The Fleet Report and Daily for Friday January 26th, 2024

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2018 Crystal World Cruise.  January 26 was a sea day on Crystal Serenity from Los Angeles to Lahina:

 

 

Roy

[tupper10]

We are on the starboard side - so I guess I will have to go up to one of the decks to wave to everyone.  It is a new cabin location for us - we are trying deck 4 with one of the larger verandas since the retreat was booked and I like quiet vs the 'music' playing non stop on the outside decks.  I do miss the Lincoln Center stage.  

 

I won't be doing a live from since we are not really doing anything at all on this cruise. The debate is whether we will even get off the ship- we know we are not getting off at HMC because it will be cool and the water temp is way too cold for us to swim.

 

I intend on hitting the library on board and along with  what is on my kindle reading and relaxing.  They are showing Oppenheimer on board for 2 consecutive days so I thought I would watch 1/2  of the movie 1 day and the other 1/2 the next since I don't think I can sit for the full 3 hours.  I just picked up Paxlovid  which I hope we don't need. I am going to wear my mask at check in and in the elevators.  We are hoping that check in is not a zoo.  We don't have any status at all and are not in a suite so I assume it will not be quick.  

 

Thanks for all the Bon Voyages and yes Joy I know to say hi to the Lido bartenders for you and Allen.  🙂 

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a beautiful, sunny day in Quartzsite.  It is 52F and will reach 65F this afternoon.  The full moon was beautiful last night.  DH is showing no after affects from our visit to the big tent and UTV ride yesterday.  As soon as I finish here, we're heading out for a drive-thru breakfast.

 

I prefer to appreciate dental drills from a great distant, but my wonderful dentist makes using a drill very tolerable.  I too thought of the different customs from different cultures, which are always good to celebrate.  I wish more people would become educated on the environment.

 

Today's quote made me smile.

 

Loaded potato soup is good, and I'll check out the recipes later.  We'll probably not have the soup before we leave.  We'll pass on the drink and the wine.

 

We visited Punta Arenas Chile twice, but the first time in 1999 was in the pre-digital age.

 

Two more interesting days in history that affected the world.

 

@kazu  Jacqui, I'm glad your ribs are healing and that you are taking it easy.

@Nickelpenny  Pennie, sending best wishes for your teacher friend and her new baby.

@Cruzin Terri  Terri, I'm glad the floors are fixed - again, and I hope that is the last time.

@ger_77  Gerry, I'm glad your DH had a restful night and is taking it easy.  I hope the cardiologist can make things happen quickly.

@smitty34877  Terry, enjoy your grand kid time and puppy sitting.  The dog looks so cute in his winter coat.

@marshhawk  Annie, thanks for more great pictures of Rome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

[StLouisCruisers]

Debbie @tupper10, what color shirt or jacket will you be wearing with your blue ball cap?

[StLouisCruisers]

Here is an explanation of International Customs Day for those who wondered.

 

 

• International Customs Day
• USA

• Friday, January 26, 2024

  Annually held on January 26, International Customs Day (ICD) recognizes the role of custom officials and agencies in maintaining border security. It focuses on the working conditions and challenges that customs officers face in their jobs.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

We have been to Punta Arenas twice.  The first time was in 1999 on Noordam III.  We did not see much of the town because we did a flight over Antarctica which was wonderful.  The airplane was a very old 737 with no doors on the overhead bins, just elastic cords.  All we saw was the drive to and from the airport and the airport.  I did get a t-shirt at a shop in the airport.  This was also in pre-digital days.  We were back in 2015 on Ruby Princess with @StLouisCruisers Sandi and her DH.  I'll post my photos in another post, but be warned, there will be repeats.

 

These are the pictures I took in 2015 when we stopped in Punta Arenas on Ruby Princess.  We had planned to take an excursion to see the penguins, but we were told they had left the rookery two weeks before, which was much earlier than normal.  Instead, we walked around town to see what we'd missed in 1999.  We also visited Shackleton Bar, but those pictures I will not repeat.

 

The first two our Punta Arenas as we sailed to the anchorage.

 

 

 

This whale tail was near the end of the pier as we walked toward town.

 

When we reached Sacred Heart Cathedral, there was not a service in progress, and we were able to walk around the church.

 

 

 

Palacio Sara Braun

 

The statue of Magellan with a different dog napping.  The legend is anyone who rubs the feet on the statue will have good luck.  You can see how shiny the foot is in the second picture.

 

 

The demonstration was either just breaking up or was just getting organized when we reached the site.

 

Below are various scenes of the town as we wandered around.

 

 

 

This was an interesting display, but I don't remember what it was about.

 

On the way back to the tender, we walked to the waterfront and came across this new hotel.

 

Back at the pier, we saw this clock.

 

We also saw the street vendors on our walk.

