Quartzsite Cruiser

Oh, Debbie, just what you didn't need. The good news is your neighbor will be able to fix it for your and at least, the rain let you discover it in time to remedy the situation. Than goodness for good neighbors. Fingers crossed 🤞 that this is the last surprise. Lenda

It is now quiet again. The two guys finished replacing all the screws on the house side of the metal roof about two hours ago. They found at least two, maybe more, bad screws. Hopefully, this will fix the leaky roof problem. Of course, now there is no rain in the forecast, and our rainy season isn't until next spring. Maybe, we'll get a couple of good rains sooner, so we can determine if the work today solved the problem. DH and I are working on cleaning up my computer and removing outdated programs and files. He just finished with the big stuff, and now I'm going through files to see what I can get rid of, too. @Cruising-along Welcome back home, and I'm glad everyone had a good time. I hope your DGS's cat is found soon. It sounds like your DS and DDIL's new house is coming along. @aliaschief Welcome home, Bruce. Good to know you had a great time with the grand kids. @durangoscots Susan, we also watched the Ken Burn's Holocaust special last night. It was disturbing in many ways. Lenda

If the turnaround is in San Diego, and you're not getting off the ship, you will go to the World Stage. CBP officials will come to there and scan your passport. At least, this was the porcedure last April. Customs and Immigration set the rules for each port, so whether or not you go through immigration on the ship or in the terminal depends on the port. If you are changing cabins, the only things you will need to pack are those things not on hangers. The srewards who move your things to the new cabin will hang your clothes on a trolley to move along with your luggage. There will be a quiet lull between the departing passengers and the arriving passengers where you'll feel like you're on your own really big private yacht.

This is for all the cat lovers. And I didn't for get the dog lovers. I think this covers most cat and dog lovers. Any polka lovers out there? Lenda

These pictures were not posted last year. They are from our stop at Dynjand Waterfall. The waterfall is made up of a series of cascades. Lenda

These are the pictures I posted from our 2017 drive in the countryside. As we were driving toward Dynjand Waterfall, there was a lot of fog, but it did not affect the visibility. This was the best of the fog pictures. The remainder of the pictures are from Sudavik. This is the remains of an old whaling station. Sudavik is home to the Artic Fox Center. It was closed, but we walked around outside and saw this cutie. Sudavik from a distance. Lenda

This is the first of two posts of our visits to Isafjordur that I shared on May 6. 2021. We have been to Isafjordur three times. In 2009 on the Tahitian Princess, and 2016 and 2017 on the Prinsendam. We were fortunate to dock every time. The dock is located at a narrow point in the channel, so larger ships may not be able to dock. The first two times were were in Isafjordur we walked around town. The last time, we rented a car and drove west to see the waterfall, Dynan. We also drove around the fishing village @StLouisCruisers toured. Once back in town, we followed the highway around the inlet to Sudavik, another village. I'll post my pictures of town first, then in another post the ones of our day touring the countryside. In 2009, the modern church was open. The interior was as modern as the exterior. This is a statue that a cruising friend told us not to miss. It's a little further from the church and the community building. Looking across the water from the statue toward the dock and the Elegant Explorer. Like most northern towns, flowers are everywhere in the summer. A short walk from the dock is the Westfjord History Museum. After our day touring the countryside, we stopped at the bakery for a snack and a coke. (No Dr. Peppers in Iceland, but we did find them in The Falkland Islands). This is looking from the bakery back into the business district. I couldn't resist including the bakery truck. Looking from the Prinsendam back toward town as we were anchored in the channel. More on that in a minute. During her 2016 drydock, a rotating, retractable propeller was added to be used as a stern thruster. In leaving the dock, the ship was also using a tug to help us away from the dock. We were never totally sure what happened, but the story we heard was the tug let go the line too soon, resulting in the line wrapping around the "stern thruster". They had to bring in a diver to try to free the line, which took two dives as it was really wrapped around the prop. After several hours, the line was free and we were on our way to the next port. Lenda

