PRINCESS CRUISERS: HOW ARE THINGS WHERE YOU ARE?!

[nini]

2 hours ago, MamaFej said:

My daughter signed a contract to be a band and choir director at a SoCal high school. I'm so proud of her! She also gets to teach an elective of her choice. She is leaning toward a music history course, but might do music theory, instead, with a goal of eventually having an Advanced Placement Music Theory class in a couple of years. 

 

I'm bummed that it's 90 or minutes away from home, depending on traffic. We were hoping she'd stay and help her brother take care of the house and dogs while we travel. We would have charged her rent, but would have returned most of it to her when she was ready to buy a home of her own.

 

I think our traveling may be curtailed a bit. I don't necessarily want to leave the 19 year-old for several to many months at a time with the responsibilities of college, commuting, a part-time job, house and dog sitting, etc.

 

It's exciting that she has such a good job straight out of college, with tremendous administrative support and a really good Boosters organization, so I suppose we will all figure it out. 

Congrats to her! where will she be teaching? I was born and raised in S. Cal.

[MamaFej]

16 hours ago, nini said:

Congrats to her! where will she be teaching? I was born and raised in S. Cal.

In the high desert. Exciting stuff!

[MamaFej]

Update on my cousin's 9 year-old. He had has 6 month post-chemo/radiation scan and there is "No new growth." They can't say, "cancer free," just that the site looks stable. We will take it! 

 

It made me smile to see that he was wearing one of the masks I made for him in the hospital this visit. 🙂

[nini]

3 hours ago, MamaFej said:

Update on my cousin's 9 year-old. He had has 6 month post-chemo/radiation scan and there is "No new growth." They can't say, "cancer free," just that the site looks stable. We will take it! 

 

It made me smile to see that he was wearing one of the masks I made for him in the hospital this visit. 🙂

Such great news!

[memoak]

6 hours ago, MamaFej said:

Update on my cousin's 9 year-old. He had has 6 month post-chemo/radiation scan and there is "No new growth." They can't say, "cancer free," just that the site looks stable. We will take it! 

 

It made me smile to see that he was wearing one of the masks I made for him in the hospital this visit. 🙂

I don't believe they are allowed to say "cancer free" or cancer survivor until 5 years of tests are done.  My wife is having her 5 year scan in August and then they will label her a survivor

[MamaFej]

23 minutes ago, memoak said:

I don't believe they are allowed to say "cancer free" or cancer survivor until 5 years of tests are done.  My wife is having her 5 year scan in August and then they will label her a survivor

Yup. I'm closing in on 22 years, and I still have yearly screenings. So far, so good. 

[AVCruzers]

MamaFej--which part of high desert will she be teaching?  We live in Apple Valley (home of recent American Idol winner) and I taught in Victorville for 38 years.  Needless to say, I am retired!   Where do you live?

 

We renewed our passports and have our shots so ready to cruise.  Like others, several cruises were cancelled but now have 5 booked.  

[Loki S]

11 hours ago, MamaFej said:

Update on my cousin's 9 year-old. He had has 6 month post-chemo/radiation scan and there is "No new growth." They can't say, "cancer free," just that the site looks stable. We will take it! 

 

It made me smile to see that he was wearing one of the masks I made for him in the hospital this visit. 🙂

That is amazing 🤩 great news!! Agree with taking the positives.

[Loki S]

36 minutes ago, DormMom said:

We renewed our passports and have our shots so ready to cruise.  Like others, several cruises were cancelled but now have 5 booked.  

We also have renewed our passports, as it’s easier and quicker to do within a certain timeframe. Just need to have our second AZ vaccine, which is only a few weeks away. So we’ll be ready to go once we’re allowed to or could say the boarders are open. Only wait would 

[Lucky TGO]

Hi to all my Cruise Critic friends,

I wish you could all be with me on The Rowboat today it’s warm and cloudy but it’s great to to be out on the water. 😁

The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

[Thrak]

Day 22 on the road. Spending two nights in Fort Collins, CO because there are a ton of brewpubs here. 😁 (Hey! It was my wife's idea and planning. Really.) Had sliders and beer for brunch yesterday at Black Bottle Brewery then a sandwich and beer at DC Oakes for dinner. Today had beer and wings at Coopersmith Brewery (really great downtown area - wish my home town had such a nice place but sadly, if it did, it would be filled with "urban outdoorsmen") and then had Italian Nachos and beer for dinner at Obstacle Brewery.

 

The Brown Ale at Coopersmith Brewery was likely the very best Brown Ale I have ever tasted. Most places don't have a Brown Ale and, if they do, it has no body and not a lot of flavor. The Brown Ale at Coopersmith Brewery is full bodied, with a rich creamy head and a wonderfully rich and full flavor. I wish I could get this stuff at home!

