Quartzsite Cruiser

Carolyn, there were times when all aboard was 2:30, and most those days, we just walked around town. There is the The Kodiak History Museum (formerly the Baranov Museum), the National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and the Holy Reresection Orthodox Cathedral all within a block or two of each other. Further away from downtown, there is always Wal-Mart. You can also hire a taxi at the dock to take you to look for bears upstream from the highway bridge and/or to Fort Abercrombie. Lenda

Fred, I'm glad you and Mitzi made it to the cabin safely. Sorry about the tall grass. Maybe you could rent a flock of sheep to take care of the grass until it is shorter. Someone in this area has a flock the rents. Dixie, that is good news. I hope the eye exam and consult goes well tomorrow. Carolyn, for many years we rented a car at a gift shop downtown next to Safeway. The drawback was they didn't open early even when ships were in town, and sometimes not until way after the state opening time. In 2018, after a CC group reserved all the cars the gift shop had, we rented a car at the airport. They will usually pick you up and drop you off, but that day they were busy, so we took a taxi to the airport. We were able to leave the car at the dock for them to pick up later. There are several car rental companies at the airport, and IIRC, we rented from the one that says they try harder. There is a lot to see in Kodiak, and renting a car let us see more without having to wait on people to get back to the bus. If you have any more questions, just ask or email me at mscyrstal70 at gmail dot com. Lenda

Good morning again. I was surprised when I went to the store to find that it was foggy in town. Here it's just dreary and very cloudy. Naturally, they did not the one thing that DH had requested, radishes. I've never seen a store that didn't have radishes, and there wasn't an empty spot where they should have been. Joy, that is good news about your neighbor being on the mend after her surgery, and that her daughter is coming to help. Katherine, I hope all goes well at your DH's doctors' visits. Jacqui, I hope your friend gets better soon. Blood clots in the lungs are very concerning I think I've had many of those plants that don't want me to succeed. Loved the flowers. Terry, I'm sorry Tana has a stomach bug, and I hope it's just one of those 24 hour ones. Annie, I'm sorry your DH is having such a difficult time. Hugs to both of you. Gerry, your friends feel free to drop in or invite themselves because you and your DH are such caring and welcoming people. Lenda

These are pictures taken in 2010 and 2012 on Kodiak. The Orthodox Church on a sunny day, and some of the broken bells from the church. In 2012, as usual, we rented a car. This time we were in port long enough to drive out of town to the Pacific Spaceport Complex. On the way back to town, we drove to Chiniak where we found an inn and café at the end of the road. I found this explanation of the spaceport on line, and this is how it looked when I copied it. The Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) on Kodiak Island provides responsive, flexible, and low-cost access to space for small- and light-lift vertical rockets and stratospheric balloons. PSCA has been launching rockets since 1998 and was the first FAA-licensed spaceport not co-located on a federal range. h The coast near the spaceport Part of the spaceport in the distance Some of the animals near the spaceport who did not seem to mind the weather What awaited us at the end of the road to Chiniak Lenda

We have been to Kodiak 14 times, and all but two of those were on BHBS. Our first time was in 1992, pre-digital, when we put our motorhome on the Tustemena, one of the fleet of the Alaska Marine Highway, for an overnight trip to Kodiak. The motorhome fare cost way more than the fares for both of us and our DDs, and a room for four with a bath. Since our first dachshund, Brandy, was with us, we had to take the motorhome for her to stay in. Also, on the return trip, we left the Trusty Tusty in Seward. We were only in Kodiak one night due to the ferry schedule, but we packed a lot of sightseeing into that day. We did the 14-day out of Seattle 12 times by doing b2b2bs in 2010 and 2012 on Amsterdam, 2015 on Statendam and 2018 on Zaandam. Also in 2018, we stopped in Kodiak on Coral Princess on the Circle the Northern Pacific cruise. We have had great weather on several of the stops, cloudy, misty weather on other stops, and pouring rain on a few stops. When it was pouring rain, we just stayed on the ship and watch the people trying to stay dry waiting for their tours. On December 5, 2012, while we were on Koningsdam, this is what I posted about Kodiak. I found a few different pictures of Kodiak on DH's tablet. They are from our various trips except the one in 1992 in the pre-digital age. @rafinmd, Roy, this first picture is for you. I didn't find a good picture of the Tustemena in Kodiak, but this was her sailing out of Homer, bound for Kodiak. I guess that counts. For those who have never sailed on her or seen her, the tall structure near the stern is how vehicles are loaded on the ferry. You drive onto the platform between the uprights, and are then lowered to the parking deck. Once on that deck, a turntable rotates the vehicle so it can be driven to its parking spot. A Kodiak bear looking for salmon in a stream. Eagles near town looking for fish A WWII bunker and remnants of guns in Fort Abercrombie State Park. This bunker is a museum that is worth a visit. Another bunker The plaque marking the high water level reached by the tidal wave after the March 27, 1964, earthquake. The plaque is near the fire station near McDonalds, quite a way above sea level. Finally, the small boat harbor downtown Lenda

