StLouisCruisers

That's so nice of you to send birthday wishes, and actually double! Niece is a nurse at a university medical center in Missouri. I sent a text to DGS and it's still early out on the West coast. Hoping he has a great 19th birthday. 🎂

Excellent shot of the Volendam in Miraflores lock!

Beautiful photos Annie!

Just checking in briefly. Going to watch/listen to Sweet Magnolias on Netflix while I stitch this morning. Thank you Tina @0106 and Graham @grapau27 for the poems this morning. I too teared up while reading Pauline's favorite. Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Canal photos. I hope we see more today. My sympathy to @Mr. Boston and @Gsel as you remember your brother and DH on the anniversary of their deaths. I hope their memories are sweet ones and bring you peace. Terry @smitty34877 I haven't checked in with my twin this morning yet since she's an hour behind us and may not have slept well last night. Giving her some space. She should know what to expect since she had this surgery done on the other shoulder in the past. I wouldn't want to be going through it, that's for sure. Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser thank you for your birthday wishes. Much appreciated. Also thanks for the Whitehorse photos. I wondered what that airplane was doing on the link for the July 12 Daily. A mystery to me. Also thanks for your support of Ren and his team. Elizabeth @Haljo1935 thanks for cheering Ren on and well wishes for Linda. I'm sorry to hear about the headache and nausea. Ugh!

Good morning friends! This morning it's 56F with morning clouds but will be sunny this afternoon and a high of 83. It's heating up! Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting our Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn. Good luck Jacqui as you do your last minute preparations for your cruise. I'm ready to assume duties Thursday. Today are some interesting days to recognize - Emancipation Day being the most important, I think we can all agree. I had never heard of Foursquare Day before, but know that bean counters must be breathing a short sigh of relief. The quote is okay with me, might try the meal suggestion if someone were to offer it to me, doubt I'd try the cocktail or wine. 😁 Numbers on uniforms sure make it easier to identify sports players. Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for your reporting. The numbers on uniforms reminds me that DS sent us a short video showing Ren making the game winning goal in the last 45 seconds of their Saturday game in Kansas City. They won 3 to 2. He played the entire 90 minutes because his team had injuries and one player had a red card and was out. As usual you can see Ren streaking up the middle to the net and kicking it straight in. There is never a player on the field faster than Ren! Since Kansas City is closer to Frisco, TX (less than 500 miles) they had to take a bus there and back and spent way too many hours on that bus in my opinion. This weekend they bus to Austin and Houston for two games. That is my sports report for today.⚽ Prayers said this morning for DB, twin Linda recovering from surgery, great nephew Alex's twins, and my friends in need of them. Also Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held and our military members in the region. Many special prayers for the Dailyites on the Care list and anyone else who would benefit from them. I hope Tana and Vanessa @JazzyV had a restful night and will have less pain and fatigue today. Thinking of all who have lost a beloved friend or family member lately. 🙏 Cheers for all celebrating happy events today and our many cruisers! Have a great time! It's one of those birthdates in my family with two members celebrating, a niece and my DGS in his freshman year at UCLA. Once again a great job on the Care and Celebration lists Vanessa @JazzyV! Hope today is a good one for you. The port of the day is Whitehorse, Yukon. This was the port before on June 20, 2021 and July 12, 2022. I haven't been to Whitehorse but hope someone has been and will share their photos again. Here are the links. Congrats to Grandma Annie @marshhawk and Grandpa Chuck @catmando! Hope you enjoy a wonderful day today. Stay safe and keep well!

Twin Linda says her arm feels like it weighs a ton since the surgery due to the block they used for anesthesia. It will probably feel that way for up to 12 hours. She tells me she's in a study and has to chart the medicine and level of pain for 3 days. Linda also told me they gave her a medication in her IV that would thicken her blood so she would have less bruising and hopefully less pain. She has extra thin blood so she bruises easily. She plans on staying ahead of the pain by taking some pain meds before the block wears off. Thank you Pennie @Nickelpenny, Debbie @dfish, Brenda @bennybear, Carolyn @Cruising-along, Graham @grapau27, Vanessa @JazzyV, and Debbie @tupper10 for your kind wishes for her. Pennie @Nickelpenny, interesting about the 4 pins in your surgery and so good to know how well it worked out for you. I'll be sure to discuss the sling remedies and ice importance with her. But can you believe it, her surgeon hopes this helps for a good while but she said Linda will eventually need a shoulder replacement surgery. I'm so glad I've made it this far without so many surgical issues. Has anyone here had a shoulder replacement done? Karen @quilty964 thanks for the compliment on DD's Cinco de Mayo tree! Good news about the settlement Dixie. I hope the chiropractor makes a difference for you and the insurance company is generous with their pain and suffering offer! My sympathy on the loss of your dear friend. You obviously held her in high regard. Paul @kochleffel you have had your problems lately! Hope the sprained ankle heals fast for you.