 

 

Lenda

[kochleffel]

Old curse: "May you have but one tooth in your head, and it be aching." Re: customs, I've noticed when returning from cruises that all they want is facial recognition. I haven't been asked about purchases since 2018, but I've read that you probably won't be unless you're on a watch list or a foreign merchant has reported a dutiable purchase. I'm not an environmental educator, but I teach a lot about environment and I'm taking a course in environmental ethics.

 

I would probably pass on the soup and definitely on the cocktail. For a Sauvignon Blanc, Glenora 2021. I haven't been to Punta Arenas.

 

I am certainly not an expert on the Council of Trent, but I believe that it also decided that otters were fish. I do know that in the Archdiocese of Detroit, muskrats count as fish during Lent. Some churches hold muskrat dinners, and one priest told a newspaper that eating muskrat was definitely a penance.

 

 

 

 

[tupper10]

White shirt short sleeve t shirt if it is warm out or beige long sleeve sweater if it isn't.  I will try and post here when I have my outfit on and am ready to head up to wave goodbye for the sail away.  

[Overhead Fred]

@tupper10

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

@smitty34877 So cute!  What's his name?

 

@Nickelpenny Prayers for the new mom and baby.

[smitty34877]

34 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

@smitty34877 So cute!  What's his name?

 

@Nickelpenny Prayers for the new mom and baby.

Pippin. I call him “ puppy man” and he likes that. He is good company.

[kazu]

3 hours ago, smitty34877 said:

A picture of my doggie companion 

 

 

 

Pippin is a cutie ♥️ 

[rafinmd]

It's been a bit of a strange day.  Most of my area was socked in with fog this morning but when I went out to Wegmans I did not see a trace of it.  I skipped the Mall this morning, partly because of time constraints and partly because I did want to aggravate my foot so my total walking was only briefly to my mailbox and back before my errands and around the block around noon.  My foot feels better in my indoor shoes than outside, and my total walking was just under 15 minutes.

 

I am starting to improve a bit and will be back on rotation for livestreaming my church on February 11.

 

Roy

[0106]

A week ago it snowed an additional 4 inches so there was at least a foot of snow in my front yard.  It was extremely cold and windy.  Today it is 67 degrees and this is what I saw when I walked out my front door…Hello Spring!

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the FR/Daily @kazu and @richwmn.

I don't appreciate dental drills, but sometimes they're necessary. I'll salute customs, whether officers or customs of other nationalities. Environmental education is of utmost importance these days. There are many military members who have died for their beliefs. I like the meal (although lots of carbs) and drink, and I'll pass on the white wine. I was in Punta Arenas on my SA/Antarctica cruise. 2 interesting days in history. 

 

At 5AM this morning it was 63F! Just wild for January. The temperature is supposed to drop all day and we'll be in the 40's by tomorrow. But it feels like spring outside. I slept about 3 hours total, in two 1.5 hour segments. I had PT today, and then stopped at the grocery store. We decided I'll do 2 more weeks of PT, then take a break until after my prodcedure.

 

@tupper10 Bon Voyage!

@kazu I didn't realize you had bruised your ribs. Ouch! and gentle hugs.

@0106 Safe travels tomorrow. Your checked bag should be fine. Considering how many there are, not many get lost. And with the Air Tag you'll know where it is.

@StLouisCruisers Weird, that's a picture of mine in both links. Great photos from Punta Arenas.

@cat shepard Cleaning grout is a thankless job. After my kitchen was redone 2 years ago, I sealed the grout twice soon after the tile was laid, as I didn't want it to stain if I dropped tomato sauce or something. I did that on my hands and knees. Fast forward to the end of last year when I wanted to seal the bathroom grout, which had never been done. I got a long handled brush to clean it, then sealed it. Hopefully it will stay clean that way.

@Mtn2Sea Thanks for the nice photos.

@aliaschief We're enjoying your photos.

@Nickelpenny Prayers for your friend's premature little one.

@dfish I hope Sue gets the new battery today.

@smitty34877 I'm sure the DGC love having you visit. Your grand pup is very cute. I am finally scheduled for a procedure to drain the cyst compressing the nerve - it's on Feb 22nd.

@marshhawk Rome is so full of interesting architecture and statues.

@Quartzsite Cruiser Excellent photos. 

@rafinmd Thanks for the maps. I'm glad you're feeling well enough to go back to doing the livestreaming at church. I hope your foot heals soon also.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating.

