The Fleet Report and Daily for Wednesday May 8th, 2024

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon from a partly sunny central Texas.  It is 86F and very humid, but now there is not a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon according to the revised forecast.  I hope if it does rain tomorrow as predicted this morning, the humidity will be lower afterwards.  It's not pleasant out at all even with the wind.  The house is clean, for now, and the car is at the station to get the new tires installed.  We've decided to get Mexican food this afternoon before the lunch specials are over, and we'll pick up the car on the way home.

 

1 hour ago, durangoscots said:

Good morning. Sunny today but still rather brisk. I am sorting, tossing and trying to coordinate with the California group as I have to go to the bank with Margaret this afternoon to get access to the safety deposit box. Her Mom put me on it as a back up and that is good thing since otherwise we could not get into it and I think the original of her Mom's will is in there. It would speed up probate. Meanwhile lots of stuff is being tagged for the Thrift Store or the dump. Electronics... old... are headed to recycling. She still needs to do a walk through of the other condo I will

be so glad when all this is done.

 

Off to do more work.... toss, toss, toss.

 

Susan

 

 

 

Susan, I'm glad you are able to help your neighbor's daughter.  I know you will be relieved to shed the responsibility of the two condos.

 

5 hours ago, ottahand7 said:

Good morning everyone!  Thanks for the Daily and maps Jacqui, Roy and Rich.    Three important days with stopping animal cruelty and having a plan for one's animals in a disaster.   Thanks for the definition of Thalassemia Graham, a disease I had heard of but didn't know exactly what it was.   Thanks for the photos of Da Nang @Quartzsite Cruiser.  It looks like an interesting place.   A good quote especially as spendy as chocolate is getting.   VE Day was cause for huge celebrations and continuing to this day, unfortunately many people are unaware of the war and what is accomplished in world order.  

 

Thanks for the cares and celebrations reports Vanessa,  I hope that your BFF is feeling better.   @luvteaching Thinking of you on your late husband's birthday memory.  @marshhawk Wow, what a scare.  I hope you got your Blood Sugar back down shortly thereafter.   Prayers for Maurice, Tana, Terry, Richard and Jacqui and everyone else in our group needing prayers.   Prayers for all in war zones through no fault of their own, Ukraine, the Israel hostages, the Russian hostages and the innocents in Gaza.   

 

@aliaschief What a lovely place you will be visiting on your safari.  I now know why HA doesn't have any crackers, they are all at your safari resort.  🙂

 

The tornadoes missed us by about 20 miles.  They hit very close to my Dermatologist's office and the Senior Center where we hold our annual Greens sale.    They looked very large and scary on the news but it was mainly a lot of downed trees and property damage.   The side of the Fedex warehouse was sheared off but only about 15 injured people.   I was much closer to the 1980 tornado that hit Kalamazoo when 5 people were killed, it knocked down trees and snapped telephone poles 100 yards away.   A lot of plant sale work today.  Have a good Wednesday, Nancy 

 

Susan, I'm glad the tornados missed you, and while I'm sorry there were injuries, I'm there were so few.

 

5 hours ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning,

We had another brief storm this morning. We must be out of the drought. I am making dinner for my friend today. I remember all the food I got when DH and DS died and I did not feel like eating. I will make it freezer ready so they can put it away if they want to save it for another time. I felt bad when I could not eat or freeze what people brought to me. 
 

Hi @Cruisercl!  I miss you and the GA dailyites. I too am only 5 points away from 4*. Funny how you and I were one of 73 on the GA that were not 4 or 5 *. 
 

I just got notification of my 50 year high school reunion in September. I better start getting into shape!  
 

Prayers for those in need and have a great day. 

 

Lorraine, that is nice you are making the food for your friend freezer ready.  I remember when my mother died, we received so much food, especially pies.  My BFFs mother stopped by a few days later, and headed to the kitchen to pick up her pie plate.  Fortunately, I caught her in time and said we hadn't finished the pie yet.  That was true, but also true was we hadn't gotten to it yet.  I took her pie plate to her a few days later.

