Cruising-along

Good morning all! As usual I'm the first one up, so taking advantage of the quiet time to catch up here. We're having a great time with our youngest DGS and I know he's having a good time. Yesterday we took him to see "Elemental" and as DH said, it's a good thing we don't have more grandchildren, we wouldn't want to sit through that movie a 3rd time! 😉 Afterwards we went to dinner, home and to bed. Today will be full, Shep has a birthday party to attend in Edmonds. DH and I may try to get some research done at the Rick Steves Center there while he's at the party. Then this afternoon is swimming and water slides at an aquatic center nearby. He should be good and tired tonight! Happy Birthday Rich @richwmn!! Terry @smitty34877 I'm glad that your DH Lou is doing a little better, and also that you have family there.

Ray I learned that the hard way too -- and we were traveling.

Terry @smitty34877 Sending fervent prayers your way! I won't touch presidential jokes either, will send messages to DS and DD that this is their day! No playing in the sand today. I'll pass on the red wine and spicy meal, but would try the drink. Have not been to the port. This afternoon we'll pick up the youngest DGS and have him for the weekend. He's looking forward to having us to himself and having fun 😉 Today we'll go to a matinee (he wants to see Elemental). We just saw it with his brother when we had him here, but will sit through it again 😅 The problem is it isn't playing in many places now so that will be tricky. Of course if he wanted to see Barbie, that would be easy. Not going to happen lol. I was very relieved yesterday when BFF let me know that her step-daughter's home and her DH's business all made it through the fire! Apparently his business was one of the only that didn't burn down in that area. They're counting their blessings! I better get busy so we can pick up DGS on time. Prayers for all on the care list and cheers for those celebrating!

Good morning all! Today won't be a lazy day for me, although most of them usually are. I love s'mores and lions (not together) 😉 The last time I had s'mores was a few years ago with the DGSs. Joy @Seasick Sailor my marshmallow would be #3. Lightly toasted on the outside, but enough that the insides are oozing. Funny, I don't like marshmallows otherwise, only in a s'more melted over chocolate. Has anyone else ever heard them called Angels on Horseback? That's what my parents called them, I never heard the term s'mores until I was an adult. Love the funny quote, and I had the meal once while visiting my Southern DMIL. Can't say I'm a fan, but probably because I never have potatoes and corn together (too many carbs). Both the drink and wine sound good. Yesterday we were very excited because we got our first packet from HAL about the Grand Australia. It had the choices for our free excursion, and choices for our in-stateroom liquor set up. Funny thing, we spent a long time last night choosing everything. It said "call World Cruise Reservations right away to let them know which excursion you want"! So DH called this morning. They hadn't gotten any information about it, or the code # they need to do it. Surprised? No 😂 Said to call back tomorrow or Monday. Today I'll be baking cookies and we'll have the DGSs here tonight while DD has a night out with some high school friends. She went to high school here and has remained close friends with them. Then tomorrow we'll pick up our 8-year-old DGS and have him for his weekend here. We did the same for his older brother a few weeks ago. A chance to have us all to himself and do fun things of his choosing. There will be a movie, pool time, and museum. He also has a birthday party on Saturday, DH and I will use that time to revisit the Rick Steves center in the same town and do some research for a European cruise later next year. Prayers for Maui and very relieved that @DeeniEncinitas and her DH are safe. My BFF's DH has children there and they are very worried. I hope they've heard from them today. They have a home and business there. Thoughts and prayers for Gerry @ger_77's DH that he gets an appointment soon for the pacemaker and as he has his angiogram today. Also for Chuck @catmando as he begins immunotherapy today. Carol @mamaofami great news that your DH leaves the hospital today. Prayers there are no more falls! Happy Birthday @Tbay! Vanessa @JazzyV I hope your cardiology appointment goes well and a solution can be found without using statins. We've been to Grand Cayman once, in 2017. We went to some gardens and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Cayman Sand Gardens map Bromeliad Cashew plant Plumeria Weird trunk water lilies

We were able to combine stockholders, AARP and military.

