Quartzsite Cruiser

A very early good morning from central Texas. I woke up early and could not get back to sleep, so, I finally decided to just get up and get the house cleaning started. Maybe, I'll finish early today. I'll not be making a hat today, but I made several as part of Halloween costumes many years ago. A salute to Greenpeace, and to caregivers, especially all the caregivers on the Fleet/Daily. I like today’s quote. Flautas are good, and small ones make a good snack. We'll pass on the drink and the wine. We have not been to Belize City, but we did stop at an island off the coast a little more than 30 years ago. @smitty34877 Terry, I hope today is a better day, and you are getting the extra help you need. @kazu Jacqui, I'm sorry your car is giving you trouble, and hope it's not serious or expensive. The meme with the corgis is wonderful. @dfish Debbie, it's good to know the leak will be repaired today and a handrail going to the basement will be installed. Good luck going through the offers. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope tomorrow's appointment is not canceled. Lenda

Sounds like the first couple is very interested. If the others are as interested, there could be a bidding war. We'll wait and watch what happens. Lenda

Wow, Debbie, three offers in two days. Will there be a bidding war? As I said, we were allowed time to move together. DH worked in the Engineering Department at du Pont in the consulting group which was treated with respect. We only had to move on our own three times, the Army paid for one and duPont for four. The velvet hangers are great for keeping clothes from slipping off. I got them also so I can pack cruise clothes on the hangers. That makes packing and unpacking go more quickly. Lenda

Thanks for the pictures. I remember reading about the Westerdam's saga in 2020. Glad it turned out well, and that Cambodia came to your aid. Lenda

It really didn't throw me for a loop. DH came home and said, "We're moving" I answered, "No we're not, we're having a baby." It was interesting moving with a 3 month old, but since du Pont paid for the move and packing everything, it was not as bad as it could have been. We were moving from Camden, SC, to Wilmington, NC, which was not that long a drive. We didn't spend too much time in a hotel, since the house was empty and the movers could start the moving process as soon as we closed, which was the day after we arrived. Our real estate agent was a du Pont wife, and knew the ropes. She even held younger DD at the closing, and didn't mind when she spit up on her. 😉 The day we moved in to the house, our older DD did not want to take a nap, since she was almost 4. We have a picture of her sprawled in the middle of the kitchen floor among the boxes and packing paper sound asleep. Lenda

Good afternoon after a busy morning. I finally have time to sit down and catch my breath. Today was laundry day for starters. About Labor Day, Costco had some of those "velvet" hangers on sale with 100 hangers, that included free shipping. I'd been wanting to replace some of my hangers with these for several years, ever since I got one from the laundry on cruise. By the way, it did not get returned to the laundry, and neither did the few others that showed up with the clean clothes over the years. 🤣 Between folding clothes as they came out of the dryer, I switched out about 60 hangers for both of us. There are still some if we find more that need changing and the rest will go to Quartzsite to replace some there. Now, maybe the clothes won't fall off the hangers. 🤞 Roy, thank you for your pictures of Sihanoukville. We didn't have time to see much of the town. Sandi, that is a quick sale. Du Pont was notorious for telling someone that they were being transferred. They'd find out they would finish the week on Friday, and start the new job in the new location on Monday morning, leaving the wife to handle the house sale along with taking care of the kids and maybe even working. We were lucky that DH's boss gave him some leeway, and he did not have to report to the new location for a month or so. We put one move off for a little more than three months, but only because the day he came home and told me we were moving, was the day our younger DD was born. After he started his own company, our last two moves were at our own pace. Vanessa, I hope the doctor's appointment went well and that you got the glasses prescription straighten out. I hope you don't have too much of a reaction from you shot today. Welcome to the Fleet/Daily @Dr.Dobro. I hope we'll see more of you in the coming days and weeks. Thank you for sharing your pictures. I'm glad the fire situation is improving and hope it is contained soon. Debbie, you can't beat the power of such a great group pulling for you. I'm glad the timing will work for you so you can enjoy your cruise and be in the new home for the holidays. Awesome! Thank you, Graham. Thanks for the update on the Volendam. I hope the return to cruising goes smoothly for everyone. Yikes, 😱 Terri, on the fall. I hope you are doing better. I'm sorry there was more damage to the bathroom, but now you can get the bathroom you want. My father always said there was a silver lining in even the worst situation, and this might be yours. I'm sorry about your "friend". A true friend, no matter how busy, will take time to comfort a friend who needs it. It's good that you trust your contractor. Will you be able to extent your time in the condo and have the insurance company cover the cost? I really hope both those are a reality. Speaking of contractors, the one who has been trying to track down our roof leak for the past year was here yesterday. He is a very busy contractor, but will find time to replace all the screws in our metal roof with new ones. Most of the type of screws used when the house was built were guaranteed for 20-25 years, and we've been here 23 years. We opted for the new, more expensive screws where the rubber is not exposed to the sun. He said, he would arrange for someone to come repair our kitchen ceiling and replace the insulation that is probably damaged after several years of leaks. He also wants to be here when the ceiling is opened up, so he can finally trace the leak back to the origin. I'll be glad when the leak is fixed and the ceiling is repaired, but I want to wait until after a heavy rain or two once the roof work is done, before we tackle the ceiling. I only want to have to go through that once, if possible. Lenda