 

4 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Good morning Daily-ites 

 

Thinking of everyone who is ill, suffering hardships, pain, and loss of loved ones. 

 

Our little Oliver suffered from cruelty the first 10 months of his life. Locked in a cage with 3 other 🐕, flea bitten and loss of hair. The hoarder was arrested in Dallas area. She had about 60 dogs caged, several dead in their cages, faked pedigree paperwork, I hope she's still in jail in her own cage.

Here's sweet Ollie on his adoption day:

 

 

Today I have Claudio coming to look at our magnolia tree. It started off looking great with lots of buds, then started dropping and lost the buds. Claudio thinks it has a disease from so much rain. It's my favorite tree and hope he can save it.

 

My girlfriend is dropping off 2 of her little charges for a few hours this morning while she leads a class. Moji and Bean.. 

 

Speaking of... I was given the name of a pet sitter for the first week we are gone. She sounds so friendly and dog loving. We are planning to get together in the next few weeks so I can see the arrangements. I'm bringing my above mentioned BFF who is a wonderful dog whisperer, who will take Oliver for the rest of our 53 cruise days.

 

I think of @kazu at the last minute finding Ivan a sitter. It's a relief knowing you leave your pet in good hands.

 

I'm not sure what will be on our dinner table tonight. I just made sautéed spinach with bacon so it won't be today's dish.

 

Wishing everyone an eventful day. Blessings!

 

Oliver is one lucky dog to have such a loving furever home, but how can anyone mistreat animals.  I hope Claudio can save the magnolia tree.  I received a magnolia tree for my 45th birthday, and by the time we moved, it had matured and was putting out a lot of beautiful blossoms.  When we drove by our old house five years later, the new owners had cut down that beautiful tree.  I just about broke my heart.  Those are my favorite trees too, but with so little top soil over the limestone, we can't grown them here.

 

3 hours ago, kochleffel said:

The AP is reporting that a crew member on the Norwegian Encore was arrested by the FBI at Juneau after attacking crew members and a passenger while the ship was en route from Seattle. The report says that the crew member was seen trying to deploy a lifeboat and taken to the medical center, where he attacked a guard and a nurse, then stabbed another patient and two crew members with scissors. It says that he was taken to a "shipboard jail" and kept there until the ship docked at Juneau.

 

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-cruise-scissors-stabbing-ce9014b648531bdc4832a5fe44d6d8b2

 

Paul, thanks for the link.  I hope all those injured are recovering, and the crew member gets the help he needs, and also the punishment he deserves.

 

3 hours ago, JazzyV said:

Good morning. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily. 

I've known folks with Thalassemia, but thankfully Thal Minor, which is less severe. Those with animals should have a disaster plan, and every day should be cruelty free. Very true quote. I'll pass on the meal (don't like raw spinach), drink and maybe on the wine. I haven't been to Da Nang. I'll salute V-E day.

 

It's sunny and 73F already. What a night! Severe storms woke me up around 2AM. Somehow I missed the tornado warning. There was one in the WV panhandle and one east of me, but neither that close. There were some trees down around here and power outages (not me). I slept pretty well, considering the storms. I had a little tingling in my leg, that I think is positional. The neurosurgeon said the pain would go away right after surgery, but the tingling could take up to a year. This was very minor and hasn't occurred with being out of bed. BFF is doing pretty good. Another friend is bringing him dinner tonight. Tomorrow we go to the Ortho doc to see what the plan is. Getting him in and out of my SUV will be fun, not.

 

@kazu Prayers the antibiotics are working and that you have less pain.

@luvteaching Thinking of you today on DD DH's birthday.

@MISTER 67 I'm glad you only have Thalassemia Minor, not Major.

@StLouisCruisers Good luck with your prep for your trip.

@aliaschief Enjoy dinner with the Captain and your upcoming off ship tour.

@marshhawk I'm glad you and DH are ok! It takes a while to settle yourself after one of those near misses caused by someone's poor driving. Good luck to DH with his appointments today.

@dfish Sorry to hear about all the rigamarole regarding getting your nerve ablation.

@Quartzsite Cruiser Thanks for the photos from Hue.

