The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday August 8th, 2024

[RedneckBob]

16 minutes ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!

 

It was a good night for sleeping last night and I slept like a rock.  I feel so much better today after a good night's sleep.   We are supposed to have sunny skies and a high of 81F, a pleasant day to go to the Saginaw Children's Zoo.  We've got quite the crew going down.  Sue, me, and River are going along with our niece Kourtney and her two littles.  My DB and DSIL are coming along and DB Jeff.  It is almost a family reunion!  

 

@kazu When I sold my house to move to Michigan it was listed on a Monday.  There were three showings on Monday night and three more on Tuesday.  It was one of the Monday showings that submitted the winning bid.  This will happen!  

 

Today's meal is a lot like one from earlier, but not quite the same.  No blue cheese today.  The first recipe uses a tri tip steak and marinates the meat for about 8 hours.  The acids in the marinade help tenderize the meat, so you can use a tougher cut of meat for this.  Grilled Beef and Vegetable Kebabs

 

 

Those look so good!  There are some great tips for grilling in this next recipe.  This recipe  uses separate skewers for the veggies.  That is a great idea since they tend to get done a lot quicker than the meat.  It allows you to adjust the cooking time for them.  Beef and Veggie Kebabs

 

 

It doesn't get any easier than this recipe.  Grilled Steak Kebabs and Veggies

 

 

I hope this finds all of you well or improving.  Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Is kabob related to RedneckBob?

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the Fleet Update and General Info from all contributors!

[RedneckBob]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Good afternoon from North East England where it is 66°F and partly sunny with rain expected soon.

3 interesting days today.

There is a well known Digital nomad who spends most of his time working while cruising on Royal Caribbean ships.

Today's food sounds nice.

We have been to Corfu on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Prayers 🙏 offered to my friends who are unwell.

I hope everyone has a nice day.

I guess I am an abacus Nomad!  😳

[RedneckBob]

14 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

Is kabob related to RedneckBob?

When I met kabob, I got skewered!

 

(I promise, no more today).

[kochleffel]

Mona Lisa and DaVinci came from a shelter in Pennsylvania, so they are interstate cats but not international.

 

The kabobs would be OK. I have vegetables but not beef, only tofu. The drink would be OK, but like @RMLincoln I'd rather have a Manhattan.

 

Rob Roy McGregor was a historical Scottish outlaw, known from 1950s and 1990s films that are based on a novel by Sir Walter. There is a McGregor Vineyard on Seneca Lake so for the wine I'll swap in their Rob Roy Red, "a luscious and opulent dry red wine made from a blend of estate grown Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, & Merlot grapes and carefully aged in oak barrels," but prices range from $55 for the recent vintages to $110 for those that are ready to drink. I visited Corfu in 2022 on the Norwegian Jade.

 

Today I'm "tabling" for an organization at the Corning Farmers' Market. It's an activity that I don't like, but the reason we're doing it there is to recruit members and volunteers; most of the members nearby have weekday jobs and only retirees are available today. 

 

 

[Denise T]

Happy Thursday. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet reports. 

Rain today and into tomorrow as tropical storm Debby passes through. Then looks like some cooler weather. I have four classes so i am doing a lot of grading of assignments and responding to discussion posts. I have two clients scheduled today as well. Adapting to the working from home thing. I have to remember to get outside every now and then or I will forget what the world looks like. I worry that Fancy is becoming too attached with me at home and she gets such separation anxiety when I go out to run errands. 62 days and counting. 

Here are my kitties. 

Sheldon

 

Chase

 

Fiona

 

 

Thinking of all on the care list. 

Celebrating with all who are celebrating. 

Have a safe and Healthy Day. 

 

 

[aliaschief]

33 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

How to tell your kabob to be quiet?  Shishhhh Kabob!

He’s back!😁

[marshhawk]

Good Thursday Morning Dailyites!  Another week flying by!  I'd post the temp, but right now the computer is stuck on "earnings upcoming"  well this Saturday is pay day.

 

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.  Tuesday I got that snotty email about not working enough hours, from the central and east coast job, and yesterday I got notice that my West Coast job is cutting hours. No more Saturday shifts. Which was always my best sale days, and my best bonus days.  So another juggling of hours and days, and perhaps starting next week, no more wish for Friday off day, but just take Saturday and Sunday off.  Oh! Like a real person.

 

I did go on line between shifts yesterday and checked what Emory University will be offering for free (through generous grants) concert wise.  Some require registration, but most of them have been moved to a larger hall, and you just show up. Some are during the week, some are on weekends, when parking is free. Most of the concerts include the Vega Quartet-check them out on youtube.

