Live! The Grouch on Zaandam, 14 days, Round Trip Boston - Montreal 8/27/22

[vswan]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

1) supply chain issues 🤪

2) too much waste 😛

3) too much packaging 😂

 

these 3 answers will fit anything hal does away with or that people feel the need to explain on Hal’s behalf.

I would add a number 4 - because of covid we discontinued.

 

I was on the Eurodam in November and we had a lotion dispenser in the bathroom. On the Konsingdam this spring it had been stripped off. When I asked about it was told it was removed because of covid. Pretty funny that it was on another ship in November, but by April it was removed. And, the shampoo, conditioner and shower gel dispensers were fine, but the lotion wasn't?

[Sue from Canada]

11 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I hear you on the coffee.  I hate waiting so I usually bring one with me, then they wonder why.

Just give me my coffee asap and then I don't care how long it takes to bring my my food.  But I NEED a coffee (I'm not a morning person).

[Florida_gal_50]

3 hours ago, Sue from Canada said:

Just give me my coffee asap and then I don't care how long it takes to bring my my food.  But I NEED a coffee (I'm not a morning person).

I am more of a morning person but usually by the time I’m getting breakfast I’ve been up for at least an hour or more.  I want coffee 😛.

[kochleffel]

Last week on the Voyager OTS (RCI), a waiter brought coffee within seconds after I was seated. Otherwise, breakfast wasn't a success. I sent one MDR order back; two room-service orders were wrong; and one morning a waiter told me that it would take 20 minutes to make an omelet. The record, however, remains with the Nieuw Amsterdam MDR in 2020, when more than an hour after we ordered, no food had arrived. At that point I left for the M&G. NCL's breakfast service has been better, but their coffee is terrible.

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, vswan said:

it was told it was removed because of covid. Pretty funny that it was on another ship in November, but by April it was removed. And, the shampoo, conditioner and shower gel dispensers were fine, but the lotion wasn't?

 

This is nothing short of ridiculous!  How much money  was spent to install the dispenser?  How much money was spent to remove the dispenser?  To save how much money on the amount of conditioner (already bought in bulk) that would be dispensed during the cruise?  

[whogo]

September 7, 2022

 

Mussel Mania in the Lido again last night, another winning meal, all big black mussels, none of the little white ones in white wine sauce. We feasted, remembered to have some vegetables to round out the meal. Mrs. Whogo watched a few minutes of the 2022 Elvis movie, left when it became too crowded in the Wayang Theater. Felt the movie was promising, we will watch it sometime.

 

Similar problem for her on the main stage with too many in the audience and she did not think comedian Steven Scott was funny. There was enough ocean motion to cause some cabin creaks, it has been a smooth sailing, especially in the St. Lawrence.

 

Enjoyed another calm, delicious dining room breakfast, coffee came reasonably quickly, it appears that only the assigned steward is allowed to pour coffee, maybe there is special hot liquid training involved.

 

We were willing to just wander the town of Sydney, again, but found a guide at an acceptable price to take us an hour away to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Beautiful drive there, lots of water and forest, will be spectacularly colorful in a few weeks.

 

Paid our admission fee, the clerk was tired of explaining to visitors that there was no printed guide, no online guide. She may just be tired of life. Interesting museum, info well presented, Bell's wife got major mention. Wealth from his telephone invention allowed bell to experiment with kites, airplanes, hydrofoils and much more. Had a thing for tetrahedrons. Tested his hypothesis that ewes with more nipples were more likely to have twins, bred sheep that had twins, but after 30 years found no relationship between the number of nipples and likelihood of twins.

 

Mrs. Whogo wanted to see what was different about Canadian supermarkets, stopped at a large Sobeys. Lots more fresh fish and frozen fish than we see in the Midwest, also double cream that we never see. Some familiar brands, a few Canadian brands, it was a good stop. Also drove through through a First Nations reservation in Sydney. This one is the go to place for cheaper cannabis and cigarettes.

 

Mrs. Whogo took a long walk through the town and along the waterfront after a late lunch in the Lido, I took a shorter walk along the waterfront boardwalk, read the displays about Sydney's part in WWII and paid my respects to memorials to those lost at sea.

 

Only 9 of 17 correct in afternoon trivia put us in a three way tie, we won in the tiebreaker. How old was Shirley Temple when she won her special Oscar? What actress was a Bond girl in two films?