Good morning from a calm and comfortable central Texas. Unfortunately, later today, it will be in the upper 90sF. The noise of replacing the screws is about to begin. The good news is the two workers were only 10 minutes late, which I would say was on time since they are 30-60 minutes away from here. DH and our neighbors would probably think I'd lost it if I talked like a pirate today. Someone else can have my butterscotch pudding while I dance. I like the Mitch Albom quote. Again, we were a day early since we had fajitas on our fajitas last night. I like bananas and daiquiris, but not mixed together. Just give be a frozen strawberry daiquiri, and I'll be happy. The wine sounds like one I want to try. @grapau27 Graham, I'm also thinking of you and Pauline on this sad day for your country. I confess that while I would have liked to have watched the funeral, I did not get up that early. @dfish Debbie, I hope the son does not come up with anymore contingencies. Buying a house should not be this difficult. I hope he accepts the offer soon and waits patiently until your house closes. @cat shepard Ann, I think I might try that exercise block. 😄 @kazu Jacqui, I hope the parts arrive and you get your car back today. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm happy to see you are all managing better. I hope there are more ups than downs. Now, I'll look for the pictures I posted earlier from our three stops in Isafjordur. Lenda

🎉 💞 HAPPY 63RD ANNIVERSRY CAROL AND SAM! 🥂 🍾 Lenda

I thought I remembered that the priest was convicted and sent to prison, but since I was not sure, I decided not to say that. It's interesting that DH, DD, and I were at the rail watching as the tugboat approached and until it left. We never saw the chief engineer getting on the tugboat, or someone on a stretcher being carried on the tugboat. Until I looked for my pictures, I'd forgotten I had a couple that included the priest. I just looked at the pictures again, and there are none with anyone else boarding. BTW, I never posted any pictures from that day before this thread. We may have met, but it was not on the tour you mentioned. We heard there were problems with the Chinese officials on the tour. But then, the officials gave Peter Harris trouble in just about every port in China.

Melisa, I'm glad I could add a different perspective. Sometimes, it takes someone who's not so close to a situation to see another point of view. Lenda

Good evening. This afternoon the thermometer read 98F, but by the time we took our nightly golf cart ride, it was pleasant out. I'm glad your DD is safe after the earthquake. I saw video of the quake, and I feel for those caught in it. Vanessa, we also hope the screws solve the leak problem. 🤞 The next step if that doesn't fix it would be to open up the cieling to try to determine where the water is getting in. I only want to open the ceiling when the leak is fixed and we're ready replace the insulation and wallboard. Ann, I'm enjoying the installments about your trip. You can't really see Alaska unless you also see at least part of the interior. Lenda

Bruno, thanks for stopping by and for the update on Dear Dad. As others have found, take care of yourself too, and take breaks when needed. An aide, maybe not every day, but for several hours to a couple of days a week could give you the time to take care of yourself. I just realized that no one has posted pictures of Florence. I guess all those who posted their pictures last year, are not here today. I went through my pictures of the days we actually visited Florence instead of touring Tuscany. After our day in Florence in 2016, we decided the crowds were just getting too big. My pictures are a collection from our visits in 2001, 2002 and 2016. I'll begin with the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Flore, also know as the Duomo, and the Baptistry. The Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze, which has the tombs of many famous Italians or at least monuments to them. A replica of Michelangelo's David and another statue outside a church near the Uffizi Gallery, and the gallery. Ponte Vecchio Looking toward the Uffizi Gallery from the Pone Vecchio In 2001, we took a ships tour to Florence as it was our first visit to the city. The tour buses were not allowed in the main tourist area. We had to board these little buses to go from the parking lot into the main area. Lenda