Good morning/afternoon all! I'm late today because of another night of sporadic sleep. Besides other times of wakefulness, I was wide awake from 2-5 am. No rhyme or reason for it. I think I did get close to 8 hours total, so not complaining (too much anyway lol)! 😉 We're getting some rain this morning! Very much needed and welcome. A good collection of days. The meal is one of our favorites and I printed off the first recipe. Can't go wrong with basil, balsamic, garlic and cheese! And my tomatoes are ripening quickly, so perfect timing. I'll pass on the drink and red wine, have not been to South Africa. In 5 weeks we'll leave for our Celebrity Alaska cruise. We haven't sailed that line since 2017 and like HAL, they've had a lot of changes. I was reading the Celebrity board last night to try to "catch up" before the cruise, and found that they now charge $9.95 for room service orders (only continental breakfast has no charge). Also 20% gratuity is added to specialty dining. I'm sure we'll find other changes too. A couple good things though, we can still bring 1 bottle of wine per person with no corkage fee, and we can use OBC to book shore excursions, dining etc. before the cruise. I think this will be our last Celebrity cruise though, I don't like the room service charges and some other things, plus we've always liked HAL's longer itineraries anyway. We sailed Celebrity mainly for local, shorter cruises. Yesterday I tackled a job I knew was coming up. I had a large wooden barrel with summer blooming perennials in it, and the barrel was starting to fall apart. I waited until the flowers had stopped blooming, and took it on. Getting all the bulbs and soil out took quite awhile, but I wanted to finish it because today the garbage and yard waste trucks will come. And it was humid yesterday, and all in-the-sun work. But glad to get it done! Thank you everyone for the awesome photos today! Lorraine @cruising sister I've had a fear of double booking something too! So many ports. Another reason I love having a personal spreadsheet, this way I can see at a glance what days we have something booked. I've never done an Amazon cruise, but can highly recommend the Voyage of the Vikings. We hope to do that one again some day -- a wonderful cruise!!

Have a wonderful time in my favorite place on earth! We get there every year preferably in the spring. Much fewer people and the babies are adorable! Recently our 10-year-old grandson bought this for me—he definitely knows what his Nana loves.

Annie, that's GREAT news! Thank you Tina. You know, I think I have had it before (can't remember where or when) and I really liked it. It was better than frozen yogurt.

Good morning all! Another cloudy morning, but the sun should break through later like it did yesterday and get to the mid 70's. I'm all for Cat Day and wish we still had one but long travels have taken precedence. Our last cat passed in 2011 at the age of 17. She was abandoned at only a few days of age and I raised her with a tiny kitten bottle. No surprise, she thought I was her Mama and we had a very close relationship! 🤣 Here she is with our DD who chose to have her in one of her high school graduation photos. If frozen custard is the same as yogurt, I'll take some. Will pass on the zucchini, drink, wine and meal. Enchiladas are one of the only Mexican dishes I don't care for. Love the quote, have never been to Japan. I hope everyone has a great day!

Interesting. I know DH was 74 when he was called and was told there is no age limit here...that's why his doctor wrote the letter. We're in Snohomish County. At the very least it's complicated. A Google search found this https://www.elderlawanswers.com/called-for-jury-duty-you-may-be-excused-based-on-your-age-15650 And WA state isn't even listed.

Annie I was surprised too that jury duty doesn't have a deferral for Covid. I for one do not want to sit in a room full of unmasked people all day in close quarters. Some states have an age limit, you could check on that. Unfortunately my state does not. They also should take a letter from your employer if it would cause a hardship for you and/or the company to do jury duty. DH's doctor wrote a letter the last time he got a summons and it released him from all future jury duty. Good luck!

Captain O'Driscoll is one of the best! He did our vow renewal on the NS in 2019 and we sailed with him again last year.