 

It's a hard life checking out brewpubs but, since there are something like 23 of them in this town, we are doomed to not test them all. Tomorrow it's back on the road and back to camping. Colorado has some really beautiful scenery but when one is camping at elevations over 9,000 feet and it's still only May it can get COLD. Also, the air is thin for our poor old fat and out of shape bodies. Our house sits at about 225 feet above sea level. 9,500 feet has much thinner air.

[taznremmy]

41 minutes ago, Thrak said:

The Brown Ale at Coopersmith Brewery is full bodied, with a rich creamy head and a wonderfully rich and full flavor. I wish I could get this stuff at home!

Do they have a "beer club"?  Like the wineries do?

[Doug R.]

9 hours ago, Thrak said:

Day 22 on the road. Spending two nights in Fort Collins, CO because there are a ton of brewpubs here. 😁 (Hey! It was my wife's idea and planning. Really.) Had sliders and beer for brunch yesterday at Black Bottle Brewery then a sandwich and beer at DC Oakes for dinner. Today had beer and wings at Coopersmith Brewery (really great downtown area - wish my home town had such a nice place but sadly, if it did, it would be filled with "urban outdoorsmen") and then had Italian Nachos and beer for dinner at Obstacle Brewery.

 

The Brown Ale at Coopersmith Brewery was likely the very best Brown Ale I have ever tasted. Most places don't have a Brown Ale and, if they do, it has no body and not a lot of flavor. The Brown Ale at Coopersmith Brewery is full bodied, with a rich creamy head and a wonderfully rich and full flavor. I wish I could get this stuff at home!

 

It's a hard life checking out brewpubs but, since there are something like 23 of them in this town, we are doomed to not test them all. Tomorrow it's back on the road and back to camping. Colorado has some really beautiful scenery but when one is camping at elevations over 9,000 ay it can get COLD. Also, the air is thin for our poor old fat and out of shape bodies. Our house sits at about 225 feet above sea level. 9,500 feet has much thinner air.

Its a tough job but someone has to do it. Sorry you drew the short straw! 😂

[Thrak]

12 hours ago, taznremmy said:

Do they have a "beer club"?  Like the wineries do?

 

Nope. Small brewery.

[Lucky TGO]

14 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Nope. Small brewery.

Hi Thrak,

I’m happy your having a great time on your traveling Pub Crawl. 😁😁

It’s going to rain all weekend in Boston so I won’t be cruising this weekend. I will be sleeping on

The Rowboat. I can’t tell you how much I like sleeping on The Rowboat when it’s raining. I just love hearing the rain hitting the deck. 
Enjoy the rest of your camping trip! 
The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

[Host CJSKIDS]

On 5/27/2021 at 10:39 PM, Thrak said:

Day 22 on the road. Spending two nights in Fort Collins, CO because there are a ton of brewpubs here. 😁 (Hey! It was my wife's idea and planning. Really.) Had sliders and beer for brunch yesterday at Black Bottle Brewery then a sandwich and beer at DC Oakes for dinner. Today had beer and wings at Coopersmith Brewery (really great downtown area - wish my home town had such a nice place but sadly, if it did, it would be filled with "urban outdoorsmen") and then had Italian Nachos and beer for dinner at Obstacle Brewery.

 

The Brown Ale at Coopersmith Brewery was likely the very best Brown Ale I have ever tasted. Most places don't have a Brown Ale and, if they do, it has no body and not a lot of flavor. The Brown Ale at Coopersmith Brewery is full bodied, with a rich creamy head and a wonderfully rich and full flavor. I wish I could get this stuff at home!

 

It's a hard life checking out brewpubs but, since there are something like 23 of them in this town, we are doomed to not test them all. Tomorrow it's back on the road and back to camping. Colorado has some really beautiful scenery but when one is camping at elevations over 9,000 feet and it's still only May it can get COLD. Also, the air is thin for our poor old fat and out of shape bodies. Our house sits at about 225 feet above sea level. 9,500 feet has much thinner air.

 

Sounds like a great trip.  Enjoy some beers for me!

[PurpleHays]

On 5/29/2021 at 2:27 AM, Lucky TGO said:

Hi Thrak,

I’m happy your having a great time on your traveling Pub Crawl. 😁😁

It’s going to rain all weekend in Boston so I won’t be cruising this weekend. I will be sleeping on

The Rowboat. I can’t tell you how much I like sleeping on The Rowboat when it’s raining. I just love hearing the rain hitting the deck. 
Enjoy the rest of your camping trip! 
The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

Few things beat the sound of rain.

[MamaFej]

FYI: in case anyone was contemplating having a tick embed itself in your navel, unable to be removed by yourself or your spouse/partner, in a place where there is no medical clinic nor urgent care open for 100 miles, necessitating a 3.5 hour visit to a local emergency room where you will be injected with 2 intra-muscular doses of Benadryl and two IM doses of different steroids, lots of anesthetic injections around the affected area, a rather unpleasant inflamed rash, lots of pulling and even more digging by the ER doc, bleeding, cauterization, multiple topical creams, and some creative bandaging, then sending your partner or spouse on a 1.5 hour journey to and from the closest open pharmacy for antibiotics and more Benadryl,  rest assured, I have already done this.

