Cruising-along

Jacqui @kazu I have no words...so much for one person.... We're all grieving with you and sending you big hugs and love.

Apologies to Sharon @Sharon in AZtoo!

Well dam! I'm sorry Sandi! Not sure why I thought your DH's name is Craig. 😄

Oops, not intentionally! Sandi?

Good morning all! I'm very late today, I slept late (awake over 2 hours in the night, seems to be my new "normal"). Then to catch up on 3 pages 😉 I'm left-handed-- well, I do all small motor skills with my left hand (writing, eating, sewing) and use my right hand for large motor skills (throwing a ball, bowling, etc.). I cannot do those things with the opposite hand to save my life. To my surprise, my feisty Mother went to my school and chewed out the teacher who was trying to force me to write with my right hand. I probably had come home in tears about it and she was angry! That teacher never did that again! My oldest Grandson is also left-handed, we're the only ones in the family who are. I'm sure his teachers aren't so misguided to try to get him to change thank goodness. I remember being traumatized. Not a middle child, I'm the third of 3 girls. Have only done one garage sale and that was a neighborhood garage sale years ago. I decided it was way too much trouble for what it was worth. Now everything is donated. The quote is a good one, as is the meal and drink. Will pass on the red wine. We spent a couple days in Copenhagen after our Baltic cruise on the Eurodam in 2014. We went to 3 castles -- and planned to go to Tivoli Gardens but sadly it poured rain that day and we spent most of it in our hotel room. Thank you Sandi @StLouisCruisersand Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserfor the great photos. Debbie @dfishsorry about the rain on the day of the family picnic -- good thing you have a covered area. Good news about the choices of homes for you! Sandi @StLouisCruisersHappy Birthday to your DH Craig! Gerry @ger_77I'm so sorry your DH has Covid, praying it will be mild and that you don't get sick. Terry @smitty34877I'm glad Tana is feeling a bit better and that she has 24-hour help. Some photos of our days in Copenhagen. We took a canal boat ride and saw only the back of The Little Mermaid who was surrounded by a crowd of people. And visited Kronborg Castle And Frederiiksberg Castle And Rosenborg Castle

Good morning all! And a very Happy Birthday to Rich @richwmn! Ann @cat shepardbeat me to it (darn Pacific time zone lol) I'll try to quickly get a post done, we're just getting going here this morning after a very tiring afternoon and late night with the DGSs yesterday. I need to get the waffles started and then it's a (hopefully quiet) hang at Nana and Pa's day before taking them home tonight. I love meteor showers, never cared for Kool-Aid even as a child, and like everyone, have had lots of vinyl records. DH inherited his brother's large collection (he worked in a record shop in the 80's). The quote is good, and although I hope I'm that friend you could call at 4 am, I turn my phone off when I go to bed (too many wrong numbers/spam/etc. etc. calls from people who don't care that I'm 3 hours earlier than they are) you wouldn't be able to reach me. 😞 Will pass on the meal, wine and drink. We were in Edinburgh on the VOV in 2018. We were only able to see the exterior of the castle that day because there were several festivals going on and the lines were hours long. Sue @Rowsbythank you for the update on Jacqui @kazuand Shadow --- heartbreaking and devastating that it is. My heart breaks for Jacqui, so, so sad!! Some photos from our day in Edinburgh. Street performers Home of Robert Louis Sevenson Some exterior shots at the castle. Some day I'd like to get inside!

Last night I saw something in the news (and can't find it now of course) saying that this new variant doesn't show up in the home tests when it should. They recommended that if you are getting negative tests on home tests but have symptoms and/or have been exposed, to get a PCR test to be sure. Not something I wanted to hear, but thought I'd pass it along.

Good morning all! Another busy day here, we'll be picking up the grandsons this afternoon for another overnight visit. My neighbor's granddaughter (who is the same age as our oldest grandson) will come over for an afternoon of play with them. Also friends of our DD will be coming by sometime today to take the mattress we're giving away. We're thankful she helped us find someone who needed it! I too will pass on the Presidential jokes 😉 Sons and daughters is appropriate for me, I saw DS yesterday and will see DD today. I'm very proud of them both! I look forward to playing in the sand on our Caribbean cruise in October! The meal sounds very good, I especially love it when we're in Italy. 🙂 Will pass on the drink but the wine sounds good. We have been to Sydney, NS 4 times (once on the VOV and 3 times going the whole east coast). Will be there again in October with several of our Dailyites! We've rented a car and driven part of the Cabot Trail to see the fall colors, took the excursion to Louisbourg Fortress, gone to Baddeck, and walked around town. I think this next time we'll walk around again, no big plans this time. Debbie @dfishsafe travels and enjoy your family time! @ottahand7what a gorgeous Daylily! Thank you for sharing. Terry @smitty34877I'm very sorry to hear that Tana has rebound Covid 😞 Prayers that she gets relief soon. Gerry @ger_77I'm sorry to hear that your DH's son has Covid and even more sorry to hear that he was with him recently and now has a cough. Sending prayers. Here are some photos from a couple of our times in Sydney. Bagpiper on our arrival A sign at the pier Arrival at Louisbourg Fortress One of some of the reenactments at the fortress. This was the "lady of the house". This was the cook -- she grabbed DH out of the audience and had him help her make hot chocolate. And a few photos from our drive on Cabot Trail in the fall.

