Coralc

18 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

We got rid of multiple sets of china I knew I'd never use. Agree breaks my heart but trying to par down. Right now I'm pondering a very old dictionary my  mom always used, even has tabs inset for the letters I havent been able to throw away but no use for. Got a few little bags ready to give to my sister with some stuffed animals. I have trouble throwing stuff away. 

It is really difficult, isn't it? I had a dictionary fancy, embossed with my name, that my dad gave me right before college that he signed with sentiment. But I tossed it. I took photos of a few things. But it is hard to part with some of this stuff. And books are really heavy. I cut those at least, in half. 

There are probably 3 sets up there too. Donate. We already gave the flatware to Bill's cousin. We are all in on Corelle and Corning. 

It wouldn't be surprising if there was Noro. It is pretty common on our spring canal cruises. The most interesting outbreak was on a Vision S. Caribbean cruise. I think also in April. 

The cruise made the CBS Evening News. Every night before we met up in the cigar lounge, we would count the number of yellow quarantine magnets above the cabin doors, to get our own tally of affected cruisers. 

We didn't come down with it until we returned home. But I think that might have been from the poor vomiting women on the plane. 

Bobby mittens. 😊

Wow! Thanks Jim. And that is a lot of boxes. Our move is looking that way. We can pack the boxes, but we can't load it all ourselves. I can't lift stuff anymore. This is entirely too much work, as it is. 

Since we only plan to live at the other house for two years. Some boxes may never even get unpacked. But I am absolutely amazed at how much stuff we have discarded, donated, or sold. And how much is still left to pack. 

There is something to be said for a minimalist lifestyle. Our neighbors were like that. I went over there and asked, where is your mail, and magazines and celery rubber bands, and paperwork and gadgets and other stuff? She just said they don't get keep any of that. Amazing. 🙄 I guess it is something to aspire to. 😊

I don't know. We are boxing everything up excluding furniture. U-Haul has TV and art boxes. We haven't priced it out yet. The move is only 2.5 hours away, but a lot of juggling balls in the air to figure out how all of this going to work. 

Termite treatment the end of the month. Termite construction begins May 13th and then exterior house painting and appliances. And then moving. 

And in the meantime, we have to get other things moved out of the other house and antiques into the garage, so we will have somewhere to put our multitude of boxes. 

Totally stressed. 

2 hours ago, 3red7s said:

awesome, however we are not on FB...do you have a phone number?

SEE POST #30. 

26 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Just seems petty though doesn't it? not like they aren't going to make up the few extra bucks when you are onboard spending $$ with your sea pass card.

 

Are all the cruise lines doing stuff like this after you put a deposit on a cruise?

We were in Alaska, the single year that they decided to add the $100 p/p tourist tax. We just paid it. It was repealed the following year. It is not worth it to derail your plans. 

We've had the foghorn on several cruises, including an overnight going up the Mississippi. That was a little....annoying. But understandable. When it finally stops, you just kind of go...aahhh. 😊

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

No, they don’t but they might give a newcomer enough information to make their own informed decision. 

I think it was so funny. I think it was Antigua. And I couldn't find my Seapass card to get through the security shack to get back on the ship. The guard had me dump my whole purse out to find it, because clearly, she didn't want to have to call the ship. 

About that time one of the bartenders came through, and put his arm around my shoulders, and told her, "It's okay, we know her." 😀

As we were walking back to the ship, I found it in the pocket of my shorts.😊 

Whichever anyone decides to do. These threads never change anyone's mind. 😀

We went to the wildlife park/zoo when we were there. Long bus ride, but it was awesome. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1047016-d5893927-Reviews-Auto_Safari_Chapin-Escuintla_Escuintla_Department.html Ship excursion. 

I have never seen an itinerary like that. I believe a foreign port is required even on a closed loop cruise. 

2 hours ago, wrg said:

Thanks! The ports of call are: San Juan, PR, St. Croix and St. Thomas.

You must have some foreign port. Those are all US possession ports. Where are you leaving from, or do you go to St. Martin, too?

We just take our passport cards with us. They are inexpensive when you renew your passport, and fit nicely in a wallet. If for some unfathomable reason, we should miss the ship, the port agent should have our passports. 

Support Your Local Sheriff with James Garner and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World. 😊

15 hours ago, h20skibum said:

The sun came out yesterday, after several days of heavy rain.  We are still under a flood watch thru tomorrow with a few roads closed due to high water. 
Our water levels are up, since they are trying to reduce the amount of water reaching Pittsburgh. 
 

 

 

I like local highway names! They're funny. "The Bathtub" and our own "Macarthur Maze" are very appropriate. ☺️

Great photos! Thanks so much for sharing them with us. ☺️

That's an absolutely horrible situation. We are thinking about you Dani, and all the people of Israel. 

 Laurie. I know you like fantasy series. I never read Nora Roberts before, because I thought they were all gushy romance novels. But she has two really good ones. "The Awakening " trilogy and also "The Rise of the Magicks", also a trilogy. I thought they were really good. The most recent fabulous fantasy/sci fi that I have read recently is "Here and Now and Then" by Mike Chen 

I always enjoy your live reports. And I am looking forward to following along on your adventure. ☺️

I was too slow. It wouldn't let me edit. 

I read. On the pool deck, in the shade. 

Good call. You do need a passport for open loop cruises. But they have passports, so I would argue strenuously. It is a cruise line recommendation not a federal rule. But you're right. I don't have any experience with passport timing. And in any case, you don't have time to get a new one now. I hope everything works out for you and your family. 

And since it let you check them in. I don't think it should be an issue. 😊

Don't worry about it. Bring their certified birth certificates as a backup. But it shouldn't be any sort of problem. The 6 month thing does not apply to any Caribbean islands. 

Trust me @Teeara everyone will be up very early tomorrow. ☺️ Canal crossings are so exciting, and the ship is literally buzzing very early in the morning. The approach to the canal with all the anchored ships waiting for their time is very interesting, too. And sometimes there are crocs, on the banks during the approach.

Bill went to Pacific HS. Which is now Marina Square. 😄

Re: shower doors. I think I would like frameless, but I don't really want clear shower doors in the guest bath. Sometimes there might be 2 people in there. I haven't been able to find frameless with partially obscured glass. That is probably why we are going semi-frameless. 

Re: electric vehicles. There are millions of them here. The Tesla factory is local. Just about every other car is a Tesla, EV or a hybrid. The people across the street have 2 Teslas. What I have noticed, is that most people that have them here also have solar, that they can use with their (in garage) charger and backup battery. No one seems to be too concerned about a fire risk. They mostly catch on fire after they have been in a crash. 

We are not particularly interested in them though. Charge/distance anxiety is a real thing. And I can fill my vehicle in 10 minutes at a gas pump. I have no interest in waiting around for a charge.  

29 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Frameless vs framed glass shower in bathrooms?  What is your preference?

 

DH is insisting on frameless due to aesthetics.

I am against them because in his bathroom he has to put the bath mat outside every day to dry because the water leaks out of the gaps after each shower.

We are going to renovate our main bathroom (which currently has a framed glass shower) and we are at a stalemate over this….

 

Good question! And just to make it more confusing, we are going with semi-frameless. Part of the termite work requires disassembling the guest bathroom and replacing the subfloor, so we are going to replace the tub/shower door. This might be a super long link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-Simplicity-60-in-x-58-1-8-in-Semi-Frameless-Traditional-Sliding-Bathtub-Door-in-White-and-Chrome-with-Transition-Glass-2435591/206288469