The Fleet Report and Daily for Sunday January 21st, 2024

[kazu]

Today is International Playdate Day, International Sweatpants Day, and National Cheesy Socks Day

 

You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope.--Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

Meal Suggestion for today - Rapini Pasta
Drink of the Day - Seattle Sidecar
Wine of the Day - Ant Moore Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc
Destination of the Day - Singapore 

Today in History:
1789 The 1st American novel, William Hill Brown's "The Power of Sympathy" is published by Isaiah Thomas

Ship Locations
 

Eurodam

St Thomas Island USVI, Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands 08:00 - 16:00 
 

Koningsdam

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii Island 08:00 - 20:00 
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

At Sea Destination Grand Turk Island, Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos eta 01-22
 

Nieuw Statendam

Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida 15:00 
 

Oosterdam

At Sea Destination Port Stanley, East Falkland Island eta 01-22
 

Rotterdam

Panama Canal, Colon, Panama 06:00 - 07:00 ,17:00 - 21:00 
 

Zaandam

At Sea Destination Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Riviera eta 01-22
 

Zuiderdam

At Sea Destination Willemstad Curacao, Netherlands Antilles eta 01-22

Eastern Hemisphere
 

Noordam

Lyttelton-Christchurch, New Zealand 08:00 - 17:00 
 

Volendam

Suva, Viti Levu Island Fiji 08:00 - 17:00 
 

Westerdam

Koh Samui Island Thailand 07:00 - 15:00

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[rafinmd]

Today's map:

 

Roy

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  Really cold again today with a temp of 15F.  However it will be sunny today and a lowly 41 for a high temp!  It's going to warm up this week and then we will see rain.

 

Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily plus the maps.  Some frivolous days to recognize IMO.  Playdates, sweatpants and cheesy socks!  Sweatpants are closer to my heart though because I wear something similar around the house, yoga pants.  Not quite so baggy but warm and comfy.  I don't own any cheesy socks.  Thank goodness we're not celebrating Squirrel Appreciation Day! (yes, it's on the list for today).  I don't care how cute they are we they're a nuisance to us with our acorn-bearing pin oak.  I suppose I don't know what rapini pasta is so I'd better pay attention to the F&B reports today.  I'm clueless also on the Seattle Sidecar and the wine.  Since it's a Sauvignon Blanc I would give it a try though.  Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard  for your reports today.

 

Prayers for DB, twin sister and DBIL with Covid, friends Scott and Bob and their fabulous wives. Niece Amy says she has recovered from probable Covid and doing well.  Prayers too for Israel, Ukraine, the hostages held and our military under fire (142+ attacks) and those who have already been injured.  And for all here on the Daily who are in need of prayers, we've got you covered!  Hoping for less pain, quick healing, and improved outlooks!  Stay off those icy surfaces.  Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists today.  I hope you got more sleep last night and less leg pain today.👍

 

Yesterday was interesting.  DH saw a dog running loose on our street which is highly unusual.  While we were trying to identify whether it was really a lost dog or a wolf (!) a large white delivery van (Prime) zoomed up our street and made a delivery at the end of the cul-de-sac.  Then he drove back down just past our house and decided he'd missed the house across the street from us.  So he made a turn into neighbor Linda's driveway and backed out again to turn around.  I said uh-oh because he didn't appear to be looking where he was backing up, and sure enough backed into the neighbor's mailbox two doors down from us  The heavy decorative metal post is tilted and slightly bent so he broke that, plus the mailbox and newspaper box went flying and the scroll work under it broken off.  Good grief!  He should have just stopped and parked going on the street and walked back two doors up to deliver the package. He did the right thing and rang Denise and Mike's doorbell to report his misdeed.  If they call the company who installed all our mailboxes it will cost a pretty penny to replace and install a new one.  If he hadn't broken the post Mike probably would have gotten the parts and installed it himself.  When you're sitting home staying warm this is a lot of excitement in one 5 minute period.  Never saw the dog again! 

 

The port of the day is Singapore!  What an amazing spot to land!  The two times we've had it before on Dec. 24, 2022 and July 25, 2023.  Links are below.  We've been there three times.

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good one!

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Report.  Thanks for the maps.

