Quartzsite Cruiser

Good evening. For awhile we were under a thunderstorm watch and a possible hail watch. We got a few drops of rain and one clap of thunder, then, nothing. Our county seat, 22 miles away, got a good rain shower. Our high reached 107F before dropping into the lower 90s. We did have a pretty sunset. Maureen, I'm sorry your plans to see the DGDs did not turn out as expected. I'm sorry some of them are testing positive, and hope you and DH stay well. I'm also glad the eye pressure has dropped and stabilized. Vanessa, I hope they investigate the cause of all the house explosions in that area. I also hope the third person recovers completely. I also got the same advice from the pharmacist who administered the vaccine doses. I waited until less than a month from the deadline and did not have a bad reacti9n. Bruce, I'm happy you made it home safely. Lenda

Good afternoon after a rather long morning, but now I can enjoy a clean house. With all our work ourside, we must have tracked in more dirt than usual. The pads for the steam mop were very dark when I finished mopping. Well, not surprisingly, the weather prediction of 103F for our high today was wrong. It's still an hour or two until the hotest part of the day, and the thermometers are reading 105F. I'm just happy to be inside in a nice cool house. Annie, I hope your DH's @catmando test results are good. Charlene, thank you for your pictures from Noumea. I would love to see it someday. BTW, I'm glad everything was assessible. Sandi, thank you for your pictures from Grundarfjordur. We've enjoyed our two visits there even if it was raining when we were there all day. We walked around town and noticed the rain did not stop the little kids from playing outside at their school. Joy, I hope Thursday ends all the jumping through hoops, and that it was worth it. I know several veterans in our little community have given up on the VA, including DH. Gerry, congratulations on booking the cruise. Sorry about the broken tooth. A couple of years ago when I chipped a corner off a lower front tooth, I took my metal nail file and smoothed down the rough edge. We were in Quartzsite, I knew it would be a while before I saw my dentist in Texas. It turns out, that was all the tooth needed. You must have read my mind, since last night I decided to fix the last of our shrimp tempura tonight to have with the leftover vegetable and rice from last night's garlic shrimp stir fry. Lorraine, thanks for the update on Murphy. I hope she can remain off the ECMO. I know her parents were thrilled to finally be able to hold her again, and I can't help thinking it was good for Murphy, too. Thanks for the pictures of the cute grandkids. I have always been fascinated by the story of the Code Talkers and how they helped end the war in the Pacific. They deserve a day of honor. I'm also glad there were some who lived to see their remarkable feat honored. Carolyn, I know it made you and your DH happy that the DGS was so thrilled by the weekend. Thanks for you pictures from Noumea, Tony. Vanessa, the loss of life in the explosion is so sad. I hope there are no more deaths from the explosion. Ann, I'm happy your DH has gotten his energy back, and that he is back to playing golf. Our condolences on the death of your cousin's widow. Paul, thanks for the link to the article. I'll read it on the NY Times app on my tablet a little later. Lenda

Good morning from central Texas where it is 80F and feels like 84F. The humidity is better today at 69% with a dew point of 69F. Today will also be cooler with a predicted high of 103F. It's all relative, but anything above 100F is hot. 🤣 I'll be inside most of the day since I'll be cleaning house. 😞 Financial awareness is very important. I was never a fan of creamsicles, but loved fudgesicles. Never played wiffle ball either. The quote is very true. While DH worked hard, he also made time for family and fun. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine. We have not been to Noumea. The end of WWII in the Pacific was an important day. New Zealand was ahead of the world when it came to women's rights. @dfish Debbie, that's an interesting picture, but I have no idea of what that was. @aliaschief Safe travels and on time flights today, Bruce. Lenda

Mary Kay, I guess with all the perks, I could luve with dusting too. Marcia, I'm glad your mother made it home safely, if late. What a beautiful sunset, Debbie. Lenda