On several of our visits to Livorno, we have rented cars are toured the countryside of Tuscany. These pictures are from visits to three different towns in the area. We visited Lucca in 2004 while on Noordam III. The two of the gates to the walled city. Inside the walls In 2008 while on the Prinsendam, we drove to San Gimignano, which is known for it's square towers. This is the Piazza del Duomo An interesting building in the Pizza del Cisterna The countryside west of San Gimignano with the town in the background of one picture. Our final stop that day was Volterra, which sits on top of a hill as the name implies. It is a climb from the parking garage to the main part of the town. The first picture is Volterra from the highway. We found the best gelato in a small shop on one of the narrow streets. Lenda

Jacqui, sorry about the appliance gremlin attacking your freezer. Hope the fix is easy and good that you have the extended warranty. Good news that the Junior Cat ate on her own. Glad she is doing better. Susan, glad today is a better day. I'd already decided to not get the flu shot and the next booster at the same time. Thank you, Graham. Fred, I agree, the Livorno port is a busy, working port. Fortunately, there is a shuttle into town, especially since the ships are docking at at portion of the port further from town. Lenda

Roy, as far as we know, it wasn't the official priest. Accodimg to the article in the Times Digest and what Captain Peter Harris told us, the priest was from LA. He was wanted by the authorities in a pedophile case, and he was on the ship fleeing to Japan. We're not sure what finally happened to the priest.

This is what I posted on March 19, 2021, when Livorno was the port of the day. I did not post pictures of Florence that day or today, since other's have posted their pictures of the city. We've been to Livorno seven times and missed it once due to wind. In 2001, we took a tour to Florence and Pisa. Walking into Pisa from the parking lot was one of those moments where it was better than expected, with the Baptistry, Church and Tower backed by a clear blue sky. After that, we have done our own thing, renting cars most times. In 2002, on the Noordam, the Leaning Tower had just opened to visitors, With the suggestion from the port guide, Barbara H, we left the ship early. In fact, we were the first ones off the ship, even before the ship was cleared. The Security Officer told the gangway crew to let us leave since he knew us. They were still getting everything set up for the day. We found a taxi to take us to the train station, but he said he could get us to Pisa quicker, and on the way to the Leaning Tower, she showed us the train station in Pisa. We were at the ticket office by 7:30 am and had tickets for the 8 am climb. Your are allowed 35 minutes to go up and back. Here are a couple of different views of Pisa. This is one of the anchors cables attached to the tower in the latest attempt to straighten the tower. IIRC, it did pull it back several degrees and concrete was poured under the foundation of the raised area. In 2001, the tower was closed because of the anchors and the correction being made to the lean. After 9/11 when the tourist levels fell, the tower was opened for tours to help bring the tourists in. In 2016, on the Prinsendam, we rented a car and drove to Florence and then to Sienna. This is what I call the $120 picture. We were driving through the walled part of Sienna, not knowing we were not supposed to be there. A year later, the day before we were leaving for another long Pdam cruise, we got a letter from Italy, that was a fine for driving in a no auto area. The funny thing was, I got the ticket even though DG was driving, since my name was on the rental agreement. This is the cathedral in Sienna. In 2019, on the Veendam, we were in Livorno three times. Since we had never really explored Livorno, we decided to stay in town that year and avoid the crowds in Florence. The first day, we took the Ho-Ho and visited the village of Santuario al Montenero, by funicular which was included in the Ho-Ho ticket. The next two stops there, we rode the local bus, stopping once at the beach. At several areas of the beach you have to pay to get in, but we found a nice place where we could sit and get a coke. Livorno is not a tourist town, but we still managed to enjoy the days there, since they were slow paced and we could take it easy. Lenda

