The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday May 30th, 2024

[grapau27]

A P&O poster kindly posted this photo for me of the original Nieuw Statendam in Hamilton Bermuda July 1975 when he was a shop manager on board.

[rafinmd]

I have a sunset today rather than a sunrise.  It's from my 2022 cruise on Adventue of the Seas.  May 30 was our last sea day before returning to Bayonne.

 

 

Roy

[puppycanducruise]

@StLouisCruisers  Love the tree!

 

@grapau27 Thanks for the videos, I hope you decide to sail with HAL soon.

 

@Seasick Sailor  Oliver and Reggie look so cute riding with Elvis.

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

I had my post half written, tried to insert a quote and lost the whole thing. 😞  

I don't consider myself to be creative. I can follow directions to do a project, but am not good at making up the projects myself. That takes creativity.  My counted cross-stitch projects may be intensive and involved, but I didn't make up the directions myself, I followed them.

 

No need to water the flowers with all the rain we've been having.  Several members of our family have/had MS.  Terrible disease.  The quote can be quite true in some cases.  I would like the wine and the drink, but will pass on the meal, and I don't think any of our Alaska cruises have gone to College Fjord.  

 

We're going to have 2 days of sunshine, rain back on Saturday.  Only 60 today and mid 60's tomorrow, but I'll take it!  Today I need to get the top of the Mugo Pine de-candled since DH is home today to help me.  With my fear of heights I won't go that high without him here. I can't believe how tall it has gotten!

 

Since I can't insert a quote without losing this, I'll just say I'm always a little surprised (but shouldn't be) at the differences in health care around our country.  I noticed several posts from yesterday that mentioned not seeing their PCP with the Medicare Wellness Exam, and also that labs aren't done before those exams (?)  It's so different here -- I always see my PCP at those exams, not a nurse or PA.  Also I have labs done every 6 months, and always see my PCP after those labs -- wellness check too.  I must be in the minority too about being totally fine with what the exam entails.  I feel like I get a good check up.  Now maybe times will change, but for now my clinic is doing a good job.  (fingers crossed it stays that way)

 

Happy Birthday Jacqui @kazu!  I hope the next year is much, much better for you.

Happy Birthday Gary @GTVCRUISER!

Sandi @StLouisCruisers I love your DD's latest tree!  Now that's creative!  And yikes about the train and the bus!

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30 by Cruising-along

[DeeniEncinitas]

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Aloha Dear Jacqui @kazu❤️

You are such a special person here on CC who welcomed me way back in 2006!

Today I celebrate 🎊 your special day!

Thank you for being someone in my cruise life always!

🌺❤️❤️🌺Mahalo,

Denise😊

[St Pete Cruiser]

Newcastle was a pleasant call today despite the clouds and cool. After Edinburgh, our expectations were not high, however historic Newcastle was impressive. 

[XBGuy]

6 hours ago, richwmn said:

Wine of the Day - Chaberton Estate Winery 2022 Pinot Gris

 

Seconding @cat shepard's comment regarding the difficulty of obtaining this BC wine in the United States, I have an online acquaintance who lives in Victoria and regularly reports on local wines that I will never get to try.  My sum experience with BC wines is from port stops in Victoria and Vancouver--a Syrah and a Sauvignon Blanc.  Both were quite good..

 

There are a handful of California makers who bottle Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, but I cannot remember the last time I had one,  So, today I am going to post a Semillon wine.

 

 

 

I recently posted a Sauvignon Blanc from Quivet Cellars made from McGah Vineyard grapes.  Notice that this wine is sourced from the same vineyard.  Also, notice that this wine is from the same winemaker, Mike Smith (another of my favorites.)

 

A single variety Semillon bottling is a tad unusual.  It is normally blended with other grapes--more often than not, Sauvignon Blanc.  However, I love the crispness of this wine.  It is a terrific summer sipper.

[kochleffel]

23 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

I noticed several posts from yesterday that mentioned not seeing their PCP with the Medicare Wellness Exam, and also that labs aren't done before those exams (?

 

The AMA website says that the Wellness Exam under Medicare is not an annual physical, nor is it a follow-up for existing conditions. Anyone who scheduled a wellness exam by itself would likely be disappointed.