Denise, thanks for letting us know you and your DH are still safe and doing well. I wish that was the case for the rest of Maui. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot central Texas. This morning I made my version of the lemonade pie and tweaked it again. I had a few fresh blueberries left so I stirred them into the pie. I figured if my lemon pound cake is good with blueberries added, so why not. To go with the pie, we'll be having the garlic stir fry shrimp again. Again this will be tweaked since I don't have enough red bell pepper, I'll add some green bell pepper. It beats going to the store in this heat. We'll have a Caesar salad and wine to round out the meal. Not much else going on except folding the clothes when the dryer is finished. Mary Kay, I've noticed when I've had a gargae sale and priced things I thought with reasonable prices, the shoppers, especially in Quartzsite, are cheap. The always bargain try to get them for as little as possible. Still, it seems having an estate sale would be less stressful, especially for big items that would not sell at a gargae sale, and would be difficult to donate. I'm glad you have cleaning at the new apartment, but I can't imagine dusting not being included. That is the chore I dislike the most. Carolyn, I think the lumpia would work in an air fryer, especialy one that has shelves instead of a basket. Much of what I cooked in the deep fryer, I now cook in the air fryer. I get the battered cod fillets for our fish and chips and frozen shrimp tempura. They come out as good but less oily in the air fryer. The secret is a light spray of oil on both sides and turning them over half way through cooking. DH's DSIL is from the Phillapines, and I have her lumpia recipe. I haven't made it in about 30 years, because the recipe makes too much for the two of us, but if I made it, I'd do it in the air fryer.. The only thing I've found that doesn't work well is something with a wet batter even though the cookbooks have those recipes. Karen, I'm glad your DS is there to help and to visit. I was surprised at how much I use the air fryer after I finally broke down an bought one. My mother was a lefty and my father was a righy. Neither could do much with the other hand. I seem to be a slight mix of both. I still can only write and eat with my right hand, but there are some things I do with my left hand or either hand. Welcome home, Jake and Juan. I'm glad you made the trip safely. I bet the "kids" were glad to see you. @Seasick Sailor Joy, I really like my air fryer, but I also use my InstaPot quite a bit. I even used it the other night to make mashed potatoes. Cooking the potatoes takes about as long what with getting to pressue and then releasing the pressure, but the best part is it doesn't boil over. I can do other things in the kitchen and not have to watch the potatoes to prevent the almost certain mess. I like that it can saute, slow cook, pressure cook and other things I haven't tried yet.

Here are some more pictures from our stops in Mazatlán. Most were taken on December 1, 2021, when we did a short tour in one of the open air vehicles. We'll start our tour with the blue line that leads passengers to the Old Town. I didn't walk it, but may the next time we're there. There are many statues around town and along the waterfront. These are just a few. A nice playground and water park across from the statue above. Even though it was December 1, the decorations for Día de los Muertos were still up in the main plaza. The traffic along the coast road, and the divers. My timing was off when the diver made is move. BTW, you could not pay me enough to make that dive. A nice neighborhood heading to the coast road. Looking out from the overlook. With the Carnival Panorama and NCL Bliss in port with us, the port area and town were sure crowded. This place we passed looked interesting with food, books and beer. Too bad the books are probably all in Spanish. Town as seen from the upper deck of Koningsdam. The sun was setting as we sailed. Lenda

This is what I posted on Novemeber 4, 2022. I'll look for my pictures from our fall 2021 and spring 2022 visits to Mazatlan. We have been to Mazatlán seven times, but when I posted my pictures on August 13, 2021, we'd only been there once on Ruby Princess in 2016. On our b2b2b2b cruises on Koningsdam last fall and last spring, we were their six more times. Some days we got off the ship and walked around the port area after taking the shuttle to the port building. Other days, we just stay on the ship. I'll repost my pictures from our 2016 stop and look for different ones from the Koningsdam cruises. In the morning, we took one of the little open air vehicles that were outside the port for a tour of the city and the Golden Zone. In the afternoon, we took another one into the old town and walked around. Our first stop that morning was a viewpoint over looking the bay and the town. A little further along the road The drive along the Golden Zone, the modern tourist area. We preferred the main downtown area. The market This is what happens when you feed the pigeons. A pretty gazebo in the middle of the park in the main square The area around the port Lenda

