The Daily for Monday Mar 01, 2021

[garlictown]

☕Happy March 1st and Thank You for the Daily. ☘️

@richwmn Interesting all the special days for the Monday, Mar. 1 and the added Port of the Day!✏️ Oh, Grand Cayman and swimming with the stingrays--good memory until I heard about Steve Irwin in 2006. 🙄

@rafinmd That's very thoughtful with the Care List! 🙂

@superoma Let me add additional congratulations to your special day. Happy (belated) Anniversary Wishes! 💗

🙏Continued Prayers to all in need. 

 

 

[Seasick Sailor]

3 hours ago, cat shepard said:

Thank you for today’s Daily, Rich! The letter of the day is “P”! Pigs, Peace & Peanut! Another great combo of days. And I love the idea of Port of the Day! I am going to learn so much! I have been to Georgetown, but just went to Seven Mile beach, since that is what the 11, 8 & 4 year old wanted to do. We did use a variety of water toys, but it was super windy that day. I remember how friendly everyone was. And I too, remember how clean it was.

Roy, thank you for our lists! Morning Dailyites & my Sisters! Joy, did you like the wine du jour? It sounds great. Poignant quote. Debbie, thank you for the recipe options. Summer, I have had the drink du jour at a Hawaiian luau. Go figure.  It is another lovely morning here. We expect rain the next few days, which is good, because we are due. Just a normal day. I will be having roasted veggies for supper, since my weekend was a bit “wilder” than usual.😎 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating. Stay well everyone! 

 

*******

All vintages of this Oregon Chardonnay have excellent ratings, though the 2018’s is a bit higher. You can find this wine with many online distributors, starting for less than $30. So you might be able to find it for less locally. And who can resist something aged in “new puncheons and neutral barriques”?
Winemaker Notes

#17 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2020

Complex with layers of lemongrass, honeycomb, citrus and spice. On the palate, the wine is silky, round and supple, with a long finish.

This is a pairing with crab, lobster, clams, oysters and ceviche. It also works well served slightly warmer with trout or salmon, and roasted chicken. 
WE95 Wine Enthusiast: This is a stunning wine and a sensational value. Succulent, tangy and concentrated in ripe fruit, it explodes with flavors of lemon, peach, apricot and papaya lifted by a squeeze of lime. Fermented in a mix of concrete and neutral barrels, it was then aged in new puncheons and neutral barriques. Editors' Choice.

 

Ann, I did enjoy the wine. It was gifted to me as a thank you and I purchased it again a few times after. I like the Williamette Valley wines.

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, all, and there's lots of news in the Daily.   Thanks to all!  I realized I made a mistake in the first day of The Daily yesterday evening.    Luckily the change was made.  March 16 is the feast of St.  Joseph and I'm sure he is watching over our little family!

 

March came in like a lamb here, but a slightly damp lamb.  Just have to hope that lion stays in the East (sorry, Jacqui).  

 

Congratulations to @superoma for 51 years of married bliss!  

 

I lived in Nassau for 5 years when I was young and single, but never got to the Caymans, so I'm looking forward to hearing all about them.  I will get pork chops out of the freezer for dinner, I think, and maybe have a PB&J sandwich for lunch!

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! Long ago and far away my first husband and I looked after a pig farm. One sow escaped regularly and our dog would help round her up. Eventually they developed a routine. She would escape, check out the woods for a while, and then stand in front of the kitchen window waiting for the dog. The two of them would saunter back to the pen gate together and wait there for one of us to catch up and let her back into the pen. They both clearly enjoyed the visit. We never did find where she was getting out, and neither did the other pigs.

Pot roast will have to wait a while, we had the remains of the roast beef last night. I dearly miss HALs chilled peach and ginger soup, as mentioned by Roy.

I love the Port of the Day idea! Each port is a source of either great memories or great anticipation. Either one is exiting!

Today we get the Provincial Covid update, with more details on the vaccination plans.

Happy March 1, and of course, Happy Monday!

Edited March 1, 2021 by Horizon chaser 1957

[garlictown]

🤪btw....I love peanut butter especially the cookies! 🍪

 

[lazey1]

Another great fan of peanut butter here. I have it with crackers nearly every day for lunch. Pot roast sounds good but without the turnips, parsnips rutabaga's etc.; potatos, carrots. celery and onions for me.  Probably will have a pork chop for dinner tonight.

 

Roys alternate dinner sounds and looks delish. 

 

Love the idea of adding the "port of the day".  I have been to Grand Caymen several times, really enjoy the trolley ride and of course going to Hell and picking up a Rum Cake.

 

Jane

Edited March 1, 2021 by lazey1

[highland cruiser]

Good morning,

Was a busy weekend for us.  Weather improved so we were able to do some yard work yesterday and got both of our vehicles washed.  Very productive morning.  Sunrise was beautiful here in Vancouver, WA as we took the grandkids to school.

Peace Corps holds a special spot in our lives as both our sons were in it.  One in Tanzania and and the other in Namibia.  We were fortunate to visit both of them during their 27 month stay.  Trips of a lifetime for us and a life changing experiences for them both.  Very proud of their service.

