The Fleet Report and Daily for Monday September 4th, 2023

[richwmn]

 

Labor Day (US)

Today is Bring Your Manners to Work Day, Newspaper Carrier Day, and National Spice Blend Day
 

We live in the world when we love it. - Rabindranath Tagore

Meal Suggestion for today - Mediterranean Chicken Patties
Drink of the Day - Caramel Apple Martini
Wine of the Day - 2018 Silverado Miller Ranch Napa Sauvignon Blanc
Destination of the Day - Sitka, Baranof Island, Alaska

Today in History:
1781 Los Angeles is founded by 44 Spanish speaking mestizos in the Bahia de las Fumas (Bay of Smokes)

Ship Locations
 

Eurodam

Juneau, Alaska 1300-2200
 

Koningsdam

Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska 0900-0930,1300-2200
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska 1500-1800
 

Nieuw Statendam

Lerwick, Norway
 

Noordam

At Sea Destination Ketchikan, Alaska eta 09-05
 

Oosterdam

Dubrovnik, Croatia 0800-1800
 

Rotterdam

Invergordon, Scotland
 

Volendam

Ketchikan, Alaska 1100-1900
 

Westerdam

At Sea Destination Juneau, Alaska eta 09-05
 

Zaandam

Quebec City, Quebec 0700-1700
 

Zuiderdam

At Sea Destination Charlottetown,PEI eta 09-05
 

 

 

[JazzyV]

Today’s Care list:

Cruising sister’s great niece Baby Murphy post-surgery, on vent, unstable

Sharon in AZ’s Aunt Betty passing on 8/30

Catmando with cancer recurrence, and new medical issues

Cruzin Terri’s cousin post stent, not doing well

RIP Jimmy Buffett

All Dailyites going through worries and stress, whether mentioned or not

 

Wildfires in Maui/Lahaina

Canadian/US wildfires; those in the path of Franklin or Idalia 

Shooting victim(s) 

Citizens of Ukraine

 

From the rotation:

Marshhawk’s family (Momma Norma and son) and friend issues

RMLincoln’s DH with glaucoma issues

Kazu with elbow pain and mobility issues

Smitty34877’s DH Lou recovering at home, poor appetite

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Happy Birthday to Sharon in AZ’s DM!

Happy Labor Day!

Welcome Home Lobsternight!

Mr. Boston in Europe prior to cruising

Live4Cruises’ DH Nicholas improving after a fall and rib fractures

Mamaofami’s DH Sam home from rehab

DeeniEncinitas safe on Maui

 

The Daily Gardening Club posting wonderful flower pictures

All the contributors to the Fleet Report/Daily

 

Upcoming Cruises or At Sea:

1 day for RMLincoln (Norwegian Joy Sept 4 to Sept 20, B2B) *ship departure delayed 1 day due to late ship arrival in NYC from Bermuda due to hurricane Idalia*

 

Oceansaway17 (Grand Princess to Sept 8 ), Luvteaching (Westerdam to Sept 10), HAL4NOW (Zaandam to Sept 13, B2B) and Crazy for Cats (Zaandam to Sept 13)

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[dobiemom]

Happy Labor Day! 
(Why am I up at 3:40am instead of sleeping? I have no idea. 🤦🏻‍♀️)

Edited September 4, 2023 by dobiemom

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning and thanks for the Report.

Happy Labour Day!  

It's going to be a hot one again today.  Bertie and I will head out for a walk soon but it still seems a little too dark.

Prayers for everyone.  And a special prayer for baby Murphy and her family.

Cheers for all the celebrations.

Have a wonderful day.

Stay safe.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Dixie, and Ann for the Labor (Labour) Day report.  4 great days to celebrate today.  I filled in for a friend as a newspaper carrier one summer in my youth.

 

I wonder if there is also any kind of celebration today in Los Angeles.  I like the Tabore quote.

 

It looks like I've been to Sitka twice, SS Rotterdam V in 1997, and 2010 on Cruise West's Spirit of Alaska.  Hmmm, I'm just thinking me visiting Sitka may be a bit jinxed, both of those trips were the final seasons of the ships for their then current company.

 

The meal sounds interesting.  Also, Lisa and Tom @LAFFNVEGAS who do post to the Fleet Report and Daily occasionally are currently on the Westerdam.  They are posting the daily menus.  While my alternative menu selections are currently on hiatus, my alternative menu suggestion today is Gourmet Greens, Peruvian Chicken, and Mango-Blueberry Crisp a la mode.which would have been my choices last night if I had been onboard.

