The Fleet Report and Daily for Tuesday May 28th, 2024

[Nickelpenny]

Happy Tuesday and thanks for the daily and fleet report.  Three good days to celebrate but I don't think I will have brisket and hamburgers on the same day.  True quote and, while I love tofu, they should not be in tacos!  No on the drink and wine and I have only been to Norfolk driving.  Cheers to Turing!!

 

 

The ice broke on the Santa Cruz!!  It only stayed at 100F for 1 minute and then dropped back down to 99F.  Summer is here!!

 

 

I ended up taking a drive down to Madera Canyon and then made a loop back up to Tucson.  Saw one deer, lots of blooming saguaros and hawks.  The canyon was around 85F but no water in the creek.  It was interesting to see how much Tucson has grown on the east side.  It was a nice 3.5 hour jaunt.

 

 

The plumber should be here today to fix my constantly running bath/shower faucet.  Sometimes it is hot water coming out (I can't seem to get it to the cold water dripping) so maybe my hot water heater won't keep turning on.  Not much else on the agenda except maybe for some cooking as I have finally finished my pre-surgery meals I prepared.

 

 

@grapau27 Sorry to hear you and Pauline are not feeling well.  Sending good vibes for @Vict0riann and I am glad @Cruzin Terri made it to her destination safe.  Everyone in the path of storms today stay safe; the pictures of destruction are horrific.  Cheers to those celebrating.  Have a great day everyone!

 

[richwmn]

31 minutes ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

Greetings from Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. 

Nieuw Statendam is here today, not Lerwick where we were yesterday

funny, Marine Traffic (even now) still shows you to be in Lerwick

 

 

My original schedule had you in Kirkwall today but I changed it because of MT.

[RMLincoln]

Sunny today and high 70s. Sounds lovely after yesterday’s rain and last night’s storms. Was very surprised to hear the landscapers mowing early this morning after the midnight deluge. I guess they have a schedule…. 
 

Terri, hope you get good direction today!  Nice you had a smooth trip down and met up with friends!  I hope it was uplifting!  
 

Nancy, great you’ll have help with the long dock from neighbors and gravity. But then there’s the tougher haul out against gravity later… hope you’ll have more neighbors for that one. Be safe please!  
 

Sandi, Bruce… thanks for your dedicated updates. 
 

Graham, appreciate your info on the Days. Hoping you both are better quickly. 
 

Annie, good luck with all the herd! Maybe taking a day off will bring some freshness to work tomorrow. 
 

Terry, what memories the teens will have!  I lived in Staten Island during high school so we of course took a ride on the ferry!  But so did kids from the Bronx! The middle of the night ferries were a parade of prom kids!  I vividly remember sunrise over the Brooklyn Bridge 🌅. 50+ years ago!  
 

Jacqui, mid-June must feel a long way off. Seems you’ll need to re-baseline just how much “needs” to be done now. Hugs!

 

Erewhon, we just had a friend of grandson-in-law die from COVID pneumonia, age 49!  May you both remain well!  

 

Ann’s mention of awaiting her biopsy results reminded me that I haven’t heard back from the dermatologist yet, 3 weeks. I need to call them. 
 

🏒 Elizabeth, happy for you that Dallas turned the 0-2 game into a win. Hoping your eyes have improved and your procedure can help. 
🎾 I was disappointed that Rafa Nadal was out of the French Open in the first round. We’ll have to split time for both sports. Then there’ll be a hole to fill until the Olympics begin in late July. 

Blessings for all in need. Hugs where it’ll help!  
Smooth travels to all away. 
🎉 Cheers to all celebrating! 
 

The drink ingredients sound delicious so why toss it down in one shot?  I’d enjoy sipping it for dessert!  
 

We went to Norfolk as an experiment trying new embarkation port’s not too far from our Maryland home. We cruised on Carnival Magic, a large ship and a short cruise. The ship was great, loved our cove balcony, but the port had its difficulties, especially parking. But it’s an interesting place to visit with naval sites, museum and lots of activities. Hotels seem unusually expensive but maybe that’s just me being behind the times. Airport is close and driving the 20 miles of the Bridge-Tunnels route from the north is exciting. But I don’t think we’d consider embarking there from NJ unless there were better itineraries. 

