Cruising-along

And this is the photo that told me I must meet these people!!

Exactly. A pet peeve of mine. I tried making a dining reservation for the second half when we were onboard. I went to one of the reservation kiosks and was told it was impossible at that time. She was very apologetic about it but said it was impossible, the system wouldn't allow it.

Good morning all! I woke up to bright sunshine, but now the clouds are rolling in. Hopefully the rain from yesterday is over with and I can get outside today to plant those veggie plants. Interesting collection of days. I'll pass on the red wine and drink, but may make my own variation of pork stir fry tonight. That sounds good. Like so many, we've been to HMC many times. In 2013 we rode the horses into the water (my favorite day there) and in 2017 we and friends rented the Grand Oasis (my second favorite day there). Other times we rented a cabana (once and done) or just found a shady spot far from the crowd and enjoyed the water. Debbie @dfish Thinking of you as you have your surgery tomorrow. Annie @marshhawk I'm glad you enjoyed HAL but so sorry to hear you got Noro and then bronchitis. Tina @0106 Thank you for the explanation of the quote. Laura @dobiemom I'm so sorry you had NO sleep and then had to go to work. Yesterday I was dragging around here after 5 hours' sleep and I didn't have anywhere or anything I had to do. I can't even imagine! Photo from my favorite day at HMC. It was a hoot, especially going into the water with my horse "Black Beauty". They change horses when you go from land riding to water -- this is "Bandero", my land horse.

Good morning all! We had to turn the heat back on this morning -- and it rained during the night, so at least I won't have to water the pots and garden today. After the morning drizzle passes it should be a nice day. I won't be buying a musical instrument today, cheers for the Maritime Industry, and no Goth for me please. I'll pass on the meal and red wine, but the drink would be good. The quote is funny and I too have friends of both kinds. 😉 Last night I made homemade Gyros to use up the leftover Tzatziki sauce from the Tzatziki Chicken we had. They were yummy! We were in Geiranger in 2019 on the Nieuw Statendam -- photos below. The joint birthday party yesterday at the bouncy arena was fun, the kids all had a ball. And it wasn't too loud because the arena is huge. Their birthdays always seem to last a month, since the actual birthdays are 2 1/2 weeks apart and (so far anyway) they're agreeable to sharing the party. After the party we went to Flower World and I got my tomato and pepper plants that I'll hopefully plant today. Sandi @StLouisCruisers I was sorry to hear that your stomach is still giving you problems. Hoping it passes soon! Susan @durangoscots Yay on the Grand Australia final payment! I know you weren't sure if you'd go, glad to hear you will be! We'll be making our final payment this week. First DH will be calling HAL to clear up a problem (one of our gift cards wasn't applied with the others). It helps having an accountant for a spouse, he's caught 3 that didn't go through. That's $1500. We took an excursion up Eagle Road and Mt. Dalsnibba when we were in Geiranger a few years ago. As others have said, the scenery is breathtaking! It was mid September and very cold and wet but we had a great day! Eleven hairpin turns The Nieuw Statendam

Thanks. Interesting about the warnings etc. I've never had any problem with communications and have had good experiences with them backing me if there are problems. Unlike when I had a problem with a local provider booked directly with our roll call... no response at all. I do book locally, but only when I've checked them out thoroughly myself and/or I know and trust the person who recommends them.

Why? Just curious. We've used Viator (and Shore Excursions Group too) in Europe and always with good results.

Good morning all! Woke up to clouds and much cooler. For the next few days it will only be around 60 and then will warm back up. Today is the grandsons' joint birthday party at a trampoline/amusement center. I imagine the noise will be loud! Afterwards DH and I will stop by Flower World and get my tomato and pepper plants. I'll take a look at the hanging baskets too. 😉 I didn't want to get them until now since we were gone the first half of May. A very good collection of days, will pass on the red wine and drink. Debbie @dfishthe first recipe sounds very good to me (if I cut back on the spice). I like spice, it just doesn't like me. Prayers for all on the Care list and cheers for all on the celebrations list. Have a good day everyone!

Good morning all! Interesting collection of days. I'll pass on the drink and red wine, and would probably like the meal but prefer salmon prepared other ways more. I ordered a new arbor to replace the one we had 25 years. Last winter was too much for it and it fell over along with my Clematis. I just hope we can get the new one up in time to save the Clematis and that it lasts as long as the old one did. It should arrive in just a few days. Debbie @dfishlast night we had the Tzatziki Chicken and I agree, it was good! That recipe is a keeper. Again, Eva @superoma my deepest condolences on the death of your father. Finding him had to be so hard. My dear Dad also had all his final arrangements in place. It certainly helps those left behind at such a sad time. Gerry @ger_77 I'm glad your family is in the air and headed home! Today will be spent doing more (gentle) gardening. Yesterday I overdid again, but at least all the major stuff is done. That first big cleanup in the spring is always the hardest, and as DH says, I just can't help myself even though everything hurts! 🤣

Eva @superoma my deepest sympathy on your loss.

Thank you, good to know we have something locally! But they live 40 minutes south in Kenmore (I wish they did live here though!)

