Quartzsite Cruiser

Hugs back to you. I hope you and Chuck can get some rest tonight after what had to be a very trying and emotional day. Lenda

Sharon, I'm glad you did not have any damage from the winds near you. There were trees down and other damage from the winds in Quartzsite. I'm hoping our place was not damaged, and I think that's probably true since we've not heard anything form our neighbor who is checking on the house. Lenda

Sharon and @TiogaCruiser sorry about the mix-up. I guess I was thinking about the winds I'd been reading about in Quartzsite. Anyway, I still hope Tucson did not get hit as bad, and that shorthorn CA is spared the worst of the storms and winds. We've been in the house for 23 years, and it needs the paint refreshed. I too have resisted the urge to paint, but this time it is easier to resist. First, we are still waiting for the guy to come check the roof again before we have to tear out the kitchen ceiling to find where the leak is coming from. I'm not looking forward to that prospect. No need to paint until the ceiling is fixed. Also, our livingroom, kitchen and bedroom ceilings slope from 9 feet to 17 feet. No way am I getting up on a ladder or scaffold to paint that ceiling, and if I used a long handled roller, it would be even messier than it normally is when I paint. Debbie, that is another reason I'm resisting the urge to paint. 🤣 At this point, any excuse will work. @kazu Jacqui, I thought of you and the other gardeners when I saw this on FB. Lenda

This morning was one of those mornings that was busy, but really only involved a few little chores. Our Amazon delivery that was due Tuesday finally arrived this morning. It took a slight detour to Shreveport on the way to us. If anyone is interested, the church in my photos is the Vik Church. DH reminded me of a neat trick to identify photos if you are using Google Chrome. With the cursor on the picture right click on the mouse. A dropdown dialogue box will appear, and one of the final items is Search image with Google. I betting that this is not news to many of you. 😉 Paul, I'm sorry you are still not feeling good, and I hope you are 100% soon. Karen, that is great news about your DH coming home next Friday. The extra week will be good to help build his strength. The extra three days they kept DH in rehab helped a lot. Vanessa, I hope the injection helps as much as it helped DH. It's strange there were five transformer explosions in different surrounding communities at almost the same time. Susan, I'm sorry your nephew and his wife have Covid, but glad they have mild cases. I'm sorry your other nephew is having health issues, but glad your DS's daughter is nearby to help. I hope the health issues are easily taken solved. Debbie, the painting can be fun, but the clean up is just a chore. It is worth the effort in the end. Carolyn, we also like to do our own thing in ports, and normally rent a car. We can see more in the same amount of time than the tours can. Since we don't eat lunch as a rule, we have an extra hour or two that tours spend on lunch. However, in certain countries, we are not comfortable renting a car. If possible we'll do the Ho-Ho or some version of a local tour. Then, there are some places we've found ship tours are the best option, especially if getting back to the port in time is iffy. Ann, thanks for the pictures. Sorry Pat got stung. The Sindri is gorgeous. Thank you, Graham. I try to add a little something about most of the pictures so everyone can understand them better. I guess that is partly due to having been a reporter at one time. Todd, I'm glad to see you have been part of today's discussion. Lenda

Our last day in Reykjavik in 2017, we drove southwest of town around the Reykjanasbaer Peninsula, with side trips to Keflavik and Gardur before stopping at the Blue Lagoon. I think these are of Gardur, and that I didn't get any of Keflavik as we drove through. After we left Gardur, we came across an area where the Rif between the European and North American continental plates was visible. We liked it better since it was easier to see and and not nearly as crowded. This time we just walked across the bridge between the two continents. Our final stop (and my final pictures today) was the Blue Lagoon. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, we have visited the Blue Lagoon a couple of times, but have never gotten in the water. Lenda

In 2017, the first day in Reykjavik, we headed east, stopping when we saw something interesting. Our final destination was Black Beach, but our first stop was the museum at one of the geothermal plants. I have pictures, but they are really just pictures of big pipes and not all that interesting. If you haven't guessed by now, I like waterfalls. We stopped at the first one on our way to see Seljalandsfoss, the second waterfall. BTW, we have been to Gulfoss twice, but I did not want to repeat pictures. Black Beach is black with very interesting formations just off shore. The cave and area around the cave reminded us of the Giants Causeway outside of Belfast. It had the same type of formations only on a smaller scale. Could this be the "trolls causeway"?😁 Puffins were nesting on ledges outside the cave. This is the closest we've gotten to those little birds. The village of Vik near Black Beach I'm not sure if this was in Vik or another village. On the way back to town, we drove down to the ferry to Heimaey, an island off shore. We almost took the ferry over there, but decided not too as that was our next port. I think some of you may have figured out what happened. We missed Heimaey as it was too rough to tender as the anchorage was unprotected. Maybe some day. Anyway, I could not resist getting a picture of this sign in the ladies restroom. Lenda

