The Daily for Saturday 05/07/2022

[rafinmd]

4 hours ago, 0106 said:

Hoping this is just a minor computer issue.  I always enjoy your photos.

 

No camera issue.  I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2002 and after perhaps 6 months on medication it has been controlled entirely by diet and walking for going on 20 years.  For virtually all that time I've been maintaining daily spreadsheets of what I've been eating to plan my meals.  Since I started blogging on cruises I've almost always posted menus for each of my cruises on the blogs.  My tastes are pretty plain and I never really felt  my choices matched the fancy dishes others posted.  Readers started asking for photos and I finally succumbed to the request with the little collages in November 2016.  I only have the photos for cruises after that date, and  have not had a lot of HAL cruises between early May and late July in years since then, so there are no corresponding photos.  I get the descriptions I use by comparing my notes on what I ate in days prior to November 2016 with the details on the day's menu.  The next date for which I have such a photo taken on a HAL ship is July 18, 2018, although my choices with photos may include my train trip to the cruise.

 

Roy

[Cruising-along]

2 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

Good morning.  We are sitting in our hotel waiting for our noon Eurodam boarding time in Seattle.

Welcome to a very rainy PNW! Our weather has been dreadful, I'm sorry 😞  In fact I think I just heard some thunder....

Also sorry about the lack of masks at SeaTac.  Not long ago, you wouldn't have seen anyone UNmasked.  I'm not happy about the change.  

 

Have a wonderful cruise and Bon Voyage!

[XBGuy]

I am missing @cat shepard and @kazu very much.  I know you both are enduring difficulties,  The best I can offer is that there is a lot of love, here, for you.

[XBGuy]

In the meantime, another one from Mrs. XBGuy

 

[VMax1700]

Hello everyone,

It has been a beautiful day here with sunshine and a very pleasant 16°C/60°F.  We both spent all day in the garden tidying up and replanting some pots.

Oosterdam has departed Ravenna and is heading towards Trieste to commence her Med season tomorrow.  We board on June 13th which will be her 4th cruise of the season.  Really looking forward to it.

Hugs to all on the care list.

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!  We’ve been  to Tallin twice and I’m enjoying Sandi and Lenda’s photos.  I was surprised to find it was famous for pianos, along beautiful hand knit sweaters,  room for only one in the luggage.  
I salute those brave women who’ve given up a child.  I was in a room with a young girl who did just that when my DS was born,  hard to see her pain, but later fate had my path cross with the child in a very happy adoptive home.   
@Horizon chaser 1957sorry to hear you caught Covid after all your precautions! 
@AncientWandererhope you can stay safe and enjoy yourselves

@JazzyVwhat a sweet picture, you had a special mom!

@HELENPSL welcome, I think we’ve met on a Caribbean cruise as well.

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

@Horizon chaser 1957Sorry you have COVID, hope you feel better soon.

[lazey1]

My late husband and I were at Tallinn, Eustonia in August 2008 aboard the Eurodam, our 50th wedding anniversary cruise. I don't have photos to post but I am greatly enjoying reminiscing with the photos that have been posted. We took a HAL excursion to a nearby monastary where we were met by a nun with a glass of wine and given a very informative lecture and tour. Afterwards we were dropped off in Old Town to walk around on our own. Tallinn was a very, very pleasant surprise.

I am totally frustrated trying to prepare for my Alaska cruise on May 28. Finally I was able to get Navigator downloaded and working. my cell phone will NOT allow me to sign in to ArriveCan so I got part of it on my computer then it refused to allow me to proceed further and I was notified by HAL yesterday that I should download another app so I can get a Covid test to fly back to the United States after the cruise. GRRRR!

Keeping my fingers crossed that all this can be figured out and that I can actually go.

Jane

[dfish]

3 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

 

Well, as you know DH and I just got home from a wonderful week on the Zuiderdam. The only negative was how quickly the Covid precautions are being dropped. Masking is now recommended, not required. By the end of the week, very few people wore them at all. Hand sanitizer dispensers are available but not actively encouraged. Our second last night there was a Pub Crawl, that ended with dancing at BB Kings. Although they weren’t drinking at that point, not one of the group other than staff wore a mask. There was a fairly large, and loud, group. They formed a conga line and went along the rows between the others in the lounge. We left, but not soon enough. We both now have Covid.
DH and I were very careful, and always wore masks indoors except when actually eating or drinking. It wasn’t enough. We could feel colds coming on the day we got home, but tested negative. Yesterday I had a mild fever, retested, and we were both positive. We are both feeling much better today, and are in a five day self isolation as per provincial protocols.