Good morning from sunny, warm and breezy central Texas. There is not much on the agenda today, so it may be another lazy day like yesterday. We watched the Texas Longhorns game last night. After losing by one point to #1 Alabama last week, the Longhorns moved up to #21. At the beginning of the game last night, it looked like UT San Antonio might win, but UT out played them in the second half, and the Horns beat the Roadrunners 42-20. 🤘 Some good news this morning, we received an email from the people who will replace the screws in our metal roof. They have a change in their schedule, and wanted to know if first thing tomorrow was all right to do the job. When I emailed them back, I ask just what time "first thing" tomorrow was. It turns out, their idea of first thing in the morning is earlier than ours, and they'll be here at 7:15 am. I can be up by then, but I'm not sure about DH. Hopefully, replacing the screws will solve our leak problem. As far as national cheeseburger day, we celebrated a couple of days early since cheeseburgers were our dinner Friday night. I value my women friends and hope I'm appreciated as a wife. The Oscar Wilde quote is interesting, but I'm not sure I completely agree with it. Stuffed shells are good, and I make them occasionally. We'll pass on the drink and think about the wine. We have been to Livorno many times, and all but the first time were on BHBs. I'll repost my pictures in a few minutes. @1ANGELCAT I hope you will be able to enjoy your cruise, and not have to cancel. However, you know what you can and cannot do, and I'm sure you will decide what is best for you. And I hope the insurance issue with the doctor is solved soon. @HAL Sailer Melisa, I hope your DSIL gets the results of the full body scan soon. In a way, I can understand her doctor recommending beginning chemo based on what was found during the surgery. This will give them a head start on fighting the cancer, and hopefully slowing or stopping any further spread of cancer cells. I feel so sad for your DH not being able to visit with his sister. @HAL4NOW Have safe if longer drive to the coast today. Thanks for the update on the fire and road closures. You are right, I wouldn't want to be in the path of one of those falling trees. @ottahand7 Loved the picture of the flowers and the butterfly. It's interesting the different versions of the King Ranch Casserole recipe. @cunnorl It sounds like you have everything under control for you long cruise. We like longer cruises and have everything arranged so we don't have to worry when we are away. All our bills are either direct debited from the bank account or charged to a credit card which is debited from the bank account. Since we travel a lot (or did pre-Covid), our mail is sent to a mail forwarding service which will hold the mail as long as needed. Needless to say, after a very long trip, we get a big box of forwarded mail, mostly junk. We no longer have houseplants to worry about, and our neighbor, who has a mowing service, looks after the yard. @rafinmd Roy, sending best wishes to the search and rescue members going to Puerto Rico for their safety. @Crazy For Cats Jake, I think I know who the boss of your house is. 🤣 🐈 @cat shepard Welcome home, Ann. Can't wait to hear about your trip. @lindaler Linda, welcome home. Enjoy your sister's visit to Mobile. Lenda

We were also on that cruise in 2002. There was a crew member reported to injured the night before in the rough seas. That was probably a cover story for the unscheduled stop near Dutch Harbor. DH, our older DD and I were watching when the tugboat pulled along side the Voelndam. We saw an older gentleman step aboard. He was definitely not an officer or injured. The next day in the Times Digest was a small article about a pedophile priest from LA, who was fleeing to Japan, being taken from the Volendam and placed in custody. In his noon announcement Captain Peter Harris admitted they had been caught since they did not edit the Times Digest thoroughly. This was in the article, and the Captain told us that when US law enforcement determined the priest was on board, they requested the ship enter US waters off Dutch Harbor so officials could take him into custody. This picture is of the priest on the tugboat. He is the one with a life vest on the upper deck. The seas were rough enough that for three or four days, the meteal hatches that covered the portholes in our DD's cabin were bolted down. I found a picture of the priest climbing the ladder to the upper deck.