 

Dinner with the trivia ringer, Mrs. Whogo ordered the special whole lobster, served split down the middle with Bearnaise(?) sauce, I was only slightly splattered during its consumption. Collateral damage.

 

Temple was 6 years old, Maud Adams was a Bond girl twice.

[Florida_gal_50]

I want to see that Elvis movie.  Hopefully it will be on the tv as I’m not interested in being that close to others.

[whogo]

Fun with the vacuum toilet, nice breeze under the door.

 

 

 

[silversneakers]

13 hours ago, whogo said:

September 7, 2022

 

Mussel Mania in the Lido again last night, another winning meal, all big black mussels, none of the little white ones in white wine sauce. We feasted, remembered to have some vegetables to round out the meal. Mrs. Whogo watched a few minutes of the 2022 Elvis movie, left when it became too crowded in the Wayang Theater. Felt the movie was promising, we will watch it sometime.

 

Similar problem for her on the main stage with too many in the audience and she did not think comedian Steven Scott was funny. There was enough ocean motion to cause some cabin creaks, it has been a smooth sailing, especially in the St. Lawrence.

 

Enjoyed another calm, delicious dining room breakfast, coffee came reasonably quickly, it appears that only the assigned steward is allowed to pour coffee, maybe there is special hot liquid training involved.

 

We were willing to just wander the town of Sydney, again, but found a guide at an acceptable price to take us an hour away to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Beautiful drive there, lots of water and forest, will be spectacularly colorful in a few weeks.

 

Paid our admission fee, the clerk was tired of explaining to visitors that there was no printed guide, no online guide. She may just be tired of life. Interesting museum, info well presented, Bell's wife got major mention. Wealth from his telephone invention allowed bell to experiment with kites, airplanes, hydrofoils and much more. Had a thing for tetrahedrons. Tested his hypothesis that ewes with more nipples were more likely to have twins, bred sheep that had twins, but after 30 years found no relationship between the number of nipples and likelihood of twins.

 

Mrs. Whogo wanted to see what was different about Canadian supermarkets, stopped at a large Sobeys. Lots more fresh fish and frozen fish than we see in the Midwest, also double cream that we never see. Some familiar brands, a few Canadian brands, it was a good stop. Also drove through through a First Nations reservation in Sydney. This one is the go to place for cheaper cannabis and cigarettes.

 

Mrs. Whogo took a long walk through the town and along the waterfront after a late lunch in the Lido, I took a shorter walk along the waterfront boardwalk, read the displays about Sydney's part in WWII and paid my respects to memorials to those lost at sea.

 

Only 9 of 17 correct in afternoon trivia put us in a three way tie, we won in the tiebreaker. How old was Shirley Temple when she won her special Oscar? What actress was a Bond girl in two films?

 

Dinner with the trivia ringer, Mrs. Whogo ordered the special whole lobster, served split down the middle with Bearnaise(?) sauce, I was only slightly splattered during its consumption. Collateral damage.

 

Temple was 6 years old, Maud Adams was a Bond girl twice.

Did you find your guide "in town" or at the Port?

 

[XBGuy]

16 hours ago, whogo said:

 

Mrs. Whogo wanted to see what was different about Canadian supermarkets, stopped at a large Sobeys.

 

 

 

Grocery shopping tip for U.S. residents visiting Canada:  don't ask for Canadian Bacon.  You will see a very confused clerk.

 

It happened to us in Montreal.  The clerks were really trying to help us.  We don't speak French but in their conversation I did hear "Bacon Canadienne."

 

We found a substitute, and, since then, I have learned that "Pea Ham" is the closest thing.

[Alberta Quilter]

1 hour ago, XBGuy said:

 

Grocery shopping tip for U.S. residents visiting Canada:  don't ask for Canadian Bacon.  You will see a very confused clerk.

 

It happened to us in Montreal.  The clerks were really trying to help us.  We don't speak French but in their conversation I did hear "Bacon Canadienne."

 

We found a substitute, and, since then, I have learned that "Pea Ham" is the closest thing.

I call it back bacon.  Another term is pea meal bacon if the outside is coated.  I don’t know of any Canadian who calls it Canadian bacon but there probably are some who do…

[whogo]

8 hours ago, silversneakers said:

Did you find your guide "in town" or at the Port?

 

Guides were looking for customers in the parking lot outside the port building next to a price listing. Interviewed the first and hired him.