Another cold one here, feels like -20C (-4F) but at least it's not snowing!  I feel a little stiff from the snow shovelling I did yesterday, I hope I don't have to do any today.  I think I'll stay in and watch some more football in my sweatpants.  I don't think I own any cheesy socks.

Interesting quote.

The meal sounds good, I'll pass on the drink but I'm sure I'll like the wine.

I've never been to Singapore.

Prayers for everyone.

Stay safe and warm.

 

[ottahand7]

Good morning from St. Thomas.  Nothing on the docket for us rather than reading on the balcony though the loud music on the pier may drive us inside.  One week since visiting Medical and I am slowly on the mend.  Thanks for the Daily Reports and the cares and celebrations reports. Have a nice Sunday! Nancy 

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

Father David Is having a well deserved holiday in a nice hotel in Wales so no sermon today.

It is 46°F in North East England.

3 fun days and interesting quote.

Prayers uplifted for all they will help.

I hope everyone is safe and well and y'all have a wonderful day.

 

Edited January 21 by grapau27

[summer slope]

Seattle Sidecar cocktail:

 

Ingredients

Scale

• 1 oz. rum
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. sparkling apple cider
• ½ oz. lime juice

---

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with sugar and serve. Substitute apple juice for the sparkling cider if none is available.

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning, thanks for today's daily fleet report.   It's a cold start to the day at 14F.  We had a dusting of snow overnight. Mona had me up early so I had plenty of time to get ready for sail in. I'm curious about today's meal suggestion.  I'm not sure what's for dinner,  either ham or going out.  I hope everyone has a good day today. 

How to tell you we have rabbits without telling you. 

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s FR & D, Jacqui! Roy, thank you for our maps!

 

It is a very brisk 34, feels like 28 here this morning. But the sun is shining and I have no need for a snow shovel, so life is wonderful. 

 

Vanessa, thank you for capturing and sharing all our happenings. Praying that you get permanent pain relief soon!

 

Gym, Aldi, Bindi walks and chores should keep me busy. 
 

 

 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Thinking of you & Tana, Terry. 
 

Cheers to all who are celebrating. 
 

May we each find a reason to smile today. 
 

************

Ant Moore Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc 2022

I used the 2022 vintage info since it should be available. Priced to try. Lots of distributors- many of which mention the distinct lemon and lime palate of this wine. Might be a bit different from other New Zealand SB wines. Online prices start at $11.49, so you can decide for yourself. 

Winemaker notes

Harvest 2019 will go down as one of the driest years we have seen with no rain between Christmas and early March. Our vineyards had mixed fortunes during flowering which resulted in some varieties having low berry numbers and small crops. The silver lining was, lower crops and clean fruit with very good texture and mouthfeel.

Fruit sourced predominantly from the Dillons Point (66%), the Awatere Valley (26%) and a small component from Brookby Road (8%) has been selected for the 2019 Signature blend. The fruit was machine harvested then pressed with the cloudy juice clarified by floatation and cold settling. Once clarified the Brookby juice was transferred to old French barriques for relatively warm (18°-22°C) fermentation and the other batches were fermented separately in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at approximately 13° to 15°C for 3 to 4 weeks. After fermentation the tank fermented components were racked and the individual parcels held separate on light lees to help maintain freshness. The oak component was kept on fermentation lees to further fill out the palate and promote some depth of character. After blending, the wine was stabilised without the need for extra fining before final crossflow filtration to prepare for bottling.

ORGANIC. SUSTAINABLE.

Edited January 21 by cat shepard

[StLouisCruisers]

Yay for Singapore!   We have spent time on land trips there as well as cruised through or from Singapore due to DS's sabbatical there twice, a year at a time.

 

 

Our first time in Singapore was in January 2007 when DGS Ren was born there.  I was able to stay 3 weeks and DH stayed about 8 days and went back to the US to work.  Our DS was taking his first sabbatical from his U-M position over in Singapore because that is where our DDIL's parents lived.  They were able to spend a lot of quality time with the two of them during that time period.  Right in the middle of their 10 or 11 months there was Ren's due date, so we made plans ahead of time to arrive a week or so later and it worked out fine.  We had a great visit and were able to get some good cuddling in with him even though they lived so far from us.  