@Seasick Sailor Oliver is so lucky you became his parents!

@kochleffel Wow on that AP report. It sounds like some type of mental illness may be involved.

@rafinmd Thanks for today's maps.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating.

 

Vanessa, I can believe that about the tingling, since the numbness DH had before his back surgery is still a problem.  It is getting better, but very slowly.  It just takes nerve longer to recover than the rest of the body.

 

2 hours ago, luvteaching said:

Good morning, 

 

We have sunshine and that's all I see in the forecast for at least a week! Highs in the mid-high 70's by the weekend. 

Thanks for all the good thoughts on DD DH's heavenly birthday today. It's the first one so we'll see how I do. So far so good. He loved his hummingbirds so I'll wear my hummingbird socks and earrings in his honor today and have some salmon with the brown sugar glaze for dinner. His fave was meatloaf but not mine so we'll go with his second favorite. So far I'm doing fine and I hope it stays that way. It's also our great-granddaughter's first birthday so keeping that at the forefront of my thoughts. 

Off to the pool, a few errands, and I'm looking after the puppy dog, Bella, next door until Sunday. Plenty to keep me busy. 

 

Karen

 

Karen, I hope your DGD enjoys her first birthday, and that special day and the good memories of you DD DH continue to help you do well today.  HUGS!

 

1 hour ago, smitty34877 said:

@luvteachingKaren, I will be thinking of you today as you remember you DD DH on his birthday. It is so nice that your great granddaughter shares the birthday!

@grapau27, Graham, the beaches look especially beautiful today. Thank you for taking us there.

@marshhawk, Annie, thank goodness you are both ok but that was a close call. I am thinking of you both a lot as you navigate this difficult territory. Hugs to all. Enjoy those kittens!

 

I am bleary eyed from lack of sleep and am returning to bed . Not a good day but we will get through it.

Take care out there.

 

Terry, I'm so very sorry that today is not a good day, and I hope things improve.  I also hope you get some rest, too.  HUGS to all.

 

20 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Good morning and thanks all!
 

Well we’re recovering from a wonderful celebration. It’s been an intense four years, so proud, DS won one of the major awards for graduands.  He won the Chancellor’s award last year.  He has actually officiated his first wedding.  
 

 

 

Brenda, congratulations to your DH on his award and graduating.

 

12 minutes ago, bennybear said:

For the flower club 

 

 

 

Brenda, thanks for the pictures of the beautiful flowers.

 

17 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

A beautiful, sunny day here.  Just got back from a dental appointment.  I spent nine months at Danang in 1972 as the Vietnam war was winding down.  I was the Electronics Repair Officer on the USS Hector (AR-7), a repair ship that was docked there repairing U.S. Navy ships.  Thought you all might like a war story from that time.

My next door neighbor was a chief electronics technician on a Navy destroyer in the area, the USS Higbee.  I noticed in the morning message traffic that his ship had been bombed by North Vietnamese Migs and would be coming alongside for emergency repair.  I noticed that one of the twin 5" gun mounts was completely opened up by bomb damage, like a blooming tulip.  I met him when he came aboard our ship and mentioned that the message didn't say anything about casualties and I couldn't imaging how anyone could survive in that gun mount.  He said that it was actually a kind of miracle.  That gun had been firing at the Migs and had a hang fire.  Standard procedure is to evacuate the gun mount when that happens.  The bomb hit when when everyone was out.  It started a fire, but also cut a salt water main that put out the fire.  So no serious injuries.  Incidentally, if you google USS Higbee you can see pictures of the battle damage.

One thing we worried about at Danang was swimmers attaching an explosive to our ship at night.

So we would get under way at night and steam up and down the coast of Vietnam at five knots and come back in the morning.  I had qualified as Officer of the Deck for underway steaming, so I stood a lot of night watches driving the ship at that time.  I learned how to handle the ship by training on a tug boat.  Both our ship and tug boats have twin screws, so you learn what happens with something like "port engine ahead one third, starboard engine back two thirds, right standard rudder" when you are docking the ship without thrusters or other assistance.

Sorry for the sea stories, but Danang brings back a lot of memories.

