The Daily for Monday August 02, 2021

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Daily. Busy thread today!

Important days all. The Carnegie Museum here has excellent dinosaur displays.

I like the quote.

The meal and drinks sound interesting, although I do like my beef. I also like Roy's meal. 

I haven't been to today's destination (and had to look up where it is). Thanks for the pictures.

 

Another doctor's appointment today. Seems I have one every week! Actually 2 next week, sigh. On a positive note, I do get to cut back on some of the eye drops starting today and it's the last night of wearing a shield over the eye.

 

The weather is great today. Low 70's and low humidity. But I'm relaxing after 3 days of strenuous yard work.

 

@kazu Good news on your BFF's DH's brain bleed. Hopefully they'll manage his pain well.

@aliaschief  Smart move. Enjoy the cruise!

@smitty34877 Continuing prayers for Tana and Miss Camilla.

@cat shepard Thanks so much for recounting your adventures. You have a great writing style!

@Crazy For Cats Thanks for letting us cruise vicariously with you!

@Sharon in AZ Great picture of you and DGD.

 

Prayers for the care list and cheers to the celebration list.

Stay safe everyone. Our cases are up here, although our county vaccination rate is quite good.

 

 

 

 

 

[lazey1]

6 hours ago, kazu said:

 

OMG you can colour me stupid, now 😬 😱 

 

My sincere apologies 😔. Hanging my head in shame ☺️

Well I am right there beside you Jacqui. Never saw or heard the term before. That is how computer illiterate Iam.

[lazey1]

4 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Oh the joy of waiting in a car dealership customer lounge while my Spider gets oil change and tire rotation. 
 

Like all waiting rooms these days no mags!

 Wait! I’ll read the Daily!!!

Feeling the same way while having the 6 month maintenance on my Rave4 at the Toyota delearship.

Jane

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon from a cooler, wetter central Texas.  We're enjoying the break from the usual hot August days.  I'm late today even though I started reading the Daily early this morning.  Life just seemed to intrude today.

 

DH used CAD drawings with his software.  I have always liked dinosaurs, but my favorite ones were the characters on the tv show "Dinosaurs" (Not the Mama!).  Once when DH had business in Chicago and I was with him, I spent an aftenoon at the Field Museum and saw Sue the T-Rex.  Amazing.  Her head was so heavy ti had be be on a separate stand and a replica attached to the rest of her.  It's been a long time since I colored in a book.

 

We'll pass on the meal, but have had the wine on a BHB before.  I might try the drink someday.  

 

The quote of the day is interesting.

 

We sailed through the Dardanelles in 2008 on our Prinsendam Black Sea cruise.  I checked my pictures, and they are the same as everyone else has posted.  It was a hazy day which did not help the picrtures.  

 

@cat shepard  Thank you for your travelogue of your Icelandic adventures, and of the wonderful pictues.  It brought back great memories of our visits to Iceland over the years.

@Red Haired Lady Enjoy your cruise.  We liked Istanbul when we were there in 2008.

@lindaler  Enjoy your new cruise in 47 days.

@crazyforcats  Ejnjoying your pictures and reports from the NA.

@kazu  Good news about your BFF's DH.

@JazzyV  Vanessa, good news you can cut back on the eye drops.  Know you will be glad to not need the eye shield after tonight.

 

I better go check on the people working on our roof.  It's metal and some of the screws needed replacing.  Hope this fixes the leak we've had over the kitchen for several years, and that no one could get fixed.  These guys replaced quite a few screws and found one that had a gap between it and roof that was definitely leaking.  Because some of the screws that were replaced in prevoius attempts were not the correct ones, they are rusting,  So when they have a break in their schedule, they will be back to replace all the screws in the areas over the living part of the house.

 

Lenda

 

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[cruzn single]

Today has been so much fun to read the preceding 5 (FIVE) pages.  It is only 1:30 here.  Prayers for all on the care list, and I am so happy for those on the Congratulations list!

