The Fleet Report and Daily for Monday August 14th, 2023

[cat shepard]

@dfish

 

Debbie

 

That yellow tinted cloud could be smoke from the Canadian wildfires.  Remember when Australia had those devastating wildfires? Smoke from those fires traveled approximately 7,500 miles across the Pacific. 

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, sailingdutchy said:

Good morning to all members of the Daily family and thank you again to Rich @richwmn and all other contributors who are keeping the Daily Fleet Report and Daily News going . I thought I had posted pictures earlier of Noumea but must have been busy in the garden the last couple of years in August.

 

We were in Noumea , New Caledonia  while on the Oosterdam on a lovely cruise in 2013 from Auckland , New Zealand all the way to Vancouver , Canada . I had set up a small group tour for 8 of us with a local guide who took us into the hills around the port to show us the beautiful nature and also the small village where he lived .

 

Noumea is the Capital of the South Pacific  archipelago and overseas French territory of New Caledonia situated on the main island Grand Terre .

It is known for the beaches and the native Kanak influences  a unique mix of French and old Melanesian culture .

During WW II the US built a Naval base there which served as the headquarters of the US military in the South Pacific 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very warm day despite the grey clouds so our guide took us also to his

place for a welcome coconut water drink .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely day was had by all , so nice to see and experience local communities and cultures .

 

Tony 😄😄

Great photos Tony.

[RMLincoln]

We had a great cousins gathering yesterday!  About 25 of us, the cousins generation plus several of the younger generation too. So glad to be on the east coast so I can get to these. 
 

Our plans to spend time with the granddaughters has fizzled- they were both camping over the weekend with a big group of friends and some are coming down with COVID today including we think DGS-IL who was starting to feel ill but still tested negative. We saw them ever so briefly yesterday to drop off flowers from the cousins gathering… we were outside but we did have quick hugs. Got texts this morning canceling getting together tonight or tomorrow as planned. The engaged DGD rooms with two other girls and one tested positive today. Trying to be hopeful we haven’t caught it. 
 

DH’s eye pressures have stabilized with adding back a previous med, at least until he’s done with the post-op steroid drop. 
 

Today we went north to visit a retirement community just to have a second look, but I just can’t imagine us living there now… I call it Shady Rest!  The community we’ll visit tomorrow is a vibrant community and that’s are expected path, but “Shady Rest” is close to a college with a Conservatory and a performing arts center!  So tomorrow we hope to learn more about how residents of the more vibrant place get to performing arts events. We’re not ready to stop living our lives!  
 

We often eat Turkey burgers, just seems natural to us. Not sure if DH would like the Mediterranean twist, he likes them with just ketchup. I like mine a little more jazzed up! 
 

I didn’t post yesterday but did get caught up, so I want to say that my sister is left handed, and our nuns never made an issue out of it. 
 

@DeeniEncinitas glad you and David are ok within the loss and chaos. Keeping you in my heart!  
 

Annie, enjoyed your beautiful description of your day out with Chuck. Hoping his scans show everything that needs to be seen. 
 

Karen, nice to know you have DS visits and help. One day at a time!  
 

@dfish that yellowish cloud looks like what we’ve seen spreading out from the ship stack. 
 

@ger_77 Booked!  Excellent. Sure helps to have something fun to look forward to! 
 

Early this morning we were able to reserve the fancy shows on our September NCL booking, 21 days out, so I did! No charge but they need to be reserved in advance.  I booked both Elements and Footloose on the first cruise (northbound) but might reconsider and book one on the return leg. At least we’ll see them. 
 

Blessings to all in need.
Congrats to all celebrating. 
May we all stay safe!  

Maureen

[Cruisercl]

Good Monday Everyone,

Hope your WEs were enjotable.

I haven't had a creamsicle since I was a kid but did like them; IMO I need to be very financially aware because of the consequenses if I am not; we played wiffle ball as kids, we were always playing some game outside in our neighborhood.

 

@Denise Tgood luck with putting together your slide for your doctoral thesis. You got this!

@cruising sister thank you for the update on baby Murphy; prayers that she comtinues to improve. Your GC are adorable! Gotta love a girl with a superhero dress on...very cute. LOL.

 

@dfish and @StLouisCruisers, great pictures of your travels! Stay safe.

