Quartzsite Cruiser

On June 11, 2005, the Pacific Princess docked in Rabaul located on New Britain Island, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Until the 1994 eruption of the two volcanos which buried the town, it was the capital of New Britain Island. Since 1994, Vulcan has been quiet, but Tavurvur has been active. In 2005, Tavurvur was sending out ash, which covered the streets and the ship. After the 1994 eruption, the ash was about 15 feet deep in places, and they plowed a path through the ash to open the coast road, leaving high walls of ash on either side. In WWII, New Britain Island was never retaken from the Japanese. Instead, the US captured the islands that ringed NB, and opened airfields and Navy bases on the island. This resulted in cutting the Japanese supply line to NB and ending any Japanese military activity. As I said earlier, I have a lot of pictures from Rabaul and our tour of the island, and I'll divide the pictures into two posts. These pictures are of the town from the ship, and the dancers that greeted our arrival. A couple of streets in town. Note all the ash on the roads and on the dock in the previous pictures. The ash was from the activity from Tavurvur. The first stop on our tour was one of the barge tunnels. The Japanese would drag the barges into the tunnels for protection when they were not in use. The barges were dragged along rails by Indian slaves. The first picture is one of the tunnels which we saw as we sailed that afternoon. The tunnel entrance One of the tour guides and the remains of a barge The tour will continue in the next post. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas. I think I'm beginning to sound like a broken record again with the cloudy skies. It is already 76F with 92% humidity and a dew point of 73F. Our predicted high is 89F with 10+mph winds. Our rains will return tomorrow night and also Thursday and Friday nights. I'm glad I got the yard work, plus the house and driveway washing finished this weekend. Not much on today's agenda except catching up on some things on the computer. I'll probably get doughnuts for breakfast since they are softer and easier to chew than my cereal or toast. At least, that's a good excuse. If and when the prescriptions from the dentist's office are ready, I'll head to W-M to pick them up. I got about 8 hours sleep last night thanks to the pain med that makes you sleepy, but it wore off about 4:30. I took some ibuprofen in the larger dose the dentist recommended and got another 2 1/2 hours sleep. Right now, I am still not hurting and have just a bit of swelling, so it will be the ice pack again today for the swelling. It was recommended that I sleep with my head elevated above my heart to help keep the swelling to a minimum, and I managed to sleep with two pillows. Two of the days will be honored, but not the first one. That is something that should not be predicted. Patches are very useful. I hope the working conditions for the tea workers are humane now. The quote is interesting and one we could aspire to achieve. The meal sounds good, but today I think I'll finish the mac and cheese and jello from last night to play it safe. We'll pass on the drink and the wine. We visited Rabaul in 2005 as part of the Pacific Princess Islands of the Pacific Theater cruise. I have a lot of pictures to share as we had a very interesting day on the island. Amelia Earhart's 1932 trans-Atlantic solo flight marked a great day in aviation and women's history. @MISTER 67 Congratulations on a great day yesterday in spite of your knees. @grapau27 Graham, thank you for the great explanations of all the days. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope you get over your cold soon. Thanks for the pictures from Rabaul. @JazzyV Vanessa, best wishes for a successful surgery for BFF today. @ger_77 Gerry, I hope your DH is well enough for his surgery today, and that it is successful, with a quick recovery. @Heartgrove Jack, I'm glad Sam is showing no ill effects from his fall, and I bet since it's getting warmer, he is glad to get rid of his winter coat. Congratulations on booking the winter cruise. @ottahand7 Nancy, glad you are just about settled in for the summer. @1ANGELCAT Such a sad story about the Singapore airline flight and the one killed and so many injured. @smitty34877 Terry, I hope the teenager and his girlfriend have a great time at her prom. @kazuJacqui, I hope you get some answers at the appointment today, and that the drive is not too difficult. @Haljo1935 Elizabeth, I hope your appointment with the surgeon goes well today. Lenda

