The Fleet Report and Daily for Monday August 29th, 2022

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is among my earliest from Queen Mary 2.  August 29, 2012 was part of a round trip transatlantic, over to the UK on Queen Mary 2 and back on Crystal Symphony.

 

 

Roy

[GTVCRUISER]

Happy Monday 🙂 from San Diego 

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning Dailyites. A beautiful breeze and cooler, but heating up to 95. As Lenda said, expecting some much needed rain this week.

 

Picked up our friend at the airport in Austin last night. The tollway is 80 mph and semi's were flying past us. 

 

 

Returning some items from Amazon, then going to lunch before my IV treatment. 

 

I have seen bats but I don't believe they are plentiful here.

 

 

 

 

Debbie I really like the recipes today. Thank you. I'm a pasta fan. 

 

Prayers lifted for our care list. My prayer book thankfully is reduced in half this week. Take care and ya'll have an awesome week. Blessings xx

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  We always have bats flying through our yard in the summer at dusk; they do a great job keeping the mosquitos in check.  A number of years ago when we could still let our cats roam outside, one of our past kitties (Punkin) used to catch bats and leave them on the doorstep for us.  Lovely gift.   I don't use a lot of salt and am happy to put it on the table for others to use.  My favourite herbs are basil, cilantro and dill.  You have to drive for yourself and others these days - I hear of more road rage events happening which is quite disturbing.

 

A bright sunny morning with clear skies again; we should have temps in the mid 20's which will be nice.  There's a good breeze blowing so it will likely feel a few degrees cooler.  I know the temp is supposed to be in the mid 30's in a couple of days, but we have to enjoy every degree, knowing what will be coming in just a couple of months.

 

An exciting day in the offing - heading to Walmart to pick up cat food and kitty litter.  LOL  Sure wish I lived closer to @kazubecause I'd be there in a heartbeat to help with her housework.  Wouldn't it be great if we could teleport ourselves to help friends in need?  When I become Queen of the Universe, we'll be able to do that.  

 

I like today's drink selection, although it sounds like it's quite sweet.  Worth a try if you've got the drink package, I think.  Today's menu suggestion is definitely one to put in the book for a cold winter's day.  I'm doing something different today, we're going to have breakfast for dinner.  I'll make veggie omelets and bacon for the two of us on the deck tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for those who are hurting, cheers to those with celebrations.  Stay safe everyone!

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! Tonight will be our last night on the island, and my last chance to watch the bats in the evening. I enjoy watching the swallows in the evening chasing mosquitos high up. As the light fades, the swallows disappear briefly, and reappear as dusk deepens. Then I realize the wing outline is backwards. The swallows are in bed, and the new silhouettes against the sky are bats. They take over the job and fly the same mosquito hunting patterns the swallows were flying twenty minutes earlier.

A month from now we will be in Montreal! We fly in three days early to sail away on the Zaandam October 1. That’s the start of the Grand Africa for us.

I am back to feeling fine today. The turmeric adventure is over. Many thanks to @TiogaCruiser for the lead level warnings!

Happy Monday, everyone, especially those lucky souls starting their week on a BHB!

[cat shepard]

Morning from Anchorage Alaska everyone. On the train waiting to head to Seward. It is just starting to get light here. But the sun didn’t set until after 9 last night.  Traveling went fairly smoothly, but it was a long day. 
 

Just two things from yesterday I need to share.

 

We ended our first leg of the journey with the most spectacular view of Mount Rainier. 
 

 

 

And I can now say I have enjoyed wine in a can! On the second leg I enjoyed a Cab-Petit Syrah blend that was actually decent considering. 
 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating!  Please stay well everyone!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info. 

[jodi58]

Happy Monday and good morning!
 

calling for 86 degrees and humid here in Montreal. Love seeing the pictures of my hometown!🙂 On a hot day like today I am glad the horse -drawn carriages (calèches) are a thing of the past.

 

Jo

[durangoscots]

Good morning to all. It has been many years since I was in Montreal..... I really don't remember it well at all. Guess I will just have to go back. The meal looks good for the winter which I know is coming. It is already feeling a bit like Fall here.... it was 45F when the dogs and I went out this morning. I have taken my light windbreaker out of the closet. I need to buy little Monty a sweater as he was shivering this morning. It will get pretty warm by afternoon.

 

As to cleaning house .... I am one person is a small space with too much stuff. It is hard to keep straight. I remember reading someone's suggestion that you put out a couple of get well cards when you have company.... then they think you have not been able to keep up. 