As @Cruising-along said we will be going to Noumea on our GV next year. The pictures of it are beautiful, thanks to those that contibuted them!  Another place to look forward to. 🙂

Loving all of the LOL memes today!!

 

I got my 1st Shingrex Vacc last Saturday and I have been feeling crummy for the last 2 days. Dull headache and muscle aches; all of these could be side effects, I read. Advil does take care of it but I am ready to be done with it. I hope the 2nd one isn't as bad. Poor me.....😏

 

The news from Lahina continues to be sad and I suspect will be for a long time.

Very sad about the house explosion in PA; the news said it wasn't caused by gas a leak. Wow. 

 

My thanks to all contributors here; appreciate them all. It is a good place to discuss things. There is always someone here to help out.

Continued prayers for those with health issues. 

Celebrate all of the joys in your life.

Take care,

Caron

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon after a rather long morning, but now I can enjoy a clean house.  With all our work ourside, we must have tracked in more dirt than usual.  The pads for the steam mop were very dark when I finished mopping.  

 

Well, not surprisingly, the weather prediction of 103F for our high today was wrong.  It's still an hour or two until the hotest part of the day, and the thermometers are reading 105F.  I'm just happy to be inside in a nice cool house.

 

7 hours ago, marshhawk said:

Good Monday Morning Dailyites!  Currently letting DH sleep, as he has a CT and PET scan this morning, and cant eat or drink beforehand.  Leaving in about an hour.

 

@dfishThat is odd, and as in your picture the yellow is rising to the left like some colored smoke, perhaps a new volcano is being born, or a boat was on fire.  It does look like smoke.

 

I need to send in my intended hours for this week, take a shower, and get going!

 

 

Annie, I hope your DH's @catmando test results are good.

 

6 hours ago, cunnorl said:

We were in Noumea this past fall. Pretty little town although it was a very rainy day there. We docked in an industrial port and were shuttled to town. Totallly accessible. Yeah! 
  We took the Tchou Tchou train . Great fun and the perfect way to see the area. 
again totally accessible. Although HAL had told me it wasn’t. Jeez. 
  The driver was from Daytona Beach. Took really good care of us. 

 

Charlene, thank you for your pictures from Noumea.  I would love to see it someday.  BTW, I'm glad everything was assessible.

 

6 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Yesterday in Grundarfjordur while Debbie and Sue were communing with Mother Nature, we were in town checking out the locals.  It was in the low 50's in the morning when we were there and they were dressed for summer.  We saw one woman in a sundress complete with spaghetti straps walking her young niece home to her Mom.  I overheard her talking to one of our fellow passengers.  Then when we came out of the church we saw her a few houses down talking to a young woman wearing a bikini!  The young lady's Mom I guess.  Anything over 50F must be summer weather.

 

When we first arrived we passed what looked like a fenced day care center with some pretty flowers decorating the fence.  Then we went in the local tourist center where they were selling hand made items, mostly knitted items, plus they had a small library where some passengers were using the WiFi to call family back home, and a slideshow in a room with chairs where you could go back in time and learn a little history of the town.

 

 

 

Here's the church called Grundarfjardarkirkja and a statue on the grounds next to it, as well as the famous mountain (seen in movies) called Mt. Kirkjufell.  Then a statue made of a male orca whale that seems to stay in the area.  It's located in a field a block or two away from the church near a school and what someone there called an "old folk's home".

 

 

 

 

 

And here is Mt. Kirkjufell from another angle as the ship left for Greenland yesterday afternoon.

 

Since this morning's earlier post the temp is still 52F, but we have varied our speed from 21 down to 19 knots, and we look to be about 2/3rds of the way to Greenland.  It is nearly noon here and the Captain should be coming on the speakers any minute now and will give us our update.  Then lunch!! 

 

Sandi, thank you for your pictures from Grundarfjordur.  We've enjoyed our two visits there even if it was raining when we were there all day.  We walked around town and noticed the rain did not stop the little kids from playing outside at their school.

 

5 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Good morning Dailyites. 

 

Prayers lifted for all on our care list. Special prayers for sweet "S", Lou, Baby Murphy, Sandi's family and friend. Heartache for Maui as the search for remains continue. Thankful Denise and David are alright. God bless them.