 

Dinosaur Day is 'MY" day.  I live in an area where many dinosaur bones are found, and I grew up in Utah near Dinosaur National Monument.  We were there at least once a month during nice weather for family/friends picnics.  I also walked through the Utah Museum of Natural History every day on my walk home from school.  When we took our grandchildren on a trip through Western Colorado and into Utah, my DGD (now 36) said to me (after 3 days of all dinosaurs), "Grandma, I am about dinosaured out!!!"

 

Beautiful sunny day here with temps in the 80's.  I am starting to think about what to take for Alaska in less than 3 weeks.  I am excited, as I have never had a verandah cabin before.  We never did while my DH was alive.  Now, that I am a solo cruiser, I have felt it was too expensive, but just decided to bite the bullet, and this and my next two cruises are all verandah cabins.  Guess I can't "take it with me."

 

The travelogue and wonderful pictures from Iceland have been such a delight.  Maybe I can find a non-cruiser to accompany me on such a trek.  Thanks, @cat shepard for taking us along.

 

Have a great rest of the day, everyone.  I will lift my glass of Pinot Grigio (but not today's) to all celebrating.

[HAL4NOW]

3 hours ago, atexsix said:

Clothes line bacon?! 

 

I've never seen such a thing, if that's in the Pinnacle maybe I can succeed in getting Dear Dad to go at least once, he loves bacon!

This is not only a unique appetizer, but it is truly delicious. Who doesn't like candied bacon on a clothesline? 

[TiogaCruiser]

3 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Hey! I just looked at my account (another poster said they couldn't find out where they can pay tips) and I show a $1197 Credit on our account! I do not know where it came from but will research it to make sure it really is a credit! 

I, too, have a mysterious cruise credit. I noticed it a few weeks ago, then received an email from HAL , suggesting I use it to book a cruise. I’m wondering if they gave it to me as I canceled my cruise about 2 hours before they canceled me, when the pause hit.

[Crazy For Cats]

Our current view. Internet is down.  Which means the app is down unless you have cell coverage. 

[Boytjie]

Nieuw Statendam in Port Everglades.

[atexsix]

6 hours ago, lindaler said:

Good morning all. Thanks Rich and all who Daily contribute to health, drink or food. And to our daily family who make me smile and cry. I always love the photos. Today I should receive delivery of my first new computer in almost ten years. It causes anxiety thinking about transferring all my files and programs but I will put on my big girl panties and work on it. I have been working on putting things on thumb drives so hope that helps. 
I look forward to meeting so many from here at Christmas. But I couldn’t wait that long to get on a BHB so booked a west coast b2b for September. 47 days to go. Boy that had a nice sound to it. 47 days until I embark. Throw a few days visiting with my sister and bil before I fly out it seems like it will be just around the corner. 

Sounds like that's a couple weeks after us.

[atexsix]

10 hours ago, St. Louis Sal said:

I was typing and missed Roy’s posting of our cares and concerns. May our cares list get shorter everyday 🙏. And may our celebrations be merry ones-raising that glass 🍷.

 

St Louis Sal

Indeed!

[atexsix]

8 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Good morning everyone!  It's a nice morning here and we're expecting a high of 88F.  The sun is out now but I see a few clouds will mix in this morning followed by a cloudy sky this afternoon.  I have nothing important planned for today so perhaps I should do some pressing/ironing that I have collected.  When I do laundry and something needs ironing, I put it on a hanger and store in one spot in a particular closet.  When I get a batch of things, then is when I iron everything at once.  When we return from a cruise I usually have quite a lot to iron but since we haven't been on a cruise ironing days are few and far between lately.

 

An unusual assortment of days today.  I remember when my youngest DGS was a precocious 3 year old he told everyone he wanted to be a paleontologist because he loved dinosaurs.  Yes he used the correct title, too.  That's what happens when your siblings are lots older than you are I guess.

 

Today's menu item I will pass on but the wine I would enjoy.  For our Care list, prayers for all and hopefully some of them will be removed as they improve.  For the Celebration list, cheers and a clink of the champagne glasses.  