 

It's about prevention and screening for unsuspected problems, and does not require hands-on examination or labs. I don't think that annual physicals as such are even covered under Medicare, although some practices might do the equivalent under cover of a diagnosis.  In theory, the wellness exam could take the form of an online questionnaire, except that they don't think we're sufficiently compos mentis to fill one out.

 

[RMLincoln]

Happy Birthday Jacqui 🎂 Thank you for all you do for us. Gentle Hugs! 

 

Happy Birthday Gary 🎂.  I enjoy your pix and creativity!🌅
 

May you each have an inspiring year 🎉. Life is Good 🌈 🥂 Here’s to new adventures on the horizon and your next trip around the sun! 
 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

7 hours ago, richwmn said:

 

....................................

Drink of the Day - Naked Pirate..............................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A pirate walked into a bar and the bartender said, "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. What happened? You look terrible!"

"What do you mean?" said the pirate, "I feel fine.'"

Bartender, "What about the wooden leg? You didn't have that before."

Pirate, "Well, we were in a battle and I got hit with a cannon ball, but I'm fine now."

Bartender, "Well, OK, but what about that hook? What happened to your hand?"

Pirate, "We were in another battle. I boarded a ship and got into a sword fight. My hand was cut off. I got fitted with a hook. I'm fine, really."

Bartender, "What about that eye patch?"

Pirate, "Oh, one day we were at sea and a flock of birds flew over. I looked up and one of them crapped in my eye."

"You're kidding," said the bartender, "you lost an eye just from bird crap?"

Pirate, "It was my first day with me hook!"
 

[durangoscots]

Morning all. Sunny and dry again. And another day of just trying to keep up with things. I certainly am not moving very fast on my down sizing. Hope slow but steady does it. Little happening here except for rather heated spat with a neighbor who sends her kid (and a friend of his) to ride his bike or scooter in our driveway.... which is dangerous to say the least with cars coming and going and many back out of their parking spot, and a steep hill down toward the street. Since this is not common property for the condos we have said "No" .... she says to the kids "go ahead". I hope my brief email to her landlord will settle the issue. I don't want a squashed or injured kid. The by-laws are pretty clear on the issue,

 

My helpful neighbor has been gone for a week to help her Father after surgery and ran into the "you can't get there from here" issue with Durango air travel. Her flight out was cancelled due to mechanical issues so she drove to Albuquerque to catch a flight from there.... had to stay overnight in hotel but made it to her Dad although she got there after the surgery. Coming back her flight to Albuquerque from Denver was delayed, probably going to be cancelled, and there was an empty flight boarding for Durango  so she switched. So she is home in Durango, her car is in Albuquerque 240 miles away. Fortunately someone has volunteered to help her get it Monday. That is a long drive across the rez.  The issue Denver to Albuquerque was weather related on the Albuquerque end although a lot of fights were cancelled in Denver yesterday.... I am surprised the Durango flight left. This is why I always fly in several days ahead when I cruise. 

 

Hope all is well with everyone today and maybe the awful weather will settle down. We need rain, but I am afraid to request it as it might come in excess.

 

Susan

 

 

 

[Haljo1935]

Happy Birthday @kazu🎂🥳

[P&PNH]

Good afternoon, still cloudy and rainy here but supposed to clear later.  Thanks for the FR&D and all who contribute.  Just want add a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jacqui @kazu and Gary @GTVCRUISER.  Nice photo Gary, hope you have a few adult beverages to celebrate.

P&P

[Cruising-along]

38 minutes ago, kochleffel said:

 

The AMA website says that the Wellness Exam under Medicare is not an annual physical, nor is it a follow-up for existing conditions. Anyone who scheduled a wellness exam by itself would likely be disappointed.

 

It's about prevention and screening for unsuspected problems, and does not require hands-on examination or labs. I don't think that annual physicals as such are even covered under Medicare, although some practices might do the equivalent under cover of a diagnosis.  In theory, the wellness exam could take the form of an online questionnaire, except that they don't think we're sufficiently compos mentis to fill one out.

