Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[aussielozzie18]

16 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

We're finally back home in Florida.  It was great seeing our daughters in Cincinnati, and we got a lot done on my older daughter's 130-year-old house, but we're exhausted. I think a couple of days of doing nothing is in order.  Although my daughter loves her old Victorian house, I much prefer our modern house with a lot more space.  

 

There's still a lot more to do, especially with her landscaping.  We cleared out a lot of garbage trees and shrubs around her yard, that likely grew as weeds for years.  We kept and significantly trimmed a few other larger trees that were in good shape.  We also got rid of most of the wintercreeper that had overgrown and was tangled in her chain link fence.  Someone years ago planted it for ground cover, and possibly as cover for her fence, but I doubt if it was ever maintained. There were many wintercreeper roots that were 3-4 inches thick that we couldn't remove from the fence.  We cut it off at the ground and will need to wait for it to die and then cut/chop/scrap to remove it from the fence.  That will probably be next summer.  She now has mostly a blank slate from which to build a new landscaping plan.  

Definitely sounds like a lot of work.  Well done & enjoy your rest.

 

We have a patch of area in the very back of our garden, hidden by our large shed, that DH had dumped cuttings and larger tree limbs and has vines grown  all over it. I have decided to work on getting rid of it, bit by bit, each fortnight when it’s green bin time.  Was doing it late on Sunday afternoon with rakes, saws etc but wasn’t wearing gloves.  Light  bulb moment of how dumb that was - never seen a funnel web spider in our garden - but if I was to, this would be the perfect environment.

 

Did you discover any critters as you were clearing out the garden?

Edited August 20 by aussielozzie18

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, Etta1213 said:

Are mosquitos year-round in FL?

FL is a really large state.  I am sure further south they are year round.  Here we do get a freeze at least once so that tends to kill them off.  Where we live there isn't any standing water because of the sandy soil which keeps them to a minimum.

[DaniDanielle]

4 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Happy 45th Anniversary to you, John.  Wishing you many more. 

From here also!

[Lionesss]

@h20skibum

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. 

 

Enjoy 

 

 

[Luckynana]

5 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Our 1st cruise was on Sea Princess.   It was about 25 years ago.  It was a new ship.  We were celebrating our 20th anniversary.   We had our 45th last Sunday!

We were chased by a hurricane that cruise however that didn't stop us from later cruises. 

 

Belated Happy Anniversary wishes to you and Sharon, John!!❤️🍾

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

The changes to the Premier package only happened in the last week.  So it’s very new.  

 

Thank you. As it turns out, I purchased the old plan just a few days before the  new changes were implemented,  hence my confusion. 

[Sunshine3601]

13 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'll be getting off Freedom as you board Odyssey. I did not know about these cabins. Are the regular OVB cabins or Jr Suites?

Regular OVB's on Anthem but Odyssey is marketing as spacious OVB.   The bathroom and showers are slightly bigger too!  I have to look for some photos.

[Sunshine3601]

11 hours ago, h20skibum said:

 

We had one of those cabins booked on Anthem for April, 2020.  Never did get to try it out.  It has the same square footage as a normal balcony cabin, but a wider balcony.

I didn't realize they have same sq' as they do feel bigger.   

[Sunshine3601]

Delete...human error😁

 

Edited August 21 by Sunshine3601

[Sunshine3601]

Maybe not human error😅

 

Edited August 21 by Sunshine3601

[Sunshine3601]

13 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'll be getting off Freedom as you board Odyssey. I did not know about these cabins. Are the regular OVB cabins or Jr Suites?

Here's one photo I found so far from an Anthem sailing.   They usually have full height table on balcony instead of those little drink tables.

 

[George C]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

We're finally back home in Florida.  It was great seeing our daughters in Cincinnati, and we got a lot done on my older daughter's 130-year-old house, but we're exhausted. I think a couple of days of doing nothing is in order.  Although my daughter loves her old Victorian house, I much prefer our modern house with a lot more space.  