[whogo]

Thursday, September 8, 2022. Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

My braised lamb shanks were delicious last night. Solo breakfast was nearly perfect this morning. Had a window seat in the dining room, the people nearby kept their voices low, coffee arrived in good time, read a bit on my phone, and the runny yolks in my eggs Benedict jiggled nicely as the plate was set down in front of me. Yolks continued to jiggle with the vibration of the dining room. Grade school witticism, “What was Snow White's brother's name?”

 

“Egg white. Get the yolk?”

 

After peaceful Charlottetown and Sydney, Halifax is noisy, we are assaulted by the din of traffic, bag pipes and construction. We took a circuitous route to the Public Gardens, detoured around torn up streets and sidewalks and I chose routes that led to more torn up streets and sidewalks, zigged when I should have zagged.

 

Halifax Public Gardens again? We were just there on the first leg of this cruise. Yes, we enjoyed the gardens that much. Lovely place away from the city noise, almost. Sad story, shortly before our last visit a vandal  girdled thirty trees in the gardens, stripped away bark all the way around in an effort to kill them. It is unbelievable what some people will do. I watched and heard about repair efforts. Staff were attempting to graft young twigs onto the tree to span the gap in the bark. They won't know if rescue efforts succeed until spring. I wish them luck.

 

We split up. She went through Camp Hill Cemetery, the Old Burial Ground, and the Natural History Museum, got to handle live mussels. I toured the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Fascinating display about the Halifax explosion of 1917, which killed 1700 and scattered shrapnel to a range of eight kilometers, another about the Titanic. There were numerous small craft and also models of ships. Their mascot Merlin the macaw was affected by the covid shutdown. “In 2020, the museum’s first COVID-19 closure disrupted the museum work routine for all staff, including Merlin. The change in routine and lack of visitor interaction affected Merlin which led him to snip his feathers. Merlin’s health and happiness are priorities for us, and we are following his veterinarian’s recommendations. This includes medication to help Merlin’s coping behaviour towards stress. Merlin’s behaviour is common, and his feathers do grow back. Merlin receives regular visits from his veterinarian for general health inspections.” https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/about/mascots

 

The boardwalk trail back to Zaandam was packed, what with the beautiful weather and Adventure of the Seas and Carnival Legend being in port with us. During trivia we watched a man surf on the Flow Rider on Adventure of the Seas and were envious of the water slide, no wonder we did not win with all that excitement next door. We chose the wrong ship for our cruise. Next time, dear.

 

 

[whogo]

Girdled tree rescue attempt:

 

 

[rkacruiser]

6 minutes ago, whogo said:

I toured the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

 

An excellent choice to visit.  During my last visit to Halifax, I visited the last Canadian Corvette that served during World War II which, I thought, was interesting.  Do you recall if it is still at dock along the waterfront?  

 

22 hours ago, whogo said:

coffee came reasonably quickly, it appears that only the assigned steward is allowed to pour coffee, maybe there is special hot liquid training involved.

 

I experienced this when I was a Neptune Suite guest and had breakfast in the PG.  Ridiculous!  Each of the servers seemed to have specific duties:  the pastry tray person, the order taker, etc.  God forbid that someone dared to pour me a cup of coffee when the coffee pourer person was AWOL.  

[Florida_gal_50]

6 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

I call it back bacon.  Another term is pea meal bacon if the outside is coated.  I don’t know of any Canadian who calls it Canadian bacon but there probably are some who do…

I’ve heard that terminology used a lot.  I call it back bacon as well but I don’t know why anyone would be confused by the term.

[whogo]

Second Sail with Seth “pillow” gift.

 

Food, just what we need.

 

Unsubtle reminders to get off the Dam ship tomorrow:

 

Bags out from under the bed, thanks Wibi:

[whogo]

Friday, September 9, 2022. Bar Harbor

 

Dressy night last night according to the Daily Program, Gala night according to the dinner menu, guests followed the rules, women dressed better than men, did not see a dinner jacket or gown either week. Same menu as last week, I ordered the same dishes as last week, snails, shrimp, tangerine glazed duck breast, same comments on the lack of horseradish in the cocktail sauce and lack of tangerine flavor. Nice meal.

 

Chocolate surprise on deck 5 again, too, with waiters offering trays of treats; cocoa dusted almonds, marshmallows with pink sprinkles, chocolate pecan creations, white chocolate covered raisins and more.