 

Second trip was a cruise with friends from Myrtle Beach on Diamond Princess from Bangkok to Anchorage.  We had a really nice time with them.  DDIL's Mom picked us up on our port stop in Singapore and she spent the day showing us (and our friends who hadn't been there before) some great sights, and both DDIL's Mom and Dad were able to be there for a nice lunch at the American Club.  

 

The last time we were there was in 2013 during DS's second sabbatical.  We found a group of cruises that left from Singapore, and went to Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.  At the end of the cruise we flew home from Auckland on Christmas Eve.  At the beginning of the cruise we flew over to Singapore and spent about 8 days visiting the kids before they dropped us off at the ship.  I have some nice photos from that trip.  

 

The first day in 2013 (after a good sleep) we went to the boys' school (just down the street from their apartment) which was having an International Day assembly.  There were students from about 80 countries represented and all the parents would cheer when their children and the other children from that country marched out.  This school was called the Canadian International School.  DS and DDIL checked out several schools before they moved over to make sure they got the type of education they needed.  Here is a photo after all the students marched out and sat down.  We enjoyed our visit to the school that day.

 

Some of the American kids.  Ren is in that picture.

 

We took the MRT train downtown one day to see the Orchard Road shopping area.  It was quite nice.

 

 

 

Another day we visited the Nanyang Technological University where DS was a visiting professor during his sabbatical.  It was all very, very nice.  They like things neat in Singapore!

 

 

One night we went down to the Marina and ate dinner.  Here is the Merlion near the restaurant.

 

We saw the beautiful Marina Bay Sands hotel lit up at night.  Gorgeous!

 

 

Another day we went to the Singapore Botanic Garden.  We spent most of our time in the orchid section and I must have 50 photos of orchids so can't share them all here.  

 

 

 

The following day DDIL, DH and I went downtown on the MRT to see the National Art Museum.  The art exhibits on the grounds were really interesting.

 

 

 

Later that day we went to the far western side of the little island nation to Raffles Marina to celebrate DS's birthday.  His in-laws had a membership there.  The kids really enjoyed the pool before dinner.  You can see the bridge from Singapore to Malaysia from the marina there.

 

 

 

A better photo from 2007.  You can see the bridge in the background.

 

Our last full day before the cruise DS took us up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.  Wow, what a view!  Here's the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest seen from way up high.

 

The amazing Gardens by the Bay

 

I zooomed in to show the new, at the time, International Cruise Ship terminal.  We would be there the following day boarding Diamond Princess.

 

Holding my camera way out

 

The Singapore Flyer

 

Guests in the infinity pool.  Can you imagine what that view is like?

 

 

Merlion is down there

 

 

I have a couple of interesting (to me) photos to show you from the 2007 "baby" visit.  The reason for the visit!  Older brother Kai is in college now at UCLA!  Ren was 8 days old.

 

We went to breakfast at East Coast Park and saw a strange sight.  Water skiing by cable instead of boats in the lake there.

 

 

We went out to eat for every meal it seems like.  But we also stopped at Raffles Hotel and had a Singapore Sling in the bar there. 

 

I was amused at the gravel driveway there.  But it was beautiful inside.  An impressive facade too.

 

Standing near the Merlion at the marina.  This was 2007 so the Marina Bay Sands Hotel wasn't built yet.

 

We went everywhere that trip including the U.S. Embassy to get Ren's passport.  First we dressed him in a white outfit and got his passport photo taken.  One day while driving we saw this amazing sight far from the University of Michigan. 

 

You know I like to photograph mail carriers around the world.  Here is one in Singapore outside an apartment building. 

 

Pizza Hut had similar delivery motor bikes as seen here.  Pizza Hut had a "set" meal you could order.  A bowl of soup and pizza.  Odd don't you think?  Yet we ordered it!  90F outside with 90% humidity but we had soup before pizza. 

 

To me Singapore is the most amazing place to visit in the entire region.   Glad I could spend so much time there.

[Haljo1935]

A nice wacky collection of days - the friend who went on the Nov/Dec TA with me bought crazy socks at each port for herself and her grown son; I never thought of socks as a souvenir. 

Might try the meal & drink once I know what they are, never been to the port, day in history was indeed impactful. 

Finally not below freezing at 32° but feels like 25° headed to 36°, so not much warmer, but it's progress. Rain is supposed to move in tonight.

Nothing on today's schedule except laundry and a little work.

Prayers and positive thoughts for all. 

