Quartzsite Cruiser

Terri, I hope the steroid injection helps and keeps you from needing surgery. Eva, thanks for showing us the other two members of the Wednesday group. Beautiful, sunset, Debbie. Annie, congratulations on the BIG sale. Way to go. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot central Texas. I also had one of the those days, but it was just a bunch of little things not going right. The good news is DH found a watch repair center that will take a look at the last watch that needs work. They even sent us a shipping label, so the watch is boxed and ready to drop off for UPS tomorrow. Then, dealing with the HAL website today was not easy as it should have been. The good news is, after a call from our PCC today, we rebooked the cruise we book Monday and saved a good chunk of change. I think we finally have a good PCC again after our really good one decided to be a stay at home mother a few years ago. Now, we just need her to stay on the job. 🤞 Ouch, Pennie, that doesn't sound good. I'm glad you got the incision restitched. I hope that is the last of the problems for you. I'm sorry Shirl is still not happy, but it's good she wasn't nasty on the phone. Thanks for sharing your purple iris with us, Brenda. Purple iris are my favorite flower. Joy, I hope tomorrow is better. Thanks for the pictures of the fawns. We see between one and four deer at night, but have not seen any fawns. I wonder if they are hiding in the trees. @Vict0riann Ann, best wishes for a successful surgery tomorrow, and a speedy recovery. Lenda

@Cruising-along Carolyn and @NextOne Edi, can you please email me at mscrystal70 at gmail dot com. Lenda

@mamaofami Carol, I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and there are many more birthdays to follow. Lenda

Good morning from central Texas. It is a typical summer morning with a mix of clouds and sun. It is 81F at 8:15 am and feels like 90F, so we are under a heat advisory until 7 pm. Given the long range forecast shows triple digits, I think the heat advisory could legitimately extend to October. We have a 9mph wind from the south and 90% humidity with a heat index of 78F. Our predicted high is 91F, so after I run to the store to get ice cream on sale before they run out, I plan to stay inside until close to sunset when it will be cool enough for our golf cart ride. Bar codes are very handy when shopping, especially grocery shopping. During my teens, I discovered that canoes and I were not made for each other. I enjoyed the Harry Potter books, and DH and I enjoyed the movies. An interesting quote about authors from J. D. Salinger. Thirty years ago, I knew an author who's daughter was my aerobics instructor. Her mother wrote romance novels for Harlequin, and the daughter told our class that mother's shouldn't know about a lot of what was in her books, much less write about them. Grilled pork chops are good, but it's probably too hot to grill some today. We normally just season them with salt and pepper. We'll pass on the drink, and I would love to try the wine if the price was a lot lower. We have not been to Oman, so I am not able to help with pictures today. Two interesting days in history, one for England and one for the world. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, enjoy your day and tour in Kirkwall. I hope you have better weather than we did in 2017 with a torrential rain. I hope your sister didn't tear her bicep, but if so, I hope the fix isn't too bad. @rafinmd Roy, thanks for the pictures of the new locks in the Panama Canal. @aliaschief Safe travels for Sue today and for her and your DD tomorrow. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm glad you made it safely to Jacksonville. I hope the doctor can help you with the shoulder in a way that you can avoid surgery. @smitty34877 Terry, that is good news Tana is showing interest in food. Sending positive thoughts for a quiet day today, and many more quiet days ahead. @cunnorl Charlene, the return of the Starligner is very concerning. We're hoping for the best and a safe return soon. @superoma Great picture of your Wednesday group, Eva. Is the dog a regular member of the group or an interloper? @dfish Debbie, I loved the picture of the lake you posted yesterday. Lenda

Debbie, you and Sue should consider the cruise. There is a good sale intil the end of the month with a lot of perks. I'm not sure when HAL will offermit again. Lenda

We've never been to Nome and only one brief visit to Dutch Harbor 24 years ago. As I said, Wrangell was a quick ferry stop, so I'm looking forward to seeing it. We also disembarked the ferry in Prince Rupert, but only saw part of it in the very early morning in the rain as we drove through town. Homer and Valdez are interesting, quirky towns. The pipeline ends in Valdez. Lenda

Thanks, Carolyn. I looked at the roll call Sunday and will join shortly. I tried to book our HIA dinners and shore excursions. The site said no dining options available, and the excursions I wanted to do were sold out. Of course, we've cruised and driven to Alaska so many times, we've pretty much seen it all and done just about everything. We even stopped in Wrangell on the ferry, but after a couple of blocks, I realized it was too far to walk into town and get back in time. Besides, it started raining. Lenda