LOL yes I will 😉 Sounds great (minus the dill) and I hope to make this tonight. Thanks!

Good morning all! Another beautiful day in the PNW. I overdid yesterday in the yard/garden. Aching last night! But most likely will do it all again today. The back yard needs a lot of attention. At least it helped me sleep very well last night. 🙂 The closest thing to Boys and Girls Club that I'm aware of is the after-school program the grandsons attend a few days a week. It really helps working parents and is fun for the boys. I've had great vegetable gardens in the past, I don't have room here though. So I have a few herbs planted and will get some tomato plants. I agree with @RedneckBob's DW. Not All Spouses Care About Racing 😉 The quote is funny and not to be taken seriously IMO. Will pass on the wine, but the drink sounds like a yummy dessert! Will pass on the meal, the ginger and curry would ruin it for me although I'd try it if someone else made it! Sandi @StLouisCruisersI hope you feel better very soon! Jake @Crazy For CatsBon Voyage! Laura @dobiemomI hope your eye appointment goes well and there's nothing serious going on. Debbie @dfishI wonder if you could repost the recipe for the Tzatziki chicken? I missed it, probably when we were in Yellowstone. Thanks!!

Welcome home! Thank you Graham and Lenda. The Nephrologist is very pleased and said I'm doing great! That was music to my ears! No more tests and appointments with her for 6 months. My primary care physician will most likely do tests in August, so we'll see how I'm doing then. On another note, another thank you to Gerry @ger_77for the tip about taking a photo of my at-home bp. I showed it to her today (of course it was higher there as always thanks to my white coat syndrom). And she put my at-home reading on my after-care paperwork. 🙂 Wonderful news Dixie!

Good morning all! May 18 is also the anniversary of the day I met DH (1968) and the first eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. We lived in Portland, OR then and had 2 small children. That time the sound wave went over us and we didn't know about the eruption until my sister called me that morning to see if we were ok. We didn't even get ash that time, but later eruptions we got a lot. I still have a bag of ash I've kept all these years. Like Gerry @ger_77, one of my top favorite museums would be the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo. My second favorite would be the Louvre, and third the Hermitage as Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserposted. Right now there are no dirty dishes in the sink thanks to the dishwasher. We'll be seeing relatives this weekend at the DGSs birthday party. The drink sounds very good, will pass on the wine and the meal sounds good. We've sailed in and out of NYC once, photos below. This morning I'll see the Nephrologist for the 2nd time. It had to be postponed when I got Covid last month, and then I was traveling. So my lab results that we'll be discussing are a little dated now, I'm sure she'll send me for more. But those results were much better than previously, and I'm hoping she'll say good work! Vanessa @JazzyVI'm glad the Covid tests are negative, but hope your head colds pass quickly. Dixie @summer slopeI hope Bailey has a good check up. Debbie @dfish Funny that the previous owner would think anything would still be there after all this time. We've been to NYC a few times and once on a cruise. We and Rich @richwmntook the hop on hop off that day and had what we all agreed was excellent pizza near the 9-11 memorial. One World Trade Center Spot where John Lennon was killed at the Dakota Building Times Square Metal cross at the 9-11 Memorial

Good morning all! For the first time it's good to be posting from the west coast and later than many others -- it looks like CC has gotten things under control now after the problems earlier. Jacqui @kazudon't worry about it, it could easily have happened to any of us! We're having beautiful sunny weather this week, but now I'm worried about smoke after Ann @Vict0riannsaid she sees it in Victoria. Usually we have the same weather etc. Brenda @bennybearI'm glad you got some rain last night, I hope it helped some. We had a good time with the family last night at Foster's 10th birthday dinner. That boy is growing fast! I'm 5'7" and he's up past my chin. We were marveling at the amount of food he puts away too. Two bowls of mac & cheese, french fries, several big donuts and a hot fudge sundae. 😲 Funny that today is pack rat day -- DSIL's DM was telling us last night that her DH has paperwork in the attic since 1977!! He files it all under different categories -- ! I told her she has the patience of a saint. Someone else said he's insulating the house with paperwork lol. As for us, I guess we're in the middle range. We don't have a ton of things we've kept, but could get rid of some. I've inherited my DGM and DM's problems with hypertension. I really like Gerry's @ger_77 idea of taking a photo of her at-home readings. Mine is always higher at the doctor's office too. I'll pass on the drink, not a fan of sweet tea, and will pass on the red wine and the gnocchi. Have never been to Jamaica. Vanessa @JazzyVwe had the same problem with our mailman not holding our mail even though we had put in a mail hold. It's always a struggle with our local P.O. it seems.. @1ANGELCATI'm glad to hear that Fluff seems to be doing ok this morning. Time to get that grocery list made, we didn't get around to getting it done yesterday. Have a good day everyone!