Time for DH’s eye routine… we’re keeping going!  Hoping you all stay safe and well!  Maureen 

 

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Amnesty International is such an important group and they do so much to help people.  I've never made brisket, but a couple of times when we were in Miami pre-cruise, we stopped at this fabulous little place called Sparkly's Roadside Barbecue where I had the most amazing brisket sandwich.  Sadly, post-Covid it closed and is no more.  We do love burgers - in the summer on the BBQ and in the winter on the George Foreman.

 

@cat shepardI've been doing salmon in the air fryer for some time, and as @Quartzsite Cruiser said, it comes out nice and moist.  I top mine with a thin coat of Dijon mustard, topping it with panko crumbs and a drizzle of melted butter.  12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

@grapau27I hope you and Pauline are soon on the road to recovery from whatever's been ailing you!

@kazuthat's what I thought the "gadget" might be - a neighbour had one and loved it.

@Mr. Bostonsafe travels to you today!

 

It's a sunny, windy morning out there today, but the weather app is telling me we could reach a high of 25C (77) which will be quite nice.  I didn't accomplish everything I needed to outside yesterday, as I had to take DH back to the chiropractor, then we had a couple of errands to run.  Today might see the last of the repotting of plants, but only time will tell, as there's still laundry and vacuuming to do.

 

I'm going to pass on the drink, the wine, and being a carnivore, prefer my tacos to have beef in them.  I've got a couple of chicken breasts thawing that will be tossed in plain yogurt, rolled in panko & parmesan and cooked in the air fryer.  I'll serve it along with corn on the cob and fresh veggies at the table on the deck tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and generally in turmoil.  Extra for all who are in the paths of storms and fires.  Cheers to all who have celebrations happening today.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

[GTVCRUISER]

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

It’s a beautiful day on the Greek Island of Corfu. Rode up the East coast to the Northern coast and back to ship...

Thank you for once again sharing such beautiful pictures with us.

We enjoyed Corfu when we were there Nov '23 on NS - your pictures are far better!

I love how you're dining w/crew - that would really make for a special cruise experience. 

Safe travels as you begin the final leg of your amazing journey. 

[Haljo1935]

@Nickelpenny got it - love it.❤️😎

Growing up in a 70's household w/a parent in the music business, a pencil was considered 1st line of music crisis management.

[Seasick Sailor]

47 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

@Nickelpenny 

 

My first car was a push button Renault which had a cassette player. But each time I popped out the cassette,  it would catch and the ribbon would unwind. 

[Haljo1935]

1 minute ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

My first car was a push button Renault which had a cassette player. But each time I popped out the cassette,  it would catch and the ribbon would unwind. 

Yep - so you also know the value of the upgraded toolkit w/✏

[luvteaching]

Good morning, 

Today and tomorrow are supposed to be wet so we'll see how that pans out. Yesterday I went to the pool and there were two other ladies in with me. We did our own workout following the plan on the poster and added in a few things. I stayed in until 11:00 then headed home. In the afternoon I got the grad cards done and ready to mail on Friday. I found out that 3 more of my grads had dropped out and one will finish at the alternative school in August. Now down to only 5 to find and confirm. 

 

Today is lunch at a local place called Curious Chef with the Widows Support Group. They have good food and have survived through the pandemic so like to patronize them. Will start making stacks to pack and get a few other things done. 

Karen

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

I made it back from the dentist just as the storm hit our little community.  There was some light rain and high winds on the way home, and I was surprised it how much the side wind pushed my little Smart around.  The rain didn't last long, but the wind just now began slowing down.  

 

I didn't see the dentist, just a very nice dental tech who checked the extraction and implant site and said it looked good.  She did rinse the site with mouthwash from a syringe to clean it some.  I go back three months from yesterday for the impressions.  YUCK!  The best part was this visit was included in the large payment I gave them last week.

 

Last night, we set out for our nightly golf cart ride to see the deer in the field next to our community.  We've seen anywhere from one to four mule deer around sunset.  Last night, we didn't make it that far as the golf cart quit running.  When it stopped, DH thought it needed more gas, so I walked back to the house to get the gas can, and our nice nextdoor neighbor, took me back to the golf cart.  He waited until it started running, but just after we left, it quit again.  It's not lack of gas, but  DH suspects it's the fuel pump, fuel filter or the carburetor.  We decided to push it off the road, and leave it until today.  As background, our little community is a home base for RVers, and it has a campground in the middle, which actually came first.  Anyway, one of the campers saw me pushing the golf cart while DH steered, and he came over to help push.  He then gave DH a ride home in his truck, while I walked.  The golf cart is at least 31 years old and has run very well until lately.  It just might be time for a new golf cart.

