The Daily for Sunday November 21, 2021

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone.

 

It was a late night last night as Donna and Larry's flight kept getting delayed.  They finally landed at almost midnight and we made it to my house a little after 1:00 am.  Of course, we couldn't go straight to bed.   

 

Today's meal sounds like a great combination.  This first recipe makes a great Butternut White Chicken Chili.  https://www.howsweeteats.com/2020/11/butternut-white-chicken-chili/

 

 

This one uses a secret ingredient to make it stand out from the rest.   https://bakedbree.com/butternut-squash-chicken-chili

 

 

Here's one you can load in the slow cooker and magic happens!   https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken-butternut-chili/

 

 

[dfish]

@JAM37

 

 

[kazu]

58 minutes ago, JAM37 said:

 

We will have that and watch football to celebrate our anniversary. Not our normal way of celebrating, but it allows us to keep working in preparation for mid week arrival of family.

 

So sorry to hear the difficulty your allergies are causing you 😔 I hope they are resolved soon.  

 

It doesn’t matter how you celebrate your anniversary as long as you are together.  Happy Anniversary

 

 

38 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

We were honored to take a Black Sea followed by a Holy Land cruise on the Prinsendam in 2014.  It was our first cruise on HAL and what an introduction it was!  We stayed two days in Istanbul so we got to do a lot of exploring around the city. 

 

That’s the same year we went - we did the segment before and the Black Sea - September & October 2014.  Great cruise 🙂 

[smitty34877]

@JAM37 Happy Anniversary to you both!

I hope the allergies are less today .It has been wicked here as well.

[Himself]

35 minutes ago, summer slope said:

Good morning.  Love anything gingerbread.  Happy to celebrate National Adoption day, as we adopted our DD.  And I try to say hello to everyone we pass.  I like the Roosevelt quote.  Will pass on the meal.  Have not been to Turkey, as always, looking forward to the photo's. 

Our lists are growing again, prayers for the care list and toasts to our celebration list.

Please continue to stay safe, social distance, and wear your mask..

 

Rum Swizzle:

A Rum Swizzle is a rum-based cocktail often called "Bermuda's national drink". The Royal Gazette has referred to it as "the legendary Sam swizzle...perfect for sharing and irresistible to locals and ... Wikipedia
Ingredients: 2 oz Bermuda falernum, MORE
Preparation: Mix in pitcher with crushed ice, shake vigorously until a frothing head appears. Strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry. Serves 6.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish: A slice of Orange, Cherry
Drinkware: Cocktail Glass

 

Sounds sweet and refreshing!

[smitty34877]

Good morning. I say hello to everyone  I see and have to laugh at the surprised looks I get from people around here who are not expecting  it.I have 4 adopted nieces and nephews  that we are very grateful for. 

 

I have only been to Istanbul in my dreams so thanks @StLouisCruisers for the pictures. 

The crock pot recipe looks like a great idea.I found butternut squash in abundance  yesterday and will get this going this morning. Thanks  @dfish!

@ger_77,I laughed at your salty kitchen story.....did you have to do dishes as well?DH has made  me cereal and toasts a mean frozen waffle!

Terry

[Himself]

Good morning Rich and readers and poster on the DAILY.  Many of us celebrate the Feast of CHRIST THE KING today.    Thank you for the Fleet report.

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing and caring 😀.

 

 

Prayers to all.

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning Rich. A blessed Sunday to our Daily-ites. 

 

So great to see you back Roy. Many thanks to Jacqui for helping. Roy it was our friends mom who passed away yesterday morning. 

 

@JAM37 Happy Anniversary!

 

Gerry, your husband sure comes up with doozies for meals! 

 

My step son was adopted nearly 50 years ago. 

 

We had an amazing turnout for our Thanksgiving dinner. We ended up with 104 people and raised $918 for our Georgetown Blue Santa. We had 3 hams left and sold those off. There was a really cute wired cork tumbler with a number of corks. The tickets were 3 for $5, closest to the correct count of corks won. There were 833 corks! Someone guessed 820 and won the corks, tumbler and a gift card.

 

Sandi your pictures are amazing. Thank you!

 

Wishing everyone an amazing day. Blessings, Cheers and Prayers!

 

[bdrcole]

It is important to remember the proper sequence of holidays.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! A shout out to all my friends who either adopted a child and gave them a secure, loving family or were adopted themselves. It is almost gingerbread house season again. DH and I starting making gingerbread houses last year, thanks to all the spare time from 2020’s cancelled celebrations. Because I wanted to eat them too, they are all gluten free gingerbread. Here a a few as our skills evolved:

The first, made from a kit from our local gluten free bakery:

 

Then I made my own GF gingerbread and pattern:

 

Then we started getting fancy with our designs. This one was for Chinese New Year:

We made it home late yesterday afternoon. The highway North of the Fraser River opened to essential travel, including those returning home. It was a long flight to Abbotsford, as we were rerouted to Edmonton to clear Canadian customs and immigration. Those services were closed in Abbotsford. We stayed with DH’s cousin overnight. Then when the long detour route to Chilliwack  opened, she drove us home. We picked up some fresh veggies on the well supplied side before we came. She is truly an angel in human form! Yesterday DS and BIL were able to drive home via a long detour over reopened  highways through the interior. What is normally a 4 hour drive was an 11 hour drive, but they are home and safe. Gas is rationed in BC right now, and a lot of stores are rationing things like eggs to stop the hoarders.

