The Daily for Thursday July 29, 2021

dobiemom · July 29, 2021

2 hours ago, dobiemom said:

A live stream of the Rotterdam handover ceremony is at 9:30am PT/ 12:30pm ET via the Fincantieri YouTube channel >> https://*****/37b2C72 (Found this on HAL’s FB page, but I can’t figure out how to see the live stream. Maybe as time gets closer.)

I figured it out: Click on videos, then scroll down a little and you’ll see “live” on one of the pictures (third one down?).

https://youtube.com/user/FincantieriChannel/videos

Edited July 29, 2021 by dobiemom

Quartzsite Cruiser · July 29, 2021

3 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Good Morning,

Just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for the outpouring of thoughts and prayers, it means so much! You're all in my prayers as well, even if I haven't replied, keeping up on the dailies is impossible once you've fallen behind.

We're absolutely overwhelmed at the moment, a lot of unexpected problems. Unbeknownst to me Michael was "committed" to his wife but not legally wed, therefore the responsibility fell on his 80+ parents (his Mother has late stage lung cancer) to work out paperwork matters with the funeral home and ME's office. Thank God for a spry family friend that was willing to do all the coordinating and running around back and forth for signatures in hellish traffic (we're 30 miles away). We thought we were all done at 4:00 yesterday when this particular county wanted birth certificates, UGH...so off the family friend went (this guy has the patience of a saint). It's all so frustrating when every county has different rules, but it opened up my eyes on some gaps in my own affairs that I will need to tend to, so I suppose the red tape is good for something. And the funeral home was no help whatsoever, you'd think they would be with what they charge!

The saddest news of all came out of the ME's office, massive heart attack, and most likely preventable if he had only gone to the doctor for regular checkups (he didn't), the condition would have been discovered and fairly easily fixable.

The last little bit of news was Dear Dad's wanting to continue with our plans to cruise in September, I naturally offered to cancel or postpone, but he feels he will need the getaway more than ever now. So those arrangements continue on top of everything else and we're meeting with the pet sitter today so she can meet the cat.

But again, thanks so so much for the outpouring of thoughts. The people cruising this week I hope you had a great time and bon voyage to those cruising next week.

Have a great day!

Bruno

Bruno, with all the red tape on top of everything else, I couldn't like your post, but thank you for letting all of your Daily family know what is happening. I'm surprised the funeral home was no help. Thank goodness for the friend who came to the rescue. And what a shame it all could have been prevented.

Dear Dad is probably right about the cruise in September. By then, things should have settled down, and a relaxing cruise would be welcome.

Lenda

StLouisCruisers · July 29, 2021

@atexsixBruno, that sounds like a real nightmare of complications. I'm sorry to hear about the added stress for everyone. Once again, my sympathy on your loss.

I think you and DD will be needing a getaway by September, too. Very happy to hear you will be able to continue on.

rafinmd · July 29, 2021

15 minutes ago, dobiemom said:

I figured it out: Click on videos, then scroll down a little and you’ll see “live” on one of the pictures (third one down?).

https://youtube.com/user/FincantieriChannel/videos

A little behind schedule but I heard "Please take your seats".

Roy

richwmn · July 29, 2021

it has started

Cruising-along · July 29, 2021

Good morning! I'm late to the party today.

Tigers are one of my favorite animals, will pass on the chicken wings and wear lipstick only rarely. The meal sounds good as does the wine.

Our forecast calls for showers on Sunday! Yay!!! We sure do need it, and I hope it amounts to something. We tried out the new portable A/C unit yesterday to check it out and found that instead of cooling the whole upstairs, it cools the room it's in, and the stairway going downstairs instead of the 3 other bedrooms! So we'll be moving it to our bedroom where it will be needed the most. We'd hoped not to have it there because it means leaving the room darkening shade up to accommodate the unit -- but I'm sure the coolness will be more important to me than the darkness for the few times we'll need it.

@smitty34877sweet little Camilla is adorable. Sad that she won't be going home yet, but it sounds like they're doing what's best for her and she will be home when the time is right.

@Quartzsite Cruiserthank you for your great photos!

