The Fleet Report and Daily for Tuesday July 4th, 2023

[highscar]

Have a difficult question of season HAL cruisers.   I want to fly to Portsmouth England to visit a evacuee from WW2. Returning trans Atlantic with HAL. What port would I need to fly to board. 

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Afternoon Everyone, thanks for today’s daily report.  A parade is scheduled to go past the entrance to our street this afternoon. The weather may not cooperate, it’s been raining off and on and now we hear thunder.  If the weather cooperates we will walk up to the corner and watch it go by.  Any errands must be completed by 4 since the street gets blocked from traffic.  I hope everyone has a good day today.
 

[XBGuy]

8 hours ago, richwmn said:

 

 

Wine of the Day - Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Double Diamond

 

 

7 hours ago, cat shepard said:

     

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Double Diamond 2019

This Cab is only elusive to my budget. 😎 But it sounds lovely. A decent number of online distributors with prices starting at $145.00.

 

 

Schrader is an outstanding maker, they are proud of their wines and price them so.  Many of their wines cost $250-$500 on release.  As was alluded in the James Suckling review, Double Diamond is their "budget" label.  I did some quick research, and found that the winery is selling the latest release of this wine (2021) for $90.

 

I want to comment on the Schrader winemaker--Thomas Rivers Brown (TRB).  He is right near the top of my favorite California winemakers.  Everything that he produces is great.  I am in the same position as many, and Schrader is a bit out of my financial comfort zone.  I don't have any in my inventory.  However, TRB makes wine for multiple producers.  I am a regular buyer of Rivers-Marie wines, which is his winery.  These wines are not really cheap, but they are awfully good, and this Social Security pensioner can find his way to order some every year.

[Norseh2o]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

This made me laugh and hopefully it brings a smile to my lovely friends here.

It was from a good American friend.

[1ANGELCAT]

Good hot and humid afternoon. It’s currently 90 with a real feel of106. 
Happy Birthday USA 🇺🇸 and also MS Nieuw Amsterdam. I remember watching the ceremony on the website.

I’m not sure if I will make the steak on the grill tonight or wait until it is cooler. Just to hot outside. 
Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.

[Cruzin Terri]

Well, my cold is not any better. So tomorrow morning I have a mani-pedi appointment. i will wear a mask so as not to spread the germs.  I took a Covid test about an hour ago and it is negative (which I suspected), so I don’t have to worry about that.  I will retest again in two days but I am pretty sure I don’t have it.

Tomorrow we are in Molde and we have an afternoon tour of the Atlantic Coast Road.  I really want to do this so again I will wear a mask to make sure I don’t spread my germs and also don’t get anyone else’s.

Just happy I don’t have Covid.

Happy Fourth everyone.

I’m going to bed.  

Terri

[aliaschief]

This is gruesome but unfortunately true. Be careful if your playing with fireworks.

 

[RedneckBob]

3 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

This is gruesome but unfortunately true. Be careful if your playing with fireworks.

 

Definitely true! I was involved many many years ago in a fireworks accident, not of my doing, that left a small hole in my right hand from the metal end cap of a M-80, that required 20 stitches !

[rafinmd]

I have been on a ship only once on July 4, and it was a BHB.  In 2002 I was on a tour with a Canadian tour company that involved flying to Inuvik (way North of the Arctic Circle in the Yukon) and traveling down the Yellowhead Highway to Dawson City, Whitehorse, and Skagway, and then onto the Zaandam to Vancouver.  On July 1 I enjoyed the Canada Day Celebrations with my 25 new friends, boarded the Zaandam July 2, and became the defacto host when we visited Ketchikan on July 4.  We had a private tour organized for the group and when we boarded I welcomed them to the USA celebration and had some bookmarks to pass out to my fellow travelers.

 

Roy

[Himself]

Happy Fourth of July.  Thanks for the DAILY and Fleet Report.

[RedneckBob]

1 hour ago, RedneckBob said:

Definitely true! I was involved many many years ago in a fireworks accident, not of my doing, that left a small hole in my right hand from the metal end cap of a M-80, that required 20 stitches !

Though I try on the CC site to leave CC members in stitches, my stitches were no laughing matter!  😀😀😀😀

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, highscar said:

Have a difficult question of season HAL cruisers.   I want to fly to Portsmouth England to visit a evacuee from WW2. Returning trans Atlantic with HAL. What port would I need to fly to board. 

 

If I'm reading your question correctly, you would have to fly trans-Atlantic to one of the London airports (Heathrow or Gatwick). Then arrange for transportation to Portsmouth which is located on Portsea Island.

