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Bon Voyage everyone; enjoy every minute!!!

Wow, loads of folks on the outer decks for sail-away today!

Checking in.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! We still receive a printed newspaper, but often it's so few pages that we refer to it as the daily flyer. Happy Lunar New Year - we call it Lunar rather than Chinese because we have friends in other Asian countries (Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore) who also celebrate the holiday, not just the Chinese. Oh, I'd love if someone would deliver a pan of cream cheese brownies to my door! Yesterday went very well - arrived at the hospital by 10:30, DH had an ECG, was weighed, measured and had his bp taken, then we sat. Around noon a young woman came into the room for the TAVI explanation and assessment. DH aced both the cognitive and strength & fitness tests, which was great! Around 1 the cardiac surgeon came in, examined and interviewed DH, explaining the process to acquire a replacement valve - it has to go before a panel for approval. She said although his stenosis was classed as moderate to severe, she felt she could make a good case for him needing the replacement sooner rather than later. She also said we would keep the original date of the CT scan (Mar 11), as it would show better the extent of the damage to his artery, which I guess makes sense. By the time we left, we were both hungry, so for a treat we went to Five Guys where, although we both ordered the smallest burger, we brought half of our orders home. I still think they have the best fries in town. @Haljo1935 Happy Birthday to you and many happy, healthy returns of the day! @JazzyVCongratulations on your 1st Anniversary of taking care of our C & C List; thank you for all you do to keep track of everyone!! On the way home yesterday, I made a stop at Walmart where I picked up more yarn - I'd found a nice pattern online making a knit lace type pattern that I began last night. I only had to rip it out twice before getting it right. LOL Today will be spent working on the blanket and watching sail-away this afternoon. I would love to try the drink of the day if @kochleffel made it for me, will let others enjoy the wine (bet it's pricey!), and can honestly say I've never tasted a green bean casserole. I almost choked when I read the first recipe calling for 10 cans of green beans! We didn't have pizza last night because we were still enjoying the leftover burgers & fries from lunch, so tonight we'll order something cheesy and meaty to enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! There are a few people who bike to work in the winter in our city - we have a youngish mayor who, when he entered office a few years ago, removed a lot of parking spaces downtown and created bike lanes. A couple of hardy citizens this year decided to sit out in lawn chairs in the cold and count the number of bikes using them in winter over the course of a week; their tally: 3. That mayor has just announced he won't be running again - yay. I like bagels without the lox; I prefer sweet stuff like chocolate chip bagels with peanut butter. We haven't cut the cord, still have cable, but who knows what the future brings? More snow overnight which is fine, because it means added moisture. The streets were a mess yesterday, but the city did a great job of salting and sanding. I did notice the huge clots of snow and muck that had accumulated under the car during the drive, and kicked them all off on the street before heading up our driveway - less mess to clean up for me and it will just melt in with all the rest on the street. I expect our snow clearing fellow will arrive in about an hour's time to take care of what came down last night. It's neat though, because looking outside this morning I can see that a bunny rabbit came across the front yard at some time during the night. @1ANGELCATI am so sorry to hear of your friend's passing, especially so soon after her husband had. May their souls be reunited in the stars. Busy day today, getting DH over to the hospital where he'll undergo the TAVI assessment. We had word yesterday that they wouldn't be able to do the CT scan, as they had a backlog of patients in house that would be taking up all the spots. I don't know if they'll have another date for us when we get there today or not, we'll have to see. At least he'll get the assessment portion done. Didn't sleep well last night, hoping I wouldn't sleep in this morning, so I'm thinking maybe when we get back from the appointment that a nap will be in order. I know I'd enjoy the drink of the day, and if someone poured me a glass of today's wine from their bottle, I'd gladly sip it slowly. Will pass on the meal suggestion, because of course it's Friday night pizza night - yay for Pizza Day today! After nap time we'll peruse the online menus to see what appeals to us to have delivered so we can enjoy it at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in turmoil. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Oh my gosh, that's absolutely horrible; I just saw the news report on television!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Our son was a boy scout and enjoyed the program, although one of the leaders was a complete idiot; they must have been desperate for leaders that one year. Giving Hearts Day is a day for people to open their hearts and wallets to their favourite charities - I looked it up. I do laugh a lot, but am no richer, at least not in my bank account. We had a good dump of snow over the past 48 hours, somewhere around 5 inches of thick, wet heavy snow, but without the winds that the Maritimes experienced, it just fell and stayed. Thankfully our wonderful fellow came with his wife and cleared off the walk, driveway and patio - they said they'd be back today after the snow stopped, but wanted to be sure we could get out of our driveway without any issues. Because of the freezing rain we'd had the day before, they also spread ice melt on the sidewalk in the front of our property so others wouldn't slip and fall - very thoughtful! DH didn't end up going for coffee with his bandmates; due to the snow a couple of the fellows called to cancel, so we simply stayed home and hung out. I even had time for a nap in the afternoon, which was nice. @Lady HudsonBon Voyage; I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I just read on FB that the Nieuw Statendam isn't able to stop at Grand Cayman today due to tender pier damage from storms, so that's the second port they haven't been able to stop at on this itinerary. Not sure if it's going to be a sea day or if another port has been substituted at the last minute. Because we didn't get out yesterday, I do have to make a grocery run today - the flyers arrived and there are a few things I want to make sure to pick up while they're on sale. I think I'd like the drink of the day if I left out the ginger beer (not a fan), will let others have my share of the white wine, and would quite enjoy the menu suggestion. While I'm out, I'm going to pick up some burgers and fries from Five Guys that we will be able to enjoy at the kitchen table this evening. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, hugs to those who need them. Cheers to all with celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I thought e-Day was all about e-commerce, but decided to look it up. It's actually from e=mc2 which means e equals energy, how's your level? Ballet day is great for those involved and a delight for parents, grandparents, etc., to watch during recitals. I remember being in a school play, but it was at Christmas time. St Thomas was the 3rd port we'd ever stopped at during our cruising life, and it made such an impression on us that we've returned over and over again over the years. We haven't gone downtown in ages, but often just stay wherever we're docked, wander through the shops, have lunch and a beer (have to keep our tradition going), and head back to the ship. It's still so pretty. We had snow overnight - that combined with our slick, slippery streets after a late evening freezing rain will make a morning commute rather precarious. Sure glad we're retired and either don't have to go out, or can usually wait until the sanding trucks have made their rounds. At this point there isn't anything on the agenda for the morning - this afternoon DH is having coffee with his bandmates, so I'll drive him over there and one of them will bring him home. @bennybeara belated Happy Birthday to your DD! @Crazy For Cats I'm sorry to hear of DH's uncle's passing. @smitty34877I do hope you've been able to get some extra assistance with Tana; you're running yourself ragged with her care and taking charge of the rest of the house as well. @Cruising-alongyou're much, much braver than I am to even get within a few feet of a komodo dragon. I told DH if we ever get to that part of the world, I'm not getting off the ship; I abhor reptiles, especially ones that can kill me. @marshhawkI think it's time you went to an urgent care centre about your cough, or you'll soon be too weak to do anything about it. I think the drink of the day would be great to enjoy sitting in the shade of an umbrella on the back Lido deck of a BHB. I'm sure I'd enjoy the wine, and squash again? I'm going to have to check to see if CC is partially sponsored by the squash growers of the world! I've got some ground beef thawing that will be turned into quesadillas to be served along with mild and spicy salsa at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, or who just needs a hug. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I will certainly celebrate African American Coaches today, and believe that female circumcision is truly a barbarian act. Lame duck, will pass on that. We had some good news yesterday - while enjoying our tea and the newspaper in the living room first thing in the morning, the phone rang. It was the hospital telling us there had been a cancellation and would DH like to take an appointment this Friday morning for his TAVI CT and assessment, rather than waiting till Feb 26? In less than a nanosecond, he replied yes! So glad they had a cancellation list and he was on it. Now that he's going for his tests on Friday, he wants to get his hair cut (getting all spiffed up for the nurses), so that's where we'll be going this morning. I also have to drop off some seasick tablets to a retired colleague - we can't get them in Canada, and she's leaving on a cruise at the beginning of March. This morning is our regular monthly breakfast gathering, but I'll be busy driving DH around, so I'll just drop in to say hi and leave. I was saddened to hear about Toby Keith; while I'm not a country music fan, I did see an interview with him just a few days ago and although he was very thin, he sounded strong and I was hoping he'd have more time with his family. Best wishes to King Charles - hopefully it's a treatable cancer. I occasionally enjoy a margarita on a BHB, but really prefer mine to be the strawberry kind. YAY, a Cardboardeaux!!!! Yes, I've had it, and it was totally drinkable. The menu suggestion is looking awfully close to squash, isn't it? LOL DH doesn't care for sweet potatoes, so will give it a pass. One of the small (think really tiny) restaurants just posted on FB that they have their single serving pies available this week - Death by Chocolate, Key Lime, Lemon Meringue, and Peanut Butter. While we're out I'm going to stop by and pick up a Death by Chocolate and Lemon Meringue that will be our amazing dessert for a light dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, and even for those who don't think they are. Cheers to all who have something to celebrate today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Not sure about celebrating Disaster day, just try to make sure to avoid one. Did someone say chocolate? Chocolate fondue, chocolate fountain, chocolate whatever, yes, please!! I laughed when I read the quote of the day, the same could apply to video games. It's dark, cloudy and windy out there this morning, and I'm hearing all kinds of reports on the radio of minor fender benders on the city streets. The highways are a mess as well after the freezing rain that started late yesterday evening. I know the sanding/salting trucks will be out in full force; I'm just glad we don't have to go anywhere today. I wanted to head to the bank to deal with the HAL refund on our credit card, but that isn't urgent and can certainly wait until tomorrow. @grapau27I'm sorry to learn of your friend's wife suddenly passing away. How awful for him, and for the rest of your church family. @seagarsmokergood luck as you start your new job today! @superomasafe travels to DH's medical appt today; I hope they're able to give him some relief. @smitty34877how is Tana doing; I do worry about her, and you as her primary support person. @Denise THoley Moley on the oven!! So glad you didn't have to call the fire department! I was in Montreal in 1967, the year I turned 12; I went to Expo with my newly widowed aunt and we had a blast. We stayed with relatives of relatives who made us feel as if we'd known them forever, and they took us all over the place. Just thinking of that trip brings a smile to my face. Of course any photos I took were way before digital, so would have to go scouring through albums to find them. I'm not sure about the drink of the day, have definitely had the wine, and would enjoy a hot pot if someone prepped everything for me. DH is starting to feel a little housebound, so once the weather warms up later today and the streets are safer, we're going to venture out to one of our favourite places for some Greek food for dinner tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, and even if you aren't, you're still included. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Thanks again for everything - camera Dave, Leeanne for the thread and the screenshots, and everyone else just for being here. See you next time!

Y'all are THE best, thank you so much!!!!

I've seen photos taken from inside the ship and don't think I'd care for those weird balconies.

Good tooting!

Hope they purchased carbon credits! LOL

Dang, I've had buffering on and off for the last few minutes. Can I ask a favour? I want to get a screen shot of our friends on the NS and if I'm in the middle of a buffer, can someone else take one for me? They're on 4th floor balcony, close to the stern and will be waving a small Canadian flag.

NS dropping all lines.

Toots, long toots!!

I learned how to do a 3 point turn during driver's ed in high school. I could do it better than my brother! Now about backing up in a straight line, or trying to maneuver a trailer in reverse . . . . another matter altogether.

I've never tried it on a ship!

That's a lot of toots for a Princess ship!

I figured it must be a Princess ship because of where the camera is focused. Just waiting for it to come into view.

Long departure toot from someone!