Quartzsite Cruiser

Thank you, Jim. But if I had a job on the ships, I wouldn't be able to see all the interesting places and take my photos. Besides, work is a four-letter word. 🤣 Lenda

Good morning from central Texas, and weather wise, it's the same. I salute all Culinarians, especially the hard working line cooks, who do most of the work in restaurant kitchens. We like chili dogs, but won't be having them today. I have a ribeye thawing in the refrigerator which we ill cook on the electric grill inside. Threading the needle day has several meanings from the literal one to sports metaphors to a yoga pose and others. The Lemony Snicket quote is interesting, and fate can throw some curve balls. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine. @aliaschief I hope you are feeling better. @cat shepard Ann, the girls picked a good meme for their last one. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, great picture of Ren with his coach and all his trophies and medals. He certainly had a great tournament. @marshhawk The advice you've been given is all good advice. In the past few years, gala now dressy nights in the MDR are not nearly as dressy as in the past., and Alaska cruises are also totally different since, people do not dress up as much in the MDR. I have reached the point where I take two long, lightweight skirts with nice knit, sweater like tops that I pair with slightly dressier sandals. DH takes two long sleeved dress shirts to wear with his black slacks and dress shoes. He may add a navy cardigan if the ship is chilly, but no coat or a tie. For day time, layers work well in Alaska, along with a hooded jacket or coat that should be waterproof. For glacier viewing we add gloves. I also take one pair of shorts and a pair of sandals for the odd warm day in Alaska and for wearing in Victoria at times. We even had a day in Ketchikan where it was sunny and and 82F, but that is rare there. @ger_77 Glad you got rain. @kazu Jacqui, thanks for the pictures of your flowers. We have been to La Paz once in March 2018, on Ruby Princess. It is a nice town to walk around. We also hired a boat on the dock to take us out of see the whale sharks. A few pictures from our walk around La Paz. When we got off the shuttle from Puerto de Pichilingue, we saw this whale skeleton display. We walked down this street to the Teatro de Juarez. The Cathedral de Nuestra Senora de La Paz Jardin Velasco across the street from the Cathedral We also saw this museum and spent some time inside. We then headed back to the Malecon La Paz, where we found a boat to take us out to see the whale sharks. We followed one shark as we was swimming, and he was as long or longer than the boat. Our boat was like the ones pictured, but we were the only passengers. People were swimming with the shark, but as you can see, the swimmer was having to work to keep up. My point and shoot camera is waterproof and DH took some pictures by leaning over the side and holding the camera underwater. It helped that the shark was near the surface. This is the best of the underwater pictures. At one point we probably could have touched the shark, but we were told not to do so. The pier and the beach along with some of the sculptures on the Malecon. One of the many restaurants across the street from the Malecon. Naturally, there was a shopping opportunity when we returned to the port. This is just a small portion of the booths. The port area from our balcony as we sailed. Lenda

Also, Rudi's Sel de Mer is not included either.

Good afternoon from hot central Texas. We decided again today that we needed to get out of the house to just enjoy being out. We decided on a ride in the convertible and left early enough to have the top down for a little more than an hour. There is a small town we go through when we head to Quartzsite but have never explored. That was our first stop. We then headed to another town where DH wanted to check out the courthouse. On the way, we detoured to see Fairy, Tx, that can best be described as a wide spot in the road. DH thinks they even closed the post offce there several years ago. All in all, we had an enjoyable drive, and even got gas at about 20 cents a gallon less than our local station. We were gone about four hours. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, what a nail biter win. Congratulatiohs to the Tigers, Ren and Max. I'm glad your DSIL finally tested negative. @mamaofami Carol, I'm sorry your son is still feeling so bad. I hope he starts feeling better soon. @aliaschief It looks like you are having a good but busy time in Edinburgh. @dfish Debbie, thanks for checking in, and I hope the second week is as good as the forst week. @Sea Viewer Welcome home. @JazzyV Vanessa, I'm glad the power is finally back on, but sorry you have to toss food. When our fathers retired and started traveling, their travels were curtailed by ill health. Both told us to travel while we were young and healthy, and we took their advice to heart. After the DDs went off to college, we were able to take long RV trips and longer cruises. As internet service expanded, DH was able to travel and work when he had internet. At last count, we have been to 130 countries since our first cruise in 1987. @durangoscots Susan, I know you will be relieved when the work on the shelter is finished. Hope you make it to see your sister soon. In your free time, why not begin at looking at cruises. @Seasick Sailor Joy, enjoy your last week in Maui. @Vict0riann Ann, I'm glad you had a great visit with your cousin. But, I'm sorry Pat got stung by the bee. Hope he is back to 100% soon, and that's the end of the drama for this trip. Beautiful cat. Lenda