 

London to Portsmouth is 1 hr and 20 min by rail and just short of 2 hours by road. Not sure which embarkation port you want to leave from for your return trip by sea; HAL generally uses Southampton (top far left on the map below)

 

Portsmouth is one of three remaining Royal Navy stations in Great Britain and home to its two strike carriers, Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales.

 

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by Copper10-8

[aliaschief]

[highscar]

Thank you copper.  My visit is to spend time with a gal that lived with us with her mom in the north of England  while dad was overseas.  Obviously we are /oth in our 80,s.  I’m the healthy one. After a long awated visit it I want to sail home on HAL. 

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, highscar said:

Have a difficult question of season HAL cruisers.   I want to fly to Portsmouth England to visit a evacuee from WW2. Returning trans Atlantic with HAL. What port would I need to fly to board. 

Southampton international airport is close to  Portsmouth and 7 miles from Southampton cruise terminals.

Both London Gatwick and London Heathrow are major UK airports.

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by grapau27

[Copper10-8]

5 minutes ago, highscar said:

Thank you copper.  My visit is to spend time with a gal that lived with us with her mom in the north of England  while dad was overseas.  Obviously we are /oth in our 80,s.  I’m the healthy one. After a long awated visit it I want to sail home on HAL. 

 

Then that most definitely makes you part of the Greatest Generation! Thank You!! Enjoy that voyage and your long awaited visit! 

Edited July 4, 2023 by Copper10-8

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon from a hot central Texas.  It is 96F and mostly sunny.  While it's not as hot as last week, it's hot enough to want to be inside. 

 

All the preparations for dinner are completed except getting the corn ready to cook.  The barbecue sauce is finished, the salad is made and the cake is baked and decorated.

 

Cooking the brisket turned out to be more of a challenge than expected.  It started out all right at just after 6 am, and the smoker was putting out a good amount of smoke.  I was surprised that when I got back from my walk at 7 there was no smoke, but I though maybe the wood was already finished smoking.  I checked the temperature of the brisket every so often, and it was going up.  When DH got up, he discovered that the smoker had quit working.  

 

We went to Plan B which was to put it on the grill and let it finish cooking.  The grill would not light, so we were going to put it in the oven, except it would have to wait since I had a coffee cake about ready to bake.  After fiddling with the grill, which had not been used for two years, DH finally got it to light, and the brisket was back cooking.  That is it was cooking until sometime between 2 and 3 pm when the grill shut off.  I was trying to finish in the kitchen and didn't go out to check, but I would check the internal temperature of the brisket, and it was still going up.  Now, the brisket is in the oven, and fingers crossed that it gets done.  🤞  I know this is a first world problem and nothing compared to what some Dailyites are dealing with, but it is still frustrating.

 

Here are my culinary efforts for today.  The first is my red, white and blue salad, and the other is my attempt to redo the flag cake from 2020.

 

 

7 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Happy Independence Day to all my American friends here at the Daily! 

We barbecue a lot during the warmer months, I don't mind country music - DH doesn't care for it, and occasionally it gets hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, even here on the "frozen tundra".

 

Speaking of the "FT", I just heard the latest weather report - a cold air mass will come in later this afternoon and there is a "risk of frost" for tonight.  Seriously?!?  I'm not sure how I'm going to protect our papyrus that are now nearly taller than I am, but we'll have to if we want the yard to look nice for Summerfest this weekend.   The other plants are fine, I've got covers for them, but I think we'll have to lay the papyrus down and build a bridge out of bamboo stakes to hold the fabric to provide a safe cover for them.  ARGH!

 

Having monthly breakfast with my retired colleagues this morning and found out last week that another has just returned to the city, so will pick her up and bring her along with me.  There will be lots of lively chatter, as many of us haven't seen her for a few years and will want to catch up.  

 

@cruising sisterI am so sorry to hear about your aunt; may her soul rest in eternal peace.

@smitty34877what great news about Lou feeling spunkier; hopefully he'll be able to come home soon and feel so much better.  I know he's going to enjoy your home made treats.

 

I'd like today's drink because of the fresh grapefruit juice, would love to try the wine, but my wallet won't support it.  I've often made today's menu suggestion into a lunch item by using the bagged Asian salad mix and added in a couple of broiled chicken breasts - it's quite delicious.  I have to try to make room in our freezer to start making ice for Saturday's party, and because it's cool out today, I've already taken out some frozen stew that will be heated and enjoyed at the kitchen table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry 

 

Gerry, YIKES! on the frost warning.  I hope the forecast changes, or if not, that the  papyrus can be protected without too much trouble.

