleet and Daily Rich. Thank you to everyone for sharing. 
 

We were in Valletta on the Rotterdam May 2001. I accidentally broke my camera so I don’t have pictures but Craig took video. We went to St John’s Co Cathedral and walked around a lot. It was interesting seeing all the narrow pedestrian streets, most of which were sloping or stairs like the one in Sandi’s picture.  We also went to a hard to find church called St Paul’s Shipwreck. Paul the Apostle shipwrecked at Malta and is considered a spiritual father to the Maltese. It has a few relics of St Paul. A friend of ours asked us to seek it out and I brought him back some postcards. Then we had a lovely lunch in a restaurant that was like a wine cellar.  Thanks to everyone who posted pictures. 
 

I have a lot to do in the next few days. Tomorrow is Craig’s big birthday, his 70th. So we are having family over on Sunday to celebrate that plus his retirement. 

Have a great day everyone!

 

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!  
the Chile verde looks fabulous! Thanks! 
We enjoyed visiting Malta twice.   @Cruising-along we were there in Fall 2019 on the Koningsdam too!   A beautiful spot,  the first visit our daughter’s  friend toured us around on the vintage buses.  
DH has his surgery tomorrow , praying all will be well.  

Edited July 20, 2022 by bennybear

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

There are a lot of pictures of Valletta from our five stops covering six days there.  This first set is from our 2002 and 2004 stops on Noordam III and our one non-BHB stop on the old Regal Princess in 2003.

 

In 2002, we did a tour to the Tarxien Temples and then walked around the upper part of Valletta.

 

Twenty years ago, we were up a lot earlier than we are today, so we saw the sail in to Valletta.

 

The Tarxien Temples

 

 

 

 

 

On our first visits to Valletta, they still used Leyland buses for their public transportation.  The bus "depot" was outside the city gates in a plaza at the top of some very steep stairs from the dock.  The new port complex and elevator were built sometime after 2004.

 

A few pictures from our walk through Valletta in 2002

 

 

 

Valletta as Noordam sailed to the next port

 

In 2003, when we stopped in Valletta, we decided to take one of the city buses to the Gozo ferry terminal on the other end of Malta.  It was an interesting ride, but the bus was noisy and hot since the engine compartment was by the driver.

 

The ferry terminal.  By the time we reached it, we knew we did not have time to go to Gozo and get back to the ship in time for sail away.  The bus ride took longer than we expected.

 

Our bus back in Valletta

 

In 2004, after climbing those steep steps, we walked around town.  That year, we toured the C0-Cathedral of St. John.  

 

The main altar.  You can see the graves of the Knights of St. John on the floor.

 

One of the graves

 

We also toured the museum at the Co-Cathedral.  The walled courtyard.

 

The Knights of St. John amassed a collection of Belgium tapestries, which when hung on the cold stone walls helped keep the buildings warm.  This is a small part of their collection.

 

A dry dock we passed on the way to the next port.

 

Lenda

 

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[Cruising-along]

15 minutes ago, bennybear said:

@Cruising-along we were there in Fall 2019 on the Koningsdam too!

We must have just missed each other!  We were onboard Oct. 18-Nov. 13 (TA)