 

Roy

[summer slope]

Caramel Apple Martini cocktial:

 

Ingredients
2 parts DeKuyper® Pucker® Sour Apple Schnapps
2 parts Pinnacle® Original Vodka
1 parts DeKuyper® Buttershots® Schnapps

Instructions
Add ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

 

[kazu]

Thanks for our Monday Daily, Rich

and thanks to Debbie, Dixie, Ann & Vanessa.

 

Happy Labour Day to all who celebrate.

 

 

And yes, it’s Labour Day here in Canada as well as the U.S. (just a slightly different spelling 😊).  LOL on our collection of days today. Most are off on Labour Day so no work to bring their manners to (although manners should be brought to work every day).  The old fashioned news paper carriers are obsolete in our neck of the woods.  Now a car pitches the paper on the driveway.  Guess I will celebrate National Spice Bend day.  Good spice blends can make a meal.

 

 

I like today’s quote and do I see a WHITE wine?  👏 👏 👏 

 

The hot day we were supposed to have yesterday turned into a cool one so my friend and I ended up chatting and eating in the house. The rolls were delish - salmon was gone and only 3 jumbo shrimp left so all in all I would say we ate well.  👍 

 

 

The realization has hit that I leave in less than a month. 😬 I better get off my duff and get my act together and start getting stuff done.  I think lists might be in order 😂 

 

@RMLincoln my condolences on the loss of your friend 😢 

 

 

 

Happy birthday to your DM @Sharon in AZ

 

 

 

Prayers for those on the Care list, those suffering losses, health issues, worries & those that need them.  Cheers to those celebrating & cruising.

 

 

Have a great Monday everyone.

 

[StLouisCruisers]

 

Good morning friends!  Today I awoke to 63 degrees and darkness but we shall have sunny skies and a high of 89.  We decided last night to skip our morning exercise and carefully descend the slope behind us and do a little more annual cleanup of the grounds meaning pine cones and dead branches.  That should equal a work out!  Now as long as DH doesn't wake up with a different plan.  

 

Thank you Rich @richwmn for our Labor Day Daily and Fleet Report.  It is also my DD DF's birthday.  He was born 104 years ago.  And good old Dr. Pol turns 81 today so happy birthday wishes to that hard working octogenarian!🐴

 

Days of celebration include Bring Your Manners to Work Day (actually on Sept. 1) but we should all remember if we are going to work to take our manners along with us.  Remember the Golden Rule!  Newspaper carriers, if there are still any around, have a tough job and I know that for a fact.  Both my kids delivered newspapers in our neighborhood when they were around 12-13 years old.  They started out early making money for their future plans (a car at 16!).  Spice blends are a good thing for a little variety in our cooking.  Interesting quote.  I bet the Mediterranean chicken patties are good.  Caramel apple martini sounds tasty but the purists will object.  I would love to try the Sauvignon Blanc.  And a very interesting fact about Los Angeles.  Thank you to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for food and beverage reports.  🍸

 

Prayers lifted today for our Care list group.  Hoping to hear some reassuring news from Annie @marshhawk and Chuck @catmando that they are doing okay this long holiday weekend.  Praying for a miracle for Baby Murphy and family.🙏  I hear the DGS's are feeling better.  The youngest is taking allergy meds which seem to make him feel better.  The older is well now and probably looking forward to Lisbon.  Congrats to the Celebration list folks.  Enjoy your cruises, friends!🚢  Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the list keeping and getting up just to post it.  I hope you get some more sleep and feel better this week.

 

The port this morning is Sitka (Baranof Island), Alaska.  This great port was shown here on July 15, 2021 and June 6, 2022.  The links are below for your convenience.  We enjoyed visiting there on Sept. 6, 2019 on ms Amsterdam.  It was a very special day indeed for DH and myself. 

 

 

 

 

Here are my photos from a lovely day spent in Sitka, 2019.

 

 

On September 6, 2019, our actual 50th anniversary date, we disembarked the beautiful Amsterdam to take a bus ride into the town of Sitka, 5 or 6 miles away.  The painters were busy touching up the hull with "Holland America Blue" paint. 

 

 

 

When we arrived downtown, we noticed the smoke hanging in the air from nearby wildfires, unfortunately.  But it was still beautiful!