 

Our wacky weather, now it is still windy, but I see a bit of blue sky.  Who know what will happen in an hour.

 

2 hours ago, Overhead Fred said:

From the "Garden of Reflection" next to St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland, April '24

 

 

Fred, thanks for the picture of more beautiful flowers.

 

2 hours ago, Nickelpenny said:

Happy Tuesday and thanks for the daily and fleet report.  Three good days to celebrate but I don't think I will have brisket and hamburgers on the same day.  True quote and, while I love tofu, they should not be in tacos!  No on the drink and wine and I have only been to Norfolk driving.  Cheers to Turing!!

 

 

The ice broke on the Santa Cruz!!  It only stayed at 100F for 1 minute and then dropped back down to 99F.  Summer is here!!

 

 

I ended up taking a drive down to Madera Canyon and then made a loop back up to Tucson.  Saw one deer, lots of blooming saguaros and hawks.  The canyon was around 85F but no water in the creek.  It was interesting to see how much Tucson has grown on the east side.  It was a nice 3.5 hour jaunt.

 

 

The plumber should be here today to fix my constantly running bath/shower faucet.  Sometimes it is hot water coming out (I can't seem to get it to the cold water dripping) so maybe my hot water heater won't keep turning on.  Not much else on the agenda except maybe for some cooking as I have finally finished my pre-surgery meals I prepared.

 

 

@grapau27 Sorry to hear you and Pauline are not feeling well.  Sending good vibes for @Vict0riann and I am glad @Cruzin Terri made it to her destination safe.  Everyone in the path of storms today stay safe; the pictures of destruction are horrific.  Cheers to those celebrating.  Have a great day everyone!

 

 

Pennie, I got it too.  We kept a pencil in the cars to rewind out cassette tapes.  I also like the warning about ice.

 

Just now, Haljo1935 said:

Yep - so you also know the value of the upgraded toolkit w/✏

 

As you can see, we had the upgraded tool kit.  In fact, the pencil is still in one car, but no tapes.

 

Lenda

[Tbay]

@kazu

Currently on the Nieuw Statendam and there is at least one Mexican Train.  The Volendam had several last year.

 

[rafinmd]

Just me.  I think it would be a lot safer to ask one of the others on the roll call to bring a set.  Even if they do have one, it could be busy with someone else.

 

Roy

[Cruzin Terri]

Good afternoon to all,

I am finished with my appointments for today.

Blood work is good and show that the Polymyalgia Rheumatica is under control and I am still on a course to wean myself off the Prednisone ever so slowly.  I just have to have patience.  Something I do not have much of these days.

 

My visit with the Orthopedic Doctor indicated that I need an injection to help with the pain. However he had no assistant today to help with the ultrasound and asked me to come back tomorrow morning at 9:30 am when he will be better equipped to do the procedure.  i will also need Physical Therapy to get this back to normal. According to him, surgery is the last option.

 

PCP and I had a good session.  Only thing is BP is on the high side. We spoke at length a where I go from here regarding care for DH as the situation continues to get worse.  He was very helpful regarding what I should be starting to do. I am very grateful for his advice.

 

This afternoon we are going to visit some friends who have moved here from New York.  Haven’t seen them in a while and it will be nice to visit with them.   Considering that I really have been living a very lonely life lately, it will be nice to interact with others for a change.

 

Thank you all for your supportive words 

 

 

 

@grapau27Graham, hope you and Pauline get well soon.

@kazu Hope your foot is healing.

@JazzyV Hope BFF is doing well and you are feeling bettter.

 

Prayers for all of you and hope you all have a wonderful day.

 

God Bless,

Terri

 

Edited May 28 by Cruzin Terri

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

5 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Good afternoon to all,

I am finished with my appointments for today.

Blood work is good and show that the Polymyalgia Rheumatica is under control and I am still on a course to wean myself off the Prednisone ever so slowly.  I just have to have patience.  Something I do not have much of these days.

 

My visit with the Orthopedic Doctor indicated that I need an injection to help with the pain. However he had no assistant today to help with the ultrasound and asked me to come back tomorrow morning at 9:30 am when he will be better equipped to do the procedure.  i will also need Physical Therapy to get this back to normal. According to him, surgery is the last option.

