Cruising-along

I agree, we book for itinerary too. And you're smart to wait, it's hard to keep up with 2 active roll calls (Grand Australia and NZ and Atlantic Adventurer for us).

We have a very active roll call, come join us! Agree with the others, that cruise isn't a Grand Voyage.

Good morning all! It will get up near 80 today, then heat up this weekend to the mid 80's (one last gasp of summer?) before cooling way down next week. My favorite iconic American dinner near here is the 59er Diner near Leavenworth, WA. They have 20 kinds of milkshakes at last count, and cabins you can rent - each with a different theme. A couple years ago we took the DGSs to stay in the Roy Rogers cabin. On one Med cruise we took a tour to Vesuvius and were able to climb to the rim and look down at the steam. It gave me chills seeing the power, especially after going to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Great examples of strange music today! I've liked them all! Good quote, will pass on the meal today (we just had Mexican food a couple days ago), and probably would like the drink but pass on the red wine. Never have been to Brazil, thank you Nancy @ottahand7 Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser and Sandi @StLouisCruisers for your great photos. Terry @smitty34877 I'm sorry Lou has decided to stop chemo, but do understand how he feels. From what I've heard, the effects grow stronger with each treatment too. I hope his doctor has a better alternative that works for him. Ann @cat shepard I'm excited for you to see the King Tut exhibit! You will be blown away. We saw it when it was here in Seattle years ago, then again at the Cairo Museum. Sandi @StLouisCruisers and Debbie @dfish Welcome home!! Getting that luggage home too is a big deal (as Debbie knows, we haven't been so fortunate a few times). And I know exactly what you mean about making that first cup of coffee, Debbie 😉 Annie @marshhawk I'm sorry Chuck is in so much pain and hope he recovers quickly. Also very sorry to hear about your friend Penny. I'm wondering when we'll be able to get the vaccine for this new variant... I want to thank all who gave their encouragement yesterday about DBIL's diagnosis. I agree with all of you that it's very treatable if caught early. Between this and my niece's MS recurrence, it's a lot for my sister right now (and she's more of a worrier even than I am) 😉 but the doctor told them the same you all did so it will be ok. I'm waiting to hear what treatment they decide on. 59er Diner All the walls are covered with old photos etc. And looking down into the Vesuvius crater

Oh, that's good to know! Pretty much what BIL's doctor said too. 🙂 Thank you Roy, I did think of you too. 🙂 I know my Dear Dad had it when he was quite old (maybe in his 90's) and came through the surgery just fine.

Good morning all! We have rain! On one hand it's really nice (way too dry here) but it's also sad to feel fall in the air already. Hoping we have our usual lovely September when the nights and mornings are cool and the days are sunny and warm. My daffodils are 4-5 months gone, I won't be riding the wind, but will hug my sweetheart today as usual. I'll pass on the red wine, but the drink sounds good and I'd love the meal if someone else makes it for me. We were in Qaqortoq in 2018 on the VOV and had a lovely day. Photos below. Yesterday we got a lot done. I had noticed that some Boxwood we have in the back yard had seen better days and should be taken out. We want to paint the house next year (but have to stay home long enough to do that!) so it's best to remove them anyway, they're too close to the house. I got them all clipped down to the ground and filled the yard waste bin to overflowing (the truck is going by and this minute took the clippings away 😉 ) this fall when the ground softens up from the rains DH will dig them out. He pressure washed that side of the house and things are looking better. It looks like some kind of bug is eating my pepper plant leaves 😞 Any ideas from the Garden Club? I won't put any poison on it, but did read that vinegar diluted 1:1 should work. I can even see the bugs, a hard-shelled beetle-looking monster 😞 We got some sad news yesterday, our BIL (my sister's husband, also the Dad of Jeannine who has MS) was diagnosed with prostate cancer yesterday. He'll call today for an appointment to talk about treatment. According to the doctor, it's not a concern as long as he gets treatment. I pray it's so. Ann @Vict0riann Happy Birthday! Bon Voyage @HAL4NOW! Safe travels home Debbie @dfish, Sue, and Sandi @StLouisCruisers and thank you for bringing us along! @Denise TA big congratulations on getting your numbers down, good work! I find that sometimes a change in meds can do wonders (along with diet and exercise). Terry @smitty34877 I'm very glad that Lou is feeling a bit better, and happy 51st birthday to your DD! Annie @marshhawk prayers for Chuck as he has the eye surgery today. Here are some photos I took of our day in Qaqortoq, starting with a view from the ship and ending with icebergs seen from the tender heading back. It was a beautiful bright sunny day in July 2018, about 45-50F. We didn't take any tour that day, we enjoyed walking through the town and up into the hills. The only problem was the tiny black flies. Thankfully I'd been warned, maybe by @dfishand others, so I had lots of insect wipes and used them. They flew in my face but never landed. I did see a few people with the hats with netting, they were smart. I hope to do the VOV again some day, loved every minute of it. The thing that looks like a blurry flying saucer in the photo of the village is a tiny black fly coming at me. 😄

I also recommend it. We renewed our vows on the Nieuw Statendam in 2019 with the wonderful Captain O'Driscoll. It was our 50th anniversary.