 

On our Black Sea cruise in Oct. 2014 on the Prinsendam we passed through the Dardanelles twice.  Once on our way into the Black Sea and once on the way out.  The first time we didn't see much because I think it was a foggy day and we were attending our first ever Mariners luncheon.  The second time was a sunny day with some outdoor activities planned.  Early in the day while in the Bosphorus Strait, passengers could participate in the swim between the two continents - Asia and Europe.  They didn't have to swim too far though because the pool was extremely tiny.  I couldn't believe how many people jumped into it!  The Asia side:

 

The Europe side:

 

The pool during the "swim".  The cruise director got in with a tuxedo on, though he wore shorts instead of trousers.  

 

 

Later in the afternoon we watched the beginning of the scenic cruising of the Dardanelles from the Crow's Nest so pardon the dirty windows.  

 

 

The next photo is really streaky with sea salt, so please excuse.  It's the town of Gelibolu otherwise known as Gallipoli.

 

I guess I decided to head outside then because the pictures weren't so great inside.

 

A local ferry from one side of the strait to the other.

 

 

According to my Shutterfly photo book from this cruise, I printed this:  This narrow strait connects the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea.  Pictured is Kilitbahir Castle, built in 1452.

 

 

This is another photo of the sign on the hillside.  I don't know what it says or means, unfortunately.

 

The position of the sun made taking photos difficult on western side of the strait.  Anyway, hope you enjoyed it - we did!!

 

 

I"m assuming that hot tub was not a HAL ship, you'd never get us all back out of there 😁

[atexsix]

8 hours ago, kazu said:

 

OMG you can colour me stupid, now 😬 😱 

 

My sincere apologies 😔. Hanging my head in shame ☺️

It's not stupid!  Few would know that outside of engineering/architecture/IT.

[atexsix]

7 hours ago, cat shepard said:

The Icelandic saga continues….. and ends.  

 

I decided to combine the last days of the adventure into one entry. I literally have no pictures. Just experiences. 

 

When I woke up on the 16th it was pouring. And windy. And it did not seem to let up for the rest of our stay.  Maybe Iceland was as sad to see us leave as we were to go. I had three cups of coffee to make up for the fact that their breakfast buffet did not have any of that delicious brown bread. 😢

 

We decided to do the Ho-Ho bus. My hospital visit prevented Janice and me from doing it last week, so we wanted to ride the circuit. The three other folk, who had ridden the circuit last week, decided to ride with us as far as the Perlan. Then they would get out there. Janice and I would do the rest of the circuit, then meet them back there. We would have lunch in the cafe and then go to the Aurora exhibit together. 

 

Nothing tempted Janice or me to get off the Ho-Ho. We did make note of the fact that one of the stops was fairly close to “our” hot dog place. Maybe for lunch tomorrow. We made it back to the Perlan and the gang was there to greet us. They were full of excitement about the Iceland’s  volcano “system” exhibit. We went up to the cafe.  I had yummy tomato soup and split a grilled cheese sandwich with Janice.

 

We made our way to the Aurora exhibit. I had witnessed the Northern Lights on Cape Cod one very chilly September night decades ago, but nothing prepared me for this!  Seeing the lights for real in Iceland must be life changing.  We also decided to wander through the Ice Cave and under water exhibits. Both were fascinating. 

 

Then our energy ran out. We decided to head back to the hotel and relax. Well the Ho-Ho schedule had other things in mind. We waited 55 minutes for the next bus. My leg was aching and it took all my willpower to get up the steps. We sat in the lobby of the hotel, and convinced the front desk folk to let us go into the closed dining room get a cup of coffee that they would then add a shot of Bailey’s to. It was a perfect energy booster. 

 

We opened up Trip Advisor looking for ideas for supper, and decided upon Reykjavik Kitchen. Good options, nothing fancy and reasonably priced. A wonderful menu. I started with their coffee cured salmon - which was out of this world. I had their seafood soup as my main course, but they also offered it as a starter. It was very good, but not quite as good as what we had in Dalvik.  I split a piece of lemon pie with Kat.  Just the perfect amount of tang - the crust was worthy of plate licking. 

 

Back to the hotel we sat in the lobby for awhile enjoying a nightcap while reminiscing about some of the highlights of the past week. Before turning in Kat was good enough to get the shower hose down for me, so that I could “shower” in the morning. 

