Quartzsite Cruiser

Tine, taking a page out of Paul's @kochleffel book, how about vegan pseudo meatballs. It sounds better than vegan fake meatballs. 🤣 Lenda

We have been to Skagway many times both on land trips in the motorhome and on cruises. In the first pictures of town there are not many people on the streets. We drove down from Whitehorse in 2017 for the day. It was a raw, windy cold day, and those not on an excursion were either in the shops, restaurants or on the ship. We were in Skagway on a Friday in 2010 and could take the train ride with the steam locomotive. The Amsterdam waiting for our return in 2010, 0n our last cruise to Skagway Lenda

Good morning from a sunny central Texas. It was a pleasant 78F when I took my walk about an hour ago. It's now 82F and feels like 87F. It looks like our high will be 103F, but tomorrow our high is supposed to be 98F. I'll wait for the "cooler" day to mow the yard. Today is a sad day in the music world with the passing of Tony Bennett. He managed to be relevant with his music across many decades, and was still gaining younger fans. Everyday, I try to be someone, and we do enjoy junk food on occasion. Every dog thinks everyday is day of the dog, and cats know everyday is day of the cat. I like the Alfred Lord Tennyson quote. The first recipe that Tina @0106 gave us looks good. My first thought was vegan meatballs is a contradiction in terms. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds interesting, and the price is right. Still, I'll used one of the memes I found after Roy's @rafinmd suggestion. We have been to Skagway many times. Our first time there was in 1992 on our motorhome trip up the Alaskan Highway to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the highway. We have also been there by cruise ship beginning with our first Alaskan cruise in 1993 on the old Sky Princess. I'll look for my pictures shortly. The "Scopes Monkey Trial" was an interesting time in our legal history. @dfish Debbie, wishing you and Sue a very safe trip today. @cat shepard Ann, before I saw that you did have a wine of the day, I thought that instead of firing you, Rich @richwmn was giving you a brief vacation. 😉 @marshhawk Annie, I didn't think you sounded like a brat yesterday. We all have days where we're grumpier than normal. I'm glad Chuck has an appointment with the Proton Radiation therapist. Sending positive thoughts that it does the trick, and he will be cancer free when finished. I agree that all families have their dramas. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I hope the lump under Ollie's neck is not serious. If this was Dr. Pol, it would just be an abscess that needs draining. @aliaschief Bruce enjoy your time with the seven year old. Keeping up with her might just counter the hit your diet has taken. @ger_77 Gerry, I'm sorry you and your DH had such a bad reaction to the vaccine, but your reaction is exactly what I experienced after both shots. You are correct, that the reaction is a small price to pay for avoiding the shingles. @Nickelpenny Penny, I thing you earned an easy day after yesterday. @Sharon in AZ Sharon, please wish Craig a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY from us. Lenda

Vanessa, I hope the winds are that high and don't undo all your hard work today. Annie, I'm glad your DH and his luggage made it home safely. I'm also glad the oncologist is taking side effects into consideration when deciding between the proton radiation and the new chemo drug. Whatever he decides, I hope it works to make Chuck cancer free without really bad side effects. One of my projects the last few years has been to go through all the pictures on the computer to try to get them to look their best, and to weed out the bad ones and the duplicates. Today, while going through pictures from a 2011 cruise on Prinsendam, I discovered we had been to Skjolden, Norway. When it was the port of the day, I had said we'd not been there, and I guessed I missed looking at that particular cruise's photos. That is one of the few ports we've visited that I didn't remember. I did remember the tour we took that day up into the mountains to a National Park near the ice fields, but just didn't remember the port. Here are few of my pictures of Skjolden that are mainly focused on Sognefjord. We'll begin with the Prinsendam docked at the end of the fjord. The Skjolden Hotel The hydroelectric generator up close A river heading to the fjord The fjord Lenda