Ray

 

Ray, thanks for sharing that story.  The crew of the USS Higbee was very lucky that day.  I did google the ship, and was surprised to learn she was the first US war ship named for a female officer, Chief Nurse Lenah S. Higbee, who was Superintendent of Nurses in WWI.  

 

Lenda

[marshhawk]

Back from todays adventure-DH is scheduled for another 4 hour procedure  next Tuesday to replace or clean out the stent in his leg.  They are going to call to verify. They were unable to finish the procedure last time because they needed the laser to work, and it didn't .  Hoping that they verify that it is working before the next surgery.

 

I almost forgot about work this morning, as I stopped to talk to the kittens after walking the neighbors dog.  They are SOOOO CUTE!  More pictures to come soon.

[kochleffel]

Here's an even stranger story from the AP: the MSC Meravigilia arrived in the Port of Brooklyn with a dead whale across the bow.

 

https://apnews.com/article/dead-whale-cruise-ship-new-york-2b4cf15e40ea234e2a1d8cc93f6fae06

[USN59-79]

Received a scam phone call this morning and thought I would mention it in case it happens to one of us here on the Daily.  The caller says "Hello Grandfather" and identifies themself as your granddaughter or grandson.  They say that something terrible has happened and they need a certain amount of money immediately to rescue their car, get out of jail, etc.  If you hadn't heard of the scam you might fall for it.

This guy says "Hello Grandfather, this is your grandson".  I asked him a couple of times what his name was and he would only reply "This is your oldest grandson".  Probably hoping I would say "Is this Billy" and of course he would say yes.  Unfortunately for the scammer, I don't have any grandsons, so I hung up on him.

Ray

[kochleffel]

4 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

Received a scam phone call this morning and thought I would mention it in case it happens to one of us here on the Daily. 

 

Another one I'm aware of, faking a member of clergy, says that the clergy person urgently needs electronic gift cards to help someone in dire need. These are usually in email, and almost every member of clergy I know reports that parishioners have received them.

 

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from a 2019 series of cruises.  On May 8 I was in Kiel, Germany after disembarking Nieuw Statendam in Amsterdam and before boarding Queen Victoria to start my journey home:

 

 

Roy

[Seasick Sailor]

Our magnolia tree is alive. Claudio noted the drip line was cut. It must have happened when we had the river rock placed around our trees last year.

 

Dinner tonight MSH wants bratwurst and potato salad. I'm having a cluster of king crab. Salads and rice pilaf. 

 

 

[57redbird]

15 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

Received a scam phone call this morning and thought I would mention it in case it happens to one of us here on the Daily.  The caller says "Hello Grandfather" and identifies themself as your granddaughter or grandson.  They say that something terrible has happened and they need a certain amount of money immediately to rescue their car, get out of jail, etc.  If you hadn't heard of the scam you might fall for it.

This guy says "Hello Grandfather, this is your grandson".  I asked him a couple of times what his name was and he would only reply "This is your oldest grandson".  Probably hoping I would say "Is this Billy" and of course he would say yes.  Unfortunately for the scammer, I don't have any grandsons, so I hung up on him.

Ray

I got one of those calls a couple of months ago....didn't sound like my grandson so I asked him what his dog's name was.....no answer so I hung up.

[dfish]

Good afternoon!

 

I got the deck power washed and about one third of the paver patio.  I don't think either had ever been done.  We worked on the other deck last year and kept meaning to get to these two, but didn't.  I stopped to meet the siblings in the park for coffee.  We decided there that we'd meet for dinner as well.   So the rest of the patio has to wait.  

 

@ger_77  I'm glad you liked the everything bagel chicken.  It is on my list to try.  

 

@Cruising-along I was probably a lot like Amber at that age, but was lucky I didn't have the horrific consequences of not seeing a doctor.  

 

@marshhawk I think I would be tempted to call them to make sure the laser is working before I went in.  

 

@bennybear Congratulations to your DS.  

[USN59-79]

32 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

I got one of those calls a couple of months ago....didn't sound like my grandson so I asked him what his dog's name was.....no answer so I hung up.