Wow, Debbie, I think you even beat @Seasick SailorJoy's record on getting an offer. 🍾 🥂 That is great news. I hope that by tomorrow noon, you will have multiple offers to consider and some even higher than the first one. See what the power of the Daily can do! 😄 Lenda

Good morning from a sunny central Texas. It was about 65F when I went out this morning about 8:30, but it will be in the low 90sF later. Crab fests are not a part of the Texas dining experience. Instead, we'll have crab cakes tonight along with what every I find to go with them. I like cream filled donuts, but if they are available, we get hot Krispy Kreme donuts. Quiet day sounds nice. I like the quote. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine today. We were in Sihanoukville in 2002 on the 64 day APEC on Volendam. @dfish Debbie, having so many showings even if it means being away from the house for so long is a good sign. We've sold seven houses, and many times we did not have many lookers, but the right one did see the houses and bought them. When DH worked for du Pont, the company bought three of the houses since they wanted us to move quickly. The other four sold and some even more quickly than we expected. So hang in there and the buyer will find your house. @kazu Jacqui, I hope the roads aren't too bad when you are on them today. @smitty34877 Terry, thank you for the update. I'm sorry the nights have been bad, but I think extra help will be a relief for all. Everyone needs to be rested to face the days ahead. Sending positive thoughts that things will improve again quickly. On October 23, 2002, the Volendam visited Sihanoukville as part of the Asia Pacific Explorer Cruise (APEC). That day we took a long tour to the capitol, Phnom Penh. It is about an 4 1/2 hour drive between the two cities. Our arrival in Sihanoukville with the sun rising and peeking out of an heavy cloud cover. The buses were lined up on the dock as we approached the dock. The rest area where we stopped to break up the journey both ways After that long drive, our first stop was a very nice hotel for lunch. The pool area and a shrine in the gardens of the hotel Phnom Penh from the top of the hotel The street outside the hotel, which you can get a glimpse of on the left side of the picture. The next stop was the Royal Palace of Cambodia. We noticed two billboards on the drive to the palace that were advertising two upcoming international events, which referred to Cambodia as the Kingdom of Cambodia. The grounds were well kept and lovely, but up close some of the buildings showed wear and tear. This picture is an example of what time and weather can do. More of the palace buildings and grounds This statue was outside the palace grounds These final pictures were taken from the bus as we started our return journey to Sihanoukville. A local gas station We saw shrines along the drive though Phnom Penh, and these are just two of them. Lenda