Good morning from sunny, breezy central Texas. Our weather is still the same, hot. Amelia Earhart was n aviation pioneer and an amazing woman. I am not close to my cousins. Even though my parents many years ago, I still honor them. The quote is interesting and should be true for all of us. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. The wine sounds interesting. We have been to Nuka Hiva twice. @JazzyV Vanessa, I'm sorry you are still without power. Hope it is restored soon. @smitty34877 Terri, it is good news that Tana seems less anxious and there have been good days. @StLouisCruisers Fingers 🤞 for a win today for the Tigers. @cat shepard Ann, another great meme from the girls. @kazu Jacqui, don't get too hot in the garden today. We have been fortunate to visit Nuka Hiva twice. in 2002 on the Volendam APEC cruise and in 2004 on the Tahitian Princes. In 2002, there were no tours offered as it was a relatively new port, but we were lucky to find a French lady who gave tours in her Land Rover Discovery. The first group of pictures are from our 2002 tour. We were there shortly after Survivor Nuka Hive was aired. On our tour, we drove into the interior of the island, and our first stop was at a small hotel and restaurant where we had a beer and fried taro, which was good. We also got a look at their hydroponic garden and some of their fields. I thought the gardens might interest the Garden Club. A look down at the road and a village nestled in a valley Our next stop was a marae, a Polynesian religious site. Next was the remains of a church Back in town, we stopped at the local church and a statue of John Paul II Back at the dock, the Executive Chef, F&B Manager, etc, were buying the fresh catch from local fishermen. They told us the fish were for the crew and not for the passengers. In 2004, we stayed in town and walked around. We also took a truck to a restaurant on top of a hill where we had the most expensive cokes at $7 each. The expensive view of town from the restaurant and the restaurant. A pretty tree or bush The tender dock The sunset at Nuka Hiva The beach were Survivor was filmed. It was not really that isolated, and the crew stayed in the village back from the beach. Lenda

Vanessa, I hope you get your power back before Monday afternoon. The less you open the refrigerator or the freezer, the longer food will last. Lenda

Good afternoon. It is 2 pm and only 97F, but according to the weather app it feels like 101F. The humidity is 34% and the dew point is 64F. We have a good breeze and the afternoon clouds are building. I just wish they'd drop some rain on us. Sharon, I'm glad you liked the pictures. I'm pretty sure I get Guerrero ready to cook tortillas in Arizona. It's a different brand in Texas. We started getting the ready to cook ones because the ready to eat ones are too thick. With all this talk about tortillas, I think we'll have fajitas tonight. 🎂 🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIXIE! 🎈 🥂 Vaneesa, I'm glad you and BFF had a nice dinner for his birthday. Also, I'm glad you liked the pictures. Great news that the Tigers won. Hope tomorrow the weather is better for them. Good picture of the Tigers. Graham, I suspected you two were not home. Thank you, Graham. Gerry, our condolences on the loss of your cruising friend. We've lost several over the past years, and we miss them like ypu will miss your friend. Our thoughts are with you both and ypur friend's family. Gerry, congratulations on your DS getting the Royal Lifesaving medal. It was good that he was at the right place at the right time, and knew what he needed tto do. Lenda