 

 

We enjoyed sitting near the little harbor for a while.  DH phoned his DM at her nursing facility back in St. Louis and had a nice chat.  I wish she could still participate in a conversation like that now, but her abilities have declined since then. (note she has since departed this earth and may she rest in peace).  We also took a selfie of ourselves to send the kids to show them where we were spending our anniversary.

 

Luckily they give out little maps showing you where all the sights are to be seen in the town.

 

We passed by St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral, a National Historic Landmark.  It was originally built while the land was under Russian rule, but was rebuilt in 1966 after a fire.

 

Lots of shopping, of course.  I have to admit I didn't buy one of these because I have so many T-shirts from over the years, stacked up on my closet shelves. 

 

Then there were book stores, florists, hotels and general stores.

 

 

A very nice looking rest home for the elderly.  

 

And right in front of it this statue of what must be a Pioneer as the building says in its name.

 

A totem pole, of course.

 

Some of the details on it.

 

 

 

We really enjoyed our walk through Sitka that day.  Later in the day we sat in the Crow's Nest and watched the dock workers lifting boats out of and into the water.  They could just roll them into a parking spot!

 

 

 

 

We also noticed a large group of staff and crew welcoming passengers back to the ship.  They were there until the last person boarded.  A nice touch, and something we all miss I'm sure.

 

 

Hoping you all have a great Labor Day holiday.  Drive safely and stay well.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info.

[StLouisCruisers]

Happy Birthday wishes to Sharon @Sharon in AZ's DM!!

 

 

It's too late to edit my above post but it's actually DD DF's 103rd birthday.  I've been working on 2024 plans and forgot it's still 2023!

Edited September 4, 2023 by StLouisCruisers

[smitty34877]

25 minutes ago, dobiemom said:

Happy Labor Day! 
(Why am I up at 3:40am instead of sleeping? I have no idea. 🤦🏻‍♀️)

I was up at that time on the other coast….two nights in a row!

 

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s R & D, Rich! Happy Labor Day to all are hard working Dailyites!  Today looks to be another spectacular day. Yesterday was magnificent. Mid 80s, low humidity and a great breeze. It made up for the fact that one of my garage door cables broke & I had to have it fixed on the Sunday of a holiday weekend. But I was lucky and it was not too expensive. So my car is no longer trapped. 
 

Vanessa, thank you for capturing and sharing our happenings! Gym, Bindi walks, chores, pool time - I need to hunker down and start seriously looking for a car. Do any of you have a plug-in hybrid? What do you like or dislike about it?

 

 

 

 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Get well & stay well everyone!
 

 

***********

2021 Silverado Miller Ranch Napa Sauvignon Blanc
I confess - I switched the vintage to a more recent one. The 2018 might still be great, but I would not want to gamble on white wine from that vintage - assuming I could still find it. And the great news is all released vintages of this Napa gem share the same great reviews. Available from a decent number of distributors with prices starting at $18.99.

Winemaker Notes

The 2021 Silverado Sauvignon Blanc is a bright and lively wine with aromas of citrus, honeydew melon and white floral notes. On the palate, flavors of grapefruit, pineapple and lime are present with a subtle minerality. A well-balanced, medium-bodied wine with crisp, refreshing finish.

Blend: 94% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Semillon

WE92 Wine Enthusiast

A delicious blend of herbal and spicy flavors drives this medium-bodied wine as hints of coconut and toasted oak lead to tangy grapefruit, lime and white pepper flavors. It shows great balance, inviting complexity and a lingering finish.

WW92 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

The 2021 Silverado Vineyards Miller Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is one of Napa Valley's top white wines. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of savory spices, slightly pungent notes, and dried herbs. Serve it with a plate of the fishmonger's freshest raw oysters. (Tasted: April 5, 2023, San Francisco, CA)

Edited September 4, 2023 by cat shepard

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

It is 77°F and sunny here.

Thank you for today's daily reports.

Happy Labor Day to those who celebrate it.

Interesting days and quote.

Nice food and wine of the day.

I hope everyone is safe and well.

 

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning to all.

Thank you Rich for the Daily and to Vanessa for the Cares and Celebration List.

Also thank you to Debbie for the Meal of the Day and to Ann and Dixie for the Drink and Wine of the Day.

We have been to Alaska but not Sitka.

interesting quote.

As for the Days, while I no longer work, I always appreciated those who brought their manners with them each day, as I tried to do.  I appreciate my newspaper carrier and show that appreciation at the appropriate times of the year.  Spice blends make for interesting tastes. I especially like Herbs de Provence and use that often.