Good morning from a sunny, windy and hot central Texas. It is 83F and feels like 90F with 75% humidity, and a dew point of 74F. Our predicted high will be 106F. It was 80F with 82% humidity earlier so I decided to skip my walk today. I got enough exercise this past week that I can skip a day. Instead, it will be laundry day. My mother was a lefty, and fortunately, they did not try to make her change hands in school. DH is a middle child. The last garage sale I had was in 2019 in Quartzsite. Since then, I've set a lot of stuff aside for a fall garage sale, but I don't know when it will happen. I may just give up and donate everything to a trift store that uses the proceeds to make donations to the fire department, police, elementary school and other local groups. They generally get what doesn't sell anyway. Doing the garage sale give me a chance to meet some of our neighbors and others in town. An interesting quote from Pablo Picasso. I cook cauliflower in my air fryer, but I don't think it will in tacos. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds nice. We have been to Mazatlan seven times, including b2b2b2bs in 2021 and 2022 on Koningsdam. Another interesting day in history. @0106 Tina, I resisted getting an air fryer for several years, but finally got one in 2020 for our Quartzsite house. I got it because while my deep fryer was great, I was tired to messing with the oil and really wanted to use less oil. When we wound up spending more time in Texas than normal, I got another air fryer for here. My is just an airfryer, but it is one that has three racks, a rotisserie and basket. I use it a lot, especially in the summer, and many nights everything for supper is cooked in the air fryer. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope you enjoy Gunderfjordur as it's a very walkable town with great scenery. Please wish Dennis a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, again. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad they found out what was making your DH Lou so sick, and I hope the treatments work very quickly. Do you know if they will continue with the chemo after he is over the infection? I'm glad DS will get to see Lou. @marshhawk Annie, congratulations on the sale. I think you and @catmando Chuck deserved a day out and a change of scenery. @Seasick Sailor Joy, the entire state needs rain. Our ground is cracking with half inch wide cracks. @dfish Debbie, thanks for the pictures from your tour. @Copper10-8 Again, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Hope your flight is on time and safe travels. . Last night on our golf cart ride, we saw four deer in the field just outside our community. Lenda

Karen, you are indeed a strong woman. I'm glad the insurance and paperwork are finished, and the payments will be forthcoming. It was good the care facility was easy to work with. I know you will have a good time even if it's a different time on your cruise. Please wish your DM a VERRY HAPPY 97TH BIRTHDAY for us. Lenda

Good afternoon from a sunny, hot and windy central Texas. The weather app says it's 100F and feels like 107F. The humidity has dropped to 34%, but the dew point is still 67F. I'm glad I finished outside before it got really hot. I was through with the mowing and trimming before 9 but still had to spray the weeds and pull up the marigolds. The heat had finally gotten to them. At least, I could wash the cars and golf cart in the port so was out of the sun. The wind helped keep it cool. The rest of the afternoon will be spent inside. Tonight will be an easy dinner of chicken fajitias, one of my go to meals when I'm not in the mood to really cook. Besides, we had a big dinner last night. We split a NY strip, along with mashed potatoes and salad. DH thought about cooking the steak outside on the infraread grill, but opted to use the indoor elelctric grill. The steak was good, but not sd as good as if it had been cooked outside. The electric grill just does not get hot enough to get a good sear on the steak. Annie, Roy @rafinmd had a good point about canceling the car insurance. When we first got the atvs in Arizona, our insurance agent told us we could cancel the insurance during the summer. However, she forgot to tell us we needed to let the state know we'd cnaceled the insurance. They found out, and canceled the registraton on the atvs. It was a big hassle to get that straightened out. You might want to check on just getting the minimum coverage on the car, which should save quite a bit, especially if it's not being driven. You definitely don't need collison, and other coverage related to driving. It might also be enough coverage to let you keep the discount on the home owners insurance. Joy, I hope you can get off the statins, and get the injections. Carolyn, it sounds like you and your DH have a busy weekend planned. I know it will be fun. Vanessa, that is so sad about the house explosion. What a scary and sad way to spend a Saturday morning. I hope the missing people are found safe. I also hope the weather doesn't go beyond a tornatdo watch. Lenda

We were in Boca de Valeria on our 2006 Amazon cruise on the old Regal Princess. It is a very small, native village downstream from Manaus. We were told before boarding the tenders that if we wanted to donate money, give it to the school or church, but not to the children. Their parents would only take the money and spend it at the local watering hole. Part of the pier where the tender docked was covered in carpet different cruise lines had given the village when they replaced carpet. There was a dirt path from the dock up to part of the village. Boy were we glad it was not raining that day. Some of the locals in costumes and with different animals and birds. We gave this man a hat we'd brought with us The local church The school which at that time had 37 students and 2 teachers We got to walk through one house. There was also a living room with two couches. Various scenes around the village Once back on the ship, many from the village came out in these boats wanting us to throw money to them. The view from the ship Lenda