The magnitude of the disaster in BC is really just sinking in. When we stepped off the plane in Abbotsford, you could smell flood plain from the airport. There’s a lot more to recovery than just draining Sumas Prairie.

On a better note, we had an awesome time in Mexico, and it’s good to be back in our own bed safe and sound.

Happy Sunday, and yes, I’d rather be on a BHB not having to worry about the vegetable supply!

 

 

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning everyone,

This is my third attempt at trying to post here.  The CC gremlins are at it again.

Greetings from sunny but cold Bluffton, SC.  

Finally there is a port that i can say we have visited.

First of all, thank you all for the expressions of support and condolences as we work through our loss.  It means a lot.

While we have no longer chosen to sail on HAL, I still find this board my comfort zone.

We keep in our prayers those who are on the cares list.  Roy, especially, we wish you success and speedy results from your radiation treatments so that you can be on the high seas again.

To all those who are celebrating, cheers!

To those who are adopted, you are blessed to have had parents who cared and nurtured you to adulthood.  You are truly the lucky ones.

As for dinner, it is Chicken Francaise tonight with risotto and glazed carrots.

Happy Sunday to all, and God Bless.

Terri

[Live4cruises]

Good morning all!  We had a wonderful 3 days in Istanbul in 2006 at the end of our first Prinsendam cruise.  We dearly loved it.  We stayed at a small local hotel, hit the “must-see’s”, and even (bravely) experienced a real Turkish bath house.  My point of view of such things is that nobody knows me so go for it.  Wonderful, beautiful, welcoming, unforgettable.

We’ve been doing some traveling - a week in North Carolina with DSon & DDIL, celebrating my big # 65.  And now we are at the end of a weekend trip to Arkansas seeing extended family.  As it turns out, we neither are nor have company for Thanksgiving, so we will feast with our favorite people (each other).

Roy, so happy that you are back and posting.  This is a rough patch for you, but we are all anticipating you back on cruises collecting new sunrises for us.

Best to all!

[StLouisCruisers]

HELLO gang of Dailyites!  I'm back from the shopping and tending to the sheet washing and changing while I sit here.  Multi-tasking!

 

Hagia Sophia museum is up next.  The exterior.  @kazu if you see yourself in my photos, let us know!

 

Here's a roadmap for you.

 

some of the interior walkways

 

I've noticed this is one of my older cameras taking photos in 2014 so not of the quality I would like.  Camera have really improved a lot over the last decade or two.

 

 

We saw a lot of people taking photos upwards during our Istanbul stop.  You can see why.

 

 

Marble jar, used on special days to distribute water, according to the inscription below it.

 

This is called the Beautiful Door.

 

See, I did NOT make that up.

 

 

The two of us, 7 years younger.🙁

 

By this time we were exhausted, and so were our traveling buddies so we walked back to the ship.  We walked many miles that day.  Along the way we saw street food called Kestane being sold.  It appears that is roasted chestnuts.

 

 

A place to wash your feet before entering the mosques.

 

Another shop full of spices and confections.

 

Back on the Prinsendam, we had a dancer on the pool deck (belly dancing I believe).  She moved so fast the photos turned out blurry!  We also had local cuisine cooked and set up on deck.

 

 

Those were the days, eh?

 

 

My gosh, we still have the following day to see.  This could take all day to finish!  Sorry if there are too many photos but Istanbul is an important stop on the Black Sea cruise.  

 

 

[aliaschief]

Good morning everyone! We had a lovely drive up to Napa yesterday via downtown San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Sampled some great wines and enjoyed a great lunch.

 

Today we are taking granddaughter to the Oakland Zoo and tomorrow we go to the rental cabin on Bass Lake and start our week of enjoying nearby Yosemite.

 

Prayers for those in need and a special thank you to all that contribute to our daily Daily!

[dobiemom]

4 hours ago, richwmn said:

Ships with Passengers

Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale FL US
Nieuw Statendam 07:00 - 16:00
Rotterdam 07:00 - 16:00

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
Eurodam 06:30 - 14:00

San Diego, California
Koningsdam 07:00 - 16:00

San Juan PR
Nieuw Amsterdam

FIVE BHBs with passengers! 👏
 

I’m waiting in the Observation Lounge (Crow’s Nest) for my disembarkation color. I choose 9am. NCL asks that we be out of our cabins by 8am. I like that HAL let’s you stay in your stateroom but I understand. 
On the way home (I drove to the port) I’m stopping by the cemetery to decorate my dad’s grave for my mom.
Only 56 days until my next cruise! 

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

We're going to have another dry day here, hurrah!  Yesterday I got all the leaves raked up in the yard and into the tall yard waste bin.  I'm sure I can find something to do in the yard today too, have to "make hay while the sun shines!"