Thanks for the information. I'm sorry your ex-boyfriend is in such bad shape. Since we saw you on Koningsdam, there has been a noticeable change for the worse. The dizziness, brain fog and short term memory have gotten worse. We feel very fortunate that our PCP's PA immediately ordered the brain CAT scan when he heatd about the dizziness and brain fog. We have our fingers crossed 🤞 for an appointment soon with a neurosurgeon. Normally, no one wants any type of brain surgery, but we both want it soon so DH is himself again and we can get our lives back. Our PCP said the shunt should take care of all DH's symptoms. Lenda

We did not go to Tel Aviv the day we were in Haifa. Due to the cancellation of the port in Egypt, we spent two days in Ashdod. The second day, we went to Tel Aviv, and this is what I posted on April 29, 2021. The second day we were docked in Ashdod, we talked about finding a taxi to take us to Bethlehem, but after two long days spent in a taxi, we decided against going. Along with another couple, we found a taxi in the port to take us to Jaffa and Tel Aviv. If we're lucky enough to return to Ashdod, I want to find someone to take us to Bethlehem and Jerusalem for a slower walk in the Old City. Jaffa is the ancient port for Jerusalem. It is a town we really enjoyed. Looking from Jaffa toward Tel Aviv. Our driver dropped us off at seaside promenade in Tel Aviv. After a short time along the sea, our next stop was a mall in downtown Tel Aviv, and we had an hour or so to wander around. I'll confess we spent most of our time in the mall where we shared a pizza. A couple of street scenes in Tel Aviv taken from the car as we headed back to the Prinsendam. Lenda

Here are the rest of the pictures from our day touring northern Israel. Our first stop was Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation. We were both surprised at how modern the church was. In the open area beside the church was a view of the remains of the ancient village of Nazareth. Naturally, across the street was the usual tourist trap (Opps! I meant, shop.) 😀 Our next stop was Cana and the wedding church where Jesus turned water into wine. Since there was a service when we were there, we were not able to see the wine casks. And nearby. The next stop after Cana, was the Jordan River. We made several stops along the Sea of Galilee and drove through the town of Tiberius before visiting Capharnaum. Either we did not see a souvenir store, or I didn't take a picture of it. Lenda

An early good morning from central Texas. This is house cleaning day, so I needed to find my pictures from Haifa and Tel Aviv before I get started. Cowboy day is celebrated in Texas just about everyday, especially in the rural areas. Vanilla ice cream is good and versatile, but IMHO, is best with chocolate sauce. Drowning prevention should be everyday. The Anne Frank quote is very good. She was wise beyond her years. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine. I won't try to make tortillas, but I have found some flour tortillas that need to be cooked before eating them. They are easy to cook, just 30 second a side in a fairly hot skillet. We were in Haifa and Tel Aviv in 2016 on Prinsendam. @Rowsby I'm sorry you felt you needed to cancel your Hawaii trip, but completely understand. @cat shepard Ann, the meme the girls picked out is appropriate because of the heat this summer. @StLouisCruisers To Tigers! Go Ren! @kazu Jacqui, thanks for more lovely pictures from your garden. Don't get too hot today. Haifa and Tel Aviv were the destinations of the day on December 21, 2021, and these are the pictures that day. We were in Haifa on 10/22/17 on the Prinsendam. On the recommendation of a fellow CC member, we hire a taxi for a tour and saw a lot of northern Israel. Because there are quite a few pictures, Ill post the ones of Haifa first, then post some from our day outside the city. Haifa from the Prinsendam The Baha'i Gardens as seen from the Prinsendam. On our return to town, we stopped at the overlook at the top of the Baha'i Gardens, then drove past the entrance at the bottom of the hill. There was a conference being held that day, so the gardens were closed to visitors. Our home away from home from the top of the Baha'i Gardens. Lenda