Good morning from a very overcast central Texas. We got a bit of rain last night, and the prediction is for more rain this afternoon. It is 73F with 100% humidity since the dew point is also 73F. Our predicted high today is 84F. It looks like another day to stay inside after I get the grocery shopping out of the way. I guess my getting outdoors will be this morning, and hopefully, it will be nice enough for our evening golf cart ride. Making life beautiful is a great goal. We definitely do not have a crowded nest. I like the Isaac Asimov quote, which is true. I like blueberry muffins, but without the oatmeal, please. A margarita would be nice, but I'll stick with my much less expensive Riesling. We have visited Kodiak many times by ferry, one Princess cruise and the rest on BHBs. Two interesting days in history for the US and Britain. @Vict0riann Ann, I hope your appointment goes well today, and you leave with a plan of action. @MISTER 67 I hope you don't lose power any more with the weather coming your way. I also hope your golf game gets back on track. @grapau27 Graham, thanks for the explanation of crowded nest day. @ottahand7 Nancy, I hope you will get the injection to help with the pain today. @Mr. Boston It's always a relief when buyers pass the financial tests. I hope everything about the move goes smoothly. @Haljo1935 Elizabeth, I hope your PCP signs the required paperwork. Good luck with the eye procedure today. Please wish your sister a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY for us. @aliaschief Bruce, that was good luck getting the dental appointment today. @LambKnuckles Lambie, I also like seeing the sea otters. They remind me of little old men. Lenda

Susan, that is good news about the rain and cooler temperatures. I'm glad your handyman is coming to deal with the fan. Lenda

We got a bit of rain this afternnon, 0.14 inches, and it rained pretty hard for a time. When we took our ride tonight, we noticed the humidity had dropped considerably. The temperature was a pleasant 79F. We also saw all fourn of our deer. Lenda

Good afternoon from a warm, 87F, central Texas. We've had a north wind on and off for most of the afternoon, but it still reached 89F. It has been cloudy all day, but I can see some blue sky now, so I don't know if we'll get any rain. A couple of rain showers a week would be good. I've caught up on a few things, but nothing major today. Thanks for the pictures from Malta, Brenda. Jacqui, I'm sorry you had so much pain last night, but I'm glad you were feeling somewhat better this morning. Carolyn, I hope the dental appointment went well today. Thanks for sharing your pictures of Valletta. Sandy, I'm glad you got the OBC for your CCL stock straightened out. Joy, I'm glad you and your sister are talking again, and that she will be visiting you in July. Susan, I hope you get some much needed rain from the thunderstorms. I hope your DS's annual checkup goes well. Lenda