Caron, I think the difference between an ice cream soda and a ice cream float is basically the method of making them. Both have carbonated water, but in an ice cream soda it is often ice cream, flavor from syrup, maybe cream. With a float you put the ice cream in the glass and pour canned soda, i.e. Coke or root beer. The Food Network says the terms are interchangeable, but I've seen them made differently. Jacqui, thanks for the information. It's curious since it was the zinnias in full sun with room around them that died. I tried to deadhead them, but was not a vigilant as I probably should have been. The ironic thing is, two or three years ago when I planted both flowers in the same flower bed, it was the marigolds that died and the zinnias that lived. I suspect our weather this year may have played a part in what happened. As I told Carolyn @Cruising-along , with my track record, I'm just happy something lived and there is color in the flower bed. As you can probably tell, I'm not a serious gardener. Basically, I'll stick something in the ground, cross my fingers, and hope for the best. Until Covid, we were rarely here in the summer, so flowers and gardening were not a high priority. All the permanent plants are Texas drought tolerant. From reading many of your posts, I think you'd like Opus One. As I said earlier, we were lucking to be able to taste it at a few Premium wine tastings on Princess. Opus One was why we even paid for and went to the tastings. We bought one bottle of Opus One about 20 years ago as a thank you gift from friends who are into fine wines. It is a lot more expensive now than it was back then. Lenda

Carolyn, it's weird, but the zinnia that is still doing well was the one that was more overshadowed by the marigold. There were a couple that were further under the marigold, and I moved them into the sun, and even with water they died. The sun might just be too intense or the water wasn't getting to them. I'm just glad that something grew. 😉 Thank you, Graham. @smitty34877 Terri, I'm glad things went well with the appointment today. I hope you both can get some rest before the next step. Lenda

In 2005 on Marco Polo, we started the day in Flam on a branch of Sognefjord where we took the train to Myrdal, and then were bused to Gudvangen on another branch of Sognefjord where Marco Polo was waiting for us. It was supposed to be a quick stop to board the tenders, but as can happen on a cruise, there was a hitch. One of the tenders broke down, and we had a long wait while they retrieved it and towed it back to the ship. It was a nice, warm, sunny afternoon, so the wait was not uncomfortable. We were traveling with friends, and we found a couple of benches to relax and visit. To retrieve the tender, one man was using a inflatable boat to maneuver the tender into position for it to be towed back to the ship. This is just one of the pictures of his attempts. How the finally managed to get the tender back on board is lost in the mists of time. Marco Polo waiting down the fjord The area where we were waiting Of course, there were shopping opportunities. Finally, everyone was back on board, and we headed down the fjord. Lenda

@Cruising-along Carolyn, after our discussion yesterday about flowers and my lack of green thumb, I decided to share my success with the marigolds, and lack of success with the zinnias. This first picture was taken April 17 shortly after I planted eight small marigolds and eight small zinnias. The second pictures was taken just a few minutes ago. If you look closely, you can just make out the one zinnia that survived, and it's peaking out from the left side of the marigold on the right. One batch of marigolds are behind the ones on the right and the Silverado Sage. The sage which I cut back drastically last fall have also grown with all the water and warm weather. Lenda

