The Daily for Monday Jan 25, 2021

[ger_77]

Good morning, wow, am I ever late to the show this morning!  Maybe it had something to do with shoveling out our driveway yesterday in the freezing weather that put me into a coma-like sleep. BTW, it's still -33C (-46C wind chill) this morning.   I'd like some Irish coffee, but will have some later; I'm currently drinking "Crazy About Nuts" tea - it's quite good. 

 

Interesting that Irish coffee would be suggested on Robbie Burns Day, a day to celebrate all that is Scottish.  My foster-parents were Scottish, and actually called me Heather because my chubby face reminded them of the fields of heather in their homeland.  Is that sweet or what?  I'll be drinking scotch in their memory later today.

 

A nice suggestion for dinner, but DH doesn't favor wild rice, so taking a look in our fridge means we're going to have chicken Caesar salads with garlic bread for dinner tonight.  And wine.

 

@kazuyour first quote describes DH and me to a "T".  I do all the planning, he schleps the luggage.  LOL

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them, and even for those who don't think they do.  Raising the glasses (wine and scotch) to celebrate all on the happy list.  Be safe, stay well, wash your hands and wear your mask.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

Edited January 25, 2021 by ger_77

[Overhead Fred]

We should be having a Burns Supper tonight but I am fresh out of haggis. I can probably find some tatties and neeps to mash though. And a glass of whiskey can certainly be hoisted!

 

Here are some folks enjoying a favorite Minnesota winter pastime on Lake Phalen; Ice Fishing! We can watch them from our living room -

[smitty34877]

Ger 77, our  household  works  the  same  way. I  am  fortunate  to  be  married  to  a  lovely  person  who humors  me  quite  well.      Terry

[ski ww]

Irish Coffee these days sound excellent, but as it's also Robbi Burns Day I'll celebrate with a glass of Scotch. Stay safe & healthy.

[mamaofami]

Morning everyone. I just started a post that disappeared. They’re forecasting snow and ice for tomorrow. Fortunately, we have no where to go and the community will shovel us out if we get more than three inches. Otherwise we’re on our own.

 

Wondering why there are ships in Ft. Lauderdale and where they are heading.

 

I’m off to visit the Barnes museum in Philly, via my Scarsdale, NY , adult Ed course starting in 5 minutes.

 

Have a good day and stay safe.

 

Carol

[AncientWanderer]

Greetings to all on a VERY blustery day in So Cal.

We are all prepared for our Burns Night Supper.  The weather today is a perfect backdrop for the festivities.  There will be smoked salmon, haggis with whiskey cream sauce, a roast chicken, taters and turnips.  And shortbread!  St. Andrews shot glass at the ready.

I'll raise a glass to the loyal cruisers of Holland America!  🥃  ❤️❤️❤️

 

[garlictown]

🙂Thank you for the Daily, Rich and Roy!☕ I do remember having Irish coffee in both Dublin and Belfast! ☘️

👍Happy Monday morning and prayers for all who are in need! 🙏

[JazzyV]

Good morning. Thanks for the Daily.

Mmm, Irish Coffee. I wish some businesses had better communication. I have been tempted to switch to MAC when my Windows computer update crashes! Already using an iPhone and iPad.

 

I've spent the morning in online queues for 2 pharmacies. One had 7000 people ahead of me. I thought I could at least get on a list for a vaccine, but after waiting my turn to get on the websites they just said no appointments available.

 

Snow and icy here off and on all week. Thankfully I can stay put. I hope the power stays on!

 

Prayers for the Care list and cheers to the Celebration list.

Stay safe, social distance, and wear you mask (maybe double mask due to the variants out there).

 

 

[Copper10-8]

5 hours ago, richwmn said:

today is Irish Coffee Day.......................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lazey1]

Irish Coffee?  Make it Bailey Irish Cream Coffee and you have a winner.

 

I am curious why the Konigsdam keeps moving between San Diego and the Greate Los Angeles ports?  Anyone know the answer?

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a rainy, windy southwest Arizona.  Already this morning we have passed yesterday’s rainfall total.  Our trees and saguaro 🌵 will love the rain, and it will give me something to do in March — spray the weeds.  
 

For once we are close on the meal suggestion.  Tonight, it will be Cornish game hen cooked in the air fryer, asparagus and mashed potatoes and of course wine.

 

In 2000, we did the world cruise on P&O (HAL didn’t do a complete world cruise that year).  On Burns night, they had the presentation on the haggis, complete with kilt clad men with crossed swords and bottles in the MDR.  Later, there was a special show in honor of the night.

 

Curiously, St. George’s Day, and St. Patrick’s only had small celebrations in the pub.