We're back from DH's PT session. After the therapist did an evaluation, that will be the last one. Until DH can get treatment for the NPH, therapy won't really improve the balance and walking issues. We're waiting for a call from the hospital in Dallas, and of course, it's Friday afternoon. Thank you, Jim. We enjoyed watching Norm Crosby on TV. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World is one of DH' favorite movies. Brenda, I'm sorry your DH had such a rough time yeaterday, and I hope they got it all. Glad he is better today. That little church is lovely and peaceful looking. That happened to us in April, but Covid cases were down. I waited in the waiting room, masked, while DH waited in the car. Now, we would have left too. The doctor in Texas does blood draws in the office. He has one staffer who does all the draws. Sorry you still got hives after the injection. Hope the doctor can help your knee. Enjoy the irthday dinner with your BFF. Oh no on the exposure to Covid. Hope you test negative. BTW, since you were exposed Tuesday, Saturday could be the fifth day, two days less for you to worry. Hope your cousin has a mild case and recovers soon. Lenda

I have a few more pictures from our various cruises to Kauai and from our drives around the island. Most are from areas that the tours do not visit. A church in Hanalei, and IIFC, it is the oldest church on Kauai. I believe these are taro fields And this colorful bird was sitting on the fence The Kilaueu Lighthouse on the north shore of Kauai An abandoned sugar mill on a back road on the way back from Poipu Duane's Ono Char Burger is north of Kapaa. We try to stop there and split a burger and an order of onion rings. A friend recommended it, and he was right, they are great burgers. There are tables under the trees, along with the resident chickens. Lenda

Good morning from a somewhat cloudy central Texas. Since it was already 85F at 8:45 am, it will probably be humid today. Not much on the agenda except DH's PT session, and trying to stay cool. The weather map last night showed that our area is beyond extreme drought conditions. We are listed as exceptional drought conditions, the highest (worst) designation. 😒 Hammock day and summer leisure day seem to go together. We had a Pawley's Island hammock for many years. We left it when we moved from The Woodlands. Spoonerisms are interesting. Thank your @grapau27 Graham for the explanation since I couldn't quite remember what they were. Today's quote seems to promote dishonesty in being creative. We'll pass on the meal drink and wine. We have been to Nawiliwili many times beginning in 1996. IIRC, we have only missed the port once because of high winds. In 2018 on the Westerdam, Captain Vincent Smit cancelled the port when the weather predicted very high winds. Instead, we had a third day in Honolulu. @MISTER I like the new and very appropriate avatar. @kazu Jacqui, thanks for more pictures of your wonderful plants. If you don't get finished by the time of Shadow's early arrival, everything will still be there later when you have time to get back to sorting. By then, Shadow may be able to "help" you. @cat shepard The meme is another winner. @smitty34877 How nice of your neighbors to let you use their pool. Too bad there is not a way to get Tana over to the pool. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, sending positive thoughts the Tigers win the semi-final game. I saw the cat face in the clouds too. @marshhawk Loved the cat cloud picture. @jimgev The comedian you were thinking about is Norm Crosby. No, my memory is not that good, but I did remember such a comedian. Google came to my rescue with the name. @mamaofami Carol, I'm sorry your son is sick on his big birthday. Please wish him HAPPY BIRTHDAY for us with the hope he is negative soon. These are some of the pictures I posted on August 11, 2021. I do have some pictures from our various visits to Kauai, and I don't think I have any repeats. BTW, the Hollywood tour is a great tour if your like movies and tv shows. All of these pictures relate to the Hollywood tour and our Na Pali coast tour in 2007. The Coco Palms was featured in Blue Hawaii, but unfortunately, it was very badly damaged by about 30 years ago by Hurricane Iniki. On July 27, it was sold in a foreclosure sale, and it's fate is unkown. One interesting fact about the movie is the movie company expected the owner to tell her guests to leave while they filmed the movie. They were thinking the could stay there and not have to make reservations. The owner had other ideas, and refused to ask her guests to leave. Elvis had stayed at the Coco Palms before, and knowing the owner, had wisely reserved a bungalow for himself. Since they could not film in the bungalows, they had to use the one Elivs had rented and redorate it for the shots set in other bungalows. Coco Palms in 2007 The barge from the wedding scene without the outriggers Coco Palms in 2018 when we made it to Nawiliwili on Coral Princess that fall. The other iconic movie site was the pier on Honalei that was used in South Pacific. In 2007, it still had the roof from the movie before it was destroyed by a storm a few years latrer. Without the roof in 2013 With the new roof in 2014 Some views of the Na Pali coast and caves that can only be accessed by boat Some of these views were featured in Jurassic Park. I hope this posts since CC has been cutting in and out this morning. Lenda