 

The 17th dawned - you guessed it: rainy, raw and windy. We decided to do the Ho-Ho again, and either go back to the Perlan to see what we missed the day before, or weather permitting, wander around the older section. We all wanted one more hot dog for the road. 😎

 

We got a very late start, but there was a bit of a break in the weather. The light mist allowed us to wander the older section of the city. And we made our way to our hot dog place and in spite of the off & on mist, enjoy one last dog! Janice and I wanted to go back to the Perlan and see the volcano system exhibit that everyone else raved about the day before. We knew we had to be back at the hotel by 6 for our Rapid test, so we all agreed to meet back there in the lobby. 
 

The volcano exhibit was enthralling. François had educated us about the volcanoes that were creating Iceland, but the exhibit really allowed one to understand how connected they were. We over heard someone leading a private tour group talking about the more than 50,000 earthquakes felt around the area of the volcano that erupted in March. Most were minor, but some were felt in Reykjavik. 50K! Wow!

 

Happily, Janice and I left just as a Ho-Ho bus was dropping people off. We sat in the lobby after getting a bottle of wine from the bar and waited for the rest of the group to join us. By 5:20 we were all gathered ready for our tests. Around 5:40 a man approached and asked if we were waiting to be tested. By 6 we were all tested and had a great recommendation for dinner: Krost. 

 

We decided to eat early. We opted for a bunch of their starters. The Arancini, fire grilled white cheese, smoked salmon and bistro fries were delicious. I had a lovely Sancerre with the starters. I split a rib-eye burger with Kat. Yummy. I enjoyed an amazing Rioja with the burger. Midway through the meal we received our test results. All negative!

 

We turned in as soon as we got back to the hotel. I packed as much as I could. And got everything ready for the morning, knowing that I was hoping to grab a coffee before heading out to the airport. Slept great yet again. 

 

The 18th dawned gloomy and cool - but no rain. I woke up before my 6 a.m. alarm and had just finished washing up, when the phone rang. It was our airport transportation driver telling me that she was there to take me to the airport! No amount of arguing could sway her from her position! So I told her that I was on crutches and moving slowly and she would have to wait for me.  She hung up. I immediately called my travel gang - good thing too! Janice could not find the phone in time to answer it and Jo never received a call. By the time I made it downstairs, the driver had left and Janice was on the phone with Airport Direct telling the dispatcher the error was theirs and they better send someone else to take us to the airport. We all had our vouchers stating we had to be ready 4 hours before our 11 a.m. flight. NOT 5 hours! It was not even 6:30 yet! Well I got my cup of coffee. But the company came through and sent the wonderful driver who had brought us from the airport when we arrived. We all immediately calmed down, knowing he would take great care of us. Let’s just say he got great tips!

The airport was a bit chaotic because some of Delta’s online pre-registration documentation had some glitches. But everything else went smoothly.  The flights home were uneventful. I do need to mention the food service from Iceland to JFK, it was the best airline food I have ever eaten. A lovely salad with shredded cabbage, grapes, tiny, sweet tomatoes and pickled onion - with a great dressing. Moist, flavorful chicken breast, with sweet potato and spinach. And hazelnut mousse for dessert. 

 

We landed at Orlando at 6:45 and our driver was ready for us when we walked out with our luggage at 7:30. I was home by 9. And in bed by 10. 

 

The end. 😞

 

P.S. The only changes I would make: 

1. add more leg room on the transportation 

2. add a day in the Eastern fjords

3. add at least a day in the Northwest fjords. 
 

To all of you thinking about Iceland - GO!

I thought about retirement there years ago, it's one of the easier places for Americans to get permission.

[atexsix]

6 hours ago, HAL4NOW said:

150 degrees F?

omg, I would melt

[atexsix]

6 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Yes, you do!  How about a Wang Wang!🍹

 

I don't know how you remembered him, but good job!!

I don't think I heard a word like that since I was about 5, and I was told not to touch it 😁🤣

[atexsix]

5 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

 

One time he gave us a $10,000 credit on board, but then a few days later he took it away again..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The nerve.....😁

[atexsix]

1 hour ago, HAL4NOW said:

This is not only a unique appetizer, but it is truly delicious. Who doesn't like candied bacon on a clothesline? 

If it's candied, he might have to tell them to skip that part, if possible.