I went to bed early last night after having a tiring day.  So at 3 am I was wide awake.  No more sleep in me.  I would have liked to have a nice long sleep.  Just did not happen.

 

Prayers for all on the cares list. Most especially for a miracle for Baby Murphy and her parents.

Cheers to all celebrating.  

 

@Sharon in AZ  A very  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!   🎂.  WISHES FOR MANY MORE

 

Hope everyone has a good and safe Labor Day.

God Bless.

Terri

[GTVCRUISER]

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

An early good Labor Day morning from central Texas.  I'm up early so I can tackle the mowing and other yard work before it gets too hot.  It is 77F and feels like 77F.  The humidity is 76% with a dew point of 69F.  Our predicted high is 99F.  At least, there is a good wind predicted for a little later this morning.

 

I always tried to bring my manners to work.  Newspaper carriers do a necessary job, but there are fewer and fewer newspaper carriers no.  Spice blend day is an interesting day to celebrate.

 

The quote is interesting, and one I like.

 

We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine today.  Tonight we'll be having hamburgers.

 

We have been to Sitka many times and always enjoy our day there.  Pictures will be coming shortly.

 

Today's day in history is interesting.  I bet the founders of LA would be amazed at the town they founded if the saw it today.

 

@Sharon in AZ  Sharon, please wish your mother A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY from us.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, I'm glad both DGSs are feeling better today.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Since we usually do b2b2b2b... cruises, we've been to Sitka 12 times on the 14 day Alaska cruise.  It is one of my favorite Alaskan ports and one of the prettiest.  We've been to the Fortress of the Bears twice and the Raptor Center at least three times.  My pictures are from all our cruises.  I found in looking at the pictures, on each visit after the first two or three times, I took fewer and fewer pictures.

 

There is a statue of Alexander Baranof near the Ceremonial Hall.  On one of our 2010 visits the statue was on a pedestal, but by 2015 it had been lowered and moved.

 

Meet Volta, the mascot of the Raptor Center.  It's his picture on the t-shirts and on the wall behind him.

 

This is along the forest path between the Raptor Center and the Totem Park

 

On our first visit in 2010, we took a wildlife small boat tour, and these are from the boat.

 

In later visits, as we explored further from downtown, we saw the National Cemetery.

 

On an early visit we toured the Bishop's House, which is now run by the National Park Service.  They left two rooms partially restored so visitors could see some of the construction details.

 

The Bishop's private chapel

 

One of the old Russian blockhouses on the island

 

The Cable House near downtown

 

The inside of St. Michaels Cathedral

 

We were told it is considered good luck when the eagles perch on the cross on top of the Cathedral.  We've seen a bird there twice and once saw an adult and a juvenile eagle at the same time.

 

A plaque commemorating the 250th anniversary of the 1741 Russian expedition

 

One of the many sculptures of marine animals found along the path between the road and the harbor.  The Episcopal Church is in the background.

 

On our third visit to Sitka in 2015, the Statendam docked at the new cruise dock instead of tendering.  It is a nice dock and building, even if it is out of town.  The drive to and from the new dock gives a good picture of the rest of the island.  This was Statendam's last call to Sitka.  When she got back to Seattle, she then headed to Singapore for a drydock before joining P&O Australia.

 

Lenda

[Lady Hudson]

Happy Labor Day to all.  Continued prayers for Baby Murphy and her family and praying for a miracle.

 

Great grandson born on 9/2.  (Wait — I can’t be that old — but we started at 19 and 20!). There are some lung issues and “Jalen Alexander” and his mother will be in the hospital at least until tomorrow.  Doctors say all will be well.

 

Too hot to be walking outside for the next several days.  Plus we have the convicted murderer escapee in the area.  He has been spotted not real close but close enough.  State police say to keep cars and all doors locked.  I will follow their advise!

 

Best wishes for a safe and peaceful day to all.  Katherine 

[smitty34877]

Good morning.We have a hot and humid day ahead of us today.

it is hard to believe that it is Labor Day.The summer disappeared  while I was busy elsewhere. School starts this week and the teenager seems to be looking forward to it.

 

We have not been to the port and love the pictures  so far.The meal sounds interesting  although we decided a BBQ was in order today.I made the BLT pasta salad that was mentioned a few weeks ago .It has been taste tested by the others  who are awake here and gets a big thumbs  up.