Good afternoon from a partly cloudy, wind and hot (96F) central Texas. I had a mostly successful day in Fort Worth. The jewelry store could send one of my watches and one of DH's in to be fixed. My other watch was not one they could handle, but he was nice enough to get me the information on how to contact the service center and the name of a jewelry store in Arlington that could possibly send the watch in. As far as the rest of the errands, I was mostly successful, but there were a few things I could not find. I'm just glad there was a breeze to make being outside tolerable, and the a/c in the car worked. Yesterday, after fighting the HAL website, we did something we never had done. We booked the 2025 Artic Circle Solstice cruise. We normally book a lot closer to the cruise, but this is one I've wanted to do, and they had a good sail going until the end of the month. Carolyn @Cruising-along if all goes right, we'll finally get to meet. Glad you got good news from your cardiologist, Charlene. Annie, our condolences to you, @catmando Chuck, and BFF on the passing of your friend. It's a shame he missed the items on his bucket list. Beautiful flowers and good looking cats, Jake. Thanks for sharing the poster from 1965. Terri, good news about the appointment tomorrow. I hope they can help without surgery. Ann, thanks for the picture from the gardens. I like looking at beautiful gardens, but not all the work they entail. We'll be thinking of you Thursday. Thanks for the pictures from your tour. Interesting pictures, Roy, and a great way to recycle oil drums. Thanks for sharing them.

Sandi, if you don't have time to post before your tour tomorrow, I'll be happy to post the links to tomorrow's port od the day. Lenda

Good morning from a partly cloudy and humid central Texas. It is 79F and feels like 87F with 96% humidity and a dew point of 78F. Our predicted high is 98F, so my errands in Fort Worth will not be that fun. We have a 7 mph wind which will help some. I hope to head out early and get home as early as possible. I'm still trying to find some one to fix my two watches. They need to be sent to the manufacturers service center, and the store in Waco did not have an account with those watch makers. I'm hoping the jeweler in Fort Worth can help. Since I'll be there, I'll also stop at Costco and Total Wine plus the mall. Seafarers deserve a day for all the hard work the do away from home. I'm a huge Beatles fan and will definitely celebrate their day. The DDs loved the Smurfs growing up; so I'll celebrate them too. I hope the Carrie Fisher quote was said in jest; otherwise, it's rather sad. We like French onion soup, but will wait until we are on a BHB to have some. My one attempt to make it was not a big success. We'll pass on the drink and the wine. We have not been to Puerto Limon, but have been to San Jose from the Pacific side. I don't remember the day in history, but it was a big milestone in communications. @Crazy For Cats Jake, please wish Juan a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY for us. @dfish Debbie, safe travels today and enjoy your visit to Barb's lake house. @cat shepard Ann, for most red wines Black Box is my go to wine label. I have not tried their Pinot Grigio, either full bodied or their Brilliant Collection version. We did try their Brilliant Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, and I thought it was rather weak for a red. @ottahand7 Nancy, I hope your DB's infection is soon just a memory, and he can go home. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I hope you do not have a torn bicep, but something more easily fixed. @0106 Tina, that is one huge catfish. @kazu Jacqui, I hope the chiropractor can help determine the source of your foot and leg pain. Good luck with the car a/c. Lenda

Maybe buy the factory. Lenda

Terri, I'm sorry about the latest news. I hope there is a simple fix. Most of all, I hooe your luck changes soon. Lenda

Tony, thank you for your pictures of Valencia and your wonderful, talented family. Great pictures as usual, Brenda. Thank you. Thanks for the picture of the cute DGSs and the kitties. The family will have fun on their rv trip. We took a lot of rv trips when the DDs were little, and learned to always get a campground with a pool unless we were in a national park or national forest campground. Jacqui, thank you for sharing the special pictures of you and DD DH. Lenda

Thank you, Graham, for your report and the great pictures. We've enjoyed our stops in all the ports on your cruise, and the pictures being back great memories. Our one cruise on P&O Oriana in 2000 was before there were specialty restaurants on ships. I happy you and Pauline enjoyed your cruise.

Good morning from another sunny and windless day in central Texas. It is already 79F and heading to 96F with no chance of rain. The wind will pick up to about 10mph later which will help. The humidity is down to 85% with a dew point of 74F. We are also under a heat advisory until tomorrow evening. I expect that to be extended since all but about three days in the extended forecast will be in the low triple digits. Women in diplomacy deserve their day, and I also thought about Madeline Albright. Fairies are an interesting concept, and lunch breaks are good, but we only eat breakfast and supper. An interesting quote from J. K. Rowling. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. The Pinot Noir sounds good and has a good price. We drove through Valencia in 2001 on our drive around Spain before boarding a cruise. We had planned to spend time walking through the old town, but when we couldn't find a parking place nearby and the steady rain, we decided to keep driving. Two good days in the history of art and acting. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, please wish your DD a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY for us. I'm sorry you will miss another port. @marshhawk Annie, I'm glad you survived the trip to the vets. I'm guessing Avondale Estates will regret the reduction of lanes through the town when traffic backs up or gets to a standstill. @kazu Jacqui, I hope all your wonderful memories of DD DH make today a bit easier. @Denise T Denise, I hope your wrist is better soon. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm sorry Tana is having such a rough time. You, Tana, the teenager, and the rest of the family are in my thoughts everyday. I just wish there was more we could do. @grapau27 Graham and Pauline, welcome home. I'm glad you had a nice cruise. Lenda