 

HAL should have a notification system set up so those going home call alert them to Covid cases that develop after the cruise.  I know not everyone will be up front and report, but they really need some sort of idea of how their mitigation steps, if any, are working.  

 

1 hour ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

We had an interesting shared appetizer at Elliotts in Seattle last night — a smoked seafood platter.  It was fun trying smoked things we had not tasted before.  There were mussels, shrimp, scallops,  some trout and salmon.  We enjoyed all but the shrimp.

Here’s the look of it.

 

What didn't you like about the shrimp?  I think it all looks good!

 

@JazzyV  I, too, love the picture of you and your mom.   She has that adoring look on her face and you look like a youngin'  ready to conquer the world.  Weren't we all at that age.

@HELENPSL Thank you so much for your post.  It is nice to know when you've touched someone for the better.   I think you're on the same cruise in October as I am, so I am hoping we get to meet and celebrate!

 

As for Tallin, I wonder if tall Herman and Fat Margaret ever got together and begat other little towers.  Like Stout Svetlana and Lanky Lara.   Ok, I'm getting silly now.

 

I am home and delighted to be here.  It was the owner of the facility that caused most of the problems.  She is the one who redid the rooming arrangements.  Why, I do not know.  My roommate came with two other women and they had asked to be together as there was a room for three.  Instead, she was put with me, some other person was put with her two friends, and my friend was put in a room for 5.   She chastised me for taking a whole spoonful of scrambled eggs yesterday at breakfast.  I explained that the eggs were the only item I could eat and she snarkily told my they didn't care about individual dietary needs and I should have brought my own food.  She went on to say that I had been informed of that before I came.  Well, no, I wasn't.  She also said that information was available on their website.   Well, no it isn't.  We got yelled at when we first got there because we brought our sewing machines in and she yelled that we were supposed to leave them in the car.  How were we supposed to know that?   I was ready to leave and come home at that point, but I had Anne with me and didn't want to ruin it for her.  If I could have gotten Anne a ride home, I would have.  We will call that a learning experience and it is a one and done.  And, today we were blessed with bright sunshine this morning.  Even the heavens were celebrating coming home.

[Cruzin Terri]

Buona Sera from a rainy Rome.

I salute birth moms, especially those who made the difficult decision to give up their child for whatever reason.  

i salute my mom for the sacrifices she made for me as a single parent. I was very difficult for her as she was also taking care of my grandmother with Alzheimer’s at the same time.

@JazzyVI love the picture of you and your mom.  It is so sweet.  I am sure you cherish her memory and all she did for you.

I am praying for all of you who need prayers,  those of you who are ill and grieving, especially @kazuand @cat shepard.  May you find peace soon.

Did not watch the Kentucky Derby.  Did not even realize it was today.

Used to like comic books back in the day.

As for the quote, take it from whence it came.

Skip the meal and the drink but like Moscato d’Asti.

Welcome to @HELENPSL. Glad to have you join us.

As for our day today.  Well, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  At least that’s what they say.  

Another rainy day was predicted and we had contracted with RomeCabs for a tour of Tivoli and Villa d’Este.  However, this girl did not want to tour in the rain and neither did DH.  I did not want to stiff RomeCabs.  They’re a great company and we have used them for years.  So I saw the driver downstairs in the Piazza and went down to speak with him and explained our dilemma.  After a call to Stefano (the owner) we determined that we would change the tour and go to two villages in Tuscany instead.  

So off we went to Montepulciano and Pienza.  We had a great day.  A few raindrops but not the torrential rains happening in the Rome area.  We did some wine tasting in Montepulciano, and had a lovely lunch in a family restaurant in Pienza.

We also did some shopping.  Bought some ceramic pieces, and a few other souvenirs.  And since we had to make lemonade out of lemons, we bought a bottle of Lemoncello!

 

Did I mention that the Italian Open Tennis tournament is taking place in Rome? Well a lot of the players are staying at our hotel.  Every afternoon as they return from their sessions, there is a crowd at the entrance wanting to take selfies with all of them.  Unbelievable!

 

So we had an unplanned tour.  A wonderful driver and a great day.  it could not have been nicer.

 

I hope everyone has a great day.

