The Daily for Thursday Jul 15, 2021

[StLouisCruisers]

1 minute ago, bennybear said:

DD got the antivirals so once they kicked in they’ve really helped.     
My poor DSIL may need another surgery,  she is going to the hospital for  daily IV antibiotics.   She really needs extra prayers.  

 

I'm happy about DD's improvement but DSIL's issues are sad to hear about.  Extra prayers for her!  

[tjcox9]

We have enjoyed Sitka several times. One of the last times we were there (2018), we discovered this that may be of interest to HAL history buffs. This display is in the visitor center where the shuttle drops and picks up..........the old Prinsendam which had it's final day near Sitka.

[atexsix]

For those of you looking for cozy mysteries, try these, there are about 40 books with this one being my favorite for obvious reasons.  It's especially a treat for people that have sailed on the QE2. Donald Bain died a couple years ago, and another author whose name escapes me is continuing the series.

 

[bennybear]

4 hours ago, AncientWanderer said:

I have a lot of catching up to do here.  We spent a few days at La Quinta Resort, swimming and trying to keep cool.  It was around 115 degrees during the day and was still around 100 at 10 o'clock at night.  We used to go to the desert in the summer when we were younger, but weren't sure how we'd hold up now.  But it was great to get away and there were no problems.  Lots of swimming and eating good stuff.  I had hotel reward certificates that were expiring, and all the beachy places were booked up, so that's what we did.

 

I glanced at the Daily periodically, and for sure want to wish a Happy Belated Birthday to 

@Seasick Sailor's Allen.  It was nice to hear about some of his health journey and how his strength has carried through there.  A nice birthday tribute.  

 

And good news from @wandb about Sister's progress.  Happy news there.  😊

 

For all Dailyites, sending prayers for those on the care list, and congratulations to those with happy events to celebrate.  Have a great day!

 

We love La Quinta!   But we find even October temps a bit too high! Where did you stay? 

[atexsix]

1 hour ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from central Texas where it can't make up it's mind if it's going to be sunny or cloudy along with windy.  As the days get warmer, the wind helps keep it comfortable, especially since our highs will be in the 90sF most of the next ten days.

 

An interesting collection of days.  While I appreciate cows, and even sat on the back of my grandfathers cow, Bossie, after watching Dr. Pol, I'll appreciate them from a distance..  I guess there is an inner dork, but I hope it stays hidden.  I am not a fan of tapioca pudding.

 

I've had a John Collins and a vodka colins since I do not drink gin.  The meal sounds good, especially the second recipe.  We'll pass on it today since we had Pad Thai last night.

 

The quote is interesting..

 

@smitty34877  That was nice of you to give your mail carrier water and a cool towel.

@kazu  I loved all the memes, especially the one for the Garden Club.

 

To all who suggested mystery series by English authors, thank you.  I'm always looking for new books and authors.  The Robert Galbraih books are good.

 

Since we usually do b2b2b2b... cruises, we've been to Sitka 12 times on the 14 day Alaska cruise.  It is one of my favorite Alaskan ports and one of the prettiest.  We've been to the Fortress of the Bears twice and the Raptor Center at least three times.  I'll try not to repeat any pictures, and my pictures are from all our cruises.  I found in looking at the pictures, on each visit after the first two or three times, I took fewer and fewer pictures.

 

There is a statue of Alexander Baranof near the Ceremonial Hall.  On one of our 2010 visits the statue was on a pedestal, but by 2015 it had been lowered and moved.

 

Meet Volta, the mascot of the Raptor Center.  It;s his picture on the t-shirts and on the wall behind him.

 

This is along the forest path between the Raptor Center and the Totem Park

 

On our first visit in 2010, we took a wildlife small boat tour, and these are from the boat.

 

In later visits, as we explored further from downtown, we saw the National Cemetery.

 

On an early visit we toured the Bishop's House, which is now run by the Natonal Park Service.  They left two rooms partialy restored so visitors could see some of the construction details.

 

The Bishop's private chapel

 

One of the old Russian blockhouses on the island

 

The Cable House near downtown

 

The inside of St. Michaels Cathedral

 

We were told it is considered good luck when the eagles perch on the cross on top of the Cathedral.  We've seen a bird there twice and once saw an adult and a juevenile eagle at the same time.

