Quartzsite Cruiser

Except for the wind, today turned out to be a pretty day. The sun came out about the time we headed to Waco, and more about that in a minute. It was so nice, that on the way home, we put the top down on the convertible. As far as the wine run, it could best be described as hit or miss. DH was looking for a particular type of wine, and he called the store to see if they had a good selection. He was told they have a whole section of that particular type. The whole section turned out to be less than two feet of a top shelf, with about four varieties of one brand and one variety of another brand. We managed to pick up about 8 bottles. We agreed that it was not a whole section though. However, we enjoyed a nice drive through some very beautiful green countryside with a lot of wildflowers, so the trip was not a total loss. Rich, there is no need to be embarrassed. With all the ships, I would probably have more than one in the wrong place at times, and especially when on a cruise. We appreciate all the work you do for the Fleet Report/Daily. I can't imagine all that is entailed in finding the itineraries and then keeping up with them and any changes that are made. I am sorry your sister is battling cancer and is so far away. @marshhawk Annie, I hope the driveway was repaired today. Best wishes for DH's PET scan Monday. I hope the results do not show any surprises. Lenda

It's still very windy, but there is some sun. We're heading to Waco for a wine run. Thank you, Graham. Vanessa, I'm glad you got more sleep last night. Have you considered taking Benadryl on other night? Great pictures of Aruba. Lenda

We have been to Aruba many times. The first time was in 1991, on the Carnival Tropicale at spring break with our 13 and 14-year old DDs. This was at a time when you could book a cabin when you were 18, so it was a wild cruise. One group of college kids were thrown off the ship in St. Thomas, less than 24 hours after sailing from San Juan. Just after that cruise, Carnival changed the rules that if you were under 21 there had to be someone 25+ in the cabin. Most of our pictures are the old fashion ones that are in photo albums. However, I do have some to share. We always rent a car in Aruba, so we have a lot of pictures outside Oranjestad. Some of the pictures were taken in January 2020, on our cruise on the Rotterdam, which turned out to be our last cruise for a while and the last time on the Rotterdam. The first two pictures were taken in San Nicolas at the south end of the island, near the refinery. Built in 1924, at one time it was the largest refinery complex in the world. It was shut down in 1985. As of January 2020, the facility was a transfer and storage facility. Charlie's Bar is a well known watering hole in San Nicolas. Unfortunately, we are always in San Nicolas before the bar opens. This is Baby Beach on the far south end of the island. These pictures are from the eastern side of the island. A little bar we found on the eastern side where we stopped for a coke. This is Baby Arch. The original natural bridge collapsed sometime after our first visit in 1991. Behind Baby Arch, you can make out the gap where the natural bridge fell. Just a couple of pictures of Oranjestad. The last was taken from the ship as we sailed. Lenda

Good morning from a very cloudy central Texas. It is 59F and heading to a high of 81F with winds up to 20 mph. It looks like the clouds will stick around through Monday. Sometime, I will need to mow the grass which is growing like weeds. Oh, that's right, there are still a lot of weeds in the yard, and it's been too windy to spray the weed killer. I'm not exactly sure what is on the agenda today, but there are a lot of things that need doing. Since we don't eat lunch, it would be hard to make it count. Instead, I'll honor the Borinqueneers for their service in Korea and beyond. I haven't played scrabble in many years. It's hard to beat younger DD's SO who majored in ancient Greek and also studied and taught Latin, since he knows many two and three letter words. My mother was good at scrabble as she did crosswords daily. I still have her scrabble set. I like the quote, but I think very few will be able to say it like Lillie Langtry. There is a roundabout connection between Lillie Langtry and Judge Roy Bean, the Law West of the Pecos. He had a picture of her behind the bar in his saloon the Jersey Lillie, and claimed that someday she'd visit the town of Langtry and sing in his opera house. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. The wine sounds nice, but it is a bit pricey. We have been to Aruba several times beginning in 1991. This day in 1742 was good day for music and Dublin. @aliaschief Bruce, enjoy Agra, but be careful when opening bottled water. If there is plastic wrap around the cap, make sure the cap seal has not been broken. Sometimes, they refill the water bottles, and that is not good. @grapau27 Graham, thank you for the information about the Borinqueneers. @ORTravelGal Welcome to the Daily. We hope you join us again. Bon Voyage, and have a great time on Rotterdam. @puppycanducruise Melanie, our condolences on the loss of your friend at such a young age and from such a horrible disease. @ocean sounds Welcome home. @SusieKIslandGirl Welcome home. @Heartgrove Welcome home Sue and your sister. @0106 Tina, thanks for the information on Lillie Langtry. @smitty34877 Terry, that was nice of the production to stop filming so the hospice nurse could make it to your house, and for the policeman to watch her car. I'm glad she thought Tana look a little better. Working for a production company would be an interesting summer job for the teenager. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad the foot nurse specialist visit went well and she was able to help you. @Haljo1935 I saw the story about the shooting at Wilmer-Hutchins high school. I'm glad no one was killed, but something needs to be done to stop these shootings. I hope your yard guy can get to the yard today. Lenda

