Live4cruises

It looks like a grand start to a happy trip! Had the pleasure of being on that plane and class on a trip to Sydney (Australia, not NS). Pampering plus. One of these cruises, I’d love to meet you and your bride. Best ~~

Good Sunday, everyone, I've never been to Haines, but have fond memories of some stops in Skagway, especially the very first one with my mother. Thanks for all the pictures that make me smile. I used to love reading the Mrs. Murphy series. Those would make some good travel reading, I'll look into them for the upcoming cruise. I hope those of you - and friends and family - dealing with Covid have mild cases. I'll be lining up the next time it's my opportunity for a vaccine. I used to have some aversion to needles. These past couple of years, I seem to be getting over that! School starts here in early August, and I think they get out soon after Memorial Day. The specific dates vary by district, but all in the same general time frame. @kazu best of luck as you and Shadow get used to each other and come to agreement on who is Alpha. We leave tomorrow (yea!) for 10 days in the hills of North Georgia of DS and DDIL. It looks as if it is going to be much cooler than Oklahoma, so there's an added plus. My best~~

Good Friday morning! I’m enjoying the pictures of Hong Kong. We were there for a few days at the end of a Statendam cruise in 2008. We stayed on the Kowloon side. At the Peninsula. Well, not exactly AT the Peninsula, but next door at the YMCA. That’s right. It was amazing. At the Y we could afford one of the spacious top floor suites overlooking the harbor. It was unbelievable. I just might have lasagne tonight when we meet friends for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. @lcand1923, what a wonderful story about lasagne! @kazu, Shadow looks happy - to have a great person, beautiful yard, and remembering how to be a dog. Thanks everyone

@kazu, I hope evening 2 is going well with Shadow, she is getting over jet lag and terror, and starting to think that maybe this is home. She’ll begin training you soon, I’m sure! I’m glad everyone who went head over heels (shouldn’t that be the other way around?) is doing OK today. Please do try to stay upright! I hope Tana’s son’s Covid is a mild case, and Tana escapes it altogether. @1ANGELCAT, I’m so happy that the vet thinks surgery will help your pretty girl Fluff. I’m looking forward to hearing a good outcome. @dfish, it looks like you are having a wonderful cruise! I’m really looking forward to meeting you in October. Thank you EVERYONE who posts pictures and memes. Sometimes a laugh, sometimes a memory, always a pleasure. We had a couple of thundershowers last evening, and today’s high stayed in the 90’s. We have more rain expected overnight and even “cooler” tomorrow! So grateful, but so sad for those flooding in St. Louis and Kentucky. Best to all my CC friends ~~

@marshhawk, so sorry that you became a dog sled! That darn neighbor pup is a lot of trouble! I love your philosophical note about physics. It reminds me of a story my nephew (now an astrophysicist) told in his college days, in which he broke his wrist. He was playing a pick-up softball game, and they were using paper plates as bases. Brilliant, huh? He told me that he rounded 1st and vectors took over. Be good to yourself this evening, and extra gentle in the morning!

@kazu, Shadow's expression has changed! She looks curious, hopeful, engaged. She knows she is coming home to love!

I wondered the same thing!!

Good morning! I love bagpipes, and am happy to join so many others here, especially since no one has posted an unfortunate joke about them. Oh my, conchas look amazing, and I will figure out some way to try them. @superoma, such a beautiful vegetable garden! Wishing you a stunningly happy birthday! @grapau27, you have a very short memory if you are calling 75 hot. 🤣 @lindaler, I hope your scrapes and aches heal quickly. I’m sorry that happened to you, and can very easily picture myself in the same state. Echoing other comments, we too visited St. Petersburg a few years ago, and enjoyed every minute. So glad that we did, because there will be no Russian stamps on this girl’s passport again. @kazu, happy homecoming for Shadow! My best to one and all ~

@marshhawk, Great news about Chuck! There is nothing so sweet as unexpected happy news. Oh Ann, your family's story is just heartbreaking. I am so glad you have been able to exit the cycle of pain and fear and create a loving life for yourself, Chuck, bff's, animals. We are all glad that you found us too. ❤️ Mykonos is very grateful for all the warm thoughts that he is picking up! Thank you all for being animal lovers.

@aliaschief, add me to the list happy to go along on your trip to beautiful Scotland! Thank you for taking us.