 

My only appointment for the day is a the cardiologist in the early afternoon. Not looking forward to it. I am not going out to shelter today - am leaving the fight with the roofer to our contractor and one of the other Board members. No rain forecast for the next few days so they have time to get on it.

 

Susan

 

 

[TiogaCruiser]

Good Morning All,

We’re going to heat up fast today. Need to do a big trimming of one of our passion fruit plants, that is currently invading the neighbor’s side yard. We seldom use salt here, preferring other herbs and seasonings ( not containing salt) and using high heat to sear things ( including vegetables) is how we add flavor. 
 

Adding one more item to yesterday’s discussion on lead in turmeric: ginger is also notorious for lead for the same reasons. That’s why Trader Joe’s has a lead warning on its packages that contain ginger. That puts them in compliance with California’s Prop 65, and it does not mean there IS lead in the product- only that ginger is known to the state to commonly contain some ( even very low levels) of lead.

 

Will pass on today’s meal. Gnocchi isn’t my favorite, and I need to find a substitute for the pine nuts in pesto. ( They leave me with the taste of licked envelopes for hours to several days after eating them. Guess I’m weird.)

**************((

Sandlands 2018 Mataro (San Benito County) Central Coast, California

 

Today we have a red that is “rich and intense”. I might just consider this for a special occasion- like a special getaway  with DH.

 

Price range: $35. This wine scored 94 points in Wine Enthusiast.

 

Hailing from the historic Enz Vineyard, this bottling begins with elegant aromas of lavender, plum and dried earth. The tannic tension is immediately apparent on the palate, both leathery and taut, giving long-living structure to the cranberry, sour cherry, crushed cement and tar flavors. Drink 2022–2038. MATT KETTMANN

 

About the grapes:

Mourvèdre - Also called Monastrell and Mataro, Mourvèdre is most famous for the ruby-hued wines of Provence's Bandol region, known for their spicy, gamey, blackberry character, though the grape is grown throughout Provence and the Southern Rhône. Thought to have originated in Spain, it is second only to Grenache in vine acres, with the best examples found in Rioja, Alicante and Penedès.

 

Have a great day everyone!

Edited August 29, 2022 by TiogaCruiser

[JazzyV]

Good morning. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

Bats are important, but I had one in the house and that wasn't fun. More herbs, less salt is a good thing health wise. I don't use much salt, but do spices rather than herbs. I wish motorists would have some consideration; people are so aggressively driving any more. Good quote.

The meal sounds good, but carby. Yes to the drink and the wine.

I was in Montreal way back, as a kid, for Expo 67! I don't recall much other than the Exposition. Never there on a cruise. Thanks for the photos.

 

It's another hot one today, near 90 and humid (feeling like 95). I'll do stuff indoors. More sorting and making a donation pile.

 

@kazu Good luck with planning Jose's Celebration of Life. I understand about the stuff everywhere and having someone in to clean; same situation here. People will be coming to be with you and celebrate Jose, and won't be using white gloves looking for dust!

@marshhawk I hope DH's meds help him, with no bad side effects.

@aliaschief Welcome home! 

@Horizon chaser 1957 Good to hear you're back to feeling well today.

@cat shepard Thanks for checking in and the photos.

@durangoscots Love the get well cards idea! Good luck with the Cardiology appointment.

 

Prayers for the Care List and a Toast to the Celebration List.

Stay safe everyone.

[Cat in my lap]

Thanks for daily report and all of the helpful comments yesterday!

 

I walked to tai chi in a park about a mile away.  Then I swam and used the hot tub, so I am done exercising for today!  
 

Wine sounds good, but a bit too expensive.  

[dfish]

Well, I just had an odd thing happen.   I was supposed to have an appointment with an endocrine surgeon on Wednesday.  He wanted a bone density scan of my forearm.  The reason I was given was because he requires it.   Huh?   Why does he require it?  No answer.  So, I called the insurance company to make sure it would be covered since I just had a scan in June.   Insurance said they would need a preauthorization request for an additional scan.  So, I called the surgeon's office with that information and they claimed they did have preauthorization.  Last week they said they didn't and the insurance company had to record of it.  So, she sent me over to the department that has the preauthorization information so I could get the confirmation numbers and call the insurance company back.  

 

Well, less than 5 minutes later, while I was still on hold with the preauthorization department, the surgeon's office called back and said the surgeon had reviewed my case and determined that I did not need surgery.  She added that they would be referring me to a medical endocrinologist.   I said no thanks to that because if the surgeon had reviewed my records he would see no need to make that recommendation as I had been referred to them by my medical endocrinologist.  