Debbie, take a deep breath, poor a glass (or more) of wine and relax. After all your work to get the house ready, I know it will show well. Remember it take just one person or couple for the house to sell, and that one is out there. Besides, you have all the Dailyites behind you sending good thoughts and vibes. Lenda

Thanks for the update. I looks like things are moving in the right direction. Lenda

Thanks for the recipe Joy. It sounds delicious and easy. I'm wondering if black beans, either whole or mashed, could be substituted for the vegetarians in the family. Lenda

I just saw this on FB and thought everyone might like it. Lenda

Good morning from partly cloudy and windy central Texas. Right now, it's still comfortable outside, but the predicted high is somewhere in the 90s. I won't be disappointed if it doesn't reach the 90s. Three good days to celebrate. I'll admit in some cases I'm a little bit superstitious. We enjoy fortune cookies and peanuts. But @JazzyV Vanessa, I'll trade you my peanut butter for your peanuts. I'm one who does not like peanut butter. It's both a texture and taste thing with me. @kazu Jacqui, when I started reading the Fleet/Daily very early this morning, I also thought the first two days were contradictory. I guess great minds do think alike. 🤣 The quote is interesting, and I think it is probably true. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. I'm not a chardonnay fan, but I might like to try this unoaked one. We have not been to Puerto Princesa, Philippines. I hope someone has pictures to share with us. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm sorry they are finding more water damage, but I agree, it's better to find it now than later. Hopefully, in the not to distant future, the house will be repaired and you'll be back home. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope everything goes smoothly for your DH at the dentist today. @HAL4NOW i hope the fire danger is less today, and that they are getting it under control @dfish Debbie, I hope one of the five looking at your house today is the one with a great offer. @ger_77 Gerry, safe travels and enjoy the time with the grandkids. @smitty34877 Terry, thanks for another great picture of Camilla. She is such a cutie and is growing so fast. @aliaschief Bruce, safe travels Friday to get your grandkid fix. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I'm glad you were able to save the baby hummingbird, but sorry about the baby bunting. @TiogaCruiser As Joy and Allen @Seasick Sailor can tell you, boiled peanuts are a Southern thing. @Horizon chaser 1957 Laura, I'm glad you are not in any danger from the wildfire near you. I hope the smoke keeps going another direction. Good luck with your boosters tomorrow. Lenda

You will get no judgment from us, fellow Texans. We have voted overseas twice. The first time in 2002, email ballots were not possible. The tricky part was where to have them mailed since in late August, early September, our county election office had no idea when they ballots would be printed and when they would receive them. We got the addresses of the port agents in three ports. I sent them a detailed letter with the addresses and by guessing, which dates to use which address. The ballots were delivered to our cabin in Singapore after we sailed. We were not able to mail the ballots until very close to the deadline from Broome, Australia, by express mail which only worked in Australia. To this day, I only know they made it to Sydney. In 2018, it was much smoother process since the ballots and envelop front and back information was emailed to us. We printed them on the ship, including all the ancillary forms. For Texas you cannot use the generic mail ballot envelop, but one with specific information on the back. We took the completed ballots in all their envelopes to the American Services Center of the Shanghai Consulate. They put them through the xray machine, then we dropped them in an ordinary hiuse mailbox to be added to the consular pouch to be sent to DC to be put in the regular USPS mail. We're lucky we live in a less populated county and have a very nice and helpful Election Administrator.

