PRINCESS CRUISERS: HOW ARE THINGS WHERE YOU ARE?!

[MamaFej]

Oh, my goodness, @rogueriver, that’s a tough situation! I’m from SoCal, and Hubby is a recently retired firefighter. I can definitely empathize with evacuating, the helpless feeling, and worrying about exhausted loved ones on the line. 
 

I’m glad you and your home are okay. My heart breaks for those not so fortunate. 
 

 

[Norcalcouple]

5 hours ago, Thrak said:

We're supposed to meet our grandson for breakfast this morning. Nice outside seating. Bleh... We'll still meet though. He goes into the Army next week and we really want to see him before he goes. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..... The joy of sitting outside in the "ash rain" having breakfast.

You had better enjoy your visit with your grandson, because you most likely won't see him again until the pandemic is over.  I have a granddaughter who is in her first year at the Air Force academy in Colorado Springs.  The cadets aren't allowed to leave  the base and outsiders aren't allowed to visit, due to the pandemic.  That's kind of tough on these young kids. 

[taznremmy]

@Thrak  Please be safe!  I just got off the  phone with my Niece because I couldn't reach my Brother and SIL. (Yuba County).   Apparently, they are without power.   

 

Then I went to the Sacramento Bee website and read the article about the communities of Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Feather Falls, Forbestown and Clipper Mills all being "burned through".  My other brother and family used to live in Berry Creek, many, many years ago.  (He was a Manager at Thrifty).

 

I'm in So.Cal, but earlier today it was either 82 and snowing, or I am getting ash from the El Dorado fire, which is about 50 miles away (straight line).

 

My heart goes out to everyone being impacted by these fires.

 

Stay safe!!

 

 

[PurpleHays]

On 9/9/2020 at 12:09 PM, Thrak said:

Our vehicles in the driveway are covered with dirty ash. The sky is ORANGE. We can't tell where the sun is supposed to be. Fires. Again. I freaking HATE the damn fires. Oroville - a nearby town and the home to some of the folks who post here - is under evacuation watch. We know some folks who lost their home in Paradise in the Camp Fire not so long ago who have now been evacuated from their new home outside of Oroville. Did I mention that I freaking HATE the freaking fires? My niece is freaked out. She lost everything - literally everything - in the Camp Fire and now she is really stressing. The look of the sky, the ash, the smoke in the air, are all enough to trigger major anxiety for her.

 

We're supposed to meet our grandson for breakfast this morning. Nice outside seating. Bleh... We'll still meet though. He goes into the Army next week and we really want to see him before he goes. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..... The joy of sitting outside in the "ash rain" having breakfast.

My daughter is in Sonoma County--she's sending us photos that are absolutely unbelievable.

 

Good on your grandson. Basic training is a piece of cake once you realize they're yelling at "Airman" Hays, not you personally. And *never* volunteer.

[Thrak]

On 9/6/2020 at 6:52 PM, MamaFej said:

I’m rather frustrated that the live-stream of the ceremony isn’t working, but at least my SIL sent pictures. 
 

I’m super proud of my niece: Dr. Pam! 
 

I imagine her white coat will be more comfortable than the robe and hood. 

 

 

Congrats! Our middle child graduated with a JD but never practiced law. He looked around at the possibilities in the area and said something like, "Dad! They want to offer me $49k to start as a lawyer. I made $69k last year selling carpet while going to school!" Instead of law he applied with the California Highway Patrol. It seems the law degree (and the fact that he passed the bar exam on the first try) was a plus. He's been with the CHP for a while now (12-14 years?). I can't keep track of time... He's a sergeant now and definitely making far more than that but... We were so freaking proud when he finished law school and passed the bar.  Strange how things work out.

 

We went to a big party a few years back when one of my wife's coworkers (a major Dead Head) got her PhD. Doctor Donna.  I'm a fan of Ronnie Earl and introduced her to Blues for Doctor Donna. 😁 Yep, I'm kind of like that.

 

I know I majorly digressed but I really do mean it when I can Congratulations to Dr. Pam! A PhD, MD, JD, or whatever is quite an accomplishment.

[voljeep]

On 9/6/2020 at 10:09 AM, voljeep said:

kinda hate to say it , but there was NO social distancing and masks quickly came off, very few even worn, in the summer heat... it was the first time "out" for most of the people in that type of setting, and maybe a few guards were let down ... I know ours were, but damnit , it was good to see all those people again and many, many comments about how it was much needed to socialize again in these current times.  Lots of 'hugs' lots of laughs, and even some tears

 

some lost jobs, some working from home...

 

to be continued, maybe ..