 

I'm not sure what to make of this.  I have a call into my endocrinologist to see what he thinks.  

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

It's starting to warm up again, will it be summer's last hurrah or will summer continue through September?  We never know!

 

I've never seen a bat around here other than in the zoo.  I try to use less salt, and motorist consideration unfortunately is a joke around here.  We really wonder if some people even know what a yield sign means.....

 

The quote is good, will pass on the meal (not a fan of gnocchi) and the red wine.  The drink sounds good.

 

We've been to Montreal once or twice, on Quebec-FL or FL-Quebec cruises.  I won't post my photos of Notre Dame, as Sandi @StLouisCruisershas posted some gorgeous ones.  On one visit at the end of the cruise we spent one night in Montreal.  We got the bright idea of walking from our hotel to the top of Mont Royal and back to the hotel (having no idea how far it was).  The weather was good, it was in May, and the walk was really nice but oh my did my feet hurt afterwards!  We found out then that we'd walked 10-11 miles total (we were about 10 years younger).  Sitting on a plane all day the next day actually felt good after that 😉  

 

It was actually a nice walk, even though long!  We walked past interesting buildings

 

Eventually we were going uphill...

 

Past the university district

 

Beautiful springtime blossoms

 

The park was lovely and full of other people walking, jogging, with dogs, on bicycles, etc.

 

The view from the top was worth the climb.

 

 

And of course I had to take photos of the beautiful flower gardens at the top.

 

 

The moon over our hotel that night.

 

 

[durangoscots]

3 minutes ago, dfish said:

Well, I just had an odd thing happen.   I was supposed to have an appointment with an endocrine surgeon on Wednesday.  He wanted a bone density scan of my forearm.  The reason I was given was because he requires it.   Huh?   Why does he require it?  No answer.  So, I called the insurance company to make sure it would be covered since I just had a scan in June.   Insurance said they would need a preauthorization request for an additional scan.  So, I called the surgeon's office with that information and they claimed they did have preauthorization.  Last week they said they didn't and the insurance company had to record of it.  So, she sent me over to the department that has the preauthorization information so I could get the confirmation numbers and call the insurance company back.  

 

Well, less than 5 minutes later, while I was still on hold with the preauthorization department, the surgeon's office called back and said the surgeon had reviewed my case and determined that I did not need surgery.  She added that they would be referring me to a medical endocrinologist.   I said no thanks to that because if the surgeon had reviewed my records he would see no need to make that recommendation as I had been referred to them by my medical endocrinologist.  

 

I'm not sure what to make of this.  I have a call into my endocrinologist to see what he thinks.  

Sounds like someone is getting a bit lazy and not reading records. Not a good thing. I am a little concerned about this same thing with my current PCP and may have to do a switch.

 

Susan

[0106]

@TiogaCruiserExcellent job with the wine reviews!  
 

Pine nut mouth is real.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/pine-nut-mouth-syndrome/amp. I usually use walnuts in my pesto because they are less expensive.

 

I have heard about the possibility of lead in ginger however, I am comfortable eating fresh ginger.  It seems like the problem is mainly from imported spices

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Right now the heavy clouds from this morning have given way to blue skies and white, fluffy clouds.  Of course, that is supposed to change later today.  🤞  We need more rain.  The prediction for our area of the state is for a fair amount of rain.

 

2 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Good morning, all! Tonight will be our last night on the island, and my last chance to watch the bats in the evening. I enjoy watching the swallows in the evening chasing mosquitos high up. As the light fades, the swallows disappear briefly, and reappear as dusk deepens. Then I realize the wing outline is backwards. The swallows are in bed, and the new silhouettes against the sky are bats. They take over the job and fly the same mosquito hunting patterns the swallows were flying twenty minutes earlier.

A month from now we will be in Montreal! We fly in three days early to sail away on the Zaandam October 1. That’s the start of the Grand Africa for us.

I am back to feeling fine today. The turmeric adventure is over. Many thanks to @TiogaCruiser for the lead level warnings!

Happy Monday, everyone, especially those lucky souls starting their week on a BHB!

 

Safe travels back to the mainland tomorrow.  

 

2 hours ago, cat shepard said:

Morning from Anchorage Alaska everyone. On the train waiting to head to Seward. It is just starting to get light here. But the sun didn’t set until after 9 last night.  Traveling went fairly smoothly, but it was a long day. 
 

Just two things from yesterday I need to share.

 

We ended our first leg of the journey with the most spectacular view of Mount Rainier. 
 

 

 

And I can now say I have enjoyed wine in a can! On the second leg I enjoyed a Cab-Petit Syrah blend that was actually decent considering. 
 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating!  Please stay well everyone!