Might have been the same guy.  He was calling from Skykomish, here in Washington State.

Ray

[StLouisCruisers]

So busy today!  We have a lot done but still have more work tomorrow to prepare to leave extra early Friday morning.  The mail has been taken care of and several trusted neighbors know about our departure and will keep an eye on things.  They've been asked not to discuss it with any other residents and agree to that. Plus we have a monitored security system, live in a gated community and have no incidents of break ins or squatting.  We should be fine.

 

 

Graham @grapau27 thanks for the beautiful photos today!  A nice day at the beach.

 

 

3 hours ago, smitty34877 said:

@luvteachingKaren, I will be thinking of you today as you remember you DD DH on his birthday. It is so nice that your great granddaughter shares the birthday!

@grapau27, Graham, the beaches look especially beautiful today. Thank you for taking us there.

@marshhawk, Annie, thank goodness you are both ok but that was a close call. I am thinking of you both a lot as you navigate this difficult territory. Hugs to all. Enjoy those kittens!

 

I am bleary eyed from lack of sleep and am returning to bed . Not a good day but we will get through it.

Take care out there.

 

Terry, I'm very sorry to hear this has not been the best of days for you all.  I hope you get some more rest and Tana is comfortable.  

 

 

 

2 hours ago, bennybear said:

Good morning and thanks all!
 

Well we’re recovering from a wonderful celebration. It’s been an intense four years, so proud, DS won one of the major awards for graduands.  He won the Chancellor’s award last year.  He has actually officiated his first wedding.  
 

 

 

Congratulations to your DS!!

 

 

 

1 hour ago, marshhawk said:

Back from todays adventure-DH is scheduled for another 4 hour procedure  next Tuesday to replace or clean out the stent in his leg.  They are going to call to verify. They were unable to finish the procedure last time because they needed the laser to work, and it didn't .  Hoping that they verify that it is working before the next surgery.

 

I almost forgot about work this morning, as I stopped to talk to the kittens after walking the neighbors dog.  They are SOOOO CUTE!  More pictures to come soon.

 

Annie, I hope things go well for Chuck next Tuesday.  I agree with Debbie that I think I'd call and verify the laser is working before wasting any more time.  Sorry to hear about yesterday's frightful drive home!  Driving some days scares the living daylights out of me!

 

[grapau27]

12 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

So busy today!  We have a lot done but still have more work tomorrow to prepare to leave extra early Friday morning.  The mail has been taken care of and several trusted neighbors know about our departure and will keep an eye on things.  They've been asked not to discuss it with any other residents and agree to that. Plus we have a monitored security system, live in a gated community and have no incidents of break ins or squatting.  We should be fine.

 

 

Graham @grapau27 thanks for the beautiful photos today!  A nice day at the beach.

 

 

 

Terry, I'm very sorry to hear this has not been the best of days for you all.  I hope you get some more rest and Tana is comfortable.  

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to your DS!!

 

 

 

 

Annie, I hope things go well for Chuck next Tuesday.  I agree with Debbie that I think I'd call and verify the laser is working before wasting any more time.  Sorry to hear about yesterday's frightful drive home!  Driving some days scares the living daylights out of me!

 

Thank you Sandi.

I hope you and Dennis have  absolutely fantastic cruises on Zuiderdam starting on Saturday.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

We're back from our Mexican lunch, and it was as good as ever.  We've never had a bad meal at that restaurant. It is still hot and humid.  I just checked the weather app, and it says its 90F and feels like 102F.  The humidity is 66% with a dew point of 76F. We moved north 25 years ago to escape the oppressive humidity along the Gulf Coast.  Sadly in the past ten years it has followed us, but this is about as bad as it gets.  I'm just glad we had the a/c tune-up done last week, and it's keeping the house comfortable.

 

1 hour ago, marshhawk said:

Back from todays adventure-DH is scheduled for another 4 hour procedure  next Tuesday to replace or clean out the stent in his leg.  They are going to call to verify. They were unable to finish the procedure last time because they needed the laser to work, and it didn't .  Hoping that they verify that it is working before the next surgery.