I have one official junk drawer here and one in Quartzsite . I say official because some other drawers tend to be junky if I'm not careful. Years and years ago, several neighbors gathered at one house to wait the owners return for a surprise birthday party for the husband. While we waited, one of the wife's friends showed us the extremely neat, organized kitchen drawers including the junk drawer. No one could ever compete with her for neatness. Lenda

I thought maybe that some of us could use some cheering up. I found these on FB. This is for all those who are sufferings in the heat. I think we've all felt like this lately. Advertising pays And finally, our legacy to our kids. Lenda

My errands were done quickly, and now I just have to get the chicken ready to go in the freezer.. After changing the sheets and folding the first load of clothes, I'm taking a break until the second load comes out of the drier. @ger_77 Welcome home. It sounds like you had a great time at the lake, and that's a great picture of the four of you. When I get into my 90s, I hope I look as good and can do as much as your friends. Loved the pictures of the sunset over the lake. I hope your DH is better quickly and there is not a big problem. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, Catalina Island is an interesting place, but it was very dry when we were there. Even with the golf cart, we could not see everything in an hour. There were places with signs that said "Rental Carts Not Allowed". While I walked down the pedestrian street, I did not have time to explore some of the stores. I'll save that for next time, but I probably won't buy anything as I imagine it is an expensive place. @irishjim Thank you, Jim. @1ANGELCAT It sounds like you got some answers, but not all of them. I hope the doctors can agree and come up with a treatment plan. @Overhead Fred I've never seen a white squirrel before. Thanks for the picture. @durangoscots Susan, I hope the birds are all right. We've had a couple of nests on our lights in Quartzsite, and boy were the doves messy. We now have something over the lights to prevent the birds from building a nest. Glad Monty is settling in, and hope he trains you well. 🤣 Our Brandy had all her humans trained. If she wanted something and we ignored her, she'd sit up on her rear end, flap her front legs and talk to us. We could tell she was unhappy with us (angry actually), and we were glad at those times we did not speak dachshund. I'm pretty sure she was using cuss words, and probably better than a sailor. @Cruising-along Great picture of DGS and Rouge. Lenda

An early good morning from sunny central Texas. I need to make a quick trip to the grocery store and want to get there and back before it gets too hot. We'll celebrate the day of the dog in memory of our two dachshunds. We celebrated junk food day yesterday with hot dogs and chili cheese Fritos last night. Now the Fritos are the only junk food in the house. I try to be someone every day. An interesting quote today. We'll pass on the meal (I don't like meatballs) and the drink. The wine sounds nice, but very pricey. We were in Avalon on Catalina Island in March on Koningsdam. @Sharon in AZ 🎂 HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY, CRAIG! 🥂 @bennybear Brenda, sending good wishes that your DH's surgery today goes well, and that they get all of the melanoma easily. @aliaschief Safe and sane travels today. @smitty34877 Terry, cute picture of Fred. @marshhawk Glad you are feeling better today. @cat shepard Great meme the girls picked out. @grapau27 Pauline looks lovely as usual. @Heartgrove Safe travels tomorrow. Enjoy the wedding. @StLouisCruisers Good luck wishes to the Tigers tonight. We were in Avalon on March 25 and again on March 28. It was a sunny, pleasant day on the first stop and windy, rainy with rough seas on March 28. We only went in on the first visit, and we rented a golf cart for a quick tour of the island. The walk from the tender dock and their Veterans memorial. Starting our golf cart ride. Looking down at Avalon from the hilltop viewpoint. We passed the pet cemetery The Casino, which we did not have time to visit since we only had the golf cart for an hour. DH dropped me off at one end of the pedestrian street while he took the golf cart to the other end. The Wrigley house on the hill top. We drove by it on our golf cart ride, but this is a better picture. Lenda

