The Daily for Saturday Mar 06, 2021

[richwmn]

 

Today is Dentist's Day, National Frozen Food Day, and National Dress Day

Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough. - Emily Dickinson

Meal suggestion for today - Chicken Rice Skillet

Drink of the Day - Moscow Mule

Wine of the day - Cuarto Dominio Lote 44 Malbec - Argentina- Red

Port of the Day - Alexandria (Cairo) Egypt

At Sea Pacific
Westerdam Long Beach

La Paz MX
Koningsdam Anchorage
Nieuw Amsterdam Anchorage
Noordam Anchorage

Long Beach
Zuiderdam Anchorage

Port Everglades
Nieuw Statendam

Torquay UK
Eurodam Anchorage
Oosterdam Anchorage
Volendam Anchorage
Zaandam Anchorage

 

[rafinmd]

Thank you for the Saturday Daily, Rich.  A great group of days, special kudos to our Dentists @DeeniEncinitas and @mamaofamiDH.  I love the quote and the meal sounds quite nice as well.  Been to Alexandria once, back in 2010.  My alternative meal suggestion is Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho,Filet Mignon, and Apple Strudel, as served on MS Prinsendam March 5, 2019.

 

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/dishes06.jpg

 

Today's care list:

Caregiver Gsel and her DH battling Alzheimers

myself facing cardiac surgery

NextOne DH in rehav and facing chemo

RIP Cunnorl’s brother

Cunnorl and family with exposures to Covid

Mamaofami and DH

Alan

and Krazy Kruisers and Joe

 

Today's Celebrations and Shoutouts:

                    

Teachers, school workers and at home surrogates

Front Line Health Care Workers

Great cake for Quartzite Cruiser DH

Baltimore made J&J vaccine approved in Canada

Nieuw Statendam in Port Everglades

This community for 11 ½ months

and Sabine, HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it)

 

Roy

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Happy Saturday.  Thanks for the Daily Report.

Another interesting collection of days.  We love our dentist - it's important to keep your teeth.

I'm planning on defrosting the freezer today.  Wonder if I will find a hidden treasure at the bottom of it?

Love the quote.

The dinner sounds good, looking forward to reading the recipe.

And I think I'd like a Moscow Mule later or a glass or two of a nice malbec.

Another port I have not had the pleasure to visit, so I look forward to seeing pictures from others.  This is a great extra to the Daily.  Thanks again.

Sending prayers for all.  I hope everyone can celebrate something.

Have a wonderful day.

Stay safe.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Daily Report.

[KirkNC]

Happy Saturday!  Kudos to dentists 🦷 !

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

Another great collection of days to celebrate.   The neighborhood I grew up in produced several dentists, one from down the street and two from the family across the street.  Often it is hard to escape those neighborhood, childhood nicknames, so one dentist is known as Dr. Dirt.  

 

I have a Zoom meeting this morning that I have to lead and after that the day is mine.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do.  

 

Today's meal celebrates frozen food day as one ingredient is frozen green beans.  This one looks like one I'd like because it is nicely seasoned.  

 

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken-rice-skillet/

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ..

[kazu]

Thanks for the Daily, Rich and our morning smile 😄 

 

Interesting group of days - While  I hate going to the dentist, I appreciate them - especially my periodontist.

 

Love the quote and the meal suggestion.

 

I can vouch for that Malbec.  DH has had it and really enjoyed it.  

 

 

Egypt is one place we have not gone to so I look forward to others’ descriptions.

 

Spent yesterday on our income tax so I guess I can’t postpone housework any longer 😔 although heaven knows, I certainly try 😉  ( I had a great meme I was going to post for this but it has the word bs so I decided I better not post it in case it would offend/break guidelines).

 

Prayers for those on Roy’s Care list and for those that need them and, a big toast to those on the Celebratory / Shout Out list.

 

Have a great Saturday everyone.  Stay safe and don’t forget your masks 😷 

 

 

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s Daily, Rich! Denise has her own day! Retired dentists count, right? I love frozen fruit, I usually have a smoothie in the evening, and I have fun choosing the fruit. I don’t have too many dresses, but I do wear one occasionally. It just won’t be today. 
 

Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy! Morning Dailyites & my Sisters! @DeeniEncinitas, this is your day! I will toast to you tonight! Love the quote! Debbie, love this recipe, though I would substitute brown/wild rice or even quinoa for the instant rice.  A bit more work & time, but worth it!

 

@kazu, thank you for sharing Jose’s opinion of the wine du jour! (Love your wine meme)! And I do not find an occasional swear word offensive, I have been know to use a few in my lifetime. 

 

I am so excited about today’s port! Egypt has been at the top of my bucket list for eons. I missed out on an opportunity to visit in the 90s because of work obligations. And just when I convince myself it is safe to go, another unstable period begins. But I will get there, and until then will live vicariously through what everyone shares today!

 

A murky, but warmer day here. Surprisingly no rolling thunder of bikers yesterday. Perhaps not as many will travel here this year.  Zumba, garage clean out, then dinner at a friend’s is on today’s agenda.

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! 
@mamaofamiI will toast your DH tonight, too!

Stay well everyone!

********

This Malbec’s ratings range from very good - excellent, and with many prices under $11, it becomes a very “try-able” wine. And it has no weird comparisons (wet river stones, dry underbrush, etc...) in the descriptions, either. 

Winemaker Notes

The Lote Malbec has a unique and distinctive character. A dark purple color with violet highlights, black cherry, vanilla and mocha aromas with a full and rich mouthfeel and ripe, silky tannins.

Blend: 95% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc

JS93 James Suckling: Dried strawberries, lavender and walnuts on the nose of this unique malbec. I love the bold tannin structure and the long, earthy finish. Though, there is a hint of warmth from alcohol. This surely has very good aging potential, but can be enjoyed now with hearty food.”

 

[cat shepard]

My hard rock concert days are catching up to me, so this one hits close to home....

[superoma]

Good morning, all. Very sunny but a little chilly this morning but we are headed in the right direction this week - 50s and 60s by midweek, yeah. 
 

we docked in Alexandria in September 2008 during our med cruise on RCCL but left the ship very early on a ship’s tour to Cairo and Giza. Bucket list item - check!

[Himself]

Rich:  Thanks for the report.  I hope all have a great day

[Himself]

42 minutes ago, kazu said:

Thanks for the Daily, Rich and our morning smile 😄 

 

Interesting group of days - While  I hate going to the dentist, I appreciate them - especially my periodontist.

 

Love the quote and the meal suggestion.

 

I can vouch for that Malbec.  DH has had it and really enjoyed it.  

 

 

Egypt is one place we have not gone to so I look forward to others’ descriptions.

 

Spent yesterday on our income tax so I guess I can’t postpone housework any longer 😔 although heaven knows, I certainly try 😉  ( I had a great meme I was going to post for this but it has the word bs so I decided I better not post it in case it would offend/break guidelines).

 

Prayers for those on Roy’s Care list and for those that need them and, a big toast to those on the Celebratory / Shout Out list.

 

Have a great Saturday everyone.  Stay safe and don’t forget your masks 😷 

 

 

 

 I will say this.  It is too early to drink port wine.  I like it but stay away from port because it does not help Diabetes.

[Jadn13]

Morning All!!

Lovely View 🛳☀️
https://www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Daily!  Another great selection of days to celebrate - I do love my dentist, because he's so caring and gentle - it's time to get most of the frozen foods out of the "ice cave" with our warming temperatures - and although I don't wear dresses often (mostly on a Dam ship), I do have a few in the closet.

 

Ah, the port of Alexandria (Cairo); we've been fortunate to have been there twice.  The first time was by ourselves where we took the ship's tour by bus for 2.5 hrs where we visited the pyramids, of course.  As great as it was to see the pyramids, the highlight was visiting the Museum of Antiquities.  Oh my gosh, I could have come back every day for a week, and not have seen everything.  The pinnacle was seeing the beautiful gold mask of King Tutankhamen; I stood before the mask as long as I could, trying to burn the image into my brain, knowing I'd likely never be back to see it.  