 

I almost forgot about work this morning, as I stopped to talk to the kittens after walking the neighbors dog.  They are SOOOO CUTE!  More pictures to come soon.

 

Annie, I hope DH's procedure next Tuesday goes smoothly this time.  I would also check that the laser is working.

 

1 hour ago, USN59-79 said:

Received a scam phone call this morning and thought I would mention it in case it happens to one of us here on the Daily.  The caller says "Hello Grandfather" and identifies themself as your granddaughter or grandson.  They say that something terrible has happened and they need a certain amount of money immediately to rescue their car, get out of jail, etc.  If you hadn't heard of the scam you might fall for it.

This guy says "Hello Grandfather, this is your grandson".  I asked him a couple of times what his name was and he would only reply "This is your oldest grandson".  Probably hoping I would say "Is this Billy" and of course he would say yes.  Unfortunately for the scammer, I don't have any grandsons, so I hung up on him.

Ray

 

Ray, thanks for the reminder about the grandparent scam.  We've been hearing about it for many years.  It wouldn't work with us since we don't have any grandchildren, but it might be fun to "play" with the scammers some.

 

59 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

I got one of those calls a couple of months ago....didn't sound like my grandson so I asked him what his dog's name was.....no answer so I hung up.

 

Asking the dog's name was a good idea.  That would be about impossible for a scammer to know.

 

Lenda

[57redbird]

40 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

Might have been the same guy.  He was calling from Skykomish, here in Washington State.

Ray

I've got 1 grandson here in WA & the other one lives in Tennessee....+ neither one call DH 'grandfather' -- it's grampa.

[StLouisCruisers]

29 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Thank you Sandi.

I hope you and Dennis have  absolutely fantastic cruises on Zuiderdam starting on Saturday.

 

Thanks so much Graham!  It looks mighty big compared to most of the HAL ships we've been on.  Westerdam and Rotterdam VI were the largest for us so far.  I should get a lot of stair workouts on this ship!

[RMLincoln]

Recovering after today’s procedure but it all went smoothly. Results in 2weeks but if they are good, wait 7 yrs to re-do. That’s different!  None of the other concerns noted!  
 

I’ve been snoozing this afternoon. Had a snack but it’ll be nice to have dinner. I’m glad I was able to connect with my weekly call to the new junior member girls in my NM fire dept. They always have questions and are learning like sponges. They made it through the first Red Flag and Critical Fire Weather days of the season. Anybody with excess rain is welcome to send it to NM!  
 

Heart hugs to Karen on her DDDH’s and DGGD’s birthdays!

 

Terry, you are soldiering on!  Sending you and Tana and the team extra luvin’!  
 

Sandi, Ann, Vanessa, Nancy, Jacqui, all - thanks for your support during our bewildering days. We’re keeping up the regime, didn’t miss anything even through days needs. Pressures are still higher than desired  but we’ll keep going and learn Monday what the new course is.
 

Sandi, I call your stage the YIKES stage trying to pull it all together. You will, and if there’s something else needed, you’ll find it in Florida. Happy for you!  
 

Vanessa, happy for the improvements.  Be extra careful with trip with BFF, take extra time to think ahead to stay safe. 
 

Susan, you are a godsend helping clean out the condos. I’m sure you have plenty of other chores, and they will all be there…. 
 

Annie, I don’t know how you manage all the balls in the air!  You have angels working overtime!  Hopefully they can fire up that laser for Chuck. 

 

Thanks for the story about the Huggins Ray, and added “icing” facts Lenda. “Eye to the Sky” Lenda, looks ugly your way on the maps. 
 

Roy, thank you for the news about recovering the last victim of the bridge collapse. 
 

Graham, I’m going to look up that ferry!  Could be an interesting link!  

 

I know I’m forgetting comments that I formulate as I read but it’s time to get moving. Every good wish from you all helps!  
Maureen 

 

 

 

[summer slope]

Had a neighbor in Ohio, who got one of those scam phone calls about her grandson. The guy said if she didn’t send him ex amount of dollars then they would harm the grandson. She said go ahead and do whatever you want to. I don’t like that one anyway. Of course they hung up.