 

I like the quote.  There are books that I love to reread, because the characters become "friends"-you worry for them, you cheer them on, you cry when they cry. And mostly because when I am done with the book , I feel more human. What I hate in a book, regardless of how great the story is, is when the writer adds a character, like a CAT, they talk about them, they describe them, they are part of the story, and something BIG happens, is resolved, but the writer never mentions what happened to the CAT!

 

 

I thought I would share not a picture, but how our adopted by Debbie-Jersey is doing in her new home.-

 

After spending 2 days on my lap sleeping, Jersey has decided this is her home.  I’d been feeding her in the den so she wouldn’t be bothered by the big cats, but she figured out that when I get up in the morning the food is being dispensed in the kitchen.  Yesterday she was first in line for her plate.  Today I had to pick her up and move her so that Skylar could eat.  You’d think the baby never had a meal.

 

I swear she doesn’t walk — she runs everywhere.  Last night she followed the cats upstairs and explored the bathroom while I got ready for bed. Jersey had no problem going up and down stairs.  She flies.  Then she got the zoomies and ran back and forth the length of the house.  She leaped off the floor onto the side of the tub like she was jumping on a balance beam.  She played on the bed for awhile, then found a flannel strap cat toy that has been hanging on a doorknob for 20 years. (I can’t remember another cat having any interest in it.) When she discovered the doorstop made a boing noise when you hit it, she played with that for awhile.

 

Jersey’s like a little sister who wants to play with the big kids. She follows them around and observes everything they do.  If Skylar gets a snack, Jersey wants one too, or she’ll eat up Skylar’s. So far Riga is tolerant.  I even caught her giving Jersey a little head lick.  Skylar just walks away if she wiggles her way in front of him.  

 

So, Jersey is happy in her forever home!

[aliaschief]

Good morning! This will be short as I’m headed for my follow-up dermatology appointment to find out yes or no. I think not but we’ll see. The mighty oak came down with a loud thud. They will continue clean up today and grind down stump Friday. 
We were in Corfu this May and did the standard touring around the island and some of it was a repeat from previous visits. 
Thanks for the reports and personal post. Bruce

 

 

 

[Mr. Boston]

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for the daily report, recipes and lists.  Another pleasant summer day in store for us in Northern Michigan with a high of 78F predicted.

 

The digital nomad life seems more suited for some professions than others.  International Cat Day seems redundant, don’t cats think that every day is International Cat Day?  It will be a nice day to create something.

 

Not sure about the quote but I think I can see what he is getting at.

 

The meal and drink sound like a tasty combo.

 

We really enjoyed our stop in today’s port last September where we enjoyed a hike down from the mountains to the sea, such a beautiful place.

 

Prayers for those on our prayer list, I hope you feel better soon.  Cheers for those celebrating happy events.  Good luck @kazu with the house sale.  It’s overwhelming for sure, but if you focus on just what needs to be done each day things seem more manageable.  Have a nice day everyone!

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a sunny central Texas where it is 78F heading to a high of 101F.  The next three days will be cooler with the highs in the upper 90sF.  We take any cooler temperatures that we can get.  There's not much on the agenda except staying cool.  It is good to be back after having our internet down for the entire neighborhood from early afternoon yesterday until sometime between 10:30pm and 5:30 am today.

 

Digital Nomad Day is a good one for those who like to travel while working.  DH was a digital nomad at times before it was easy to stay in contact, but he managed.  Isn't everyday International Cat Day?  Creating something lasting is always good.

 

I do not agree with the Oscar Wilde quote.  I enjoy reading, but rarely reread a book.  There are just too many books waiting to be read, and so little time to read them all.

 

It's been a long time since we made beef and vegetable kababs.  In addition to onions and mushrooms, we added summer yellow squash and zucchini.  We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds good.

 

We have been to Corfu many times on BHBs.

 

Galileo's telescope opened the heavens to early astronomers.  The 1969 picture of The Beatles is still great.

 

@seagarsmoker  I'm glad you missed the worst of Debby, but got some much needed rain.  It's always nice when work goes well and you enjoy it.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, when I had both shingles vaccine shots, my arm was red, warm and tender for several days.  Glad your DH renewed his driver's license without any problems.

@grapau27  Again, thank you for the explanations of the days, Graham.

@kazu  Jacqui, I'm glad your feeling better, and I agree that stress and pain can cause all sorts of physical problems.  Glad Ivan was such a good boy yesterday.  I think it is his way of thanking you for your love and making his live so very much better.   You are good for each other.  As usual, I loved the flower pictures.