 

A plaque commorating the 250th anniversary of the 1741 Russian expedition

 

On of the many scuptures of marine animals found along the path between the road and the harbor.  The Episcopal Church is in the background.

 

On our third visit to Sitka in 2015, the Statendam docked at the new cruise dock instead of tendering.  It is a nice dock and building, even if it is out of town.  The drive to and from the new dock gives a good picture of the rest of the island.  This was Statendam's last call to Sitka.  When she got back to Seattle, she then headed to Singapore for a drydock before joining P&O Australia.

 

Lenda

 

 

We're looking at doing the raptor center in September, was it worth the money?

[bennybear]

1 hour ago, Vict0riann said:

In Manila there was a dessert called "goolah malacca" which my mother always made for after a curry meal.  It was a clear tapioca kind of pudding made with water (the goolah) and a kind of brown sugar topping (the malacca) and coconut cream on top of that.  It was sooo delicious and refreshing after curry (my father liked curry so hot you had to wear a towel around your neck).

Yum!   Sounds very interesting!

[atexsix]

1 hour ago, Divi said:

@puppycanducruiseHave you read Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)? SharonBolton? I like the Midsummer Murders series and I just started the books. The characters are far more detailed as are the story lines. The author is Caroline Graham.

Deen

 

I love the Midsummer Murders books and the series!

[dobiemom]

6 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I think I've been to Sitka twice, first with Rotterdam V in 1997

Roy, my very first cruise was on the Rotterdam V in Aug 1997 (we may have talked about this before 😉). I fell in love with Sitka and am so glad to be returning in September. 

[atexsix]

1 hour ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

We did not go in that cathedral.  I know for sure because there are no interior photos in my collection.  I'm not sure why, because it would have been nice to see it.  Next time!!

I want to try and take Dad in there, he comes from an orthodox background.  Hopefully Covid hasn't shut down visiting hours.

[atexsix]

Forgot to mention the junk haulers came and went an hour earlier than scheduled.  How rare is that?  Usually services show up at 12:55 during a 7 to 1 window.  

 

Now the real fun begins of organizing the garage, that's not sarcasm, I love organizing things.  

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!  Busy freezing fresh blueberries,  they taste fresh next winter this way!   Off to the dentist for part two!   Then our DGDs have a lemonade stand, they made over 60$ yesterday, lol!   So we have to drive round trip nearly two hours for a glass!  
DH loves Tapioca! I think I’ve had that Shiraz!   
Well here’s to some local cows lol! 
 

[atexsix]

1 minute ago, bennybear said:

Good morning and thanks all!  Busy freezing fresh blueberries,  they taste fresh next winter this way!   Off to the dentist for part two!   Then our DGDs have a lemonade stand, they made over 60$ yesterday, lol!   So we have to drive round trip nearly two hours for a glass!  
DH loves Tapioca! I think I’ve had that Shiraz!   
Well here’s to some local cows lol! 
 

$60  That's amazing....we tried that once and I don't think we netted more than a few dollars, course that was a lot of money to a child in the 70s.  

[summer slope]

Had some welts show up on my hip. Just got home from the dermatologist and I have shingles. Not happy. 

[Cruising-along]

4 minutes ago, summer slope said:

Had some welts show up on my hip. Just got home from the dermatologist and I have shingles. Not happy. 

Nooo!!  I'm so sorry. 😞  

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Marmot@Sea said:

Good Morning.

 

A quick update on the forest fire that has been impacting my cousin.  My cousin is still under an evacuation alert.  The good news is that the fire has decreased in size from approx 250 hectares to 181 hectares as of yesterday.

 

 

Val

 

Good news that the fire has decreased in size.  Hope it continues to shrink.

23 minutes ago, bennybear said:

DD got the antivirals so once they kicked in they’ve really helped.     
My poor DSIL may need another surgery,  she is going to the hospital for  daily IV antibiotics.   She really needs extra prayers.  

 

Brenda, I'm glad your DD got the antivirals and that they helped.  So sorry your DSIL is not doing as well.  Hope the antibiotics help and she doesn't need another surgery.

 

Lenda

[grapau27]

30 minutes ago, atexsix said:

For those of you looking for cozy mysteries, try these, there are about 40 books with this one being my favorite for obvious reasons.  It's especially a treat for people that have sailed on the QE2. Donald Bain died a couple years ago, and another author whose name escapes me is continuing the series.

 

There was a TV series based on the books.

[grapau27]

10 minutes ago, summer slope said:

Had some welts show up on my hip. Just got home from the dermatologist and I have shingles. Not happy. 

That is awful.

Both Pauline and I had shingles on the chest.

We both were prescribed anti viral tablets quickly which helped enormously.

Graham.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

53 minutes ago, atexsix said:

 

We're looking at doing the raptor center in September, was it worth the money?

Yes, we thought it was good.  I'll add that when we've been, we've had the Alaska Tour Saver Book, with coupoons that had buy one get one free entrance fees..  Lately, it doesn't see to have as many southeast Alaska coupons (Inside Passage), and we've done the ones we're interested in.  I just checked and the coupon book is on sale now for half price.  You might want to Google it and see it you could save enough on attractions to make it worthwhile.  They also have an app.

 

In 2015, the Rapto Center was $15/pp, which is not bad.  I don't mind paying the entrance fee, as I fully support their work in rehabilitating injured raptors and keeping or finding homes for the ones who can't survive in the wild.

 

The Fortress of the Bears, which was not in the coupon book the last time I looked, does the same for bears.

 

When the shuttle drops you off at the Ceremonial/Visitor Center there will be Tribal Shuttles that for a fee will take you to the Fortress of the Bears and the Raptor Center.  It is a one loop ride, but you can see the bears, be picked up and then see the raptors.  The local bus is a good way to see the area, but IIRC it drops you off a ways from the Raptor Center and it's an uphill walk to the center.

 

We went inside St. Michael's Cathedral in 2010, and it was free.  The last time we were in Sitka in 2018, there was either an $5 fee or they wanted a donation.  Since we'd been inside, we didn't go back in, but it is worth one visit.

 

Lenda

Edited July 15, 2021 by Quartzsite Cruiser
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[AncientWanderer]

36 minutes ago, bennybear said:

We love La Quinta!   But we find even October temps a bit too high! Where did you stay? 

 

We stayed at the La Quinta Resort & Spa, which is now a Waldorf Astoria.  DH and I were talking about how just because of various events -- weddings, corporate trips, leisure travel -- we've stayed in every kind of accommodation they have there, and we have never had a bad experience.  It's just a beautiful and unique property, with all the Spanish style casitas and some 40-odd pools, and all beautifully landscaped.  The Palm Springs area has always been a nice and quick getaway for us, so we've stayed lots of different places, but La Quinta Resort is still our very favorite.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

26 minutes ago, summer slope said:

Had some welts show up on my hip. Just got home from the dermatologist and I have shingles. Not happy. 

 

I couldn't like your post.  I'm sorry about the shingles.  Hope he gave you a prescripton for the antivirals that have helped others.  Take care.

 

Lenda

[AncientWanderer]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

😱 I wish we could send you some of our rain. A number of streets were flooded last night and the fire crews were out to pump the water.

 

 

I feel for your poor farmers 😔. Try to stay cool and safe.

 

That's very sad.  Water can be so destructive.   

[kazu]

31 minutes ago, summer slope said:

Had some welts show up on my hip. Just got home from the dermatologist and I have shingles. Not happy. 

OH NO!!  😱. That’s the worst.  Hope it is in time to get the pills that can help curb the development & itch.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

DD got the antivirals so once they kicked in they’ve really helped.     
My poor DSIL may need another surgery,  she is going to the hospital for  daily IV antibiotics.   She really needs extra prayers.  

So glad your DD got the antivirals.  They can help for sure.

 

Your poor DSIL.  Extra prayers winging her way 🙏🏻 

[summer slope]

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

OH NO!!  😱. That’s the worst.  Hope it is in time to get the pills that can help curb the development & itch.

DH is at the pharmacy right now picking them up.  It doesn't itch, is just very sore.

[AncientWanderer]

53 minutes ago, atexsix said:

 

We're looking at doing the raptor center in September, was it worth the money?

 

It's a really nice place, and you can walk there through the park.  We have been there three times.  We've been to Fortress of the Bears once, and enjoyed it very much, but it was one and done for us.  We keep going back to see the birds.