 

Great breakfast this morning, full English again. Holland America should train the fifteen stewards who offer juice to offer coffee. “Would you like some juice?”

 

“No, thank you. Coffee please.”

 

“Your waiter will bring it.” I guess the waiter and only the waiter is the sommelier of coffee.

 

Received printed instructions yesterday about US Customs and Border Patrol inspection as we enter our first US port of Bar Harbor. So long Canada, it's been swell. Cruise director Glenn stumbled over the USCBP initials a few times in his PA announcements, but everyone, regardless of nationality, everyone, whether going ashore or not, everyone had to present themselves to USCBP staff. No exceptions. Announcements started before 8:00 AM. At 9:30 they were still looking for 33 passengers, at 9:58 the last two holdouts were named and shamed. We tendered without hearing the final results.

 

I was uncomfortable tendering in a fairly well loaded tender with only 15-20% of us wearing masks. I have been cautious about covid. I have not seen a show in the World Stage theater or the Wayang Theater, have not taken a coach tour, have not stepped into an elevator. We have worn masks indoors except when eating. Catching covid was a common theme in a number of cruise blogs that I followed, I worried that blogging might cause covid, but have risked it to bring you the news.

 

A talkative woman with an unpleasant voice chose to sit next to me, blessed many of us with the inanities that only her husband should have had to hear. We were aboard lucky tender #13, coincidentally my assigned lifeboat, felt better seeing that it could transport me safely to shore.

 

Overheard a woman who was disappointed that Bar Harbor and the outlying islands weren't built up with big hotels and more houses. Something to look forward to, Acadia National Park and Condo Association. Had a great time tooling around Acadia National Park in a rented electric vehicle a couple of weekends ago, this visit was calmer. Still nice, we walked the shoreside path, read the placards at what they call The Museum of the Streets, informative blurbs about the properties we passed. There were some lovely homes, indeed. Must be nice.

 

We visited the Abbe Museum, devoted to the local Wabanaki Native Americans. I liked the stone and bone tools best, also the canoes. I headed back to the ship down Main Street which is lined with tourist shops, restaurants and bars and packed with tourists, my idea of hell. Everyone else loves it.

 

Mrs. Whogo visited St. Saviour's Episcopal church, checked out the stained glass windows, some of which are by Tiffany. Highly recommends a visit. She also visited Jessup Library, which looks like a drawing room in a mansion, there is some wealth in Bar Harbor. She had the sense to avoid Main Street and returned via a side street. She overheard a couple of old women on her return tender. “I can't believe we were the last two to go to inspection.”

 

“I had just sat down to read the instructions when we got the phone call.”

 

What was called Canada night in the Lido last week was called New England night this week, poutine, lobster mac and cheese, some maple flavored dishes, seafood chowder, etc. We feasted yet again on mussels. Poutine ala Zaandam was French fries with melted Velveeta-ish cheese with the opportunity to add onion and a few other things. Maybe if mussels hadn't been available... And I was starving...

 

Lost at evening trivia as we did at afternoon trivia, said goodbye to teammate Jeph, who led us to victory a few times. Somehow Mrs. Whogo and I did not know who Beyonce was married to, Jeph did.

 

I pretty much finished packing, left the cabin to give Mrs. Whogo some room, found a great, quiet, empty place to read, the Wayang Theater. Light is not good enough for paper books, but ebooks work fine. Looking forward to a short visit with our daughter and son-in-law tomorrow in Boston.

[Ruthenium]

On 9/7/2022 at 9:14 PM, whogo said:

September 7, 2022

 

Mussel Mania in the Lido again last night, another winning meal, all big black mussels, none of the little white ones in white wine sauce. We feasted, remembered to have some vegetables to round out the meal. Mrs. Whogo watched a few minutes of the 2022 Elvis movie, left when it became too crowded in the Wayang Theater. Felt the movie was promising, we will watch it sometime.

 

Similar problem for her on the main stage with too many in the audience and she did not think comedian Steven Scott was funny. There was enough ocean motion to cause some cabin creaks, it has been a smooth sailing, especially in the St. Lawrence.

 

Enjoyed another calm, delicious dining room breakfast, coffee came reasonably quickly, it appears that only the assigned steward is allowed to pour coffee, maybe there is special hot liquid training involved.