@AncientWanderer Maxine, I hope you have a wonderful cruise. Lenda

@atexsix Bruno, our condolences to you on the passing of Dear Dad. Lenda

Maureen, i know it was a trying and emotional day, but you were where you needed to be to help your family. You gave them peace of mind knowing your DSIL was not alone while they faced the difficult task of making the final arrangements for her. I'm glad your DH was able to drive now that his sight is better, and I'm sending positive thoughts that his next surgery will be equally successful. Eva, there is nothing to forgive. That's the great thing about the Daily. We can share our experiences and hopefully help others with a similar problem. I'm happy you were able to figure out a way to sto0 your persistent cough. Thanks for the advice, Bruce. We've had the extra pages added to our passports for quite sometime. For many years, you could send your passport in to have pages added, but now they must be added when the passport is renewed. Lenda

Good evening. Our clear skies gave way to clouds a couple of hours ago. It is now safe for me to mow the yard as the came to bury the fiber optic cable this afternoon. They had a trencher, but they opted to do it by hand tools. With our hard soil and rocky ground they were lucky we'd had a lot of rain thos week. Terri, our condolences io the loss of your friend Anita. It's hard enough to lose a friend, but to not be able to find where she was or how she was doing, makes it even harder. I'm sorry you had to find out through her obituary. Sandi, I don't know whether to be relieved or sorry the ENT didn't find any thing. It might not hurt to see a pulmonologist. Vanessa, I hope you are not still feeling defeated about not being able to do much at one time. It's understandable with your pain, but you are doing more than most of us would be doing under the same circumstances. I truly hope the surgery solves all your problems. Lenda

Annie, thank you for the pictures and the story about the Papantla flyers. We've seen a similar group in Puerto Vallarta, but never knew the back ground. Welcome to the Daily. Most of us were new at one time, so please feel free to join us anytime. Everyone who has become a Dailyite has something to contribute. BTW, we are in central Texas too. I'm glad the new job is going well. It's nice when you feel like you're earning your pay. Lenda

Good afternoon. We managed to get our errands done, but with our slow dryer, the laundry is still an ongoing process. However, until we can move the dryer vent to a location where we can have more airflow, we'll have to live with a slow dryer. Whoever was the genius that rain PVC through the foundation to vent it to the outside, must never have used a dryer. The run is too long, and instead of 4 inch PVC they used about 3 or 2 inch PVC. Even with a booster fan in the hose from the dryer to the vent opening in the wall, it still takes a long time to dry anything except the sheets. That makes for a long day and more smaller loads. Brenda, we enjoyed going into the convenience stores in Japan. DH even found a good sake in a "milk" carton to take back on the ship. We also found Coca Cola with added fiber in a vending machine. To get around the language problem, DH used a translate app on his phone, and it worked. I don't think many Japanese had seen the app, and they liked it and were amazed. Susan, I hope you get your land legs soon. Good news on the taxes being accepted. Vanessa, good news on getting a bit more sleep, but on-ho on the leg pain keeping you awake too. Congratulations on the booked cruise on Koningsdam. Lenda

We have been to Cozumel many times, both as trips to the island and on cruises, but not a BHB. Our last time there was in 2002 on Rhapsody OTS with DH's brother and DSIL. That day we did a snorkeling tour and never went into town. These are the two pictures I posted on December 10, 2022. They were taken from the catamaran of the shore line. It's a great place to go snorkeling. Lenda

Good morning from a clear but cool central Texas. It is 50F heading to 79F this afternoon, with sunny skies and 10 to 14 mph winds. It's one of those days that I can start out in shorts, and be cool or put on jeans and change into shorts later. Such a first world problem. It is also laundry day with a trip to the bank, and maybe to drop off the car to get the brake lights working again after the shop forgot to reconnect them after working on the brakes last year. Wow, that was a big wind on Mt. Washington at 231 mph. International human space flight is challenging. Street children need more than one day to bring awareness to the world. The quote is a good one, but probably not always easy to follow. We'll skip the meal and the drink today. The wine might be worth trying. Living in Texas, we have been to Cozumel several times, with all but one being in the pre-digital age. The US was shocked in 1961 when Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the earth. @aliaschief Thanks for the great pictures from your tour, Bruce. The dinner looks interesting. @seagarsmoker Thanks for the pictures of Cozumel. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope you get some answers and a solution to your cough today. @grapau27 Graham, thank you for the explanation of Big Wind Day. Thanks for your pictures of Cozumel. @kazu Jacqui, I hope the foot nurse specialist can help you. @Heartgrove Jack, I'm glad Sue and her sister made it to Cozumel. @AncientWanderer Maxine, we enjoyed our day in Yokohama when it was an unexpected port due to needing to take on fuel. I'm glad you enjoyed the city too. Did you make it to Chinatown? Lenda

The fiber optic internet is up and running. However, the cable is still lying on the ground. A contractor will show up sometime to bury the cable. Since it's outside work by an outside contractor, we won't be given any notification. The fiber optic speed is very fast. Dixie, I'm sorry the golf cart did not survive. I bet the insurance company's suitable amount is lower than your suitable amount. I hope you can agree on a reasonable amount. I hope the condo sells quickly and for a good price. Maine sounds like a good place for you with family there, and plenty of nature. Carolyn, I'm glad the luggage arrived safely, and more importantly, that the wine arrived without any damage. Maureen, I'm sorry your DB and niece had to make such a tough decision. I hope your DSIL can be kept comfortable in her final days, amd that her family can find peace and comfort. That is good news that your DH got a good report from his oncologist. With his eye surgery less than two weeks away, I hope there are no glitches to delay it. The anniversary trip to Cape Codmsounds nice. Lenda

Good afternoon from a beautiful but windy day in central Texas. It is about 75F, and I finally was able to put shorts and sandal back on. Our visit with the dermatologist went well, but both of us still had a few places frozen. If he sees something suspicious, he likes to freeze them early which stops any progression to cancer. He said we were both in better shape this year, and I think it's because he's frozen or excised almost all problem areas. This time we can wait until next year for another visit. After the visit, we stopped at W-M and picked up all but one thing on my list, plus several other items. When we got home I took two cars up to be inspected. One passed, but the other one didn't. We even though we checked the lights, we missed that the brake lights and back up lights didn't work. We spent quiet a bit of time finding the fuse that was blown. That fixed the back-up lights, but not the brake lights. We had the brakes worked on last fall, and evidently they didn't hook a switch back up. I'm just glad we weren't pulled over for no brake lights. DH talked to the shop, and they will fix the problem. We are in another two hour window for the guys to finish installing the fiber optic internet. We're half way through the window, and they are not here. Today, weather is not a problem, but they had to work us in since they didn't finish yesterday. They called a few minutes ago and will be here to bury the cable. The new internet is working and has great speeds. Charlene, safe travels tomorrow for your niece's bridal shower. I'm glad you will met Maeve Grace and Ryan Charles. I bet your sister is excited to show you her new house. Have a great weekend. Pennie, the picture box for Martina is lovely, and a good way to honor her memory. She was a beautiful cat. I loved the dachshund meme. They are such engaging dogs. I also love the song "Walking in Sunshine". Vanessa, I'm glad your BFF's MOHs surgery was one pass, and I hope the one next week goes as well. I hope you were able to get a nap in this afternoon. Terri, that is great news that your DH is doing well, and can wait six months to see the neurologist. I know it's a relief that you will be able to go on your trip. Dixie, I hope the swollen knee and bruises clear up quickly, and that George's sore elbow is better soon. What's the news on the golf cart? I forgot to ask earlier. Annie, I'm sorry your friend Charles is having difficulty accepting the progression of Ann's dementia. It is such a difficult condition for the family to deal with, and to watch a love one change over time. Glad you were able to help the man with the dead battery. Great pictures of Cape Cod and of the two of you. I have enjoyed the pictures of all the pets today. I won't name names since I'm sure to forget someone. Lenda

Good morning from a sunny central Texas, where right now there is no wind either. It is 50F and feels like 47F with a predicted high of 73F. This morning we will be heading back to Cleburne for a joint appointment with the dermatologist. This is a follow up to last year's visit, which was postponed from last September. We canceled that visit which was scheduled for two weeks before DH's shunt placement surgery. since a Covid variant was on the rise, and we did not want to take any chances. We are not expecting anything except a visual exam. We also expect the guys back to finish installing the fiber optic internet. They didn't get here until after 7 pm last night. I think the inside installation is finished, but they didn't get much done outside because of darkness. I always liked "Louie Louie". I cleaned up my pantry here before we left for Quartzsite last fall, and there still isn't too much in the pantry. I guess I need to bring the things in from the motorhome pantry. Before we left Quartzsite, I cleaned the pantry there, so I'm good for today. We no longer have pets due to traveling a lot before 2020, and they will be on my mind today. I have always loved the Alice Roosevelt Longworth quote. She was quite a character. I think we'll skip the meal, drink and the wine today. We have not explored Norfolk, but have driven through there a few times. The signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1968 was very important. It was also an act of conscience and courage on the part of LBJ since it cost him the nomination and election that year. In fact, he announced on television he would not seek the nomination. @USN59-79 Welcome home, Ray and Sara. @Haljo1935 Elizabeth, please wish your DH a 🎂 VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎈 for us. @aliaschief That's a lot of food, Bruce. Thanks for the pictures. @summer slope Dixie, I hope you and George are doing better after the golf cart accident. @Heartgrove Jack, thanks for the pictures of handsome Sam. I'm glad your DW and DSIL are getting a port day, finally. @kazu Jacqui, I hope you don't encounter too much rain today. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad Tana is doing better, and you are getting more sleep. I hope this trend continues. It was nice of the aide to say you could call her on short notice. @rafinmd In cases like the closed port of Baltimore, the PVSA can sure mess things up for cruise lines. I hope an exception to the law can be made under the circumstances. Lenda

Maureen, I'm sorry it's not going well with your DSIL which makes it hard for your DB and neice. I'm also sorry there is troubling news from your other brother’s family. It's good you are near by and can offer support as needed. @erewhon and @bennybear, thank you for your nice comments. For some posts I like to reach out to others individually because of circumstances. Other times, there are a lot of multiquotes because I couldn't read the Daily during the day. Multiquoting in that case helps me remember everyone who I want to mention and why. Glad it helps you, too. Terri, I hope your DH has a good report from the neurologist today, and he says you can go on the trip to Italy. You both need to get away and relax. HUGS! Lenda

Good afternoon from a cool and very windy central Texas. It is 63F with a 18mph wind from the northwest, so it feels like 59F out. While there are still heavy clouds, it looks like we won't get more rain until next Wednesday. Since Monday evening, we've received about 1.5 inches of rain. Our yard is to soggy to go check the rain gauge closely. It has been a busy day, but the house is clean as is the motorhome. The last load of towels are in the drier. I was going to cook fish and vegetables in the air fryer, but I think instead we'll have the rest of last night's pizza. It's easier. The two hour window for the people to come hook up the fiber optic internet was 3:15 to 5:15. It is 6:00, and they are not here yet. I saw one of their trucks about 4:45 minutes ago going through the neighborhood, and DH said they are down the street. I imagine all the rain today slowed them down. Great pictures of the siblings Debbie. Joy, that must have been some storm last night to blow pots off the patio. We had some wind and thunder, but mostly rain. Carolyn, I'm sorry your oldest sister lost her battle with lymphoma. Great pictures. Elizabeth, thanks for sharing the family picture and the sketch. I hope the picture brings back good memories. Cute picture. Terry, thanks for sharing such a wonderful picture. I'm glad your DM got everyone cruising. What a lovey cup and a lovey gesture by your sister. I hope the doctor signed the FT leave for you. Pennie, thanks for all the pictures from Petra. It is the top of my bucket list, but I doubt we'll make it there now, and Covid ruined our two chance to go a couple of years ago. I agree that part of the are looks like AZ. This area of the Judean Desert reminded us of the area around Borrego Springs, CA. Vanessa, I hope everything went well at your pre-op exam. Best wishes to your BFF for a successful MOHS surgery tomorrow. Wonderful painting, Denise. Cute picture, Eva. Nice picture, Graham. Annie, I hope you don't have a reaction to the shingles shot. A bit of advice I was given when I had my first shingles shot. The second shot has to be between two months and six months after the first shingles shot. When I got mine, the pharmacist told me that if I had any reaction to wait as close as possible to the six month date to lessen the reaction for the second shot. Edi, a lovely picture of three lovely girls. I'm sorry your middle sister died so young. I hope your oldest sister has a wonderful 80th birthday. Karen, I'm glad your birthday went so well. How nice that your DS's first baking attempt tasted as good as it looked. Maybe, he has a new career. I'm glad your DBIL is doing all right. @RMLincoln Maureen, I hope your brother and niece are doing all right with all the decisions about your DSIL that need to be made. Lenda

A quick good morning from a wet central Texas. It is 60F with a high of 64F and more rain today. It will be a busy day of house cleaning and motorhome cleaning. The technician is supposed to come sometime today to hook up the fiber optics for our internet. Supposedly they will let us know the two hour window when they will be here. Farm animals are very important. I don't have any siblings, but DH has two brothers, and I can celebrate our two DDs. The Salvation Army does good work. The C. S. Lewis quote is good. I prefer meat in my stuffed cabbage, but haven't made it in decades. We'll pass on the drink and DH might like the wine. We were supposed to be in Petra on our two canceled Princess world cruises. Maybe someday. An interesting day in 1858 when Big Ben was recast. @MISTER 67 I'm glad your cold is better, but sorry your DW now has a cold. Enjoy the beach. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm sorry about the rough night and a day without the aide. I hope it is an easy day. HUGS to everyone. @kochleffel Paul, I'm glad you are doing better after your fall. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, thanks for the pictures of Petra. Lenda

The pizza dough is rising and will be ready to roll out and assemble the pizza in about 30 minutes. Everything else is prepped. Vanessa, I'm glad you got to see the eclipse yesterday, but sorry your long day caught up with you today. I hope you are better tomorrow, and that you get some much needed sleep tonight. I hope your pre-op visit tomorrow goes well. I also hope they can get everything in one pass for your BFF's MOHs surgeries. BTW, DH does not need to be on the care list. We're just waiting to see what UTSW has o say. He is getting better, but slowly. Our PCP works with older patients. In fact, two days a week he sees patients in the area nursing homes. He is a very popular doctor in our little town. Lenda

Good afternoon from a cloudy but not raining central Texas. It is still windy, and we could still get some rain overnight and into tomorrow. I'm not sure if we will reach our predicted high of 71F, but the computer says it's 69F now. Just after we got on the road to Cleburne, the skies opened up and we had very heavy rain. We were lucky that the rain was over, or we out ran it quickly. The rest of the drive and the return trip were rain free. DH's CT scan went well. It takes a while for the shunt to relieve all of the symptoms, and he wondered if he might need an adjustment. However, since getting the appointment for the CT scan, the symptoms have lessened more. We'll see what the people at UT Southwester say when the see the results of the CT scan. My routine dental cleaning had some not surprising but unwelcome news. There is a tooth that has become a problem. The dentist said the bone is receding and that within a year, he needs to pull that tooth and maybe another. One solution is a bridge, but if it is done within a year, an implant will be possible. That is my preference. I'll probably schedule it in late August or early September before we head to Quartzsite again. I already have one implant, and it's the same tooth on the opposite side of my mouth, so I know what to expect, and it's not that big a deal. Gerry, thanks for sharing the great wedding picture. Pennie, the picture box with Martina's collar and paw print, plus her pictures is a lovely tribute to her. Elizabeth, I'm glad you have a new faucet, but I can't believe the plumber didn't put a bucket under the sink while working. Brenda, thanks for the great picture of the pheasant. They are lovely birds. Karen, how sweet and thoughtful of your DS to make a special cake for your birthday. I'm glad it brings back such a sweet memory from your birthday and anniversary last year. And it does look decadent. Carolyn, loved the Denali pictures. All our trips to the interior, including Denali, have been by motorhome. That is good news you had a good weekend in Arizona. I'm glad you are home safely. Susan, the dogs might not like it, but if the roadwork is a problem, you could spend the summer on a BHB. Paul, thanks for the picture of the waterfall. The first time we drove to Alaska, I think I drove the DDs crazy pointing out all the waterfalls. Graham, glad you had a good report today. Roy, that is good news everything is lining up quickly, and that the cardiologist feels the valve clinic is less urgent. Also, it's good you can go to a satellite office for the valve evaluation. Annie, I hope DH can be helped with the pain. Sometimes, too many doctors who do not communicate can make things more complicated. Now, I better go make the pizza dough so it has times to rise. Lenda

Debbie, I'm glad you made it in time to see the eclipse. I'm not surprised about the traffic. Thanks for finding some variations on the egg muffins. Lenda

An early good morning from central Texas. The rain started last night with a very heavy rain that dumped 0.19 inches in a very, very short time. It is not raining now, but will pick up again about mid-morning if the weather app is correct. Our best chance of rain is about 11am and noon, with a 100% chance of rain. It is currently 66F with a predicted high of 71F. I think I'll take advantage of the cooler weather and make a pizza tonight for dinner. The main things on the agenda are a visit to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned, and DH's CT scan to check how well the shunt is working. My appointment was scheduled for 9am, but last week they asked if I could come in at 8am, and I said yes. What was I thinking? At least, it will be out of the way earlier, and the hygienist shouldn't be running behind at 8 am. 😉 I was wondering what Jenkins Ear Day was about. Thank you, Graham @grapau27 for giving us the answer. As a circus elephant, I'm not sure how good a life Jumbo had, but he deserves a day. I have a few antiques that I inherited and that mean a lot to me. The Saint Augustine quote is very true. Didn't we have broccoli and cheese egg muffins a few weeks ago as the meal? We'll pass on the meal and the wine. Riesling is my go to white wine, but I'm not sure if today's Riesling is not a bit too sweet. We have been to Denali several times, beginning in 1992 on our first trip to Alaska when we drove the Alaska Highway on its 50th anniversary. We camped in the park for three of the five sunny days they had in 1996. All my Denali pictures are pre-digital. My only picture of Denali is of the mountain. Denali. It was taken on an exceptionally clear day in 2015, from the deck of a lodge near Talkeetna. Interesting day in history when in 1768 John Hancock stood up the the British Customs Officers. @MISTER 67 I'm glad your cold is better, and that you can play golf tomorrow. @Overhead Fred Fred, thanks for the great pictures from your anniversary dinner. Good to see everyone having a good time. @aliaschief Bruce, thanks for the pictures from Sabang. After seeing the pictures of the meat market, I probably would have become a vegetarian for the day. @smitty34877 Terry, using a colander and white paper was a different but good way to see the eclipse. Lenda

@ger_77 Have a wonderful day on your anniversary, Gerry and Maurice, with many more anniversaries in your future. Lenda

@luvteaching Karen, I hope you have a Happy Birthday today, and that the day isn't too difficult for you. HUGS! Lenda

Sandi, I'm sorry Linda had such a disappointing day today. I know here we were getting warnings about heavy traffic due to the eclipse. The Texas Department of Transportation even banned large trucks from I-35 in this part of the state and around the DFW area. Jane, I'm sorry you are still light headed and still having some balance issues. I'm glad you are going to ask you BIL to go with you to your appointment Wednesday, Please, if your symptoms worsen before the appointment, call 911 and get to the ER. Lenda