Love peanut butter...crunchy or smooth.  Cookies are the best.  Even good by the spoonful !!

Prayers to all on the care list.  Thank you, Roy for keeping both lists up to date.  Rich,  great quote and as always the map of ship's positions are interesting.  A lot of work you both do and it is greatly appreciated.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.  Stay safe and wear those masks.  

😷

[richwmn]

Just for information, Port of the Day will now be a continuing feature. All ports features are on the list of ports HAL will be calling on.

[Seahorse99]

The drink of the day sounds good. It would be great to have one on board a ship. 
Though it has been a long time since I visited Grand Cayman, I remember the fabulous diving and the stingray adventure. The island seemed to have a higher standard of living than some other Caribbean ports. 

[arzz]

Port of the day. Great idea. We have been to Grand Cayman several times ... first time was an island stay for a couple of weeks that was wonderful. Also a nice port. 
 

My most memorable visit was several years ago on an HAL ship (not sure which one).  We lined up for the tender in the mid morning.  The ride in was not memorable but when we got to the tender dock  on shore ... there was a ship's officer in long white pants that were rolled up to his knees. He was standing on the tender dock in several inches of sea water due to large swells. We left the tender after taking our shoes off, walked around town for a few minutes - discussed what we had observed at the tender dock and decided that it might be best to tender back immediately. Best decision of the day. 
 

Getting back on the tender was much more difficult than getting off.  The seas were starting to get wild. 
 

There were no fewer than five large ships in port that day, all disgorging their passengers in the deeps swells. We had a bit of a rocky trip back to the ship - but we made it back to the ship.
 

Within an hour all of the ships were calling their passengers back. The swells were so rough that the tenders were rocking up and down by several feet. One of the very large shore tenders used by another line smashed into their tender dock so badly that the tender and dock were put out of commission. HAL tenders were also moved to a different dock due to sea conditions. 
 

As passengers returned there were stories of being in the tenders for hours rocking up and down in seas too rough to load or off load passengers. Lots of folks sea sick. Some broken bones. 
 

Our trusty HAL crew manned several tenders and helped to transport not only her own passengers but passengers from other ships and other lines. As the sun went  down everyone was finally on board their respective ships and we watched as our hard working, loyal, wonderful crew battled the wind and the seas to raise our tenders so that we could leave port. We were the last ship to leave port that day. 
 

We were not super experienced cruisers at that time - and we learned something about tendering that day. We don’t  tender to shore when the sea conditions are too rough. 
 

Prayers to all and best wishes for good health for everyone. 

[puppycanducruise]

3 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Just for information, Port of the Day will now be a continuing feature. All ports features are on the list of ports HAL will be calling on.

great!

[Vict0riann]

Well, I am going to be staying away from mentioning anything about March from now on - March 16 is not St. Joseph's day, that's the 19th, my mind must be going.  I can't find a saint at all for the 16th, so we are on our own...  

[rafinmd]

While I haven't seen conditions like @arzz Grand Cayman is a tender port.  Some ships use their own tenders while others use large Island based shuttles.  I suspect they are easier to navigate than the ship's tenders although I have never used them.  I have never been there on HAL but 3 times on Crystal and once on Royal Caribbean.  I was supposed to visit on the Maasdam but it was cancelled due to sea conditions:

 

 

Roy

[Marmot@Sea]

Happy Saint David's Day.

 

Unfortunately my daffodils are still mostly below ground, so no pictures of this year's blooms yet.

 

I am having a hard time finding cut daffodils this year.  May have to go find some leeks instead.

 

Daffodils from days gone by.

 

 

 

 

Val

[XBGuy]

31 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Well, I am going to be staying away from mentioning anything about March from now on - March 16 is not St. Joseph's day, that's the 19th, my mind must be going.  I can't find a saint at all for the 16th, so we are on our own...  

 

The 19th of March, the feast of St. Joseph as @Vict0riannnotes, is the day the swallows return to Capistrano--well, more or less.

[HAL4NOW]

Our two times in Georgetown were both pleasant. Diving over 100 feet under water in the Atlantis Submarine awarded us with some pretty good viewing of sea-life.

Tendering was a bit rough and half of our excursion was canceled the second visit. We did get to swim with the dolphins, but were not able to swim with the rays due to sea conditions.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

1 hour ago, richwmn said:

Just for information, Port of the Day will now be a continuing feature. All ports features are on the list of ports HAL will be calling on.

Hooray! 🎉🥳💃🏻🌍🌏🌎

[AV8rix]

2 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Here's a photo of the Pike Place Pig -- apparently in 2000 there was even a pig parade through Seattle -- I didn't know and didn't go.  😅

Dear, dear Rachel.  I give her a pat every time I go in.

Edited March 1, 2021 by Av8rix

[AV8rix]

Friends ask what's the secret of my pot roast that everyone seems to love.  It's simply that I don't use water or even broth for the liquid.  I use wine -- a Merlot or a burgundy....in about a 4:1 ratio to some water.   Makes sort of a beef bourguignon.  Although I don't use the traditional tiny onions.  And I don't even drink, but I use a lot of wine in my cooking.  And like many here have commented, I use just potatoes, onions and carrots for my root vegetables.