Good morning from partly sunny and windy central Texas. AT 9:30 it was already 79F. and humid. The high today is predicted to be 93F, and we'll stay in the 90s for the next ten days, with a couple of days around 98F. After that, it looks like our highs will be in the upper 80sF. After three busy days, I think today will be an easy one. At least, I hope so. Citizenship and the Constitution are worth celebrating every day. Red pandas are cute, but don't look anything like the giant pandas. Both species of pandas need our help and protection. Margaret Mead was a wise woman, and her quote is very true. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine. On a tour in Puerto Chiapas, we were treated to a meal at the local church cooked by the church ladies. The main course had mole on it, and I was surprised that I really didn't care for the mole. We have not been to Exmouth, Australia. Maybe we'll get there some day. @rafinmd Roy, I think the ship captains feel the same way about crossing the Pacific in storms. Four years ago tomorrow, we embarked Coral Princess for a circumnavigation of the northern Pacific. We left Kodiak on September 28 heading for Kushiro, Japan, with an expected arrival on October 5. On the crossing, we ran into two typhoons with 90mph winds. We spent several days zig zagging around the northern Pacific to miss the worst of the storms and to keep the ship as steady as possible, which wasn't all that steady. Everyone was glad for a break when we passed through the eye of one of the storms, and the storms were only the beginning of the adventure. We missed Kushiro, which was our refueling port. We made it to Yokohama as scheduled on October 9, only to learn they would not refuel the ship on a Sunday, and the ship did not have enough fuel to reach Osaka two days later. Instead, we anchored in Yokohama Bay for a day, where refueling at anchor was not allowed. So we had a second day in port on October 9. After that, the rest of the trip went as scheduled. @kazu Jacqui, that is great news Air Canada reinstated the flight home. I think you may have turned the corner and now are in for a string of good luck. 🤞 I liked the story of Adam, Eve, the dog and the cat. @dfish Debbie, you may be correct that the son is having trouble letting go of his father's house, or it could be the nitpicking of a lawyer. 😁 I'm glad you now have a closing date. It is interesting about how different agents handle the inspection process. When we sold our house in The Woodlands in 1999, we were there for the inspection, but our agent was not. @smitty34877 Terry, thanks for the update with good news. I'm happy things are much calmer around the house. It's also good news that Tana is resting more comfortably and likes the new aide. I don't think Americans would stand in line that patiently. There'd probably would be fights as people tried to cut in line. I saw where David Beckham stood in the long line waiting his turn and not using his celebrity status to go to the head of the line, a classy act. @Horizon chaser 1957 That is good news the air was clear enough to see the sun rise. I'm glad you got the uninteresting stuff with government agencies out of the way. Thank you for your very clear explanation of the two different types of government. I am familiar with both, but the parliamentary system still confuses me. Lenda

Terri, I'm happy you finally have some good news. Enjoy your anniversary trip next month. You'll come back refreshed, settle into the new tempoary quarters, and be able to tackle the next steps in getting the house better than new. Glad your cousin is coming to give you some ideas about fixing and decorating the house. Lenda

Melisa, I do use the name brand ones. Others would probably work, but I've not tried them. I also get the original version, which I don't find very spicy. DH likes spicer than I do, but the original works well with the other ingredients. I guess it depends on your individual spice tolerance. Lenda

One quick note about the King Ranch Casserole, it's really hard to mess it up. The other day I forgot to put the cheese layer between the layers. When I realized my error. I put one layer of cheese on top, then the tomatoes and green chiles, and finished with the remaining cheese. I thought it made it better. Also, I had two cans of cream of chicken with mushroom soup I needed to use. I used the two cans and it was still good, but I won't go out of my way to repeat that. Lenda

Vanessa, I'm glad you had a good time visiting with your friends and enjoying the outdoors. I'm just sorry they had to leave early because of rental car issues. BTW, I'm not fond of black olives, or any olives, but I can tolerate a few black olives. That's why I limit it to one small can in the recipe. 😄 Ray, I'm glad all is going well after Sara's cataract surgery. I hope the syringe feeding with the special food goes well, and helps the Junior Cat feel better soon. Now it's time to go relax with my book after a busy day. Lenda

That's good to know, but still, that is a long time to stand in line for a few very brief minutes to view the Queen's coffin. Lenda