dfish

Greetings from Sydney! @Crazy For CatsJake, thank you for the information about the injured/sick crew member. We have been wondering about him. We went to Mussels and Music today. The mussels were delicious, but needed some garlic toast to soak up the sauce. It came with two small glasses of beer and two of cider. I didn’t care for the cider that much. The musician was good. He had a good voice and a great selection of songs.

Good afternoon, everybody. We went up to the public gardens today in Halifax. They were lovely. Then, instead of walking the ocean floor, we walked back to the ship. It will easily be another 10,000 step day. When we were leaving this morning I got pulled over by security and was told to wait there. They shut down the line and rerouted everyone else. Another security officer came over and was talking on the phone about me. I asked if they were taking me to the brig and they just laughed. Turns out the event coordinator wanted to let me know that they had changed the location of our Meet and Greet for the next cruise. All’s well that ends well. Pictures from the public garden.

Hi, all. Wow, so many of you are having horrible issues. I hope things get better for everyone quickly. Hugs to you all. We also booked the HoHo for tomorrow. We are also on the waitlist for the Ocean Floor for the next cruise along with 50 other people. The gentleman at Shore Excursions said they would be requesting a second bus and that we had priority since we had already booked it and HAL canceled out on us. We ran into our waiter from last summer tonight at dinner. He’s excited that we will be in for the next cruise as well. Wishing everyone a better evening.

Good afternoon, everyone! Checking in from the Zaandam. Unfortunately, Jacqui was unable to meet us this morning in Saint John. Maybe next time. We hope Ivan has perked up. Our excursion for tomorrow to the ocean floor has been cancelled due to the damage from the storms in Nova Scotia. More worrisome is the fact that four people are missing. We will just go with the flow since it won't do us any good to complain and just make us more miserable. We'll have time to shop for t-shirts tomorrow. We've been very successful at that.

How awful! God willing!

Greetings from Portland, Maine! I wanted to share some food porn, but my photos aren't syncing right now. Grrr! We've had a lazy day. We started with our Virgin Marys for breakfast in the MDR. Then we walked the deck for a mile before setting out to shop Portland and eat lobster and mussels. We went to our favorite spot, Gilberts Chowder House. Great service, good food, and decent prices. @summer slope @Cruzin Terri Oh, my on your luggage woes. Sure glad it was all straightened out. I hope a good night's sleep helps you enjoy your last few days more. @cruising sister I'm sorry to hear of the setback for baby Murphy. I hope she is resting peacefully and gaining strength.

We are onboard!!!

Thank you, Jacqui!

Good evening, We did finally arrive in Boston just before 7 pm. Since we didn't travel light, we took a taxi in. We were going to try navigating the Blue Line, but we were too old, too tired, too cranky, and too hungry. The taxi ride was no longer than what we've experienced in the past. We really took junk food day to heart. Breakfast was a handful of peanuts, lunch a bag of chips, and dinner a bag of nuts. When we got to the hotel the gentleman who checked us in gave us free drink vouchers. That improved our mood greatly. We also got some real food. Tomorrow we will board the ship knowing we get to stay there for a month. Yes! Wishing you all a good night.

Greetings all, Today has been a series of delays. We are finally on the flight to Boston. This flight left after we were supposed to be there. Oh, well. Safety is more impaneled we will get there and board our ship tomorrow. Thank you to all who have wished us a safe and fun trip. We are totally excited and even if we get to Boston at midnight, we’ll be up for seeking dinner. So far I had a bag of chis and glass of wine for lunch. I followed that up with some pistachios. Here’s my wine of the day:

Good morning, everyone! @Sharon in AZ Happy Birthday to Craig! We are all packed here in mid-Michigan. Our ride to the airport will be here for a 10:00 am departure. Thank you to everyone wishing us a good and safe trip. @Crazy For Cats we can't wait to see you tomorrow! It feels a bit unreal to me right now, but once we get to Boston I'm sure it will be more real. Thank you again to Tina @0106. I know I have left you all in very capable hands. Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

