Quartzsite Cruiser

Good afternoon from a warm, 96F, and mostly sunny central Texas. I was out working in the yard by 8:30, and it turned out to be too late to be somewhat comfortable. However, the yard was mowed and trimmed and the weeds were sprayed again. By the time I was finished mowing, I needed to sit a bit with the fan blowing on me and a wet bandana around my neck. I also use a cooling towel when I'm mowing, which helps. As usual, the wind picked up and the clouds started appearing just as I put everything away. After all the rain we had a couple of weeks ago, the grass really grew, but even with watering and no rain last week, I noticed that under the new growth the grass in the back yard was turning brown again. The good thing about Bermuda is once we get rain and it's a bit cooler, the grass will turn green again. Paul, I'm sorry you are not feeling well and have an elevated temperature. I hope the Covid tests continue to be negative. Bruce, I hope the storm does not disrupt your flights Monday. To avoid the Atlanta airport, I'd also consider a detour to Minneapolis. Glad you are having a great weekend with your family. Pennie, I'm glad your incision is looking good. Please go slow as your start moving more. Safe travels tomorrow. Terri, I will echo what everyone has said, and please, please head to higher ground before it's too late. I know that will upset your DH and make him anxious, but it would probably be just as upsetting or worse to be in the storm, flooded without power or water, and no help for a while. At least, please think about it. Annie, I'll also echo the suggestion about finding a place that will provide someone to stay with your DH when you need to run errands. The doctors' offices might have some suggestions. It would probably help you so you could have some time to yourself. While being his pharmacist is difficult, it sounds like tough love is needed so he doesn't overdose again. Thanks for the pictures of Pompeii. HUGS Carolyn, I'm glad your DBIL is home and is at least taking the blood thinners now. I hope he recovers fully, and will think about the speech and physical therapy. Linda, I hope you got the yard work done before it was too hot. Karen, our oldest DD got me to switch from Nestles chocolate chips many years ago because they use vanillin instead of vanilla She told me about Guittard chocolate chips, which are worth paying a bit more. When I can't find them, I will get Ghirardelli chocolate chips which are just about as good. Sharon, your tour in Naples looks very interesting. Thanks for the pictures from Oslo, always a great city for walking. Vanessa, I'm glad doing the maneuver and sleeping on your back helped, and you are doing better today. Roy, thanks for the good news that Paul was back in church today. Sharon, please wish Summer a VERY HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY for us. Great picture of the two of you at Pompeii. Lenda

Hopefully, these are some different pictures of Naples. In 2019, on the Veendam, we were in Naples three times, and the fourth we had to dock in Salerno. The second time we were in Naples, we took the Ho-Ho as we'd never really spent time in Naples. That year, the streets were crowded but not littered with trash. I think in the past 20 years or so, Italy has cleaned up its act so to speak. These pictures are of the area in the next little bay to the left of the Castel Nuovo as you're looking at it from the dock. It is more of a residential area and not as crowded with people, but the buildings are densely packed together.. Of course, I have more pictures from Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Capri that I've never posted. I'll look for them after I finish the yard work, and share some if no one else has added pictures like those I have. Lenda

Good morning from a clear day in central Texas. It is 74F and feels like 74F with 92% humidity and a dew point of 72F. We have a 3mph wind from the ENE that hasn't reached the neighbor's flag yet. Since I'll be out as early as possible to mow and trim, I hope the wind picks up and, humidity will continue to drop as the day warms up. Our predicted high will be 97F. For some reason the grass and especially the crabgrass really grew last week. Clouded leopards deserve a day and our help in keeping them safe. Naturally, as a chocoholic, I'll celebrate chocolate chip day, and white wine deserves a day even though I much prefer red wines. I will happily celebrate the birthday of the U. S. Coast Guard and all who serve or have served. A good quote from Dan Millman. The grilled steak kebabs and spinach salad sound good, especially if I leave out the blue cheese. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds nice if someone is buying. I've lost count on how many times we've been to Naples where we've seen the city and many of the surrounding sites. This day in 1944 was indeed a sad day with the betrayal of Anne Frank and her family. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope your DGD has a wonderful bridal shower today, and I'm sorry you will have to miss it. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad you have pictures of your beloved antiques, and I hope the new owners will love them as much as you did. @Crazy For Cats Jake, thanks for the pictures and the great memories of Sitka. @cat shepard Ann, I hope you get rain but not the wind from the storm. And I hope all the Dailyites in the path of the storm stay safe and damage free. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad the two incidents last night were easily handled, and you were able to get back to sleep. It's amazing how our dogs know when someone needs our help. Thank you for the kind words about my pictures and memes. Since 2020, I'm doing a lot of traveling through our pictures and those others share. Here's to a calm and boring day for your household. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm sorry you are now having cable, internet and phone problems. I hope they can get them fixed tomorrow. Lenda