If there are any birth mothers among us.  I salute you for the difficult decision you made years ago.

 

Prayers for all and cheers to those celebrating.

We have another five full days in Rome and will be departing on Friday the 13th.  I hope that is not a sign of things to come.

God bless.

Terri

[ger_77]

@Horizon chaser 1957I'm sorry to hear you've both contracted Covid after being so careful.  I am glad, however, it doesn't seem to be as harsh as others have reported; hopefully it will end quickly.  

 

@JazzyVHappy Angel Birthday to your mom.  How fortunate for both of you she was able to adopt you - it couldn't have been easy for a single woman to adopt a child back then.  I'm sure she's proud of the woman you've become.

 

@grapau27I hope the medical appointment next week can bring some relief to your knee problem.

 

 

[swin26]

@kazu I have been off the daily for awhile - I am so sorry for your loss. 
 

We have been to Estonia and loved it.  We hope to get back there someday.  
We are spending 2 months babysitting our new granddaughter until a daycare spot opens up.  While exhausting, we love every minute of it. 

[Rowsby]

 

@dfish  Debbie....WOW....just WOW.....

 

I would not hesitate in giving a clear, concise and honest review.....that's awful...!!

[bennybear]

I think Rich  missed this one, I did too, lol! 

[summer slope]

I missed seeing the wine of the day. It is our absolute favorite. On our cruise on the Rotterdam in January they didn’t have any. The wine manager got off in curasao and bought bottles for us. 

[USN59-79]

Spent some time watching the races preliminary to the Kentucky Derby.  I grew up around thoroughbred racing.  My father raced his horses at Longacres Race Track near Seattle in the 1930s.  He worked for Boeing during the war, then he bought a 40 acre ranch in Ellensburg, Washington where he got back in the business.  Had some brood mares and took the foals racing when they were 2 year olds.  Raced at Longacres again, trained some other peoples horses and sold hay from Ellensburg at the race track.  In the winter he boarded other people's horses.  I cleaned a lot of stalls and walked a lot of hots as I grew up.  When my brother and sister and I were out of high school he sold the ranch and went into racing full time.  Sadly, he died of a heart attack while walking one of his horses at Golden Gate Fields, a race track near San Francisco.  At least, he died doing what he enjoyed.

Ray

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, puppycanducruise said:

@grapau27 Good luck with the x-rays, I hope they can find a reason for your pain.

 

9 hours ago, JAM37 said:

Good morning, Friends. Thank you for the Daily, the Lists and the Recipes.

 

I haven't read a comic book in many years. I love herbs, especially fresh. I have a birth Mother and due to an unfortunate incident I am a birth Mother. I don't know my birth Mother, but the adoptive family and I met before my son was born, stayed in touch as he was growing up and he and I met at his highschool graduation that he invited me to. Now he and I stay in touch as well. They are very special to me. (He is right in the middle of my four children as far as age.)

 

The meal sounds like a treat that I'd like to try while walking through the streets taking in the sights.

 

We got some rain last night, but the sun is coming out now. The high today is 85 and the ocean temperature is 75.

 

There is a Kentucky Derby Social this evening in our complex. According to the sign up sheet it will be a small group in a large room so we are planning on going. 

 

Vanessa, @JazzyV, I'm glad you got your car back and that it is driving smoothly.

 

Sandi, @StLouisCruisers, I hope your niece and her DH are well and get home safely together.

 

@Heartgrove, Jack, the news regarding your sister saddened me. Prayers for a safe trip as you travel to visit with her. Still praying she'll get to wear her golden slippers to the summer wedding.

 

@HELENPSL Welcome. Thank you for your kind words and hope to hear from you again.

 

@grapau27 Graham, I'll keep you in my prayers in hope that the x-rays show the doctors how they can best help you.

 

Here's hoping everyone has a spectacular Saturday and for an exciting race.

 

🙏 and 🎉 for those on our lists.

 

8 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Good morning friends!  We walked to the gym for some weight machine work and on the way home something dropped into my hair from a tree!  I am washing my hair for sure in a little bit.  Wiped it out but still!  Thanks for the Daily today Rich.  The Kentucky Derby is always a fun event but it always seems to be rainy and muddy that day.  I hope today is an exception.  A salute to birth mothers who give their babies a better life and are so courageous.  Comic books are fun and herbs are great!  The quote is sad and appropriate to Marilyn I would think.  The menu item looks good.  Thank you Debbie @dfish.  I'm glad things starting working properly for you and that you will be home in your own bed tonight.  Graham @grapau27wishing the X-rays show what the problem is so your doctor can get to work helping you out.  