 

Today I have a phone chat with a VA benefit nurse. Hoping the last appointment we have on Thursday finishes all this running around. Had I known what hoops we were going to jump through I don't think it would be worth it. 

 

No on turkey burgers. I really have tried various options. Either it tastes mushy and fake, or the burger is a tasteless hockey puck. I would remove the patty and eat the bun and veggies.

 

 

Finances are so important. I keep an eye on them every week.

 

 

Wishing you a great week. Be kind. Help when you are able. Love and prayers to YOU.

 

Joy, I hope Thursday ends all the jumping through hoops, and that it was worth it.  I know several veterans in our little community have given up on the VA, including DH.

 

5 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Like so many others, I haven't had a creamsicle in ages; as a child I loved fudgesicles and we only had a creamsicle once in a while as a special treat.  We played with wiffle balls last week when the DGS's were here - great fun.

 

I'm into financial awareness this morning, as I've been running through our dollars like crazy this past week.  First, I had an eye appointment and ordered new glasses, then yesterday I booked a cruise - woo hoo!!!  Later in the afternoon while sitting in the pergola, DH and I were going to enjoy popcorn and a drink when I took 1 stupid piece of popcorn and cracked off part of a molar.  I'm pretty sure that's going to result in a crown . . . $$$.  

 

After DH had finished his angiogram with good results, he started talking about us going on another cruise, so I've been looking at itineraries.  I was able to find one we've been on before, but who cares if it takes us out of the throes of winter on the "frozen tundra"!  We'll be embarking on the Nieuw Statendam in February for a 2 week Western/Eastern Caribbean itinerary and will likely head into FLL a few days ahead just to be sure we get there before the ship sails - you never know with airlines these days!  It's always nice to have a cruise to look forward to.

 

Not a lot happening here, except that I'll be on the phone with the dental office in about 20 minutes to get an appointment.  The tooth isn't painful, but the sharp edge is irritating my tongue, so the sooner I get in, the better.  

 

I hope baby Murphy is doing well and can soon be off ECMO, if she isn't already.  Prayers continuing for Lou that he's able to continue his chemo soon and will be on the road to recovery.

I hope @catmando does well at his appointments this morning.

 

I'd like to try the drink of the day, will pass on the wine, but would really like to try the menu suggestion.  I've never made turkey burgers, but like the idea of the crumbs to help keep the mixture together.  For us, however, it's going to be hot (+32C, 89F), so I'm going to make up a Greek salad with some cucumbers our neighbours gave us, and will do frozen tempura shrimp in the air fryer that we'll enjoy in the pergola tonight.  And wine.

 

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

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

 

Gerry, congratulations on booking the cruise.  Sorry about the broken tooth.  A couple of years ago when I chipped a corner off a lower front tooth, I took my metal nail file and smoothed down the rough edge.  We were in Quartzsite, I knew it would be a while before I saw my dentist in Texas.  It turns out, that was all the tooth needed.  You must have read my mind, since last night I decided to fix the last of our shrimp tempura tonight to have with the leftover vegetable and rice from last night's garlic shrimp stir fry.

 

5 hours ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning,

I finally got an update on baby Murphy late yesterday. They took her off ECMO Friday and they were able to hold her for the first time since July 4th yesterday. Everyone is holding their breath that this will take. 
 

It will be blessedly cool today. The heat saps your energy fast. DGS stated kindergarten on Friday and was a bundle of energy. We went apple picking and he had a foam party at school that evening. By Saturday night he put himself to bed at 7pm and slept 12 hours. 
 

Prayers for those on our list and anyone else in need. Have a great day. 

 

Lorraine, thanks for the update on Murphy.  I hope she can remain off the ECMO.  I know her parents were thrilled to finally be able to hold her again, and I can't help thinking it was good for Murphy, too.  Thanks for the pictures of the cute grandkids.

 

3 hours ago, ssawjo said:

In Arizona anyway, it is National Code Talkers Day, to celebrate the Navajo Code Talkers.  There are only a handful of Code Talkers left.  

 

I have always been fascinated by the story of the Code Talkers and how they helped end the war in the Pacific. They deserve a day of honor.  I'm also glad there were some who lived to see their remarkable feat honored.

 

3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Good morning all!

Good collection of days and I love the quote.  The drink and white wine sound good, but will pass on the meal.  We will go to Noumea on the Grand Australia and plan on taking the Tchou Tchou train.  Charlene @cunnorl great photos -- were these taken from the train or can you get on and off?  