 

The Zaandam in Punta Arenas (12/24/2018)

 

A trip to the Nao Victoria Museum with replicas of Magellan's ship and the HMS Beagle

 

 

Strait of Magellan and replica of Shackleton's James Caird ship

 

 

View of Punta Arenas, Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego in the distance

 

Monument to Magellan in downtown Punta Arenas 

 

Sara Braun Palace

 

It was Christmas Eve, so Santa was in Punta Arenas

 

Christmas Eve dessert on the Zaandam

 

 

Edited January 26 by JazzyV

[superoma]

Good day all. Had a nice lunch with my sister today. The soup special was bacon potato so of course we both had it! she was in Germany with her two grown sons just before Christmas so I was able to  see all her pictures. They had a great time and visited with our aunt near Frankfurt, our father’s younger sister. So that was nice. 
 

As I feared, my hellebores did not survive the cold spell we just came thru. Hopefully they will throw more blossoms in a few weeks. We are just above freezing but it is gray and rainy. Supposed to have sunshine tomorrow.

 

prayers for all that need them and a shout out to those travelling or celebrating.

 

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

I am so ticked off at Amazon right now.  DH is outside cleaning up more acorns and the neighbor who had his mailbox run over by the delivery guy just told him Amazon said we didn't have enough evidence that their driver backed over it.  Even with me as an eyewitness and numerous photos of the damage, license plate, van #103, driver's face and uniform.  They think "your friend would lie for you".  They asked if he had a video of it!  That's downright terrible customer relations.  Just thought you all should know, unless you have security cameras and a Ring doorbell with video proof of their drivers doing something you're on your own with a $500 repair bill. 🤬

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon from a sunny but windy Quartzsite.  It is 64F.  It's been a busy day, partly with getting more things organized for our cruise.  I hope this will make the actual packing go quickly Monday.  After our drive-thru breakfast, I did a bit of straightening and weeding of things in one of the closets.  Hopefully, I can now find things more easily.  This afternoon, I'm heading into town to get a haircut.  I had planned to wait until Monday when town is not as crowded, but decided I didn't want to chance not being able to get the haircut.

 

I just printed one of the potato soup recipes.  It was the simplest one of all the ones I've looked at over the years.  Maybe we'll have one day cool enough to have it in February.

 

Also, sorry about posting one meme twice.  I don't know how I missed that.  CC was not being quite as cooperative as normal when I was working on the memes.

 

1 hour ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the FR/Daily @kazu and @richwmn.

I don't appreciate dental drills, but sometimes they're necessary. I'll salute customs, whether officers or customs of other nationalities. Environmental education is of utmost importance these days. There are many military members who have died for their beliefs. I like the meal (although lots of carbs) and drink, and I'll pass on the white wine. I was in Punta Arenas on my SA/Antarctica cruise. 2 interesting days in history. 

 

At 5AM this morning it was 63F! Just wild for January. The temperature is supposed to drop all day and we'll be in the 40's by tomorrow. But it feels like spring outside. I slept about 3 hours total, in two 1.5 hour segments. I had PT today, and then stopped at the grocery store. We decided I'll do 2 more weeks of PT, then take a break until after my prodcedure.

 

@tupper10 Bon Voyage!

@kazu I didn't realize you had bruised your ribs. Ouch! and gentle hugs.

@0106 Safe travels tomorrow. Your checked bag should be fine. Considering how many there are, not many get lost. And with the Air Tag you'll know where it is.

@StLouisCruisers Weird, that's a picture of mine in both links. Great photos from Punta Arenas.

@cat shepard Cleaning grout is a thankless job. After my kitchen was redone 2 years ago, I sealed the grout twice soon after the tile was laid, as I didn't want it to stain if I dropped tomato sauce or something. I did that on my hands and knees. Fast forward to the end of last year when I wanted to seal the bathroom grout, which had never been done. I got a long handled brush to clean it, then sealed it. Hopefully it will stay clean that way.

@Mtn2Sea Thanks for the nice photos.

@aliaschief We're enjoying your photos.

@Nickelpenny Prayers for your friend's premature little one.

@dfish I hope Sue gets the new battery today.

@smitty34877 I'm sure the DGC love having you visit. Your grand pup is very cute. I am finally scheduled for a procedure to drain the cyst compressing the nerve - it's on Feb 22nd.

@marshhawk Rome is so full of interesting architecture and statues.

@Quartzsite Cruiser Excellent photos. 

@rafinmd Thanks for the maps. I'm glad you're feeling well enough to go back to doing the livestreaming at church. I hope your foot heals soon also.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating.

 

The Zaandam in Punta Arenas (12/24/2018)

 

A trip to the Nao Victoria Museum with replicas of Magellan's ship and the HMS Beagle

 

 

Strait of Magellan and replica of Shackleton's James Caird ship

 

 

View of Punta Arenas, Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego in the distance

 

Monument to Magellan in downtown Punta Arenas 

 

Sara Braun Palace

 

It was Christmas Eve, so Santa was in Punta Arenas

 

Christmas Eve dessert on the Zaandam

 

 

 

Vanessa, I'm glad you finally have a date to get the cyst drained.  Relieving the pressure on the nerves should help.  I just wish it was sooner so you can be pain free and sleep better.