In 2019 on Veendam, we took the Ho-Ho to see other areas of Malta. There were two routes at the time, and we took the one that did not go to Mdina. The tour took us to the area across from the cruise ship dock. We then went into the countryside before following the coast along the bays on the north side of the island. Unfortunately, I do not remember the names of many of the places we saw. Pictures from our drive around the island. It-Torri ta' San Lucjan There are many towers around the island that were used for defense in the past. Steve Berry's book The Malta Exchange is set partly in Malta, and some of the towers and chapels around the island are featured. We drove to the Blue Grotto which was one of the stops. Some of the area on the north side of the island before reaching the coast road. There are several bays on the northside of the island west of Valletta, where there are a lot of apartments. It looked like the area was really growing with a lot of new buildings. After retiring the old Leyland buses, some were converted to souvenir shops. A nice park An old area near St. Elmo's that was being renovated. Once off the Ho-Ho, we took the elevator up to walk around Valletta. The memorial to Daphne Caruana Galizia was still there, but the area around it was back to plantings. Since we were going to Gozo then next day, we spent the night in Valletta. Lenda

In 2017, our second day in Valletta on Prinsendam, we drove to Mdina. It is a fortified city in the northern part of Malta and was the capital from antiquity to the medieval period. Mdina sits atop a tall hill with commanding views. St. Paul's Cathedral, which was built between 1696 and 1705, is the oldest church in Malta. From the Cathedral, we visited the museum in the same plaza. It was interesting to visit. From there we walked around the small walled town of Mdina. We came to an open area with views of the island. St. Nicholas Chapel The main gate After leaving Mdina, which the locals pronounced M-dina, we headed back to Valletta. After turning the car in, we took the elevator to the Upper Barrakka Gardens. Boy, is that elevator worth the cost. The view from the Barrakka Gardens. The cannon battery below the gardens. These would play a big role in our sail away, but more about that later. We walked around Valletta, and came across this memorial. Shortly before we were in Malta, Panamanian journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who exposed political corruption in Malta was killed by a car bomb. This is the spontaneous memorial to her. A lovely flower display near the gardens. One of the narrow streets we drove down. The Prinsendam waiting for our return The city as we sailed to the next port. Now, about the cannons. This was CD Cess Tesslar's last visit to Valetta before his retirement the next January. Captain DD and the Port Agent arranged a cannon salute to Cess as we sailed. Cess was on the bridge wing with Captain DD when we sailed. BTW, in one of my earlier pictures, the beach area with all the buildings is called Popeye Village. Lenda

In 2016, Captain DD extended our day in Valletta to two days due to rough seas, which meant we would not be able to tender in Gozo the second day. We rented a car the first day and drove to the ferry terminal and took the ferry to Gozo. These pictures are of our drive back to the port from the ferry. We took the long way back to the port. A couple of beaches and the scenery of the coast and interior. An interesting church we passed. Lenda