 

Well I slept 9 1/2 hours last night but still feel like I was hit by a truck lol.  DGS wore me out, he's a ball of energy.  When we brought him home last night we went to dinner with DD and family, that was nice.  DGS was regaling everyone with everything he had done with us the last 3 days.  He told me he wished he could stay another night with us.  I don't know if I could have taken it 😂

 

Today I'll be putting the house back together, washing sheets, and watering the yard.  Our heat wave has begun and the A/C is working well.

 

Very nice to hear good news about baby Murphy @cruising sister Lorraine!  

 

Carolyn, I know it made you and your DH happy that the DGS was so thrilled by the weekend.  

 

2 hours ago, sailingdutchy said:

Good morning to all members of the Daily family and thank you again to Rich @richwmn and all other contributors who are keeping the Daily Fleet Report and Daily News going . I thought I had posted pictures earlier of Noumea but must have been busy in the garden the last couple of years in August.

 

We were in Noumea , New Caledonia  while on the Oosterdam on a lovely cruise in 2013 from Auckland , New Zealand all the way to Vancouver , Canada . I had set up a small group tour for 8 of us with a local guide who took us into the hills around the port to show us the beautiful nature and also the small village where he lived .

 

Noumea is the Capital of the South Pacific  archipelago and overseas French territory of New Caledonia situated on the main island Grand Terre .

It is known for the beaches and the native Kanak influences  a unique mix of French and old Melanesian culture .

During WW II the US built a Naval base there which served as the headquarters of the US military in the South Pacific 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very warm day despite the grey clouds so our guide took us also to his

place for a welcome coconut water drink .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely day was had by all , so nice to see and experience local communities and cultures .

 

Tony 😄😄

 

Thanks for you pictures from Noumea, Tony.

 

2 hours ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily @richwmn.

I like creamsicles, but haven't had one for a while. We all need to be financially aware. I never played wiffle ball. Excellent quote. The meal sounds good, as does the drink. Pass on the wine. Both important days in history. I haven't been to Noumea.

 

It's cloudy here, with more rain this afternoon. One of these days I'll get the lawn mowed, but going to PT 3 days a week messes up my schedule. We sadly learned of a 5th death in the house explosion in the neighboring town.

 

@StLouisCruisers Have a relaxing sea day. Thanks for the Grundarfjordur pictures.

@dfish Enjoy the sea day. Not sure what that yellow appearance is in the photo.

@puppycanducruise Pretty flowers!

@kazu I'm glad you had no damage from the storm.

@Denise T Best of luck in your preparations and on Monday.

@0106 Thanks for the recipes today.

@aliaschief Safe travels home. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to PA!

@marshhawk Good luck to DH with his tests today.

@cunnorl Nice Noumea photos. I'm glad everything was accessible.

@Nickelpenny Safe travels. I've been looking for back pain studies around here. I found one, but didn't qualify.

@Seasick Sailor Good luck with the VA. I have a turkey burger recipe that uses zucchini in it (along with breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, S&P), and it's moist and tasty.

@ger_77 Congrats on booking a cruise! Oh no on the tooth issue.

@cruising sister Great news about Baby Murphy! Continued prayers that she does well. Cute photos of the DGC.

@sailingdutchy Lovely photos, thanks.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating.

Be well everyone.

 

 

Vanessa, the loss of life in the explosion is so sad.  I hope there are no more deaths from the explosion.

 

2 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Good morning, Dailyites!  Thanks to all who post.  I have found the last week or so, the minute I sit down to read, that DH has organized something we just have to do, and I'm on my way!  Today he is golfing, so I have a little time on my own to read and post.  He is just TOO energetic.  I guess it's a good sign. 

 

Not the happiest of times in the world these days.  Fires everywhere, so sad about Lahaina, and BC still has fires in the hundreds.  This is going to be the hottest week of the summer, and I moved our round table with umbrella over to the flower bed to shade the dahlias I have planted in the courtyard.  They have been so sad and droopy in the heat, but blooming madly.  We also watched The Covenant the other night, and then The Courier last night, both movies did not improve my mood...  And we've had a death in the family, the 95-year-old widow of a cousin passed away in Maryland.  I forgot about the meteor shower, but I did say a prayer for you all at church yesterday.  