Good mroring from central Texas where it is already 80F and feels like 86F. The predicted high is 106F, so I'll be heading out as early as possible to mow and trim the yard. I also need to wash the cars before it gets too hot. It will be humid since it's already 77% humidity with a dew point of 72F. The humidity should drop some as it warms up this morning, and the 11 mph wind will help. The Perseid Meteor Shower will be good this year, and I hope it's not to hot to sit outside to watch it. I had Kool-Aid growing up, but my mother did not buy it often. We still have all our old vinyl record allums, and my 45s. In honor of the day: Today's quote is true, but we need our memories as they are part of who we are. The meal might be good, and I'd like to try the wine. We'll pass on the wine. We visited Boca da Valeria in 2006 on the old Regal Princess. The invention of the sewing machine made sewing easier. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, enjoy your time in Reykajavik. An early HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Dennis. @summer slope Dixie, I'm sorry they could not find the reason for your minor problem, but I hope they will soon. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm glad your DH Lou is doing better this morning. I hope they can figure out what is happening to his blood work. It is good you have such a caring and supportive family to help during this time. Safe travels to your DS and DB. @RMLincoln Maureen, I hope the pressure in your DH's eye is lower this moring and you can leave as planned today. Safe travels if you leave today. @ger_77 Gerry, for some strange reason I thought of you when I saw this yesterday afternoon. Lenda

@Copper10-8 Wishing you and your lovely bride a very Happy Anniversary, and many more happy years to come. Lenda

@richwmn Rich, I hope you have a wonderful birthday, followed by many more. Lenda

Brenda, I hope your DS heals enough so he can travel next week. Great picture of the three of you. Lenda

Debbie, thanks for the pictures from your tour. Seeing that was worth the drive. Lenda

Good morning for a few more minutes. It is now about 96F and I'm in for the remainder of the day. The good news is Ms Crystal's Garage is now temporarily closed. The new coil arrived before 9 am, and I already had the engine ready to replace it. Between the prep work and the installation, we had breakfast. Overall the job took less than an hour including gathering the tools needed and putting them away. We took what was going to be a short drive, but because of our rough roads, we went a little further to find a smoother road. The verdict is the car is running better than it has in about seven months. There is still a slight vibration or miss, so we suspect another coil is beginning to go bad, but not bad enough yet to show a code on the engine analyzer. DH has ordered four more coils, but I am waiting until it's a little cooler or when the one gets really bad to replace them. Since these are the original coils and were the original sparkplugs I'm not surprised they were beginning to cause problems. The car is a 2013 model, and we bought it in the fall of 2012. Up next for the convertible is an oil change, new oil filter and a new air filter. However, Ms Crystal's Garage will only handle the air filter. The car will go to our local station for the oil change. Ms Crystal does not get under cars, and feels the potential for a big oily mess is to great to even consider tackling an oil change. 😁 Besides, I managed to complete the work on the car this week unscathed -- no cuts, bruises, scrapes, etc. I want to keep it that way. 🤣 Gerry, I'm glad your DH got a good report yesterday and hope the pacemaker procedure is scheduled soon. I'm glad you are getting some much needed rain, and I hope it is also falling on the fires in your area. Lorraine, I hope your DGS has a good first day of kindergarten, and that DGD likes her new preschool when she starts Monday. Enjoy your day with her. I hope that no news is good news for Murphy. Roy, thanks for the pictures of Port Elizabeth. Hopefully, we'll see it one day. Carolyn, I was glad to see some good news from Maui. I'm happy that your BFF's step-daughter and her DH' house and business were spared in the fire, and that they are safe. Sandi, thanks for your pictures from Djupivogur. We have not been there, but stopped in Eskifjördur on Prinsendam in 2017. Terry, thanks for taking the time to give us an update. I hope the blood transfusion will solve the problem, and that they can find away to keep up the chemo and not mess up the bloodwork. We are all pulling for both of you. Lenda

Terry, I'm so sorry about this latest development with Lou. I hope he is stablized soon. Sending positve thoughts your way. Lenda