Good afternoon. I survived the dentist visit, but have been taking it easy since I got home. I've said before, I really like my dentist, and I'm so glad he does implants and I don't have to go to Waco. Originally he planned to pull the two teeth and put in the bone graft material. After he administered the three shots of anesthetic, he asked if I wanted the implants done too if there was enough healthy bone. Naturally, I said yes. He checked the x-rays from my last visit, and found he could do the implants too. That will save one visit. The dentist is good and fast. Once he started, it was less than 30 minutes before the teeth were out, the bone graft material and the implants were in, and he'd finished with the stitches. I go back in a week for them to check the incision site, but otherwise, that's it until late August. I'm still bleeding, probably a bit more that I should be, but I think I did something to dislodge the clot. I also learned something new. If the dental gauze does not stop the bleeding, moisten a tea bag and put it on the wound. The tannins in the tea help promote clotting. It was interesting since the only tea bags I have family size. I know I have a big mouth, but it's not that big. Right now, I'm not keeping anything in my mouth and seeing how that goes. I think the bleeding is slowing down. I'm still partially numb which makes drinking fun. I almost need a bib. I'm just glad the worst is behind me. The Dental tech showed me the extracted teeth, but I told her they could keep them. I doubt the tooth fairy would visit me at my age anyway. Lenda

Susan, I'm glad you got home safely and that the dogs were glad to see you. Gerry, I can't believe someone wanted off the plane at the last minute, and caused a 1 1/2 hour delay. It's nice of Wayne and Fran are bringing you dinner tonight. Thanks for the good wishes for this afternoon. Thanks for the pictures of today's port. Thanks for the good wishes. As of right now, I don't go back for the next appointment until late August. When I had the first implant 20 years ago, they used dissolving stitches. Vanessa, thanks for the good wishes today. When DH had his back surgeries and shunt placement, I took pictures of the incisions as they healed. I hope your stomach feels better, and I also hope BFF's surgery goes well tomorrow, and he can begin healing. I don't envy you the 5am arrival time. I'm glad you are staying with him for a while. Lenda

HAPPY VICTORIA DAY to all our Canadian Dailyites. Good morning from a sunny central Texas. It is 72F with a predicted high of 88F and 10 to 15mph winds today. Unfortunately, I'll be spending part of the afternoon at the dentist office getting two teeth pulled and starting the implant process. I already have one implant, so I know what to expect. This morning, I'll be making some Jello and chocolate pudding for tonight. Two of the days today are not ones I really want to celebrate or honor, so I'll celebrate Eliza Doolittle Day. I am one that likes the Albert Camus quote. The spring salad could be good, but not today. We'll pass on the drink and the wine. We have not been to Miyako. The 1927 flight by Charles Lindbergh helped prove the value of airplanes. @superoma Eva, I hope you feel better and get rid of that cough soon. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, the cakes look yummy. Thanks for the pictures. @0106 Tina, thanks for the explanation of draw a picture of Mohammed. @grapau27 Graham, thanks for the explanation of Eliza Doolittle Day. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm happy your helpers made a big difference in the work load this weekend. @kazu Jacqui, I hope your yard work can be accomplished without too much pain from you foot. @ottahand7 Nancy, I'm glad you and John arrived at the cabin safely yesterday. I was sad to read about your iris bed being decimated. @Heartgrove Jack, I'm sorry Sam fell down the stairs. @aliaschief I hope your back is better soon, Bruce. Lenda

Sharon, thanks for sharing the great picture of your lovely family. Lenda

Good afternoon. It is sunny but with a thin cloud layer. The driveway is clean, and it only took about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, That's a lot better than last year that took three days because it had been too long between cleanings. Since our driveway slopes, it too at least two passes to get the dirt up the slope and in the street. I need to run a few errands, and then I plan to take it easy the rest of the day. Congratulations to your nephew Nick on his graduation from Notre Dame. Gerry, I hope all your TLC pays off and your DH can have his much needed surgery Tuesday. Sharon, what a great way to celebrate birthdays and Mother's Day. Enjoy your pizza and family. Pennie, I'm glad your recovery is going so well after a rough start. Please be careful and don't over do. Yikes 😱 on someone invading your private space and stealing from you. I hope the lock and the light will be a good deterrent for the future. You might want to mention the invasion to the management of your apartment. I'm sorry your anniversary dinner was not what you expected. Glad you have a great cruise to look forward to later this summer. Vanessa, I guess I'm lucky that I'm still able to do a lot of things. Often, it's because I don't like to pay someone to do what I am capable of doing. Also, as far as the yard, I haven't found anyone who will do it the way I want it done. When we're not here we do pay a neighbor to mow and trim. Debbie, I hope you can figure a way to get the water exercises you need, even if it means paying to join another gym. In all honesty, it took me a couple of looks to catch onto the meme. Lenda