In 2016, the first day, we drove north out of town along the west coast of Iceland as far as Grundarfjordur before heading inland and back to Reykjavik. There is some really spectacular scenery in that part of the Iceland. These are just a few of the pictures of our drive that day. I believe these were in Rif, which is what I have in my list of places we visited that day, but I could not find it on the map. This tells the story of the area better than I can. Grundarfjordur is a very pretty little town in a beautiful setting, but I would not want to be there in the winter. We stopped there in 2009 on the Tahitian Princess and walked around town. A very pretty cascade Back in Reykjavik, we decided to drive out to the Blue Lagoon. The next day, we did our own Golden Circle tour. I'll post the pictures from the Blue Lagoon in the next batch of pictures. The pictures from our DIY Golden Circle tour were posted in the first batch of pictures. Lenda

We have been to Reykjavik three times. The first time was in 2003 on Rotterdam III roundtrip from NYC. That cruise was the precursor to the VOV, and we went up the west side of Greenland and all the way to St. Petersburg. We were there again on Prinsendam in 2016 and 2017. We have always found interesting things to do and see, but never have had enough time to look around Reykjavik itself. I have so many pictures, that I think I'll break them up into several posts that are more manageable. This is one of the very few pictures of Reykjavik. It is the building where Reagan and Gorbachev had their 1986 summit. Three pictures of the Rif in 2003 and a couple from 2016. There were a lot of changes in the intervening 13 years. Some were manmade and some were caused when the volcano erupted in 2010. 2016 These pictures of Geysir (their pronunciation is geezer) are from 2003. The 2010 volcanic eruption affected Geysir, and it does not erupt as high or as often now. I'm not sure if this is Geysir or another one. We stopped at this church one our tour in 2003 These pictures from our last stop are for the Garden Club members and cheerleaders. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy and windy central Texas. It was 48F when I woke up, and it is now 47F. We have seen our high for today, and this afternoon it will be 44F. Our temperatures will begin rising tomorrow and be in the 70s and 80s for several days, but with our normal wind. We were a couple of days early on celebrating tortilla chips. We had cheese dip and tortilla chips Wednesday, and I bought another bag of chips yesterday. Until Tuesday, I had never heard of paczkis, but would like to try one. Bartenders do a great job, especially the ones on BHBs. I like the Abraham Lincoln quote. We'll pass on the meal, although DH would like it. We'll also pass on the drink and the wine. We have been to Reykjavik three times on BHBs. I'll repost my pictures in a few minutes. Jake, this is the way I now like seeing snow, beautiful pictures on a computer screen on the Daily. Maureen, continued safe travels for you and your DH today. Wishing all your family safe flights today and tonight, and hope that they all arrive in time for the cruise. Ann, I hope your patio is put back in place while you are out. Enjoy your visit with the family, and hope it helps with the healing after your nephew's death. Great memes, and we had a cat that would walk on the keyboard. Jacqui, good news that your plants arrived early and a kind neighbor braved the weather to retrieve them from the mailbox for you. Graham, I'm glad the injections and visits to the chiropractor are helping Sarah. She will be in our thoughts as she visits her best friend. Bruce, to quote a line from a movie, "You chose well." Nancy, thanks for the pictures of Recife and Olinda. We were there in 1999, and thought Olinda was better than Recife. When we did the Amazon River cruise, the ship closed the self-service laundries and also did not do passengers' laundry while we were in the river. All the silt in the river could pay havoc with the water filtration, etc. Gerry, our smoke detectors go off about 2 am. I hope the service company is prompt to repair the furnance, and that it is a quick and easy fix. Debbie, good luck with today's painting, and I know you'll love the bathroom after you finish. I agree about bathrooms being a pain you know where to paint. Roy, just think of all the birthday wishes as a prelude to your actual birthday. Welcome to the Fleet/Daily. You already know we are the friendliest place on CC. We hope to see you here again. I hope the storm is not too bad in Tucson. I've heard Quartzsite has been getting very high winds with extremely strong gusts. Lenda

🎈 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROY! 🎂 Lenda

@marshhawk Annie, you, Chuck and Neko are in my thoughts this morning. Knowing you are doing what is best for Neko does not make the task any easier. (((((HUGS)))) Lenda

I don't think gloves would help me either. I have clothes that I only wear when I'm painting. I also find paint on my arms and legs since I wear shorts and a t-shirt to paint. Lenda