 

There's still a lot more to do, especially with her landscaping.  We cleared out a lot of garbage trees and shrubs around her yard, that likely grew as weeds for years.  We kept and significantly trimmed a few other larger trees that were in good shape.  We also got rid of most of the wintercreeper that had overgrown and was tangled in her chain link fence.  Someone years ago planted it for ground cover, and possibly as cover for her fence, but I doubt if it was ever maintained. There were many wintercreeper roots that were 3-4 inches thick that we couldn't remove from the fence.  We cut it off at the ground and will need to wait for it to die and then cut/chop/scrap to remove it from the fence.  That will probably be next summer.  She now has mostly a blank slate from which to build a new landscaping plan.  

Must be great to be handy anything more complicated than replacing a light bulb we normally will call a handyman. Luckily most are very reasonable down here . Also have never mowed my lawn although wife bought a lawnmower a couple of decades ago . Cost for our lawn service is just 25 a week I always add on something when paying the bill. 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

4 hours ago, George C said:

Very happy that MSc will cruise out of Galveston starting end of next year that will save us thousands on airfare. 

Don’t you usually fly to Galveston, too? 😁

[ReneeFLL]

On 8/8/2024 at 1:36 AM, dani negreanu said:

@FromSea2ShiningSea

 

Helen, wishing you a very

 

Happy Birthday 💐

@FromSeaToShiningSea From Mike and I also. I’m behind and slowly getting caught up.

[Sunshine3601]

@Ozark_Kid. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you and Sharon💐🥂

[bobmacliberty]

14 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Did you discover any critters as you were clearing out the garden?

 

We didn't see any active critters, although there are plenty of mole trails.  It's hard to tell if the moles are still there.  We did see quite a bit of poison ivy hiding among the wintercreeper. 😬

 

11 hours ago, George C said:

Must be great to be handy anything more complicated than replacing a light bulb we normally will call a handyman. Luckily most are very reasonable down here . Also have never mowed my lawn although wife bought a lawnmower a couple of decades ago . Cost for our lawn service is just 25 a week I always add on something when paying the bill. 

 

I don't do nearly as much work on my own house, unless it's either something that should be fairly easy (meaning should only take one trip to the store 🙂) or is something that I have a personal interest in (like installing audio/video/networking/smart home devices).  It seems like everyone in Florida uses a landscaping service.  We have a good (and also fairly cheap) lawn guy, and we have both a great painter and a great handyman.  Our labor is much cheaper though than if our daughter hired someone, and it's a great opportunity to teach her many of the little things involved in owning a house.  We unstuck and reset a garbage disposal, hung curtain rods in closets, hung a TV mount to the plaster wall over her fireplace, filled open spaces in her basement with spray foam, changed the chandelier hanging in her foyer, removed and cleaned the trap below her bathroom sink, etc.  Most of that is not difficult but does sometimes require a little knowledge and the right tools. 

 

I did have to draw the line on a few things that would have involved heavy lifting and being on the roof.  Younger me would have no problem with those things but older me is smart enough to know better.

[Arzeena]

18 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Our 1st cruise was on Sea Princess.   It was about 25 years ago.  It was a new ship.  We were celebrating our 20th anniversary.   We had our 45th last Sunday!

We were chased by a hurricane that cruise however that didn't stop us from later cruises. 

Happy Anniversary!

[Arzeena]

14 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Camp Nana papa & summer of fun - just wonderful. Love seeing all the photos of the happy grandkids.

I would love to see Nana's picture too.🙂

[Arzeena]

14 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Here downunder we are heading into Spring 🌸

 

 last weekend I unpacked & wore my shorts for the first time

Took the heavy blankets off the bed

Can walk Max for longer after work (so he can spot more bunnies & avoid more cats)

Wildflowers are out

Going to the cherry blossom festival this weekend 

And the definite sign of Spring -  this conversation in the car  last weekend:

DH: You just sneezed 10 times!

Me:  It was “only” 7

DH:  Soon to be 10…..

 

 

Happy Spring!
That means more walks, flowers, birds and  more pictures? I am looking forward to your beautiful pictures!