[rafinmd]

10 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Thanks so much Graham!  It looks mighty big compared to most of the HAL ships we've been on.  Westerdam and Rotterdam VI were the largest for us so far.  I should get a lot of stair workouts on this ship!

I'm pretty sure Westerdam is almost an exact twin to Zuiderdam.  Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam have the same footprint but an extra deck or two.

 

Roy

[grapau27]

8 minutes ago, RMLincoln said:

Recovering after today’s procedure but it all went smoothly. Results in 2weeks but if they are good, wait 7 yrs to re-do. That’s different!  None of the other concerns noted!  
 

I’ve been snoozing this afternoon. Had a snack but it’ll be nice to have dinner. I’m glad I was able to connect with my weekly call to the new junior member girls in my NM fire dept. They always have questions and are learning like sponges. They made it through the first Red Flag and Critical Fire Weather days of the season. Anybody with excess rain is welcome to send it to NM!  
 

Heart hugs to Karen on her DDDH’s and DGGD’s birthdays!

 

Terry, you are soldiering on!  Sending you and Tana and the team extra luvin’!  
 

Sandi, Ann, Vanessa, Nancy, Jacqui, all - thanks for your support during our bewildering days. We’re keeping up the regime, didn’t miss anything even through days needs. Pressures are still higher than desired  but we’ll keep going and learn Monday what the new course is.
 

Sandi, I call your stage the YIKES stage trying to pull it all together. You will, and if there’s something else needed, you’ll find it in Florida. Happy for you!  
 

Vanessa, happy for the improvements.  Be extra careful with trip with BFF, take extra time to think ahead to stay safe. 
 

Susan, you are a godsend helping clean out the condos. I’m sure you have plenty of other chores, and they will all be there…. 
 

Annie, I don’t know how you manage all the balls in the air!  You have angels working overtime!  Hopefully they can fire up that laser for Chuck. 

 

Thanks for the story about the Huggins Ray, and added “icing” facts Lenda. “Eye to the Sky” Lenda, looks ugly your way on the maps. 
 

Roy, thank you for the news about recovering the last victim of the bridge collapse. 
 

Graham, I’m going to look up that ferry!  Could be an interesting link!  

 

I know I’m forgetting comments that I formulate as I read but it’s time to get moving. Every good wish from you all helps!  
Maureen 

 

 

 

There are 2 cruise ferries operating the overnight sailing from Newcastle to Amsterdam.(Ijmuiden)

1 leave's Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) and another leaves Newcastle at the same time.

It is a 15 hour sailing.

They run every day.

There are shuttles from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam taking about 30 minutes.

From Newcastle I believe the shuttle takes people to the city centre although there is a retail outlet called 

Royal Quays about 1000 metres from Tyne dock North Shields (Newcastle) cruise terminal.

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

23 minutes ago, RMLincoln said:

Recovering after today’s procedure but it all went smoothly. Results in 2weeks but if they are good, wait 7 yrs to re-do. That’s different!  None of the other concerns noted!  
 

I’ve been snoozing this afternoon. Had a snack but it’ll be nice to have dinner. I’m glad I was able to connect with my weekly call to the new junior member girls in my NM fire dept. They always have questions and are learning like sponges. They made it through the first Red Flag and Critical Fire Weather days of the season. Anybody with excess rain is welcome to send it to NM!  
 

Heart hugs to Karen on her DDDH’s and DGGD’s birthdays!

 

Terry, you are soldiering on!  Sending you and Tana and the team extra luvin’!  
 

Sandi, Ann, Vanessa, Nancy, Jacqui, all - thanks for your support during our bewildering days. We’re keeping up the regime, didn’t miss anything even through days needs. Pressures are still higher than desired  but we’ll keep going and learn Monday what the new course is.
 

Sandi, I call your stage the YIKES stage trying to pull it all together. You will, and if there’s something else needed, you’ll find it in Florida. Happy for you!  
 

Vanessa, happy for the improvements.  Be extra careful with trip with BFF, take extra time to think ahead to stay safe. 
 

Susan, you are a godsend helping clean out the condos. I’m sure you have plenty of other chores, and they will all be there…. 
 

