bobmacliberty

1 minute ago, Momof3gurlz said:

@helen haywood @bobmacliberty we are also having central AC issues.  Tuesday was a beautiful, warm day but by mid afternoon the temperature in the house hit 80 so I had Andy turn on the AC.  It came right on, but didn’t really seem to be cooling the house much.  A few hours later the thermostat was still at 80.  The vents were blowing coolish,  not cold, air.  Andy went up in the attic where the ductwork is and found a pipe frozen. Turned off the system to let it thaw, then the next morning, he wrapped that pipe with foam (for some reason it wasn’t insulated).  Well, it’s still not cooling the house so we have someone coming next week to take a look.  From online research, Andy thinks it might need a refrigerant charge, which could possibly mean it has a refrigerant leak.  

That's what happened to us.  A refrigerant leak meant that the AC unit couldn't keep up.  The repair guy had a device that could somehow detect leaks and thought that it was probably in the evaporator coil but couldn't be absolutely sure.  $1900 for a new coil plus $800 for install and then refrigerant recharge.  Fortunately, it seems to have done the trick. Hopefully, if you have a leak, it's a cheaper repair.

The part that bothered me is that the coil has a 10 year warranty and was only 7 years old.  The 10 year warranty only applies though to the original owner.  When the house gets sold, the warranty drops to 5 years for the new owner. 🤬

13 hours ago, helen haywood said:

I wish there was a forum for talking about surgery…recovery…etc.  I’d love to find such a thing!

Try Reddit.  It has a VERY large forum section covering a very VERY wide array of topics.  It's almost too large.  There are Communities...sometimes called subreddits...that are like individual forums here.  If you find the right community, you can talk to people with similar interests (or who have questions, or who share news, etc.).  We also recently had AC problems ($2700 to replace an evaporator coil...ouch) and I used Reddit to check that the AC company's solution made sense and that I was being charged a reasonable price.    

From the main Reddit page, try various search terms in the search box at the top to see if you can find a community that meets your needs.  The Communities will be listed as "r/community name".  There's a r/surgery community but a quick look at the discussion topics seems to be that it's for medical professionals rather than patients.  There's actually a community for broken ankles.  Good luck.

Obviously, be careful of any medical advice from strangers on the internet.

13 hours ago, helen haywood said:

And George just disappeared into the garage to work on the AC.  Sigh.  We’d had a problem with a clog in the drainage pipe that he’d fixed before my ill fated cruise…turns out he thought he’d fixed it then…fixed it again (differently) when we came home.  No idea what today’s issue is…except I’ve had enough for one day…

Not sure what your problem is, but it's important to keep the drainage pipe clear so that condensation doesn't back up into your air handler.  If condensation backs up too much in the pipe, it will trip a switch that shuts off the system to protect it.  If this is in fact your problem, you can clear the pipe so that it drains (hook up a shop vac to where the end of the pipe is located outside) and the switch will reset, allowing the system to turn on again. 

You should have a removable cap where the drain pipe leaves the AC unit.  It's recommended to pour a little bit of a water/bleach mix into the pipe periodically to get rid of anything that may be growing in the pipe that might eventually clog it.  I do it every 2 months when I change the air filter.  This little bit of preventive maintenance is particularly important if you live in a high humidity location.

8 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I think Survivor has learned it lesson about bringing race into the mix. If that had continued I would not be watching.

Agreed.  I think Survivor got a lot of negative feedback.  No discussion that I remember at all this season.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day to play golf.  I saw this egret sitting atop a tree next to the 11th green.  He didn't seem at all bothered by us and continued to clean himself while we putted.  Then he flew away.  Beautiful to watch.  I also saw 2 eagles atop a taller tree on a different hole, but they were too far away for a good picture.  I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

19 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I actually hit rewind.  Not sure why she thought that.  I guess Ben felt like that too.

I think Venus also felt the same way.  It's probably just entitlement for that generation, but we only see what the producers decide to put into 90 minutes of show each week.  They will show us what they think will generate the most viewers, which may or may not accurately represent what really happened.  

11 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Yeah here again I suppose I wonder if I have graduated from the Walmart and Sears of the Seas. I never considered myself very fancy or very old for that matter. I never thought I needed to shield myself from your standard cross section of American society due to my delicate sensibilities. 
 

See, I don’t really look great but at least I’m clean and certainly behave myself and I don’t cut in lines or talk out loud during performances. 
 