@Sharon in AZ Sharon, I hope you have a wonderful birthday followed by many more great birthdays. Lenda

Thanks for the update on Paul, Roy. I hope his recovery continues without any problems. Growing up in west Texas, we could get WLS and WWL from New Orleans at night. Annie, when DH was station at Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, NJ, in 1969 and 1970, we would listen to WABC and Cousin Brucie. Years later, we'd listen to his radio show on SiriusXM, until he left in 2020 to return to WABC. Lenda

Wow, Annie, that is a lot of cats. I thought we had a lot when we had 5. Vanessa, there are a couple of roads that cross the biggest wash in Quartzsite. They close the gates when the wash is flooding to stop people from entering the wash. However, the deepest part of one wash is not blocked when there is a lot of rain. Most people in Q know to stay out of the washes when the water is running. Sharon, I hope DH's back is better soon. Susan, I can understand your frustration with the new board. We ran into that with our home owners group a few years ago. They did not want to hear what had happened in the past, and why we had some of the rules we did. Now, I just keep my mouth shut, which is not always easy for me. 😁 Lenda

Our daughter and DSIL have EE degrees, and work in the computer industry. He works for Field Buss in the non-profit side. DD works for ARM and designs chips for others to license and manufacture. She worked for Motorola, Free Scale and Intel, before joining ARM, and she also has a few patents in her name. They were both lucky to find jobs in Austin when they graduated from UT. BTW, your The University came in as burnt orange on my monitor. The best I can do is use pumpkin and make it bold. I think very few people who didn't go to UT, don't realize the official name is The University of Texas, and it's written in the state constitution. Lenda

Terri, that is good news that you are doing a bit better. Belated congratulations to your niece being named on of the top 100 women engineers, and on getting a better job, too. Susan, I'm sorry the thrift store is in such and upheaval. I hope someone can get things running smoothly again and soon. Thank you, Graham. Sharon, I'm sorry your backyard flooded, but that happens in the desert. When we get a big rain in Quartzsite we will have standing water in several places until the soil moistens and can absorb the water. That doesn't happen too often though. Lenda

When DH was studying engineering at The University of Texas, there were only a couple o women in the Engineering School. Times have changed, and our older DD has an engineering degree from UT, too. Lenda

After a day and a half in Safaga, we began our Suez Canal transit on April 27, 2003, on the old Regal Princess. We entered the canal at Suez City, and as Sandi @StLouisCruisers mentioned, we saw a lot of sand. We've also transited the Panama Canal and the Kiel Canal, and the Suez Canal was the least interesting. I'm still glad we were able to go through the Suez Canal. Regal Princess was the first cruise ship with passengers to transit the canal after the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Two other cruise ships had gone through, but the passengers were taken off the ships in Safaga, and flown to Port Said. We also had a military escort from Mumbai to Safaga. A friend and I sat out on the Promenade deck and watched the desert pass by. Suez City as we headed for the canal entrance The Al Badr Mosque. I tried to find the names of some of the places along the canal, but what little Google maps showed was written in Arabic without an English translation. Entering the canal, and what looks like a dry dock One of the bridges that span the canal Sand A town on the east bank of the canal Another town Constant dredging is needed to keep the canal open to ship traffic. In places where there is no bridge, ferries take people across the canal. Another area with trees Somewhere in the canal. It began to look the same for most of the transit. Mahalla Preparing to exit the canal The other end of the canal Lenda

Good morning from another sunny day in central Texas. It is 75F and feels like 75F with 93% humidity and a dew point of 73F. Our predicted high is 93F, and since we have not had any rain for more than a week, I broke down and turned the sprinkler on last night. There is no rain in the long range forecast. I guess our rainy season is over. The only thing on the agenda today is laundry, which I should have done Friday. I will salute women in engineering, including our own @AV8rix Susan. Let it go is a good concept that is sometimes very difficult. I had never heard of Detroit-style pizza, but I think we'll stick to thin crust pizza. An interesting quote, and laughter is good for all of us. The tomato soup sounds good, but for a much cooler day. The drink also sounds refreshing, but we'll pass on the wine. We transited the Suez Canal in 2003. Congratulations to Iceland for having the world's oldest parliament. The 1894 establishment of the International Olympic Committee was good for athletics. @StLouisCruisers I hope you are feeling back to normal soon. Thanks for your pictures of the Suez Canal. @1ANGELCAT I hope the Philadelphia police officer will recover completely. @0106 Tina, thanks for the explanation and pictures of Detroit-style pizza. @Lady Hudson Katherine, I hope you find a good cruise with an assessable cabin. I'm sorry about your friend having a massive stroke, and hope she can recover completely. @ottahand7 Nancy, I hope the weeds do come up easily. @kazu Jacqui, I'm sorry the foot pain is back, and I hope the foot nurse and the vascular surgeon will be able to get the foot back in good, pain free shape. Lenda

@rafinmd Roy, wishing you a wonderful birthday, and many more to follow. Lenda