Good morning, everyone! It is a beautiful morning here in mid-Michigan and made even nicer knowing the drains are all working as they should. We have a busy day of washing clothes, packing, and doing last minute chores. We are also going to go see our friend, Ellamary, who is in assisted living. She says we bring her good luck and last week she won 5 times at bingo. @smitty34877 Thanks for the heads up on Boston traffic. We usually take a cab from the airport to our hotel downtown, but that will be impacted by the tunnel closure. So, we're going to try the blue line. There is a shuttle from the terminal to the blue line station at the airport and I read that the blue line is free during the tunnel closure. It will let us off a block from our hotel and I think the luggage is manageable. I walked several blocks with luggage six weeks after a knee replacement once to a hotel. It was in Minneapolis and the train was $1 while a cab was around $40. Guess which one won out? I think the port of the day is a region in Norway. It is one of the Unesco fjords and if you've ever been to Flam, you have sailed the Sognefjord. It is stunningly beautiful. Today's meal is a good one. I would finish them off on the grill for that grill flavor, but long, slow cooking makes for tender, juicy ribs. This first recipe gives times that depend on how you want the ribs to be done. Tender, but stays on the bone or tender and falls off the bone. https://cafedelites.com/slow-cooker-barbecue-ribs/ This is making me hungry! The sauces in these recipes are all a little different. I look at the recipes as a cooking guide and would use a sauce I know and like. https://www.thecookierookie.com/crock-pot-ribs-slow-cooker-ribs/ But, there is nothing wrong with trying a new sauce recipe and finding a new favorite! This one sounded good to me. https://www.aheadofthyme.com/slow-cooker-bbq-ribs/ Tomorrow you will be in the capable hands of Miss Tina @0106 as I will be making my way to the airport. Wishing you all a wonderful day!

The is a silver lining to each cloud and holding the two little boys was certainly a silver cloud. I am happy to know what we're sitting on as far as that goes. I had tree root issues in my old house. I just had my good friend Charlie's Drain come out every year and clean them out. @NextOne That is good news about Denny, Sometimes they send the family home so the patient can get some rest. Some patients subconsciously stay awake to keep their visitors company.

Good evening, everyone! The drain guys finally came tonight at 5 pm. They did a thorough job of clearing the plug and testing things out to make sure they weren't missing anything. They also tested the pressure valve and they think our problem is the cap on the air valve and it isn't getting enough air to push the water through. Pipes are so complicated. Anyways, when we get back from our trip we will get a new cap for the air shaft. They also sent a camera down the main sewer line and said we are very fortunate. For the age of the house our lines are in very good shape. There are some small roots down at the end of the line near the main sewer, but nothing that will cause a backup in the near future. Water was running freely though the pipes. So, I will sleep better knowing what we have down there! It was almost 7 when they left so we took off for the Bully and a hamburger. DB Jeff met us there and we had a nice visit. Tomorrow we are going out as well. We aren't buying groceries this close to a month long trip. Tomorrow is Coney and Cone. And Friday we fly!

@Lady Hudson @NextOne Prayers for Denny and his DW Bonnie.

Could you marinate and grill up some tofu? I know some varieties can be grilled. That's funny, Maxine! Well, the drain people still aren't here yet for our 10 am appointment. They are now coming out after we get back from our pedicures. Fortunately, the toilets and showers don't seem to impact the laundry room drain. Just the washer and the kitchen. We do have clothes that need to be washed and a kitchen full of dirty dishes. Sigh...... @Seasick Sailor Oliver is a cutie pie!