Good morning from a sunny and breezy central Texas. It was 80F at 7:30 when I went for my walk. It is now almost 10:30 am and it is 89F and feels like 95F. The predicted high is 104F. It's been a busy morning. I was just about to leave to take the convertible to our neighborhood station to have the tires rotated, when DH wanted to add coolant to the a/c system. After than, he wanted to drive the car to check the a/c and how the car was handling. We went by the station on the way back home, but since the owner was working on a car on the lift, we just drove by. It looks like we might wait a bit on rotating the tire. After breakfast, we also tried to get the grill that stopped working when we were smoking the brisket to light. It's probably the regulator since we also tried a different propane tank and it didn't work either. The ignitor switch is also a little wonky and hard to use. Right now, it's too hot in the afternoon to use the grill anyway. We prefer ice cream floats to ice cream sodas. We were a couple of days early since we had hot dogs Monday night. I also prefer Nathan's. DH likes lollipops more than I do. I think I was spoiled by the ones my father's company handed out. They were cherry, but not like the cheery ones today, and had Reddy Kilowatt embossed on them. That is really dating me, since the electric utility companies stopped using Reddy Kilowatt as a logo many decades ago. The Elbert Hubbard quote is very true. I'm lucky I have two lifelong friends who fit that quote, and one is my next door neighbor. I've never cooked BBQ ribs in a slow cooker. For the past 35+ years, we've been smoking them in our smoker. We also use a dry rub without BBQ sauce. Now that we have the smoker fixed, I need to buy some more babyback ribs. We'll pass on the drink. My wine suggestions are on the expensive side, and we've only bought one for a special occasion. We were introduced to these wines at a premium wine tasting on Princess about 20 years ago. Once they stopped offering these wines at the premium wine tasting, we quit going to the tastings. The first is Luce which is an Italian red that is a blend Sangiovese and Merlot produced in Montalcino, Italy. I found on-line prices from $99.99 to $119.99. They produce a much less expensive wine, Luce Lucente which sells for $19.99. We have not tasted that wine. My other suggestion is Opus One, a California Bordeaux style wine based on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It was developed by Baron Phillipe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, and is still one of the most expensive California wines. The on-line prices I found range from $389.99 to $425.95. At least, we have been privileged to taste it a couple of times. We have sailed Sognefjord to Flam, but that was in the dark. We took the train from Flam to the end of the line and then a bus to Gudvangen on another arm of the fjord. Sognefjord is the longest fjord in Norway. I'll look for pictures from Gudvangen in a few minutes. Today in history was another big step forward for women. Sadly, there is still a lot that needs to be done. @rafinmd Roy, I remember the day the Eagle landed on the moon. We were driving back to Dover, NJ, from visiting family in Texas. We were somewhere in Pennsylvania when we heard the news on the radio. While we were gone, we had loaned our tv to another couple, so we went to their apartment to watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step on the moon. All our friends were in the Army and stationed at Picatinny Arsenal, so they had the next day off work. I was working at the local newspaper, and had to be at work bright and early the next morning. After the long drive from Texas, I had to give up and go to bed before the big event. I saw the event later on replay. @smitty34877 Terry, I hope Lou gets a good report from the surgeon, and that all the activity is not too tiring. @dfish Debbie, I bet for once you and Sue are enjoying doing laundry. 🤣 I hope you and Sue have a safe flight tomorrow and that your luggage arrives with you. @cruising sister Lorraine, I was very happy when I read that they were able to close up Murphy's chest and remove some of the tubes and wires. Also, it's good news that PT has not seen any areas of concern. @ger_77 Gerry, I'm glad you both got your second Shingrix vaccine. Since we don't have insurance for drugs, and the vaccine is not one of the ones covered by Medicare, I paid out of pocket for mine. I consider it money well spent. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, thanks for your pictures of Skjolden. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm sorry the weather is not cooperating. Enjoy your dinner in your cabin tonight. @durangoscots Susan, YIKES! 😱 on the bear scat so close to your place. I hope you get some much needed rain soon. Lenda

That is good news. You and Sue can relax and enjoy your cruise. The new cap should be a simple fix. I hope the paralysis and drooping face are temporary, and it is good news Denny knows Bonnie and is eating. I suspect they sent Bonnie home to get some rest, and I hope she can. She needs to stay healthy to help Denny with his recovery. Lenda

The only way I can get things to grow is basically by benign neglect. Most of the time I plant them, water them and keep my fingers crossed. Some things grow and others don't. The price for the flight when we got it was charged in US dollars on the ship, and we paid in Australian dollars which also made a difference. DH says $200/pp isn't too bad for the flight now. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot central Texas. The thermometer is reading 105F, and it's hot in the sun. I think supper tonight will be easy. It will be hamburgers cooked on the George Foreman and potato chips. We just got back from picking up the convertible, and while it rides better, it is still not perfect. They rotated the tires front to back the last time. We're going to get them put back where they were and see if that helps. I'll take the car up to our neighborhood station to get that done. There is one more part that might help, but since it is an after market part, the tire place wouldn't put it on because of the their insurance. I just hope rotating the tires helps. That ice cream flavor sounds good. I'd love to try some, but it's a little far to go to get some. Terri, the dinner sounds good, and I'm not surprised it was crowded up there. Carolyn, the tour sounds interesting. When we were in Broome in 2002, the ship (Volendam) offered an airplane ride to see the area. Since we'd rented a car, we went to the airport after the tours were finished and took the flight for about half the price paid on the ship. We had to promise the man that we wouldn't tell anyone on the ship to get the deal. Your flowers are lovely. I wish I had a green thumb. I noticed today that my marigolds which have really grown and bloomed are getting where the heat is getting to them even though they are watered every night. Parts are beginning to wilt and turn brown. I guess I'm lucky they did so well for so long. I'm going to wait and see what happens since I've never had marigolds grown so big and tall. Lenda