@MISTER 67 Have a wonderful time on your cruise. Lenda

Debbie, we had a mouse come under the storm door where it doesn't reach the threshold. As soon as it saw the dogs, who were napping, it turned around and went back out. We put a 2x4 under the door to block the "entrance". Lenda

While we got rain this morning, it was not as much as it looked like we'd get from the radar image. In fact, it was enough to wet the grass and driveway, but not enough for the fancy rain gauge to register. It's still cloudy and the hourly forecast showed a chance of rain mid afternoon, but I'm not hopeful. Carolyn, I was sorry to read about your DBIL. I hope he recovers without any side effects, and the tests on his heart show nothing serious. Ann, I'm sorry Pat was not feeling well yesterday, but is better today. I hope he continues to improve and won't need to go to the hospital. I also hope you hear from the cancer clinic soon. Debbie, I hope you get rid of the mice, and the pest guy can find where they are getting inside. Lenda

@ski ww Have a wonderful cruise on the Rotterdam. Lenda

Good morning from a very cloudy and windy central Texas. The weather has changed today's plans for mowing and trimming the grass which has really grown this past week. We are supposed to be getting rain until about 11 am, so the mowing will be done tomorrow. It is 78F and feels like 78F. It was actually pleasant when I went outside a little while ago even with 87% humidity and a dew point of 74F. Our predicted high is 98F, and I bet it will feel muggy after the rain. Even living along the Gulf coast and the Atlantic coast, I've never heard the humidity called obnoxious like Terry @smitty34877 said, but that's a good way to describe it at times and at other times just plain nasty. No hair gloss here since I'm lucky that my hair is shinny and glossy naturally. It's been about a month since we had watermelon because we're still working on the last of the two large cantaloupes I bout a couple of weeks ago. The Coast Guard deserves a day and our gratitude. Two good quotes from Mark Twain, and they are still true. Since we have a smoker, I'll stick to my baby back ribs smoked with a dry rub. We'll pass on the drink, but the merlot would be nice, and the price is really nice. We have not been to Harstad Norway. Today marks the beginning of a well known voyage of discovery when Columbus left Spain with his three ships. A salute to the first theme park in 1946. @MISTER 67 Safe travels to Port Canaveral today, and have a wonderful time on the MSC Seashore beginning tomorrow. @kazu Jacqui, you and your helpers have made a lot of progress this week. Just make sure you take time for you and for Ivan. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I'm glad your sister has her surgery date, but I know I join both of you wishing it was sooner. A rehab facility sounds good for the help she needs. BTW, please come retrieve your crickets. I've seen two or three of them in the house the last few days. 😉 @bdrcole Thank you for the pictures from Harstad. BTW, the R class ships referred to earlier by Roy @rafinmd are four HAL ships, two of which are still in the fleet and two are now part of Fred Olsen fleet. Azamara has the old Renaissance ships which were R1 through R6 I think. That makes things confusing. @marshhawk Annie, I'm glad you got a good night's sleep and I hope Chuck @catmando did too. Please have you hip checked out if it's not significantly better soon. Good luck being pharmacist. While I was typing this, it started raining. I may even be able to turn the sprinkler off for a few days. Lenda

What a great story and a wonderful welcome to Taiwan, Ray. Lenda

Annie, I'm glad Chuck is home, and they figured out what was causing his problems yesterday. I hope your hip is better tomorrow. Take it as easy as possible, and if there is no improvement or it gets worse, please have it looked at. Susan, I knew we needed to invest in a bubble wrap company. 😁 Lenda

Paul, I hope you stay Covid free. Congratulations on booking the cruise, Ray. Lenda

Linda, I hope you are enjoying a relaxing day. I hope you feel like going to the Sea Shanty night. Please wish your DSIL a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY for us. Please wish your DS a VERY HAPPY 52ND BIRTHDAY for us. I understand how your feel. I have trouble believing my "little" girls are in 46 and 48. Elizabeth, thank you for your kind words. I enjoy sharing the pictures, especially since they bring back such wonderful memories. Lenda

Here are a few pictures of Keelung when we got back from Taipei. We walked from the train station to the night market and then back to the ship. Asian night markets are always interesting. The street outside the train station. There were food vendors even before we got to the night market. We can't remember what the lady was making, but IIFC the filling was chocolate or vanilla, but don't hold me to that. A store along the way A big intersection just before the night market area. One of many "restaurants" in the market. We stopped at one and had a coke and fried vegetables, which we thought was safer. We came across this building on a side area of the night market. It is the Dianji Temple, and we went inside. You can find just about everything in the Keelung night market. Keelung from the ship as we sailed to the next port. Lenda