Good morning, everyone! It is a beautiful start to the day here in mid-Michigan. We have the drain company coming at 10 and Sue is mowing the grass today. I'm installing a new thermostat to replace the one that isn't working. We have zone heating in this house so each zone has its own thermostat. The one for the middle level is the one that isn't functioning. We also have pedicures today in preparation for our cruise. Today's meal sounds delicious to me! I love gyros and especially the tzatziki sauce. I think it is the garlic that I like. This first recipe advocates making your own pita bread. If you are so inclined, here is the recipe. https://www.aheadofthyme.com/quick-and-easy-pita-bread/ And now for what to put in them! https://www.aheadofthyme.com/easy-greek-chicken-gyros-with-tzatziki/ This next recipe says there are 47 g of carbohydrates in the meal. That is high for me, so I would probably just leave off the pita bread and eat it like a salad. You still get the important tasty part of the meal. https://www.recipetineats.com/greek-chicken-gyros-with-tzatziki/ Oh, that looks so good! This last recipe is slightly different. Actually, the differences between them is very small. But worth looking at. https://somuchfoodblog.com/greek-chicken-gyros/ I am pleased to announce that Tina @0106 will start posting the MOD on Friday and will do so while I'm gone. This is a major contribution because I will be gone so long. Thank you to Tina! I'm hoping this finds you all well. Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Good afternoon, all! @kazu I am happy to hear that Ivan is doing better. I hope the injections really do help long term for him. He seems like such a good match for you. @Quartzsite Cruiser The drain company called back and they will be out tomorrow morning. The only thing causing water to come up out of the drain is the washing machine, but I fear there is something building further down the line. I'm going to have them inspect the entire line to make sure we don't have tree roots or any other problem. Just what we need 4 days before a cruise, right? Well, it gives us focus to help pass the time. I'm glad to read that your DH now has an appointment and that the wheel is beginning to turn. Continue being the squeaky wheel! It is so sad about the family in Pennsylvania. The dad is probably suffering from survivor's guilt along with grieving the loss of his wife and children. The weather is awful this summer. I hope people wake up and see the need to change some of our practices to prevent things from getting worse. @ger_77 A very tardy acknowledgment of the loss of your friend. She sounds like she was a wonderful person and gave so much to make her community better. We should all hope to do as much. I hope you enjoy your family visit. @JazzyV Yippee on the test results. @smitty34877 Thinking of you and Lou as he goes to all his appointments. I'm hoping his treatment will show a great improvement for him in a short time. Thinking of Tana as well. The poor air quality and heat cannot be good for her. @rafinmd I hope all your appointments are going well and only have good news. @Cruzin Terri Your cruise sounds exhausting to me. I can understand why your nap lasted till mid afternoon one day and why you feel so worn out. I no longer feel the need for excursions that last all day or that take me to a dozen places. If all I do is walk around a bit and get ice cream, I'm good with it. @bennybear Gorgeous pictures and I love the lake one. Good luck to all the downsizers. I threw out so much before I moved. I was pretty merciless and did my best not to let emotion get in the way. My sister, on the other hand, is very protective of a fishing tote of our grandfather's. She never went fishing with him and wasn't particularly close to him, but she has an attachment to this ratty old bag and we had to save it.

Good morning, everyone! It is a brisk start to a nice, sunny day here in mid-Michigan. The temps are only supposed to get to 77 today, which I like. We've got a lot to do to get ready to fly out on Friday. Unfortunately, we are also dealing with a drain backup. I've called the drain company, but to response so far. If they haven't called in an hour, I will try someone else. We'd like to be able to take showers and wash dishes. So far, only the washing machine seems to cause a backup, but we don't want to let it go too long. It is always something! Today we have hair appointments and tomorrow we are having pedicures. Thursday is laundry day followed by finishing the packing. Busy times! Today's meal sounds really good. Keep in mind that Cajun does not always mean hot and spicy. It means flavorful. There is a Cajun seasoning called Ragin Cajun Louisiana Mild for those who don't like heat. Me, I don't mind a little heat. This first recipe only uses a small amount of Cajun seasoning. You can limit that to control heat. https://natashaskitchen.com/grilled-garlic-cajun-shrimp-skewers/ The next recipe calls for homemade Cajun seasoning. If you make your own, you can limit the amount of cayenne pepper to control the spiciness and then you can just get flavor! https://gimmedelicious.com/cajun-seasoning This recipe also grills the shrimp along with sausage, peppers, and onions. https://gimmedelicious.com/grilled-cajun-shrimp-kabobs/ Here's one last entry. This would be great for a quick and easy meal. https://www.primaverakitchen.com/cajun-shrimp-skewers-corn-salad/ I hope this finds you all well. Wishing you a wonderful day.

Good morning, everyone! @Crazy For Cats Happy Anniversary to you and Juan! We had a pretty good thunder bumper come through around 2 am. I got up and shut my windows. We still have an air quality alert, but right now the air quality is moderate, so not as bad as it was a few weeks ago. This week is being dedicated to getting ready for the cruise. Nothing too taxing. I was going to paint some more of the trim on the house along the roof line, but Sue said neither of us should be getting up on a ladder this close to the cruise. I think she's probably right. @kazu Your flowers are beautiful. Our clematis bloomed and is done. Nothing else happening there. @Mr. Boston and @smitty34877 I'm glad you enjoyed the zucchini parm. Unfortunately, it is labor intensive. @ottahand7 Your flowers are gorgeous! Today's meal is one I would put in the comfort food category. I will pass on it due to the carb overload. But, it sure does look tasty. And, is it only penne pasta and pesto? That's what the recipes are showing, but I'm sure you could add some shrimp or chicken. And vegetables. There is one recipe with veggies added. Here's the first one and it is showing some cherry tomatoes. https://www.aheadofthyme.com/pesto-penne-pasta/ This one is pretty basic, but it does include the recipe for making your own pesto. You could use a jar of pesto and make dinner really easy! https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/penne-with-pesto-recipe-1928381 And this one has some tomatoes and broccoli added in. https://pinchofyum.com/20-minute-lemon-pesto-penne Wishing you all a wonderful day!