 

Thank you, very interesting.  Probably the reason I always have labs before my "wellness exams"  is Tricare through the military covers all my labs.  We know how fortunate we are because between Medicare and Tricare I don't remember the last time we had a medical bill other than for dental or eye prescriptions (Medicare covers my yearly diabetic eye exams).  I also have "hands-on" exams, or at least as much as I feel is necessary at my age.

5 minutes ago, durangoscots said:

Morning all. Sunny and dry again. And another day of just trying to keep up with things. I certainly am not moving very fast on my down sizing. Hope slow but steady does it. Little happening here except for rather heated spat with a neighbor who sends her kid (and a friend of his) to ride his bike or scooter in our driveway.... which is dangerous to say the least with cars coming and going and many back out of their parking spot, and a steep hill down toward the street. Since this is not common property for the condos we have said "No" .... she says to the kids "go ahead". I hope my brief email to her landlord will settle the issue. I don't want a squashed or injured kid. The by-laws are pretty clear on the issue,

 

Susan I'm sorry you had a heated spat with a neighbor.  Unfortunately so many parents now will argue with other adults and defend their child's behavior instead of agreeing that something is wrong.  We have the same problem in our neighborhood.  Across the street from us is a park owned by the homeowners' association.  In that park is a glacial erratic, possibly the largest in the US.  Even though it's private property and signs are posted, parents come from all over and let their kids climb it.  But don't try to convince the parents it's a bad idea, and that others have fallen from it.  It doesn't help that local news programs have featured it (and never mentioning the fact that it's on private property). 😞  

[bennybear]

Good morning, barely,  and thanks all! 
@kazu good thing I got those wishes in very early for a wonderful day and year.   Thank you for all you have done for so many of us!  I hope the tulips will post today, I used my old phone.  Still no joy, so some apple blossoms instead. 
@GTVCRUISER happy birthday!  Have a great year!

@Copper10-8 love the jokes!  
@cat shepard nice to see a BC wine, they have some lovely ones,  we had one from Vancouver  Island that won against many Pinot Noirs,   Lots of great ones from the Okanagan valley as well.  Too bad we hadn’t known this a couple of weeks ago as we were very near Langley. 
@durangoscots the Joys of modern air travel.  We decided to drive home after our last airline fiasco took eight hours for a one hour flight! 
 

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, puppycanducruise said:

@StLouisCruisers  Love the tree!

 

@grapau27 Thanks for the videos, I hope you decide to sail with HAL soon.

 

@Seasick Sailor  Oliver and Reggie look so cute riding with Elvis.

Thank you Melanie.

Our next 5 cruises are booked on P&O from Southampton but after that i will look at convenient flights from Newcastle possibly to Amsterdam or Copenhagen to connect with a HAL ship.

[Haljo1935]

Happy Birthday @GTVCRUISER🎂🥳

[bennybear]

@Cruising-along yikes on the safety!  We live near the world’s largest erratic,  but it’s in a field luckily. 
 

 

[rafinmd]

3 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Thank you Melanie.

Our next 5 cruises are booked on P&O from Southampton but after that i will look at convenient flights from Newcastle possibly to Amsterdam or Copenhagen to connect with a HAL ship.

Sadly, I wonder if that's a good idea.  It would be very hard to be on a HAL ship without someone knowing where you were and for how long.

 

Roy

[Haljo1935]

6 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Amazing tree Sandi.

+1 @StLouisCruisers

[aliaschief]

@kazuA very Happy Birthday wish to you and wishes for quick healing and pain free.

[Haljo1935]

@bennybear is that beautiful picture from your yard?

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

Sadly, I wonder if that's a good idea.  It would be very hard to be on a HAL ship without someone knowing where you were and for how long.

 

Roy

Thank you Roy.

We tend to keep a low profile especially when cruising.

I understand from what an insurance loss adjuster told Pauline it would only be a big problem if I posted we were away and we had to make a claim and not if someone else mentioned they saw us on their social media site.

I hope your doctor appointment went well today and good luck at the dentist tomorrow.

Graham.

Edited May 30 by grapau27

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I try to be creative, when need be. I need to water my orchid today. Progress on treating MS has been made, but more is needed. Thought-provoking quote. Maybe for the meal, yes to the drink and I'll pass on the wine. I've been to Alaska, but not to College Fjord. Wow, the Indy 500 is pretty old.