Good Tuesday to all. I was close to my mother's two sisters. One lived in a nearby town, and we saw her frequently. She was a wonderful, loving, supportive person in my life. She never married, but all of her nieces and nephews adored her - I like to think I was her favorite 😉. DH had a similar relationship with one of his uncles. We were both fortunate! @cat shepard, I literally laughed out loud at the sign, and @rafinmd, I think my skin would have crawled at being stranded, albeit briefly, in a snowstorm in the Donner Pass. @0106 That cake makes my mouth water. I love the contributions all the Food and Beverage department bring to us! @kazu, if there was an earlier photo of Shadow, I missed it, so I was happy to see this one. I chuckled seeing the glare she was throwing at her crate. So glad that she was unaware of the long flight ahead of her, and so GRATEFUL that it's over. We are eager to hear the tales as you two get acquainted. @kochleffel, good luck tonight. That is such a miserable process - there MUST be a better way! DH and I are doing the happy dance. Despite the close contact, we have remained Covid free. Thank you science for giving us two doses plus two boosters. We'll line up for any vaccination. Our Mykonos cat got unhappy news from the vet yesterday. He's approaching the far end of bad renal values. We've had him 18 years, and will do all we can to keep him happy as long as possible. A big thank you to all who share their lives, photos and memes. 🤗

@Cruising-along, thank you for the good wishes, which I happily accept! Regardless of the fact that my birthday is in November (15)! I do my best celebrating when it is cooler. @summer slope, a very happy celebration to you! @StLouisCruisers, great photo of the Tigers and a great win! Best to all - keep cool! Covid watch - we’re both still feeling good, just a bit paranoid.

Good day everyone, It sounds like most are having a very good start to the weekend. Wonder of wonders, we had an unexpected shower last evening that knocked the temps down to the 70’s for a short while. Glorious! I went for a VERY short walk in the rain, and could hear people in the neighborhood outside laughing. I’m just thrilled it remembers how to rain! We are back to 100+ today, but hope is forecast for a week from now. Hooray! We are in the 🤞group for a few days. Our cousin had a late flight Tuesday night returning from a business trip, so he spent the night with us before making the 3-hour drive home on Wednesday. Of course we visited, shared a meal, hugged. He texted yesterday afternoon that he tested positive. RATS! We have test kits ready for Monday (day 5). We’re vaccinated and double boosted, but gee, so is the president. We’re supposed to fly to Atlanta on 8/1 for a visit with DS & DDIL. I do NOT want to have to cancel the trip! So, we are staying cool and being hermits.

@happywandering, same here!! Although I have yet to outgrow my youthful taste for rum.

Hello everyone, @StLouisCruisers, Sandi, the a/c we just replaced at 28 years pre-dated us owning the house. I think it was a Carrier. The new monster is a Lennox. I hope your next door neighbor was just a sad anomaly! Thanks to all who posted about Saguenay (sorry if that’s misspelled, and I dare not navigate away from this page!). We are planning DIY when we’re there in October. DH and I enjoy Words with Friends and Wordle. My SIL also introduced us to WORLDLE, which I expect some of this group would excel at! We find it mostly humbling. . . https://worldle.teuteuf.fr Today is supposed to be the hottest, at least so far, in the neighborhood of 110. Then we’re back to 10(something) for as far as the eye can see. One of the local weather people reports that there are no storm systems or fronts in what he sees trending. Crazy. @marshhawk, I don’t think I’ve specifically commented, but I am really excited for you on planning your huge trip! Be safe and cool, and have a good Tuesday!

@kplady, HOORAY FOR YOUR RETIREMENT. I just passed my 1 year of freedom mark. I can’t even fathom returning to the workforce. Enjoy your countdown! @USN59-79 Ouch. May that toenail decide to behave itself!

@kazu, no doubt your chores are depressing and heart wrenching. I hope they bring some bittersweet happy memories too. Feel all the caring that this group sends you. ❤️

Good morning, everyone! Congratulations to those of you seeing rain; our long stretch of days over 100 is expected to continue for all the days of the extended forecast. While 100 is not unusual for us for a few days in the summers, I have never seen it this hot for so very long. Fortunately, our new a/c system is a champ! I think the last step in that process will be today when the electric company will come out to determine that the installers did everything correctly, and the system does meet the requirements for their rebate. We’ve been staying close to home, and exceptionally lazy. My steps have dropped precipitously, and I am in NEED of some cooler weather to get out and walk. @grapau27, I hope the heat in UK and Europe breaks soon. @0106, thank you for the wonderful instructions for fried chicken yesterday, especially the tip about a buttermilk soak. Our chicken enjoyed the buttermilk bath before becoming Orange Marmalade Chicken last night. Yum! @kazu, I’ve been excited to read about your new Shadow! I know we’re all looking forward to pictures and stories. In two weeks, we travel to hoped-for cooler weather in the mountains of north Georgia for a visit with DS & DDIL. When we get home from that, it will be time to get serious about our October cruise! As long as I have a cruise to look forward to, I can endure the heat. Speaking of October, @richwmn, I want to be sure we are on the list for the Daily Pinnacle dinner. My record still shows that we still have all our dinner perks available. Be well, be kind, take good care!