 

Ann, I'm glad the trip went smoothly yesterday.  Thanks for the great picture of Mt. Rainier.  Glad to know canned wine can be decent.

 

1 hour ago, durangoscots said:

Good morning to all. It has been many years since I was in Montreal..... I really don't remember it well at all. Guess I will just have to go back. The meal looks good for the winter which I know is coming. It is already feeling a bit like Fall here.... it was 45F when the dogs and I went out this morning. I have taken my light windbreaker out of the closet. I need to buy little Monty a sweater as he was shivering this morning. It will get pretty warm by afternoon.

 

As to cleaning house .... I am one person is a small space with too much stuff. It is hard to keep straight. I remember reading someone's suggestion that you put out a couple of get well cards when you have company.... then they think you have not been able to keep up. 

 

My only appointment for the day is a the cardiologist in the early afternoon. Not looking forward to it. I am not going out to shelter today - am leaving the fight with the roofer to our contractor and one of the other Board members. No rain forecast for the next few days so they have time to get on it.

 

Susan

 

 

 

I hope the cardiologist visit goes smoothly.  I'm glad you are letting the contractor and another board member fight the battle of the roof.

 

10 minutes ago, dfish said:

Well, I just had an odd thing happen.   I was supposed to have an appointment with an endocrine surgeon on Wednesday.  He wanted a bone density scan of my forearm.  The reason I was given was because he requires it.   Huh?   Why does he require it?  No answer.  So, I called the insurance company to make sure it would be covered since I just had a scan in June.   Insurance said they would need a preauthorization request for an additional scan.  So, I called the surgeon's office with that information and they claimed they did have preauthorization.  Last week they said they didn't and the insurance company had to record of it.  So, she sent me over to the department that has the preauthorization information so I could get the confirmation numbers and call the insurance company back.  

 

Well, less than 5 minutes later, while I was still on hold with the preauthorization department, the surgeon's office called back and said the surgeon had reviewed my case and determined that I did not need surgery.  She added that they would be referring me to a medical endocrinologist.   I said no thanks to that because if the surgeon had reviewed my records he would see no need to make that recommendation as I had been referred to them by my medical endocrinologist.  

 

I'm not sure what to make of this.  I have a call into my endocrinologist to see what he thinks.  

 

Debbie, what a tale.  I think that is why our PCP wants to be kept in the loop with all the various doctor visits DH is having.  He even wants to be the one to see DH instead of his very capable PA.  So far, with our insurance, we don't need pre-authorization unless the doctor requires it.  I hope you get everything worked out.

 

2 minutes ago, 0106 said:

@TiogaCruiserExcellent job with the wine reviews!  
 

Pine nut mouth is real.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/pine-nut-mouth-syndrome/amp. I usually use walnuts in my pesto because they are less expensive.

 

I have heard about the possibility of lead in ginger however, I am comfortable eating fresh ginger.  It seems like the problem is mainly from imported spices

 

 

 

The information about lead in ginger had me checking my ground ginger.  I use quite a bit when making gingerbread cookies.  The ginger in the pantry didn't say it was imported.  It is a major US brand, so I think it's probably okay.

 

Lenda

[bennybear]

Good morning and thank all!  Interesting about the pine nuts!  And ginger and turmeric.  
Montreal is near and dear to my heart, my first independent trip as a young girl to see expo.   
 

 

[XBGuy]

6 hours ago, richwmn said:

 

Wine of the Day - Sandlands 2018 Mataro (San Benito County) Central

 

 

Too funny.  I just missed the wine of the day.  I actually had this on Thursday.

 

 

I took the pic to add to my post on a wine board.

 

Pleasant floral nose with some mint, Dark berries and stone fruits--black plum is the obvious one, but also, interestingly, apricot. Subdued acid, but sturdy tannin provides nice backbone. Very pleasant mouthfeel. Mid-length aftertaste.

[USN59-79]

The remark by @smitty34877about her DSIL and salt reminded me of what I had read about Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of nuclear power in the U.S. Navy.  He would personally interview officers who had applied for the nuclear power program.  During the interview he would take them to lunch.  If they added salt to soup without first tasting it, it was a huge demerit.  (They assumed he was just interested in their table manners.)  Here are a couple of quotes from him:

"Optimism and stupidity are nearly synonymous."

"The man in charge must concern himself with details.  If he does not consider them important, neither will his subordinates."

Ray

[kochleffel]

Today I visited the Munch Museum. I’ll save pix for when Oslo is the port of the day.