 

The second time we were in Alexandria and Cairo was with our adult children and a spouse of one of them.  We knew what to expect, so it was great seeing their reactions to the first sighting of the pyramids from the bus.  Again, we took a ship's tour, but this one included an afternoon cruise on the Nile River.  The highlight of this tour was getting a fellow tourist to take a photo of our whole family (at the time, we now have a few more) touching the pyramids.  Both tours were well worth the length of time it took to get there and back.

 

I like today's menu suggestion, as we tend to eat a lot of chicken (neither of us can cook a decent steak, so we leave that to the experts on the Dam ships), but I'm going to file it away for another day.  Because we had leftover pulled pork last night, we'll have pizza night tonight - my choice.  I think it'll be all dressed with extra banana peppers on my half.  And wine.

 

Speaking of wine, I've also had today's selection, and yes, it is very drinkable; we've usually had it with spaghetti, which I guess qualifies as "hearty food".

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them and even for those who don't think they do.  Extra hugs for Roy.  Raising the wine glasses tonight to celebrate all on the happy list.  Stay well, be safe, wash your hands and wear your mask(s).

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[ger_77]

2 minutes ago, Himself said:

 I will say this.  It is too early to drink port wine.  I like it but stay away from port because it does not help Diabetes.

Father, today's wine isn't a port, it's a malbec.  If it was port, I wouldn't be drinking it.  LOL

1 minute ago, Jadn13 said:

Morning All!!

Lovely View 🛳☀️
https://www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com

Thank you for that beautiful view; does everyone miss those beautiful ships as much as I do?

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[Himself]

3 minutes ago, Jadn13 said:

Morning All!!

Lovely View 🛳☀️
https://www.ftlauderdalewebcam.com

Thank you for the link

[Himself]

1 minute ago, ger_77 said:

Father, today's wine isn't a port, it's a malbec.  If it was port, I wouldn't be drinking it.  LOL

Thank you for that beautiful view; does everyone miss those beautiful ships as much as I do?

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

Yes, I miss these beautiful ships.  I yhink the paus rhat was supposed to last two weeks is overkill by Government bureaucrats.  Just my opinion but I am not alonr.  Reorts are open, hotels are open, airplanes are flying but ships are not sailing. This is not just, in my opinion.

[Himself]

Rich now lists the pory of the day, I thought he was referring to Port Wine.

[summer slope]

Good morning.  Late today, got caught up in a jigsaw puzzle.  Appreciate our dentist and those on here.  Surviving on frozen food these days, and don't wear a dress except on a ship.  The quote is a good one.  Love the meal, sounds like something for tonight.  Thank you for the recipe Debbie.  Another country I would love to visit.  Will watch the port cams to see our beautiful blue hulled beauty.  Toasts and prayers for our lists.

Stay safe, social distance, and wear your mask.

Moscow Mule:

Ingredients: 1 1/2 oz Vodka, 1/6 oz Lime juice, 4 oz Ginger beer

Preparation: Combine vodka and ginger beer in a copper mug or highball glass filled with ice. Add lime juice. Stir gently and garnish with a lime slice.

Served: On the rocks; poured over ice.

Drinkware: Copper mug or highball glass

[TiogaCruiser]

Good Morning All,

 

Thanks to contributors on this thread I have dinner for tomorrow planned: Spaghetti with a robust meat sauce, salad and today’s wine. I love Malbec. So a trip to Total Wine is on the agenda.

 

With the weather warming and the days getting longer, our lettuce is bolting. So I’ve got some plants to pull and then will let the soil lay fallow for a while. DH is getting interested in trying hydroponics for summer lettuce.
 

This weekend’s project is to finish up the garage. After a month, am so close to being done and have run out of steam to finish.🤪

[cat shepard]

7 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Good Morning All,

 

Thanks to contributors on this thread I have dinner for tomorrow planned: Spaghetti with a robust meat sauce, salad and today’s wine. I love Malbec. So a trip to Total Wine is on the agenda.

 

With the weather warming and the days getting longer, our lettuce is bolting. So I’ve got some plants to pull and then will let the soil lay fallow for a while. DH is getting interested in trying hydroponics for summer lettuce.
 

This weekend’s project is to finish up the garage. After a month, am so close to being done and have run out of steam to finish.🤪

 

You have inspired me to start on my garage!