Yes, I eat 3 meals on board. Breakfast and dinner are regular-size meals, and lunch is almost always salad from the salad bar. Rarely any between meal snacks, and never late night snacks. But yes, I do enjoy 3 meals/day and almost always never gain weight on a cruise because I do more walking than at home.

Wow. That definition definitely wouldn't have applied to my parents, I doubt if either of them ever ate an oyster in their life. Interesting though!

Thank you Lenda, that sounds so good! Haha! That's pretty much how DH describes living in Savannah. Yum! I'd go for the sliced strawberries or raspberries. By the way, when I grew up, they were called "Angels on Horseback". I don't know if that was a regional thing or just what my family called them. Has anyone else heard that name for them? I didn't hear S'mores until I was an adult. Good news!!

Definitely! I think it's the childhood memories about S'mores that I love even more than the S'mores!

This is the biggest reason DH (Savannah, GA native) and I don't live in the South. He left when he was 20 and only goes back to visit family (and then never in the summer LOL).

Good morning all! I guess I planned to be lazy on the perfect day! This is my "calm between the storms" day and I plan to be as lazy as possible. Other than delivering the jam I made yesterday to DS, no plans today. I love S'mores and lions. I grew up in an outdoorsy family, we camped a lot and ate a lot of S'mores. It's the only way I like marshmallows. Now of course I don't have them anymore, but did have a couple when we took the grandsons to the ocean last month. Having thinner chocolates makes for more melting, but it doesn't seem as easy to find. Lenda @Quartzsite CruiserI have never heard of Mexican Marshmallows, what is the difference? The quote is true, I'll pass on the red wine and drink. I've done some dinners in foil packets when camping, the recipes all look good. I might make stew in the crock pot today though, it's a cooler day and perfect for it. Very, very sad about the crewmember 😞 Charlene @cunnorlit does sound to me that your PCC could be gone from HAL. Especially with the change in the voice mail.

Good afternoon, I'm late getting here today. It turned out to be a perfect day to make the Apricot Riesling Jam, because it's only in the mid 60's F (and was predicted to be mid 70's). Thursday will start heating up again. I got 2 batches out of the apricots that DS brought over from their tree, he and DDIL are pleased! Also the tree service that the HOA hires was out today to take down 2 trees behind our house that have worried us. That takes care of that, so I'm a happy camper today. All this talk about Nancy Drew reminded me of a meme I saw on FB yesterday. Something about adult mystery lovers all read Nancy Drew in their youth. I also have a collection of Nancy Drew books. 😉 I still love a good mystery, so would love any suggestions. Ann @marshhawkadd me to those who love your hair! Jack @HeartgroveI hope the pain meds help Sam -- so hard to see our fur babies decline. Good that your DB is holding his own, I hope DSIL can get more help.

I agree! We did the VOV in 2018 and missed Red Bay that cruise (couldn't tender because of heavy fog and rough seas) so I'm really enjoying the photos of that port.

Thanks Susie -- even thunderstorms predicted here in Lake Stevens on Wednesday -- hmm, now I'm thinking what if the power went out in the middle of making jam! Tomorrow here in Lake Stevens will be not a lot warmer than Wednesday, 76 (7 degrees cooler than today!) so I think I'll stick to that plan. I really need Wednesday to rest up and do nothing before having the grandsons here overnight the next day. (I do hope we get that rain!)

Good morning all! I'm really dragging this morning. Last night the smoke alarm in our bedroom (right over my head) went off for no reason. Of course it took a long time to get back to sleep. There was no reason, the battery is a 10-year battery (and it didn't "chirp", it really blasted. And I'm going down towards Seattle this afternoon to be with the DGSs while DD is at in-office meetings. DH is working today with the Mariners, so I'm on my own. Sorry for the sleep deprived rant! It's no secret how much I love cats, so I will celebrate the day with our neighbor cat Jinx and our one remaining grand-kitty Nimbus who I will see today. I'm laughing over all the zucchini stories! Stir Fry is one of my absolute favorite meals, and sounds very good for today. But I'll be driving through Seattle traffic at dinner time so it's take-out tonight. Maybe tomorrow we'll have Stir Fry. Will pass on the red wine and the drink, have never been to Indonesia. Yesterday DS brought over the apricots he had picked from the tree at their new property (renovations still going on, move-in now is hoped for October). I had promised to make jam when the apricots were ready (what was I thinking??) not knowing how busy this month would be. But I was relieved to see that there aren't a lot, maybe one or two batches of jam. I've made Apricot Riesling Jam in the past, so trying to find that recipe again. It was so good! So that's the plan for tomorrow, making that jam. Wednesday I hope to do absolutely nothing, because Thursday we'll be having the boys overnight again. This Nana is tired lol! Here's Jinx, our neighbor cat. He's getting older now, we're guessing around 15. He's the sweetest, friendliest cat I've ever known, and I've known a lot of cats. And Nimbus with our DGS I hope everyone has a great day!