Good luck, and I hope the plan works. Lenda

Mary Kay, when I was going through old color photos several years ago, many of ours were faded. We have a scanner that can scan photos, and we found that that it not only made the colors stand out, but it brought back the original color in some that the colors had faded from blue to a red. If you have a good quality scanner, or know someone who has one, those old pictures can be scanned into your computer and/or printed. The advantage of scanning them into the computer is they will be available and will not fade again. If you do this, be prepared to have a few that just won't be improved, but the vast majority will be better. Thanks for your kind words. That is the only time we've had a problem like that with a taxi. We were lucky that one found us in the deserted area. We've found around the world that generally, the taxi drivers stick to the agreed price. They know that upsetting and overcharging foreign passengers is not good for business as word will get around. Lenda

I have a few more pictures from Bangkok. These were taken in 2003 during our two days in Bangkok before boarding the old Regal Princess for a 30 day cruise to Rome. That was the "mystery" cruise I've mentioned before. The cruise started less than a month after the US invaded Iraq and during the height of SARS. We had insurance, and debated up to the last minute, whether or not to go. We decided we'd take a chance, and we were very glad we did. That was the cruise that we only made six of the thirteen original ports. There was some good ports substituted though. It was adventure from the beginning. Our plane sat on the runway at DFW for more than a hour due to a ground stop caused by thunderstorms in the area. We arrived at LAX at the time our plane to Tokyo was supposed to leave, and in a different terminal. Thanks to a glitch, the plane was late leaving and we made our flight. The glitch was that every time they closed the door, the automatic announcement about putting on your oxygen masks came on even though the masks did not drop down. It took a while after we boarded before they had it fixed. We had seats in row 3 of a 747 by the window, and we were not popular with the two passengers who had to moved back to their seats in the middle. The adventure did not end when we landed in Tokyo. It was raining when we changed planes, and the luggage got wet, but fortunately not the contents. We arrived in Bangkok late, but did not go to the terminal. We were taken to a warehouse, where medical personnel took our temperature and looked at a form we filled out. They were checking people for SARS. We were then taken to the terminal, collected our luggage and boarded the bus to the Shangri-La Hotel. At the hotel, check in was easy, and we were told about a tour the next day to the floating markets. We said no since the tour left about 8 or 9 am, but the Princess representative said to book it because we'd be up in time. Surprisingly we were, and had a good tour. On our way to the floating market, we saw vast "fields" where they were gathering salt crystals. Some of the salt was sold in bags at the market. Flowers for sale at the market Our boat and going through the floating market. We stopped at one pavilion and walked around, but it was hot off the water. Our next stop was a furniture factory. They made heavy and ornately carved furniture. They also made carved gift items. This is one of the bigger carvings and the workshop. In the afternoon, we rested in our hotel room. We'd joined the hotel club and got a two room suite for $25 extra. That night, we took a taxi from the hotel to an area where there were many open air restaurants. I don't remember what the dish we had was called, but it was very good. Our mistake going back to the hotel was to get a taxi on the street and not at a nearby hotel. We agreed on a price, and halfway back, in a fairly deserted part of town, the driver raised the price by a factor of about 10. We made him stop, got out and paid the original price. Shortly afterwards, another taxi stopped, and took us to the hotel for the agreed upon price. He was not happy about what had happened to us as it made all the taxi drivers look bad. Moral of the story is to get a taxi at a hotel in Bangkok. The next morning, we took the sky train into the main part of Bangkok and later back to the hotel. There was a stop just a few blocks from the hotel. One of the main shopping streets A shrine on the same street. On the advice of someone we met, we visited the Jim Thompson House, which is set in an area of big buildings, but is a quiet oasis in the city. Jim Thompson, an American, was a self-made entrepreneur who worked in the silk trade after WWII. He mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia A relic of an older era, his house is a museum to that time and the silk industry in Thailand. Once back in the main part of town, we took a Tuk-Tuk to see another statue of Buddha. After two busy days, we decided to try the Chinese restaurant in the hotel where we shared appetizers. The next morning we set out bags outside the room before breakfast. Later that morning, we headed to Laem Chabang by bus and boarded the Regal Princess. Fortunately, we had a much better experience on the bus than Sandi @StLouisCruisers. Lenda