Good morning all! It looks like we got a little bit of rain overnight, the ground is wet but I can't tell how much we got. I treasure all my friendships, forgiveness is hard sometimes, and as cruisers we've all seen a lot of beautiful lighthouses. Love the quote. I'll pass on the meal, drink and wine, have been to Crete but not to Heraklion. Thank you for the photos of the Palace Knossos -- we almost went there from another port but didn't for some reason. Today's agenda will depend on the weather. If the sun comes out I'll most likely garden, but if it continues being cloudy and drizzly I'll be forced to do some housework (lol) Excited and antsy for our Grand Australia cruise. "Only" 148 more days 😉 Hopefully having the holidays in November and December will help pass the time. We'll leave for San Diego January 2. Looking forward to meeting everyone, all 255 on our roll call (!) including Caron @Cruisercl, Lorraine @cruising sister, Susan @durangoscots, and cruising again with Rich @richwmn! Terry @smitty34877 Thank you for posting the latest photo of adorable Camilla! She truly is a beautiful little girl. Have a great day everyone!

Happy Birthday!! I hope you and your DW feel better soon. I agree with your DH! It really is good. Well things are working out with that private tour I was going to cancel. The person organizing it told me I could switch to the 4- hour from the 7-hour so I guess that's what we'll do. It wasn't clear to me I could do that, I thought the only choice was 7 hours.

Fingers crossed for you Debbie! I really enjoyed our day in Qaqortoq and we had good weather too.

Good morning all! We have clouds this morning so we'll see if we get the rain that is predicted over the next few days. As I said a couple days ago, I only drink dark beer (preferably Guinness) and only if I'm having pizza or Mexican food or if it's a very hot day 😉 😄 (so not often). I'm all for underwear every day, but will pass on the oysters. The quote -- I can think of 2 things I'm afraid of, heights and bees (allergic). During gardening season I do deal with my fear of bees every day. I do love a good Lemon Drop, and finally we have a white wine! Will pass on the meal, but would take a taste if someone made it for me. Have never been to Hakodate. Today is grocery shopping, finishing the laundry I started yesterday, more cruise planning. I'm feeling bad this morning because DH and I decided to bow out of a private tour that is turning out to just not be what we originally signed up for. It originally was for 4 hours, now it's turned into 8+ hours and nearly doubled in price. The price isn't the problem as much as now we'd be meeting over an hour before the tour starts (to all get on the same tender) so this would be a long, hot day. Thankfully there's a waitlist, so I don't think it will take long at all to find others to take our place and she has 7 months to do it. I just know it would be a long, hot tiring day for us. @cunnorl Charlene Happy Anniversary to you and your DH! @Mr. Boston Happy first day of retirement! We took the Guinness factory tour when we were in Dublin. (No, I didn't drink both of these, I'm holding DH's drink too) 🤣

Good morning all! We may get a little rain in the next few days -- we shall see. It has been so dry this summer. Not much on the agenda today, but feeling much better after 9 hours of sleep last night. Prayers for all on the care list and big cheers for all who are celebrating!

Good morning all! We always have a few cans of nuts in the pantry (cashews, peanuts, almonds) to snack on, I've never been a fan of watermelon or IPA. When I do drink beer it's always a Guinness or other dark beer if that isn't available. The drink sounds good, will pass on the red wine and meal. Tonight we're having stuffed peppers. Have never been to Manila -- thanks for the photos posted! Today DH and I are recuperating from a fun but exhausting evening with the grandsons. We didn't get home until almost midnight, I didn't sleep well so am dragging today. But we had a great time! We saw some of their Taekwondo class (they're both red belts now) and took them home after picking up dinner from their favorite place. They were stifling yawns during the class, it had been a long day because they had been to Soccer Camp all day before the Taekwondo class. But they got their second wind and ran us ragged last night. 😂 Oh to be 8 and 10 again. The older grandson got the idea of printing off pages of funny faces, making them masks for the 4 of us, and then they started taping dozens of them all over the house in odd places to surprise their parents. It was pretty hilarious, and we all were wearing our masks when DD and DSIL got home from their evening out. They did find it funny and we were all laughing so hard. I haven't ever seen the boys that excited about something in a long time. They couldn't wait for their parents to get home and see the "surprise". Sandi @StLouisCruisers and Debbie @dfish I'm sorry the Corner Brook Stream Trail wasn't open all the way around. The whole loop is such a nice trail and I would do it again if we ever get back to Corner Brook. I'm glad you got to do as much as you did though. Prayers for all on the Care List and a big Hurrah to all celebrating!