 

Being the oddball I am, I've never liked the taste of ginger, or gingerbread.  @Horizon chaser 1957your gingerbread houses are awesome!  Mine never turn out like that 😉  

 

A big shout out to adoption, and hello world!  I love how we all greet each other when passing on a BHB and was happy to see on our recent cruise that it continues now too.

 

Will pass on the meal, but the wine and drink both sound good. It will be roast beef sandwiches, either hot or cold, tonight.  The Slow Cooker Balsamic Roast Beef last night was very tasty. 

 

 I love Istanbul, we've been there twice, but it was pre digital and my photos are very similar to Sandi's  @StLouisCruisers(thank you for the great photos!)  I even bought a carpet on our first visit (2004) and love it as much today as I did then.

 

@JAM37happy anniversary!  

@Horizon chaser 1957welcome home!

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

I've just spent 30 minutes showing you our second day's visit to Istanbul and then CC (or my computer) froze and the whole thing disappeared.  Sorry!  I have to try to reconstruct what I just lost.  

[tjcox9]

We've visited Istanbul twice when doing Black Sea cruises, one on Pacific Princess and once on Prinsendam. Since others have posted photos of many iconic  buildings of Istanbul, I thought I'd add some colorful shots from the markets and other locations.

 

The first is from some food vendors with stalls and restaurants along the Bosphorus, next two are from the Spice Market, and last two from the Grand Bazaar.

[HAL4NOW]

19 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

We're going to have another dry day here, hurrah!  Yesterday I got all the leaves raked up in the yard and into the tall yard waste bin.  I'm sure I can find something to do in the yard today too, have to "make hay while the sun shines!"

We will also have a day of no precipitation in Skykomish, but dry isn't a term I would use for where we live. We won't see sun in our yard until March because of the hillside to the south of our house. The only time the lawn dries out is when it is frozen (like this morning). Eighty percent plus humidity and continual dampness is the norm for our winters. Even our sister-in-law from Minnesota says our 'cold' is different than their sub-zero temperatures and she prefers a dry-cold 🙂

[Cruising-along]

7 minutes ago, HAL4NOW said:

Even our sister-in-law from Minnesota says our 'cold' is different than their sub-zero temperatures and she prefers a dry-cold 🙂

And she's right.  Dry cold and dry heat are always better! 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

The second day in Istanbul we decided to take a tram ride to cut down on some miles of walking.

 

We got off at the Grand Bazaar which is known worldwide. 

 

We decided to buy two of our grandsons a Galatasaray soccer jersey.  One of those boys has continued on with soccer and the other let it go.  But it's good to see them continuing on with what interests them.  Here is the salesperson who waited on us and he was happy to pose for a photo. 

 

Inside the Bazaar, which is huge.  You could get lost in there.

 

 

Someone who went to fetch some Turkish coffee for his friends.

 

We walked from the Bazaar to the Blue Mosque named after the many blue tiles that decorate the interior.  It was built in the early 1600's.  

 

We waited in a long line to enter the mosque.

 

Here are the rules.

 

An entrance to the courtyard

 

If you're going to pray you stop here first.

 

 

Inside we took off our shoes and the ladies wore head coverings.

 

 

 

That is what everyone was looking up at.

 

I'm not sure why this room was empty, but I think those darker lines in the carpet are to help people position themselves for prayer.

 

Looking up one of the columns.  The metal supports were added to add the lighting, IMO.

 

Tiles everywhere

 

 

Leaving the Blue Mosque, we put on our shoes and headed to the Hippodrome where we viewed the Walled Obelisk and the Obelisk of Theodosius.  In addition there is a gazebo-style German fountain that adorns the square.

 

 

 

Incredible tile work inside the gazebo.

 

By then we decided to head back to the ship to rest.  So here's a last look at the Blue Mosque.

 

Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice.

 

Later that day it was time to leave Istanbul.  It wasn't the prettiest of days, but we still spent time on deck watching us sail away.  Next stop - Batumi, Georgia!  

 

 

Hope this post decides to stick around!

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

We stopped in Istanbul for a couple of days on our first HAL cruise, back in 2012.

 

Will have a look at the pictures we have of that visit to see if any bring back any special memories, but first a quick note regarding the Hagia Sophia. Unfortunately, in July, 2020, a decree by Turkey's current leader (or should we say - dictator!) Recep Erdoğan, ordered the reclassification of Hagia Sofia as a mosque.

 

This decree was controversial, drawing condemnation from the Turkish opposition, UNESCO, the World Council of Churches, the International Association of Byzantine Studies, and many international leaders.

 

According to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Hagia Sophia was Turkey's most visited tourist attraction in 2015 and 2019. It will be interesting to see what those numbers look like in the coming years.

[Cruising-along]

32 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

I'm not sure why this room was empty, but I think those darker lines in the carpet are to help people position themselves for prayer.

I think you're right.  Somewhere in my photos I have a photo of men kneeling in prayer in this room.

[kazu]

2 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

 

 

 

Welcome home!  

 

Your gingerbread houses are exquisite. 👍