 

While I was there, I received voicemail and email from the dentist’s office in Copenhagen, trying to confirm an appointment for 5:30 p.m. today. It was a mistake: when I called on Saturday, the receptionist didn’t understand that I needed an appointment the same today, and put it down for today. When I explained and the dentist agreed to see me in an hour, the Tuesday appointment stayed in the file. I emailed back, thanking them for seeing me on Saturday and saying that I was OK (and in Oslo).

 

It’s a good thing that the Junior Cat doesn’t go out, because if she caught a bat she would probably bring it in alive and ask me what to do with it.

[grapau27]

5 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from partly cloudy and humid central Texas.  Our rain is supposed to start tonight, with chances of rain all week.  Naturally, tomorrow has the highest chance of rain since DH has a doctors appointment.  Luckily, it is with out PCP in town.

 

As others have stated, bats are very important.  There is a colony of bats that in the summer live under the Congress Street bridge in Austin.  People gather at sunset to watch them emerge for their nightly hunt for insects.  I don't cook with salt very often, but I also don't add a lot of herbs.  I wish more motorists were considerate instead of just trying to get where they are going as fast a possible.

 

I like today's quote.  We'll pass on the meal and the drink.  I'll wait for the wine report.

 

We have been to Montreal and I'll repost my pictures from May 18, 2021.

 

@kazu  Jacqui, don't worry too much about the house.  As @superoma Eva said, as long as it's presentable that's all that matters.  Your guests will be there to see you and honor and celebrate Jose's life, not to inspect the house.  BTW, just shut the doors to the messy rooms if you run out of time.  

@smitty34877  Terry, I'm glad an accident was avoided yesterday.  I really think some drivers are getting worse by the day.

@aliaschief  Welcome home, and thanks for allowing us to join you on your vacation.

 

We drove to Montreal from Dover, NJ, in 1969 or 1970, when DH was in the army.  We cruised there in 2004 on the old Regal Princess b2b round trip from NYC.  

 

As Montreal was a turnaround day, we had 2 1/2 days there, but were meeting friends, one of whom joined us for the return trip to NYC.  The other friend lived in St. Cathartines, ON, and took the train to Montreal to see the three of us.   We did some sightseeing, including a city bus that made a loop with a stop at Mont Royal Parc overlooking the city.  The first afternoon, we wandered around the underground shopping mall.  The last day, which was a short one, we went out to the Olympic village.

 

These are some of my pictures as walk around and rode on the city bus.

 

The view from Mont Royal Parc with the Olympic swimming venue in the background.

 

More of the fall colors

 

The swimming venue

 

Now, it's time to run to the store before it gets crowded.

 

Lenda

Lovely photos Lenda.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Cruising-along said:

Good morning all!

It's starting to warm up again, will it be summer's last hurrah or will summer continue through September?  We never know!

 

I've never seen a bat around here other than in the zoo.  I try to use less salt, and motorist consideration unfortunately is a joke around here.  We really wonder if some people even know what a yield sign means.....

 

The quote is good, will pass on the meal (not a fan of gnocchi) and the red wine.  The drink sounds good.

 

We've been to Montreal once or twice, on Quebec-FL or FL-Quebec cruises.  I won't post my photos of Notre Dame, as Sandi @StLouisCruisershas posted some gorgeous ones.  On one visit at the end of the cruise we spent one night in Montreal.  We got the bright idea of walking from our hotel to the top of Mont Royal and back to the hotel (having no idea how far it was).  The weather was good, it was in May, and the walk was really nice but oh my did my feet hurt afterwards!  We found out then that we'd walked 10-11 miles total (we were about 10 years younger).  Sitting on a plane all day the next day actually felt good after that 😉  

 

It was actually a nice walk, even though long!  We walked past interesting buildings

 

Eventually we were going uphill...

 

Past the university district

 

Beautiful springtime blossoms

 

The park was lovely and full of other people walking, jogging, with dogs, on bicycles, etc.

 

The view from the top was worth the climb.

 

 

And of course I had to take photos of the beautiful flower gardens at the top.

 

 

The moon over our hotel that night.

 

 

Nice photos Carolyn

[rafinmd]

I THINK I had some good news today.  The results came back for the specialty tests my doctor ordered last week and they were all within the normal range.  Not sure how that relates to the regular tests but it is somewhat reassuring.

 

Roy

[grapau27]

26 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I THINK I had some good news today.  The results came back for the specialty tests my doctor ordered last week and they were all within the normal range.  Not sure how that relates to the regular tests but it is somewhat reassuring.

 

Roy

Delighted for you Roy.

Graham.