cat shepard

I ran into a similar issue earlier this month. Again with American. And a call to Flight Ease directly did the trick. They recognized that American had changed the flight, not us and changed it to a much better option. And that was September 16th.

Lenda How wonderful for DH & you!

Thank you for checking in! I am also inland. Though the rain predicted for my area has increased now that the storm is expected to skew Eastward. I am ready.

Brenda, it was the Fairmont Waterfront. Lovely.

@Cat in my lap NOAA & the NHC believe Ian will now shift to the East. This will help Tampa, but be bad for Punta Gorda to the South. The devastating storm surge will come in there. Am I remembering correctly, don’t we have a Dailyite in Punta Gorda?

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy. Morning Dailyites. There is an eerie color to the morning sky today. My pool guru just left after making sure the pool chemicals are ready for the rain we are predicted to receive. I do not have a great deal of prep to do. That is the good thing about just getting back from a long trip - I haven’t had a lot of time to mess the place up. Off to the gym. Will try to get a bit of a workout in as well as my regular class. Who knows when I will be able to get there the rest of the week. Prayers for all who need our support. Sneaking an extra prayer in for Frank. And extra prayers for everyone on the West Coast of Florida. Stay safe. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone! *********** Villa Wolf 2019 Gewürztraminer (Pfalz) This wine variety is one that usually can only enjoy with food. But consumers love it. And the critics comments & price make me want to taste this one. Available from numerous online distributors with prices starting at $10.69. Winemaker Notes Villa Wolf Gewürztraminer is clean, fruity, and wonderfully light on its feet. It shows off the aromatic charm of the variety without becoming heavy or ponderous. Harvested at optimal ripeness, the wine has a deliciously juicy texture and a delightfully delicate aroma of spice and fresh roses. It is very refreshing to drink on its own and makes a perfect accompaniment to spicy cuisines and pungent cheeses, such as Munster, a classic pairing. Critical Acclaim WW91 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com The 2019 Villa Wolf Gewürztraminer is delightful and aromatic. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings aromas and flavors of dried earth, flowers, and spice to the party. Serve it with Cantonese-style lobster noodles with a sprinkling of dried red pepper flakes. (Tasted: April 26, 2021, San Francisco, CA) WE90 Wine Enthusiast Classic notes of lychee, white tea and honeysuckle extend from nose to finish in this gorgeously perfumed, fruity white. Just a lip-smacking shade off dry, it’s a juicy, exuberantly fresh sip that’s perfect as an aperitif or accompaniment to delicate spiced foods. It’s a fantastic bang-for-your-buck find that’s best enjoyed young.