 

8 hours ago, rafinmd said:

@cruising sister so sorry to hear about your aunt and the dilemma facing her sister.

 

My visits to Los Angeles are spread among many cruises and they have been mostly either embarkations or disembarkations but it was a port of call on Crystal Serenity in 2018.

 

We passed the Battleship Iowa on the way in and most of the remaining photos will be from my tour of the Iowa.

 

The turret mounted guns were quite impressive up close:

 

The Exec's room:

 

 

The cabin used by FDR when he was involved in negotiations for ending WW2:

 

 

The bridge:

 

 

The view from the bridge:

 

 

The helmsroom:

 

Enlisted men had much more modest quarters and I think they were used in shifts:

 

 

Crystal has a generous visitor policy and I had 2 visitors, one a long time friend from Crystal and one from Holland America:

 

 

After a quick tour of the ship we had lunch in Crystal's equivalent of Dive In:

 

 

Roy

 

Roy, thank you for the pictures of the Iowa and the Queen Mary along with the hanger for the Spruce Goose.

 

7 hours ago, rafinmd said:

After yesterday's discussion I thought I'd try something different on the fleet report.  I think most of us have had some great times on S-class ships, so here's my S-class fleet report:

 

Statendam-In service as Vasco da Gamma for German Nicko cruises.  At sea from Akureyri Iceland to Bergen Norway

Maasdam-  Sailing as MS Renaissance for French  Compagnie Française de Croisières.  Supposed to have been in service June 29 but the timing doesn’t match that.  She is cruising and in Lerwick Scotland today.

Ryndam- Being prepared for service as Celestyal Journey bu Celestyal cruises.  Currently in Elefsis, Greece.  First cruise scheduled for September 2,

Veendam- Berthed in Aigio, Greece since about 10/18/20 since being acquired by Seajets.  Due to enter service as a residential ship, Victoria Majestic with inaugural sailing from Fort Lauderdale December 1.

Roy

 

Roy, it's nice to know where the former BHBs are today.  Thank you.

 

4 hours ago, Norseh2o said:

Happy Independence Day! When I talked with my mother earlier, I asked her about her day.  She told me that she had shared a history lesson with her caregiver. En route to breakfast, (DM, 103 yrs old, uses a wheel chair and or walker) the caregiver asked, What is this 4th of July, Independence Day celebration? DM wondered if this history was not being taught in schools and asked, Where are you from? Caregiver replied, The Sudan. DM said, Oh, you are from the eastern part of Africa. Do you miss it? Would you ever return? Caregiver answered, Oh no, never! DM then explained that Independence Day was a celebration of America’s independence. Caregiver asked, From what? DM answered, From England. Caregiver said, Why from England? I wonder if DM will have a chance to explain ‘the rest of the story’.
Happy 4th of July to those who celebrate, 🎆and many thanks to all who work while others have a vacation day. 

 

I bet your mom was happy to be able to teach her caregiver more about the caregiver's new country.

 

2 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

Good Afternoon Everyone, thanks for today’s daily report.  A parade is scheduled to go past the entrance to our street this afternoon. The weather may not cooperate, it’s been raining off and on and now we hear thunder.  If the weather cooperates we will walk up to the corner and watch it go by.  Any errands must be completed by 4 since the street gets blocked from traffic.  I hope everyone has a good day today.
 

 

Jake, I hope the weather cooperates, and you get to see the parade.

 

1 hour ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Well, my cold is not any better. So tomorrow morning I have a mani-pedi appointment. i will wear a mask so as not to spread the germs.  I took a Covid test about an hour ago and it is negative (which I suspected), so I don’t have to worry about that.  I will retest again in two days but I am pretty sure I don’t have it.

Tomorrow we are in Molde and we have an afternoon tour of the Atlantic Coast Road.  I really want to do this so again I will wear a mask to make sure I don’t spread my germs and also don’t get anyone else’s.

Just happy I don’t have Covid.

Happy Fourth everyone.

I’m going to bed.  

Terri

 

Terri, I'm sorry your cold is not better, but glad the covid test was negative.  I also hope you can do the tour of the Atlantic Coast Road again.  We really enjoyed it when we did it.