Update - been a week now, no symptoms , normal temps, and we/I have been semi-self-isolating with just trips out for groceries, etc ... wife got tested on thursday, with the results expected on tuesday ... no notices from the Host's about anyone at the party testing positive since then

 

Almost ... almost ... a semi-normal weekend here for us ... no real plans, and college football is on TV !! Vols don't play for another couple of weeks (9/26) depending of course on what happens between now and then.  Will throw some roadkill on the grill between rain showers this afternoon

 

sad about our cancelled Thanksgiving cruise, but looking forward to the kids coming down for Christmas, and then our hopefully,  little 6 day 4/2021 cruise .. it a western CB cruise on the CB , RT PE/FLL ... would even 'accept' if it was changed to Eastern itinerary including PC and maybe St Thomas ... just 'need' to get on a ship

 

stay safe

stay hydrated

peace out

[Reader0108598]

15 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Congrats! Our middle child graduated with a JD but never practiced law. He looked around at the possibilities in the area and said something like, "Dad! They want to offer me $49k to start as a lawyer. I made $69k last year selling carpet while going to school!" Instead of law he applied with the California Highway Patrol. It seems the law degree (and the fact that he passed the bar exam on the first try) was a plus. He's been with the CHP for a while now (12-14 years?). I can't keep track of time... He's a sergeant now and definitely making far more than that but... We were so freaking proud when he finished law school and passed the bar.  Strange how things work out.

 

We went to a big party a few years back when one of my wife's coworkers (a major Dead Head) got her PhD. Doctor Donna.  I'm a fan of Ronnie Earl and introduced her to Blues for Doctor Donna. 😁 Yep, I'm kind of like that.

 

I know I majorly digressed but I really do mean it when I can Congratulations to Dr. Pam! A PhD, MD, JD, or whatever is quite an accomplishment.

My son is a state Trooper been in for 16 years. Will be promoted to sergeant by the end of the year when a few guys retire of course now they are retiring at record rates.  Think his Vet status helped him get in. Tell your son to stay safe out there !!

Edited September 12, 2020 by Reader0108598

[MamaFej]

Folks in the fire-ridden states, I hope you and your families are all staying safe. I'm so sorry for what you're experiencing.

 

The smoke is making its way over here to NW MT. Thankfully, we got a few good hikes in while the air was still clean. 

 

My 18 year-old texted to say that it's raining ash at home. Yuck. As much as I miss him, his sister, and the doggos, I'm not looking forward to going home during fire and Santa Ana season in a month. We will take care of a few appointments and other things, then jump back into the motor home and go somewhere with comfortable temperatures and (hopefully) clear air. 

 

As much as I miss cruising and hate this awful pandemic, I feel incredibly grateful to be able to ride it out in an RV, safely distant from everyone, in beautiful, scenic places, with the love of my life. 

[Lindaru]

41 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

We will take care of a few appointments and other things, then jump back into the motor home and go somewhere with comfortable temperatures and (hopefully) clear air. 

 

If you decide on Idaho, stay out of the entire western half.  We are under unhealthy for everyone smoke conditions.  We also have at last count 12 fires burning in the state, two of them close to me in McCall.

They expect this to continue at least until Friday.  Hopefully we can get some rain.  We were in that awful wind storm Monday and Tuesday that whipped all of these fires out of control.

Stay safe, everyone.

 

[Reader0108598]

Hope everyone stays safe!

 

 

[nini]

Reporting from Washington State Coast. Our house is .75 miles

from the Pacific Ocean. Our AQI is now 201 which is down from

the 400's in the last day or two.

One daughter lives in the Portland area and was on evacuation notice.

Her boss had to evacuate along with her horses. My SIL also had to evacuate

from Oregon City with the house on her corner having been destroyed.

My daughter's AQI  is now 426, down from the low 500's.

Shoot! My sister lives in the Los Angeles basin and her AQI is SO much better

than ours.

Central Oregon is insane. in Bend, Oregon my Aunt's AQI has been in the 500's

and is now down to 479. Many Oregon roads are closed.

[memoak]

I am in Portland and this morning I cannot see large offices buildings that are mere blocks away through the smoke 

[nini]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

I am in Portland and this morning I cannot see large offices buildings that are mere blocks away through the smoke 

 

We have two daughters there and they have kept us posted. So, you know

the areas I mentioned. We were supposed to go to Bend on Monday, but the

air there is really bad.

[dosperegrinos]

Everett WA:  This A.M. "Pea soup"!  Our view from the 5th floor apt is of The Port of Everett to the left and the Navy Destroyers to the right.  There are only four street between our street and the entrance to the Port Property.  So close.  Could not see beyond Rucker, where we are.  When on a clear day we see The Olympic Mountains.  Locked inside, in one room "they" say,  Any thicker and it will be go  hide in a closet.