It looks like today may not be as productive as I had planned. We've been enjoying our comfortable weather this morning. Now if it would just stay this way all year, we'd be very happy campers. We just got back from a short (for us) ride in our Smart with the top down. I don't think we went where DH originally intended since there was construction on the road into town. Instead, we drove around some of the back roads near the lake. @HAL4NOW Thank for the good news about the Bolt Creek Fire. It's good to know there has been no loss of life and only minor property loss. With the lower wind and higher humidity, I hope they can get it under control soon. @dfish Debbie, I'm glad everything went well this morning and there is now a sign in front of the house. I am sending positive thoughts that your realtor is correct about an easy sell. 🤞 In 2000 on the world cruise on P&O Oriana, we spent a day touring Bangkok. We took a ship's tour since we had not been there before. After a driving tour of the city, we had a walking tour of the Grand Palace compound. The compound has many ornate buildings crowded into the site. Following the visit to the palace, we took a boat on the Chao Phraya River to a hotel for lunch. Pictures from our drive through Bangkok. I'm not sure if the first picture was in Laem Chabang or Bangkok. These next pictures are from the palace compound. There are many Wats or temples within the walls of the palace compound. There are also many statues around the buildings. Many of the buildings are covered in gold leaf, and this one had statues "holding up" part of the building. A close up of one of the faces The Temple of the Emerald Buddha Another Wat Wat Arun We did not go in any of the Wats, but just walked around the compound. This next picture is the traffic outside the palace grounds. The Grand Palace from the river On the way to the hotel for lunch, we passed some of the less nice areas of Bangkok. Our stay in Laem Chabang had a late departure. When we returned to the ship, we hire a taxi for a quick tour to Pattaya, which is south of Laem Chabang. Our driver took us through several of the streets. The Dailyites who served in Vietnam may be familiar with the town, as it was one of the places the GIs went for R&R. The beach in Pattaya We saw this familiar restaurant from home. Some of the places we saw on our walk around Pattaya. Lenda

Good morning from central Texas. It was very pleasant this morning when we took a golf cart ride around our little community. This is the last day our high will be in the mid-80sF. Beginning tomorrow, we'll be in the 90sF, but that sure beats the triple digit highs we had in June and July. Like many others, it's been too long since I had a chocolate milk shake. We have played video games, but not recently. In fact, we got the first one, Pong, way back when. Encouragement day is another that should be celebrated and practiced everyday. The Oscar Wilde quote is interesting, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. Roasted chickens is good comfort food, and I have a hen in the freezer, but it will wait for another day. Tonight we'll be having King Ranch chicken. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds interesting. We have been to Laem Chabang and Bangkok twice. The first time was in 2000 on the world cruise on P&O Oriana. In 2003, we flew to Bangkok to spend two days before boarding the old Regal Princess for a 30 day cruise to Rome. I'll share pictures from both visits in later posts. @kazu Jacqui, thank you for the pictures of Jose's celebration of life. Your deck and gardens looked lovely for the occasion, as did the food. Everyone in the pictures seemed to be enjoying themselves. You can be proud of the hard work you did to honor Jose. @puppycanducruise HAPPY 85TH BIRTHDAY! to your mother. @cunnorl Charlene, I'm glad you are feeling better today. My second booster was also the first time I've ever had a reaction to a vaccine. I consider it a small price to pay for the protection I get. @dfish Debbie, I hope the pictures of your house turnout perfectly and help you get a quick sale. You deserve to rest today. Lenda