Terri @Cruzin Terri and Nancy @ottahand7 thank you both for your wishes for Linda's surgery. I heard about 20 minutes ago she was out of surgery and in recovery already. Her DH messaged that the doctor said there was a lot of arthritis involved and he had to anchor her bicep. I've never heard of that before. My DSIL told DD when he had rotator cuff surgery the recovery was very painful. Linda is a Mom of 4 and had many surgeries over her lifetime so maybe she can tolerate pain better. I hope so. Terri @Cruzin Terri I hope the meeting today with the Certified Dementia Practitioner goes well for you. Seems like a very good idea to me. Roy @rafinmd I hope the results from your heart monitor are positive and encouraging. I hate to hear this type of news about the NY police officers. Our first responders are so important!

Debbie, Thanks so very much for your kind thoughts regarding Linda. Yes, I'll be enjoying this upcoming mega-cruise. It will be nice to meet you and your DH (Stefan, right?). We could meet up before dinner at the Ocean Bar to have a cocktail or glass of wine. I have no idea when any of the various segments have a M&G but will have to make some notes ahead of time. DH doesn't go to M&G's anymore. So, see you on the Zuiderdam!

Thank you Joy for your good wishes for Linda. Thanks also to Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser for her good wishes. I'm sorry to hear Ron's wife is down with a aching back. You're right, she needs to be healthy. And I'm very happy for your good health, too, so you can take care of that sweet husband of yours!

I hope they can figure out why you're not feeling better yet and are so fatigued. Good luck! Also, I read that Steve and Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser are headed out to a medical appointment for Steve today. Safe travels and hopefully good news for Steve.

Debbie @dfish who knew you could make a salad out of beet greens and it not even include the beets in the salad? See, I pay attention to your recipes! Good luck today to Chuck @catmando as he goes in for his PET scan today. 🙏 Same good wishes for Elizabeth @Haljo1935 as she has her eye procedure done. 🙏

We saw Manzanillo on our first South American cruise. On March 15, 2012 the Star Princess was preparing to dock in Manzanillo, Mexico. As you can see from this photo the town was built on and around several large hills which would later cause lots of confusion trying to walk around seeing the sights. Star Princess was our first cruise ship ever, in 2002 we took a cruise in Alaska on her. Those were the good ol' days! Manzanillo is know for this sailfish statue. We noticed pick up trucks like this driving around town with officers in the bed of the truck holding weapons. Made you wonder how much crime there was there. 😬 We found some interesting places like this open air shop where a lady was making tortillas. And the market where they sold fish, fruits and vegetables. But we continued to find with those big hills all over town, that you would find yourself going down dead end streets so would have to backtrack to find your way out. We also noticed fewer cruise ship passengers and other tourists around so we decided it would be safer to get back to the more populated areas. Especially after seeing the large police presence. Back to the waterfront. Look at this amazing shrub shaped like a boat. Happy memories of cruises past.

Good morning friends! This Monday morning the temp is 56F. We should reach 84 and have mostly sunny skies all day. It feels like summer instead of spring! 🌞 Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn. An appropriate day for Graham @grapau27 to pick up his breakfast and coffee at McDonald's. ASL Day is a great way to recognize sign language and One Boston Day is important to remember those who lost their lives on Boston Marathon Day 2013. The quote is another crazy Richard Lewis quote. I'm not a huge fan of beets but Mom still served them. I will again pass on the cocktail and wine. It's hard to think about the sinking of the Titanic, but baseball great Jackie Robinson is a different story. What a guy! Thanks to our reporters Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their hard work. Prayers this morning for my twin Linda who is at the hospital right now preparing to have surgery on her torn rotator cuff. She hopes to be out of recovery and home by noon her time. Also for DB with his IPF, and great nephew Alex's unborn twins. Major prayers for the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still being held, and our men and women in uniform in the Middle East. And of course we wouldn't forget our prayers for those here on the Care list. 🙏 So many have lost loved ones and friends recently and we send our support for you. Hoping for better times for Tana and Vanessa @JazzyV, and less pain for anyone suffering from it. Congrats to everyone celebrating special events today and those lucky cruisers! Enjoy yourselves! 🥂 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for continuing to serve the Daily with the list keeping chores. Prayers for you each day and hoping for good things ahead of you. ❤️ Today's port is Manzanillo, Mexico. This was port of the day twice before on Nov. 8, 2021 and June 17, 2022. We were there one time and have some photos to share. Here's the links for you if you need them for posting your own photos. Hoping you all have a great day, and remember to stay safe and keep well.🙂