Good morning all! I love most trees, but not the Cottonwoods that are in the woods behind us. Thankfully we've had the most problematic ones cut down. I remember seeing ads for the Sea Monkeys but never had any. I'll have to see if I have any purple to wear. The drink and meal sound good (would have to cut down on the spice) but will pass on the red wine. We haven't been to the port. We got home in the early evening yesterday, the flight was good and short. While we were gone the area had quite a heat wave -- around 90F. But it's cooler today and I plan to get outside and do some deadheading and general gardening. I see that my seedlings did great, I bet my neighbor checked on them. I had put them in pans of water knowing about the weather forecast. Today is our oldest grandson's 10th birthday. So hard to believe he's that old already! The family will all be meeting for dinner to celebrate, and then the party will be on Saturday. We also need to get groceries -- the cupboards are bare! @1ANGELCAT I hope Fluff is doing better today. It's always so hard when our fur babies aren't doing well. @aliaschief Happy 31st anniversary!

Thank you Lenda! Flight is on time so far! I was randomly chosen for a pat down which wasn’t pleasant though. We were able to have a few more hours in the park and saw our 6th bear this trip. 😄

Good morning all! Our last few hours in Yellowstone before flying home this afternoon. We’re going to make a quick run into the park (our cabin is just outside the north entrance). Yesterday was another nice day, we saw 2 more bears! That makes 5 this trip. It was another mama black bear with one cub. They were playing and eating in the woods. We also spent more time around Old Faithful and the geysers there. A repeat of 50 years ago, we waited for 2 hours for Grand to erupt. 50 years ago we waited 2 hours in a thunderstorm but it came through and it was spectacular!! We haven’t seen it erupt since. This time we and dozens of other people gave up after a couple hours. It was fun talking to others from all over the country though. A few photos from yesterday. Old Faithful Inn off in the distance. Old Faithful Gibbon Falls Mama bear in woods She kept moving behind trees, and the baby was too tiny and active to get a photo.

Good morning all and Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers out there! Today is our last full day in Yellowstone, our flight home will be tomorrow afternoon. Hard to believe we’ll be home tomorrow night. Yesterday we found some bears! It was a mama black bear and 2 cubs. A Ranger told me that a male bear had frightened them up a tree and now she couldn’t get them to come down. Who knows how long they were up there, we watched them a long time. A few photos of what we saw yesterday. Pronghorn Mama and cubs in tree (photo the best I could get with my phone) Silex Spring IMG_0603.mov Red Spouter

Good morning all! I know I’m missing a lot and will try to catch up when we return home. Prayers for all on the care list and cheers for all on the celebration list. We continue to have a wonderful time. The crowds are thin and weather good. My favorite time to come! Sadly there are signs of the aftermath of the flood last year. We were here with family just days before it happened! We found out yesterday that the Mammoth Hotel and restaurant are closed due to sewage problems due to the flood. Yesterday we saw dozens of baby bison, Old Faithful and Lake Yellowstone (still frozen over). We also saw wolf tracks there at the beach. Today we’re on the hunt for bears. Some years we see none, other years up to 8. Fingers crossed! Photos from yesterday. Roaring Mountain Ice on Lake Yellowstone Old Faithful A couple 2-year olds going by Traffic jam at Mammoth

Welcome back Rich! Looking forward to seeing you in January.

I agree with you that the problem wasn’t with HAL but the port of Vancouver. Since you quoted me and then said “this was the only person throughout the entire day who got on less than 3 hours” I’m not sure if you meant me in that statement. If you did, it isn’t true. Obviously everyone in the priority line with me got on about the same time that I did. I told about our experience only to help the OP so they would know to look for that line. It was there when we arrived around noon. If it wasn’t there other times, that’s terrible. I’m sorry you and so many others had such a bad experience. Especially since you had the PS. In the 3 times we have sailed from Vancouver it hasn’t been a good experience. This time we just got lucky (as I said in another post). But we still will avoid sailing from that port if possible.

I just lost my post (thanks to my phone) so I’ll just post some photos of what we saw today. Having a great time! Spring brings babies, and baby bison aka “red dogs” Mud Volcano Dragons Mouth

Greetings from Yellowstone! We had a minor hiccup yesterday when we checked into our cabin/suite here in Gardiner. Somehow there was a mistake in our booking. I don’t know if it was my fault, the hotel, or the booking agent. I was sure I’d booked a suite with full kitchen for all 5 nights. But they had us in a suite with micro and small fridge the first 4 nights and full kitchen the last night (we did add that night later, when we decided to stay an extra day). We’ve stayed here several times and I always booked the same suite. Here we were with a trunk full of groceries and I planned on having a stovetop and oven. Well we cruisers/travelers are nothing but flexible, right?? We had a spaghetti dinner all prepared in the microwave. DH was quite impressed LOL. Also this cabin does have more items in the kitchen than I expected. The manager was able to get us into a full kitchen suite for the last 2 nights so we’ll be fine. It’s an adventure! Heading out soon for our first full day in the park, photos later and everyone have a great day!

Good morning all! Up early and will leave for SeaTac in a couple hours. It will be a long-ish day. After arriving in Bozeman we'll get a rental car for the week, stop in Livingston for groceries (we like to get places with full kitchens) and then should arrive in Gardiner outside of Yellowstone by late afternoon. This has been our routine every time we go to Yellowstone. Will check in (w/photos) as often as I can -- meanwhile prayers for all on the care list and a big cheer for all who are celebrating!