Gerry, thanks for the smile and laugh. That sure does look like west Texas in the summer. As hot as it is in Texas, it is even hotter in Arizona and the sourthwest. Lenda

Edi, I'm so sorry about Denny. Sending positive thoughts that he will recover completely, and for comfort and strength for Bonnie during what must be a very stressful time. Lenda

So true. We can learn a lot from dogs. Lenda

Katherine, I don't deserve the thanks. Vanessa, @JazzyV is the one who remembered and mentioned your anniversary in her post. She is very good at keeping tract of all our happenings, birthdays and anniversaries. Hurray on 54 years! Lenda

@Lady Hudson Katherine, Happy Anniversary to your and your DH. Wishing you both many more happy years together. Lenda

Good morning again. It was really pleasant when I took my walk shortly after 6:30, and it was still nice when I went to the store. I was there by 7:30 and was almost too late. They only had three left of what I went to get. The ecoupon was for five, and I knew if I used it for three, it probably would not work for two more later. I wound up getting two more slightly different items covered by the coupon. Just as I was working on this post, DH said it was time to take the car into the shop. I quickly shut the computer down, and off we went. On the way home, we were just in time for a drive thru breakfast before they stopped serving breakfast. I think we are in for the day, as it is at least 96F according to the computer, and it's not even 11:45 am. I was pleasantly surprised to see the post was still here. Denise, I hope the meeting with the dog goes well on Saturday. Debbie, I hope this time the drain people can solve the problem so this won't happen again. Annie, I hope Chuck has better luck today getting an earlier flight. While doing the exercises from now on doesn't sound like fun, it can make a big difference. After my father had back problems when he was about 35, he did exercises everyday and never had any more back problems. Hope that is the case with you. Gerry, your rain yesterday sounds wonderful. We're past our rainy season, and we really need rain. Penny, I'm glad the new stylist and salon worked out, and was less expensive. I found out yesterday, my stylist will be changing salons next month. I've been considering changing to another stylist where I go now, but was not sure how that would work. This may be the answer if I don't follow her to the new salon. Joy, Ollie looks like he's settled in nicely and has a lot of toys too. And those big eyes! How much more will he grow? Bruce, I'm glad you caught the error with the credit card quickly and it has been resolved. Enjoy your visit with DD and the DGDs. Vanessa, I'm sorry you are still having to take antihistamines for your shots, but I'm glad the amount has decreased. Terry, I hope the coming rains don't cause more flooding. Please wish you DB a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY for us. I hope his move to Connecticut goes smoothly. Terri, I'm happy you enjoyed your day in Riga and the Ho-Ho bus. I'm still looking for cruises that stop there. Carolyn, I know you will enjoy seeing the zoo through your DGS's eyes, and the evening with both DGSs. I'm glad you could get the problem with your ATM card solved easily. Lenda

We've been to Devil's Island twice. The first time was in 1999 on Noordam III and the second was in 2006 on the old Regal Princess. The 1999 pictures are pre-digital, so these are from 2006. You cannot actually visit Devil's Island, the smallest of the three islands. It was the isolation camp for a handful of political prisoners. The main prison was on Salvation Island. The third island is Isle Royal. The island from the tender Devil's Island Some of the prison buildings The church The more modern or restored buildings. A few natives The path to the tender dock and the harbor between the islands. Lenda

A very early good morning from central Texas where the sun is just beginning to show its self. At 6 am it is 82F and feels like 88F with an 11mph breeze. Our high will be 107F again today, but yesterday, DH saw a high of 108F. Yes, it's a dry heat, but when it's above 100, it's still hot. This will be a busy early morning before it gets too hot. I need to get my walk in and a quick run to the store to pick up something that's on sale before they sell out. Then, we need to take the convertible over to the place where we had the front end aligned a couple of months ago. It has never been quite right since then. They said to bring it in and leave it, so they can look at it when they have time. DH suspects they did not tighten everything back down. If this doesn't work, then we'll need to take it to the dealership in Ft. Worth. New friends are always nice, and since we've been in central Texas for more than a year instead of traveling, I'm getting to know all our new neighbors. Today's quote is very true. The meal sounds good if someone else makes it. I'll pass on the drink, but would like to try the wine if it's not too pricey or elusive. We've been to Devil's Island twice, once on Noordam III in pre-digital days, and once on Princess. @marshhawk Annie, I hope Chuck @catmando has a safe trip home and was able to get an earlier flight. Lenda