The saga continues…. September 13th Back to the States…. We were up early to pack. Everything I planned to use in Seattle was in my 19” suitcase, or my tote. Then before checking out we enjoyed another amazing breakfast buffet. We had both fallen in love with the avocado coconut Greek yogurt and the banana bread. At least one of them was healthy. I enjoyed a piece of crustless spinach artichoke quiche too. After breakfast we checked out of the room and headed out to grab a cab to the “wannabe” train station. Amtrak does not have enough personnel to run the train from Vancouver to Seattle, so they offer bus service between the cities. But they use train stations at both ends. We had a wannabe New York City cab driver who was attempting to break the land speed record on the way to the station. Happily it was a very short distance. At least we knew that we would be on a bus ahead of time. Some people did not know this until they arrived at the train station! The bus arrived, the driver checked us off and loaded our luggage into the storage compartment. There would be one stop at the border to clear customs, and that was it. So we were happy to have our peanut butter stuffed pretzels to munch on. At the border we all had to exit the bus, grab our luggage and then wait in line to be cleared. I have Global Entry, so my process was smooth. Oddly the only thing that had to be Xrayed was my tote bag. I just wheeled my suitcases around the machine. Done. I was now cleared to re-enter my homeland. Back on the bus, we still had a bit to go before Seattle. The clouds started to appear as we traveled South, but they appeared to be fair weather clouds. We arrived at the station promptly at 3:30. By the time we grabbed our luggage, my friend’s brother had found us. He made me feel welcome. We loaded our bags into the trunk and climbed in. We were off! We headed North to a neighborhood just North of Carkeek Park. Bella, their beautiful black lab mix was so excited to have other folk to play with. She promptly went to get her favorite toy! My friend’s SIL was working from home, so we peeked in to her office & waved. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom. And the bathroom had heated floors! We got a bit settled and then reconvened in the kitchen. We were offered an amazing red blend wine from Browne family wines & headed out to their back deck. I promptly dubbed it “the oasis”. It was a magical place of trees, bushes, flowers and whimsy. We could occasionally hear a bird, or one of the neighbor’s chickens. When my hostess had finished her online meeting she came out to join us and unwind. Then we headed in to the kitchen. They started preparing dinner and wouldn’t let us do anything - except sip our wine. 😎. Dinner was going to be a Caprese salad with tomatoes fresh from their garden, grilled garlic bread, and penne a la vodka. And wine. Their oldest daughter and her boyfriend would be joining us for dinner. When they arrived, the boyfriend pitched right in and started to help cook dinner, while the daughter set the table. It was a wonderful family vibe. Dinner was delicious and relaxing. It was wonderful having no place to be in the morning. We helped clear the table and hand washed the wine glasses. Their daughter and her boyfriend left. Then we all turned in for the night. Another great night’s sleep. And boy I loved that heated bathroom floor!

@ottahand7 Adding my prayers for Frank.

Debbie I hope this one works out. Fingers crossed.

My non-hype local weather guru who follows NOAA and NHC faithfully posted the chart below. But it stops at Thursday. So not sure about the Panhandle area, @aliaschief, Bruce. Hope the storm follows the Euro model, that will help you. Rain is a major factor and storm surge. And even winds that are tropical storm strength can down trees whose roots are weakened by so much rain. Right now they are calling for 6 - 12 inches where I live. Just in time for me not to have to add water to the pool. When you look at the chart below, note the Tampa area has a horrific potential for flooding - the folk on the Coast are under a mandatory evacuation. Storm surge is a major concern. Inland areas are under a voluntary one. @StLouisCruisers, Sandi hope your DGD is inland. Note the small area of orange on the East Coast. Charlene, @cunnorland I live in that area. I am at least three miles inland & my weather guru states, I may not even have to worry about the winds, because I am inland and not in the middle of a field. Charlene is on the coast. And there are other Dailyites in the Southern part of the state that are also in areas of major concern. @summer slope, Dixie stay well.

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Roy thank you for so diligently keeping our lists. I needed a long sleeved shirt this morning. It was downright cool. But felt oh so good. Today is the day that the weather gurus hope to call Ian. I sure hope he fizzles out. Off to the gym, then prepping for a visit from Stanley Steemer tomorrow. Add in some Bindi walks, laundry and perhaps a dip in the pool and my day is complete. And Led Zeppelin… Praying for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Stay well everyone! ********* Le Grand Courtage Brut Rosé An interesting rosé. Might try it for a celebration. It is widely available and reasonably priced. Numerous online distributors with prices starting at $14.34. Winemaker Notes Fresh and fruity with aromas of young strawberry, raspberry and notes of lilac and violets. Deliciously seductive. Smooth and versatile. Perfectly balanced with just a hint of fruit and floral on the finish. A courtship of delicate flavors, red fruit aromas and baby bubbles. This rosé compliments an array of foods. Try it with spicy Asian dishes, risotto, BBQ, beef, lamb, duck, game, chicken, prosciutto, seafood, pizza or soft cheese (like brie or goat). TP93 Tasting Panel This sparkling rosé—a blend of 45% Chardonnay, 40% Ugni Blanc, and 15% Gamay—opens up with perfumed lilac and red berries. Bubbles burst with raspberry and wild strawberry before the palate gets into gear with racy acidity and an inherent freshness. WW90 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com The Le Grand Courtâge Grande Cuvée Brut Rosé is fragrant, enticing, and easy on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings a steady mousse of red fruits from its aroma to a savory spice touch on the flavors. Serve it with grilled chicken over penne pasta.