 

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

I have been on a ship only once on July 4, and it was a BHB.  In 2002 I was on a tour with a Canadian tour company that involved flying to Inuvik (way North of the Arctic Circle in the Yukon) and traveling down the Yellowhead Highway to Dawson City, Whitehorse, and Skagway, and then onto the Zaandam to Vancouver.  On July 1 I enjoyed the Canada Day Celebrations with my 25 new friends, boarded the Zaandam July 2, and became the defacto host when we visited Ketchikan on July 4.  We had a private tour organized for the group and when we boarded I welcomed them to the USA celebration and had some bookmarks to pass out to my fellow travelers.

 

Roy

 

Roy, we were in Ketchikan in 2018 on July 4, and enjoyed their 4th of July Parade.  It was 82F that day and sunny.  It was the only time we've left a ship in Ketchikan in shorts and without a jacket or raincoat.  The locals were dying in the heat while they waited for the parade to begin.  In 2019, we were on Veendam on July 4 in Europe, and that year they did not do much for the day except US flags on the tables at dinner.

 

The drive from Inuvik to Dawson City and on down to Whitehorse and Skagway is nice.  There is a lot of wonderful scenery and history.  I'm glad you got to experience it.

 

Lenda

Edited July 4, 2023 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[rafinmd]

31 minutes ago, highscar said:

Thank you copper.  My visit is to spend time with a gal that lived with us with her mom in the north of England  while dad was overseas.  Obviously we are /oth in our 80,s.  I’m the healthy one. After a long awated visit it I want to sail home on HAL. 

I still don't think I understand this.  Where does your HAL cruise embark?

 

Roy

[Cruising-along]

More Lilies and Astilbe (I’m procrastinating making the potato salad). 
Also our boys led their parade today. Their Dad, our SIL, is behind them. 
 

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

Today I had a surprise call from neighbor Brenda who is off on her cross country road trip in the motorcoach.  They've been gone this time about 4 weeks and are in South Dakota.  She sent me a photo taken yesterday from Mount Rushmore which I think is a beautiful shot of that impressive monument.  I would love to see it in person.  Here she is with husband Paul and adopted daughter Jaana (pronounced Yaw-na). 

 

 

They are on their way to the Calgary Stampede which she says begins Monday.  They are then heading to Vancouver to embark their Holland America ship on July 19 (Volendam I think).  However Jaana applied for her new passport, expedited, in April and is still waiting for it!  She has her Chinese birth certificate, her U.S. certificate and her RealID driver's license, but they are concerned whether that will suffice to cross the border, take a cruise and get back into the U.S. so are going to stop and chat with the Customs and Border Patrol agents at the border before they cross.  I told her to keep me updated on the next chapter in their trip.

 

Meanwhile, I have been watching the adorable 3 deer that have been visiting lately in the vicinity.  They eat grass a while then lie down and stick around for hours!  The two males have antlers that are growing at a rapid rate since I first noticed them.

 

male #2

 

Mom?

 

In twelve years here we've never had deer lounge around like these three do!  Golfers whiz by in their golf carts and don't even notice them observing their golf game.

[Crazy For Cats]

The rain stopped in time for the parade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

The rain stopped in time for the parade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing beats a good ol' fashioned 4th of July parade! Thanks for posting!

[dfish]

Good evening, everyone!

 

Thank you to all who posted parade pictures and food porn of today's feast.  I invited our neighbor across the street to join us for dinner and then we introduced him to Farkle.  He's a single guy and is living in his parents' home.  He's been here since 1972, so he knows the history of the neighborhood. Our brats and burgers turned out very well as did the blue cheese coleslaw.  We had strawberry blueberry shortcake for dessert, so red, blue and white in the whipped cream.  

[1ANGELCAT]

Good night all, the idiots are going strong as the fireworks are completely surrounding us. Yet, the mayor assured the citizens that the ordinance would be strictly enforced this year.(NOT). Rant over.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good evening.  We were very pleasantly surprised with how the brisket turned out.  In spite of all the trials getting it cooked, it was the best one we've ever  ooked.  A lot had to do with cooking it long and slow, which we'll do in the future, but I hope using only one cooking appliance.  Very little of the meat was dry, and a first, it was so tender, we could cut most of it with a fork.  The rest of the food and the cake weren't bad either.  

 

I just finished watching the Boston Pops and now the foreworks in Boston.  

 

In spite of all the fireworks stands around here, including one just down the road, it's been relatively quiet tonight and the past few nights.  I hope it stays that way the rest of tonight.

 

Our little town and a community near here both had their fireworks displays last night .  Normally, we could have seen one of them from our port.  Last night there was a low cloud bank to the north which block our line of sight. Occasionally, I could see flashes of light at the bottom of the clouds.

 

Lenda