[atexsix]

36 minutes ago, Boytjie said:

Nieuw Statendam in Port Everglades.

Now that really is a BHB!

[kazu]

1 hour ago, atexsix said:

I"m assuming that hot tub was not a HAL ship, you'd never get us all back out of there 😁

 

It sure was a HAL ship at the time.  The Elegant Explorer aka the EE aka the Prinsendam.  that’s the aft - sea view pool

There were only a max of 840 people on the ship if memory serves.

For me, it was the best ship in the fleet with superlative service, better food, lovely sail a way munchies, pretty an endless list.

I literally cried when I left that ship for the last time and knew I would not be back.  The crew were incredible and the crew to passenger ratio was much higher than any other HAL ship.

I miss her 😔 

[durangoscots]

20 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

It sure was a HAL ship at the time.  The Elegant Explorer aka the EE aka the Prinsendam.  that’s the aft - sea view pool

There were only a max of 840 people on the ship if memory serves.

For me, it was the best ship in the fleet with superlative service, better food, lovely sail a way munchies, pretty an endless list.

I literally cried when I left that ship for the last time and knew I would not be back.  The crew were incredible and the crew to passenger ratio was much higher than any other HAL ship.

I miss her 😔 

Me too.

[StLouisCruisers]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

It sure was a HAL ship at the time.  The Elegant Explorer aka the EE aka the Prinsendam.  that’s the aft - sea view pool

There were only a max of 840 people on the ship if memory serves.

For me, it was the best ship in the fleet with superlative service, better food, lovely sail a way munchies, pretty an endless list.

I literally cried when I left that ship for the last time and knew I would not be back.  The crew were incredible and the crew to passenger ratio was much higher than any other HAL ship.

I miss her 😔 

 

I endorse everything Jacqui said.  Our favorite ship as well.  We booked one of her final cruises just to say goodbye, like so many others.  😪

[rafinmd]

I am about 1/3 of the way through my rehab and I'm still not quite sure what to expect.  Each time I have 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 on a stationary bike and thought I was being pretty closely monitored, although they haven't told me much.  On Friday one of the staff came up while I was on the bike and asked me to move the difficulty setting up a notch for 2 minutes.  Today I took it up to 3 minutes and mentioned it to her when she checked on my mid ride.

 

On the treadmill I have been gradually increasing the slope of my walk, from 0.5% to 1% to 1.5%.  Today I asked them how long I should stay at 1.5 before moving to 2.  They did not know I had been using any grade at all.  Still no idea how much initiative I can take and how much supervision they will give me (it doesn't appear to be much).  While I am getting some benefits, I'm still not convinced I am doing significantly more benefit than I would be walking in my neighborhood or on a promenade deck.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Just now, StLouisCruisers said:

 

I endorse everything Jacqui said.  Our favorite ship as well.  We booked one of her final cruises just to say goodbye, like so many others.  😪

Not quite one of the final voyages but the final Grand Voyage.

 

Roy

[dfish]

8 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I am about 1/3 of the way through my rehab and I'm still not quite sure what to expect.  Each time I have 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 on a stationary bike and thought I was being pretty closely monitored, although they haven't told me much.  On Friday one of the staff came up while I was on the bike and asked me to move the difficulty setting up a notch for 2 minutes.  Today I took it up to 3 minutes and mentioned it to her when she checked on my mid ride.

 

On the treadmill I have been gradually increasing the slope of my walk, from 0.5% to 1% to 1.5%.  Today I asked them how long I should stay at 1.5 before moving to 2.  They did not know I had been using any grade at all.  Still no idea how much initiative I can take and how much supervision they will give me (it doesn't appear to be much).  While I am getting some benefits, I'm still not convinced I am doing significantly more benefit than I would be walking in my neighborhood or on a promenade deck.

 

Roy

 

Sit down with them and find out what their goals are for you and where you are in meeting those goals.  Some people do not need the full amount of time for rehab as they are fully capable of doing it on their own.  With both of my knees I was released from therapy a full month early because I had met all my goals.  

 

If they don't have goals for you and can't tell you where you stand in meeting them, it is time to talk to the doctor as you may just be a revenue source.