I have a few more pictures of Taipei . mostly. Taipei, is a big, urban city with modern buildings, while Keelung is a more traditional town. These first pictures are our arrival in Keelung. The greeting "committee" The harbor from the dock. At the bottom of Taipei 101, there is a huge, modern mall with many high end stores. The display in the elevator that tracks the progress to the observation deck. DH videoed the display and said it took 37 seconds. The area around Taipei 101including sculptures of sheep. Looking up at Taipei 101 from the ground. It was difficult to get a good picture from that angle. One of the main streets in downtown Taipei as seen from the Ho-Ho. The Chiang Kei-shek Memorial is set in a big area with open spaces and gardens. Even with the city just outside it is a quiet, tranquil place. The area around the train station as we headed back to Keelung Lenda

After the Coral Princess docked in Keelung, we hired a taxi to take us to Taipei in 2018, and were lucky to have a clear day. The views from the Taipei 101 Tower were amazing. When looking at the tower, it looks like it was built upside down. This is a view from the tower. This is the ballast that helps lessen the swaying of the building in high winds. After we left the Taipei 101 Tower, we took the ho-ho. We stopped at the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. There was a big gathering where the children could do different activities and have them checked off on a form. To keep the parents there, at the end of the afternoon, there was a drawing where they gave away ten cars. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. We did not go inside though. The crowds We took the train back to Keelung. From the train station we walked to the night market. We find Chinese night markets very interesting. Lenda

Good sunny morning from central Texas. It is 80F and feels like 89F with 89% humidity since the dew point is 76F. There is a 2mph breeze from the SW, so it won't help much. Our predicted high is 101F, and our low tonight will be 80F at 7 am tomorrow. Starting next Tuesday, we'll have a string of double digit days. I guess summer is back. The only thing on the agenda is laundry and changing sheets. I may make a quick run to the dollar store just down the road. Last night, I watched the former Russian prisoners return to the US. It was a low key event, but still very nice to see. Braham Pie Day sounds good, but I'll wait to bake a pie. Dinosaurs are interesting to study. DH used CAD a lot in his business, and it made his schematics much easier to do than drawing them like he did when he first started licensing his software. An interesting quote by Virginia Woolf. The meal looks good, but I prefer a ribeye, and normally don't put anything on my steaks except seasoning before cooking. We'll pass on the drink, but might try the wine. We were in Keelung in 2018 on Coral Princess. The handover of the government in India from East India Company to the British Crown in 1858 probably didn't change much for the population of India. Interestingly, I found from many sources the first underground railway was the London metro which opened on January 10, 1863, not in 1870. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope Ren doesn't have any problems from having his wisdom teeth removed yesterday. @grapau27 Graham, thank you for the information about CAD. @aliaschief Bruce, I hope your flights today are smooth and on time. Enjoy your weekend. @cruising sister Welcome home, Lorraine. I'm glad your visit to Minnesota was fun, especially for the DGC. Wishing your friend a speedy recovery from her surgery. I've learned the past two years to dress warmly for hospital waiting rooms and rooms. @superoma Eva, thanks for the information about Braham Pie Day. @dfish Debbie, enjoy the Fish Sandwich Festival today. @Heartgrove Jack sounds like an interesting way to get to Australia. @kazu Jacqui, I hope your friend has a smooth recovery after his surgery yesterday. It's too bad they could not do a bypass on the artery and save his foot. @mamaofami Carol, I'm sorry your tested positive for Covid and are battling fatigue. I hope you feel better soon. @marshhawk Annie, I hope today is a much better day. The people in the restaurant make up for a lot of the unthinking jerks in this world. You are also one of those people who go out of their way to help others. @Nickelpenny Pennie, the problem with applying gift cards to cruise fares is not new. We had the same problem when we used two gift cards for our 2025 cruise. DH called our PCC, and she was able to get the cards applied. Lenda

Annie, I hope you can get a good night's sleep. Chuck is in good hands. I hope by tomorrow, they will have a better idea what is going on, and have a plan to go forward. HUGS! We might have the same sense of humor as I loved what you posted and also laughed. Lenda

Tony, good luck getting the new computer set up. Elizabeth, it seems like your boss is treating you like an hourly employee not salaried. Maureen, thanks for the update. I hope things have improved a lot by November. Paul, I'm glad the conference went well and you are home safely. Lenda

Gerry, thanks for letting us know what is happening with Annie and Chuck. My heart goes out to them. With all they have been through, they don't need this. Sending positive thoughts to them and Chuck's care team. Lenda

