dfish

The beach is right next to the dock, so you can walk to it. It looked quite nice to me.

I am so sorry to hear about Baby Murphy's difficulties. I will hold her and her parents close to my heart.

Good morning, everyone! We have a chilly start to the day in mid-Michigan with temperatures in the 40s. It will get up to the mid 70s by afternoon. Next weekend is supposed to be rather toasty and may see a return to the AC. We will have Miss River next weekend so we may also go to the spray park. Today is dedicated to weeding. I want to get those front beds done. We did get some asters and mums yesterday and planted them. Sometimes they'll survive the winter. We got a couple that are a real cool blueish purple. I'm glad @DeeniEncinitas checked in and that all is well. Healing thoughts to @Live4cruises DH as well as @catmando Chuck and @smitty34877's DH Lou. Safe travels to @Cruzin Terri. Warm thoughts to all other Dailyites with struggles, be them health or otherwise. Today's meal is one I'd eat often if I could. It is quick and easy to prepare. You can bake, broil, or grill the lobster. This first one is broiled. https://gimmedelicious.com/broiled-lobster-tails/ That looks so good. This next one is baked. If you want to bake your tails, but don't want the sauce with a little heat, use your own butter sauce. Use the sauce from the first recipe. https://thishealthytable.com/blog/garlic-butter-lobster-tails/ Next up we have one for the grill enthusiasts. This one also has a rather spicy sauce, so feel free to substitute if you wish. Do follow the grilling instructions otherwise. The biggest mistake people make on the grill is not controlling the fire. https://overthefirecooking.com/smoked-lobster-tails-with-spicy-garlic-butter/ That's all for today, folks! Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Good morning, everyone! It is a bit nippy out here in mid-Michigan. I had to go find my sweater and slippers this morning. We had a great restart on our weekly Farkle games. I made Mom's meatloaf, baked potatoes, and grilled corn on the cob. DB and DSIL said they hadn't eaten that well since before we left on vacation. I spent an hour in the garden weeding yesterday. That is all my back will tolerate. It will take a week of weeding to get a handle on the front garden beds. I'll be going out there today. Dayton, Ohio has a Porch Fest where bands play from front porches and residents have a block party. I could go for some of that kind of front porch music. Speak kind words is an everyday thing, but it is nice that we have a day to remind ourselves. I think I would like the drink but worry it would be too sweet with the juices. I do like a good Shiraz once in a while. Today's meal is meant for those trying to gain a ton of weight. Between the heavy cream and the pasta, it would do me in. But, as described in the recipes, it is an ultimate comfort food as it is garlicky, buttery, and creamy goodness all in one. https://www.aheadofthyme.com/shrimp-fettuccine-alfredo-pasta-bake/ This one uses penne pasta and tops it with parmesan before baking. https://pasta.com/shrimp-alfredo-bake-recipe/ The comments on this recipe are worth a read. There are some really good ideas on things you can do to dress up the dish. People have added veggies to it, sundried tomatoes, etc. There is a plethora of ideas on how you can tweak the recipe to make it yours. https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a46095/garlicky-alfredo-shrimp-bake-recipe/ Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Since we're sharing....this is me with my first dog, Skippy.

Good morning, everyone! It looks like it might be a nice morning here in mid-Michigan. We are going to the Farmers' Market, the grocery store, and home to continue weeding the front garden beds. They really got overgrown while we were gone. Regular Farkle evenings resume tonight. DB Bill had to work last night so we are Farkling on Saturday instead. The menu is meatloaf, baked potatoes, and vegetable. Shrimp Scampi comes to us from Italy. It’s widely believed the “scampi” refers to the style of cooking the shrimp — and this usage is typically accepted — though it’s not totally technically accurate. The word “scampi” is Italian for a type of small crustacean akin to a mini lobster. They’re similar to shrimp, but scampi — also known as Dublin Bay Prawn, langoustines, or Norway Lobster — aren’t typically found in oceans near the U.S. So, shrimp get substituted. And, hence, we have shrimp scampi. Shrimp scampi is usually shrimp in a delicious garlic, butter, wine, and lemon sauce. It is typically served over pasta or possibly rice. Today's version is an attempt to make it "healthier" by cutting the carbs. This first version takes it a step further and substitutes broth for the wine. Some might think it goes too far! https://www.wellplated.com/healthy-shrimp-scampi/ You do have to read through about their bedtime reading habits to get to the recipe. This one is a little more traditional and uses the wine for the sauce. https://www.justataste.com/skinny-shrimp-scampi-zucchini-noodles-recipe/ For those who wish a more classic style of shrimp scampi: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/classic-shrimp-scampi-8849846 Again, I would like to thank @0106 Tina for stepping up while I was gone and then buried in laundry, unpacking, and neglected chores upon returning home. Tina, you did a stellar job! Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Hi Jacqui! Would you please add Sue and me for the following: January 6, 2025 South America/Antarctica for 22 days Oosterdam

Good morning, everyone! Thank you so much to @0106 Tina for the spectacular job on the Meal of the Day. I sure hope I am up to doing half as well with it tomorrow. I have appreciated the extra couple of days to get acclimated and awake. Yesterday was a long day as I had a short night before. Last night I slept like a rock! I have a lunch with former classmates on the agenda today and then need to go weed the gardens again. It rained all day yesterday, so it should be easy pulling on the weeds. @marshhawk Annie, sending healing thoughts for Chuck @catmando. I hope he is feeling better very soon. @smitty34877 More healing thoughts for Lou. And warm fuzzies for you as you hold it all together.