Edited January 21 by Haljo1935
Typo

[aliaschief]

Good morning. Still have enough movement that one knows we are at sea. Lot’s of staggering folks around and one could not believe how our singer and dancers could perform all their moves in last night’s show. 
We dined in Aqualina last night and enjoyed a wonderful meal with exquisite service. Tonight we dine at Chef’s Table and the theme will be Arabic. We have had this themed dinner before and it was a favorite.

Went to a class yesterday on using your smart phone camera. Got some great tips.

Looking out our window I see gray skies but a few openings of blue. Maybe it will clear and we can have some pool time.

 

Star link has been good enough that we have been able to FaceTime with family. Hopefully, we can worship with our church online services this morning.

Headed for coffee. Have a great day. Bruce

 

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

Bruce @aliaschief nice photos of you and Sue!  Thanks for the update and the great memes.  Have a great day!

[seagarsmoker]

Good morning dailyites and thank you for the Daily Report. 

Freezing cold here this morning.  22 degrees. Brrrrrrrrr

I hope everyone has a great day! 

[JazzyV]

Today’s Care List:

Cruising sister’s great niece Murphy post-surgery, on CPAP, gtube

Ottahand7 with bronchitis and steroid side effects

RMLincoln’s mourning the passing of her NM friend 

StLouisCruisers’ twin, BIL and niece Amy having Covid

JazzyV with right leg pain, tingling and numbness; trouble walking

All in the path of storms and frigid temperatures

 

Citizens of Ukraine, Israel and Gaza

All Dailyites going through worries and stress, whether mentioned or not

 

From the Rotation:

Vict0riann’s DH Pat needing a heart valve replacement

Ger_77’s DH Maurice needing heart valve replacement

Haljo1945 with a frozen shoulder, PT for now

StLouisCruiser’s DB with pulmonary fibrosis

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Vmax1700’s DW feeling better

Seagarsmoker getting a new job!

Kazu stepping up to keep the FR/Daily going while Rich is cruising

Denise T’s good fasting blood sugar

 

The Daily Gardening Club posting wonderful flower pictures

All the contributors to the Fleet Report/Daily

 

Upcoming Cruises or At Sea:

 

5 days for Tupper10 (Rotterdam Jan 26 to Feb 4) 9d Southern Caribbean

 

Sailingdutchy (Rotterdam to Feb 4, 21d PC Sunfarer & Southern Caribbean Seafarer),Ottahand7 (Eurodam to Feb 24 B2B2B2B2B Caribbean), Cruising-along (Volendam to April 6) 94d Grand AUS & NZ voyage, Durangoscots (Volendam to April 6, 94d Grand AUS & NZ voyage), cruising sister (Volendam to April 6, 94d Grand AUS & NZ voyage), Cruisercl(Volendam to April 6, 94d Grand AUS & NZ voyage), Richwmn (Volendam to May 4, Jan 3 94d Grand Australia & NZ Voyage + Apr 6 15d PC Cruise + Apr 21 The Atlantic Cruise), Cat in my lap (Zuiderdam to May 11, 128d Grand World Voyage) and Aliaschief (Azamara Onward WC to June 9, 156d World Voyage)

[MISTER 67]

Greetings from beautiful Punta Gorda 

Only 42 degrees here this AM, coldest day of the winter season but we’re going to have a nice gradual warmup this week, up to 83 on Thursday.

Strange days today as is the quote

Any kind of pasta works for me

Tough game tonight for my Buccaneers against the Lions in Detroit

My Lightning are playing their best hockey so far this season, by coincidence they’re also in Detroit tonight playing the Red Wings, there will lot of channel switching for me this evening

Have a great day and stay well

[kazu]

Good morning everyone.  Thanks to Roy, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann & Dixie for their dedication.  

 

Great collection of days.  I’ll celebrate play date day playing with Ivan - but it will be inside 😉. I’ll gladly put on some sweatpants today and check for cheesy socks to celebrate those days 😉 I think there’s a lot of truth in today’s quote.  YAY, a white wine.  It sounds like an interesting one!