 

I need a cruise!  (To somewhere cool...)  

 

Ann, I'm happy your DH has gotten his energy back, and that he is back to playing golf.  Our condolences on the death of your cousin's widow.

 

1 hour ago, kochleffel said:

No Creamsickles for me, and no wiffle balls, but I'm in favor of financial awareness. As a teacher I sometimes used an O-ball, which because it's light and flexible and can't be thrown very hard, is safe to use in a classroom.

 

The house explosion in Pennsylvania was reported in the NYT this morning. Also: an explanation of how non-native grasses contributed to the fires on Maui.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/us/hawaii-wildfire-factors.html

Summary: they have colonized abandoned sugar plantations and grow very fast when it rains, but then dry out and burn. Some were introduced for livestock grazing and there would be less danger if grazing animals were present where they're growing now.

 

I woke up too early and my head feels rather scrambled. This afternoon I need to go to the farmers' market and then Wegmans, where I especially need to find sheep's-milk feta, for a recipe that says that cow's-milk feta won't work.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023371-sheet-pan-feta-with-chickpeas-and-tomatoes

 

In my scrambled head I'm trying to figure out what I really need for the Spanish Farewell, because my packing list is turning out exceptionally heavy (for me, at least). In the photography forum I asked whether I'd need a telephoto lens and the sentiment was to take it "just in case," but nothing that I've planned to do seems to call for one.

 

Also in that forum, a post asks what to take for a Caribbean cruise. The question is about camera gear, of course, but my first thought was "Lomotil."

 

 

 

 

Paul, thanks for the link to the article.  I'll read it on the NY Times app on my tablet a little later.

 

Lenda

[RMLincoln]

I don’t know how I missed it but I’m overjoyed to hear Murphy is off ECMO!  And her parents can hold her!  She is a fighter!  Praying she continues to strengthen and grow surrounded in love!  

 

[JazzyV]

55 minutes ago, Cruisercl said:

Good Monday Everyone,

 

I got my 1st Shingrex Vacc last Saturday and I have been feeling crummy for the last 2 days. Dull headache and muscle aches; all of these could be side effects, I read. Advil does take care of it but I am ready to be done with it. I hope the 2nd one isn't as bad. Poor me.....😏

 

The news from Lahina continues to be sad and I suspect will be for a long time.

Very sad about the house explosion in PA; the news said it wasn't caused by gas a leak. Wow. 

 

Take care,

Caron

 

 

 

Caron, your symptoms sound typical post Shringrex. But better than the pain of having shingles!

Although they say the explosion wasn't a gas leak, most lay people still seem to think it was. This is the 3rd house explosion in that area in about 5 years. The one last year still doesn't have an explanation. And interestingly, the borough manager was at that house that exploded on Saturday and was killed (he lived a few houses away and his wife and DD were ok), as was another neighbor and his son (both killed) and that guy worked for the gas company! So one wonders, although they say no one called to report an odor of gas.

 

58 minutes ago, RMLincoln said:

Our plans to spend time with the granddaughters has fizzled- they were both camping over the weekend with a big group of friends and some are coming down with COVID today including we think DGS-IL who was starting to feel ill but still tested negative. We saw them ever so briefly yesterday to drop off flowers from the cousins gathering… we were outside but we did have quick hugs. Got texts this morning canceling getting together tonight or tomorrow as planned. The engaged DGD rooms with two other girls and one tested positive today. Trying to be hopeful we haven’t caught it. 
 

DH’s eye pressures have stabilized with adding back a previous med, at least until he’s done with the post-op steroid drop. 

Maureen

 

Prayers that you and DH remain healthy after this encounter. Good to hear that DH's eye pressures have stabilized with adding back a med.

 

45 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Vanessa, the loss of life in the explosion is so sad.  I hope there are no more deaths from the explosion.

 

Lenda

 

Lenda, hopefull there should be no more deaths. 3 people were hospitalized and 2 are already discharged. The 3rd is critical, but stable.

[Cruzin Terri]

Just checking in.

Very busy week.

Glad to see that Baby Murphy is off the ECMO machine and in her parents’ arms.  How wonderful. I hope it works.

Prayers for all.

Will post when I can.