Good morning from central Texas. It is a cloudy start to the day, but the sun will make an appearance shortly. It is 74F with a predicted high of 89F. There is a slight breeze, but the wind will increase to 10+mph this afternoon. The plan to to pressure wash the driveway today. Last year, the concrete was so dirty, it took three days to clean. It doesn't look too bad this year, and I'm hoping it will all get done today. All the rain this spring seems to have washed a lot of the dirt into the port, that will wait for another day. The Boys and Girls clubs do a lot for children, especially in the inter cities. I won't be getting tested for hepatitis today. I'd not heard of May Ray Day before this morning. I found the Jay Leno quote amusing. When I fix salmon it is with a teriyaki glaze, but I don't think I'll turn it into a salad. We'll pass on the drink, but the merlot sounds nice. We have not been to the Conflict Islands. The 1649 unification of the three colonies was a big step forward in the early history of the US. @grapau27 Graham, thank you for letting us know about May Ray Day. @1ANGELCAT I hope your friend can adjust to the changes she is facing, and will accept moving near her son. As we grow older, it is difficult to accept some of the changes in our bodies and the other changes that come with them. @Heartgrove Jack, thank you for letting us know that Sam did well while you were on your cruise. I hope he continues to do well, and you can take your fall cruise. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm sorry you were feeling so ill this week. I hope the "bug" is behind you and you are recovering nicely. Lenda

Good news! Lenda

It's been a long day, but I got a lot done. All the house has been power washed, except for the part in the port, along with the patio and sidewalk. This is the fastest I've ever gotten the house washed. It helped that I washed it last year, but all the rain we've gotten this spring helped too. We ordered an extension hose for the pressure washer a few years ago, and unlike last year, I remembered to use it. That saved a lot of time by not having to move the washer often. Also, the extra hose length did not reduce the pressure. Depending on how I feel tomottow, I may wash the driveway. The rest of the house and the port will have to wait for ia week or two. @Copper10-8 I loved the mems, John. @dfish All the hard work paid off, Debbie. The deck and pavers look good, and the furniture looks so comfortable. Lenda

Good afternoon. The yard is done, and I'm sitting outside cooling down. If I have the energy later, I may start power washing the house. Between all the rain and the fact I washed it last year, it doesn't look too bad. However, with all the rain, there are green spots on the north side I want to get them before they get bigger. While I was mowing, a large butterfly flew just in front of me. It looked like a Monarch, but because of the size, it could have been the one that mimics a Monarch. It was still pretty, and I haven't seen one here in years. Another sign of spring were the three fire ant mounts I found. They were promptly treated, and I avoided getting bitten. Carol, congratulations to Jeremy on his greaduation. I remember when he started school there. Debbie, I hope the second chair is easier to put together. Welcome back. Pennie, I'm glad your recovery is going well. I agree large tongs work well to pickup and reach things. I used mine until DH got the grabber. Now, I think I use it more than DH. Lenda

The Houston and east Texas areas were slammed hard by the storms. Most of our regular Texas Dailyites live along the I-35 corridor between Austin and the DFW Metroplex. There was heavy rain in that area, but high wind and devastating storms, so there was not as much damage or flooding. We lived north of Houston for 14 years, and had flooding in Houston and between us and Conroe after heavy and/or prolonged rains. One neighborhood along the San Jacinto River flooded so often, the Federal government quit offering flood insurance to the area. They were paying out big bucks to the area every year or two. Thanks for the great pictures. Graham, thanks for adding me in your comments about the pictures. Sharing them with the Dailyites brings back good memories. Gerry, I hope your DH is well enough for the surgery. Keep up the good nursing. Eva, I hope you feel better soon. Lenda