Sorry. I had explained about the Clef du Vin in one of my travelogues. I guess I need to explain it, whenever I use it. BTW, eBay has the best price.

I think I missed a day of saga posting… September 12th Up somewhat early, dressed and down to the amazing breakfast buffet that is included. Though not as extensive a choice of fresh fruit, still ripe, sweet and juicy and delicious. But the rest of the buffet was amazing. All the hot dishes were in lidded le Creuset pots, so we got a workout just serving ourselves. 😎. Actually the scrambled eggs were a bit too moist, unless one served oneself from the top outside edge of the contents. We went back to the room and collected our hoodies. Then we went outside to wait for the Viator bus. My friend chose this tour because she wanted something easy that included everything she want to see on Vancouver Island as well as transportation. I had my doubts. Bus, ferry, bus, ferry, bus did not sound fun to me. Surprise! Our driver, Eric Cooper, would also be our guide for the day. So we would not be bouncing around as much as I feared. We hit a bit of construction and traffic on our way to pick others up & then we were off. Eric was entertaining and personable. I discovered that he had lived in Massachusetts working for an IT firm. But he was back in the land of his heritage and loved it. We made it in plenty of time to board the ferry and we enjoyed the gorgeous weather on our way to Vancouver Island. We pulled in to Butchart Gardens with the recommendation to get some of their delicious ice cream and then start exploring. So we did. It was good stuff. We only had two hours, so tea was not an option. In hindsight, we should have stayed the night in Victoria, which would have given us so much more time to explore the gardens. Two hours sounds like a lot of time until you start exploring. Some sections seemed very familiar to me, even though it had been almost 30 years since my last visit. But I had never seen the Ross or Dragon fountains, nor the Japanese Garden before! We all returned to our bus promptly, and headed to Victoria. Here, Eric made some dinner suggestions that would allow for a bit of exploring time as well. We enjoyed dinner outside. And it was a spectacular afternoon. We walked a bit around the harbor before returning to the bus. The iconic Empress Hotel. The Parliament building. Back to the ferry terminal, where we were the first big vehicle to board. It was now almost dark. And we were tired. Another long day. But spectacular. When the ferry arrived - the poor driver of the bus behind ours was running up and down, looking for a missing passenger. He figured he’d got on the wrong bus. Hope he found him. Our bus was very quiet on the ride back to Vancouver. Ours was the second stop. We thanked Eric for a great day. And then we went to the hotel bar to spend the last of our credit. We each had a glass of very nice Blasted Church Viognier from Canada. Seriously that is the vintner’s name. It was a perfect end to a great, though short, visit. Tomorrow we return to the States.

Bruce, both NOAA and the NHC are still not sure about Ian. We will all get some rain. Let’s hope it is a manageable amount with little wind.

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy. It was dark when Bindi and I went out this morning. She is not a fan. Off to the gym & then grocery shopping. I need to catch up on yesterday’s Daily, too. Praying that @kazuis well and with power & no damage. Ooh and catch up what is the latest news on hurricane Ian. Some days - usually when something that used to be easy to do in my youth, is a bit tougher now - I feel this way. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone! ********** Alonso del Yerro 2016 Maria (Ribera del Duero) This Spanish red sounds amazing. I tend to gravitate towards blackberry notes. Critics and consumers are fans. Available from several online distributors with prices starting at $29.98. 95 Wine Enthusiast Smooth, lightly creamy aromas of blackberry and cassis are softened and sweetened by pastry notes, making this superb Tinto Fino smell mature beyond its years. On the palate, this is focused and acid-driven, with a familiar combination of blackberry, cassis and toasty oak flavors. The finish is slightly dry and tannic, so give this plenty of air if drinking now or hold through 2032

Be safe. Are the prevailing winds bringing the smoke your way?