Graham, thank you for the good wishes for DH and for the kind words about my pictures. I always enjoy visiting Malta. Lenda

Glad to see that everything is going well after your hip replacement, and that it's been an easy recovery. Sorry your niece has covid. Hole it's a mild case and she recovers completely. Lenda

In 2019 on Veendam, we took the Ho-Ho to see other areas of Malta. There were two routes at the time, and we took the one that did not go to Mdina. The tour took us to the area across from the cruise ship dock. We then went into the countryside before following the coast along the bays on the north side of the island. Unfortunately, I do not remember the names of many of the places we saw. Pictures from our drive around the island. There are many towers around the island that were used for defense in the past. Steve Berry's book The Malta Exchange is set partly in Malta, and some of the towers and chapels around the island are featured. We drove to the Blue Grotto which was one of the stops. Some of the area on the north side of the island before reaching the coast road. There are several bays on the northside of the island west of Valletta, where there are a lot of apartments. It looked like the area was really growing with a lot of new buildings. After retiring the old Leyland buses, some were converted to souvenir shops. A nice park An old area near St. Elmos that was being renovated. Once off the Ho-Ho, we took the elevator up to walk around Valletta. The memorial to Daphne Caruana Galizia was still there, but the area around it was back to plantings. Since we were going to Gozo then next day, we spent the night in Valletta. Lenda

Good afternoon from a very hot central Texas. One piece of good news today. We are a little closer to the appointment with the neurosurgeon in Dallas. The surgeon in Waco office called this morning to tell DH that they had sent the referral in yesterday, and the hospital in Dallas acknowledged receiving it. A step in the right direction. Our trip to the PT session took longer than expected. Because of the NPH, DH can't tell that the PT is helping a lot. He and the therapist talked about it today, and frankly the therapist is not sure if the PT is really helping. They decided if DH got an appointment in two weeks or so, they'd continue the PT until the appointment. If it's not until September or later, they will discontinue PT. @JazzyV Glad you were able to pair the car and garage door opener. In Quartzsite, most of the time everyone just hopes the post office gives out the mail, forget about lollipops. Things may change since they have a new Post Master now. @bennybear Thanks for your pictures. Sending positive thoughts for your DH's surgery tomorrow. @marshhawk I'm sorry you're having such a bad reaction to the booster. Hope this means it is really working. In 2017, our second day in Valletta on Prinsendam, we drove to Mdina. It is a fortified city in the northern part of Malta and was the capital from antiquity to the medieval period. Mdina sits atop a tall hill with commanding views. St. Paul's Cathedral, which was built between 1696 and 1705, is the oldest church in Malta. From the Cathedral, we visited the museum in the same plaza. It was interesting to visit. From there we walked around the small walled town of Mdina. We came to an open area with views of the island. St. Nicholas Chapel The main gate After leaving Mdina, which the locals pronounced M-dina, we headed back to Valletta. After turning the car in, we took the elevator to the Upper Barrakka Gardens. Boy, is that elevator worth the cost. The view from the Barrakka Gardens. The cannon battery below the gardens. These would play a big role in our sail away, but more about that later. We walked around Valletta, and came across this memorial. Shortly before we were in Malta, Panamanian journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who exposed political corruption in Malta was killed by a car bomb. This is the spontaneous memorial to her. A lovely flower display near the gardens. One of the narrow streets we drove down. The Prinsendam waiting for our return The city as we sailed to the next port. Now, about the cannons. This was CD Cess Tesslar's last visit to Valetta before his retirement the next January. Captain DD and the Port Agent arranged a cannon salute to Cess as we sailed. Cess was on the bridge wing with Captain DD when we sailed. BTW, in one of my earlier pictures, the beach area with all the buildings is called Popeye Village. Lenda

In 2016, Captain DD extended our day in Valletta to two days due to rough seas, which meant we would not be able to tender in Gozo the second day. We rented a car the first day and drove to the ferry terminal and took the ferry to Gozo. These pictures are of our drive back to the port from the ferry. We took the long way back to the port. A couple of beaches and the scenery of the coast and interior. An interesting church we passed. It's time to get ready to go with DH to his PT session. I finish the 2017 and 2019 pictures when we return in a couple of hours. Lenda