 

Lenda

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, all, and thanks to Rich and Roy and all Daily posters! 😄It's rather overcast here today, but mild.  I imagine Pat will take a walk out to his favourite coffee shop.

 

There was an item about Larry King on the news the other night.  He had been asked  something about being such a good listener, and he replied "If I'm talking, I'm not learning".   I have tried that, unfortunately, I forget what I have learned sooo quickly!

 

I wish there would be something on the HAL blog about what is going on on the ships....  Evidently a lot of cruise ship reservations at Ogden Point are being cancelled.  Originally there were over 300 reservations now only in the 200's, and I imagine they will continue to go down.  

 

By now,  in BC, all care home residents and workers (and essential visitors) should have had their first shot, next step is to give them their second, then they start on the 80+ers later in February.  However, it's going to take a long time to get everyone done.  I have a feeling the summer will be a "no go"....

[superoma]

In 2016 the community of Mission Hills in Clearwater Florida had a Robbie burns dinner sponsored by the Canadians of Scottish extraction staying there. The haggis was piped in, addressed, and distributed for tasting. My DH and I, both German, had a bit of fun with it. DH wore my kilt. It and my pencil skirt are the maple leaf tartan. It was great fun.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! Irish Coffee is an excellent idea for this weather. Business Communication can always use working on. I don’t have a Mac - can i celebrate Mac ‘n Cheese in its place?

Chicken and wild rice strudel sounds interesting, and rack of lamb is always a hit here. Tonight’s plan though is stuffed cauliflower. We’ll see how that goes.

The much anticipated snowfall we were warned about came, but turned out to be - Ta da - RAIN! To be fair, there was about an hour of tiny white flakes falling sparsely before it turned into tiny rain drops, so I guess they can say it snowed.

A year ago today, the Amsterdam took us to Montevideo, Uruguay. The cruise terminal is so close to everything that if the ship overshot the berth you’d walk off the ship into a restaurant. Not far from port is a pedestrian avenue, lined with coffee shops and boutiques that open fairly late in the day. There is also a series of tree filled plazas, with shade and fountains and benches. One hosts an outdoor market filled with handmade Uruguayan goods, and another is famous for parrots. There is a large old tree in the center liberally filled with parrot nests. It was actually the first time I’ve seen wild parrots so close and so numerous. Eventually you reach the final plaza surrounded by government buildings and featuring monuments to important people and the archway to the city in the remains of the original city wall.
We spent the day exploring on foot, both up into town and down to the waterfront by the old city. Uruguay has such a safe and relaxed feeling, and Montevideo in particular is so beautiful! 
Here are a few photos of our day there:

Sailing into the port of Montevideo in the early morning rain.

 

heading out of the terminal, while the Amsterdam waits.

 

Exiting the security zone into town.

 

Some plazas feature fountains

 

One features a wide assortment of vendors.

 

Plaza Zabala is home to the ‘parrot condo’ tree full of nests, with flocks of chattering bright coloured parrots coming and going.

 

A pair of Plaza Zabala residents.

 

The final plaza, by the government buildings, featuring the original archway to the city.

 

Iced coffee at a cafe that was closed on our way out, but open when we headed back.

 

@cat shepardis this an Uruguayan relative of someone you know?

 

Does anyone remember the popular ‘70s T-shirt ‘A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle’? I had never realized hat fish needing bicycles was actually a thing!😉

 

An older, beautiful neighbourhood heading to the harbour away from the ship.

 

Heading out along the breakwater where the locals come to fish and visit.

 

A view of the Amsterdam from the breakwater, and time to head back for sailaway.

And a view of the breakwater from the Amsterdam, as we leave this beautiful place for colder climates!

 

And finally, the Amsterdam wishes you Happy Monday!
 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Horizon chaser 1957

[durangoscots]

Sun shinning brightly but last night we got another 5 inches of snow. Let's see.... 15 inches plus 6 inches, plus 5 inches and guess what is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.... another 5 inches. Then we get a well deserved break for at least 3 or 4 days. I know we need the moisture but I am beginning to say that in order to convince myself. At least we do get a break between the storms which allows the driveways to get cleared and for me to find my car. I head out to the dermatologist this afternoon.... hope the roads will be clear.

 

I got an appointment on Feb. 3 for 1 shot!!!! That is if the vaccines are delivered which may be a question. However, I regard this as progress. My sister is still waiting and stewing. 

 

Otherwise all is as usual. I am going to start going through pictures and doing some weeding out. Will be a slow process I am sure.

 

 

 

[NextOne]

I used my trusty Mac several weeks ago to print out the Pasta Bake recipe. Finally got to make it last night and DH LOVED it! Yay!!

Congrats to all that are on the celebration list and prayers raised for all on the concerns list.