Good afternoon, which will a quiet one after a busy morning. We went to W-M to get a new battery for the golf cart. DH wanted to look at a RV community similar to ours that was close to the store. From there, we decided to take the long way home, and saw an area of our county we'd not seen. All the stories of what everyone was doing that fateful morning and afterwards have been interesting. I was in the car on the way to an doctors appointment when I heard the announcement about first plane hitting the twin towers on the radio. My first thought was a terror attack, but then I thought no, just a small plane had hit the building. When the second plane hit the other tower, I instantly knew it was terrorists. I kept the appointment, and a routine appointment turned into a two plus hour visit. I think I was the only patient that morning. The doctor, her husband and staff gathered in her office to watch the reports on tv. Every once in a while she'd come in and give me an update. Finally, she realized she needed to do the exam and let me leave. I had planned to run errands, but when I left the office, ai just wanted to go home. We were scheduled to fly to Barcelona on 9/13 to spend two weeks touring Spain before boarding the new Golden Princess for her ignaural TA. We flew to Spain a week later, through JFK. Flying into NYC was a surreal experience, as was the flight out of JFK. Like the people in the US and Canada, the people we met in Spain could not have been nicer and helpful. I wish we'd learned from those times and kept the spirit and helpfulness of those times alive. The stories we heard from passengers who were on the ship or boarded in Istanbul on 9/11 were very interesting. For those who did not want to fly home from Europe, Princess let them stay on board to Ft. Lauderdale at no charge. For those who had to get home, Princess chartered two large planes, one from Istanbul and one from Athens. The ship did not sail until the Captain knew the planes were in the air and would not be turning back. I hope they are getting the fire under control and that everyone is safe. Thank you for your kind words about the pictures. I know what you mean about some ports on Sundays. Jacqui, I glad everything went well, and that your sister and brother-in-law helped you today. Rest and recover. When you are ready, we'd enjoy seeing the pictures. Welcome home, and thanks for the pictures of the ship. Thanks for your kind words about the pictures. Debbie, thanks for posting the Clydesdales tribute. Thanks for the explanation of Revenna Arsenal. Sharon, I'm glad the girls made it up there yesterdsy. Safe travels home tomorrow. Thanks for the added information about the arsenal. I'm sorry the last three weeks have been so difficult, but I can understand why. I hope things are better soon. Lenda

Good morning from a clear, windy central Texas. September 11, 2001, is a day we should not forget. We should add our own @cruising singleand her late DH to the list of those we honor for their work at the site in the aftermath of 9/11. They both did and are dealing with the consequences of their time helping others. First responders, who risk their lives for us, deserve to be honored everyday, along with libraries who help us remember. I also honor the three grandparents who I knew growing up. They were always there for me when I needed them. I also was puzzled by today's quote. The "meal" looks good and refreshing. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds nice. @Vict0riann Fingers crossed 🤞 the ferry runs today and BON VOYAGE! I know you will have a wonderful cruise. @lindaler Linda, wishing you a safe and worry free flight and a wonderful time on the Westerdam. BON VOYAGE! @marshhawk Annie, safe travels today to you and Chuck. BON VOYAGE! tomorrow for the start of a great cruise. Thanks for sharing your 9/11 story. @dfish Debbie, I can't imagine how hard it was to answer the student's questions when you had no answers. Good luck with the cleaning and leak repair. This is what I shared on October 7, 2001, about our two visits to Brest. The Prinsendam took us to Brest in 2011 and 2017. The first time was on a Sunday, and almost everything was closed. After looking at the town center until the shuttle returned, we stopped at the waterfront and then took the shuttle to an old fort that is now a maritime museum. In 2017, once in town, we road the tram to both ends, and took the gondola across the Penfeld River and back. Pictures of Brest The waterfront area. The restaurant caught our eye because of the name, but we did not go in. The maritime museum Views from the museum The gondola and views from the ride The Pont de Recouvrance from the gondola Lenda

I would also urge you to talk to the county offical in charge of elections. In 2018, we were on a 60 day cruise and arranged for our ballots to be emailed to us so we could vote absentee. We only filled out the application for an absentee ballot by mail, and did not need to worry about the FPCA. Our ballots had to be mailed, so we printed the ballots and the envelopes on the ship. I don't know what ports you will be visiting, but we went to the American Consulate in Shanghai. If you go to the American Citizen Services office at the consulate, you can mail your ballot for free. They will put the ballot in the consular pouch that is flown to DC each day, and from there, it will go by regular mail to your local election office. Since each state has different laws and regulations, you need to be sure to know what you state allows. We found going in person to see our Election Administrator was our best option as we learned more than if we'd done it by phone. If you can't get to a consulate, you can mail the ballot locally, or if your state allows it, you can fax the ballot. If you want to mail it from the ship, be sure to check how they handle the mail to the US before mailing it. If you go to a consulate office, take your passports. Just showing them at the door avoided any hassle for us. Sometimes the ACS is in a different location than the consulate, but you can find the address on line.