Good morning all! A good collection of days. Probably our DDIL uses CAD in her profession and I know they used it when doing the remodeling of their home. I love a good ice cream sandwich but haven't had one in years. At first I thought the night out was just that, going out lol. I immediately thought of our DSIL and DD who are going out tonight to celebrate his birthday today (and we'll be with the boys for the evening). Good quote. I love potato salad, but only the way I make it (like my DM made it). I think most people are a little fussy about their potato salad 😉 I use hard boiled eggs, celery, onion, a little sweet pickle relish and dusting of paprika. Tossed in a little Miracle Whip. I'll pass on the drink and red wine, we've been to Norway but not to Sognefjord. I've been so busy researching for our two HAL cruises coming up next year I forget that we'll be leaving in 6 weeks on a Celebrity cruise to Alaska. We haven't sailed Celebrity since 2017, it will be interesting to see the changes.... Thank you Vanessa @JazzyVfor including my niece on the care list. If you want to, she could go on the rotation list, up to you. 🙂 We won't know for awhile if she goes back into remission. I appreciate everyone's prayers so much! Such a caring group. @lazey1 Jane Happy Birthday! @kazu Jacqui that's great news that Ivan is almost at his ideal weight and that that signs show the injections are working. 🙂 @ottahand7 Nancy more beautiful flowers 🙂 I'm especially partial to Coneflowers that color. ❤️ @cruising sister Lorraine I'm so sorry to hear about baby Murphy's setback. Continued prayers for that sweet baby and all your family. @Quartzsite Cruiser Lenda good that the clinic is running ahead of time! @JazzyV I'm sorry you have low back pain and hope you can find out the cause and get a remedy that will give relief. @Seasick Sailor Joy Happy Adoption Day!

Thank you so much, Jacqui. She's gone back onto the meds, we pray it helps her again. So sad. Your parents sound like they were wonderful parents and role models Lenda.

Thank you Lenda. I do remember you mentioning that your Mother had MS too. That must have been sohard when you were so young. Yes, it's a horrible and unpredictable disease.

We got some sad news this afternoon. Our niece Jeannine, my sister’s daughter, found out that her MS has come back. I don’t remember when she was diagnosed, but she enjoyed several years of remission until now. She has 3 teenage daughters, has always been very athletic and is a professional photographer. Not to mention the sweetest person I know. This is quite a blow, prayers would be very much appreciated.

Debbie when I saw this photo I did wonder if it was for my benefit 😉 Well done! Vanessa @JazzyV Thank you! I'm sorry to hear about your knee pain yesterday -- I hope today will be better!

Good morning all! I treasure all my girlfriends, one I've had since we were 9 years old. I've never played Mahjong or climbed a mountain, but my dear Dad climbed Mt. Baker (our closest mountain and also an active volcano) when he was young. I agree with the quote, there were many books I enjoyed just as much as the children did when I read to them. I'll pass on the meal, the drink sounds good and I would try the wine -- sounds interesting. Have never been to this port -- thank you Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser for the great photos! Today will be another day of gardening and cruise planning. Happy to say my cold was brief and seems to be on its way out -- yay! @1ANGELCAT Prayers for your friend for a successful surgery and treatment. Pancreatic cancer is a horrible disease that took a good friend and my DFIL. Terry @smitty34877 Sending prayers for your DH as he undergoes his chemo treatments. @RMLincoln Prayers for your DH as he has his eye surgery today. Gerry @ger_77 So glad your DH could get in this week to see the doctor about his increasing angina. Some photos of the mountain dear Dad climbed. Mt. Baker, 10,681 feet. This one was taken from Dad's house. He loved that mountain all his life. And from a plane. This one from the road.

This is probably my biggest worry, we have 136 days booked on the Volendam next year (all warm-hot weather locales). I prefer the Pinnacle class ships especially for longer cruises (one will be 94 days, the other 42) but we also cruise for the itinerary more than the ship so we'll still have a great time and make our own entertainment. But I do hope they've gotten the A/C situation under control.