This is what I posted on July 20, 2022. There are a lot of pictures of Valletta from our five stops covering six days there. This first set is from our 2002 and 2004 stops on Noordam III and our one non-BHB stop on the old Regal Princess in 2003. In 2002, we did a tour to the Tarxien Temples and then walked around the upper part of Valletta. Twenty years ago, we were up a lot earlier than we are today, so we saw the sail in to Valletta. The Tarxien Temples On our first visits to Valletta, they still used Leyland buses for their public transportation. The bus "depot" was outside the city gates in a plaza at the top of some very steep stairs from the dock. The new port complex and elevator were built sometime after 2004. A few pictures from our walk through Valletta in 2002 Valletta as Noordam sailed to the next port In 2003, when we stopped in Valletta, we decided to take one of the city buses to the Gozo ferry terminal on the other end of Malta. It was an interesting ride, but the bus was noisy and hot since the engine compartment was by the driver. The ferry terminal. By the time we reached it, we knew we did not have time to go to Gozo and get back to the ship in time for sail away. The bus ride took longer than we expected. Our bus back in Valletta In 2004, after climbing those steep steps, we walked around town. That year, we toured the C0-Cathedral of St. John. The main altar. You can see the graves of the Knights of St. John on the floor. One of the graves We also toured the museum at the Co-Cathedral. The walled courtyard. The Knights of St. John amassed a collection of Belgium tapestries, which when hung on the cold stone walls helped keep the buildings warm. This is a small part of their collection. A dry dock we passed on the way to the next port. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas. It is already 77F with a predicted high of 89F this afternoon before the thunderstorms are supposed to arrive. We'll see how that goes. Currently, the humidity is 96% with a dew point of 76F. There is not much on the agenda today except staying cool. Several years ago, I switched from a traditional ball point pen to a gel pen. I also have a couple of fountain pens, but I don't use them very often. I hope I can be a miracle in someone's life. I keep a pitcher of iced tea in the refrigerator year round. The quote sounds like Groucho Marx. While DH watches a lot of tv, I am usually busy. After dinner and the evening news, I'll catch up on the day's happenings on my tablet and play games while we watch tv. We'll pass on the meal. The drink sounds like a good one to have on a BHB, and I hope it isn't too sweet. We'll also pass on the very pricey wine. We have visited Valletta five times covering six days. JFK's signing of the equal pay act was a good start, but we still have a ways to go. The shipment of the first Apple computer in 1977 was the beginning of a new way to do almost everything. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I'm glad you got The Relative situation out of the way last night and don't have to be looking over your shoulders all the time now. Thanks for sharing your pictures of Valletta. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad the young people had a good time at the parade, and were home in time to share their day at dinner. We had a washer/dryer combo in our old motorhome, and it took forever to dry the clothes. @shippmates Welcome to the Fleet Report/Daily. The old walled city of Valletta is a walkable city. If you don't feel like climbing the steep stairs to reach the old town, there is an elevator that will take you there. If you are there more than one day, I recommend taking the Ho-Ho tour to see more of the island. There are two routes which together cover most of the island. @dfish Debbie, I hope you get more sleep tonight. @marshhawk Annie, I hope they will take the old washer and dryer when they return with the proper hose and power cord tomorrow. I hope your DH's immunotherapy and doctor appointment go well today. @rafinmd Roy, I hope Paul continues to recover well. @aliaschief Welcome home and back to the real world, Bruce. @ger_77 Gerry, I hope the cardiac assessment for rehab goes well today. Cute picture of the DGS. Lenda

@Denise T Denise, Happy Birthday, and enjoy your day. Lenda

Carolyn, I don't understand parents holding their children accountable. We were held accountable for our actions and were the DDs. Bruce, I'm glad you made it to Atlanta safely. Safe flight home. Karen, welcome home. I understand the feeling about Princess vs HAL. I think it boils down in part the the crew. On our last Princess cruise, the crew rarely smiled or said hello when you met them in the hall. I wonder if Rudi's The Catch has basically the same menu as the one on HAL. Lenda

Good afternoon from a rather lazy Sunday in central Texas. We added the coolant to the car a/c, switched the cars around and put the covers on two cars. That leaves the Smart accessible for errands. The Land Rover and Smart can be towed, and the LR is for hauling big loads. The convertible is our fun car and the one we use when going further than town. Annie, I agree Jamaica is beautiful island. We were back there in the late 1990s docking in Ocho Rios, and it had changed. In 1975, when we rented a car, we drove from Falmouth to Ocho Rios with stops at Dunn River Falls and Martha Brae, but just to look. Another day, we drove around the area near Montego Bay, and the last day, we drove to Negril which is known for it's black sand beaches. The other days, we enjoyed the all inclusive and just relaxing. Many in our group complained about the poverty, but after seeing the poverty in Mexico, Jamaica with all the vegetation and crops, didn't seem as bad. Carolyn, spray painting a racist symbol on the erratic is horrible. Sadly a fence around the erratic might be the only solution to stop the climbing and defacing. Pennie, I'm sorry you also had to get a new wheel. We've replaced two on the convertible, and they are not cheap. However, we did find two online places that had refurbished wheels at a fraction of the price. Our neighborhood station owner mounted the new tires on the new wheels. Sharon, going through Phoenix instead of Dallas might not be a bad idea. Ever since the 1985 plane crash at DFW, the airport has been super careful about shutting down during really bad thunderstorms. For us, DFW is really the only big airport around. Susan, I hope you won't have to make the decision to move any time soon. Could you sell your condo and buy a ground floor unit to help ease some of the problems? Jacqui, I never thought you'd move anywhere that Ivan was unwelcome. You are now a family and need each other. You will know when the time is right for such a move, which I hope is a long way in the future. I'm lucky I can still do most of the work around here, and that we have a neighbor who can and will help as needed. Lorraine, DH is an engineer who likes to work on cars, even though now, much of it has to be done by others. He has quite a collection of tools, parts, and who knows what else. Lenda