 

PCP and I had a good session.  Only thing is BP is on the high side. We spoke at length a where I go from here regarding care for DH as the situation continues to get worse.  He was very helpful regarding what I should be starting to do. I am very grateful for his advice.

 

This afternoon we are going to visit some friends who have moved here from New York.  Haven’t seen them in a while and it will be nice to visit with them.   Considering that I really have been living a very lonely life lately, it will be nice to interact with others for a change.

 

Thank you all for your supportive words 

 

 

 

@grapau27Graham, hope you and Pauline get well soon.

@kazu Hope your foot is healing.

@JazzyV Hope BFF is doing well and you are feeling bettter.

 

Prayers for all of you and hope you all have a wonderful day.

 

God Bless,

Terri

 

 

Terri, I'm glad everything went well today except the BP.  DH had steroid shots in his shoulders for quite a while and they helped him a lot.  I'm very happy your PCP gave you some helpful information for going forward with care for your DH.  Now, you can relax and enjoy visiting with your friends.

 

Lenda

 

[kazu]

48 minutes ago, Tbay said:

@kazu

Currently on the Nieuw Statendam and there is at least one Mexican Train.  The Volendam had several last year.

 

 

Thank you so much 🙂. I will share with my roll call.

 

 

33 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Just me.  I think it would be a lot safer to ask one of the others on the roll call to bring a set.  Even if they do have one, it could be busy with someone else.

 

Roy

 

I don’t disagree but no one has one at their current home to be able to bring - at least that’s the scenario so far.

 

 

3 hours ago, 0106 said:

@kazuHere is a list of games that are on the Koningsdam provided by @Crew News for someone who asked on my January Roll Call. Can you play Mexican Train with regular dominoes?

Board games currently available:

• Chess
• Checkers
• Clue
• Shut the Box
• Trivial Pursuit
• Parcheesi
• Apples to Apples
• Scattegories
• Taboo
• The Game of Life
• Stratego
• Pictionary
• Dominoes
• Sorry
• Boggle
• Cranium
• Scrabble
• Mah Jong
• Balderdash
• Connect 4
• Jenga
• Battleship
• Settlers of Catan
• puzzles

 

Thanks to all who post on the Daily.  Positive thoughts to those who need them.  Cheers to those celebrating.

 

Thanks so much Tina.  I shared with our roll call.  Much appreciated.

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

I'll pass on the drink (whiskey) and meal (tofu) but would like the wine.  I don't remember ever being in Norfolk.  

 

I got good news last night from BFF -- Amber was discharged from PT rehab and went home yesterday!  After 6 long weeks of hospitalization, surgeries, and PT, she's finally home.  BFF and her DH have had the grandchildren with them for all this time -- not easy at our age.  So I'm sure they are all celebrating!  Again, thank you for all your prayers and good wishes.

 

Yesterday I spent all day gardening and got the back, side and front yards all done.  And I was hurting last night!  We won't have good weather again until Friday -- the life of a gardener in May in the PNW. 😂

 

Ann @Vict0riann prayers for a negative biopsy!  

Graham @grapau27 I hope you and Pauline feel better soon.

 

[smitty34877]

@RMLincoln, Maureen, I asked my DB Ken about the Staten Island Ferry and his prom. He said that he and my DSIL(long romance!) went to Jones Beach for the sunrise. I asked how he managed that with our Dad and he said he came home at 2 and went out again at  5. We cracked up remembering the creaky steps and how to get back out without being detained.

@Quartzsite Cruiser, Lenda, the pencil is still in my car as well. Very useful.Sorry about the golf cart.

[Sharon in AZ]

Good morning and Happy Tuesday. Thank you Pennie @Nickelpennyfor the weather report for yesterday. I thought it was only 99. Today is supposed to be 101. I just love summer and I’m not being sarcastic, I really do enjoy the heat. 
 

I am slowly working on filling in all the details for my Zuiderdam cruise. I’ve never been on her either but have been on the Oosterdam many times and once on the Westerdam. 
 

I have an email offer for a BOGO burger at our favorite place for burgers so I think we’ll go there for lunch. 
 

We started with a new pool service and today is our second week. I’m interested if they are consistent. That’s the main reason we changed, plus 2 workers came the last time at 5:45am loudly talking. Craig went out to ask them to be quiet but they were rude. Our neighbors are close so we were quite irritated and canceled our service that same day. 
 