 

26 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

I am so ticked off at Amazon right now.  DH is outside cleaning up more acorns and the neighbor who had his mailbox run over by the delivery guy just told him Amazon said we didn't have enough evidence that their driver backed over it.  Even with me as an eyewitness and numerous photos of the damage, license plate, van #103, driver's face and uniform.  They think "your friend would lie for you".  They asked if he had a video of it!  That's downright terrible customer relations.  Just thought you all should know, unless you have security cameras and a Ring doorbell with video proof of their drivers doing something you're on your own with a $500 repair bill. 🤬

 

Sandi, I was really surprised about Amazon's attitude.  Is there any way they can identify the driver and that your neighbor could go after him individually?  Could he take Amazon or the driver to small claims court?  On advantage of living in the boonies is all our Amazon deliveries are either by USPS or UPS.

 

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

It's been a bit of a strange day.  Most of my area was socked in with fog this morning but when I went out to Wegmans I did not see a trace of it.  I skipped the Mall this morning, partly because of time constraints and partly because I did want to aggravate my foot so my total walking was only briefly to my mailbox and back before my errands and around the block around noon.  My foot feels better in my indoor shoes than outside, and my total walking was just under 15 minutes.

 

I am starting to improve a bit and will be back on rotation for livestreaming my church on February 11.

 

Roy

 

Roy, I'm glad you are feeling better and feel like returning to the livestreaming rotation for your church.

 

Lenda

Edited January 26 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[StLouisCruisers]

Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser I don't know the answers about taking them to court but I'm sure their lawyers are pretty good, right?  It would be cheaper to pay for it yourself.  I had a close up of the driver's face head on and they can easily identify him by that, or the fact they have to have records of who was on what route that day.  Van #, license plate number, nope none of that matters.  Remember, I said the driver took a photo of the broken mailbox?  Well, I guess he's pretty relieved his company is covering for him.

 

Before I forget I can check for your photos while you're on the cruise.  What day do you leave?

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser I don't know the answers about taking them to court but I'm sure their lawyers are pretty good, right?  It would be cheaper to pay for it yourself.  I had a close up of the driver's face head on and they can easily identify him by that, or the fact they have to have records of who was on what route that day.  Van #, license plate number, nope none of that matters.  Remember, I said the driver took a photo of the broken mailbox?  Well, I guess he's pretty relieved his company is covering for him.

 

Before I forget I can check for your photos while you're on the cruise.  What day do you leave?

 

Sandi, thanks for the offer.  That will make things easier, especially since I have not been able to copy and repost posts from my tablet for several months after an update.  At least if a port is a new one, then I should be able to post some pictures.  We will be heading out about 8 am, early for us, on Tuesday morning.  We'll be back in Quartzsite late afternoon on Saturday, February 17.

 

BTW, I bet the driver is not the first one to knock down a mailbox.  Amazon would probably lose a lot of money if the did the right thing when there was no video proof.

 

Lenda

[StLouisCruisers]

1 minute ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Sandi, thanks for the offer.  That will make things easier, especially since I have not been able to copy and repost posts from my tablet for several months after an update.  At least if a port is a new one, then I should be able to post some pictures.  We will be heading out about 8 am, early for us, on Tuesday morning.  We'll be back in Quartzsite late afternoon on Saturday, February 17.

 

BTW, I bet the driver is not the first one to knock down a mailbox.  Amazon would probably lose a lot of money if the did the right thing when there was no video proof.

 

Lenda

 

Okay I'll make a note of the dates.  Hope you all have a wonderful cruise!

 

If my neighbors were home Saturday when it happened he may have fessed up at their front door and they could have gotten compensation.  But then he left and Amazon customer relations took over.  Poor neighbor is out there trying to dig up the concrete base around the post right now.  Just what 70+ year old men need to be doing!

[57redbird]

@JazzyV  YAY on finally getting a date!  Do they have a waiting list to get on in case somebody cancels?

[JazzyV]

Just now, 57redbird said:

@JazzyV  YAY on finally getting a date!  Do they have a waiting list to get on in case somebody cancels?

 

No, they didn't have a waiting list. I suspect not many cancel for these neuroradiology procedures unless they become ill for some other reason.

[57redbird]

1 minute ago, JazzyV said:

 

No, they didn't have a waiting list. I suspect not many cancel for these neuroradiology procedures unless they become ill for some other reason.

That sucks!

[JazzyV]

4 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

That sucks!

Also you have to hold certain meds, so they can't call you the day before and ask can you come in the next day, unless someone's not on them. I can't take my 81 mg aspirin or fish oil for 3 days before the procedure.