 

It's a lovely day here. 67F and sunny. It started out quite nippy, in the 40's. Boy, I'm tired. First off I didn't sleep that long. I went to bed late, as I started watching a series on Netflix (one more, then I'll go to bed). Plus I had extra coffee yesterday. So it was a bit hard to fall asleep. Then I started errands. First to the pharmacy. Then to Walmart, where I hadn't been since pre-pandemic. And then I couldn't find what I wanted, which was supposedly in stock per the website. Then to the big box store, to shop for me and BFF. Just lifting things off a stack and into the cart was hard. And I had to walk all over to find some things he wanted, that I don't normally buy. Then get it all into the house. My legs and feet are hurting. I'll be in the recliner soon.

 

@kazu Happiest of Birthdays! I hope your legs are feeling better today.

@GTVCRUISER Happy Birthday! Aww, such cute pictures.

@StLouisCruisers Oh my on the train mishap with cruise passengers! I hope no one was hurt. I bet they were quite upset by the time they got to the ship. Thanks for the photos from College Fjord. And DD has outdone herself on that tree! Spectacular!

@grapau27 I'm glad that Pauline is feeling better, and I hope you are too, soon. Thanks for the photos of Newcastle and NS.

@St Pete Cruiser Thanks for the photos from Newcastle; I've not been there. Safe travels home on Saturday.

@Cruzin Terri I'm glad you got some good sleep last night. I'm glad your shoulder is feeling better after the injection. I had always gone to the hospital-affiliated PT, but they weren't working on the issues I was interested in (like trouble climbing stairs). Last year I went to an independent place that's in my insurance plan, and 5 minutes from my house, and it's great. I will be getting a script to go back after I see my Neurosurgeon next week.

@aliaschief Chioggia looks interesting; thanks for the photos.

@marshhawk Wow, 13 cats. You have your own animal shelter practically. Congrats on the bonus, but I hope you can get some more sleep.

@smitty34877 I can understand your concern about leaving; prayers that everything will be status quo while you're away. Enjoy the time with the DGC and the grand dog.

@Mr. Boston Enjoy Montreal. I haven't been there since Expo 67! 

@Nickelpenny Good for you with the studies. I just finished the respiratory study I was in. I'll be interested to see what your surgeon says. I go next week and am hoping to get the all clear to do stuff. I too feel my back is "tight" and I know I'm deconditioned. I need PT!

@kochleffel I've been resisting having someone come to my house for a wellness check. I did one via facetime a couple of years ago, but I tell them there's no need. I see a doctor in some form at least 3x/month, and see my PCP for an annual wellness exam. I check my BP at home. I also told them I'm in healthcare and I can take my meds appropriately (and probably know more about them than they do). So now I ignore all the emails and phone calls.

@summer slope Good luck with the insurance company.

@rafinmd Wishing you minimal pain with the extraction tomorrow.

@Seasick Sailor Reggie has that wind blown look, lol. And Oliver is cute, as always.

@XBGuy Thanks for you contributions to our wine knowledge.

@Copper10-8 Thanks for the laughs, John.

@durangoscots I hope the issue of the kids in the driveway gets settled. And ugh on your friend's terrible travels to go help her Father.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Woohoo for those Celebrating. 

 

 

[Haljo1935]

3 good days, all for different reasons; MS is horrible and certainly deserves attention. It's raining 🌧 again so Mother Nature is handling water duties for me.

Not sure I'm fully in on the quote- I think we can (and do) learn from happiness and peace.

 

I'm in on the meal, drink and wine; been to the port a couple times but no pictures as they're on the computer and I'm on my phone.

 

It was 75° headed to 81° when I checked a couple hours ago. The continued storms are really impacting crews ability to get power restored. Utility Co brought people in from all over (as far away as eastern seaboard) to help get power back to the 600,000+ people who were w/o; reports are they'll be mostly complete Fri evening and fully complete Sat AM. Thankfully we have power - prayers 🙏 for those who don't. 

 

Prayers 🙏 and positive thoughts for all.