[MamaFej]

If you don’t have air purifiers (or even if you do) water can be your friend. 
Humidifiers and a pot of water gently simmering on the stove add moisture to the air which captures particles before falling to the floor. 
Even putting pans of water out will help. The larger the surface area, the better. Baking sheets are good for this. A half sheet cake pan is excellent (the more, the better). 

Dump the water and refill occasionally. I’m from drought country, and am normally very thrifty with water usage. Right now, protecting your lungs is more urgent. 
 

Take care, fellow humans! 

 

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, MamaFej said:

a pot of water gently simmering on the stove add moisture to the air which captures particles before falling to the floor. 

 

House is closed up but the smoke is still getting to us inside. It's nasty. Will put on a pot of water now. Thanks for the suggestion.

[MamaFej]

31 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

House is closed up but the smoke is still getting to us inside. It's nasty. Will put on a pot of water now. Thanks for the suggestion.

You're welcome! Definitely do not turn on your whole house fan (I'm sure you're smart enough not to) but do set your AC fan to ON instead of Auto. That will help pressurize the house and keep air from coming inside. My dingbat kids turned on the whole house fan last week when I texted them to "turn on the fan" like we've done for dozens of fires over the years. Thankfully, that dragging of hot, mildly smoky air inside only lasted a couple of hours before they realized what a bonehead move it was. 

 

Support for the water stuff is largely anecdotal, it's hard to get your house truly humid enough to make a huge difference, but those who do it say it helps. We've got a pot simmering here in the RV. Some folks add fresh herbs. I don't know if that helps, but it probably smells good. 

[Thrak]

We "normally" run the whole house fan in the morning to bring in the cool night air (even though we "usually" leave the windows open at night) but these days it would be a killer to bring all of this "fog" into the house. We have been running the AC fan but the smoke still seems to infiltrate.

 

It's nothing compared to those who are in the fires of course. It's got to be truly horrible for the folks who are being burned out. We still have a good 10,000 "extra" people here in town from the Camp Fire. Now we have more refugees from these fires. Crazy.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Thrak

[Lucky TGO]

Hi Thrak,

I just wanted to say be careful and Stay Safe!!
Tony

 

[Lindaru]

I wish our dog knew how to use the toilet and flush.  We have been pretty good at keeping the smoke out (we hit hazardous level . . . the highest level) today.  McCall had the worst air quality in the entire state.  We have to open the door to let her out to the yard and she seems to be oblivious and taking her time to do her business and get back inside.

We do run a humidifier, so maybe that is helping.

Stay safe, all!  Hope if you have loved ones in the immediate fire danger, that they are safe as well.  Monitoring the news to try and keep informed.
 

[Reader0108598]

Stay safe all !

[1980dory]

15 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

Stay safe all !

Down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast:  Battening down the hatches, getting the flashlights out, putting raingear on,

putting boots on and getting the rowboat (not Tony's size) prepped.

Can't run. Don't know where to run to at this point so we have to stay put and hope for the best.

Raining now.  Huricane Sally coming in!

Did Katrina 15 years ago so we  have some idea of what to expect.  Wish us luck.

[dosperegrinos]

Everett WA:  This A.M. "Pea soup"!  Our view from the 5th floor apt is of The Port of Everett to the left and the Navy Destroyers to the right.  There are only four street between our street and the entrance to the Port Property.  So close.  Could not see beyond Rucker, where we are.  When on a clear day we see The Olympic Mountains.  Locked inside, in one room "they" say,  Any thicker and it will be go  hide in a closet.

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, 1980dory said:

Down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast:  Battening down the hatches, getting the flashlights out, putting raingear on,

putting boots on and getting the rowboat (not Tony's size) prepped.

Can't run. Don't know where to run to at this point so we have to stay put and hope for the best.

Raining now.  Huricane Sally coming in!

Did Katrina 15 years ago so we  have some idea of what to expect.  Wish us luck.

 

Some have fires and pray for rain. You get the rain and horrendous winds. It's crazy all over. Best of luck with the storm. Sounds like you know how to prepare.

[1980dory]

57 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Some have fires and pray for rain. You get the rain and horrendous winds. It's crazy all over. Best of luck with the storm. Sounds like you know how to prepare.

We could send you up to 10" of rain but you really don't need to send us any fire in exchange.

We also expect to have 100mph winds but you probably don't need that either.

Poor Louisianna just had Hurricane Laura and now they may get Sally also.  NOLA may be in big trouble again.

We have a tentative direct hit on Gulfport/Biloxi but these things can change in a few hours.  

And then there's the Corona virus.  It all certainly keeps life interesting.