 

We were willing to just wander the town of Sydney, again, but found a guide at an acceptable price to take us an hour away to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Beautiful drive there, lots of water and forest, will be spectacularly colorful in a few weeks.

 

Paid our admission fee, the clerk was tired of explaining to visitors that there was no printed guide, no online guide. She may just be tired of life. Interesting museum, info well presented, Bell's wife got major mention. Wealth from his telephone invention allowed bell to experiment with kites, airplanes, hydrofoils and much more. Had a thing for tetrahedrons. Tested his hypothesis that ewes with more nipples were more likely to have twins, bred sheep that had twins, but after 30 years found no relationship between the number of nipples and likelihood of twins.

 

Mrs. Whogo wanted to see what was different about Canadian supermarkets, stopped at a large Sobeys. Lots more fresh fish and frozen fish than we see in the Midwest, also double cream that we never see. Some familiar brands, a few Canadian brands, it was a good stop. Also drove through through a First Nations reservation in Sydney. This one is the go to place for cheaper cannabis and cigarettes.

 

Mrs. Whogo took a long walk through the town and along the waterfront after a late lunch in the Lido, I took a shorter walk along the waterfront boardwalk, read the displays about Sydney's part in WWII and paid my respects to memorials to those lost at sea.

 

Only 9 of 17 correct in afternoon trivia put us in a three way tie, we won in the tiebreaker. How old was Shirley Temple when she won her special Oscar? What actress was a Bond girl in two films?

 

Dinner with the trivia ringer, Mrs. Whogo ordered the special whole lobster, served split down the middle with Bearnaise(?) sauce, I was only slightly splattered during its consumption. Collateral damage.

 

Temple was 6 years old, Maud Adams was a Bond girl twice.

Is the whole lobster a dining room entree/ is there a surcharge? I’m on the same route in 2 weeks and am

looking forward to lots of seafood.  Appreciate your comments!

[whogo]

I think this New England Lido menu is the same as last week’s Canada themed dinner menu.

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by whogo

[whogo]

6 hours ago, Ruthenium said:

Is the whole lobster a dining room entree/ is there a surcharge? I’m on the same route in 2 weeks and am

looking forward to lots of seafood.  Appreciate your comments!

Advertised at $35,  it is $41.30 with 18% gratuity. Our waiter was pleased that we ordered it, he must get a cut of the gratuity. He claimed the lobsters are live downstairs, I should have asked to see one. I would see if they are available with drawn butter.

[rkacruiser]

11 hours ago, whogo said:

I think this New England Lido menu is the same as last week’s Canada themed dinner menu.

 

This is an excellent menu!  

 

22 hours ago, whogo said:

Holland America should train the fifteen stewards who offer juice to offer coffee. “Would you like some juice?”

 

“No, thank you. Coffee please.”

 

“Your waiter will bring it.” I guess the waiter and only the waiter is the sommelier of coffee.

 

An interesting observation and one that I have not made.  Yes, juice is offered after being seated, but, coffee very soon appeared.  Which Steward served which? Never really noticed, but, I "think" it was the same man.  

 

My PG breakfast experience was different.  There was a definite division of labor:  the juice person, the coffee person, the pastry tray person, the order taker, the deliverer of the order.  (I cared not for such a situation.)  

[whogo]

Saturday, September 10, 2022. Boston

 

The woman using the automatic hand washers next to me pulled out her wet hands from the little washers and said, “This is how I clean my jewelry.”

 

“Yeah? Let's see you do your earrings.”

 

Ran into the feisty 91 year old lady who had complained on the first day that there was no refrigerator in her ocean view cabin. She paid for three cabins, they should provide a refrigerator. Saw her last night, asked if she had one. “No, and this ship doesn't have a laundromat! Every ship has a laundromat!” Wish I'd seen more of the old girl.

 

We finished most of our packing last night, left out toiletries and clothes for today, knew everything would fit in our suitcases. We bought a few professional photos, rare to find any of us that we like.

 

I have been warned for six weeks about weekend road tunnel closures making travel to Boston's Logan Airport difficult, repetitive email warnings from my travel agent, email warnings direct from Holland America, and more recent warnings from the airline. Allow extra time, use public transport, ride share. Double the warnings, Mrs. Whogo received the same. Managed a good night's sleep despite the looming chaos.

 

I was up early, dining room opened at 6:30, another full English for me. Supervised the Zaandam's docking, the captain did just fine, can't say the same about the shore side line handlers. Lines snagged on everything snagable.