Terri This is gorgeous. I really love the idea of hybrid! Hope you can share some pics after it is installed. I also love the idea of a walk in shower - with safety bars, of course.

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Roy, thank you for keeping our lists. it was downright cool here this morning when Bindi and I went out. Fall is definitely in the air. Yesterday we had a rainless Nor’easter, so the winds made our afternoon walks so lovely. Heading off to Zumba, then dinner at my friend’s this evening. Yes after three weeks of traveling together, we are still friends! Bindi no longer bothers with squirrels. But the cats, armadillos, foxes, raccoons, moles, and tortoises better watch out. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Stay well everyone. *********** Bogle 2019 Pinot Noir (California) I need to try this one. Less than $9! If I don’t like it, I will try out my Clef du Vin on it. If I still don’t like it, I have a new cooking wine. Available from several online distributors with prices starting at $8.95. Winemaker Notes Bogle winemakers have sourced fruit from the best growing regions in California for the varietal. The terroirs of the cool Russian River Valley, coastal Monterey hills and the unique Clarksburg Delta all grow fruit of character and distinction. Combined, the resulting wine is an elegant, classic Pinot Noir. WE91 Wine Enthusiast Rich black-fruit notes fill the aromas and flavors of this saturated and full-bodied wine. Gorgeous black cherry and blueberry flavors are wrapped in fine-grained tannins for a mouth filling effect. WW90 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com What do the AVAs of Clarksburg, Arroyo Seco, and Lodi have in common? The answer, when a winery that knows what they are doing produces a Pinot Noir for this trio of growing regions, the wine can be excellent. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings lively red fruit and soft tannins onto its palate. Enjoy it with freshly-made carnitas tacos.

We were so happy that we booked our flights through the cruise line. American Airlines changed our flights five times, and the last time was a seven hour difference with us arriving in Orlando at midnight. One call to the cruise corrected rectified it at no cost to us, because the airline made the initial change.

Farewell HAL. Hello Vancouver! September 11th We put our suitcases out before midnight, so the luggage fairies could collect them and deliver them to our hotel. But that mean our tote bags were full. And cumbersome. So we decided to do breakfast and then come back for them, before heading down to the Pinnacle Bar. My last NF latte with 1/2 pump mocha from Jezelle. I was the first in line. We were early in the Lido, too. Just a couple tables when we arrived. Boy that changed quickly. Farewell to Panca, Erlene, and Ronahlyn! We could not find Kris anywhere. 😞 Aniy refilled our coffee cups and then we headed down to the cabin. We bid farewell to Dhias and then spent down to the Pinnacle Bar. We snagged a great table by the window and were quickly joined by several groups. HAL was also using the bar as a staging area for those needing assistance. We were part of the Lime 2 group - Ho Ho tour and then transportation to your hotel. Every screen showed that ours would be the third group called, and we were. Those part of the tour were led to a separate area, and all of our forms, etc., checked. We were told where to meet our guide, and with the exception of the final turn - the directions were spot on. I am not sure if the Canadian officer even glanced at my form when I turned it in. Of course HAL had already vouched for our completion of ArriveCAN, so perhaps they considered us safe. When we exited the terminal our guides instructions ran out, so we were at a bit of a loss - until a young woman came yelling after us and wanted us to run in the opposite direction. We all laughed at her, but we did make our way quickly to the street. She led us across to our waiting Ho-Ho. We were not lucky enough to get outside seats, but knew that would change as time went on. Our driver/guide was personable and very informative. Adding info to the recorded tour message. After one round trip, my friend and I decided to see if our hotel would store our totes for us, so we would no have to lug them around with us. We were thrilled to find out our room was ready! So we checked in and headed to our room. And our luggage was already there! Of course, we were across the street from the terminal, but still… We did a bit unpacking and then headed out for lunch. We walked down the street to Gastown, where the menu of Local Gastown - just down the street from the steam clock - called our names. In the midst of a server rotation, we got lost in the shuffle, but our meals were wonderful and people watching was fun. We did notice the air quality was not the best, and later on we learned that the smoke from local fires gave the air quality its worst possible rating. We went over to the nearest Ho-Ho stop after lunch, where we waited for 30 minutes before the next bus appeared. The woman at the wheel apologized and said there should have been at least two buses before hers. We hopped on and snagged a decent seat. Two stops later, she bid farewell and our new driver hopped on. We believe he drove us around the same four block section of Vancouver, though he did stop at the correct spots in that area. He then stopped where he got on and yet another driver got on. This one was clearly intending to give us a thrill ride! He did have all of us in the back seats laughing hysterically as we slid around on the seats and bounced over the potholes. My friend and I decided we’d had enough and went back to the hotel. The Niew Amsterdam had already sailed away! Talk about an efficient transition! We did a bit more reorganizing and then headed down to the bar for a pre-dinner glass of wine. My friend had not slept well the night before, so she was hoping to find a decent place to eat close to the hotel. Well we did not factor in that it was Sunday and the first three places we checked were closed on Sunday. So we wandered down Cordova St to Steamworks Brewing. It was meant to be - they had Meiomi! And they would allow us to bring our unfinished bottle back to the hotel. 😎 Our meal was really delicious. I had a sockeye salmon burger and yam fries. They even gave us a paper bag, so we wouldn’t have to walk back with a bottle of wine in our hands! Back to the hotel, where we put the two wine glasses in our room to work. It was a great way to end the day. Tomorrow we were heading to Butchart Garden via the ferry, so we knew we would be up early. I decided to shower before bed. And still slept like a log.