 

I found that working in health  care people did try to bring their manners to work for the most part. I was fortunate as I see terrible  examples of the opposite  when out in the community. 

 

A very Happy Birthday  to Sharon's mom!

 

[ottahand7]

Thanks everyone for the photos of Sitka, a place to stop when we take an Alaska cruise.  I try to use good manners all the time.  I used to have a newspaper carrier but he quit and the replacements never delivered my paper.   I went to digital but their billing practices are nuts so now it is the NYT for me.   Pass on chicken patties, the cocktail but today's chardonnay looks good.  Thanks to @dfish, @summer slope and @cat shepard for researching these for us.  

Prayers for all on our Care list.    Prayers for the citizens of Maui and the people of Ukraine. 

@Lady Hudson I pray Jalen Alexander will do just fine and be released tomorrow. 

We went fishing for the final time yesterday.  I caught a walleye and a small perch.   My family didn't have much luck either but they fish into the evening and were treated to the Northern lights.   More cut back of my plants today and I'll rake some cut last week.  I stowed all my potting mix and pots.  I am bringing a load of plant sale 2024 plants and my DS will bring a load too.  I am going to divide a bunch of iris and Daylilies, label them and take them home bare root to save space.  

Happy Labor Day!  Nancy 

[Heartgrove]

Thank you Rich, thank you Debbie, thank you Vanessa, thank you Ann, and thank you Dixie for all your work. And thank you everyone for being here!

 

We had an interesting email from MSC regarding our cruise next week. It was a survey to tell them on how they were doing so far, and how our experience with booking the cruise went using one of their representatives. I felt that it is very proactive on their part!

 

Stay Safe and prayers today for those that need them!

 

- Jack

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is going to be a hot one today here in mid-Michigan.  Temps are expected to reach 90 F.  We are trying the energy company's suggestion to pre-cool the house in the morning hours and then turn the air off between 2-6 pm when the energy rates are the highest.  They also say you can just turn the thermostat up to 80 during those hours if you can't bear to turn it off.  We've done that before and it does work, reducing energy consumption during the expensive part of the day.

 

Yesterday's trip to the splash park with the cousins was a big success.  Griffin didn't make it as he fell asleep and took a nap at home, but Samson and River had a great time playing with each other.  We then went for ice cream and that was dinner.  Just snacks last night.   Right before bed River lost a tooth that had been really loose all weekend.  We had to scramble around to figure out the going rate for the Tooth Fairy.  River claimed the Tooth Fairy regularly left her $10.  That wasn't happening. Our Tooth Fairy is on an austerity budget.  Her mom said she gets $2-3.  We settled on $5 as we found a $5 bill.  Neither of us had ones and the only other denomination we had were twenties.  

 

Good days to celebrate and good food and beverage suggestions.  I think I'd like to try the drink and the wine.  Maybe even the chicken patties.  The seasonings and vegetables used are slightly different in each recipe, so you can choose the combination that you like the best.  Or, make up your own!  https://www.aheadofthyme.com/mediterranean-chicken-patties/

 

 

This next one uses feta cheese instead of yogurt and a lemon aioli instead of tzatziki sauce.  https://celebrationgeneration.com/mediterranean-chicken-burgers/

 

 

This one includes some chopped red bell pepper.  https://laughingspatula.com/greek-chicken-burgers/

 

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

[Denise T]

Happy Labor Day everyone. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet reports. 

The meal and drink of the day sound interesting. 

I love all of the pictures from Sitka. I will be there in 2025. 

Just relaxing today. It will be a hot week here. 

Thinking of all on the care list. 

Celebrating with all who are celebrating. 

Have a safe and healthy day. 

 

 

[Haljo1935]

Hm, bring manners to work - since I work from home do I get a pass or do I need to be extra polite because I deserve the best? 🤫

The chicken and drinks sound good.

Sitka is one of our favorite ports in AK - very much enjoy the drive from the port to town. The newly expanded port is nice. We really like Fortess of the Bears and the Rapture Center. The absolute best whale watching we've done was an independent tour on a cloudy, drizzly day there. Love the smell of the popcorn at the Lutheran church and like the artistic bike racks even though we never see any bikes "parked" in them. I passed on the $17k coat and instead enjoyed a great coffee from A Little Something.

79 again this morning; see we only made 99 yesterday, but it's triple digits again for the week.

Prayers to all 🙏 extra thoughts for Baby Murphy and family.