 

Accompanied Mrs. Whogo to her Lido breakfast, was there to fetch things and keep her company. She ate much more sensibly than I did all cruise. Finished packing, left home with four bags, returned with three, I jammed my carryon into my checked bag, didn't worry about wrinkles on the way home.

 

I toted our 80 pounds of luggage down three flights of stairs in one go. Debarkation started a bit after seven, we did unassisted debarkation about 8:40 from deck 3 forward, no customs or immigration after clearing them yesterday, walked a short way to a handy pickup point, spent the morning with our daughter and son-in-law, wonderful to see them again, took a long walk through Boston, had time for ice coffee and then a game of Scrabble and they shuttled us to the airport, thanks again, with absolutely no traffic delays. All that tunnel closure panic for nothing.

 

Paid for two checked bags, accepted the offer to check our carry-on for no extra charge. Was patted down again by TSA, all the layers of cloth in my empty pockets, trousers, undershirt, and undershorts looks like firearms and explosives to the nudie-scope. Fried clams at Legal Seafood were delicious, have not had any for years. Coach flights were as good as it gets, on time, empty seat between us, marred only by loud talkers on both legs. Why do people broadcast their drivel to people five rows away?

 

Had a full English breakfast this morning, minus the fried toast, beans, grilled tomato, whole wheat toast, mushrooms, hash browns, sausage and back bacon. I had to cook and serve it myself and clean up after. Living at home is going to take some getting used to.

[carolyn22]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your live trip report. Thank you so much for taking us along on your journey!

[BetsyS.]

2 hours ago, whogo said:

Saturday, September 10, 2022. Boston

 

The woman using the automatic hand washers next to me pulled out her wet hands from the little washers and said, “This is how I clean my jewelry.”

 

“Yeah? Let's see you do your earrings.”

 

Ran into the feisty 91 year old lady who had complained on the first day that there was no refrigerator in her ocean view cabin. She paid for three cabins, they should provide a refrigerator. Saw her last night, asked if she had one. “No, and this ship doesn't have a laundromat! Every ship has a laundromat!” Wish I'd seen more of the old girl.

 

We finished most of our packing last night, left out toiletries and clothes for today, knew everything would fit in our suitcases. We bought a few professional photos, rare to find any of us that we like.

 

I have been warned for six weeks about weekend road tunnel closures making travel to Boston's Logan Airport difficult, repetitive email warnings from my travel agent, email warnings direct from Holland America, and more recent warnings from the airline. Allow extra time, use public transport, ride share. Double the warnings, Mrs. Whogo received the same. Managed a good night's sleep despite the looming chaos.

 

I was up early, dining room opened at 6:30, another full English for me. Supervised the Zaandam's docking, the captain did just fine, can't say the same about the shore side line handlers. Lines snagged on everything snagable.

 

Accompanied Mrs. Whogo to her Lido breakfast, was there to fetch things and keep her company. She ate much more sensibly than I did all cruise. Finished packing, left home with four bags, returned with three, I jammed my carryon into my checked bag, didn't worry about wrinkles on the way home.

 

I toted our 80 pounds of luggage down three flights of stairs in one go. Debarkation started a bit after seven, we did unassisted debarkation about 8:40 from deck 3 forward, no customs or immigration after clearing them yesterday, walked a short way to a handy pickup point, spent the morning with our daughter and son-in-law, wonderful to see them again, took a long walk through Boston, had time for ice coffee and then a game of Scrabble and they shuttled us to the airport, thanks again, with absolutely no traffic delays. All that tunnel closure panic for nothing.

 

Paid for two checked bags, accepted the offer to check our carry-on for no extra charge. Was patted down again by TSA, all the layers of cloth in my empty pockets, trousers, undershirt, and undershorts looks like firearms and explosives to the nudie-scope. Fried clams at Legal Seafood were delicious, have not had any for years. Coach flights were as good as it gets, on time, empty seat between us, marred only by loud talkers on both legs. Why do people broadcast their drivel to people five rows away?

 

Had a full English breakfast this morning, minus the fried toast, beans, grilled tomato, whole wheat toast, mushrooms, hash browns, sausage and back bacon. I had to cook and serve it myself and clean up after. Living at home is going to take some getting used to.

Thank you for your very thorough reports!  You're right - "living at home is

going to take some getting used to."