rafinmd

That promenade deck really makes a pretty sight. Roy

Great toots. long and strong, and a decent departure time for a ship coming off drydock. Thanks Leanne, Dave, and fellow addicts. Roy

Sounded faint to me also. Roy

My meeting just got cancelled. Checking in and the blocker is moving. Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2013 Prinsendam Amazon cruise. On December 18 we visited Curacao: Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2013 Prinsendam Amazon cruise. On December 18 we visited Curacao: Roy

Happy Birthday Nancy @ottahand7. Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann,and Dixie. We don't usually get a lot of flakes here, and when we do they are not much appreciated. I have no twin and haven't tried to bake cookies in many years. I like the Hendrix quote. I haven't been to Brest. I wonder how the Maori feel about today. Not sure about the soup. My alternative is Chilled Pineapple and Pina Coloda Soup, Sirloin Steak, and Butter Pecan Ice Cream as served on MS Prinsendam December 18, 2013. Heavy rain overnight and high winds today from the storm that just left Florida. Roy

That was EARLY. Just caught the bow backing up. I'll probably miss sailaway due to a church ZOOM meeting. Roy

Just barely in time, since I had to start dinner at 5 sharp. I only heard one toot in the channel but lots of horn action earlier. Thanks Leanne, Dave,and fellow addicts. Roy

Not wasting any time. Roy

1.3 kt. Roy

Getting kind of like watching paint dry. Roy

Strong toots. Roy

NS Departure toot? Roy

PP? Roy

While Ocho Rios is not an attractive port I did enjoy the tour I had in 2016. We started with a visit to Konoko River Gardens, an old plantation turned into a sort of museum with relics of the slavery days such as this mantrap: There was also a small zoo: The main attraction was Dunn's River Falls, more of a cascade. There were tourists going up the falls with a guide. I did not indulge but enjoyed watching it and you cold cool off in some of the pools.: Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2016 Seabourn Odyssey transatlantic, one of the last sea days from Madiera to Fort Lauderdale Roy

Today's sunrise is from my 2016 Seabourn Odyssey transatlantic, one of the last sea days from Madiera to Fort Lauderdale Roy

Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie. Hugs out to Pauline and her DF. Safe travels to all those embarking and disembarking today and Bon Voyage to @seagarsmoker and @Petunia1950. I hope my sweaters are not too ugly. One of my late cousins made a lot of Maple Syrup in Quebec just South of Montreal. As a boy I tapped a few maple trees boiling a bit of sap down to a very thick syrup that became a tasty candy when poured over fresh snow. I'm hesitant about the sleepy conscience part of Twain's quote. I visited Ocho Rios once on the Crystal Symphony in 2016, The port is garbage and really requires a tour. I found Dunn's River Falls pretty interesting. The meal sounds nice. My alternative is Sliced Orange and Watermelon Salsa, Filet of Beef Brioche, and Dutch Apple Cake as served on MS Prinsendam December 17, 2013. Heavy rain coming but I hope I can get to church and back before it's too bad. Roy

And she's here: Roy

My last visit to Sydney was in 2020, arriving March 3 on Crystal Serenity and leaving March 6 on Queen Mary 2. The weather was miserable and not many photos but I did visit 2 of the smaller venues in the Opera House. The first was the Drama Theater where I watched a play "No Pay, No Way" The other was "The Studio: where I attended the musical "Six" Roy

Unless I'm mistaken I hope the bags do not get to Port Everglades early. Aren't they leaving from San Diego? I don't think they're lagging on purpose; I'm pretty sure they're going to a courier's wherehouse where the bags will probably all be grouped by ship. Roy

Next time was 2018 on Crystal's 2-ship world cruise, sailing Fort Lauderdale to Sydney on Crystal Serenity and returning to Fort Lauderdale on Crystal Symphony, Serenity had a total of 3 days in Sydney and cannot get under the bridge. The day we arrived I took a walk across the bridge. @JazzyV posted a photo of the walk way, this is another one closing in on one of the towers: We had to leave at the crack of dawn the next morning to make way for another ship at the berth. Symphony was docked at White Bay and some of the ferries moved us over to her. Our final day in Sydney I had a tour of the Opera house visiting the big auditorium. The Concert Hall: The Opera Hall and Stage: That afternoon we left with the Symphony passing Serenity which fell into line behind us following behind until we turned towards our respective next ports. Roy

I want to post some photos of Sydney from 3 of my 4 trips there. I visited on a land trip in 2003 but my first cruise there was in 2010, the first of my crazy combination cruises, Crystal Symphony Los Angeles to Sydney, flying to Bangkok, and then Queen Victoria on to Dubai. At the time I made it a point to spend a night under the stars once per month year around. I had found Lane Cove Holiday Park North of Sydney and spent a night there before flying to Bangkok.. I'll also comment on my interaction with the border authorities. I had prepared for a visit without leaving any strange species behind and was not expecting to have to declare anything. I had brand new tent stakes, and a brand new plastic sheet to lay on the ground. When I got the custom's form I noticed wood on the declarations list and told them the hammer I would use to set up my tent had a wood handle. He looked at it and cleared it, and then asked about my stakes. When I told them they were brand new I was good to go. They are good and also very cooperative if you are honest with them.

I have a question for our dailyites based on yesterday's posts. Is it creepy to draft your own obituary? I have outlived the people who knew me in my younger years and have created something that others could use making late additions and editing anything they would like to change. Roy