The Daily for Sunday October 31, 2021

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃

 

A very late good afternoon from sunny, but windy Quartzsite.  While I had my pictures of Icy Strait Point ready, we left before I had to to post them.  We made a quick trip to Yuma and to Algondones, Mexico.  Algodones was not crowded, but there were new measures on both sides of the border.  For the first time, the Mexican officials wanted to look into my purse.   And on the way back, the US officials checked for passports or passport cards before we headed to the checkpoint.  Once inside, you have to look into a camera, and they match the piture with your passport or with the picture in their system.  They did not ask what I was bring back.

 

We also did a little shopping in Yuma.

 

When the DDs were little, we (mostly me) would carve two pumpkins for Halloween.  After several years of the same design, I found some pumpkin carving kits, and with the help of their design overlays and tools, managed to make acceptable carvings.  Since they left for college, I've only done a few pumpkins, and only one since we moved to central Texas 22 years ago.  That one was for a neighborhood Halloween party.

 

I am definitely not psychic, but try to trust my intuition.

 

I love the Lily Tomlin quote.  The meal sounds intresting, and I would prefer a rum or vodka Colins.  I'll pass on the wine.

 

@Seasick Sailor  Thank you for the pictures of the party and the very creative costumes.

@1ANGELCAT  I hope you get your results soon and get the waiting behind you.

@ger_77 Gerry congratulations on the cruise and the nice upsell. '

@Vict0riann  Ann, welcome home.  I enjoyed reading about your adventures.

@tjcox9  Tha whale was probably the one we saw in 2012, which the locals named Fredrico.

@NextOne  That is a great pumpkin.

@Crazy For Cats  A great picture of Amelia

@Horizon chaser 1957  Enjpy your trip to Mexico.  The blouse looks even better on Ann.

@cat shepard  Ann, I'm glad you got that blouse.  It looks wonderful on you,

@mamaofami  Wow, Carol, what's up with the aide?

 

I have enjoyed all the Halloween memes and all the pictures of ISP.

 

We have been to Icy Strait Point quite a few times, and we did the 14 day Alaska cruise several times on different ships and usually did multiple b2bs to get out of the the Texas heat.  I want to go back and ride the gondola.

 

In 2012 on the Amsterdam and 2015 on the Statendam, we anchored and tendered.  We finally got to dock in 2018 on the Zaandam.

 

In 2012, DH did the zip line, but I chickened out.  At that time, it went a lot faster than it does now.  The drop took about 60-62 seconds.

 

I'll start with my pictures of ISP, and post those of Hoonah later.

 

Once in 2012, it was very foggy and in order to not cancel the call, the Amsterdam had to move closer to the tender dock so the Bridge Team could have visual contact with the tenders at all times.  This meant the Amsterdam was in much deeper water than usual.  Unfortunately, when she dropped her anchor, the chain brake failed, and the anchor and all the chain landed on the ocean bottom.  It was determined that the cost of a new anchor and chain was less than trying to retrieve the old one.  Interestingly, the same thing happened the year before in Sitka, but the water was shallow enough to retrieve the anchor and chain then.  We did not find out about the incident until the next segment, when some of the people getting DH ready for the zip line mentioned it.

 

We took this picture when we docked at Ogden Point in Victoria at the end of the cruise.

 

These pictures are from 2012 and 2015 before the new dock and facilites were opened.

 

The new facilities at the terminus of the zip line.

 

The Statendam in 2015 on one of her last calls in ISP.

 

The Zaandam at the new dock in 2018.

 

As we were walking back to the dock and passing the  food area, we found part of the cleaning crew hard at work.

 

We saw this eagle in a tree near the dock.

 

We have taken a couple of whale watching tours and have seen many humpback whales, orcas and otters.

 

Lenda

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Here are just a few pictures of Hoonah.  We usually take the bus into town and walk around for a while.  

 

 

This eagle built her nest in a tree just down from the school in Hoonah.

 

A local restaurant

 

The two local churches

 

The local store

 

Main street

 

The totem carving demonstraton

 

Lenda

 

[NCTribeFan]

@JAM37 Yes, I'm on the NA 12 nights.  One of the major reasons I booked was to finally (after about 40 cruises) get a stop in Key West.  Carnival has already changed their itineraries.  I'm expecting ours to be changed.  Gee, maybe I should just go there via plane/car.  I have a high school friend (1971) who went there after graduation and never left.  I'd love to see him.

[rafinmd]

I guess Halloween is back in my neighborhood.  Last year I put out a number of baggies and had a lot left over with just 28 taken.  This year I was planning on at least double that with a large cushion.  I ran out with 85 taken by 7PM.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I had a long curiosity about Hoonah.  My first overnight on a ship was the Alaska Ferry Matanuska in 1991, Ketchikan to Skagway.  Due to a misprint there was supposed to be a stop in Hoonah, but I learned that the large ferries cannot get in there.  I finally did get to Hoonah/Icy Strait on the Radiance of the Seas in 2014.  I toured the cannery and a walk on the beach before going over to Hoonah.  Unfortunately, it started pouring while I was there and got only a brief look.

 

My brother and his SO did a whale watch.

 

Roy

[tjcox9]

1 hour ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃

 

A very late good afternoon from sunny, but windy Quartzsite.  While I had my pictures of Icy Strait Point ready, we left before I had to to post them.  We made a quick trip to Yuma and to Algondones, Mexico.  Algodones was not crowded, but there were new measures on both sides of the border.  For the first time, the Mexican officials wanted to look into my purse.   And on the way back, the US officials checked for passports or passport cards before we headed to the checkpoint.  Once inside, you have to look into a camera, and they match the piture with your passport or with the picture in their system.  They did not ask what I was bring back.

 

We also did a little shopping in Yuma.

 

When the DDs were little, we (mostly me) would carve two pumpkins for Halloween.  After several years of the same design, I found some pumpkin carving kits, and with the help of their design overlays and tools, managed to make acceptable carvings.  Since they left for college, I've only done a few pumpkins, and only one since we moved to central Texas 22 years ago.  That one was for a neighborhood Halloween party.

 

I am definitely not psychic, but try to trust my intuition.

 

I love the Lily Tomlin quote.  The meal sounds intresting, and I would prefer a rum or vodka Colins.  I'll pass on the wine.

 

@Seasick Sailor  Thank you for the pictures of the party and the very creative costumes.

@1ANGELCAT  I hope you get your results soon and get the waiting behind you.

@ger_77 Gerry congratulations on the cruise and the nice upsell. '

@Vict0riann  Ann, welcome home.  I enjoyed reading about your adventures.

@tjcox9  Tha whale was probably the one we saw in 2012, which the locals named Fredrico.

@NextOne  That is a great pumpkin.

@Crazy For Cats  A great picture of Amelia

@Horizon chaser 1957  Enjpy your trip to Mexico.  The blouse looks even better on Ann.

@cat shepard  Ann, I'm glad you got that blouse.  It looks wonderful on you,

@mamaofami  Wow, Carol, what's up with the aide?

 

I have enjoyed all the Halloween memes and all the pictures of ISP.

 

We have been to Icy Strait Point quite a few times, and we did the 14 day Alaska cruise several times on different ships and usually did multiple b2bs to get out of the the Texas heat.  I want to go back and ride the gondola.

 

In 2012 on the Amsterdam and 2015 on the Statendam, we anchored and tendered.  We finally got to dock in 2018 on the Zaandam.

 

In 2012, DH did the zip line, but I chickened out.  At that time, it went a lot faster than it does now.  The drop took about 60-62 seconds.

 

I'll start with my pictures of ISP, and post those of Hoonah later.

 

Once in 2012, it was very foggy and in order to not cancel the call, the Amsterdam had to move closer to the tender dock so the Bridge Team could have visual contact with the tenders at all times.  This meant the Amsterdam was in much deeper water than usual.  Unfortunately, when she dropped her anchor, the chain brake failed, and the anchor and all the chain landed on the ocean bottom.  It was determined that the cost of a new anchor and chain was less than trying to retrieve the old one.  Interestingly, the same thing happened the year before in Sitka, but the water was shallow enough to retrieve the anchor and chain then.  We did not find out about the incident until the next segment, when some of the people getting DH ready for the zip line mentioned it.

 

We took this picture when we docked at Ogden Point in Victoria at the end of the cruise.

 

These pictures are from 2012 and 2015 before the new dock and facilites were opened.

 

The new facilities at the terminus of the zip line.

 

The Statendam in 2015 on one of her last calls in ISP.

 

The Zaandam at the new dock in 2018.

 

As we were walking back to the dock and passing the  food area, we found part of the cleaning crew hard at work.

 

We saw this eagle in a tree near the dock.

 

We have taken a couple of whale watching tours and have seen many humpback whales, orcas and otters.

 

Lenda

 

Don't recall which of our multiple trips to ISP that we saw the whale in the harbor but do know it was early on when we were still tendering. We used to do the AK cruises regularly when the Princess small ships had their longer cruises and also did one or two on HAL's longer ones. Miss those days............

[HAL Sailer]

Any news as to why?

 

[erewhon]

Today (!st of November) began by saying "Rabbits, white rabbits".

No trick or treaters called here last evening.

@1ANGELCAT  hope you will soon receive your results, it's hard waiting patiently..

@ger_77Congratulations on booking your January cruise.

@Vict0riann Welcome home, enjoyed your live from thread, thank you again.

@cat shepardthe blouse looks beautiful.

 

A sunny day with a few clouds, temperature 19 C.

For the gardening club, my Chatham Island Forget Me Not is flowering  it's the first time since I planted it 4 years ago.

Stay safe, take care everyone.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

52 minutes ago, tjcox9 said:

Don't recall which of our multiple trips to ISP that we saw the whale in the harbor but do know it was early on when we were still tendering. We used to do the AK cruises regularly when the Princess small ships had their longer cruises and also did one or two on HAL's longer ones. Miss those days............

 

In 2012, we were told by the captain of our whale watching boat, that Frederico, aka Freddy, was an older male who had stopped migrating to Hawaii each year.  Instead, he lived in the bay and taught himself to bubble feed solo.  He would dive, swim in a circle blowing bubbles, then surface in the center of the circle, catching his food.  I was interesting to watch him.

 

Lenda

Edited November 1, 2021 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[marshhawk]

oh, i forgot, i sense ghosts, not sure if i have seen more than two, but i know what has happened ie. crime, ex. was staying in a cheap hotel, and in the middle of the night, I had a vision of someone who had been in the room, and saw her murdered. I got up and slept in the chair.  The next morning i lifted the  covers off the bed down to the mattress, that was blood stained.  I went to the front office and asked them if someone had been killed there, yes was the answer.  In other words, I witnessed her death that had occurred a year before.  creepy, i know.  i really do try to stay out of that part of my head.

[dobiemom]

3 hours ago, erewhon said:

No trick or treaters called here last evening.

So I got ready, put the treats in a large bowl, and set it by the front door (inside). Not a single knock. Then realized we forgot to turn on the porch light. 😱