God Bless,

Terri

[ottahand7]

@cruising sister Great news on Murphy.   It must have felt so great for her parents to be able to hold her today. 

 

Thanks for the photos of today's port. 

[grapau27]

11 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Just checking in.

Very busy week.

Glad to see that Baby Murphy is off the ECMO machine and in her parents’ arms.  How wonderful. I hope it works.

Prayers for all.

Will post when I can.

God Bless,

Terri

Take care.

Best wishes Terri.

Graham.

[quilty964]

Happy Monday, it's great to hear some good news about Baby Murphy.  I'm sure her parents were so happy to finally be able to hold her again.  We saw the news about the explosion on our local news this am, so sad.  Also the news about Maui, so hard to imagine what it's like to be there.  Do they still make Creamsicles?  I remember those, popsicles and fudgesicles from the "olden days!"  We spent the weekend with family, the grands made some popsicles with homemade lemonade...they weren't sure if they got a thumbs up, or thumbs down.  We need to find a recipe that turns out more the texture of popsicles, not ice! Our 10 year old granddaughter has been doing lots of cooking lately.  She wanted cook books for her birthday!  She made a fancy cake last week, and loves to bake chocolate chip cookies! 

 

Lots of great pictures here today.  The turkey burger recipes sound interesting.  We have lots of ground turkey here.  A  burger with ground beef is a treat! 

 

@ger_77Maybe we're on the same cruise in February...we could talk about the Green Bay Packers and their Frozen Tundra, Lambeau Field!  

 

It's been raining all day here, we sure need it!  The skies are starting to look a bit brighter now.  Have a good evening.  

[dobiemom]

7 hours ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning,

I finally got an update on baby Murphy late yesterday. They took her off ECMO Friday and they were able to hold her for the first time since July 4th yesterday. Everyone is holding their breath that this will take. 

Great news! 🙂 

[Live4cruises]

@Cruisercl my cousin and my doctor both suggested waiting until near the end of the second shot window for the booster. I did and had no troubles. My cousin had taken the booster on the first available day just to have it over with, and was miserable for several days. 

[Cruisercl]

35 minutes ago, Live4cruises said:

@Cruisercl my cousin and my doctor both suggested waiting until near the end of the second shot window for the booster. I did and had no troubles. My cousin had taken the booster on the first available day just to have it over with, and was miserable for several days. 

Thanks for the advice, makes sense to me! 😊

[aliaschief]

We made it home on time and now enjoying my recliner and a wee dram. Happy to hear Baby Murphy showing some small steps. Prayers will continue.

It’s nice sharing our life events with other like minded cruise lovers.

Cruising it’s what we love and Cruise Critic allows us to do that.

Thanks to Cruise Critic and our Cruise Critic Host. Bruce

 

PS: @richwmn Thanks Rich.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good evening.  For awhile we were under a thunderstorm watch and a possible hail watch.  We got a few drops of rain and one clap of thunder, then, nothing.  Our county seat, 22 miles away, got a good rain shower.  Our high reached 107F before dropping into the lower 90s.  We did have a pretty sunset.

 

5 hours ago, RMLincoln said:

We had a great cousins gathering yesterday!  About 25 of us, the cousins generation plus several of the younger generation too. So glad to be on the east coast so I can get to these. 
 

Our plans to spend time with the granddaughters has fizzled- they were both camping over the weekend with a big group of friends and some are coming down with COVID today including we think DGS-IL who was starting to feel ill but still tested negative. We saw them ever so briefly yesterday to drop off flowers from the cousins gathering… we were outside but we did have quick hugs. Got texts this morning canceling getting together tonight or tomorrow as planned. The engaged DGD rooms with two other girls and one tested positive today. Trying to be hopeful we haven’t caught it. 
 

DH’s eye pressures have stabilized with adding back a previous med, at least until he’s done with the post-op steroid drop. 
 

Today we went north to visit a retirement community just to have a second look, but I just can’t imagine us living there now… I call it Shady Rest!  The community we’ll visit tomorrow is a vibrant community and that’s are expected path, but “Shady Rest” is close to a college with a Conservatory and a performing arts center!  So tomorrow we hope to learn more about how residents of the more vibrant place get to performing arts events. We’re not ready to stop living our lives!  
 