[George C]

9 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Don’t you usually fly to Galveston, too? 😁

Yes I know 95 percent of Dallas drives we fly to hobby . Driving interferes with my drinking 😁😁

[Arzeena]

12 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Here's one photo I found so far from an Anthem sailing.   They usually have full height table on balcony instead of those little drink tables.

 

What the cabin literature has on square footage/dimensions just numbers.
I have not stayed in one but went to see the cabin as it was occupied by a friend from cc. It is not any "bigger". It seems smaller, but it is a square so that makes it feel spacious. Also no sofa. There is the armchair that you see in the picture above with the backpack on it. The wall does have the windows which "opens" it up spatially and it feels open and bright. Bathroom is identical. Everything else is the same. Theirs was on deck 7, but those on deck 6 above the "smoking bus stop stand" have mixed reviews on noise and smoke...bothered some, did not bother some. I have also seen a solo square (Anthem) and an inside square ( can't remember ship, but probably the same one).

I do love deck 6 for its proximity to everything.
I also like the balconies at the very front with the round openings. Have stayed in them. The balcony does not feel any smaller or restricted and is excellent for those who want shade and sun.....little bit of all.

[Vibe]

34 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

34 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I did have to draw the line on a few things that would have involved heavy lifting and being on the roof.  Younger me would have no problem with those things but older me is smart enough to know better.

Older me has realized that it is better to hire someone to do risky home repairs because it’s a lot cheaper than the cost of the inevitable hospital emergency room visit.

[Lionesss]

2 hours ago, Vibe said:

Older me has realized that it is better to hire someone to do risky home repairs because it’s a lot cheaper than the cost of the inevitable hospital emergency room visit.

Agree. 
 

Certain tasks we do. Others we pay for. 
 

Others include, but not limited too—-

 

1.  Install gutter guards

2.  Wallpapering

3.  Landscaping 

4.  Concrete installation for patio

5.  Tree removal. 

 

We do some things

 

1.  Vegetable gardening

2.  Basic car upkeep. Brakes oil change

3.  Indoor painting of walls except for wallpapered areas and foyer. 
4.  Lawn mowing, snow plowing. 
 

Just mentioning a few. 

 

Be safe. 

 

Edited August 21 by Lionesss

[Coralc]

@bobmacliberty I have to ask. Why would you hang curtain rods in closets? Is that in place of doors? Or a secret organizing trick, that I am not familiar with? ☺️

 

Movers are coming on Aug. 30. Hopefully I can drive by then. I am getting around with the walker and short walks with a cane. 

[bobmacliberty]

52 minutes ago, Coralc said:

@bobmacliberty I have to ask. Why would you hang curtain rods in closets? Is that in place of doors? Or a secret organizing trick, that I am not familiar with? ☺️

 

Movers are coming on Aug. 30. Hopefully I can drive by then. I am getting around with the walker and short walks with a cane. 

 

Oops...wrong words.  Should have said closet rods rather than curtain rods. 😁  I was actually thinking about using curtain rods for a little bit. The closet is only 10 inches deep and clothes won't fit hanging sideways like they normally do, so I had to get a little creative.  I ended up using black iron pipe fittings to create 3 separate short rods that run front to back rather than one long rod that runs side to side.  It's in the guest bedroom so guests will at least have room to hang 5-6 items on each of the 3 rods.

 

My daughter just sent a couple of pictures.  She got new bulbs for her "new" chandelier, and she gave us an "after" shot of cleaning her stained-glass window.  She found the chandelier at a thrift store, and it needed a lot of cleaning and a little rewiring.  Looks great in her foyer.  You can't really tell from the picture, but a couple of the stained-glass panes are cracked and some of the panes are loose from missing lead.  She'll need to find someone who fixes stained-glass windows.  That's well beyond my skill set.  I did however build a new wooden frame with a plexiglass insert that's mounted and sealed outside of the stained-glass window.  It lets in light but my daughter won't need to worry about bugs or cold air coming in from the cracks.