That seems like just the basics though, not like reserved only for Cunard or something! 😂

I've had the same thought after the last couple of cruises.  But I don't know if a "better class" of cruise line will actually have people with more class.  Money doesn't equal class and in fact, money can sometimes equal entitlement.  I'm working hard...not very successfully...to harden my delicate sensibilities and learn how to just ignore those people.  Or at least learn how to laugh at them. 

Got home from our weekly trivia contest last night (we won 😁) and decided that I'd better watch the Survival final before going to bed.  Otherwise, I'd need to avoid this place (even though everyone is doing a good job of not giving away the results) and I'd still probably hear the results from somewhere else.  Too many people watch the show.  I was happy with the winner.  It's who I picked to win (along with the person who came in second) several weeks ago.

Q even messed up the jury question session. 🤣  I really don't think he knows what he does or says.

1 minute ago, Ocean Boy said:

Does your Mamma know that you are not in school?

 

Do they have "senior skip day" near you???

43 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Yesterday’s lunch involved collecting more ducks. 

You must have a whole flock by now.  And yes...I had to Google, "what do you call a group of ducks".

12 hours ago, twangster said:

6:30am?  What was I thinking?  🤣

You're always up before then anyway...no problem. 😁

Spectacular photos of a spectacular place.  Can't wait to see what's in store for you today.

I've only been to Iceland once, making a refueling stop at the Keflavik Airport.  Never got to leave the airport.  I remember that it felt like we were landing on the moon with nothing but rocky wasteland in site until we touched down.  I hope today is as good for you as yesterday.  

I must have somewhere recently heard Black Velvet by Alannah Myles and it's now stuck in my head.  Fortunately, it's a good song and is a much better ear worm than any of the Disney songs.  I'm afraid to even click on The Muppet Show video!

26 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

@HBE4 Lady Gaga, Sound of Music medley:

 

 

That's impressive.  It's tough to match Julie Andrews.  Lady Gaga's version of La Vie En Rose in A Star Is Born gives me chills.

I was never a big American Idol fan.  I hated the early years where they would purposely put terrible singers on for the tryouts, essentially making fun of them.  Although they stopped doing that several years ago, I never got hooked earlier.  Micheline however was a fan.  One of her favorite judges was Harry Connick Jr.  He too was very technical with his coaching, and you could really see how much he understood being a musical performer.

I often wonder if Simon Cowell was really as much of a grouch as he originally portrayed.  Maybe his recent softening is him just being more what he's really like.  His role as the nasty judge I think is partly what made the show successful, and he may have been doing it on purpose.  Other shows with 3 judges seemed to follow the same formula as Idol.  There was a "Paula" judge (you look very nice today), a "Randy" judge (the insider who knows the business), and a "Simon" judge (the curmudgeon).  Then again, Brits tend to be very straight forward and don't get their feelings hurt as easily as Americans, so maybe Simon really was like that.

4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I think that’s the hardest part. It’s only after they are gone that you realize how much of your life was filled with unconditional love every single day by that animal.

Our dog in Cincinnati would hear the garage door going up and would be waiting at the door from the garage to the house, tail wagging, every time I came home.  After we lost her, it hit me every time I walked through that door.  I'll even occassionally get that feeling walking through the similar door here in Florida, even though she never lived here with us.  

17 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

I have mentioned earlier that I have no cruises booked after Alaska. I’m not planning any at the moment, don’t have a destination or a ship in mind that is screaming at me, no sense of something important left undone.
 

My life is changing, and with a few key exceptions I have never really been a repeater. I always understood there would be more opportunities than I was going to be able to fit into a single lifetime, so I have tried to sample a lot of the best places and travel methods. 
 

It’s a huge testament to the cruise industry that I am on my 15th ship. I have sailed Carnival 6 times since 2017 and now Royal Caribbean three. Both are really excellent at what they do. 
 

Sometimes people say they’ve “had enough of that” about something and they mean, they’re sick of it, annoyed by it, fed up. 
 

It’s possible also to say it and mean, this is a successfully completed mission. One that’s been nearly perfectly executed and greatly enjoyed. If this is my last (not ready to say that with certainty), then I am satisfied to leave it right there.

 

I like and completely understand this post.  We've always been interested in trying new things, especially when life limits you to fewer opportunities to travel.  Now that we're retired and have flexibility, we mix in new things for the adventure, and things we've done several times for the ease/comfort.  Given the choice of one or the other, I'd always choose the new and exciting option.

New grand kitty pictures.  They are now cuddling together...sort of.