Thanks, Terry. We wish it was sooner, too. If DH hadn't kept after them, no telling when we'd get the appointment. I'm not sure the orders were put in until today, when they should have been put in on July 7 or 10 at the latest. Lenda

We think the LP will make a difference. When he had the second surgery, we're pretty sure there was a loss of spinal fluid during the surgery, and I think there was more loss in the drain they placed after surgery while he was in the hospital. By the time he was discharged from rehab and along with the PT his walking was much improved. Before he began experiencing the worsening symptoms of NPH, he was even able to walk without the walker and was not dizzy. That is not the case now. We are hopeful they will agree to the shunt and that it will make a big difference. We are supposed to keep a diary of the symptoms between the LP and the doctor visit. Yes, patients and their advocates must be persistent even if it annoys the schedulers. Our condolences to your friend and her family on the loss of her mother. I hope you're not too stiff or sore after the PT. Lenda

Terri, thanks for the beautiful sunset. Debbie, I hope the drain people can get the problem solved and it's not a big project. Having them check the entire system seems to be a good idea, especially with an old house. IIRC, this is not the first time you've had the problem. I think being the very squeaky wheel worked. We got a message from the nurse contact that she is working with the doctor's scheduler to try to get DH an appointment near the end of August for the shunt evaluation. I think she doesn't want to have DH keep calling or messaging all the time. While we were waiting for the appointment with the NP he'd call every so often to see if there was a cancellation. BTW, I looked up the doctor, and his CV is impressive, and it explains why he is so busy. He's also on the faculty of the UTSW medical school. Lenda

Finally, there is some progress. DH now has an appointment for the lumbar puncture on August 8. We have to be at the hospital at 9:30 am for a 11 am appointment. After the puncture, we are supposed to keep a diary of how he is doing, both from his perspective and from mine. Then, they will schedule an appointment to see a doctor about scheduling placing the shunt. It's progress, but it still seems slow when you're living with the situation. I just glad things are beginning to move, but it seems the orders were issued today instead of the day we saw the NP or the next Monday. I can't help thinking if DH hadn't become a squeaky wheel Friday and yesterday, we might still be waiting. Lenda

Good afternoon from central Texas were it is heating up. It's about 101F but will definitely be hotter later this afternoon. It's been a busy morning with errands, a haircut and laundry. The laundry is almost finished. The last load of clothes are in the drier and the sheets are in the washer. I would pick the hotest day to do laundry, but it was time. I hope you get some rain to help with the air quality. I also hope they are able to recover Conrad and Mattie. Seeing their pictures on the national news last night was heart wrenching. After seeing the pictures of the flood, I can understand why the school was deemed unusable for the coming year. Terry, I hope all of you but especially Tana and Lou are not adversely affected by the bad air and the humidity. I hope Lou can rest some today even with an appointment and recover from yesterday. Managing the port and the infusion pump sounds daunting, but I'm sure you and DD can handle it, especially if it keeps Lou home and out of the hospital. Jacqui, that is good news that Ivan is himself even with the weather the way it is. It seems the injection is working and I hope the second one keeps him feeling good, and off the pain meds. Such sad news that another firefighter has lost his life keeping others safe. Debbie, I hope you get the drain unclogged. What a nuisance. Gerry, thanks for the picture of your beautiful flower. Whatever you're doing or not doing is working. Mary Kay, good work on continuing the difficult job of downsizing. It will be worth it when you're finished and in your new home. Rich, I'm happy you could get away and enjoy a reunion with some GW cruisers. Vanessa, that's great news the mammogram and bone density scan were normal. I found out last year, our little regional hospital is using a 3D mammogram. The tech said they now rarely have any callbacks with the new machine. UTSW is not only a teaching hospital but one of the big medical schools in Texas. The neurology department is considered one of the best, if not the best, so it is in high demand. Having the best for DH is important, but the waiting is not fun and worrying. Brenda, thanks for the pictures. Lenda