@Cruzin Terri  Terri, I'm glad you came through the worst of Debby without any flooding or other problems.

@dfish  Debbie, I'm glad you got a good nights sleep.  Enjoy the family outing at the Children's Zoo.

@Heartgrove  Jack, thanks for the pictures of cute but sleepy Poppy and her mother.

@kochleffel  Paul, thanks for the information about the history of the Rob Roy.  While researching my family tree, I discovered that members of Clan MacGregor (or McGregor) and maybe even Rob Roy were very distant ancestors.  Because of the clan's brutality, the clan was banned by King James IV and remained banned for about 150 years.

@marshhawk  Annie, I'm sorry you are losing hours on the California campaign, and especially hours on your sales day.  I'm glad Jersey is settling into her furever home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

Edited August 8 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

We have been to Corfu seven times, all on BHBs.  I'll divide the pictures into two posts.  The first post will be from our Noordam III 2002 and 2004 stops and our 2016 and 2019 stops on Prinsendam.  In 2019, we stopped in Corfu three times on b2b2b cruises on Veendam, and I'll share them in another post.

 

The coast from the Noordam III in 2002

 

The view from a hilltop restaurant on the other side of the island in 2002

 

A church we saw in 2002

 

 

 

The old town and part fo the open area in front of the old town from various stops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The area around the old fort and the entrance to the fort.

 

 

 

 

Lenda

[GTVCRUISER]

Greetings from San Diego 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Now for our three stops in Corfu in 2019 on Veendam.  The first stop we rented a car and drove around the island.  The other times we took the Ho-Ho and did one loop each time.

 

Our drive on July 11, 2019, took us to Roda and Palaiokastraitsa and across the island.

 

Heading out of town

 

 

 

Roda

 

 

 

Some cruisers stop for coffee or beer, but we stop for gelato when in Europe.

 

 

Palaiokastraitsa

 

 

Some random pictures from the two Ho-Ho loops.  A street market

 

There were a lot of ruins along the first loop and this is one.

 

An old windmill

 

For the garden club

 

A sign on the new fort

 

In town

 

We wanted to go through the Achillean Palace, but when we saw the line for tickets, we got back on the Ho-Ho.

 

 

 

Drive along the coast

 

Lenda

 

Edited August 8 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[Haljo1935]

Watch says I slept more last night; over 5 hours

We visited Corfu Nov 1 '23 on the NS

This is what we drove (self drive, caravan style) up windy mountain roads

The streets were narrow, the views fabulous (in between the fog)

 

 

Time to stretch our legs - I'm sure this place was quite stunning "back in its day"

 

View from the potty break place - they had awesome baklava 

 

This is where we had lunch

And this is the wine we enjoyed - brought home a couple bottles (now gone)

Seaborne was in port with us that day

 

 

Bye bye Corfu 

 

Departing view from our balcony

Headlines from home that day - TX Rangers win the series!! DH said if he'd known all it took for them to win was for him to go to Europe, he'd have gone sooner. I volunteered to go every year - I'll take one for the team 😎

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  It must be great being a digital nomad.  We will definitely celebrate International Cat Day, and we applaud encouraging children to become as creative as they want.  Not sure I agree with Wilde's quote; there are very few books I've re-read over the years.

 

It's a chilly morning to start the day; we're sitting at +3C(37F) right now, but the good thing is we've got clear skies (no smoke), and the temperature should get up to around 21(69) which will be quite comfortable.  I'm not ready for fall just yet, but yesterday we saw a few poplar trees that are already starting to turn colour.

 

We didn't have great success with the new garage door opener yesterday - ended up taking it back after the installer got everything assembled and the old one taken down . . . it was too long.  DH had carefully measured everything and gave those measurements to the clerk at the store, but it was too long.  We took it back yesterday afternoon and today are expecting a call from a supervisor to see what he suggests as a replacement.

 

This morning we will go with our friend Ollie and a few others to inter Gord's ashes and I'm leading the service.  I thought she would have asked DH to do the honours, as he's presided over more than 30 funerals, but I was asked to take the lead, which made me both scared and honoured.  I spent time yesterday afternoon putting the service together, read it to DH, changed a few things, and am hoping Ollie will like it today.

 

@Heartgrovethank you for the beautiful photos of Poppy and her pretty Mama.

@kazuthank you for sharing photos of your lovely flowers; I know you're going to miss them, but am sure you will have some of the most beautiful ones at your new home.  And special treats for Ivan for being such a good boy yesterday!