 

0/10 Would NOT recommend.

 

I'll be fine, but I really, really, really itch. I'm also rather dopey from all the Benadryl. 

 

I have also decided that I am no longer allowed to read any more about tick-borne diseases in Alabama, where we currently are.

 

5-11 miles per day of walking and/or hiking was helping with weight loss. I'm glad I already had over 11,000 steps in before I realized what was causing the itching. 

[dickinson]

Oh my!!!!!! 😱  Glad you are now ok.

[1980dory]

11 hours ago, PurpleHays said:

Few things beat the sound of rain.

I would agree, UNLESS you're in a monsoon or hurricane.

[PurpleHays]

13 hours ago, 1980dory said:

I would agree, UNLESS you're in a monsoon or hurricane.

I like the rain in a hurricane too. It's the wind I don't like. Fran (1996) was my first experience with a hurricane despite living the majority of my life in the coastal-ish south (FL, GA, NC).  The rain didn't bother me but the tree-snapping wind did. She was downgraded to tropical storm about the time she passed over me, so I got a good chunk, but not the worst like the coast did. The rest since then have been pretty minor in comparison--at least at whatever house I was living in when they came by.

[1980dory]

9 hours ago, PurpleHays said:

I like the rain in a hurricane too. It's the wind I don't like. Fran (1996) was my first experience with a hurricane despite living the majority of my life in the coastal-ish south (FL, GA, NC).  The rain didn't bother me but the tree-snapping wind did. She was downgraded to tropical storm about the time she passed over me, so I got a good chunk, but not the worst like the coast did. The rest since then have been pretty minor in comparison--at least at whatever house I was living in when they came by.

My first hurricane, I took a direct hit from Katrina.  That was interesting.

[LoriPhil]

MamaFej - yikes, and I can’t imagine how you were feeling on that drive to the emergency room!  But you HAVE inspired me to get my Fitbit charged back up and start pounding out those steps.

 

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by LoriPhil

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, LoriPhil said:

MamaFej - yikes, and I can’t imagine how you were feeling on that drive to the emergency room!  But you HAVE inspired me to get my Fitbit charged back up and start pounding out those steps.

 

 

Thanks. Mostly, I felt silly, going to an ER with such a minor ailment, but it was literally all that was open for about 100 miles. Given how long it took for the doctor to dig out all the pieces, and how badly my skin reacted to the whole ordeal, I'm very glad we went when we did, and did not try to wait until today.

 

As for the walkiing, good for you! I had. been repeatedly ill with numerous pulmonary infections for much of 2018 and 2019, into 2020, getting much better after social distancing and mask-wearing became a thing. Literal inability to exercise, lots of steroids, feeling darn sorry for myself, and laziness, I had gained nearly 45 pounds. I decided that I had had enough in mid January, and started walking in earnest again, along with improving my diet and some intermittent fasting. 30 pounds fell off in about 10 weeks. Then I hit a plateau for over a month and a half. In the past few weeks, I've dropped another couple of pounds (but probably set myself back quite a bit yesterday, sharing Memorial Day food and drinks outside with other campers). 

 

I have no interest in getting back the body I had when I was 25, I was much too thin then. I'd be thrilled to have the body I had 4 years ago when I was 50, confidently and confortably wearing a bikini on the Lido deck. 

 

Charge up that FitBit and get walking! You can do it!

[suzyed]

On 5/30/2021 at 8:03 PM, MamaFej said:

FYI: in case anyone was contemplating having a tick embed itself in your navel, unable to be removed by yourself or your spouse/partner, in a place where there is no medical clinic nor urgent care open for 100 miles, necessitating a 3.5 hour visit to a local emergency room where you will be injected with 2 intra-muscular doses of Benadryl and two IM doses of different steroids, lots of anesthetic injections around the affected area, a rather unpleasant inflamed rash, lots of pulling and even more digging by the ER doc, bleeding, cauterization, multiple topical creams, and some creative bandaging, then sending your partner or spouse on a 1.5 hour journey to and from the closest open pharmacy for antibiotics and more Benadryl,  rest assured, I have already done this.

 

0/10 Would NOT recommend.

 

I'll be fine, but I really, really, really itch. I'm also rather dopey from all the Benadryl. 

 

I have also decided that I am no longer allowed to read any more about tick-borne diseases in Alabama, where we currently are.

 

5-11 miles per day of walking and/or hiking was helping with weight loss. I'm glad I already had over 11,000 steps in before I realized what was causing the itching. 

Yikes!  Hope all is ok now!!