The Daily for Saturday Apr 24, 2021

[HAL4NOW]

If you ever find yourself in Portland, OR, check out Powell's Books. They became a large store, but kept the ambiance of their humble beginnings. You could wander for hours in their store and maybe even get lost.

I love watching birds and identifying some along the path of life, but have never just gone birding as an outing.

My DW and I were professional puppeteers early in our marriage, but decided eating and paying bills was more important than maintaining the life of a starving artist. DW continues to use her puppetry skills with story-telling in the local school library (all by zoom this year).

As we have travelled around the lower 48 we are often lured into small shops of books. Just a sign with the word BOOK is enough for us to make a turn or take an exit. It is interesting to hear the stories of how many of the stores exist because the owners love books and have expendable income from some other source. Quite a few stores are run by the eccentric relative of a wealthy family because they thought that person needed a hobby to keep them out of trouble.

[HAL4NOW]

9 minutes ago, St. Louis Sal said:

I often wonder if any of the wandering birds ever get beaned.

That wouldn't be pretty. I can't get the sight of a bird being hit by a Randy Johnson pitch during a game out of my head. I guess Randy Johnson went birding that day.

[smitty34877]

10 minutes ago, Av8rix said:

Omigosh!  You put mushrooms in your pot roast too!  I have folks tell me I'm weird because I always put mushrooms in mine.  But -- other than dessert -- I can't think of a single dish that isn't improved by the addition of fungi.

I completely agree with fungal addition to most dishes.

[lindaler]

Thanks Rich. I love watching birds of all kinds even though I can never find them in my bird book.  Rain at the camp out this morning but we have had three days of great weather. If we didn’t have a little rain we wouldn’t know we were in Oregon. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

There is an independent bookstore in Quartzsite, which sells used books, old posters, t-shirts, etc.  The owner of The Reader’s Oasis died in May 2019, and his widow has kept the store open.

 

Before Paul Winer died, the bookstore was a tourist destination, with  Paul the main attraction.  He was known as the naked bookseller.  As the name implies he was a nudist, but did wear a pouch for modesty.  He was also a poet and a self-taught musican with the stage name Sweet Pie.

 

The first time DH saw Paul from a distance, he asked if Paul was wearing chaps.  His skin was that tanned and leathery.

 

Here are a couple of links that offer more detail about Quartzsite’s much loved book seller.  
http://desertmessenger.blogspot.com/2019/06/remembering-paul-winer-quartzsites.html    

 

https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-the-strange-true-tale-of-the-naked-bookseller-20150331-story.html
 

A former neighbor had her picture taken with Paul and then posted it on FB.

 

Lenda

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!   I love books and bookstores!  Spend many Saturdays as a young girl at a used book store, adding to my collection of mysteries.  When our kids were younger we would visit antique stores and add to further the collection for them.    Did visit Powell’s once.   There’s also a great one in Vancouver.   My current favourite is the huge used book store in Kona Hawaii😎

 

We do enjoy the birds, and Covid has facilitated this hobby.  We are fortunate to be on some major migration routes and live beside a huge provincial park.  
 

yesterdays backyard visitor..

 

 

 

[bennybear]

37 minutes ago, lindaler said:

Thanks Rich. I love watching birds of all kinds even though I can never find them in my bird book.  Rain at the camp out this morning but we have had three days of great weather. If we didn’t have a little rain we wouldn’t know we were in Oregon. 

We have found using the Cornell site and their identification Merlin to be the easiest.  

[jimgev]

Drink recipe sounds more like 
"Almost a Screwdriver"

[Copper10-8]

7 hours ago, richwmn said:

 

Today is ..............................., and National Day of Puppetry.......................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2021 by Copper10-8

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Good Morning from the Land of Slot Machines and Bright Lights on the Strip 😄

Thanks so much for the daily Rich.

Hope everyone is doing well. 

Yummm Sunday Pot Roast, for many years that is what we ate on Sundays.

Rather than cooking I am planning a early dinner at Cheesecake Factory.

 

I have to say that over the past 13 months I think myself and our family have coped well with the pandemic but this week for some reason I have felt a bit down, basically we are ready to travel and want to cruise, but of course cruise safely which I do not mind doing. I think a lot of this feeling is because Las Vegas is preparing to open up to 80% for everything May 1st, then 100% June 1st. Las Vegas is almost back to pre-pandemic tourism, the air port is packed and all the shows are coming back to life. I am actually thankful for how things were handled here in Las Vegas and felt it was done right. We did not open up willy-nilly but have done it slowly but we also were not totally shut down the last several month. Masks are still mandated as they should be but it is all being done safely. With all that happening my luggage feels extremely neglected 😢

Here's hoping that the up coming weeks will shine a new light on cruising.

[Seasick Sailor]

Edited April 24, 2021 by Seasick Sailor
.

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Daily.

Interesting days. I used to love spending time in bookstores in the past.

I like a pot roast, but don't make it often. I like Roy's meal. I need to cook some pork chops I have so I think it's pork and sauerkraut in the Instant Pot tonight, with mashed potatoes.

I haven't been to today's port.

It's a bit warmer today, but clouds have moved in.

 

Prayers for the care list and cheers to the celebration list.

Be safe everyone. Wear your mask.

 

 

 

 

[JazzyV]

5 hours ago, fatcat04 said:

Pot Roast is a fav around here. I need to try one in the Instapot. Yes, I finally broke down and got one and I love it. I have used it almost everyday since it got here. Flo Lum on youtube finally convinced me. I enjoy her video recipes so I just had to say yes.

 

Thanks for mentioning Flo Lum. I looked her up on YouTube and like a lot of her Instant Pot recipes. I'll definitely be trying some of them.

[bobpatj]

I had to update my password, strange...

We sailed to Port Elizabeth, SA in January, 2019.  We took a15 day cruise on Oceania Nautica.  HAL didn’t offer an itinerary like this.  I took few pictures of the port, as this is where we selected our Safari day, at Lalibela Private Game Preserve.  We saw lots of animals from an open vehicle, that held 8 passengers in the hot sun.  It was an unforgettable experience!

[rafinmd]

I'm surprised not much feedback on Port Elizabeth.  I've been booked there twice but only there once.  I was supposed to be there last year on Queen Mary 2 (cancelled of course) but would not have spent much time there as I had booked a land tour to Cape Town with an overnight at a game park.  I did get there off the Crystal Serenity in 2014 on a cruise to Cape Town where I transferred to the Amsterdam, avoiding a LONG flight home.  My notes say my tours were cancelled so I just walked around town a bit.  The way out of the port was not pedestrian but a Campanile Bell Tower was a nice landmark on the way out:

 

 

Much like Manaus, there's quite a nice looking opera house.

 

 

Near the center of town is the rather large Georges Park:

 

 

Closer to the port there Fort Frederick, not a lot more now than ruins:

 

 

It has a nice view of the harbor:

 

 

Roy

[StLouisCruisers]

@rafinmdThank you for the photos of Port Elizabeth.  Definitely not a port on most cruise lines, I guess.  Looks like a very nice place!

 

@Horizon chaser 1957I think I'll just wait a while longer to see how the odds are on actually having the Grand Africa take place.  I'm especially leery of the January Grand S. America and Antarctica cruise happening unless things turn around rapidly in S. America.    

[fatcat04]

2 hours ago, JazzyV said:

 

Thanks for mentioning Flo Lum. I looked her up on YouTube and like a lot of her Instant Pot recipes. I'll definitely be trying some of them.

Hooray! We love her and "dude." I have already made several. I recommend her grandma's soy chicken (super easy), her pho broth recipe is fantastic, and ribs!!! We are nom-nomming on one of her many rib recipes tonight. I added a dash of good whiskey to the sauce.. well.. because I live in Tennessee. 

[erewhon]

Thanks for the daily reports, photos and humour.

Today 25th is ANZAC day, a dawn service held at 0630, .Lest We Forget.

Take care everyone.

[Vict0riann]

Late today - dark and dreary, rainy day, but after two weeks without rain, we welcome it.  

 

I have been to Port Elizabeth!  We were interned by the Japanese in Shanghai after Pearl Harbour, but my mother was not well in the prison camp.  When an American prisoner of war exchange was organized, and the camps were allowed to include a few Canadians, my father insisted that my mother leave.  We went on a Japanese ship, the Teia Maru, to Goa, where the exchange took place.  From Goa,  on a Swedish ship, the Gripsholm, we went to Port Elizabeth, where a local family took us in for a few days, I guess while the ship was provisioning; my mother kept in touch with the family for a long time.  I think I was a terrible three-year old, I drove my mother crazy, after Port Elizabeth we sailed to Rio, and from there to New York.  We left Shanghai in September, and got back to my grandmother in Vancouver in time for Christmas.  I don't remember anything of the trip, and I don't have any pictures.  I know my mother had fond memories of Port Elizabeth.  I would like to visit there again, I have only been to Johannesburg as an adult.  

[St Pete Cruiser]

20 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Late today - dark and dreary, rainy day, but after two weeks without rain, we welcome it.  

 

I have been to Port Elizabeth!  We were interned by the Japanese in Shanghai after Pearl Harbour, but my mother was not well in the prison camp.  When an American prisoner of war exchange was organized, and the camps were allowed to include a few Canadians, my father insisted that my mother leave.  We went on a Japanese ship, the Teia Maru, to Goa, where the exchange took place.  From Goa,  on a Swedish ship, the Gripsholm, we went to Port Elizabeth, where a local family took us in for a few days, I guess while the ship was provisioning; my mother kept in touch with the family for a long time.  I think I was a terrible three-year old, I drove my mother crazy, after Port Elizabeth we sailed to Rio, and from there to New York.  We left Shanghai in September, and got back to my grandmother in Vancouver in time for Christmas.  I don't remember anything of the trip, and I don't have any pictures.  I know my mother had fond memories of Port Elizabeth.  I would like to visit there again, I have only been to Johannesburg as an adult.  

Now that is an amazing port stop.

 

I did the 2014 Africa cruise aboard the Rotterdam which stopped in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.  My excursion to the Elephant Park did not work out, so we took local buses to the beach area as well as shoreside south of the city.  South Africa was a highlight, especially Cape Town.

[tamsno]

That's truly an amazing story Victoriann.  You have a strong and brave family.  

[StLouisCruisers]

11 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Late today - dark and dreary, rainy day, but after two weeks without rain, we welcome it.  

 

I have been to Port Elizabeth!  We were interned by the Japanese in Shanghai after Pearl Harbour, but my mother was not well in the prison camp.  When an American prisoner of war exchange was organized, and the camps were allowed to include a few Canadians, my father insisted that my mother leave.  We went on a Japanese ship, the Teia Maru, to Goa, where the exchange took place.  From Goa,  on a Swedish ship, the Gripsholm, we went to Port Elizabeth, where a local family took us in for a few days, I guess while the ship was provisioning; my mother kept in touch with the family for a long time.  I think I was a terrible three-year old, I drove my mother crazy, after Port Elizabeth we sailed to Rio, and from there to New York.  We left Shanghai in September, and got back to my grandmother in Vancouver in time for Christmas.  I don't remember anything of the trip, and I don't have any pictures.  I know my mother had fond memories of Port Elizabeth.  I would like to visit there again, I have only been to Johannesburg as an adult.  

 

Thank you for sharing the amazing story of your childhood visit to Port Elizabeth.  Lots of good info there.