If everyone will bear with me reposting the February tree, it's easier to repost than go find the date. I really liked the romantic shades of pink and mauve. I love the little beaded hearts! Clearly not your usual red Valentine colors. Well, I'm sorry you didn't get a lot accomplished on your project but that just means you were having a very good time doing other things. I'm taking mine with me on the upcoming transatlantic, and I usually join the knitting ladies to create our projects together. I hope to get something done while away! I understand about the light/magnifier. Even at home during the day with north windows behind me I turn on the lamp right next to me. I hate to use that electricity but it's necessary to see well enough.

Carolyn thank you! So glad you like it. Did you see he romantic Valentine's Day tree? It's a lot different than usual. You were cruising so I'm not sure what you saw. Terry, that makes me happy hearing you smiled at the tree sombrero(s). I'm glad I could help get you out of that funk. Edited to show the margaritas in a different photo. I see it had maracas too!

Thank you Graham. She certainly has a gift. My pleasure, Melanie! I know your expedition cruise to Antarctica will be amazing and something you'll never forget. Congrats! Best wishes and prayers for little Murphy, that she continues to recover and get stronger. I'm sorry to hear about your nasty neighbor and how unsafe and uncomfortable he makes you feel. It would be a dream come true for HIM to sell his house and move, but if you decide to sell and move I hope it all works out perfectly for you both. Congrats on your professor's amazing comments on your presentation. You must feel pretty satisfied with that assessment! Thank you Nancy for your nice comments on DD's tree. I know she appreciates it when I tell her what everyone says. Thank you too Elizabeth. So nice of you to say about the tree. So, if your lake isn't too big in the back yard maybe the lawn guy could mow around it and at least make the rest of the yard look presentable. You may have to put a French drain in that low spot. We had one in one of our St. Louis backyards. When we sold the house the new owners dug up the whole lawn and put a pool in. 🏊‍♀️ Your advice about New Hampshire is not a bad one actually. I would consider NH over Vermont if I was moving to the Northeast.

Since I have no photos of the port today let's enjoy the latest celebration tree in DD's foyer. She's ready for Cinco de Mayo and a margarita! I just remembered that May 5th we will all be in Tampa going to DGD Morgan's graduation. Definitely will be celebrating that day!

Good morning friends! It's about 48 and clear right now. Today will be mostly sunny and 82F. Thanks Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the excellent fleet location maps. Today we can enjoy Moments of Laughter and dolphins, but I know very few folks who enjoy an ex-spouse. None here for me thank goodness! Today I would like the bean and barley soup, but don't care for drinks like gin martinis, and doubt I'd like the wine (Syrah). What a terrible day in 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed. A big day for dictionaries in 1828. Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today. Prayers abound this morning for peace in the world, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still missing, and our military members on bases and at sea in the region. Special prayers for DB, great nephew Alex's twins, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy. Fervently praying for our friends here on the Daily, especially Tana and Vanessa @JazzyV, all who have lost loved ones and friends recently. Hoping for improvement in pain relief, healing and that upcoming surgeries are successful. Prayers also for the crew member who was lost at sea on the Rotterdam, and the ill crew member who was moved to Florida for treatment. 🙏🙏 Cheers for all celebrating special events and enjoying their cruises. 🥂🎉🎂🚢 Thanks to Vanessa @JazzyV for posting our C&C lists each day. Prayers for your situation everyday! The port today is Hiroshima, Japan. It was the port once before on Jan. 16, 2023. I have not been to Hiroshima before and have no photos today. Here is the link for your convenience in retrieving your own photos. Hoping for better news for our world, and please everyone stay safe and keep well.🌎

Heartbreaking news. Sympathy to the family, friends and crew on the Rotterdam.

Bon Voyage to all on these wonderful voyages!