Graham @grapau27, I hope you and Pauline feel better soon. 
 

Have a great day everyone!
 

 

[grapau27]

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and good wishes today.

 

[USN59-79]

Kind of a cool, damp day here in the PNW.  I was involved yesterday sorting out about 40 VHS tapes I had stored above a book shelf.  Most were made in the mid 1990s.  Found an old VHS player, but found that its outputs were not compatible with the inputs on my main tv, so finally hooked it up to a smaller one in the library.  Played a couple of them, but it will take a lot of time to look at them all and decide whether to keep them.

Yesterday we were talking about sunscreen and its benefits.  It reminded me about something I had read about the difference between sunscreen in the U.S. and the rest of the world.  I looked it up this morning and found this:  Our sunscreen is much less effective than that in the EU.  The reason is that in the U.S. sunscreen is classified as a drug and must be tested on animals before it can be approved for distribution.  As a result, no new sunscreen has been approved by the FDA since 1999.  I never use sunscreen and luckily have never had a skin cancer.

[XBGuy]

7 hours ago, richwmn said:

Wine of the Day - Domaine Delaporte 2020 La Côte d'Amigny Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre)

 

Another Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Here is a Napa Valley blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

 

 

Mending Wall Wines is owned and operated by a partnership that includes renowned winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, known in the Wine Geekdom as TRB.  I'm sure that I will be offering quite a few more wines by him and from some of his apprentices.  The winery is a very attractive facility off the Silverado Trail on the eastern side of Napa Valley.  It barely ducked the disastrous 2020 brush fires.

 

BTW, to the various English and literature teachers, yes, the winery name is in reference to the Robert Frost poem.

 

Here are notes that I posted on this 2021 Stone on Stone.

 

Serious oaky bouquet--caramel, tropical fruit--on the nose. While I did not seem to get those flavors on the tongue directly, there were lots of retro nasal sensations under the rear palate--pineapple, kiwi, banana.

 

To me this wine seemed more like an oaky California Chardonnay that a typical Semillon-Sauvignon blend that would come from the Bordeaux region.  I thought that this would be the kind of wine Mrs. XBGuy (all Chardonnay, all the time) would like. I was right.

[NextOne]

6 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 

@ger_77 this is Jose’s gadget.  You can turn it upside down and kneel (not me) or sit on it.  It does have a cushion.  

 

 

I laughed when he bought it as he used it a total of one time.  Jose rarely weeded in my gardens.  But, at least it is letting me sit for some things to take the pressure and pain off my foot and legs.

 

 

 

@kazu Jacqui - I have one of those collapsible garden seats and I think it's great! Certainly helps with the wear & tear on my knees and hips! Mine is green, though, not your fancy purple!

I would be out gardening today, but just got my nails done & don't want to ruin them right away! LOL!

Prayers raised for everyone in need and cheers for all who are celebrating!

[kazu]

1 hour ago, NextOne said:

@kazu Jacqui - I have one of those collapsible garden seats and I think it's great! Certainly helps with the wear & tear on my knees and hips! Mine is green, though, not your fancy purple!

 

Jose’s (now mine) is not collapsible, unfortunately.  But, thankfully I did not give it away in last year’s purge of the shed.  I gave away a number of deck chairs and planters although I still have plenty of planters.  Hopefully enough for the dahlias.  I didn’t buy any replacement bulbs this year “in case”.  

 

 

[kochleffel]

Brisket is a once-a-year food as far as I'm concerned, for both cost and health reasons. The price of kosher brisket is always sky-high, but I remember how ordinary brisket was a loss leader in OKC before Labor Day, at $1/pound.

 

I don't mind tofu; in fact I have some in the refrigerator, but tofu tacos don't sound all that good to me. I would be afraid to order the drink. How do I know that they don't have a live duck hidden behind the bar? For the wine, we might try Billsboro's 2021 skin-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, $34. "Aromas of baked pear, orange peel, and toasted cashew. The palate is rich yet invigorating, with powerful citrus and floral qualities. Best served like a chilled red wine, from 48-54F."

 

I didn't need a weather forecast this morning to know that it was working up to a thunderstorm, but so far it hasn't live up to the forecast: a lot of wind and a little rain, and now it's sunny. Trash and recycling are usually picked up around 9:00 a.m. but not yet today, probably because of the holiday yesterday, and I wish I had thought to remove the cardboard from the recycling bin.