@cruzn single Mary Kay, I hope you are going on your cruise and have just been very busy. If you are cruising today, I hope you have a wonderful time. Lenda

@Mtn2Sea I hope you have a wonderful time on your crossing. Lenda

Good morning from a mostly sunny central Texas. It 76F with a predicted high of 93F. The clouds will move in this evening, and the forecast now calls for thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon, with more rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. The main item on the agenda today is adding coolant to the car a/c unit. I hope we get it done before it gets too hot. Donald Duck has never been a favorite of mine. Archives day and Celtic art are interesting days to celebrate. The Jane Wagner quote is interesting. The meal sounds interesting, but I think I'd serve the shrimp alone and have vegetable rice as a side dish. We'll pass on the drink and the wine. We visited Montego Bay in 1975 when we spent a week at an all inclusive resort in Falmouth. We flew into and out of Montego Bay, and also explored the town when we rented a car for three days. At that time, only Kingston was to avoided, and Montego Bay was nice. That is when we learned speed bumps were called "sleeping policemen". Of course, all our pictures are pre-digital and in albums. Today in history marks the debut of Donald Duck. @kazu Jacqui, I hope the doctors can find the cause and then cure your pain. I hope a move to an independent living facility can be avoided, but it's good there is one that will also take Ivan, and that you checked it out. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I hope today is the beginning of the restful vacation you sought. @ottahand7 I'm glad your back is feeling better, and I'm sure you won't over do the gardening today, Nancy. @smitty34877 Terry, I hope the teenager and his girlfriend have a great and safe time at the parade. @aliaschief and @DWAliaschief Welcome home, after your fabulous cruise. @luvteaching Karen, welcome home. I hope your cruse was all you wanted it to be. @ger_77 Gerry, I'm glad Wayne is doing well after his heart ablation. Lenda

That's great news, Terri. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot, 93F, central Texas. It wasn't too bad outside this morning since the humidity was lower and there was a good wind. The wind helped a lot, but the gusts kept trying to blow my hat and cooling towel off. I couldn't believe how much the grass had grown in the past week, and we only had rain one day, but got 4 inches that day. It took about three hours to get all the yard work done. Now, I'm inside until after dinner, which will be salmon for me and cod for DH cooked in the air fryer. I think we'll have red skin potatoes with it and also cooked in the air fryer. I am also doing my happy dance. My new passport arrived today, exactly one month after they received the application and old passport. I expect the passport card to be here by the end of next week. 🤞 I will celebrate the good news of the release of the four hostages. @ottahand7 Nancy, I'm glad your DB is doing better after this knee surgery. I hope he continues to do well, and the PT helps. Welcome home, @Mr. Boston I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise, and that the Volendam is in good shape. I miss the Crow's Nests on the S and R class ships. I'm sorry about your cousin passing away from a glioblastoma. DBIL's stepson has been battling a glioblastoma for several years. We get little news about his condition, but it seems he is doing better than most so far. Rich, thank you for the explanation of today's quote. Even with the explanation, I still don't care for the quote, and have found it does not work. Carolyn, I'm sorry you didn't get to visit the island. I'm surprised the ship didn't pay more attention to the tides and the tide tables. It is worth a visit. Brenda, thank for your the beautiful flower pictures. It seems like this is a good time to hook up the rv and head to one of your beautiful national parks for the week, or however long it takes to repair the water main. Ann, I'm happy your appointment was moved up to next week. I hope you have a plan and an early date for the lumpectomy when you leave the appointment. I'm glad Pat is having a good time visiting his family and celebrating his cousin's 96th birthday. Vanessa, I hope the PT will help the lower back and the knee when you resume the sessions. Joy, I guess DH was lucky when he got the supplemental lobster in the Pinnacle Grill on Koningsdam. It was very good and cooked just right. He also liked the Morimoto lobster in the MDR this year, and got it several times. I like lobster, but didn't care for the Morimoto lobster because the sauce masked the taste of the lobster. Thanks for the pictures from your friend's veranda. Debbie, are you sure Boston is prepared for the three of your on the loose, even for a day? 🤣 Terri, I'm so very sorry your vacation turned out to be such a disaster. I'm glad Jim was not seriously hurt. Your housekeeper sounds like the bright spot in all this. Maybe, you can find a good beach vacation just a few hours drive from your home later this summer. Joy, I'm sorry your friend fell and broke her arm. I hope the surgery will allow her to be able to do more than just letting it heal. Graham, our condolences to your friend on the passing of his wife. Dixie, that sounds like a good idea. I would like the bubble wrap concession for this group. 😁 Lenda