 

Prayers for all on our Care list today (thanks Roy), especially Ukraine.  What a horror it is there.  Hoping for strength and peace for Jacqui as she begins her new normal.  Cheers to all celebrating on the list, and smooth sailing to the cruisers.  My niece will probably be glad to get home tonight because their group of divers were stung by a group of jellyfish on a night dive this past week.  Not a good time, I'm sure.

 

We went to Tallinn once on the only Baltic cruise we've ever taken.  We were going to go again in July but cancelled it due to the war and now may never get there again.  Tallinn was last listed as port of the day on Dec. 15, 2021 and here is what I posted back then.

  

We arrived in Tallinn on Sept. 6, 2011 on Emerald Princess.  It was our 42nd wedding anniversary so a special destination for a special day.  Here we are arriving.  

 

It was an easy walk to the downtown area.

 

The area is full of stone buildings like this.

 

So cool!

 

I love this doorway!

 

 

 

 

Wow, what an interesting facade on this building.

 

We went in a marzipan shop because our traveling buddies were big fans of marzipan.

 

Hmmmm...

 

A stunning floral display on this light.

 

What do you spot in this photo?

 

You got it.  A huge Pontiac from the 1960's era.  I tried passing my driver's license test, parallel parking a Bonneville like this and failed.  Went back in my friend's tiny Chevrolet Corvair and passed it easily!

 

A local souvenir seller showed us this collection of Estonian coins.

 

In a huge square in the middle of town.

 

Political graffiti on this building.  

 

A little archery competition

 

An awesome church

 

Photograph of DH and I courtesy of our travel buddies.

 

And again

 

Who doesn't like a pink building?

 

And the Emerald Princess (back in 2011 so no sea witch on the hull)

 

 

7 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas.  The sun is supposed to come out about 1 pm and our high is supposed to reach 94F.

 

We'll watch the Kentucky Derby this afternoon.  Birth mothers make a hard decision when they allow their child to be adopted so the child will have a better life.  I haven't read a comic book since elementary school.  Herbs bring added flavor to food.

 

I also think the Marilyn Monroe quote is cynical, but probably true for her.

 

The meal might be nice if someone else prepared it.  We'll pass on the drink and wine.

 

We have been to Estonia three times, and I'll look the pictures I shared in December.  We enjoyed walking through the old town and seeing other parts of the city.

 

@dfish  Debbie, safe travels and enjoy your peaceful bedroom tonight.

@grapau27 Graham, I hope the x-rays pinpoint the cause of the pain and that the doctors have an simple solution.

@JAM37 Julia, the social sounds nice and a good way to meet your neighbors.  Have fun.

@Heartgrove  Jack, loved the picture of you and Sam.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, I hope your neice kand her DH get home safely and without incideni.  Thank you for sharing your pictures.

@TiogaCruiser  Have fun on your bike ride.

@ger_77  Gerry, I'm glad your DH had a better night and is on the mend.  Hope the new chairs can be put together eadily.

 

I'm happy to report my only side effect from our second booster is a very slightly sore arm.  DH hasn't reported any serious side effcts either.

 

Lenda

 

7 hours ago, summer slope said:

Good morning from a wet noisy Florida.  Lots of thunder boomers.  Interesting group of days.  Don't watch the Derby.  Have not been to today's port.  Do not care for today's quote.

Good luck with your Dr. appt. for your knees @grapau27.  Thank you @dfishfor the recipe, it looks really good.  Happy you will be home tonight.  Everyone in the path of the tornado's, please remain safe.  Nasty storms.

Prayers and toasts to our lists.

Ginger Buck:

Ingredients
2 parts Basil Hayden's® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1 part Lime Juice
½ part Fresh Ginger
⅓ part Simple Syrup
Garnish: Sprig of Rosemary,
Candied Ginger

Instructions
In a cocktail shaker, add fresh ginger and muddle until fine. Add in ice and all remaining ingredients and shake until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a rosemary sprig & a piece of candied ginger on the rim.

 

 

6 hours ago, JazzyV said:

Good morning. Thanks for the Daily @richwmn and all contributors.

Interesting days. I will salute to birth mothers, including mine who gave me up for adoption. I found out who she is a few years ago, by getting my original birth certificate, but have not met her. I keep thinking I should grow some herbs.