 

Here's our Sochi:

 

I like Scotch, but prefer it alone, so will pass on the drink of the day, would like to try the wine, and would say yes to the meal suggestion.  Ollie has told us that she's taking DH and me out for dinner tonight, so the 3 of us will head to our favourite Greek restaurant where we can enjoy the food, ambience, and good company for a couple of hours.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in turmoil, and in the paths of destructive storms and fires.   Cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

[Sharon in AZ]

Good morning and Happy Thursday. I am posting my pictures from Corfu before I read all the posts. We were in Corfu June 9, 2022 on the Oosterdam and took the Palaces of Corfu excursion. 
*************************************

 

 

The first Palace we went to in Corfu was Achillion Palace in the village of Gastouri and was built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria after her son died and later owned by Kaiser Wilhelm II. It is also known for being the set for the casino scene in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. 

The Palace was closed for restoration but the views and gardens were lovely. It was raining so a bit overcast. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we went to Mon Repo Palace built in 1828 as a Summer residence for Sir Frederic Adam, a British High Commissioner. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh was born and baptized there in 1921. The Greek royal family used it as a Summer home. It’s set in a park setting and the walk through the park is beautiful. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite picture from Corfu.

 

[USN59-79]

Interesting fact:  Today is Father's Day in Taiwan.  It is the eighth day of the eighth month.  In Chinese, the number eight is pronounced ba, thus ba ba day.  Baba in Chinese means papa.

Ray

[Haljo1935]

Thank you @Sharon in AZ for the Corfu Cat picture - it reminded me I forgot to post ours. Of course, we saw many 🐈 it's 🇬🇷 

 

In honor of Int'l Cat Day, I'll share a few we saw during the lunch stop in Corfu - kitties were hungry, but polite; they waited to get on the table until we had finished eating 🫣

 

 

 

I think this one looks like my sweet boy - Corfu Greek kitty

American kitty

Here's the lady filling our wine bottles

[dfish]

3 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

Is kabob related to RedneckBob?

 

Fourth cousin twice removed.

 

3 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

How to tell your kabob to be quiet?  Shishhhh Kabob!

 

Groan!  For that I'm putting brussels sprouts on your skewer.

 

@Heartgrove Beautiful baby, beautiful mom.   You are blessed.

 

@kochleffel  I've never worked with tofu before, but a vegetarian friend is coming for dinner on Sunday.  I was going to get the extra firm stuff and marinate it lightly for flavor and try grilling it.  How do you think it will hold up?

 

@RMLincoln I hope you do book the 2026 VoV.  We are planning to book it when we get on board the Zuiderdam in two weeks.  

 

Speaking of boarding the Zuiderdam, we received a notice from HAL saying we weren't to come to the port before 12:30 as the ship will be undergoing Coast Guard inspection and the terminal will be closed while that is going on.  The notice also says everyone must be checked in by 1:30.  I envision quite the zoo there.  Checking in 2000 passengers in an hour?

Edited August 8 by dfish

[Sharon in AZ]

Yesterday got away from me, I had an appointment in the morning and ran an errand afterward to get my new transitions glasses adjusted. So, I never read yesterday’s Daily but will later today. 

Good days today. The kabobs all look good and I like the marinade from the first recipe. Today I’m making Parmesan chicken with a Marsala sauce.  I remember my DM ordering a Rob Roy back in the’60’s. I’d taste the wine too. 
 

Craig reads A LOT and rereads his favorite books. He has been trying to purchase some books he read back in the day to add to his collection. 
 

Nancy @ottahand7, your long hair cat looks part Maine Coon.  Yours has those wispy hairs on the ears. We had a Maine Coon and he was huge. 
 

Yay!  I leave 2 weeks from today for Boston. It’s going to be a great time and I’m excited about being on the Zuiderdam for the first time. 

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Sharon in AZ]

11 minutes ago, dfish said:

Speaking of boarding the Zuiderdam, we received a notice from HAL saying we weren't to come to the port before 12:30 as the ship will be undergoing Coast Guard inspection and the terminal will be closed while that is going on.  The notice also says everyone must be checked in by 1:30.  I envision quite the zoo there.  Checking in 2000 passengers in an hour?