 

Oh, and portabellas.  OK, they're not root vegetables but what recipe can't be improved by the addition of fungi?

Edited March 1, 2021 by Av8rix

[kplady]

15 minutes ago, Av8rix said:

Friends ask what's the secret of my pot roast that everyone seems to love.  It's simply that I don't use water or even broth for the liquid.  I use wine -- a Merlot or a burgundy....in about a 4:1 ratio to some water.   Makes sort of a beef bourguignon.  Although I don't use the traditional tiny onions.  And I don't even drink, but I use a lot of wine in my cooking.  And like many here have commented, I use just potatoes, onions and carrots for my root vegetables.

 

Oh, and portabellas.  OK, they're not root vegetables but what recipe can't be improved by the addition of fungi?

I make my pot roast with burgundy wine also!  I add lots of coarsely chopped onions, and then baby carrots about an hour and a half before everything's done.  My mother taught me this recipe, and we all love it.....in fact, we had it for dinner last night!!

 

I'm at work right now, but when I get home I'm going to look for some Grand Cayman pictures. The last time we were there we had planned on just going to the beach, but the waves at the beach were way too big, so HAL cancelled the excursion.  We ended up going to a brewery, distillery, and rum cake factory instead.  Nice way to start the morning!!

 

Take care all!

 

Laura

[Cruising-along]

26 minutes ago, Av8rix said:

Dear, dear Rachel.  I give her a pat every time I go in.

Me too, lol.  I think I read she's a hefty 550 pounds (!)

[Cruising-along]

19 minutes ago, Av8rix said:

Friends ask what's the secret of my pot roast that everyone seems to love.  It's simply that I don't use water or even broth for the liquid.  I use wine -- a Merlot or a burgundy....in about a 4:1 ratio to some water.   Makes sort of a beef bourguignon.  Although I don't use the traditional tiny onions.  And I don't even drink, but I use a lot of wine in my cooking.  And like many here have commented, I use just potatoes, onions and carrots for my root vegetables.

 

Oh, and portabellas.  OK, they're not root vegetables but what recipe can't be improved by the addition of fungi?

I use wine too, plus the liquid from the home-canned carrots I do each year.  Adds yummy flavor.  Also potatoes, onions  and celery. (no fungi for me) 😄

[Happily@Sea]

6 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is the first of yet another string of cruises.  In 2014 The Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony were meeting in Singapore and I made the switch starting on Symphony in Bali and leaving Serenity in Cape Town.  I was dreading the long flight home when I discovered Amsterdam had a World Cruise segment leaving Cape Town for Ft. Lauderdale just 3 days after I arrived.  On March 1 the Symphony left Bali:

 

 

Roy

 

Roy,

Isn't it nice when the cruise lines figure out a way to help you? My return to the US from Europe - only took staying 3 1/2 days in Southampton. I would have taken any ship home - but it gave me a chance to try out Cunard. Even considering how formal they are - I would jump at a chance to take one home - instead of flying.

Carole

[dfish]

Oh, what fun with pigs, Peace Corps, and peanut butter.   My sister dated a guy whose parents owned a pig farm.  One time her boyfriend, trying to get in Mom and Dad's good graces, took our younger bothers out to the farm.  Brother Jeff, probably about 10 at the time, climbed up on the fence post and started waving his arms and chanting, causing the pigs to stampede.  They were never invited back to the farm.

 

My friend Mike served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone after he retired from UPS.  He has many stories to tell, some very sad.   His duty was cut short and he was evacuated due to the Ebola breakout.

 

My sister loved peanut butter.  Every day it was the same thing for lunch - peanut butter and jelly, because that was all she would eat.  I grew to hate it.  About 10 years ago I tried some again and loved it.   I probably hated it because of my sister.   She could be annoying at that time.

 

@superomaCongratulations on 51 years of wedded bliss.  Here's to 51 more!

@Vict0riannThe Feast of St. Joseph, March 19th, is my father's birthday.  March starts birthday season in our family with Sue on the 11th, Dad on the 19th, and Jeff on the 30th.  Barb starts the April birthdays on the 1st, followed by Rob on the 20th, Jodie on the 21st, and me on the 26th.  Richard has May 5th and Mom closes us out on May 11th.  We grew tired of cake.  I always asked for pie.

@arzz Didn't you have the wild ride to Antarctica?   I remember reading about that trip and it was shortly before I went when we had Drake's Lake.

 

The nice thing about the pot roast recipes is that you can use the vegetables you like and leave out the ones you don't.  I'll trade you guys my carrots for your parsnips and beets.

[rafinmd]

13 minutes ago, Happily@Sea said:

 

Roy,

Isn't it nice when the cruise lines figure out a way to help you? My return to the US from Europe - only took staying 3 1/2 days in Southampton. I would have taken any ship home - but it gave me a chance to try out Cunard. Even considering how formal they are - I would jump at a chance to take one home - instead of flying.

Carole

In retrospect I feel especially fortunate considering how hard to get segments are sometimes on the HAL world cruise.

 

Roy