Good morning from sunny central Texas where it is 82F and feels like 88F. Our humidity is on the rise again, but it does not mean we'll get rain. The humidity is 76% with a dew point of 73F, and there is a 10mph wind. We are looking at a high of 106F this afternoon. I just checked and the part for the car is at the Post Office, so it should be here about 9:30 this morning. When I finish this, I'm going to get everything removed from the engine so it will be ready to remove the old part and install the new part. Fingers crossed that this will solve the engine missing problem. Presidential Joke Day will not be mentioned further. We will celebrate our two DDs, but we won't go down to the Corps of Engineers park and play in the sand. It's too hot. The Cary Grant quote describes our days the past three years. We'll pass on the meal even though we live on the "best" bass fishing lake in Texas, and most of our bass are largemouth bass. We'll also pass on the drink and the wine. We have not been to Port Elizabeth; so I do not have any pictures to share. Sadly, the peace treaty between France and the Communist Viet Minh did not end the fighting in that part of the world. Sandi, what an honor for Ren to be included in the group going to the tournament in Mexico City. Jake, what are the odds of the crown falling off in the dentist office? DH carries dental cement with him when we travel. He's used in once or twice, and gave some to a fellow cruiser when she lost her crown. Safe travels today. Ann, that must have been one of the fastest house sales on record. Terri, I'm glad you decided to go ahead with the November trip. Cruising lets you do as much or as little as you like. I'm gland the problem is not termites, but hope it has been solved. I hope you can get the floors replaced soon. Annie, I hope the cats just moved on to a newer location, but why would they leave a ready food supply. I also hope @catmando is still feeling good today. Lenda

Penny, I'm glad you survived the day and feel better. Tomorrow should be a better day. Lenda

Annie, I've handed in my auto mechanic's resignation twice. Once the car is fixed, the resignation will be final. As far as the job, two words -- FAT CHANCE! 🤣 Three quarts of water a day!!! At least, you'll know where to find him. 😉 Lenda

Good evening. At 9:45 it is still 96F outside. This weather is beginning to get ridiculous. Tonight we had fish and chips cooked in the air fryer, but instead of peas, we had hushpuppies. DH has always worked on our cars for the most part. Until hIs recent medical problems, my job was gofer, flashlight holder, instruction reader, etc. Last year, I helped change the sparkplugs in another car, but this week was the first time I've done just about all the work. I'm not sure if I want to make a habit of it. Annie, thanks for the @catmando report. I hope he continues to feel fine. Lenda

Ann, thanks for the pictures. The difference is even worse than what you can see on TV. Looking at the bottom picture, I noticed the shell of the historic courthouse and what looks like the banyan tree behind it. I just hope if that is the tree it can overcome the damage from the fire and regrow. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot and getting hotter central Texas. At least the wind made it bearable when I took the golf cart to check the mail. A short update on the sparkplug saga. Yesterday afternoon, DH disconnected the battery on the car and it reset the codes. This morning, we took it out for a test drive, and we could tell it was missing. After driving for a while, the check engine light came back on. The engine tester was finally able to read the code. One of the cylinders is misfiring, and DH is pretty sure it is the coil. A new coil will be here tomorrow, and 🤞 fingers crossed that solves the problem. It should be a relatively quick job, at least relatively quick for me, since we know what tools we need, and what to take off or loosen. I now know more about changing sparkplugs and engines than I wanted to know, but it is probably a good thing I learned. BTW, we are tackling the sparkplug job because the soonest we could get an appointment at any of the auto shops in town was two weeks off. A plus, is we've probably saved a ton of money except for the cost of Advil. 😉 Gerry, I hope your DH's procedure is problem free and show no surprises. I also hope the appointment for the pacemaker is soon. RNB, I'm pretty sure that is where we snorkeled the last time we were in Grand Cayman in 2002. Debbie, thanks for the pictures. That is one port we've not visited. Susan, I am also a list maker, and I got tired to recreating the lists for various trips, cruises, etc. I finally made some generic lists that are on the computer and that can be tailored to each trip without much revision. Vanessa, I hope the cardiologist can help you and that test shows some good results. That is good news that Barb is home. The pictures from Maui are just heart breaking, and the loss of life is so very sad. We've enjoyed exploring Maui many times. Here are a few pictures of Lahaina in better times. The first is the historic courthouse and banyan tree. A market under the banyan tree The booths for the boat excursions Lenda