 

 

Snowing - WTH?  It wasn’t supposed to so I have no idea how much is coming.  It sure doesn’t look like it’s going to stop any time soon.  I sure don’t want to have to shovel.  Definitely a good day to be in sweats and inside 😉 

 

 

Prayers for those on the Care list, those suffering losses, grieving, in pain, with health problems, worries & those that need them. 🙏 Cheers to those celebrating and cruising 🥂 

 

[MISTER 67]

17 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Yay for Singapore!   We have spent time on land trips there as well as cruised through or from Singapore due to DS's sabbatical there twice, a year at a time.

 

 

Our first time in Singapore was in January 2007 when DGS Ren was born there.  I was able to stay 3 weeks and DH stayed about 8 days and went back to the US to work.  Our DS was taking his first sabbatical from his U-M position over in Singapore because that is where our DDIL's parents lived.  They were able to spend a lot of quality time with the two of them during that time period.  Right in the middle of their 10 or 11 months there was Ren's due date, so we made plans ahead of time to arrive a week or so later and it worked out fine.  We had a great visit and were able to get some good cuddling in with him even though they lived so far from us.  

 

Second trip was a cruise with friends from Myrtle Beach on Diamond Princess from Bangkok to Anchorage.  We had a really nice time with them.  DDIL's Mom picked us up on our port stop in Singapore and she spent the day showing us (and our friends who hadn't been there before) some great sights, and both DDIL's Mom and Dad were able to be there for a nice lunch at the American Club.  

 

The last time we were there was in 2013 during DS's second sabbatical.  We found a group of cruises that left from Singapore, and went to Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.  At the end of the cruise we flew home from Auckland on Christmas Eve.  At the beginning of the cruise we flew over to Singapore and spent about 8 days visiting the kids before they dropped us off at the ship.  I have some nice photos from that trip.  

 

The first day in 2013 (after a good sleep) we went to the boys' school (just down the street from their apartment) which was having an International Day assembly.  There were students from about 80 countries represented and all the parents would cheer when their children and the other children from that country marched out.  This school was called the Canadian International School.  DS and DDIL checked out several schools before they moved over to make sure they got the type of education they needed.  Here is a photo after all the students marched out and sat down.  We enjoyed our visit to the school that day.

 

Some of the American kids.  Ren is in that picture.

 

We took the MRT train downtown one day to see the Orchard Road shopping area.  It was quite nice.

 

 

 

Another day we visited the Nanyang Technological University where DS was a visiting professor during his sabbatical.  It was all very, very nice.  They like things neat in Singapore!

 

 

One night we went down to the Marina and ate dinner.  Here is the Merlion near the restaurant.

 

We saw the beautiful Marina Bay Sands hotel lit up at night.  Gorgeous!

 

 

Another day we went to the Singapore Botanic Garden.  We spent most of our time in the orchid section and I must have 50 photos of orchids so can't share them all here.  

 

 

 

The following day DDIL, DH and I went downtown on the MRT to see the National Art Museum.  The art exhibits on the grounds were really interesting.

 

 

 

Later that day we went to the far western side of the little island nation to Raffles Marina to celebrate DS's birthday.  His in-laws had a membership there.  The kids really enjoyed the pool before dinner.  You can see the bridge from Singapore to Malaysia from the marina there.

 

 

 

A better photo from 2007.  You can see the bridge in the background.

 

Our last full day before the cruise DS took us up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.  Wow, what a view!  Here's the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest seen from way up high.

 

The amazing Gardens by the Bay

 

I zooomed in to show the new, at the time, International Cruise Ship terminal.  We would be there the following day boarding Diamond Princess.

 

Holding my camera way out

 

The Singapore Flyer

 

Guests in the infinity pool.  Can you imagine what that view is like?

 

 

Merlion is down there

 

 

I have a couple of interesting (to me) photos to show you from the 2007 "baby" visit.  The reason for the visit!  Older brother Kai is in college now at UCLA!  Ren was 8 days old.

 

We went to breakfast at East Coast Park and saw a strange sight.  Water skiing by cable instead of boats in the lake there.

 

 

We went out to eat for every meal it seems like.  But we also stopped at Raffles Hotel and had a Singapore Sling in the bar there. 

 

I was amused at the gravel driveway there.  But it was beautiful inside.  An impressive facade too.

 

Standing near the Merlion at the marina.  This was 2007 so the Marina Bay Sands Hotel wasn't built yet.