That's strange. Our cruise (November 2024) has had the excursions up for Egypt for awhile. It's one place I wouldn't go without the HAL tour. When we went before, it took an extra hour to get back to the ship because of the traffic (13-hour day). Also we had an armed guard with us.

Good morning all! I like Spumoni ice cream, will salute poets and am definitely a senior citizen. Funny, I don't mind that term, but it's like fingernails on a chalk board when I hear the word "elderly". I had a discussion with friends the other day about that. There's just something about that word that I don't like -- especially when they refer to someone on the news as "elderly" and you find out the person is 55! 🤣 I always think of elderly as at least 15 years older than the age I am now. 😉 Last night we were watching a show and they referred to a 92-year-old man as elderly. We looked at each other and said "now that's ok, he's elderly!) I miss John Lennon, good quote. The meal sounds good for today -- I printed off the first recipe and will make it tonight (minus the cilantro). I have most of the ingredients already. The drink sounds good too, will pass on the red wine. We were in Avalon in 2014 on a Pacific Coastal cruise. We walked around a bit and took a ride on the glass bottom boat. The air here is definitely smokier than earlier yesterday. 😞 The air quality is "moderate" so we're keeping the windows closed and staying in as much as possible. Thinking of our Daily friends in Southern CA -- stay safe! We just told DS and DDIL that we're thankful they moved north and they agreed they're happy they did. @TiogaCruiser thank you for the reports. @AncientWanderer I'm glad you checked in and are ok! @DeniseT thinking of you today as you do your oral defense, you'll do great! @smitty34877 I hope the nurse and therapist can help Lou. It's difficult, I know. Hugs! Avalon -- a beautiful day. The casino

Susan @AV8rix You're right, my neighbor must have meant a building fire. Her son is with the fire department, she must have been talking about that fire.

Lenda (and Brenda @bennybear) I apologize for the wrong information. Since talking to my neighbor, I've been searching online and I don't see anything about a wildfire in Everett. There was a fire in a building yesterday but not a wildfire. I found that the nearest fire to me is 55 miles away.

Roy that was my first thought, why was it activated before you got it? Something wrong there, but I think that's all it was, someone at the company activated it too soon. I went out to water the garden and didn't stay out long. The air is definitely smoky now. My neighbor told me that now there's a fire in Everett, the next town over. 😞

Good morning all! I will celebrate honey bees but from a distance (allergic to all kinds of bee stings), and the radio, but never, never will celebrate mosquitos. Like others, if there's one around it will bite me and I swell up for days and days. This year they didn't seem as bad, and I think it's because so many of the pesky Cottonwood trees were taken down behind our house so we get more sun in there. Interesting quote, the drink sounds great, will pass on the red wine and creamy sauce with the shrimp. Heavy cream doesn't usually agree with me. I don't think we've been to Bonaire. Tonight we're having left overs from our fabulous spread yesterday at DS and DDIL's. Everyone had a wonderful time! And there was so much food there was plenty for everyone to take some home too. The weather was perfect, not too hot but warm enough with a slight breeze to eat out on their expanded deck and be very comfortable. I was able to see and visit with our niece Jeannine who has had the recurrence of MS. She's doing "ok" and will be seeing her doctor on Tuesday to make the decision about which medication she will start. She never complains so it's hard to tell how she's really doing. We did smell smoke in the air but not until the drive home from their house. I know we have fires in eastern WA so it's hard to tell if this smoke was coming from there or Canada -- maybe both. Lorraine @cruising sister Enjoy your retreat!

Lenda, like minds think alike! We got the cooling towels and hand-held fans (one of them may attach around your neck, I'm not sure). We used similar cooling towels on another cruise (Panama Canal maybe?) and they worked great. After seeing photos of one of the world cruise bloggers using these fans, I'm not worried how I'll look I just want to be comfortable. 😉 Caron the company doing this tour is "Broome And Around". It should be on the roll call spread sheet. I've had my eye on that tour for awhile but had to wait for them to open up bookings for next year. Well the BLT Pasta Salad is finished and it looks SO good! DH has been drooling since he saw it. I'm sure it will be a hit at the BBQ today.

Thank you Lenda. Although I don't do well in heat (this will be mid-February so summer there), I intend to get out in all the ports to see as much as I can. I know we'll never get back to this part of the world, and it was canceled 3 years ago because of Covid so this is our last chance. I can always go back to the ship afterwards to cool off. 🙂

Good morning all! It's a cool 55 degrees F this morning, heading to the high 70's (about 10 degrees cooler than it has been). But still dry. Interesting collection of days, the quote is a good one. OMG is cilantro in everything now? I'll pass on the cilantro drink needless to say. The Chow Mein sounds good but I can't have it (carbs and sodium) but the white wine sounds wonderful so I'll just take a lot of that. 🤣 Thank you Sandi @StLouisCruisers and Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser for the photos from Broome! We'll be there on the Grand Australia -- we have a private tour planned to see some dino prints among other things. I do know it will be HOT! Today our DS and DDIL are hosting a big family bbq (21 of us) at their home. It will be the first time most of them have seen it since they moved up from CA and renovated the house. It should be a lot of fun! Yesterday I made the 2 apple pies I'm bringing, and today am making the BLT pasta salad that I'll bring too. I remember the hint to put in less pasta and more Romaine (sorry I don't remember who said that, but I remember the tip). Sandi @StLouisCruisers I hope your cold is short-lived and you feel better soon. Nancy @ottahand7 Thank you for sharing more photos of your gorgeous flowers. I'm thinking of all our Daily friends in Southern California -- stay safe. We lived in San Diego for a number of years in DH's Navy days, and I do remember a few torrential downpours (one of them was Halloween night when I still took DD trick or treating lol). I have no idea how it would compare, but know it wasn't the usual weather there. Maureen @RMLincoln Congratulations on the big decision about the retirement apartment unit. Jacqui @kazu Thank you for the photos of your beautiful flowers.

Good afternoon, We had a lovely brunch with my cousin and her DH before they boarded the Solstice (Celebrity) and the same ship we will be boarding 4 weeks from today! It was fun seeing the ship right by the restaurant. I sure wanted to go with them!! Since we'll be getting a ride to Seattle from our DD who has a morning meeting in the city that day, we'll have her drop us off at the same restaurant because it will be earlier than our 11:00 check in time. (strangely we can pick our own boarding time, wish HAL would do that). It's a short walk from the restaurant right onto the ship. I heard back from the kidney doctor, she said I can wait on those labs until November right before I see her. I'm curious how I'm doing, but I guess she could tell from the last tests that I'm doing better than before so she isn't worried. We stopped at Total Wine on the way home to restock, and now the afternoon is half gone. Time to make the 2 apple pies I'm bringing tomorrow to a family gathering! Ann @Vict0riann your Dahlias are lovely.

A quick good morning to all! We're getting ready to drive down to Seattle to say Bon Voyage and have brunch with my cousin and her DH. They're leaving on their first Alaska cruise this morning. I think this is their 2nd or 3rd cruise. Happy Birthday @Mr. Boston! Jacqui @kazu thank you for your dedication to CC for the last 10 years! I was pleased with my A1C diabetic labs yesterday, still in the "good" range and no change from 6 months ago. No kidney function test....so I sent a message to my kidney doctor asking if she wants me to do one. I think each doctor thought the other was doing it (?) I know she wants it done before I see her in November, I just don't know when to have it done. I hope everyone has a great day!

Thank you Jacqui, I love this photo of Soot too (and his sleek, shiny fur!)