@atexsixI'm so sorry you're having complications on top of everything else. So glad you have a friend who is helping out, and so sad the heart attack may have been prevented.

richwmn · July 29, 2021

Marine Traffic shows Rotterdam Flagged in Netherlands! Congratulations to everyone involved

1ANGELCAT · July 29, 2021

A little off topic but I think we have a winner in our family. I just received an email from Glacier Smoothie Soap in Juneau and the winner of the contest to name their new soap is Roger Jett. @Crew Newsis this you ?

kazu · July 29, 2021

5 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

A little off topic but I think we have a winner in our family. I just received an email from Glacier Smoothie Soap in Juneau and the winner of the contest to name their new soap is Roger Jett. @Crew Newsis this you ?

Yes, it is.

Crew News · July 29, 2021

10 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

A little off topic but I think we have a winner in our family. I just received an email from Glacier Smoothie Soap in Juneau and the winner of the contest to name their new soap is Roger Jett. @Crew Newsis this you ?

I entered the contest and learned awhile back that I had won.

Buy Juneau Gold soap from the Glacier Smoothie Soap vendor in Juneau. They can really use the business.

1ANGELCAT · July 29, 2021

1 minute ago, Crew News said:

I entered the contest and learned awhile back that I had won.

Buy Juneau Gold soap from the Glacier Smoothie Soap vendor in Juneau. They can really use the business.

I also entered the contest . I always shop there and mail order when I can’t be there. Congratulations 🍾

St Pete Cruiser · July 29, 2021

Roy, please take me off the list as I haven't much to contribute.

We did tour Longwood Gardens, the DuPont developed Park in Pennsylvania near Wilmington, Delaware. It is a delightful place.

superoma · July 29, 2021

Just checking in, have had a busy few days. We started celebrating my birthday this past Saturday with family and have continued every day so far this week with various friends. Tomorrow will be the last celebratory dinner with another friend. (Tuesday was the day). I thought I would post my bouquets and some of my garden flowers to cheer those on this daily dealing with sad things and generally cheer everyone. Prayers to all who need them and raising a vodka on the rocks for those celebrating.

The first bouquet is from my grandson’s girlfriend, a very thoughtful young lady. The second one is from a friend’s garden. Then my crocusmia and my hibiscus. Enjoy!

StLouisCruisers · July 29, 2021

Happy birthday wishes Eva! Even a little belated from the actual day, like you said you can just celebrate all week.🎈🎂🥂

dfish · July 29, 2021

@cat shepardThe real thanks for the netting goes to @Cruising-along as she enlightened me before I went to Iceland. I only needed it in the one place, but was glad I had it.

Quartzsite Cruiser · July 29, 2021

@superoma A belated

🥂 🌹 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVA! 🎂 🥃

Your flowers, both the birthday flowers and those from your garden are beautiful. 💐🌸

Lenda

1ANGELCAT · July 29, 2021

52 minutes ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

Roy, please take me off the list as I haven't much to contribute.

We did tour Longwood Gardens, the DuPont developed Park in Pennsylvania near Wilmington, Delaware. It is a delightful place.

Longwood is about an hour from my home,. I was there last week for membership day( extra discount in shop and dining) I hope you have the opportunity to visit at Christmas season ,It’s truly spectacular.

Quartzsite Cruiser · July 29, 2021

Just now, 1ANGELCAT said:

Longwood is about an hour from my home,. I was there last week for membership day( extra discount in shop and dining) I hope you have the opportunity to visit at Christmas season ,It’s truly spectacular.

I couldn't agree more that Christmas season is spectacular, but then Longwood Gardens are outstanding in any season. We lived north of Newark, DE, off Rt 896 for five years a long, long time ago. Whenever anyone from Texas visited us, we wuuld take them to Longwood Gardens.

We were back there about nine years ago, and that area has really grown and the traffic along with it.

Lenda

mamaofami · July 29, 2021

7 hours ago, cat shepard said:

Thank you for today’s Daily, Rich! I hope lip balm counts, because that is all I wear now. It is tinted, but oh so moisturizing. Tigers are magnificent creatures that belong in the wild. Three cheers for the Rotterdam!

Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy! Morning Dailyite family!
Terry, @smitty34877, Camilla is clearly pissed that the doctors changed their minds again. She is gorgeous and it is great to know that the experts expect her to outgrow her heart rate issue. Sort of like a bad habit.

Today I finally visit an orthopedic doctor here in the States. In a bizarre turn of events this appointment is one day earlier than the “earliest” one I could get when I called last week. That one was canceled Tuesday evening, when it was discovered I have a knee issue and that doctor does not do knees. Really - my primary doctor’s referral clearly states knee fracture. Sigh. I am hoping he just confirms I am on the right track. May want an X-ray of his own. But at least I will be under someone’s care besides Bindi’s. Though she gets me moving.

Hope you get good news about your knee.

durangoscots · July 29, 2021

Good Afternoon everyone. I am having a mild celebration ..... My Patio Door Is finally installed. It only took them 3 months to send a complete door rather than the single part they sent before. I have to do a little touch up around it.... but it will be fine. One thing off my list.

Our Shelter Director is still in hospital.... not a promising sign for a return to full health.

On the plus side, we have had 2 days with a good, heavy rains. So far no mud slides here.

Am enjoying following along to Alaska... and am terribly jealous. Hopefully the time will come fairly soon for all us.

Take Care.

Susan

kazu · July 29, 2021

4 minutes ago, durangoscots said:

My Patio Door Is finally installed. It only took them 3 months to send a complete door rather than the single part they sent before. I have to do a little touch up around it.... but it will be fine. One thing off my list.

That is excellent news. 👍. You’ve had a real struggle and happy to hear that you have succeeded in the ‘fight’ to get what you should have had

4 minutes ago, durangoscots said:

Our Shelter Director is still in hospital.... not a promising sign

Oh dear, not good at all. So sorry to hear this. You have a lot of challenges as it is and this is another one. Prayers for your director 🙏🏻

Happily@Sea · July 29, 2021

I haven't worn lipstick since my early 20s. When I was in the Army, I was REQUIRED to wear it with uniform [no color was specified - this was before the frosted shades were popular]. When I came home from the service, I could no longer find my favorite shade - coral - and so I just stopped using it. Tried lip gloss but it never really became a habit. Now I use lip balm - no color at all but flavors. 😄

bennybear · July 29, 2021

something to cheer me up.

My mountain hydrangea is staring to bloom and laden with flowers

It’s challenging my other hydrangea for “best colour

I have serious hydrangea envy! Gorgeous! Helped cheer me too!

Wondering are they hardy ones, Too?

Edited July 29, 2021 by bennybear

bennybear · July 29, 2021

Good afternoon and thanks all. We enjoyed Alesund but not sure I have easily accessible photos. Edited to say I think this is the other Alesund.

@smitty34877 so sorry Miss Camilla has to stay longer, but better to err on the side of caution.

Edited July 29, 2021 by bennybear

bennybear · July 29, 2021

6 hours ago, cat shepard said:

Iceland - the saga continues…

Let’s start today’s episode with a picture taken by one of my fellow travelers. She stayed up until midnight to capture the most amazing sunset over the fjord.

Note: the field of marshmallows in front of the Sveinbjarnargerdi Country Hotel. I am fairly certain that this hotel took the prize for the most difficult to pronounce name. Most of us took one look at it and said “the hotel”. They probably do not have to worry about trademarks or copyright issues.

It was another early morning - our day would be jammed with some of Iceland’s most amazing features. Breakfast at 7 was helped along by wonderful coffee and an amazing buffet. I was becoming addicted to Skyr - Iceland’s contribution to the world of yogurt. I plopped some peanut butter on top of their moist, almost rich brown bread, and filled my plate with fruit from Iceland’s greenhouses. They even grow bananas and pineapples in Iceland! I added some of the fruit to the yogurt, for some extra flavor. And enjoyed coffee #2. Note the pictures of the Hidden People in the dining room. Perhaps making sure we did not go back for thirds!

It was a bit cool now, but the predicted high was 75-77 AND sunny! I was wearing a T-shirt & capris topped by my fleece hoodie. Thank goodness for my Tevas, there was no way I could get my hiking shoe on with my cast. And luckily my smart wool socks would keep my feet warm, even if they got wet.

We left so early that we were almost the only folk at our first stop - Godafoss. The waterfall made famous, when one of Iceland’s early leaders was given the assignment of how to handle their conversion to Christianity as demanded by their Danish monarch. We could learn a great deal from this man. Not one drop of blood was shed. He simply threw his statues of the Norse gods over this waterfall - hence Godafoss, and told his fellow countrymen they could worship any way they wanted in the privacy of their own homes. In public - it had to be Christianity.

Next stop the “lava bowls”. Really steam bowls, but lava bowls sound so much more dramatic. These bowl shaped depressions were formed when the steam created by the meeting of magma and cold water caused the earth to expand, then collapse on itself, when the steam cooled. I do not have one picture. I could not scale the steps up to the lava bowls. The drainage holes on each step were bigger than the bottom of my crutches. I was wearing my bug netting (thanks to @dfish - Debbie told me there would be midges, and there were. Lots! I had gifted the three folk in my travel group a netting of their own. No one laughed at us on the walk back. No one! Then a stop for snacks, near a not so subtle statement that Iceland valued all its law abiding citizens.

We were told to stock up on food, because it would be some time before our next snack stop.

By now the sun was out in full force. T-shirt weather! On to the Dimmuborgir (means “dark forts”) lava fields. François wanted us to stay together here as much as possible because there were so many paths that one could lose oneself on. It was fascinating to walk among the huge lava formations. The piece de resistance was the arch. A natural phenomenon. I had to miss out on the climb up, but it was fun taking the group’s picture.

Games of Thrones fans will appreciate the pictures from our next stop. The cave and its beautiful waters are the place in the show where the leading man discovers his real relationship to the woman he loves. I did not dare go down into the cave, so the credit for the pictures goes to a fellow traveler.

On to Namaskaro’s bubbling mud pools and fumeroles. If the smell of sulphur bothers you, make sure you stay upwind of each feature - whenever possible. Fans of Yellowstone NP will appreciate this area. It is huge! If you turn your volume way up, you might be able to hear the mud “plop”. I really enjoyed this stop.

We’re not done yet. The next stop is where I credit François for “giving me Iceland”. Dettifoss - the most powerful waterfall in Iceland. Some geologists believe it is the most powerful in all of Europe, but no one has published an official finding - yet. François chose the longer, but less rocky path for me. At the beginning, he walked by my side. He snapped this pic of me to send to the head of GEEO to show him how I was doing!

Then as the path grew a bit precarious, he picked out the safest path for me. Though there were only two small rock piles we had to scale, I would not have been able to make it up the last rock of the second pile - if François had not pulled me up. And there was Dettifoss - in all it’s thundering glory! I could feel it’s power in my bones as I stood at the edge. Awesome in the truest sense of the word!

François guided me back until we merged with some other members of our group, then he sprinted back to open up the minibus for folk who walked a bit faster than me. As I walked back, I met a couple heading in the opposite direction - they saw my Boston t-shirt and yelled “Boston”! One of those surreal travel moments. They lived just a few miles from where I grew up.

Back in the minibus we drank a lot of water and ate a bunch of snacks. We had earned both. We had a chance to relax while François drove us to our final destination of the day. That is until we started down the switchback road of an Eastern mountain. The views were spectacular. We were heading down towards one of the Eastern fjords. François said the road had just recently been paved, up until then it was just dirt. 😱

We reached the small town of Borgarfjordur at the base of the mountain, overlooking the fjord. Before heading to our guesthouse, François drove us through the town to a huge rock that served as a rookery for gulls, terns and PUFFINS! One of my fellow travelers captured the video of the puffin pair cuddling. Just one of those special moments.

Then back to town to Alfheimar Guesthouse. Arnie, the owner & our host, came on to the minibus to great us.

We got our keys, popped our stuff in our rooms and then headed for the dining room. We opted for a lovely New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to go with a meal that started with a delicious carrot soup. The entree - a wolffish was outstanding. I do not remember what our non-fish lovers had, but I know they were happy. Their homemade bread was addictive. I used a lot of willpower at this meal.

Happily, we would be leaving a bit later tomorrow, so we could meet for breakfast at 7:30. Another shower before bed. And a good thing too - the black lava sand on the path to Dettifoss had worked its way through my socks - and my feet were filthy.

In bed by 10:30, and I slept like the dead.

More to follow…