Annie, I don’t know how you manage all the balls in the air!  You have angels working overtime!  Hopefully they can fire up that laser for Chuck. 

 

Thanks for the story about the Huggins Ray, and added “icing” facts Lenda. “Eye to the Sky” Lenda, looks ugly your way on the maps. 
 

Roy, thank you for the news about recovering the last victim of the bridge collapse. 
 

Graham, I’m going to look up that ferry!  Could be an interesting link!  

 

I know I’m forgetting comments that I formulate as I read but it’s time to get moving. Every good wish from you all helps!  
Maureen 

 

 

 

 

Maureen, we are under a tornado watch, but I think it covers a large area of north east Texas.  I just checked the future cast on the weather app, and everything that is showing  up for the next several hours is either south or east of us.  I'm glad the procedure went well.

 

25 minutes ago, summer slope said:

Had a neighbor in Ohio, who got one of those scam phone calls about her grandson. The guy said if she didn’t send him ex amount of dollars then they would harm the grandson. She said go ahead and do whatever you want to. I don’t like that one anyway. Of course they hung up.

 

I love the answer.

 

25 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I'm pretty sure Westerdam is almost an exact twin to Zuiderdam.  Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam have the same footprint but an extra deck or two.

 

Roy

 

Yes, Roy, Westerdam and Zuiderdam are both Vista class ships.

 

Lenda

[StLouisCruisers]

20 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I'm pretty sure Westerdam is almost an exact twin to Zuiderdam.  Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam have the same footprint but an extra deck or two.

 

Roy

 

Yes, it is!  82,000 tons.  I can't remember much about it.

[Heartgrove]

Thank to all who organize the Daily and Fleet report. Today we have been in Montego Bay, Jamaica with an overnite sailing to Georgetown tonight. 
 

The cruise has been without any incident and one of our best. Yesterday at sea we had the Senior staff make an appearance to have a toast. Huge kudos to MSC Seashore for also holding a Veteran’s Celebration yesterday that recognized the five Armed Forces. I was the only Coastie. I always said that the Coast Guard were very selective! Also was a few veterans from other country’s veterans.

 

An indication of the size of the ship is that I am averaging 10,000 steps per day, and as I write this I am at 14,400 steps for today!

 

@USN59-79  Ray, I wonder if you would have come across my ship and it’s sisters that were handed over to the Vietnamese Navy? We decommissioned in May 1972 in Apra Harbor, Guam along with two others. Knowing the condition of these WWII ships it is possible. 
 

Stay safe, and prayers for all in need.

 

- Jack

[luvteaching]

Good evening, 

Thanks for all the good wishes today. They worked! Not much in the way of tears and I even got a new picture of the great-granddaughters texted to me! I've toasted DD DH with a glass of wine (Riesling) and will have a special dessert for him in a bit. 

 

I appreciate all the good thoughts and thank you!
 

Karen

[USN59-79]

5 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

Thank to all who organize the Daily and Fleet report. Today we have been in Montego Bay, Jamaica with an overnite sailing to Georgetown tonight. 
 

The cruise has been without any incident and one of our best. Yesterday at sea we had the Senior staff make an appearance to have a toast. Huge kudos to MSC Seashore for also holding a Veteran’s Celebration yesterday that recognized the five Armed Forces. I was the only Coastie. I always said that the Coast Guard were very selective! Also was a few veterans from other country’s veterans.

 

An indication of the size of the ship is that I am averaging 10,000 steps per day, and as I write this I am at 14,400 steps for today!

 

@USN59-79  Ray, I wonder if you would have come across my ship and it’s sisters that were handed over to the Vietnamese Navy? We decommissioned in May 1972 in Apra Harbor, Guam along with two others. Knowing the condition of these WWII ships it is possible. 
 

Stay safe, and prayers for all in need.

 

- Jack

Jack - In June and July 1972 the Vietnamese Navy received three Coast Guard Cutters; the Absecon, Chincoteague, and McCulloch.  The Absecon was captured by North Vietnam; the Chincoteague and McCulloch escaped to the Philippines and may still be there.

Ray