The Daily for Monday Apr 26, 2021

[AncientWanderer]

Thank you, Rich and Contributors, for the Monday Daily!

 

@ger_77, your hubby is very lucky to have such a generous-hearted spouse.  I'm sure that keeps him a very young 80!  God bless both of you!

 

We have been to Picton -- on the Noordam San Diego to Auckland cruise in November 2015.  We had great weather for most of the journey, but not so in Picton.  It was pouring!

We donned rain gear and walked a bit, but didn't get to see the best of Picton.  They did have a delightful welcoming committee who handed out corsages for the ladies and boutonnières for the gentlemen.  A very nice touch!   New Zealand is a beautiful country.   🇳🇿

 

Here in California, we take the Richter scale seriously.  The worst earthquake I experienced was the San Fernando earthquake in 1971.  It was a 6.5.  I looked out my bedroom window and the hills were rolling.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  Quite scary.   😱

 

So....hoping that the earth stays calm and quiet today.   Have a great day, Everyone! 

🌺  🌻  🌹  🌼

 

  

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! I last hugged an Australian in March, 2020. Since then that option has been off the table. Living on the west coast, a day when the Richter Scale does not come to mind is a good one! The quote is good, although these days the rule breakers are the main reason we are in lockdown - again. I am now stuck on the wrong side of the water from my botanical printing set up, and not happy about it! Some improvising will have to happen!

I've been to New Zealand, but not to Picton - yet. The iPad insists the name is Piston. Typing that sentence was quite a battle!😂

Tonight is leftover shepherds pie, although I’d happily trade for Roy’s Surf and Turf. 
Happy Monday, if that’s not an oxymoron, although it would be if we were on a BHB!

[superoma]

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Daily!  We'll send virtual hugs via email to our friends in Australia, I enjoy pretzels with wine at the end of a day on a BHB, and we've experienced a 6.0 in our hotel on our first visit to our DS in Japan.  It went on for about 30 seconds and was like being on a v-e-r-y rocky cruise ship.

 

Yesterday was a wonderful day to celebrate DH's 80th birthday.  Thank you for all of your good wishes - I read every one of them to him, as he's not on CC, and he was grateful for all of your replies.  The day began with breakfast in bed for him (complete with a candle in his muffin), and when he got up he discovered the Lawn Letters that sprouted up overnight proclaiming his birthday for all to see.  

 

The morning held lots of telephone conversations and emails coming in for his birthday, and at lunch, his DD arrived with a fruit and cheese plate complete with dips, breads, nuts, etc.  It made for a great lunch!  The afternoon saw the arrival of our not-quite-adopted daughter - a Chinese student who lived with us for 4 years during her university stay - and with her, she brought huge balloons depicting his age and 2 which were a champagne bottle and flute.

 

Dinner arrived, again, courtesy his DD - who is well known as the family's BEST cook - consisting of "Dad's favourite ribs", creamy dilled potatoes and asparagus.  The meal ended with a delicious lemon/blueberry cake provided by his sister.  After dinner though, was when the real fun began - I'd arranged for a surprise birthday drive-by, and precisely at 5:30 I got him outside on the pretense of taking another photo of him and the lawn sign, when there was a cacophony of noise coming down the street - led by his DS in his monster truck - followed by about 40 cars all decorated with streamers, balloons and signs, horns honking loudly.  Other neighbours stood on their adjacent driveways banging pots & pans, clanging cowbells and blowing whistles.   Was he surprised?  Oh yeah ! ! !  It was awesome!   A great way to ring in a new decade, I thought.  Yesterday someone requested a pic of the lawn letters - here they are:

Suffice to say, there is so much food in the house, I won't be cooking today, so will tuck the menu suggestion away for another day.  It'll be the rib dinner leftovers for tonight, I'm sure.  And wine.

 

@dfish a very Happy Birthday to you!

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them and even for those who don't think they do.  Raising the glasses to toast all on the happy list.  Stay safe, be well, wash your hands, wear your mask(s), and get your jabs! 

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

Great picture, thanks, and what a great surprise 

[DeeniEncinitas]

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

🌴🌴

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE🍹

Thank you always giving us great recipes and your contributions 💗

🌺🌺

We got up early this am had coffee and we walked to Whalers Village. Nice weather.

Have a great day!!

🌺Mahalo

Denise😊

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

10 minutes ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Good morning, all! I last hugged an Australian in March, 2020. Since then that option has been off the table. Living on the west coast, a day when the Richter Scale does not come to mind is a good one! The quote is good, although these days the rule breakers are the main reason we are in lockdown - again. I am now stuck on the wrong side of the water from my botanical printing set up, and not happy about it! Some improvising will have to happen!

I've been to New Zealand, but not to Picton - yet. The iPad insists the name is Piston. Typing that sentence was quite a battle!😂

Tonight is leftover shepherds pie, although I’d happily trade for Roy’s Surf and Turf. 
Happy Monday, if that’s not an oxymoron, although it would be if we were on a BHB!

I can relate to the iPad trying to change the typing.  My android phone is even worse.  Even when I'm certain I finally have the device(s) in agreement with me, they seen to change things when I hit submit or send.  Isn't technology wonderful?🤣

[superoma]

4 hours ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone.

 

Wish I could hug an Australian today.  It will have to be virtual.  I remember teaching about the Richter scale with I taught 8th grade Earth Science.  

 

Today's meal comes from a new site.  It uses Italian sausage, but you could use other kinds of sausage.  I would leave out the pasta and just have the sausage and peppers.  I'd probably add in some onions.  But, we are going out to dinner tonight.  YEAH!

 

I'm off to the pool.

 

https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/sausage-peppers-pasta/

 

Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe, Calories: 499, Sugar: 9.1g, Sodium: 1168.4mg, Fat: 20.8g, Carbohydrates: 54.8g,

 Fiber: 6.6g, Protein: 22.4g, Cholesterol: 62.1mg

 

 

Happy birthday. I hope you enjoy your day

[AncientWanderer]

4 hours ago, cat shepard said:

Happy Birthday, Debbie!  May your new year be filled with laughter, love, great health and at least one cruise!

 

 

Says it all...

A very Happy Birthday to you, Debbie!!  🤗

[rafinmd]

Earlier today I indicated I had only been to Picton on Crystal.  Not quite.  I have been there twice in conjunction with Crystal but only once actually on Crystal.  Picton is the main South Island terminal for the ferries between the two Islands.  Last February 21 I sailed into Picton on one of the Interislander ferries while riding the rails between Auckland and Wellington.  During the journey I passed the other tow ferries:

 

The following day, while on the train/ferry back to Wellington I got a nice overview of the town as the train approached the station:

 

Serenity's next port of call was Picton.  My primary activity there was the Maritime Museum where I was particularly intrigued by the Edwin Fox.  In it's varied life it was a packet ship, carried sheep, and finally one of the last ships to carry convicts to Australia.  Restoration is theoretically in progress but at a very slow pace, and the ship is mostly ruins.  In the best of times it was an arduous journey, even for those in first class:

The tiny cramped cells used by the convicts were truly awful:

 

 

Roy

[Love the beach]

Happy Birthday to Debbie!

Happy Belated Birthday to Maurice!

Thank you everyone for the Daily!

[HAL4NOW]

23 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Having lived in California quite a few years, and the west coast all my life, I'm lucky to have never experienced a larger quake than a "6" (which was terrifying).  The worst are the long, hard shakers, the rolling ones can be interesting, and the quick, loud shakers can be over before you know it hit.  

Did you miss the Nisqually Earthquake of 6.8 back in February of 2001? It lasted almost a minute and produced about 6 times the strength of a 6 magnitude earthquake. A 6.8 on the Richter scale releases about 15-16 times the energy of a 6 magnitude.

[VMax1700]

New video about Rotterdam 

 

Delivery promised for July 30th

[AV8rix]

1 minute ago, HAL4NOW said:

Did you miss the Nisqually Earthquake of 6.8 back in February of 2001? It lasted almost a minute and produced about 6 times the strength of a 6 magnitude earthquake. A 6.8 on the Richter scale releases about 15-16 times the energy of a 6 magnitude.

I remember that one well!  I was actually in Renton, in an apartment right across the street from the Renton airport when it happened.  I had just arrived from Texas for my last contract with Boeing and my furniture hadn't even arrived yet, so I had nothing under which to "duck and cover".  As Renton is down south and pretty close to Nisqually, the long and violent shaking was TERRIFYING. 

[Copper10-8]

5 hours ago, richwmn said:

 

Today is Hug an Australian Day........................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by Copper10-8

[puppycanducruise]

@dfishHappy Birthday!🎂

[garlictown]

☕Good Morning, Happy Monday and Thank You for the Daily.✏️

I do like a Shiraz and enjoyed a tour to the Hunter Valley in Australia...the other opportunity to try a Penfold was at the National Wine Center in Adelaide. We'd go back to Australia in a heart beat!❤️

@dfish Best Wishes for your special day.🎂

Cruised and drove South Island but really can't recall Picton. 🙄

🙏Prayers to all in need. 😍A big virtual long distance hug to my OZ friends ...actually some are in my neighborhood. 😉

[Vict0riann]

8 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

New video about Rotterdam 

 

Delivery promised for July 30th

Thanks for that, @VMax1700!  Very interesting.

[HAL4NOW]

@Av8rix I was teaching school in Northeast Tacoma on the day of the Nisqually Earthquake. Twenty fourth grade students  and I got under desks and tables and rode out the quake. We then evacuated the building into an open field until the building could be checked out for damage. 

All of the students were fine until parents began showing up hysterically frantic about how their babies were doing, and the calmness disappeared. 

[Vict0riann]

I knew Picton sounded familiar - of course we were in that area at least, in 2006, on a driving holiday in NZ.  We stayed a few days in the wine country  and took the ferry from the South Island to the North.  Here are a few photos - I don't have any titled Picton, but they are from around there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AV8rix]

2 minutes ago, HAL4NOW said:

@Av8rix I was teaching school in Northeast Tacoma......

 

TACOMA!!! Wow, you were right there, practically on top of it!

[StLouisCruisers]

Thanks for all the photos so far of the Picton area.  Just as beautiful as the rest of the country.

[Vict0riann]

Someone posted this on another thread -

 

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the daily.

Good days. Virtual hugs to Australians, I like German pretzels, and hope no one needs to know the Richter scale readings.

I like the meal and Roy's. I'll pass on the drink, but yes to the wine.

I've been to Picton.

 

@dfish Happy Birthday!

@ger_77 What a great celebration day for your DH!

 

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

Stay safe everyone!

 

A few pictures from Picton (m;y first HAL cruise in 2006 - Auckland to Sydney).

Approaching the harbor and docking.

 

 

The war memorial (plus christmas decorations)

 

Mabel Island from Bob's Bay Track, another view from the track

 

 

Ships docked (including the Statendam)

 

Sheep being transported

[Vict0riann]

@JazzyV said: "A few pictures from Picton (my first HAL cruise in 2006 - Auckland to Sydney)."  

 

We sailed on Statendam from Vancouver to Auckland in 2006, so you must have boarded as we disembarked! 😀

[summer slope]

@Copper10-8do you know when Captain Timmers birthday is?

[rafinmd]

@JazzyV you were lucky.  When I arrived in Picton on the Serenity the Seabourn Encore was in that dock and we had to shuttle in from the boonies.

 

and somehow I missed it:  Happy Birthday @dfish.

 

Roy

Edited April 26, 2021 by rafinmd