Good morning all! I love most of my neighbors, donate regularly to thrift shops, and have known/had 4 black cats in my life. Only 1 is still alive, our DD's cat "Soot". I'll pass on the soup and save it for cooler weather, and will pass on the drink and red wine. Love the quote, and have been to Willemstad once. Last night I was in a bit of pain after the dental procedure, but today only my jaw still hurts (having to leave it wide open for 2 hours). At least the worst is over, now I wait a few weeks to get the permanent crown. This morning I drove to our clinic's new lab facility to get my 6-month labs done. Now to wait for the results on MyChart. I'm especially watching for any change in my kidney function, and of course diabetes labs. My blood sugar numbers have been good at home, but I've been surprised before and don't take anything for granted! Like Susan @durangoscots said, we've had yet more changes to our Grand Australia itinerary. Funny about your TA wanting you to get a Brazilian visa 😉 As Karen @luvteaching said, this is our last "hot" day here. It will be nice to get back down to our more comfortable temperatures. Debbie @dfish Keep getting better, good to hear there's been some improvement. Lorraine @cruising sister Good to hear that baby Murphy is holding her own, continued prayers. I have one photo of Willemstad that may be different from the great photos already shared. This was the outside of an art gallery. And the 4 black cats I've had in my life: Ebony, our stray who chose us. He was a sweet boy but very shy. ❤️ Jinx, our neighbor's cat who passed last year. He was my gardening buddy, here he's watching a mole hill. I'm sure he never caught anything in his life. 😂 Spek, our DD's cat who is no longer with us. And Soot, our DD's cat who is very much alive 🙂

I'm home from the dentist -- after 2 hours in the chair. A bigger piece of tooth broke off than I thought, so I was prepped for a crown today. I told them let's get this over with, I have a cruise in a few weeks 😉 Thankfully it didn't cost as much as I expected, so that's good -- well not good, but not too awful. Susan @durangoscotsThank you so much for letting us know about Diane's cats. I've been worried about them. Great news!

Good morning all! Well I hope Gerry @ger_77 and I haven't started a new trend. Last night I broke a tooth 😞 I was eating a great steak and must have swallowed whatever broke off (!) So I'll be calling the dentist as soon as they open this morning. I do hope this isn't the one day of the week that they aren't open... I'll pass on the spicy meal, drink and red wine. I love a good joke, especially @RedneckBob's jokes, but I'm not good at telling a joke. No roller coasters for me please. We were in Akureyri in 2018 on the VOV. We took a tour to the Botanical Gardens, Godafoss Waterfall and some recreated ancient manors. We had beautiful weather and it was a good day! Jack @Heartgrove Lily is indeed adorable! Thank you for sharing the photos. Terry @smitty34877 I hope that DH's bloodwork is good and that he can come home today. Debbie @dfish Dam about the sinus headache!! Sure hope you feel better soon. Here are some photos from our tour out of Akureyri The Botanical Gardens: Scenery The landing strip for the airport The oldest house (1795) Visit to the ancient manor Recreated thatched roof houses Period costumes One of the interiors Example of a bridal dress Farm equipment And Godafoss Waterfall

Bon Voyage!!

Good morning all! I have Acadian ancestors on my Mother's side. My great-grandfather came from France, settled in the Gaspe area in Canada, and then the family came down to the states. Today will be a day of relaxation, it will be too hot to do much else. Sure glad we had the A/C put in last year! I celebrated my best friend's birthday a couple weeks ago with her, and we'll be getting together again later this month. Good quote, but I would add "travel" to the list 😉 The meal would be yummy, but we just had chicken with balsamic last night so I think tonight we'll bbq a steak. Will pass on the drink and red wine. I'm not sure if we've seen Hubbard Glacier -- I get all the glaciers mixed up, and have only been to Alaska twice. Will be on another Alaska cruise (Celebrity) next month, but I don't think we'll see Hubbard. Thanks for the GREAT photos!! We have 3 more days of high-80's-low 90's, then it will cool off. I know that doesn't sound hot compared to what many of you are having, but we aren't used to that in the PNW. Yesterday I had to finally take down my Fuchsia hanging basket, it gave up the ghost in this heat. But it lasted a long time, so no complaints. On the other hand the tomatoes and peppers are doing great. 🙂 We had some more Bruschetta last night from the latest ripened tomatoes -- yum. Prayers for all on the care list and a big cheer to all who are celebrating!

Good morning all! Good collection of days and I love the quote. The drink and white wine sound good, but will pass on the meal. We will go to Noumea on the Grand Australia and plan on taking the Tchou Tchou train. Charlene @cunnorl great photos -- were these taken from the train or can you get on and off? Well I slept 9 1/2 hours last night but still feel like I was hit by a truck lol. DGS wore me out, he's a ball of energy. When we brought him home last night we went to dinner with DD and family, that was nice. DGS was regaling everyone with everything he had done with us the last 3 days. He told me he wished he could stay another night with us. I don't know if I could have taken it 😂 Today I'll be putting the house back together, washing sheets, and watering the yard. Our heat wave has begun and the A/C is working well. Very nice to hear good news about baby Murphy @cruising sister Lorraine!

Thank you Lenda, I’m going to look into getting an air fryer now. We really love lumpia so maybe we’ll have it more often!