We were in Rarotonga on Tahitian Princess in 2004. We took the bus around the island. These pictures are from our bus ride. We spent some time on the far side of the island at a beach. Back in town, we walked around and made a big purchase of a Styrofoam cooler for our cabin, which our wonderful steward keep filled. Lenda

@Norseh2o Katherine and Bob, I hope your anniversary is wonderful today, and is followed by many more happy years. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas. It is 70F with 98% humidity and a dew point of 68F. There is an 8mph wind. Looking at the hourly forecast, the sun will make an appearance about 11am, and we'll have a high of 89F this afternoon. It looks like summer is approaching since we'll be in the upper 80s to lower 90s the next two weeks. The main item on the agenda today is mowing the grass, which I hope to do a bit earlier today before it gets too hot. This afternoon we'll watch the Preakness. HIV vaccine awareness is a good day to honor, and I hope they develop a good vaccine to prevent HIV soon. Someone can have my Reeses since I do not like peanut butter. We are not big museum people, but there are some good museums that we've visited. Joan Rivers had a funny, dry sense of humor. I like asparagus, but will pass on the meal, along with the drink. I would like to try the wine. We were in Rarotonga in 2004, and we enjoyed our day there. Grauman's Chinese Theater (now Mann's) has been a Hollywood landmark since it opened in 1927. @grapau27 Graham, what a beautiful poppy. Thank you for the information about HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. @MISTER 67 Welcome home. @Niagarawine Welcome home. @kazu Jacqui, I hope no news from the doctor is good news. I also hope your foot is better when you drive to see the vascular surgeon. @dfish Debbie, I hope you figure out how to get the furniture put together. We've had the same problem on some or our outdoor furniture. It's aggravating. Lenda

Nancy, there is a way to delete a quoted post that you did not mean to quote. It's easy to do on the computer and a little more difficult on my tablet. On the computer, just move the cursor where it just above the upper left hand corner of the post. A box with four arrows will appear. With the cursor on the box, use the delete button. On my tablet, I highlight the box with my finger and use the delete button on the tablet's built in keyboard. Sometimes, if the cursor is not quite in the right place, it will take a try or two to delete the post. I hope this helps. Lenda

Pennie, I'm glad you were well enough to go home yesterday. I hope your recovery is quick and smooth from this point on. DH found the shower chair useful after his back surgeries. It is now a catch all in the closet. Lenda

It's turned into a nice, sunny morning, and it's now 74F. There is a north wind, so it should not be too hot outside. I'll be going out in a bit to do what I'd planned to do yesterday, and maybe see what other things I can take care of today. Carolyn, I'm glad you like the memes. I try not to post ones that have been posted before. A couple of times, I forgot to change them, and posted some two days in a row. When I post them or when someone posts one I haven't used, I transfer them to a separate file to try to keep from reusing them. Karen, enjoy your afternoon with the family. Karen, it's sweet of you to send cards to your former students when they graduate. I think the lack of a thank you is a sign of the times. Our DDs were taught to send thank you notes, but I don't know how well the lesson took. I'm glad you got good news at the vet today. Thanks for letting us know there was not much damage from the storm yesterday, Elizabeth. I hope your "pond" in the backyard dries up this time. Lenda

Graham, I know it was not an easy decision to sell your golf clubs. I hope the new owners get as much pleasure from them as you did. Oh no, Gerry. I hope your DH is much better soon, and that this does not affect the surgery. Thanks for checking in. I'm glad there was not much damage. Lenda