In the absence of the late lamented Doc Dance, luggage tags are one of our pre-cruise rituals. DH prints them in color on photo paper, trims and folds. Then we use a small hole punch, through which we thread a large and colorful (just because) rubber band. When we retrieve bags at the airport, we pop our tags on and off we go! We get a LOT of comments on our fancy tags. 😀

Belated Happy Canada Day, early Happy Independence Day! Sadly, "I forgot" is my mantra. Sigh. We didn't get hit by an appliance gremlin, but by a full blown system devil. The air conditioner in the main area of the house has decided that Oklahoma heat is too much, and died. The furnace is fine, but because the a/c coil is under it, and must also be replaced, we are getting a new furnace as well. It's 20 (how did that happen?!), and has to be physically removed for the a/c work, so what the heck, let's replace the furnace too since we're already paying for the labor. Grumble. We are assured the new system will be ever so much more efficient. As far as I'm concerned, it should do a heck of a lot more than heat and cool for the amount of money and trouble! Rant over. We've been to Honolulu, but not by cruise. Thanks everyone who posted their beautiful pictures. Bon Voyage for those headed for and already on cruises! It's time to make payment on our October one. Everyone take care!

Good morning All, I love the quote - harkens to the Serenity Prayer. I intensely dislike the heat and humidity we’re “enjoying”, but I guess if I love the quote I need to change the way I think about living in a boiling lobster pot! We are supposed to get a bit of a break on Sunday, so that will help. Onion rings, YUMMY! We enjoyed our first trip ever to San Francisco in March - 2 overnights on our B2B on Koningsdam. We love the “we’ve been there!” Feeling, so had fun with the images shown while “our” baseball team was in the Bay Area for 6 games last week. Ah, travel! I promised a report on TV Ears! Put us down as another satisfied household. They work exactly as advertised, and DH loves being able to actually hear what’s being said. Once again, thanks for the miracle of this community and its wonderful, helpful people. My best to all, healing thoughts raised for all in need.

Thank you for the reminder that today is D-Day, we are fortunate to have visited the beaches and cemeteries on a river cruise a few years ago. There is a 2-screen drive in in Tulsa, the Admiral Twin, in business since 1951. In 2010 it caught fire and the whole thing was destroyed. To my surprise, it was rebuilt and is still going strong. I've been away a few days, we visited family in Arkansas, which is always a great trip. This time, we took "the road less taken" on the way home and drove down Arkansas 23 from Huntsville to Ozark; most of the drive is through a National Forest. We have had a wet spring, and everything looked so green and healthy. Just gorgeous! @ger_77, you seem like such a kind and caring soul. Thanks for being an everyday poster. Not to say I don't love all of you! Gerry just touched me today. Best to all~

Good morning, everyone, We have both departed and arrived in Dover. I can’t remember if we were on HAL or Celebrity on our departure, but our arrival was on Prinsendam in 2019. We enjoyed strolling around Dover on a beautiful evening before the departure. My cousin and her husband call their mountain top home Moonshine Mountain; they’ll like that this is Moonshine Day. We’re heading over there tomorrow for the weekend. @dfishI’m so happy yesterday went so well for you! I hope you mend quickly and feel that you can get back to normal! @Sharon in AZ, I am so sorry to hear that Craig gets to “enjoy” the quarantine wing. We spent one night in a quarantine room when I had symptoms but was fortunately negative. As in your case, it was a move from a Neptune. I hope Craig’s case is mild and that he has some good books. And mostly I hope that you remain negative. @smitty34877I love that your pups are part of Tana’s loving staff! @kochleffelWelcome home! All your logistical hassles would have driven me nuts! I try hard, but sometimes “go with the flow” goes out the window. Your wry humor must have been a lifesaver; I know I enjoy your take on things. I am sad and frustrated to report that Tulsa (where I live) has joined the mass shooting club. @dfishcommented that sooner or later we will all get Covid; it’s troubling to feel like sooner or later every town will join the club. The response from at least 5 public safety departments was very fast and very large. Officers were in the building within 3 minutes of the call. St. Francis is one of those sprawling hospital and clinic buildings complex, but fortunately they have an excellent plan in place, and every building, including the hospital was automatically locked down immediately. One police department division had just completed an active shooter refresher a few days before. Everyone knew just what to do. Thankfully. Hoping for a good day for all.

Everyone who weighed in on TV Ears, thank you!! I ordered from Amazon (same model # as on the website), and it will be here tomorrow. I will report on our experience.

@summer slope, do TV Ears work well for your DH? I had not heard of them, and just did a little research. If these help, it would be a godsend for my DH! Thank you for any comments you can share.