I spent some time in the Nap Room this afternoon getting a few zzz's in. Sleep maintenance. I did a couple loads of laundry today and did a lot of cross stitching so a productive day all in all. That's a beauty! I like the wheels too. I hope the driveway is fully repaired now. Good luck to Chuck on Monday with his PET scan. Bruno, I know this time is a very busy one with all the planning involved. You will get through it and everything will be just the way DD would have wanted it. Remember to take some time for yourself. Hugs sent your way.🤗 Glad Aruba brings back such great memories! DH is getting to be the same way with long distance flights. No blood pressure medications for me. Usually it's at a safe level though when I go to the doctor's office it does rise 20 points! DH used to take Lisinopril but he never had the cough problem. That story is really sad in Honolulu. I feel terrible for the victims especially the family of the lady who died. 🙏 Nice one Brenda! My twin bought a '65 Mustang for her first car. It definitely wasn't a convertible though. Amazing when we look at the photos of ourselves as young adults. Sometimes it's hard to recognize ourselves! I think a lot of us would have loved to keep the first muscle car we owned. I had to sell mine to my Dad when I got married because as young newlyweds paying college tuition we could only afford one car payment. DH had a 1968 Firebird 350 HO. He would love to still have it but we sold it when our DD was less than a year old. It was the adult thing to do. Thanks for taking the time from your cruise to update things, Rich. I hope you both enjoy your cruise together and forget about "work"! It's almost impossible to keep the ship locations 100% accurate. Amen!! Absolutely!

Bruno, my thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Welcome to the Daily @ORTravelGal!🙂 Bon Voyage Maxine @AncientWanderer!🚢🎉

We have been to Aruba four times. Our trips to Oranjestad, Aruba were in 2006 (Crown Princess, 2016 (Westerdam), 2019 (Rotterdam) and 2022 (Volendam). Imagine my surprise on a previous date for port of the day, when I read @VMax1700 was in Aruba on March 18, 2016 on Oosterdam! We were there the same day on Westerdam. Here is a photo of the two ships together. The one on the left is Oosterdam Wish we'd known you then @VMax1700 as our Daily friend! Anyway, we enjoyed watching the parade go by. Actually we were there when they were setting up. The classic car parade was a favorite. We saw two of those light blue Thunderbirds that day and were amazed this small island had duplicate Thunderbirds. Liked the motorcycles too. I took a photo of this car because my first car was a silver 1968 Camaro, though it was a Rally Sport and not an SS. I bought it off the showroom floor about a week after getting my driver's license at age 18. I was working at Proctor and Gamble and needed a car to get to work in downtown St. Louis. Getting ready for some marching and playing. We saw this pelican, and I noticed a big iguana in the upper left of the photo on a rock, trying to blend in. Onward in our exploration. This is City Hall. It formerly was owned by Dr. Eloy Arends, but was sold to the government of Aruba in 1986 because his heir (son Jesus Arends) could no longer afford the maintenance. It was restored in 1997 and converted into City Hall. Pretty striking building IMO. We were first in Oranjestad in 2006 when we took our DD along on a Crown Princess cruise. That trip she did a little souvenir shopping for her kiddos. If you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere!

Good morning friends! Mornings seem to come fast, don't they? This morning is a chilly 44F but we will have a nice sunny 76F high later on. Today is officially Garage Sale day in our extremely large neighborhood. There are lists of homes participating but I saw only one in our "pod". That couple just moved in a few months ago. I have no intention of having a garage sale or even shopping at one today. We have enough stuff as it is.😉 I'd rather take a nap! Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. Interesting that making lunch count is a "day to recognize". Scrabble is a fun game but I haven't played it in ages. I looked up Borinqueneers and see it refers to soldiers from Puerto Rico. Kudos to them for their contributions. (Thanks to Graham @grapau27 who added his information on it while I typed). I admire the author of the quote for that achievement. I think I'll just pass on the meal, cocktail and wine again today. Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepardfor your reports today. Prayers for DB, great nephew's twin sons, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and our troops at sea and on bases in the region. Many prayers for our Daily friends in need of them. Those of you in pain, recovering from surgeries and procedures, suffering loss of loved ones, or with worries and stress. Extra prayers for Vanessa @JazzyV and Tana. Bruno @atexsix my condolences on the loss of your DD. I've been thinking of him lately. Terri @Cruzin Terri I'm sorry to hear you found the obituary of your friend who passed away several weeks ago. My sympathy on her loss too. Sending good thoughts to you Maureen @RMLincoln as you go through final days with your DSIL. Melanie @puppycanducruise that is shocking and sad news about your friend dying of breast cancer at age 46. I know she will be missed by many. So much bad news lately! Prayers for you all. 🙏 Cheers to our cruisers and all celebrating special events. 🎉🎂🚢 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for your fine work keeping the lists up to date. We appreciate all you do even through your pain and exhaustion. 🙏 Port of the day is Oranjestad, Aruba, Dutch Antilles. This has been POTD before on April 6, 2021 and Dec. 4, 2023. Here are your links today. Hoping you all have an enjoyable day! Please stay safe and keep well.