We often eat Turkey burgers, just seems natural to us. Not sure if DH would like the Mediterranean twist, he likes them with just ketchup. I like mine a little more jazzed up! 
 

I didn’t post yesterday but did get caught up, so I want to say that my sister is left handed, and our nuns never made an issue out of it. 
 

@DeeniEncinitas glad you and David are ok within the loss and chaos. Keeping you in my heart!  
 

Annie, enjoyed your beautiful description of your day out with Chuck. Hoping his scans show everything that needs to be seen. 
 

Karen, nice to know you have DS visits and help. One day at a time!  
 

@dfish that yellowish cloud looks like what we’ve seen spreading out from the ship stack. 
 

@ger_77 Booked!  Excellent. Sure helps to have something fun to look forward to! 
 

Early this morning we were able to reserve the fancy shows on our September NCL booking, 21 days out, so I did! No charge but they need to be reserved in advance.  I booked both Elements and Footloose on the first cruise (northbound) but might reconsider and book one on the return leg. At least we’ll see them. 
 

Blessings to all in need.
Congrats to all celebrating. 
May we all stay safe!  

Maureen

 

Maureen, I'm sorry your plans to see the DGDs did not turn out as expected.  I'm sorry some of them are testing positive, and hope you and DH stay well.  I'm also glad the eye pressure has dropped and stabilized.

 

4 hours ago, JazzyV said:

 

Caron, your symptoms sound typical post Shringrex. But better than the pain of having shingles!

Although they say the explosion wasn't a gas leak, most lay people still seem to think it was. This is the 3rd house explosion in that area in about 5 years. The one last year still doesn't have an explanation. And interestingly, the borough manager was at that house that exploded on Saturday and was killed (he lived a few houses away and his wife and DD were ok), as was another neighbor and his son (both killed) and that guy worked for the gas company! So one wonders, although they say no one called to report an odor of gas.

 

 

Prayers that you and DH remain healthy after this encounter. Good to hear that DH's eye pressures have stabilized with adding back a med.

 

 

Lenda, hopefull there should be no more deaths. 3 people were hospitalized and 2 are already discharged. The 3rd is critical, but stable.

 

Vanessa, I hope they investigate the cause of all the house explosions in that area.  I also hope the third person recovers completely.

 

3 hours ago, Live4cruises said:

@Cruisercl my cousin and my doctor both suggested waiting until near the end of the second shot window for the booster. I did and had no troubles. My cousin had taken the booster on the first available day just to have it over with, and was miserable for several days. 

 

I also got the same advice from the pharmacist who administered the vaccine doses.  I waited until less than a month from the deadline and did not have a bad reacti9n.

 

30 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

We made it home on time and now enjoying my recliner and a wee dram. Happy to hear Baby Murphy showing some small steps. Prayers will continue.

It’s nice sharing our life events with other like minded cruise lovers.

Cruising it’s what we love and Cruise Critic allows us to do that.

Thanks to Cruise Critic and our Cruise Critic Host. Bruce

 

PS: @richwmn Thanks Rich.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

 

Bruce, I'm happy you made it home safely.

 

Lenda

[marshhawk]

@dfish  remember this morning when i said that it might be a new volcano?  Just saw this hidden in the googly news

 

At a time when American travel to Europe is at an all-time high, it has also been a summer heavy on volcanic activity. On July 10, "the earth's newest baby volcano" was created when a part of Icelandic mountain range Fagradalsfjal cracked open and started sending small jets of molten lava into the air. While the area around the park was initially closed off for safety reasons, tourists were still clamoring to see the red crater and Iceland's board..

 

 

and this from today

 

 A cloud of volcanic ash spewing from Europe’s most active volcano has prompted the closure of one of Sicily’s largest airports, leading to flights being delayed, canceled and diverted.

Sicily’s Catania international airport, known as Catania–Fontanarossa Airport, is to remain closed until 8 p.m. local time on Monday following the eruption of nearby Mount Etna, the airport press office said in a statement.

“All arrivals and departures are therefore prohibited,” the statement said, adding that “passengers are kindly requested to present themselves at the airport only after consulting their airline.”

Edited August 15, 2023 by marshhawk

[marshhawk]

very long day, made a couple of errors at work, but my boss fixed them,  so for me bed.

 

the tests that DH had this morning were to show the extent of the cancer. 

 

Glad that baby Murphy got real hugs!