Good morning all! Another sunny (!) day in the PNW, heading to a high of 82F today. Friendship is extremely important to me and I value all my friendships, old and new. Forgiveness is important although difficult at times. I've added a few photos here of WA State lighthouses (not my photos). Gerry @ger_77how interesting about the lighthouse on the frozen tundra! Thank you for sharing that. I guess I'm the only one who thinks that quote is kind of odd...the part "principally dealings with men" doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me....maybe I need more coffee! It makes it sound like women don't deal with each other (?) Will pass on the red wine and drink. I like salmon, but would prefer it cooked differently, maybe with a fresh spinach salad. Not a fan of cooked spinach. Tacos sound good for dinner tonight. Point Wilson Lighthouse, Port Townsend Patos Island Lighthouse New Dungeness Lighthouse, Sequim Lime Kiln Lighthouse, Friday Harbor Alki Point Lighthouse, Seattle

I was just wondering about that this morning --- great news!!!

Good morning all! The PNW is slowly heating up again, after getting down to the low 70's F. It still will only get up to the mid 80's for a few days and back down again. Not bad. I wouldn't mind if the rest of our summer stays this way. All very worth days today. I'll pass on the meal and red wine, but the drink sounds pretty good. We were in Berlin in 2014 on the Eurodam. Hopefully I found some photos that don't duplicate what Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserhas posted. My next-door neighbor and friend of 28 years came here from Berlin about 30 years ago. Her family is still there. She doesn't have much love for the city and is happy here. My day will be filled with gardening and resting up until the next day with the DGSs, coming up on Monday, then another overnight on Thursday. Also will need to replenish food before then 😉 Those boys can eat! Terry @smitty34877that is wonderful news that Tana has now tested negative! Charlottenburg Palace Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Olympic Stadium from 1936 Reichstag Victory Column This shows where part of the Berlin Wall once stood

Good morning all! I'll try to hurry to get this posted, we have 2 little persons here. Yesterday when we went to DD's house to take the DGSs to the zoo, I happened to look at her wall calendar. She had marked that we would be having the boys overnight, not just for the day.....uh oh! Miscommunication! Of course we said no problem, and the boys came home with us last night after a few hours at the zoo. They will be picking them up this afternoon to leave on a camping trip. We also have them overnight next week plus a couple days of care, so August is full with the DGSs. School will start on the 31st. Early for here. I only like dark beer, and had my usual Guinness last night with my pizza. Underwear is also appropriate, as I thought DD had forgotten to pack clean underwear for the boys -- of course she did, I should have known better. Found it this morning in one of the backpacks. I'll pass on the oysters, raw or cooked. Like Debbie, I would try the meal if someone else cooked it, but wouldn't go to the trouble of making it or buying all the ingredients I don't have on hand. Will pass on the drink and red wine. Have never been to Bordeaux, but it's on my bucket list. Thank you Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserfor the great photos. Happy 44th Anniversary Charlene @cunnorl! @TbayI'm sorry your DGS and DH have tested positive, prayers you can remain negative. Terry @smitty34877good news everyone (except Tana) has tested negative now, prayers that she will also be testing negative soon. Here are a couple photos from yesterday at the zoo. It was a welcome cooler day (as today is). The boys watching the penguins swim by underwater.

Yes, but not all 5 nights, that's great! We saw him every time he toured wherever we were living, so about every 2 years. The only times we went two nights in a row were in San Diego and in Seattle/second night in Vancouver.

Good morning all! We're having something different this morning -- drizzle/showers! No rain for a few weeks, so this is kind of nice. It's supposed to clear up and be sunny the rest of the day, perfect. The yard could use the rain. Perfect day for chocolate chip cookies day, as I'll be bringing some to the DGSs today as usual. I'm also bringing brownies (one DGS requested cookies, the other brownies). Yes, I'm one of "those" grandmas. 😅 We'll be going to the zoo in Seattle with them and their Mama, our DD, so we'll be celebrating Daughter Day too! Will pass on the red wine and the drink. I don't have an air fryer, but I like the first steak recipe. It will be take-out tonight though, as we'll be away all day. Bruce @aliaschiefI have really enjoyed your photos! It truly is a beautiful country. We were last there exactly 4 years ago now. Debbie @dfishgood news that HAL is now looking for a suitcase and not a pair of red glasses 😉 Great news that you and Sue are still testing negative. Bob @RedneckBobI enjoyed your cruising story about dinner in the PG and look forward to future stories! Nice to see that Abigail is still there, we have good memories of her from our Eurodam cruise last year. Sandi @StLouisCruiserssafe drive!! Terri @Cruzin TerriI hope all goes well today. Terry @smitty34877Prayers that Tana will be feeling better soon, I'm happy that the rest of you are doing so much better. Brenda @bennybearthank you for the great photos of Otaru!

Oh right, you mentioned tennis elbow but at that time I hadn't said which side of the elbow it was. You were close though! Yes, perils of gardening, rats!! Now to use my other arm more but not TOO much and end up with two bad arms 😉