Bruce, thanks for the pictures of the Britannia. We enjoyed our visit to the ship in. 2017. I hope your foot is better and I hope you move up on the cancelation list for the dishwasher installation. Terry, I can't believe how much Camilla has grown. She I d dtill a cutie. Lenda

The UT v Alabama gwme was a very interesting game. Unfortunately, it did end as we would have liked. Alabama kicked a field goal at the end. UT got the ball with 10 seconds on the clock. Even with two good plays, they could not score, and lost 20-19. While we lost, it was a good game with a team not ranked in the top 25 to hold the number one team to a one point win is not bad, especially, since UT was a 20 point underdog. We even lead the game for quite a while. @smitty34877 Terry, congratulations to the teenager for making the JV team. @Cruising-along Carolyn, thank you. Yes, MS can take many forms. My next door neighbor, who I grew up with, was diagnosed with MS 20 years ago. Her stepdaughter and her son have also had the same diagnosis since then. So far, they are still able to lead normal lives. Lenda

Good afternoon from mostly sunny central Texas. Right now, we're watching the Texas v Alabama game. No offense to any Alabama fans here, but Go HORNS! 🤘 HOOK EM 🤘 It’s going to be an interesting game. A few minutes ago, I checked the weather forecast for St. John. It is sunny and in the low to mid 70sF with about an 8mph wind, so it is a good day for Jose's celebration of life. @kazu Jacqui, our thoughts and best wishes are with you today as your friends gather to remember and celebrate a life well lived. Chinese Moon Festival is an interesting day to celebrate. @marshhawk Annie, thank you for the explanation. I have a fancy sewing machine here that can do more than I'm capable of doing, and a basic one in Quartzsite that is also above my abilities. At least, both can do simple stitches so I can mend things. Swapping ideas is a daily occurrence here. Today's quote is interesting, but puzzling. The meal looks good, but I would use spinach. We'll pass on the drink. The wine looks good. We have not been to New Caledonia, bur hopefully we will get there sometime. @ottahand7 Safe travels tomorrow. @cunnorl Charlene, that's good news that your DH and DD did not have a reaction to the booster. I hope you fare as well with your booster today. @dfish Debbie, you've gotten a lot done, and I hope the water leak fix is quick and easy. The counter offer is a good sign, and I hope they accept your new offer. @ger_77 Gerry, I know yesterday was hard on both of you, but I know the family appreciated your being there to officate at Melodie's service and celebration of life. @Cruzin Terri Terri, having a more home like space where you can relax and don't have to go out for meals should make things a liitle easier to handle. @Cruising-along Carolyn. Please thank your DD and DSIL for going on the MS bike ride for me. My mother had the worse form of MS. Thanks to efforts of all who raise awareness and funds, there have been great strides in treatments for this terrible disease in the last 50 years. I hope the smoke and humidity don't cause them problems. @TiogaCruiser I'm glad southern California got some much needed rain. I hope the storm doesn't caause much damage. @summer slope Good news that you didn't have any side effects from the booster. @Vict0riann Ann, I hope the ferry not only runs tomorrow, but it is on time. BON VOYAGE and have a wonderful cruise. @lindaler Linda, have a safe, on time flight and a wonderful cruise. @marshhawk Annie, I hope you and Chuck have a lovely anniversary dinner. Safe travels tomorrow, and BON VOYAGE on Monday. Lenda