In April 2001, we were on Ryndam from Valparaiso to Ft. Lauderdale when we stopped in Arica. Our tour took us to Lake Chungara in the Lucca National Park. We stopped on the way up to help acclimate to the elevation since we were coming from sea level. Lake Chungara is the highest lake in Chile at 14,820 feet or 4,517 meters. HAL was very careful on the tour, and took as many precautions as possible to deal with any problems at that high altitude. Each bus in the convoy had two or more oxygen tanks on board with someone from Medical or someone who knew how to administer the oxygen. There was also an ambulance with us in case someone had a severe case of altitude sickness. IIRC, no one needed the ambulance, but there were some who needed oxygen. The guides and people from the ship were always telling us to slow down when we were off the bus. I'm glad we were still in our mid-50s that day. Please keep in mind that these pictures are 23 years old, and were scanned into the computer. I worked on them to make them the best they could be. Some of the country outside of Arica as we headed up into the Andes. Irrigation can really transform a desert. My notes say that this an ancient fortification and a national monument. A small store that is selling Inca Cola which is actually a drink from Peru that has lemon verbena as the main ingredient. We did not get to try it. We were getting closer to the Andes. Looking down on the town of Putre, Chile. The view from the bus as we climbed. Finally, Lake Chungara A high mountain field with llamas grazing. On the way back to Arica, we made a brief stop in Putre, and I got a few pictures of the cemetery. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot, about 92F now, and windy central Texas. The house is clean, and I'm waiting for the first dryer load to finish while the second load of towels are washing. At least, the internet is working on the computer again. Joy, I hope all goes well for Bonnie today with both the surgeon and plastic surgeon. I hope they will be able to both surgeries at the same time, and the date isn't that far off. Thank you for the pictures from your day in Arica. You visited an area we did not see. Pennie, I'm glad the removal of the stitches was not as bad as you expected. Pete, thanks for the pictures. I doubt the socks Henk was wearing were regulation ones for the uniform. Debbie, I'd check the offers now, and try to see how they stack up to offers while on board. Carolyn, I'm glad everyone had a good time last night. I've never canned, but when we lived in Pennsylvania, I'd blanch and freeze green beans, and corn we bought by the crate. I'd also fix yellow squash and freeze a lot of it to use throughout the winter. I found my pictures from our Day in Arica, and will scan some of them into the the computer. Lenda

RABBIT RABBIT WHITE RABBIT! Good morning from central Texas where it is 73F abd feels like 73F. Our predicated high is 96F, but I'll be inside cleaning h9use today. Thisnwill be quick since I need to get to work, and because we are having internet problems. I have internet on the phone and tablet, but not on the computer. Three interesting days, plus Emancipation Day in Canada. I'm not sure about the quote. Like others, the soup will wait until until much cooler weather. We'll pass on the drink, but I would try the wine if it isn't too sweet or dry. We were in Arica on Ryndam in 2001, but the picturesnare not digital. The discovery of oxygen was huge. I remember MTV. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, if you had trip insurance, that might be an option for getting a refund. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm glad you have your computecomputer back. @grapau27 Graham, thanks for the explanation. @aliaschief Bruce, safe travels tomorrow, and enjoy your weekend with family. @marshhawk Annie, I hope you can get all the appointments and contacts with doctors straightened out. @dfish Debbie, good news about no leg pain. @RMLincoln Maureen, I hope your DH has a good visit with the eye doctor. @smitty34877 Terry, best wishes for a boring day today. Lenda

Sandi, you could have a lot of time to work on the stocking while Ren is in school and at practice. Just remember it will still be hot in Texas in August. Oth the girls' quilts are wonderful. What a generous gesture to give the quilt to Project Linus so a little girl who doesn't have a quilt will het one. Debbie, all the cruise ideas sound good. Lenda

Debbie, I hope the pain goes away with time and more movement. I'm glad you can still waking up without pain. I had forgotten another unusual instrument that younger DD gave DH for Christmas one year. It's a mini Kalimba Gourd Wood 8 key thumb piano. We saw time on our African cruise in 2009, and I learned they are essential part of life in Burkina Faso. The leather strap goes around the neck and as the name implies, it is played with the thumbs. Lenda

Good morning again from central Texas. I'm back from my haircut, what a difference, not only in the hair looking less shaggy, but in what a haircut can do for the morale. Even with my very short hair style, there was a good size pile of hair on the floor after she finished. While it was pretty warm and sunny, it was still a good day to have the top on the Smart open. Your DGD is lovely, and the quilt top looks good. I like the colors and pattern. Annie, I love the quote and the t-shirt. Gerry, our condolences to you, and your DH on the passing of his friend. Also, our condolences to your friend's family and other friends. Thanks for the pictures of one of my favorite places in Iceland. I hope you indulged in some of the great pastries at the bakery. Charlene, thanks for the pictures of Vigor Island. Vanessa, I'm glad the maneuver and keeping your head elevated last night helped and you were feeling better today. I hope the new RA medicine works, and does not have all the side effects of the old one. Pennie, I hope your incision is healed and the stitches can come out today. Debbie, I'm glad the gym helped with the leg pain. Could it be from being able to do more since the ablation, and the leg getting used to more movement? Carolyn, have fun with the DGS today. Lenda