Good morning from a partly cloudy central Texas. It is 63F with a predicted high of 81F. There is a 4mph breeze, and the humidity is 97% with a dew point of 62F. The humidity will drop as the day warms up. We were lucky yesterday to just get rain, lots of rain, but no damaging winds or hail here. By the time the rain ended, we received just over an inch of rain. I hope Joy @Seasick Sailor, Lambie @LambKnuckles, and Elizabeth @Haljo1935did not have any damage either. Houston was not so lucky with four people being killed due to the weather. The wind was so strong windows in tall buildings were blown. Houston was built on a swamp, so there was the usual flooding, too. The history of the graduation tassels is interesting, and thank you, Graham @grapau27 for sharing the information about the tassels. Someone can have my walnuts, since they interfere with my thyroid medicine. Pinot Griglio is all right when I can't find my Riesling. The Sylvia Plath quote fits me perfectly. I probably won't be able to read all the books I have and all the books on my Kindle. Maybe I could if I did nothing else. The blueberry almond tart looks interesting, and I like the look of the second one. I also have a very good lemon blueberry pound cake recipe, which is good in the summer. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds nice and the price is great. We have not been to Surabaya. An interesting day in early Florida history. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad your DS and grandson will be there this weekend to help you. I hope your granddaughter's team wins this weekend. I'm sorry it was such a long week. HUGS to you, Tana, the teenager, and the rest of the family. @dfish Debbie, instructions with no words is a pet peeve of mine, along with those where the print is too small to read the words. Good luck putting everything together. @cunnorl Charlene, staying home this weekend sounds like a good idea with all that is going on in your area. @puppycanducruise HAPPY VICTORIA DAY weekend, Melanie. I hope the weather cooperates. We got an email at 7:03 this morning that we had an appointment at 8 to have the windshield replaced in their shop, but please be there ten minutes early. The shop is at least an hour drive away, plus we were not up or dressed, and would need to move cars around. At 7:09 they called and said the new windshield was cracked and they needed to reschedule the appointment. At that time, we had not seen the email. Again, I asked for a 10am or even better an 11 am appointment. Lenda

John, our condolences on Stiv crossing the rainbow bridge. He was a very handsome cat. It's never easy losing our fur babies. Lenda

Today has been a good day to stay inside. It's rained almost continuously, and very hard at times. Both rain gauges are reading 1 inch, and water is standing in the yard in many places. We've also had lightning, thunder and winds. Our temperature has dropped to 67F. Driving back from Fort Worth the other day, we commented on how green everything is. However, by July and August, most everything will be brown. It's nice not to have to water, but I know other areas need the rain more than we do. This weeks edition of our weekly newspaper showed that the water level in our lake was 541 feet. Normal is 533 feet, which means most the state park and most of the Corps of Engineers parks are closed or have areas closed. Most of the boat ramps are closed, and in some parks the day use areas and part of the campgrounds are closed, while some of the parks are completely closed. This is what happens when we get a lot of rain, since our lake is a flood control lake. Lenda

Susan, safe travels to Farmington, and enjoy the dog show. I also laughed about the dogs bouncing into their kennel. We were lucky that our DDs would keep our dogs when we traveled, and the dogs were very happy. When our older DD and DSIL had to travel, they boarded their dog and our dog at their vets. The dogs were in the same kennel, and were very pampered. Lenda

Before I could get out in the port to move some big boxes around, the rain came shortly after 10am. Right now, we are in a lull between areas of heavy rain. Both rain gauges seem to agree we received more than 1/2 inch, and it was really coming down along with a strong north wind. I could see the rain hitting the port way under the roof. I just looked and the grass seed I put down in some bare spots was still there, and did not wash away. Roy, I'm sorry you hurt your hand, but glad you got the bleeding under control. Elizabeth, I hope the eye procedure goes well, and I hope you do not have much trouble getting there and home with all this rain. Gerry, please be careful on the ladder. I hope your DH will be holding the ladder while you are on it. Vanessa, I'm glad you are taking today easy, after the busy last few days. It's good news your leg is not hurting, and there is very little numbness. Carolyn, please wish your grandson a 🎈 VERY HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY 🎈 for us. Karen, that is good news you are walking better and that the leg feels better. I guess you won't be able to stop people from commenting, but you could just smile and say "thank you, but what I am doing is working as I'm walking better and the leg feels better". Lenda

Once we left the DMZ, we headed to Inchon for a Korean barbecue lunch. After lunch, we stopped at a market in Inchon where we had free time to wander around. The restaurant where we had a very good meal. The market and the area around the market. The first picture is a grocery store near the market. Some of the food and goods offered in the market. The area behind the market The street in front of the market Another area of Inchon from the bus Lenda