Yes and sail away is at 3:00 so everyone has to be onboard by 2:30!!  So glad we are on the two decks boarding first. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

Watch says I slept more last night; over 5 hours

We visited Corfu Nov 1 '23 on the NS

This is what we drove (self drive, caravan style) up windy mountain roads

The streets were narrow, the views fabulous (in between the fog)

 

 

Time to stretch our legs - I'm sure this place was quite stunning "back in its day"

 

View from the potty break place - they had awesome baklava 

 

This is where we had lunch

And this is the wine we enjoyed - brought home a couple bottles (now gone)

Seaborne was in port with us that day

 

 

Bye bye Corfu 

 

Departing view from our balcony

Headlines from home that day - TX Rangers win the series!! DH said if he'd known all it took for them to win was for him to go to Europe, he'd have gone sooner. I volunteered to go every year - I'll take one for the team 😎

 

Elizabeth, it looks like the Astros got their revenge by winning the Silver Boot for the eighth year in a row.

 

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  It must be great being a digital nomad.  We will definitely celebrate International Cat Day, and we applaud encouraging children to become as creative as they want.  Not sure I agree with Wilde's quote; there are very few books I've re-read over the years.

 

It's a chilly morning to start the day; we're sitting at +3C(37F) right now, but the good thing is we've got clear skies (no smoke), and the temperature should get up to around 21(69) which will be quite comfortable.  I'm not ready for fall just yet, but yesterday we saw a few poplar trees that are already starting to turn colour.

 

We didn't have great success with the new garage door opener yesterday - ended up taking it back after the installer got everything assembled and the old one taken down . . . it was too long.  DH had carefully measured everything and gave those measurements to the clerk at the store, but it was too long.  We took it back yesterday afternoon and today are expecting a call from a supervisor to see what he suggests as a replacement.

 

This morning we will go with our friend Ollie and a few others to inter Gord's ashes and I'm leading the service.  I thought she would have asked DH to do the honours, as he's presided over more than 30 funerals, but I was asked to take the lead, which made me both scared and honoured.  I spent time yesterday afternoon putting the service together, read it to DH, changed a few things, and am hoping Ollie will like it today.

 

@Heartgrovethank you for the beautiful photos of Poppy and her pretty Mama.

@kazuthank you for sharing photos of your lovely flowers; I know you're going to miss them, but am sure you will have some of the most beautiful ones at your new home.  And special treats for Ivan for being such a good boy yesterday!

 

Here's our Sochi:

 

I like Scotch, but prefer it alone, so will pass on the drink of the day, would like to try the wine, and would say yes to the meal suggestion.  Ollie has told us that she's taking DH and me out for dinner tonight, so the 3 of us will head to our favourite Greek restaurant where we can enjoy the food, ambience, and good company for a couple of hours.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in turmoil, and in the paths of destructive storms and fires.   Cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

 

Gerry, I'm sorry about the garage door opener not fitting.  I know Ollie will find comfort with you conducting the service for Gord's service.

 

10 minutes ago, dfish said:

Groan!  For that I'm putting brussels sprouts on your skewer.

 

Speaking of boarding the Zuiderdam, we received a notice from HAL saying we weren't to come to the port before 12:30 as the ship will be undergoing Coast Guard inspection and the terminal will be closed while that is going on.  The notice also says everyone must be checked in by 1:30.  I envision quite the zoo there.  Checking in 2000 passengers in an hour?

 

Debbie, sometimes we need a groan button.

 

2 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Yes and sail away is at 3:00 so everyone has to be onboard by 2:30!!  So glad we are on the two decks boarding first. 

 

Debbie and Sharon, be prepared to wait longer than expected.  Unless things have changed over the years, these inspections can take longer if they find something that needs fixing.  They will have to reinspect those items.  I hope all goes smoothly, and the wait for the inspection to end is what is predicted.  Also, I hope they have the check-in/boarding process working smoothly.

 

Lenda

[luvteaching]

Good morning, 

 

We have a foggy start to the morning and then there's a heat warning until tomorrow night. For us that means highs closer to 90. 

Yesterday was the pool and a stop at the big box store. I picked up just a couple of things and tried their new chicken sandwich at the deli. It was pretty good and I have 1/2 for lunch today. 

Today is packing and getting ready for the cruise on Saturday. My friend Karen is sure excited and it should be fun to have the two Karens cruising together. 

Tomorrow is the widows support group potluck and  a couple of quick errands. 

Karen

 

[St Pete Cruiser]

The Voyage of the Vikings arrived in Cohb, Ireland early this morning. We took the train to  Cork, which was enjoyable and easy. I was very pleased we docked right in Cohb, not across the harbor in Ringskiddy where Royal Caribbean was docked. 

I had to go back and take pics of a pub when I saw what the drink of the day was: