Quartzsite Cruiser

Our first visit to Edinburgh was on August 25, 2011. Because we wanted to see as much as possible in one day, we took a morning panoramic city tour which included a tour of Edinburgh Castle, and an afternoon tour to St. Andrews. The day we were there was Armed Forces day, and not only were the veterans in my earlier picture marching, but many military units too. I found out today, thanks to Google, that Prince Charles was there and gave the troops a salute. I'm going to post my pictures of Edinburgh here, and the ones of St. Andrews in another post. Some of these pictures were taken from the bus, and are not the greatest. A couple of pictures of houses. Preparations for the parade Even though it was June 25, the stands for the Tattoo were already being erected. The entrance to Edinburgh Castle The Governor's House circa 1731 Here are a few pictures from inside the castle. The rooms for the royal family, without furnishings, are first, followed by the quarters for the soldiers. Looking down on Edinburgh from the castle Lenda

We have been to Edinburgh five times all but the first time on the Prinsendam, so we docked at Rosyth. The first time was in 2008 on Tahitian Princess. The first time we were in Edinburgh in 2011, we took a morning tour to Edinburgh and the castle, followed by an afternoon tour to St. Andrews. In 2016, we were late docking due to tidal conditions, and our tour to the Falkirk Wheel was cancelled, so we took the train into town. In 2016, we did several b2bs, so we were in Rosyth and Edinburgh three times. The first time, we made it to the Falkirk Wheel, but the tour was nearly cancelled. The guides for the two buses had to cancel and there were no replacements. We were given the option of getting off the bus and getting our money back, or doing the tour anyway. The two drivers went out of their way to make it a memorable tour even without out any commentary. The wheel provided a guide for the boat ride. The bus drivers even made a unscheduled stop at the statues of the Kelpies, mythical sea creatures that steal children. As usual, there was one grump who complained about the lack of commentary on the bus. IIRC, even having taken the tour, we got a refund. A view of the stands being erected at the Castle for the Tattoo. The stands are vey steep and tall, and since I do not like heights, I'm not sure I will attend the Tattoo because with my luck I'd be on the top row and miserable. When we left the Castle in 2011, we had to wait for our bus until a parade of veterans assembled and marched by, followed by a band, and pipers. It was worth the wait to see how proud they were. The Kelpies. We visited the Britannia, but I will only show one picture of the sitting room. The last time we did the combination of the city bus and the Ho-Ho, since I wanted to go to the statue of Greyfriars's Bobby. Here is the statue and his grave in Greyfriars's Cemetery. Finally, a couple of pictures from the town. The first was taken in 2016 during the Fringe and the Tattoo. You could hardly walk down the streets. Lenda

Good morning from a cool and cloudy Quartzsite. It is 43F and our predicted high will be 71F. Today, I'll be cleaning house, and I hope I get finished early. As of now, I only have a slightly sore arm from yesterday's RSV vaccine. Benjamin Franklin had a huge impact on the formation of our country. Betty White was a very talented lady who made us aware of the plight of homeless animals, especially dogs. We had a great time in our younger days riding the cable cars in San Francisco and visiting the Cable Car Museum. I always likes Katharine Hepburn, and her quote is basically true. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. The wine Ann @cat shepard picked sounds good. We have been to Edinburgh several times, but always docked at Rosyth. Two interesting days in Antarctic history. @grapau27 Welcome back, Graham, and thanks for the information. I'm glad your internet was restored. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I hope there is nothing seriously wrong with your foot. @marshhawk Annie, that was thoughtful of the doctor to have you come in a bit later. I hope all goes well with Chuck's @catmando angioplasty today. @ottahand7 Nancy, what a night you had. I hope you can get some rest today, and that you feel better soon. @dfish Debbie, we got our boarding time too. It is 12:30pm which is easily doable. I suspect we got the later time since we're driving in that day. @Denise T Good news about the fasting blood sugar number. Keep up the good work, Denise. @ger_77 Gerry, I'm glad your temperatures moderated, but that's still way to cold for us. Lenda

The good news is we got our mail plus the two packages. It looks like they had been in the box for a while, and someone forgot to scan them as delivered. Maureen, I'm glad you made it safely to and from the appointment, but YIKES! on the 90 minute wait for an underwhelming doctor's visit. I hope the weather cooperates next week, and that your DH has a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. Karen, I'm glad your temperature is a bit warmer. I'm glad your stuck hip muscle allowed you to fill the feeders and get on the ladder to hang the hummingbird feeder. Lenda

Good afternoon. We're still waiting for our mail to be delivered to the PO box. The two packages are ready for pick up, but I don' want to have to go into town twice today. As for this morning, after reading @ottahand7 Nancy's post that John had gotten the RSV vaccine and she hadn't and where she thought she caught the virus, we decided to see if we could get the vaccine. DH called and checked several area pharmacies for price and availability, and found we could get the vaccine at CVS in Parker without an appointment. My arm is slightly sore, but that's a small price to pay. We also discovered on the way to Parker they were still working on the highway, with it down to one lane. There was a fairly long wait until we were able to proceed. We decided to take a longer route through Ehrenberg back home. I think even with a lower speed limit part of the way, we still made better time. I hope the heat pump starts working, but the heat strips (auxiliary heat) should have worked at the lower temperatures. Ann, I've finally met someone else, Pat, who was born in the year of the Rat. 🐀 I hope you can get the long overdue refund of the Covid expenses soon. I'm sorry your friend Steve fell and was hurt, but I'm glad nothing was broken. Karen, that is good news your pipes did not freeze, but I'm sorry your neighbor is dealing with frozen pipes. We thought once in SE Pennsylvania that our pump had frozen, and of course, DH was out of town. Our neighbor who was the builder came up and found an uninsulated pipe in an outside corner of the basement had frozen. A few minutes with the hair dryer solved the problem. Vanessa, next time try to ask your guys to shovel a path to the garage. I hope the shoveling didn't mess up your back and that it feels better now. I hope you hear from the radiologist about the procedure soon. Lenda

We have been to Papeete five times, but only the last three times were in the digital age. This first group of pictures are from the 2002 Volendam Asia Pacific Explorer Cruise. Our day in Papeete was spent taking a ferry to Moorea and renting a car to drive around the island. That cruise only stopped at Bora Bora and Papeete. We like Moorea better, so that is why we chose to take the ferry. These pictures were taken from the ferry, our walk back to the ship and as we sailed. In 2004, we were in Papeete on a turnaround day between a Cook Island cruise and a French Polynesian cruise on Tahitian Princess. That day, we rented a car and drove around the island as it had been eight years since we'd done that. Outside of Papeete, Tahiti is a very pretty island. This time, we did not go into the interior, but stayed on the coast. We came across this statue along the road. Scenes from the coast road Papeete from our balcony In 2007 on Pacific Princess, we did b2b Hawaii-Tahiti-Hawaii cruises. Our day in Papeete, we just walked around town since we had not done that for about 11 years. A couple more views of the market. The flowers and the fruits and vegetables are lovely. You get back to this section of the market, and it is stinky at best. I don't recognize most of the fish, but the blue ones in the foreground are parrot fish. Some vendors set up outside the market. A nice, tranquil street near a restaurant we were looking for. We sought out this restaurant because Anthony Bourdain had featured it in a show we saw shortly before our cruise. It wasn't open at the time we were there. The promenade along the waterfront. It was a lot cooler there than in town. The area at night with all the food trucks set up. By the time we walked around the area, we had already had our dinner, but the food looked good. For those who have not been there, please put French Polynesia on your bucket list. That, especially Bora Bora, and Alaska are our favorite cruise destinations. We have expanded our travels to see as much of the world as we can while we can. Lenda

Good morning from a sunny and windless Quartzsite where it is 37F. Our predicted high is 66F, so it should be nice outside this afternoon. Not much on the agenda except going to the PO to pick up couple of packages and our mail. At least, everything is at the PO waiting to be delivered. It can take until mid-afternoon to get the mail from the sorting area to the boxes. I appreciate the idea of dragon's including Puff. As an avid reader, I will celebrate book publishers. I prefer a book, but do have many books on my Kindle for cruises. We like hot and spicy food, but DH likes it spicier than I do. When we were in Kuala Lumper, there was a spicy noodle dish on the menu. I asked if it was very spicy and was told no, but they could make it less spicy. Either the chef did not make it less spicy, or it was really spicy before. The waitresses all laughed as I was sweating while eating it. With the help of a Coke and several glasses of water, I made it through the meal, which was very good. I think the Samuel Beckett quote might be true as there are some very angry people in the world now. We used to have Swiss chard often, but not in the past 30 years for some reason. I never tried sautéing it. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds like a winner. We have been to Papeete many times beginning in 1996 with an overnight on Wind Song. I'll look for my pictures shortly. Two good days in history, and my Spanish is not good enough (aka almost non-existent) to read Don Quixote. I'm glad Ireland finally got Home Rule. @ottahand7 Nancy, I'm glad you are feeling better, but sorry the Prednisone would not let you sleep. Good news you are out of quarantine. @RMLincoln Maureen, I hope the roads are in good shape to get to your DH's appointment today @RedneckBob RNB, yes Bora Bora and Moorea are much better than Papeete. The rest of the island of Tahiti is nice once you get away from town. @ger_77 Gerry, be careful in all that cold weather. I hope the blood tests show an answer to why your DH is not feeling all that great. @bennybear Brenda, I'm glad you made it out and made it to you destination before the airport was closed. @Cruzin Terri Terri, you could try cleaning one room a day so it's not too much for you. @marshhawk Annie, it's a tough decision to have an animal, even a feral one, put down. Maybe, the vet would be willing to see him and treat him. Best wishes for your DH tomorrow. Stay warm and safe in that bad and cold weather. @rafinmd Roy, I hope you didn't overdo with the snow shoveling. @Seasick Sailor Joy, be careful today, there are a lot of crazy drivers in Texas, and they just get worse in bad weather. Lenda

Another good idea. Lenda

👍

I managed to cross two more things off the to-do list. When I finish here, I'll get the last one done and throw the list away. Of course, there will be a new list soon. 🤣 Good! We wouldn't want the bartenders trying to find the chicken in the name but missing from the recipe. Terri, I'm sorry you are still in a funk, and I hope you get out of it soon. I'm glad Jim is holding his own. That's good news. Dixie, I'm glad you have a date for the MOHS surgery so soon after we get back from the cruise. @dfish Debbie, @Sharon in AZ Sharon, and @summer slope Dixie, Ladies this gives me an idea for a picture from our cruise. We could give @RedneckBob RNB 8 legs instead of 2. Lenda

Okay, I give up. I'm just not a fan of most mixed drinks or really hard liquor in most cases. I hope the chocolate will win out. Or I could be the chicken in the drink. 🐓 😁 Nancy, I'm sorry you probably have RSV, and that John is also quarantined. That is probably what has been known as the ship's crud or in Arizona the desert crud. I hope you feel better soon and that John stays well. Lenda

This morning we have little or no water pressure. There was a notice on one FB group for the neighborhood that they were doing maintenance, and the water would be off for several hours. It would have been nice if they had said something before they started. We're wondering if they are finally completing the repairs where the water main broke last month. There has been a big hole beside the street with only yellow caution tape and a few cones around the hole. But then, thinking that is what they are doing might be asking too much. Ann, I hope Pat will be able to visit his cousin for the cousin's 96th birthday. I hope all goes well at the cardiologist appointment, and that Pat doesn't have to wait too long for the valve replacement. Annie, it could, or if I drank it, I might be haunted. 👻 Debbie, as a taste test, maybe we could get one and three straws. 😉 The chocolate, chocolate liqueur and the amaretto appeal to me, but some of the other spirits are not something I'd normally drink. Lenda

Good morning from a chilly Quartzsite where it is 37F with sun and blue skies. Our predicted high will be 66F. Today's agenda is getting a couple more things checked off the to-do list, whether or not I really want to do them. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did a lot for the Civil Rights movement. I will honor Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which had a chapter at McGill University in Montreal, and has a chapter at UT. It was the first historically black sorority at UT. I will not celebrate Blue Monday. After three years of stress first with the lockdown and then two years navigating the medical system, I am finally getting more positive and less stress. Also, a no to Brew Day since brews do not agree with me any more. The Alfred Adler quote is probably too true for many, and I'm beginning to want to take fewer precautions. The meal sounds good, but just not today. We'll pass on the drink even though I love chocolate. It just has too many different spirits in it. The wine sounds like a winner. We have not been to Albany, Australia, but I've been to Albany, Texas, many times. It's a small town near where I grew up. Three more interesting days in history to honor. I'll also honor Captain Sully Sullenberger for safely landing his plane on the Hudson River. Thanks, Roy, @rafinmd for reminding us about the Miracle on the Hudson. @seagarsmoker I hope you get good news after the interview last Friday. @kazu Jacqui, I hope you get your driveway cleaned safely. Enjoy your visit with your BFF. I loved the dog hair meme. @aliaschief Bruce, thanks for taking us along on your cruise. For a minute, I thought Graham @grapau27 had stowed away on your ship. @RMLincoln Maureen, I'm glad that overall your hip is doing better. @Haljo1935 I hope someone can work on your HVAC unit today, and get it working. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I'm glad you and Allen got home safely even if it was later. DFW is always a problem in bad weather. @Crazy For Cats Jake, keep us posted about DH's decision on his job. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad the nurse was able to help Tana yesterday, and that Tana is feeling better. Lenda

That is good news, Debbie, and about time. I'm sirprised they hadthat type of lock on a bedroom door. I bet the former owners changed them. For safety, you would need a way to get into the room. Next time, if there is a next time, without internet or tv, why not try a good book instead. Ray, with your technical, engineering education, you would be an asset on a trivia team, especially with the scientific type questions. A good triva team will have a mix of people with knowledge in different areas, plus one member with a head full of useless information. Lenda

Good afternoon from a pleasant Quartzsite. The temperature is 66F, and in the sun it's nice. I may sit outside with my book later. I wish more of the Dailyites had our weather instead of the storms moving through the US and Canada. This afternoon, I've been doing a little more work on our upcoming cruise. I think I finally have everything printed except the luggage tags and the boarding passes. The boarding passes will have to wait until we have a boarding time. This morning we went for a drive-thru breakfast and then drove around some areas of town we hadn't gone through earlier. There's not much to town, and it's unusual to find a new area. Town is becoming crowded as the time for the big shows is closing in. One of the big rock shows ends today. Also, there was a crowd where the camels are staying. They give camel rides, plus there are other activities to entertain people. No, we are not going to ride on of the camels. The person who sponsors the camel rides and other activities is using the proceeds to help improve the town. This year, he is working to restore what is left of an old adobe cabin in town. When we got back to our neighborhood, we decided to drive down the streets we've not done this year. We have been surprised at how many people have not come this year. It seems to be more than normal. Several of the people on our street and other friends have reached an age or physical condition where making the journey south is no longer practical. I'm sorry you are having problems with your mother, and I wish there was some way to help. All I can suggest, I'm sure you have already done, such as searching to make sure she doesn't have anymore checkbooks. Charlene, I'm sorry you were not able to take advantage of the good weather and play golf yesterday. I loved your sister's answer about her purchases. Debbie, after all this time, you deserve a credit on your Spectrum account. Vanessa, I was hoping you'd get some extra sleep now. Be careful on the stairs to the basement. We've seen this happen on other ships. How people can keep luggage that obviously is not theirs is beyond me. Lenda

I'm sorry you are not feeling well. I hope medical can help, and you feel better soon.

Good morning from a sunny and windless Quartzsite, although the weather app says we have a 7 mph wind. It is a bit warmer this morning with a temperature of 41F. The forecast for the day is sun and a high of 64F. The long range forecast shows we'll be in the upper 60s and low 70s for the next two weeks. Cesarean sections have saved may lives, but recently there has been a trend to have a C section so the baby could be born on the mother's schedule. I read recently that in Texas the rate of C sections was above 50 per cent. DH still has several kites, but hasn't flown them in years. The wind in Quartzsite has either been too low or too high. We have never dressed our dogs or cats. They would not have been amused. I like the Irving Berlin quote. The slow cooker lasagna looks good. Thank you Tina @0106 for filling in for Debbie @dfish to make sure we don't starve. We'll pass on the drink and the wine. We have not been to Fanning Island. I find it a strange coincidence that it is the port of the day on the day the Volendam was supposed to stop there. I hope they enjoy Christmas Island instead. We've been to Christmas Island at least three times, and enjoyed stopping there. Another three interesting days in history with kings signing treaties and abdicating. We did not get a TV station in our town until late 1953, and then did not get many network shows until a bit later. I do remember the Today Show with Dave Garroway. Jack Lescoulie, and J. Fred Muggs. Who could forget J. Fred Muggs. I also remember the big microphones the humans wore hanging around their necks and resting on their chests. @Seasick Sailor Welcome home Joy and Allen. I hope your trip back to Texas goes smoothly. @dfish Debbie, I hope your internet is restored soon. @kazu Jacqui, I hope you can get your driveway deiced, and you and Ivan can have a nice walk between snow storms. Please be careful. @ger_77 Gerry, I'm glad your Premier was able to help Alberta with their power shortage. Unfortunately, Texas has it's own power grid and is not connected with the rest of the US. That is why there were so many blackouts three years ago. I hope the gird works better this year. @MISTER 67 I agree with you about all the playoff games. It seems that if a team can field 11 players, they are in a playoff game. The same thing seems to be true with the college bowl games. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm sorry Tana is not sleeping well and is very congested again. I hope the nurse can help. Yeah for the family stepping in and helping on the weekends. And double Yeah for the teenager helping with the vacuuming and mopping. @kochleffel Paul, I hope you are feeling better today. I'm sorry your had to cancel your tour. @puppycanducruise Melanie, thanks for the picture of your snow. That is why we come to Quartzsite in the winter. @Haljo1935 I'm sorry your heater is still not working. If it's a heat pump, it won't work below the low to mid 30s outside temperature, but the heat strips (auxiliary heating) should work. I'm sorry yours are not. Both you and your DH be careful with during the storm. Lenda

@sailingdutchy Tony, I hope you and Martha have a wonderful time on your cruise. Lenda

Roy, I'm sorry yesterday was such a bad day for you. I hope today was better. I hope your DS's plane landed safely. No matter how old our kids are, it's never easy when they leave. Lenda

Paul, my how times have changed, and now we are all relieved that someone turns out to just have a cold. I hope it's mild and you are feeling better soon. Dixie, I'm sorry the biopsy was positive, but Basal cell carcinoma, while concerning, is the lesser of three evils. DH and I have commented a lot lately that we used to use tanning oil and now it's sun screen. So far, we've been lucky and the small lesions were caught early. I had MOHS on one place under my eye near my nose, and the dermatologist was nice enough to say I wouldn't see the scar because he made the incision in a wrinkle. The other suspicious places were frozen off before they were a problem. Debbie, if you and Sue do go look for the problem, be sure to keep track of your time and travel, and send them a bill for services rendered. I got a lot done besides raking the rocks and picking up small branches. I also trimmed more of my neighbors bushes that were hanging over the fence and dropping flowers and leaves in the rocks. I also had a nice visit with a neighbor who I hadn't seen yet this year. She does not have much free time as she is her bedridden brother's caretaker. Lenda

I hope you get the heater working before the cold front arrives. I'm glad we are in Quartzsite not Texas this winter. Ann, thanks for the pictures from Nuka Hiva. It is a lovely island and very interesting away from town. We were there before the locals realized they could sell tours to the ships, and were just at the tender pier offering tours. Pennie, I'm glad the lease renewal did not have a shocking rent increase. Karen, I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt. Vanessa, I hope the contractor can find the right radiator in good working order. I hope your power continues to stay on during the storm. Ice on power lines with high winds can cause galloping lines which lead to downed lines and power outages. Carolyn, I'm sorry you will be missing Fanning Island. With all the times ships have missed that island, maybe it should be omitted from itineraries. I think you will enjoy Kiritimati (Christmas Island). We've been there at least three times. Locals will give tours in the back of their pick-ups, and it's a good way to see the island. I just hope no tenders run aground if it's low tide. That has happened. Ray, I'm glad Taiwan did not cave into China's pressure. We enjoyed our day in Keelung and Taipei. Lenda

We have been fortunate to visit Nuka Hiva twice, in 2002 on the Volendam APEC cruise and in 2004 on the Tahitian Princess. 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. I will not show the Survivor Beach again. 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 Lenda

Good morning from a cold for us, but warm for those on the frozen tundra, Quartzsite. It is currently 36F but feels like 33F. Our predicted high is 61F, which is more like our typical winter weather. This afternoon, I think I'll clean up the small branches that fell from the ironwood tree earlier this week. I might also rake the rocks in some areas. I will celebrate the Korean Americans today. After the last few years, we are beginning to make our dreams come true. It's been a while since I had peach melba, and I hope they have it on the Koningsdam later this month. Steve Jobs had it right with today's quote. I like black bean soup, but DH is not a big fan, although he likes the Cuban black beans and rice I make. We may just finish those leftovers tonight. We'll pass on the drink, but I would like to try the wine. We have been to Nuka Hiva twice, and I'll look for my pictures next. The National Geographic Society has done a lot to open the world to others. Also, an interesting day in the history of Microsoft. @kazu Jacqui, the advice to southerners on how to drive in snow and ice is good advice. We get so little snow in the South and in most of Texas, that no one who hasn't lived in the north knows how to drive in those conditions. We've seen an ice storm shutdown Wilmington, NC, and the surrounding area for a week until it warmed up enough to melt the ice. @kochleffel Paul, I hope you feel better soon. I'm glad the test was negative, but please retest in a day or two since it can take time for a positive result to appear. @ger_77 Gerry, I'm glad the adjustment helped your DH. I'm also happy you will be staying inside today with that bitter cold temperatures. @dfish Debbie, I hope The Beast behaves for Sue today. @smitty34877 Terry, I inherited a couple of boxes of newspapers from my father, not just the clippings. Some are so old, they are beginning to deteriorate. Several years ago, I scanned the relevant articles into the computer. @marshhawk Annie, I hope the eye doctor can help your DH without having to resort to another surgery. It's a shame the last surgery went too far. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I can't believe the floor still needs repairing. I don't blame you for not wanting the same guy to come back. Lenda

I second that. Lenda

Debbie, I'm glad you and Sue are staying in this weekend. Eva, you're not the only one that has happened to. Our older DD was using the immersion blender to puree some black beans, and somehow, got the blender too high in the pan. We had beans all over the stove, microwave and wall above the microwave. Bruce, thanks for the pictures of Panama City. We we toured it in 2009, we decided it looked better from the water. We couldn't believe the hovels between the tall buildings. The saga of the mail is over, and there were a couple of things in it that were important and the rest was junk. Lenda