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Tony, thanks for sharing your pictures. Linda, I loved the beautiful sunset picture. Roy, I'm glad that's behind you. Relax and get some sleep tonight. Eva, good news about the power being back on. We have a thermostat that we can control remotely from our phones or tablets. It's great when we're away from home. Annie, I'll be thinking about you, Chuck and Neko tomorrow and sending virtual ((((HUGS)))) to all of you and Dr. Tucker. Vanessa, T-Mobile hasn't informed their customers yet of the change, but I've seen two news articles about it. It's one of the changes the new CEO is making. Edi, thanks for another beautiful sunset. Debbie, thank you for upholding the high (or is it low) standards of the Messy Painters Guild. Paint inside the gloves is a new one for me, but then, I skip the gloves. 😉 Sandi, sending positive thoughts your DS arrives home on time and safely. Safe flights tomorrow and have a great cruise. BON VOYAGE! Living in a very small town has some advantages. Our doctor left another practice almost ten years ago and opened his practice. We were one of his first patients the new practice which has really grown. He now has an excellent PA who I see, a nurse practioner and a social worker. This summer, he told DH he would personally handle his case. Besides all that, he has a phebotomist to take blood samples and once a week an x-ray technician comes in. Yes it takes a while to get results from blood tests since they have to send them to an independent lab. If the results are good, it may take a little longer to hear from them, but if something needs changing or checking out, they call right a way. Two days a week, the doctor sees his patients in their nursing homes. Not only do we have a full service medical practice, but they are not afraid to admit when something is beyiond their capabilities, and to refer the patient to a specialist while still following the progress. Plus, the big boys are not in the picture. Lenda

Deal, but DH may fight yu for the Brussels sprouts. Have fun painting. Lenda

@lindaler 🎈 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA! 🎂 Annie, I'm sorry you won't be with Neko at the very end. My guess is they give her the sedative before taking her back to the treatment room so that the last people she see and remembers are you and Chuck. Susan, please be careful clearing your car and shoveling that snow. Eva, I'm sorry you lost power, but glad you could go to your DD's place. Lorraine, I'm sorry your grandson is having some much trouble adjusting to the loss of his grandfather and uncle. I know it was hard on you this morning, and I hope the therapy plus the love of his family helps soon. Lenda

I'm beginning to believe that I need to stop saying it's a sunny day when I post earlier in the day. By the time I got to the store, the clouds had moved in. The wind also picked up while I was in the store. That being said, I'll still take the clouds and wind over sleet, freezing rain or snow. We could handle all that when we lived north of the Mason-Dixon line, but we were a lot younger then. I hope everyone who is in the path of the storms are safe, warm and have power. Debbie, I had to laugh about the carrots, but I'll gladly take them. But please, don't give me Brussel sprouts. Vanessa, while your BFF's father and uncle both passed quickly after getting sick, I am glad they did not linger long and suffer. I know it's hard on the family losing two family members so close together. And a big YIKES! 😱 on the pharmacy trying to give you the expensive version of the drug. We have T-Mobile and have used in all over the world including Vietnam. Not only data which can be slow, but texting is free too. Even calls are not that expensive if they are kept short. A heads up, beginning sometime around May, T-Mobile will no longer give a discount for auto-pay with a credit card. They will still give the auto-pay discount from a bank account or a debit card. Thanks for the pictures. Charlene, while there is crime in South America, it has always been there since we first visited SA in 1999. If you follow the advice and don't wear jewelry or an expensive watch, dress down, stay alert, and don't go off the beaten path, you should be all right. In some ports it might be better to take a ship's tour or a local tour booked at the terminal. All that can be said for many major cities in the US too. I was sorry to see the news about the reporter and the photographer being shot. Sandi, that picture is one of the reasons we moved back to Texas, and spend most winters in Arizona. Annie, I've always been with our fur babies when we had to have them put down. DH and the DDs did not want to be there, but I needed to be with them. I know it will not be easy, but I think having their humans with them and loving them as they cross the Rainbow Bridge helps them too. Lenda

Good morning from a mostly clear central Texas where it is 59F. Today's high is predicted to be 64F and we'll be in the 40s tomorrow. It's the time of year when we have cold days, then back in the 70sF for a few days. When we had dogs, they loved their dog biscuits. My father was an avid tennis player, and he was very disappointed when I turned out to be a horrible tennis player. Digital learning is great, and I've learned a lot here. I always like Erma Bombeck's quips and her books. We will pass on the meal, drink and wine. I have a lentil and wild rice recipe, but I haven't made it in years. We have not been to Hobart or any other place in Tasmania. Hopefully, we'll get there one day. Sandi, thank for your wonderful pictures of Hobart. Also, thank you for filling in for Rich and starting us off each morning. Roy, I hope the monitor got enough information for the doctor, and it is a "one and done". I'm glade you got a good night's sleep. Safe travels today and tomorrow. Jacqui, I have no doubt that you will buckle down and do your exercises. Keep reminding yourself there is a glass(es) of wine at the end of the exercises. Thanks for your pictures from Hobart. I loved seeing all the animals, and that one kangaroo really looks relaxed. Great memes again today, Bruce. Terri, just remember there is progress already on the bathroom and that you'll have a great new bathroom when all the work is completed. Gerry, that is great news that you did not need a crown. As winners of Frigid Bingo, stay safe and warm. Terry, I hope your DH's medical problems are easily solved. Tana's son deserves applause 👏 for stepping up and helping care for his mother. I know this time has been hard on him, and I know Tana and the rest of the family are very proud of her son. Good luck with the snow removal. At least, it is not deep. Now, it's time to head to the store to beat the crowds. Lenda