1 hour ago, harryfat1 said:

I don't know much about cruise ships but I do have a keen eye for the ships' "Afts"...🤪

You always were a Sir Mix-A-Lot fan. 😜

1 hour ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Were you able to dock in Skagway, or did you have to tender? We docked with Ovation back in 2022, but I think there was another rockslide after our visit and I'm not sure what the situation is there now. 

There was definitely another rockslide.  We were scheduled to visit Skagway in Sept of 2022 but had to cancel due to the rockslide that happened a few weeks prior.  I too would be interested in knowing the current situation.  

3 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Pro tip for Quantum class passengers. There are only two sets of guest elevators on this massive, very long ship. The rear bank is REALLY FAR from what would be those aft balcony rooms that people enjoy so much. I often get off them on deck 5 and head back to Two70 and think, sheez, this is a hike. 
 

Since I booked 13 months ago I had nearly unlimited choice of cabins and we are very close to one of the two elevator banks and even so it’s a short walk to access our little private inside corridor. Emphasis on short, which I am really loving. 
 

As both sets of elevators are somewhat midship, motion is limited in our rooms as well. We have some gentle rocking at times, the kind that some people find soothing. And we are sooooo quiet which is the best. 
 

I will provide exact details on our location after we disembark but I am more than pleased with the rooms.

You touched on one of the few things that I don't like about this class of ship.  The Concierge Club (Suite/Pinnacle/possibly D+ Lounge) is all the way at the end of one of those long aft hallways.  You have a fantastic aft view from the lounge once you get there, but it's quite a hike from the elevator.  

20 minutes ago, mets07 said:

Above: view as we ate lunch at outside bar at Fairmont Princess hotel. 

I thought I read somewhere that the Fairmont on Bermuda had closed.  Good to hear that's not the case.

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

https://www.viator.com/St-Maarten-tourism/d728-r26941948211-s383316971?m=28353&supag=26941948211&supsc=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&supai=691507684476&supap=&supdv=c&supnt=nt:g&suplp=9008817&supli=&supti=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&tsem=true&supci=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&supap1=&supap2=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnT0aj5WucJ1ED56uqj6tD3FavrNYYtnche8GvKcCmshsFKAuOgIb9MaAru2EALw_wcB

Thanks Jimbo but I'm looking for people here with personal experience.

@twangster - Looking around Lerwick on Google Maps, I found the Lerwick Brewery.  Did you perhaps get a chance to sample some of the local beer?

Time for an actual cruising question.  We're doing a family cruise on Wonder in November.  Same old, same old itinerary...St. Maarten, St. Thomas, CocoCay.  I'm looking for ideas on St. Maarten. For our first visit there many years ago (including daughters), we did a round the island tour with Bernard's Tours and enjoyed it.  We've since been to Maho Beach several times, and now typically just do a beach/shopping day in Philipsburg.  The "kids" with us are all in their late 20s and will want to do something more active.  We could try Bernard's again...anyone used them recently?   Any other ideas for something new and different?

21 minutes ago, dpostman said:

A slightly full day yesterday for us.  The in-laws just left a few minutes ago as I type this as they from out of town but stayed over last night.  We planned a celebratory supper yesterday with our DS as he just finished the final step in purchasing his first home.  He is in an apartment already, and the closing date is July 8th.  About an hour before his planned arrival time, he call us to sy that he was in a minor fender bender, he rear ended another car, but thankfully, no-one was hurt, and the damage is relatively minor.  Just added paperwork and stress for him at the time when he is already overwhelmed with the things involved in purchasing a home.

 

My DD, just adopted a new cat from the SPCA yesterday, so lots of exploratory roaming and meowing going on.

 

Meet Patches:

 

Here are a few pics of the Tomahawk steaks that were served up for yesterdays supper.

 

Prepping for the Sous-Vide

 

With the dry rub mix

 

Vacuum sealed before sous-vide.

 

We had 3 Tomahawks for our 7 people.  1 for my DD's boyfriend (320lb football player for Dalhousie University, Halifax).  Pics from after the grill.

 

And the other 2 were sliced up for the other 6 of us.

 

Also included, is this years first crop of asparagus from our garden.

 

Looking forward to a quieter day today.  And maybe a salad 😉.

 

We were still able to happily celebrate our DS's new home owner status.

dp

Congrats to your son on his house purchase!  Patches looks like she has settled in nicely.  And the food looks fantastic!  How did you sear the tomahawks after sous-vide?