 

We went everywhere that trip including the U.S. Embassy to get Ren's passport.  First we dressed him in a white outfit and got his passport photo taken.  One day while driving we saw this amazing sight far from the University of Michigan. 

 

You know I like to photograph mail carriers around the world.  Here is one in Singapore outside an apartment building. 

 

Pizza Hut had similar delivery motor bikes as seen here.  Pizza Hut had a "set" meal you could order.  A bowl of soup and pizza.  Odd don't you think?  Yet we ordered it!  90F outside with 90% humidity but we had soup before pizza. 

 

To me Singapore is the most amazing place to visit in the entire region.   Glad I could spend so much time there.

Great photos of a place I always wanted to visit but that ship has sailed, no pun intended.

[grapau27]

24 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Yay for Singapore!   We have spent time on land trips there as well as cruised through or from Singapore due to DS's sabbatical there twice, a year at a time.

 

 

Our first time in Singapore was in January 2007 when DGS Ren was born there.  I was able to stay 3 weeks and DH stayed about 8 days and went back to the US to work.  Our DS was taking his first sabbatical from his U-M position over in Singapore because that is where our DDIL's parents lived.  They were able to spend a lot of quality time with the two of them during that time period.  Right in the middle of their 10 or 11 months there was Ren's due date, so we made plans ahead of time to arrive a week or so later and it worked out fine.  We had a great visit and were able to get some good cuddling in with him even though they lived so far from us.  

 

Second trip was a cruise with friends from Myrtle Beach on Diamond Princess from Bangkok to Anchorage.  We had a really nice time with them.  DDIL's Mom picked us up on our port stop in Singapore and she spent the day showing us (and our friends who hadn't been there before) some great sights, and both DDIL's Mom and Dad were able to be there for a nice lunch at the American Club.  

 

The last time we were there was in 2013 during DS's second sabbatical.  We found a group of cruises that left from Singapore, and went to Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.  At the end of the cruise we flew home from Auckland on Christmas Eve.  At the beginning of the cruise we flew over to Singapore and spent about 8 days visiting the kids before they dropped us off at the ship.  I have some nice photos from that trip.  

 

The first day in 2013 (after a good sleep) we went to the boys' school (just down the street from their apartment) which was having an International Day assembly.  There were students from about 80 countries represented and all the parents would cheer when their children and the other children from that country marched out.  This school was called the Canadian International School.  DS and DDIL checked out several schools before they moved over to make sure they got the type of education they needed.  Here is a photo after all the students marched out and sat down.  We enjoyed our visit to the school that day.

 

Some of the American kids.  Ren is in that picture.

 

We took the MRT train downtown one day to see the Orchard Road shopping area.  It was quite nice.

 

 

 

Another day we visited the Nanyang Technological University where DS was a visiting professor during his sabbatical.  It was all very, very nice.  They like things neat in Singapore!

 

 

One night we went down to the Marina and ate dinner.  Here is the Merlion near the restaurant.

 

We saw the beautiful Marina Bay Sands hotel lit up at night.  Gorgeous!

 

 

Another day we went to the Singapore Botanic Garden.  We spent most of our time in the orchid section and I must have 50 photos of orchids so can't share them all here.  

 

 

 

The following day DDIL, DH and I went downtown on the MRT to see the National Art Museum.  The art exhibits on the grounds were really interesting.

 

 

 

Later that day we went to the far western side of the little island nation to Raffles Marina to celebrate DS's birthday.  His in-laws had a membership there.  The kids really enjoyed the pool before dinner.  You can see the bridge from Singapore to Malaysia from the marina there.

 

 

 

A better photo from 2007.  You can see the bridge in the background.

 

Our last full day before the cruise DS took us up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.  Wow, what a view!  Here's the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest seen from way up high.

 

The amazing Gardens by the Bay

 

I zooomed in to show the new, at the time, International Cruise Ship terminal.  We would be there the following day boarding Diamond Princess.

 

Holding my camera way out

 

The Singapore Flyer

 

Guests in the infinity pool.  Can you imagine what that view is like?

 

 

Merlion is down there

 

 

I have a couple of interesting (to me) photos to show you from the 2007 "baby" visit.  The reason for the visit!  Older brother Kai is in college now at UCLA!  Ren was 8 days old.

 

We went to breakfast at East Coast Park and saw a strange sight.  Water skiing by cable instead of boats in the lake there.