We'll be straddling the line between rain and ice to night, but probably no snow. I'd much rather have snaow than ice!!

[rafinmd]

2 minutes ago, NextOne said:

I'd much rather have snow than ice!!

That's for sure,  although I do not dread ice quite so much now that I'm retired.

 

Roy

[vicd1969]

4 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I'm wondering why Nieuw Statendam moved to PE anchorage in the first place.

 

Roy

Speaking of Port Everglades, today is also National Florida Day. Why today and not its date of entry into the union, I have no idea. But fitting given a team from Florida is finally in the Super Bowl after 18 years, and the first one ever to play in its home stadium.

Edited January 25, 2021 by vicd1969

[TiogaCruiser]

Good Morning All!

We have a gorgeous day here in SoCal. The clouds are puffy, the sky is blue and the mountains are covered with snow. Locally the trails are drenched, so it's no real trail rides for the next several days at least. 

I'll celebrate that I don't have a Mac (0nly iPad and iPhone- the iToys).  Otherwise pure Windows (in various flavors) in this household. The closest to Mac I get is the system at church. Our pastor and an elder love it, the rest of us on tech team are Windows people, and are frequently "amused" 🤪 at how Mac works. At least once each service i have to ask "And how do you do THAT on Mac?"

 

 

Adding a picture of the sunset as we sailed northward for Puerto Madryn. As we got further north it became quite warm.

Edited January 25, 2021 by TiogaCruiser

[richwmn]

1 hour ago, JazzyV said:

I've spent the morning in online queues for 2 pharmacies. One had 7000 people ahead of me. I thought I could at least get on a list for a vaccine, but after waiting my turn to get on the websites they just said no appointments available.

I'm on 4 call back lists and checking 2 websites several times a day and I am unable to get an appointment for a shot. I was told today to check one of the websites Wednesday as a new version that is more "user friendly" will be rolling out.

[TheKingD]

Good morning, and thanks for the birthday wishes and to Roy for putting me on the celebrations list.

 

I agree with @TiogaCruiserthat other than the i-phone and i-pad, I'm a Windows gal.  I started with IBM punch cards when I took computer science in college, and went from there through lots of antiquated computer systems and programs and I loved DOS back in the '80's.  My father was a systems analyst in the '50's, and I inherited that binary brain which has come in handy through most of my career.  Luckily my mother was creative and loved pretty things, so I got a nice gene pool from both of them, keeping me from being a total nerd!

 

I'm hoping everyone is successful at getting on the vaccination lists sooner rather than later.  It is a relief to have an appointment, even though mine is a month away.

 

Stay safe and kind. 

[bennybear]

2 hours ago, JazzyV said:

. I have been tempted to switch to MAC when my Windows computer update crashes! Already using an iPhone and iPad.

We did and it makes life so much easier!

[Copper10-8]

So, the actual stop at the Great Wall of China, the Huangyaguan portion, on this crew tour was pretty incredible. The Huangyaguan aka "yellow cliff pass" section of the Great Wall is situated in the mountainous area of Ji County in Tianjin City, which is 80 miles east of Beijing. Originally constructed in the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557 AD), it was repaired by General Qi Jiguang in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). The Huangyaguan Great Wall connects the Malanguan Pass in Hebei Province in the west with the Jiangjunguan Pass in Beijing City in the east, with an overall length of 33 miles. 52 watch towers and 14 beacon towers were built along this section. The rocks and cliffs to the east of the pass give a yellowish appearance at dusk, hence the name. This section of the wall was restored again between 1984-1986, and opened to the public in 1987. 

 

While still in the bus we passed, and could see, the 27-foot high statue of General Qi Jiguang who is guarding the "Peaceful Fort," the controlling point for further entry into the Huangyaguan Great Wall. Next up, now off the bus, was a ride in a 8-person Mitsubishi "electromobile" which took us to Taiping Village from where we were able to actually enter the big wall

 

Now, Huangyaguan is usually not as crowded as other sections of the wall but be prepared, it will be a "climbing workout," due to its steepness, depending on how far, and how high, you want to climb this incredible complex. It is well worth a visit however! Great, once in a lifetime, stop! After departure, Amsterdam would head south to her next port of call, Qingdao, still in the PRC  

 

 

 

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!  Especially @ger_77who noted that it is Robbie Burns day.  DH was a drummer in a pipe band, so we’ve attended many a dinner!  Oooh, the haggis 🤢

 

stay safe and warm everyone!

[XBGuy]

29 minutes ago, TheKingD said:

I started with IBM punch cards when I took computer science in college,

 

IBM punch cards???????

 

I'm sure what you mean is 80 column Hollerith cards.