How exciting that they are coming to visit. I hope you all have a great time and that Craig's DS gets the respite she needs for her lungs. I'm glad you got your mom over to see her sister. I can understand how her sister perked up on seeing your mom. My mom did that when she had visitors her last couple of days. I'm sure the visit was good for both of them. I hope your mom's sister is peaceful and comfortable in her last days. I took a hint from Sandi and unpacked all the suitcases. Usually they sit in the spare room and I "live" out of them - going to them for something to wear. It can take quite a while to unpack a suitcase that way. But, they are unpacked, all the clean clothes are hung up or folded and in drawers, and the laundry has been sorted. It feels good. I'll do a load of laundry tonight and another tomorrow morning. We try not to run major appliances between 2 pm and 7 pm as the electric rates are higher during those hours.

Yes, I did just that in 2011. It is a cute little town. Some of us stopped for coffee and rolls in a coffee shop and it was delightful. It can also be a beach day if it is warm enough.

Good morning, everyone! It does feel good to be home, but there is a lot to do now. One suitcase made it down to the spare room last night. The other is still sitting in the hallway. Today I will go through them and sort out the stuff for the washing machine. I so liked having laundry service. I had to make the coffee when I got up this morning. That was a rude realization of being home. But, it was so nice to sleep in my own bed. I had room to stretch out! I'll take some time to get truly caught up on the Daily. Thanks to all who commented on my pictures as we experienced a wonderful adventure. We are still in awe of all that we have seen and done on this cruise. We are so blessed to have been able to do that.

We made our connection in Detroit and arrived home safe and sound. Even our luggage made our connection in Detroit. Now, I'm going to sleep for two days.

Finally took off. We should be ok for our connecting flight. Problems include a ground stoppage in Detroit due to weather and air traffic control was overwhelmed. Looking forward to getting home.

Made it on the plane and we pulled back from the gate on time, but we are now sitting off to the side waiting for new routing due to storms in Detroit. We did watch the Zaandam pull out. I was hoping to buzz the aft deck when we took off, but no such luck.

Sitting at Boston Logan waiting for our flight. Boring, boring, boring. We’re entertaining ourselves by walking from gate to gate. I think we’ve visited them all, some several times. @Vict0riann Happy Birthday! @smitty34877 Happy Birthday to your DD. I’m glad Lou is starting to feel better. @kazu Jacqui, I, too, wish we could have gotten together. Next time!

Good morning from Boston. We are one of the last groups off the ship as we have a late flight home today. We won’t get home till 10:03 pm. It has been a wonderful cruise and went by all too quickly. We were so incredibly lucky with weather except for St. Pierre et Miquelon. Thanks for traveling along with us and I wish Sandi and Dennis a safe trip home.

Good afternoon, everyone! We had a lovely day in Bar Harbor. We took Oli’s Trolley so we could get to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It is a great tour, but those benches in h the he trolley are really uncomfortable. Acadia has gotten so crowded that it is not enjoyable to us anymore. There was a huge backup of cars entering the park so our tour went overtime. We were starving when we got back. We went to the West Street Cafe and had lobster rolls. We wanted to try one to see what all the hoopla is and decided we’d stick to plain lobster in the future. Sorry, no food porn. We were so hungry lunch was gone before I thought of a picture. Sadly, it is time for me to go haul out the suitcases and start filling them.

Greetings from Bar Harbor. We are going ashore in search of lobster. Should be a very successful day! @grapau27 Happy Anniversary to you and Pauline!

@Denise T Congratulations! @aliaschief I am so sorry for your loss. I’m glad all our Californians are safe so far.

Great time at Burntcoat Head today walking on the ocean floor.

@kazu Jacqui, I don’t know if it is better, but it has a sporty look and doesn’t make me look like an old woman.

That is why I gifted myself an Apple Watch. I can call 911 from it and it can sense a fall. I was pounding on the floor one day and the watch thought I had fallen and wanted to call 911 for me. Thankfully, I was able to decline that.

Greetings, everyone! It is a nice, lazy sea day here on the Zaandam. We have lunch in the Pinnacle Grill one last time as the cruise winds down. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, sorry you felt so bad yesterday. You were smart to stay in and skip the excursion. Glad you’re feeling better today. I couldn’t resist a nature photo.

Greetings from St. Pierre et Miquelon. Our good luck with the weather ran out today and it is windy and wet out. Sue and I ventured into town earlier and found a t-shirt for our sister who used to live in France. Then we wisely returned to the ship where all the smart people were. I did take a picture to prove we were here. Also, there are directions to the library in case anyone needs them.