Cynical Marilyn quote.

The "meal" looks interesting. I'll pass on the drink and wine. 

I haven't been to Tallinn, Estonia. Thanks for the pictures.

 

It's still raining here, although supposed to stop soon. There have been landslides and trees down due to the ground being so saturated.

 

In addition to birth mother day, I'll salute my adoptive mother today. It would be her 118th birthday today. She passed in 1993 at age 89, so happy heavenly birthday. She was a school teacher. As a single woman she adopted me when I was a week old. 

 

@dfish You'll probably be glad to get home.

@grapau27 Hopefully the knee x-rays help the doctor figure out how to help you. Nice day at the beach.

@StLouisCruisers It sounds like a tough trip for your niece, but thankfully she's coming home. Great pictures.

@ger_77 It's good to hear that DH is feeling better, and you as well. 

@kazu Continued prayers for you in this journey.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Ukraine and its people and helpers. Cheers for the Celebration List.

Stay safe everyone.

 

 

 

6 hours ago, irishjim said:

 

 I really hope your knee xrays  turn  out good  for you.

                                                                                             Jim.

 

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

@Horizon chaser 1957I'm sorry to hear you've both contracted Covid after being so careful.  I am glad, however, it doesn't seem to be as harsh as others have reported; hopefully it will end quickly.  

 

@JazzyVHappy Angel Birthday to your mom.  How fortunate for both of you she was able to adopt you - it couldn't have been easy for a single woman to adopt a child back then.  I'm sure she's proud of the woman you've become.

 

@grapau27I hope the medical appointment next week can bring some relief to your knee problem.

 

 

A big thank you to you all for your best wishes for my hospital appointment for x-rays on my knees on Tuesday.

My GP doctor said he would assess the x-rays and consider steroid injections depending on what is seen.

Graham

[Cruising-along]

2 hours ago, dfish said:

 

As for Tallin, I wonder if tall Herman and Fat Margaret ever got together and begat other little towers.  Like Stout Svetlana and Lanky Lara.   Ok, I'm getting silly now.

 

I am home and delighted to be here.  It was the owner of the facility that caused most of the problems.  She is the one who redid the rooming arrangements.  Why, I do not know.  My roommate came with two other women and they had asked to be together as there was a room for three.  Instead, she was put with me, some other person was put with her two friends, and my friend was put in a room for 5.   She chastised me for taking a whole spoonful of scrambled eggs yesterday at breakfast.  I explained that the eggs were the only item I could eat and she snarkily told my they didn't care about individual dietary needs and I should have brought my own food.  She went on to say that I had been informed of that before I came.  Well, no, I wasn't.  She also said that information was available on their website.   Well, no it isn't.  We got yelled at when we first got there because we brought our sewing machines in and she yelled that we were supposed to leave them in the car.  How were we supposed to know that?   I was ready to leave and come home at that point, but I had Anne with me and didn't want to ruin it for her.  If I could have gotten Anne a ride home, I would have.  We will call that a learning experience and it is a one and done.  And, today we were blessed with bright sunshine this morning.  Even the heavens were celebrating coming home.

Debbie, I have wondered too about Tall Herman and Fat Margaret --- LOL

Just wow about the owner of the facility!!  And to think you had to pay money for the privilege of being miserable. I do hope there's somewhere you can lodge a complaint or at least a negative review.  That's ridiculous. 😞  

2 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

 

As for our day today.  Well, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  At least that’s what they say.  

Another rainy day was predicted and we had contracted with RomeCabs for a tour of Tivoli and Villa d’Este.  However, this girl did not want to tour in the rain and neither did DH.  I did not want to stiff RomeCabs.  They’re a great company and we have used them for years.  So I saw the driver downstairs in the Piazza and went down to speak with him and explained our dilemma.  After a call to Stefano (the owner) we determined that we would change the tour and go to two villages in Tuscany instead.  

So off we went to Montepulciano and Pienza.  We had a great day.  A few raindrops but not the torrential rains happening in the Rome area.  We did some wine tasting in Montepulciano, and had a lovely lunch in a family restaurant in Pienza.

We also did some shopping.  Bought some ceramic pieces, and a few other souvenirs.  And since we had to make lemonade out of lemons, we bought a bottle of Lemoncello!

 

So glad the day turned out so well and kudos to Rome Cabs for helping make it happen.  We have also used them and agree that they're a wonderful company.