We've been to Kiritimati (Christmas Island) Kiribati at least three times. This is a tender port, with the ships anchoring in the lagoon. It is very shallow in places, and the tender drivers have to be extremely careful. However, that was not enough as one tender ran aground, and it took a while to get it refloated. Fortunately, we were not on that tender. The first time there was in 1997, so no pictures from that stop. I'll see if DH has videos of the sunset that day since it as the best sunset we've ever seen. The water was glassy and you could see the clouds looking like they were rising from below the curvature of the earth. They were not thick clouds and we were able to see the sun set and IIFC the green flash. Christmas Island is a fairly undeveloped island. These pictures are from our 2007 b2b Hawaii-Tahiti-Hawaii cruise on Pacific Princess. As we left the dock the pre-school class was there to serenade us. The local "tour bus" we picked up at the dock for a tour of the island. Notice the "sturdy step" to help get in the truck. In 1997, they had a old school bus donated by the state of Hawaii as their tour bus, complete with a view of the road as you passed over it. 😀 At the other end of the road is the Captain Cook Hotel, the only one on the island. It offers air conditioned rooms and non-air conditioned rooms. Fishermen would fly in for a week's fishing trip. It was a week long trip, since the only flight was a weekly one from Hawaii, as of 2007. The beach at the hotel. Where some of the islanders live Back from our tour, some of the adults put on a show for us. They even had an Internet Cafe, with very slow speeds. The shopping for the tourists Add the shopping for the locals, but of course, they would take our money too. Looking down the beach from the dock If you ever see an itinerary with Christmas Island, it is well worth a visit. Lenda

Good morning from sunny and very warm central Texas. It is currently 81F and feels like 87F. Our high will be 94F. I wanted to heading out to mow the yard about now, but I slept later than I intended. I guess I needed the sleep after yesterday. I will celebrate my best friends and honor brain tumor awareness and Caribbean American HIV/AIDS awareness. I do not like or agree with the quote today. The meal sounds good, and I might cook salmon in the air fryer tonight, but it won't be with asparagus since we don't have any. The drink sounds refreshing, but will pass because of the grapefruit juice. I would definitely try the wine. We have been to Kiritimati three times, but once was pre-digital. Two interesting but sad days in history. Thank you, Sandi, @StLouisCruisers for the article about the USS Liberty. Mickey Mantle was a great ball player, but he did have his issues. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm sorry your relaxing vacation is not going as planned. I hope the new room is much better, and that your DH gets a good report about his leg injury. @LambKnuckles Lambie, what a nice memory about meeting Mickey Mantle. @smitty34877 Terry, I hope the weekend goes well without the extra help. I hope the teenager and his girl friend have a great time at the parade tomorrow. @aliaschief Bruce, again, thank you for taking us along on your wonderful cruise. Safe travels home tomorrow. @ottahand7 Nancy, I'm sorry your back bothered you last night, but glad it's a bit better today. @marshhawk Annie, I hope the new washer and dryer arrive on time and work well. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I hope Allen can regain some of the weight and that his kidney numbers improve. It's never easy to break-in a new doctor. @rafinmd Roy, you remember correctly about Mary Kay's @cruzn single health problems. IIRC, her COPD had progressed to pulmonary fibrosis. I also doubt she will be boarding her ship tomorrow. @Nickelpenny Pennie, I hope you can get the new tire today, and the new restaurant is good. Lenda

@swin26 Have a wonderful cruise. Lenda