There are a lot of pictures of Valletta from our five stops covering six days there. This first set is from our 2002 and 2004 stops on Noordam III and our one non-BHB stop on the old Regal Princess in 2003. In 2002, we did a tour to the Tarxien Temples and then walked around the upper part of Valletta. Twenty years ago, we were up a lot earlier than we are today, so we saw the sail in to Valletta. The Tarxien Temples On our first visits to Valletta, they still used Leyland buses for their public transportation. The bus "depot" was outside the city gates in a plaza at the top of some very steep stairs from the dock. The new port complex and elevator were built sometime after 2004. A few pictures from our walk through Valletta in 2002 Valletta as Noordam sailed to the next port In 2003, when we stopped in Valletta, we decided to take one of the city buses to the Gozo ferry terminal on the other end of Malta. It was an interesting ride, but the bus was noisy and hot since the engine compartment was by the driver. The ferry terminal. By the time we reached it, we knew we did not have time to go to Gozo and get back to the ship in time for sail away. The bus ride took longer than we expected. Our bus back in Valletta In 2004, after climbing those steep steps, we walked around town. That year, we toured the C0-Cathedral of St. John. The main altar. You can see the graves of the Knights of St. John on the floor. One of the graves We also toured the museum at the Co-Cathedral. The walled courtyard. The Knights of St. John amassed a collection of Belgium tapestries, which when hung on the cold stone walls helped keep the buildings warm. This is a small part of their collection. A dry dock we passed on the way to the next port. Lenda

Good morning from sunny and breezy central Texas. An interesting collection of days and all related to the F&B department in some way. I prefer root beer floats to ice cream sodas. We have hot dogs occasionally, and maybe tonight. It's been a long time since I had a lollipop. The best ones I ever had were the ones the company my father worked for gave out. He worked for the electric utility company in our area, and the lollipops were cherry flavored and shaped like Reddy Kilowatt's head. Boy am I dating myself. Today's quote is very good, and as a reader I can relate to it. We've had Pork Chili Verde years ago at a Super Bowl party. I haven't made it, but would definitely try one of the recipes. @0106 Tina, another great job, and thanks for the explanation of the different types of chilis. We'll pass on the drink and the wine. We have been to Valletta at least five times, and all but one on BHBs. I'll look for my pictures in a few minutes. @kazu Loved the pictures of the garden, especially the one of Jose with his dahlias. Great memes too. @cat shepard Ann, the girls had another hit with today's meme. @smitty34877 I'm glad your niece and her DH are now testing negative. @kochleffel Good to know the futon/daybed question is solved. As I said when you asked for suggestions, the trundle bed we with got with the daybed gives us room for two guests without taking up space in the day time. It turns our our DD's SO needs it since he is 6"5' or 6"6' and he couldn't fit on the daybed because of the arms on the ends. @lindaler Fingers crossed 🤞 they accept the offer on the house for DS. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, glad the Tigers won. Hope they win tomorrow against the LA team. @aliaschief Safe travels tomorrow and the next day. Enjoy your time in Scotland and on your cruise. We enjoyed touring the royal yacht Britannia, and were surprised it was not very formal, but comfortable in the décor. @rafinmd Roy, I appreciate the mention of DH's neurologist on the care list, but had to laugh when I saw it. I really think he is a good doctor, but as a neurologist he thought his in-office tests pointed out the problem, not realizing they were symptoms of the problem. Still, we believe he dropped the ball by not ordering the scan. I think a neurosurgeon would have considered the brain CAT scan right away. @durangoscots Susan, I'm glad to hear you are over the worse of the fall and that there was no damage to the eye. Glad you got a medical alert device. Thank you @kb4683 Kay, @Cruzin Terri Terri, @StLouisCruisers Sandi, and @Cruising-along Carolyn for sharing your pictures. Lenda