@JazzyV Vanessa, our condolences to you, your BFF and his family on the death of his uncle. I hope the good memories of him and his long life can bring everyone comfort. Lenda

Debbie, I'm glad your DB and DS are safely home. Be careful shoveling the snow. Paul, glad you made it home safely. Eva, I'm glad your DD got to be home before things got any worse. Lenda

Besides, you would have probably need some first aid afterwards. 😁 Welcome to the Fleet/Daily. Laura, thank you for sharing your pictures. It looks like a neat place to wander around. I like many of the small Icelandic communities. Lenda

The rain storm has moved on east and slightly north, and we now have a beautiful sunny day. DH decided to put his telescope out to look at the sun now that the clouds are gone and he has a new solar filter for the telescope. Susan, stay safe during the storm. I'm glad you prepared and have enough food for you and the dogs. Jacqui, I'm glad you made it back home safely before the storm arrives. Take care and rest. Hope you don't lose power. Ann, I hope Pat's pre-op tests and the phone interviews go well. I also hope he gets finished in time to drive you to the meeting. Nancy, the crayons are a good idea to take to the kids in Boca de Valeria. We were also discouraged from brining candy for the kids. They love it, but the village is isolated and does not have a dentist. Debbie, I'm sorry your surgery was pushed back to the end of March. At least, your surgeon should be well rested after his vacation. Carolyn, I'm glad Captain Soot likes the "doctored" cat food. At least, you don't have to put drops in his eye. Good to see you posting again. I hope the storm misses you, but if not, I hope the power stays on. Lenda

Good morning from a wet central Texas. We received about 1/3 inch of rain, and could still get some more in the next hour or so. It is 61F currently, but once the rain moves further east and the clouds disappear our high should reach about 78F. I can already see a patch of blue sky. Ash Wednesday begins a somber time on the Christian calendar. We'll celebrate George Washington's birthday. I try to be humble. Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote is very true. Since neither of us are fond of curry, we'll pass on the meal and the drink. I would love to try the wine, but it is rather pricey. We have not been to Djupivogur, and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the port. @puppycanducruise I hope you do not lose power during the coming storm. @rafinmd Roy, I hope you don't have to wait all day for the monitor. I'm glad you slept well last night, but wish it had been a longer sleep. @dfish Debbie, I hope you get to the gym and the pedicure done and are safely home before the storm really hits your area. @ottahand7 Nancy, I guess we were lucky in Salvador de Bahia since we did not encounter any begging. However, in 2015, we took a city tour that we picked up in the cruise terminal. We paid for the three hour tour, but somehow, the lady put us on the bus for the six hour tour. We'd realize it until the first stop. BTW, we did no see any begging when we did the Amazon cruise, but we were told not to give money to the children in Boca de Valeria since they'd give it to their parents who would use it to buy beer or booze. It was recommended to donate to the school or the church instead. We enjoyed our visit to Boca de Valeria and meeting the friendly residents. @HAL Sailer Melissa, I'm glad your drive to DSIL's memorial service went well. How nice of Pearl to restart the prayer chain, and that was a nice way to honor your DSIL's memory. @smitty34877 Terry, I think there are some people who will grumble about anything. Yes, dogs and cats are much better behaved than many humans. @cat shepard Ann, thanks for the picture of Bindi. @ger_77 Gerry, I hope the dentist appointment goes well and you can get a new crown soon. @JazzyV Vanessa, I hope the PET stress tests results show no surprises. @grapau27 Graham, like Roy, @rafinmd I was wondering if you could take the ferry from Newcastle to IJmuiden to board a HAL cruise. @cruising sister Lorraine, I hope the new airport means more non-stop flights for you. @Cruzin Terri Terry, I hope the work on the bathroom can progress quickly. @marshhawk Annie, I'm sorry the decision about Neko had to be made sooner than expected. It's never an easy decision even when you know it is for the best. For those in the path of the winter storms, I hope everyone stays safe and does not lose power. Lenda

I hate to bust your bubble, but DH and I are both O positive. He is my bug repellent as the mosquitoes, etc., go after him. If I get bitten, I know they are BAD. Lenda

Roy, that is a bummer about the new test and especially the huge delivery window. I hope it gets narrowed down tomorrow. I also hope the test rules out any nasty things the doctor is considering. I agree, navigating the medical "stuff" is not for the faint of heart.