For @Quartzsite Cruiser and @JazzyV and anyone else who might be interested in what spiedies are: The spiedie is a snack consisting of marinated meat cut into cubes, grilled and placed in a long bread roll, local to Binghamton in the central Southern Tier of New York State, and somewhat more broadly known and enjoyed throughout Central New York.] A spiedie consists of cubes of chicken, pork, lamb, veal, venison or beef. The meat cubes are marinated overnight or longer, then grilled on spits over a charcoal pit. The traditional method involves serving freshly prepared cubes of lamb, chicken, or beef on soft Italian bread or a submarine roll, occasionally drizzled with fresh marinade. Spiedie meat cubes can also be eaten straight off the skewer or can be served in salads, stir fries, and a number of other dishes. The marinade recipe varies, usually involving olive oil, vinegar, and a variety of Italian spices and fresh mint. Spiedies have been celebrated at the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally in Binghamton, New York, every August since 1983. The annual event includes a spiedie cook-off in search of the best spiedie recipes. The original spiedies were made from lamb and you could buy a spiedie sandwich from a corner street vendor. When we would go to Binghamton every summer to visit Grandma, we would always have spiedies. When I make spiedies, I always marinate them for at least two days. A day longer is even better. The meat really absorbs the flavor and is so delicious to eat. I have bought spiedie marinade when I've been in Binghamton, but I also have a couple recipes to make my own. I copied the top 3 recipes from the Spiedie Cookoff one year and I kind of combine them to make mine. 1 cup olive oil 1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed 3/4 cup red wine vinegar 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper I teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon mint 2 bay leaves They are easy and they are good!

Good morning, everyone! It is a hazy day today, probably because the smoke has returned and our air quality has taken a nose dive. I think I'll be staying inside today. Yesterday we went to an art fair in the park. It was kind of so-so. We walked through and nothing caught our eye. So, we moved on to the Farmers Market and that was a smart move. We did pick up some delicacies and I found yellow wax beans. I haven't seen fresh yellow wax beans in years and I love them roasted in the oven. That is tonight's dinner along with smoked whitefish. Last night we had veggies done on the grill along with spiedies. It was a great dinner. Today's meal could be a side dish or by adding some Italian sausage, it could become the main meal. This first recipe is a good side dish. https://www.aheadofthyme.com/baked-zucchini-with-marinara-and-cheese/ This one is more like a casserole. It would be easy to add some Italian sausage to this. https://www.keepingitsimpleblog.com/food/italian-baked-zucchini/ This recipe offers some interesting variations that you could try. https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/zucchini-casserole/ If you want, you can take it a step further and make a zucchini parmesan. https://thecozycook.com/zucchini-parmesan/ Wishing you all a wonderful day!

I had to wear mine on our very first cruise in 2007. I remember the staff showing me how to do it correctly. I never had to bring it again.

Sue and I are on her until August 23rd and we promise not to break too much. Thank you to all for the well wishes. We are totally excited. @Crazy For Cats we are looking forward to seeing you and Juan again.

Good morning, everyone! It is a rainy start to the day here in mid-Michigan. We have strong hope that it will clear up as we planned to go to an art fair in the park today. We do have our Canadian umbrellas that will accompany us. We bought them when we got caught in a deluge in Quebec and had to walk a couple of miles back to the ship. The shop was doing a brisk business in umbrellas that day. I am pleased to read @cruising sister's update on baby Murphy. Also, I am wondering if Chuck ever got his luggage. @marshhawk you need a score sheet to keep track of Momma Norma and the family situation there. I think they may have outdone my brother's family. @Cruzin Terri get the necklace! @Crazy For Cats I'll see you in a week. We are sooo excited. I think we had a version of pumpkin ravioli for the Meal of the Day, but not in 2023, so I am going with it. Tuck this recipe away for fall as it would be very good. What we had before was pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sauce. Here it is: https://juliasalbum.com/pumpkin-ravioli-with-brown-butter-sauce-and-pecans/ It looks so good it could almost be candy! Add a little brown sugar and you have dessert. This next one makes their own pasta, but says you can save time and use wonton wrappers. They look more like a pierogi, but that's ok. It is the flavor that counts. https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a28556182/pumpkin-ravioli-recipe/ The last recipe also has a brown butter sauce, but it is with garlic instead of pecans. It will make it hard to decide. https://iamhomesteader.com/pumpkin-ravioli/ Wishing you all a wonderful day!