@HAL Sailer, @StLouisCruisers @cunnorl@summer slope and anyone in the Southeast US... one of my favorite weather folk from my days in the Mid-Atlantic shared this model. Your guess is as good as mine. We all need to prepare… @kazu stay safe. He is based in Connecticut, but so accurate - I trust him more that most tv weather folk.

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Roy, thank you for taking care of our lists! @0106, Tina thank you for stepping in at a moment’s notice! @dfish, Debbie, sending positive vibes and best wishes to you & Sue! It is another spectacular morning. Fiona has robbed us of our moisture. But we had so much rain while I was gone, my pool is still really full. Heading to the gym for a new Tai Chi class. It really is an amazing test of one’s balance. Boy does this ever apply to me…. Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone! *********** Simonsig 2017 Labyrinth Cabernet Sauvignon This South African Cab has very good to excellent reviews from both consumers and experts. I found one California distributor offering it for $29.00 + shipping. Overseas distributors offered it for $24.59, but imagine the shipping cost! 92 Wine Enthusiast Distributor notes The Labyrinth Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a classic expression of Cabernet Sauvignon with a fine balance between power and elegance. The wine displays a dense opaque colour. A beautiful expression of bramble berry and blackcurrant infused with violets, graphite and fynbos. Velvet smooth tannins coat the palate with perfectly judged use of wood that respects the fruit. Braised short rib with turnips and carrot purée. Deboned lamb rib with charred cauliflower and jus. Flavourful and heartier pastas. VARIETY : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot ] ageing :  Soft and perfectly drinkable now but should benefit from further ageing over the next 6 to 8 years. Simonsig has been producing Cabernet Sauvignon since 1976 and achieved early success when the 1977 vintage won the General Smuts trophy after being judged as the Champion Wine of South Africa. Simonsig replanted and expanded its planting of Cabernet Sauvignon over the last decade and it now has mature vineyards planted with the best clones available in South Africa. These shy bearing vineyards are planted on deep red weathered granite and shale soils with high moisture holding capacity. This minimises the need for irrigation and gives great concentration of flavour. Our terroir in Stellenbosch has proved over many years to be the best area in SA to grow the finest quality red wines. in the vineyard : The 2017 vintage was a challenging one that led to a smaller, but very promising harvest for the Stellenbosch region. The Cape’s drought conditions and dry warm weather produced grapes with small berries with great fruit intensity and big concentration. The cooler nights and warmer days during the ripening period resulted in grapes with excellent colour and fruit formation. The Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 did not disappoint, and we were delighted with the quality and intense fruit spectrum from the five blocks. in the cellar : 15 months in oak. 99% French Oak, 1% American White Oak. 1% 1st fill, 68% 2nd fill, 23% 3rd fill and 8% older.