1 hour ago, Rowsby said:

 

@dfish  Debbie....WOW....just WOW.....

 

I would not hesitate in giving a clear, concise and honest review.....that's awful...!!

Yes!

[TiogaCruiser]

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

I think Rich  missed this one, I did too, lol! 

About Naked Gardening Day- I’ll inform my husband. He’s out working on the slope now. He can use a little extra vitamin D from a natural source!

 

@dfish Welcome home after the retreat from hell. That is totally outrageous!

 

Back from our ride, and it was beautiful. Had a malfunction with my bike rack ( I forgot to put on the secondary tie down) and my bike bounced off and got wedged between the car and rack a few blocks from home. Thank God it didn’t happen on the freeway at 65 mph. So my bike is spending the remainder of the weekend in the shop. 
 

 

Edited May 7, 2022 by TiogaCruiser

[dfish]

31 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Just wow about the owner of the facility!!  And to think you had to pay money for the privilege of being miserable. I do hope there's somewhere you can lodge a complaint or at least a negative review.  That's ridiculous. 😞  

 

21 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

 

@dfish Welcome home after the retreat from hell. That is totally outrageous!

 

 

And @Rowsby  To be fair, I was in the minority on this.  Most of the quilters thought everything was just hunky dory.  Some had been there before and most of them did not have issues with being roomed with strangers or have dietary restrictions.  So, it wasn't an issue for them.  As for me, it is over and I'm ready to move on from it.  I just won't go back.  Not a big loss to me.  

[Cruising-along]

37 minutes ago, dfish said:

 

 

And @Rowsby  To be fair, I was in the minority on this.  Most of the quilters thought everything was just hunky dory.  Some had been there before and most of them did not have issues with being roomed with strangers or have dietary restrictions.  So, it wasn't an issue for them.  As for me, it is over and I'm ready to move on from it.  I just won't go back.  Not a big loss to me.  

That's a really good attitude, Debbie (and just shows the nice person you are).  

I still would be ticked off that the owner was so unprofessional that she yelled, lectured, whatever, at you.  But I get it.  Not going back and moving on is the best reaction.  

[USN59-79]

Really enjoyed watching the Kentucky Derby today.  Nice to see a horse come out of nowhere and win.  Here is a picture of my father with one of our better horses, Mad Spasm in 1937 at Playfair Racetrack in Spokane, Washington.  Incidentally, my mother once stated her idea of the race horse business:  "Chicken one day and feathers the next!"

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes. What we have is quite mild. We’re both a bit off, but were only sick for one day each. It never went into our lungs, and our blood oxygen stayed good. I think in time Covid will become another run of the mill illness like flu or Norovirus, but we aren’t quite there yet.
The Zuiderdam was kept spotless, with railings and door handles constantly cleaned. 
They really do need to put emphasis on hand sanitizer like they did in early 2020. If I had it to do over again, I’d avoid BB Kings like the plague. It has very little air circulation compared to other venues, and the music is so loud people have to shout to converse, spraying aerosols for several yards. By the end of a session, the viral load in there is almost palpable. And elevators are best taken without a group of strangers. As it was, we took assigned dining so we wouldn’t be sitting unmasked across from different people every night.

My biggest concern is that dropping safeguards too far, too soon, will bring back the Petri dish reputation and force a second, and unnecessary pause. I’m not sure the industry would survive that.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good evening.  I've been readimg, but didn't comment until now.

 

@JazzyV  Vaneesa, that was a lovely picture with your mom.  You can see the love in the picture.

@dfish  Debbie, you proved what good friend you are to stay and put with all hazzles so your friend could stay and enjoy the retreat.  I like your attitude.

@Cruzin Terri  Terri, that was nice of the taxi company to put together a Plan B so your day wasn't wasted.  How was the tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel?

@USN59-79  Thank you for sharing the story and picture of your father and his race horses.  BTW, it was nice to see a very longshot win the derby today.

 

Lenda

[jimgev]

Good Evening:

 

It has been a busy day. Our band played at a large annual outdoor event: "Rock, Blues and Brews" here in SW Florida. It was interrupted several times due to nearby ightening strikes but the five bands that playerd were all good and lots of fun.

I must admit that I have never paid much attention to the Kentuckey Derby. Horse races, dog races, car races just are not my thing. I can enjoy people racing one another in track and field events but that is about itl.