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning everyone,

 

Today is a special day for me - We get to see our DS because he has booked a flight from Michigan to Atlanta to pick up his car and spend the night here at our house.  His car is loaded top to bottom with belongings from their 3 month stay in Clearwater Beach.  It was just last weekend DH and I were down there enjoying the sunshine and then driving home to Georgia with his car.  It's always a good day when you can see your loved ones!  

 

DH and I were in Alexandria, Egypt in October 2014 on our first Holland America cruise.  We were on the Prinsendam so what a wonderful introduction.  The people of Egypt were very happy to see cruise tourists back since they were just getting past some bad times in their country.  

 

We took a ship's tour to Cairo and Giza where we visited the same Antiquities museum Gerry did.  Then on to Giza to see the fabulous pyramids.  The bus had a big, burly armed guard on board with us and the bus was escorted through the city of Alexandria by trucks loaded with armed security men.  The city itself was rough looking, but made for some fascinating viewing along the way.

 

 

Along the way were some interesting pigeon towers (or pigeon condos).

 

Arriving in city of Cairo

 

Fascinating way to carry cattle.  They must be dairy cows and used to being handled.  A beef cow would jump out of there.

 

There were no photos allowed in the museum and my IPhone was only months old at the time so I didn't take a lot of photos with it at the time.  So I have nothing to share from the Antiquities museum but as Gerry said, it was unique and fascinating.  If you ever go to Cairo, you should make it a point to visit there.  After lunch we had lunch at the Le Meridien Hotel, then headed to the pyramids of Giza. 

 

Waiting for paying riders

 

The city streets are just past the pyramids.  Which makes some individuals ask why they would put the pyramids right here in the middle of the city?  Seriously?🙄

 

 

Then we went to the Sphinx which had some work being done to it. 

 

We headed from there to a fancy gift shop for souvenirs, where guards were on duty to protect tourists getting on and off the busses.  Photo taken from inside bus.

 

This photo was taken from the street where the gift shop was.  Yes, they are right there!

 

 

[lcand1923]

My Egypt story is linked to the pandemic. 

 

I was very fortunate to be able to take a Nile River cruise with some pre and post-cruise days in Cairo.  My flight brought me home to MD on March 5, 2020.  On March 6 the first confirmed COVID cases in MD were identified among passengers who had just returned from a Nile River Cruise.

 

Since I live in a retirement community, there naturally followed a flurry of telephone calls from Administration to me.  The net result, I was on self-isolation for fourteen days.

 

I cannot say how many times I had to repeat that I was NOT on the river vessel where the cases had been identified.

 

I still think of our Country Guide in Egypt.  I had questioned him about when he would have his next group.  He said his next group would start on March 23.  He told me that he was so very, very lucky.  We were his second group in 2020, the first time that had happened in over ten years.  He was looking forward to a busy year. 

 

I now suspect that he got a telephone call from his employer while we were at the Sphinx telling him that COVID had arrived in Egypt.  He never took telephone calls while our group was at any site.  When he saw the number on his cell phone, he walked away from our group.  He was then quite subdued for the rest of the day. 

 

Egypt's economy like so many other countries in this world rely heavily upon tourism.  The economic impact of this pandemic is far-reaching and devastating.

[mamaofami]

Good morning everyone. I never knew there was a national dentist day. DH probable didn’t know it either since he’s a retired dentist and would have made sure we celebrated it in the past. We first started sailing years ago because there was a dental group that supplied dentists to HAL. They would send out a chart of available sailings and we could sign up for whatever we wanted. The dentists had to pay to join the group, the cruise was free, and the dentists served the crew who were so appreciative. They also served the passengers when they had an emergency. Every ship we were on  had a complete dental office. Passengers often complained about the cost of the dental visit, but all fees were set by HAL and the dentists weren’t paid. They were free when we were in port. I bought my first and only art work at an auction while DH was working on board. It was framed and a pain to lug home, but I love it because it reminds me of our cruises.

 

Theres a rumor that it’s going to be 60 degrees next week, but that we will get another snow storm before March is over.

 

Stay safe everyone.

 

Carol