The saga continues…. September 10th How can it be the last full day of the cruise already? It was a glorious sunny morning. I hit the gym to do a couple machines and then met my friend to walk the promenade. We were so happy we brought our hoodies. It was so windy and cool on the Starboard side. And it was so warm on the sunny, Port side we had to unzip our hoodies. In the elevator lobby we noticed signs for a premium wine tasting. We had been told at a bar that it was to be held on Friday and we would miss it. We were excited and decided to visit the Lido bar after breakfast & sign up. Coffee, Lido. Panca said he looked forward to seeing us that night at the Canaletto. We’d almost forgotten! Then up to the Lido bar😎, where the bartender said that the original wine tasting date was moved to a sea day. Smart thinking. Back to the cabin, started organizing my packing, in hopes that I could live out of my 19” for the last 6 days. Left the cabin, so Dhias and his new assistant could work their magic. We went out onto the aft Lido deck and enjoyed the warm sun, while protected from the ocean winds. We would be entering the Inside Passage soon and were looking forward to seeing what else we shared these waters with. We headed into the Lido for our last lunch salad. Then we dropped some stuff off at the cabin & headed down to the MDR for the wine tasting. Our cellar master, Jude, welcomed us and showed us how Napoleon opened a bottle of wine. 😎 Hope not too many of his subjects suffered from shards of glass in their wine. Jude also introduced us to a Clef du Vin. A non-descript piece of metal that worked magic on the glasses of wine into which our wine stewards inserted it! Jude had us do a before & after tasting of a red wine. The first word that came to mind after my first sip was HARSH! Then they inserted the Clef into the same glass of wine. I could hardly believe the difference. It was mellow and fruity with a lovely medium body. Jude explained that the Clef helps immature wine age. We also enjoyed the difference that food pairings can have with wine. Jude included chips in his pairings, as does one of my back home wine bistros. And near the end we were treated to some great music by Kris, from the Lido. It was great to see him in this very different role! A talented guitarist. BTW, Clef du Vins are a bit expensive. Until I found one on eBay, the cheapest I found one for was $45! I found the same brand on eBay for $25. It arrives tomorrow and I will report back after I use it. My fingers are crossed that it does not only work its magic at sea. We returned to the cabin in order to begin packing in earnest and not only found a message from John in the Crow’s Nest thanking us for our kind words & he looked forward to seeing us later, but also a reading therapy dog! It was so lovely of them to do that. I hope they enjoyed doing it. We knew how busy they are. We showered and changed. And packed a little more. Up to the Crow’s Nest where we were a bit disappointed to only find window seats on the Starboard side. John came over to confirm our drinks and again thank us for our message. He said it was the end of his contract and he was not going to renew it. He planned to head home and help his Father. Shortly after getting comfy, the activity started. Pods of dolphins. Otters. Whales. It was everything we had hoped the inside passage would be. We no longer regretted being on the Starboard side. And then it was time to head to the Canaletto for the last supper of the cruise. 😞Panca greeted us and led us to a window table, where Yazmeen made us feel welcome. We had a ringside seat to an amazing sunset, and enjoyed an equally amazing meal. We decided to walk a couple laps around the promenade before heading to the cabin and were treated to a glorious starlit night. Another great night’s sleep.

I have my fingers, toes and eyes crossed for you, Debbie. And No, I am not taking a selfie.

@*Miss G* my deepest condolences to your and your DH’s family. Bless his Sister for knowing it was time. May all your wonderful memories help ease the pain Ann