 

 

We went out to eat for every meal it seems like.  But we also stopped at Raffles Hotel and had a Singapore Sling in the bar there. 

 

I was amused at the gravel driveway there.  But it was beautiful inside.  An impressive facade too.

 

Standing near the Merlion at the marina.  This was 2007 so the Marina Bay Sands Hotel wasn't built yet.

 

We went everywhere that trip including the U.S. Embassy to get Ren's passport.  First we dressed him in a white outfit and got his passport photo taken.  One day while driving we saw this amazing sight far from the University of Michigan. 

 

You know I like to photograph mail carriers around the world.  Here is one in Singapore outside an apartment building. 

 

Pizza Hut had similar delivery motor bikes as seen here.  Pizza Hut had a "set" meal you could order.  A bowl of soup and pizza.  Odd don't you think?  Yet we ordered it!  90F outside with 90% humidity but we had soup before pizza. 

 

To me Singapore is the most amazing place to visit in the entire region.   Glad I could spend so much time there.

Fantastic photos of Singapore and of you, Dennis and your grandsons  Sandi.

[grapau27]

24 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

Good morning. Still have enough movement that one knows we are at sea. Lot’s of staggering folks around and one could not believe how our singer and dancers could perform all their moves in last night’s show. 
We dined in Aqualina last night and enjoyed a wonderful meal with exquisite service. Tonight we dine at Chef’s Table and the theme will be Arabic. We have had this themed dinner before and it was a favorite.

Went to a class yesterday on using your smart phone camera. Got some great tips.

Looking out our window I see gray skies but a few openings of blue. Maybe it will clear and we can have some pool time.

 

Star link has been good enough that we have been able to FaceTime with family. Hopefully, we can worship with our church online services this morning.

Headed for coffee. Have a great day. Bruce

 

 

 

Nice photos of you and Sue Bruce.

It's always nice to put faces to names on here.

[smitty34877]

Good morning. It was 17 earlier but went up a whole degree since I had breakfast. I went to visit my BFF yesterday so that could be considered a play date. It was so good to leave the house behind for a few hours. Sweatpants are ok but I prefer my jeans. I leave the fun socks to everyone else.

Singapore looks like a wonderful place to visit. I loved the pictures , Sandi @StLouisCruisers. Those early days with newborns are so precious. Your two grandsons have lead very exciting lives so far.

@aliaschief, Bruce, thanks for the pictures and commentary on your fantastic cruise. It is fun to travel along with you .

@kochleffel, Paul, I hope you are feeling better today. Maybe try the squash cure?

 

There are no particular plans for the day here which is fine. I had a request for bean and cheese enchiladas for dinner later and that is an easy fix. I hope everyone has a good day and enjoy the football watching.

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is a chilly start to the day here in mid-Michigan with a temperature of 10F.  We are supposed to warm to 25F for the day with lots of sunshine.  I'll take the sunshine! 

 

Today is the neighborhood party that Sue and I are hosting.  We had no idea when we picked the date that the Lions would get this far and the game may interfere a bit.  People will be late to arrive, but that's ok.  We'll have the game on here in the family room.  I got a giant cookie decorated for the Lions and may make some chicken wings.  

 

Today's meal is a bit different.  Rapini or broccoli rabe is a green cruciferous vegetable, with the leaves, buds, and stems all being edible; the buds somewhat resemble broccoli, but do not form a large head. Rapini is known for its bitter taste, and is particularly associated with Mediterranean cuisine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapini

 

You can substitute broccolini in the recipe and add in some Italian sausage if you like.  https://www.christinascucina.com/rapini-pasta-4-ingredient-recipe-ready-in-minutes/

 

 

This recipe adds in a little onion.  https://www.savoringitaly.com/rapini-pasta/

 

 

This one has some lemon, garlic, and a few red pepper flakes.  I'd probably add in the Italian sausage as well.  https://itsavegworldafterall.com/rapini-pasta/

 

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

[Denise T]

Happy Sunday. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet reports. 

Still cold here. Might warm up a little with the sun. 

I love sweatpants and wear them often. 

Not much going on today except relaxing. 

Thinking of all on the care list. 

Celebrating with all who are celebrating. 'Have a safe and healthy day. 

[Sir PMP]

The Long Bar at Raffles, Singapore: