The Daily for Wednesday December 01, 2021

[grapau27]

8 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Good grief!  Seven family members positive?  I hadn't heard Las Vegas was a hot spot.  I hope they have mild cases and are fully recovered very soon.

 

I have a cruise leaving from Southampton on June 29 next year.  Island Princess.  Which cruise lines are you booked on?  Our cruise isn't Mediterranean though (Baltics).

P&O Iona, Britannia and Azura and 2 cruises on Royal Caribbean Anthem of the seas.

Sailing from Southampton England with no flights was a big factor.

Graham.

Edited December 1, 2021 by grapau27

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

 

@*Miss G* Congratulations on your last minute cruise on the 12th. Are you going to do a “live from”?

 

 

You’ve talked me into it!

 

 

1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Have you tried a neti pot? There are some very soothing herb solutions you can use in it.

 

9 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Put some menthol crystals or Vicks vapour rub into a bowl.

Add boiling water.

Put your face over the bowl and Breathe in the menthol steam putting a towel over your head as you breathe in through your nose.

Graham.

 

Thank you, @Seasick Sailor and @grapau27 for the advice!  I am definitely going to give both a try!

 

Well, I forgot that cable-guy-fixing-stuff means no internet, so I took the opportunity to go shopping.  I also went to the wine store and discovered that others have cottoned-on to my fave table wine and now they no longer have that year (2017).  Kicking myself for not buying them out.  I bought two of the 2019 version (Ancient Peaks Cab) and have my fingers crossed.  I shall report back.

[StLouisCruisers]

15 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

P&O Iona, Britannia and Azura and 2 cruises on Royal Caribbean Anthem of the seas.

Sailing from Southampton England with no flights was a big factor.

Graham.

 

I'm sure driving to and from is going to be better than all those flights would be.  I wish we lived closer to Ft. Lauderdale so we could drive there.  It's over 600 miles from home.  The one time we drove to the port was to Tampa, Florida but that was still 425 miles.  We used a rental car both ways because it was a 21 day Caribbean cruise and we didn't have to pay for parking our car all that time.  🚗

[lazey1]

I lived in the Los Angeles area for many year and like many of the rest of you I have been to Monterey several times. Always driving trips, never on a cruise shipd. Enjoying the photos as they are bring back many fond memories.

@Quartzsite CruiserLenda, Kakalina is safely home but totally exhausted, thank you for asking. If all goes well we will be having lunch on Friday and I may be able to post a brief update afterward.

@grapau27Was Pauline ever a model. She always looks so elegant in the photos.  The two of you have such wonderful looking meals that I envy you.

@mamaofamiAt one time my husband was having PT, OT and Speech Therapy and I was having PT for back pain. Fortunately we were at the same very sprawled out facility but I know how exhausting all that can be. Take care of yourself and don't let it get you down.

As usual I forgot about rabbitt etc until I read it here today. Not something we said in the great Southwest. 

I hope that everyone has a good day today.

Jane

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

I'm sure driving to and from is going to be better than all those flights would be.  I wish we lived closer to Ft. Lauderdale so we could drive there.  It's over 600 miles from home.  The one time we drove to the port was to Tampa, Florida but that was still 425 miles.  We used a rental car both ways because it was a 21 day Caribbean cruise and we didn't have to pay for parking our car all that time.  🚗

We were due to fly to Orlando and sail from Port Canaveral next March but cancelled because of covid restrictions.

[summer slope]

You can also get the Vicks shower blocks. I use those. 

[grapau27]

6 minutes ago, lazey1 said:

I lived in the Los Angeles area for many year and like many of the rest of you I have been to Monterey several times. Always driving trips, never on a cruise shipd. Enjoying the photos as they are bring back many fond memories.

@Quartzsite CruiserLenda, Kakalina is safely home but totally exhausted, thank you for asking. If all goes well we will be having lunch on Friday and I may be able to post a brief update afterward.

@grapau27Was Pauline ever a model. She always looks so elegant in the photos.  The two of you have such wonderful looking meals that I envy you.

@mamaofamiAt one time my husband was having PT, OT and Speech Therapy and I was having PT for back pain. Fortunately we were at the same very sprawled out facility but I know how exhausting all that can be. Take care of yourself and don't let it get you down.

As usual I forgot about rabbitt etc until I read it here today. Not something we said in the great Southwest. 

I hope that everyone has a good day today.

Jane

Sending prayers 🙏 and best wishes for Kakalena.

Thank you for your nice comments about Pauline.

She has been a civil servant for 43 years.

Pauline loves clothes,shoes, jewelry and handbags and is always dressed immaculately.

[ger_77]

@grapau27I envy you being able to drive only 320 miles to the port of your choice - I just looked up the distance to ours (Ft Lauderdale) and it's 2675 miles from here.  And considering the driving we've witnessed around Ft Lauderdale and Miami, I'm happy we're flying and leaving the driving to the taxi and Uber drivers!

 

Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[CrabbyPatti]

    Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, and rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!  LOL had to add the extra 3 rabbits, as I got 6 new baby rabbits out in the barn this am.  Good timing on Mama rabbit!

     I love the sharing of all the travel adventures on this page.  Would love to get to Monterey one of these days.  I enjoy the pictures everyone posts of the various ports they have been too.

     Today the wind is trying to blow us away, but we have broke warm temperature records for December 1st it has reach 70 degrees!  Hubby says that means we are in for a "cold" spell!

      National Aids Day makes me think back to when we just starting hearing about Aids when I was a new nurse and how it changed our approach to care.  We have come a long ways but still have a ways to go with Aids and other diseases.

       Everyone stay safe and wear those masks!  Keep posting pictures!

 

Denise

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, ger_77 said:

@grapau27I envy you being able to drive only 320 miles to the port of your choice - I just looked up the distance to ours (Ft Lauderdale) and it's 2675 miles from here.  And considering the driving we've witnessed around Ft Lauderdale and Miami, I'm happy we're flying and leaving the driving to the taxi and Uber drivers!

 

Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

We have sailed many times from Southampton and have took a train or flown most times.

I drove down for our last 3 cruises and will drive down for our 5 cruises next year.

Newcastle cruise terminal is 15 miles from us but is mainly used by Fred Olsen,Marella and MSC which we are not keen on.

Graham

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Daily. Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!

Great days. Current medications have transformed AIDS from the death sentence it once was. A salute to Rosa Parks and the Civil Air Patrol. Excellent quote.

I like the dinner and will have to make it soon. I also like the drink and wine.

I have not been to Monterey, CA. Thanks for all the pictures.

 

What a day! Up at 5AM to take my bestie to the hospital for the oculoplastic surgery. After they took him to get prepped, I noticed my right eye was painful. Looked in the mirror and it was red and now light sensitive. Luckily I had my regular drops, but not the more powerful ones. I started putting them in every half hour, knowing I had to drive later and it was sunny out. When the surgeon came to the bedside pre-op he said he didn't know what the surgery would entail until he saw the size of the gap. Unfortunately, the dermatologist had taken most of the skin of the lower lid during the MOHS procedure. So no simple stitching together of the lid or even taking some skin adjacent to close the wound. He had to take skin from the upper lid and fold it down to the lower lid as a skin graft. So his eyelid is sewn shut and heavily bandaged. We were both rocked by this outcome since it was a little bump to start. The surgeon said since the eyelid skin is so thin, the cancer can grow out form the bump without any change to the appearance of the lid. We're both home now. He's resting and I'm putting some of the strong steroid drops in my eye, and wearing sunglasses indoors.

 

@smitty34877 I hope the new Pulmonary doctor is able to help Tana. Congrats on finding parking!

@JAM37 Wow, you guys are working so hard on the house! Will there be pictures eventually 🙂?

@cat shepard I hope Maddie comes home.

@cunnorl Praying for peace for your family.

@grapau27 Thanks for the pictures!

@Cruising-along Good luck with the doctor's visit today, and feel better. Lovely photos!

@lazey1 It sounds like Kakalena will need to rest to get her strength back from traveling, but I'm glad she got to go.

 

Prayers for the Care List and a toast to the Celebration list. 

Stay safe everyone and wear your mask if needed.

[Sharon in AZ]

2 minutes ago, JazzyV said:

What a day! Up at 5AM to take my bestie to the hospital for the oculoplastic surgery. After they took him to get prepped, I noticed my right eye was painful. Looked in the mirror and it was red and now light sensitive. Luckily I had my regular drops, but not the more powerful ones. I started putting them in every half hour, knowing I had to drive later and it was sunny out. When the surgeon came to the bedside pre-op he said he didn't know what the surgery would entail until he saw the size of the gap. Unfortunately, the dermatologist had taken most of the skin of the lower lid during the MOHS procedure. So no simple stitching together of the lid or even taking some skin adjacent to close the wound. He had to take skin from the upper lid and fold it down to the lower lid as a skin graft. So his eyelid is sewn shut and heavily bandaged. We were both rocked by this outcome since it was a little bump to start. The surgeon said since the eyelid skin is so thin, the cancer can grow out form the bump without any change to the appearance of the lid. We're both home now. He's resting and I'm putting some of the strong steroid drops in my eye, and wearing sunglasses indoors.

Vanessa, prayers for your bestie.  Let him know that in the end, after all the healing, it'll be for the better.  And kuddo's to the oculoplastics doc.  Having worked for one I know how specialized the surgery actually is plus the recovery.

 

Take care of your eye.  I'm sure driving at night didn't help the eye strain either.

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

After breakfast, where I finally had French toast again, we decided to take the tram to the port building.  Boy, was it crowded, even though it was late morning.  Besides the Koningsdam, NCL Bliss and Carnival Paradise are in port.  I don't know how many passengers they have this week, but they are big ships.

 

We headed out the gate and got one of the open air taxis to take us on a short tour.   We saw the divers, the high view point and a good bit of old town Mazatlan.  We opted to skip the Golden Zone since we'd seen it six years ago.  We like the character of the old part of town.

 

Today was the perfect day for the tour. It is partly cloudy, low 80sF with a slight breeze.  Now we are sitting on the balcony, watching all the activity in port.  This is a very busy commercial port. Plus, it looks like most of the tours are returning.

 

@grapau27  Graham, such sad news about all the Covid cases after the trip to Las Vegas.  We were supposed to be there the week we boarded the ship.  After checking the situation in LV, we canceled the reservation and booked the cruise instead.  It felt much safer.  The hotel required masks inside, but on the streets with no masks and crowds, it did not seem like a good idea.  So far we feel safe on the ship, and have failed the two Covid tests on the ship.👍👏

 

@lazey1  Jane, thank you for the update on @kakalina.  I would have liked to have met her, but as I said earlier, I did not want to intrude on her cruise.  Please give her my best wishes when you have lunch.

 

Great news that @lindaler Linda made it to Ft. Lauderdale, and is ready for a great cruise.

 

Lenda

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

59 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

@grapau27I envy you being able to drive only 320 miles to the port of your choice - I just looked up the distance to ours (Ft Lauderdale) and it's 2675 miles from here.  And considering the driving we've witnessed around Ft Lauderdale and Miami, I'm happy we're flying and leaving the driving to the taxi and Uber drivers!

 

Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

 

Gerry, i agree about the drivers on I-95 in that area.  We've rented cars there several times, but try to avoid the interstate.  Once, the drivers were so wild, we turned around and went back to Ft. Lauderdale and the back roads.  When we're in Quartzsite, driving to San Diego is about four hours and not bad until we're close to SD.  Going to LA ports is another option.  When we're in Texas, we have to fly unless we take Carnival 😱 out of Galveston.  Then, we have the Houston traffic.

 

36 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Vanessa, prayers for your bestie.  Let him know that in the end, after all the healing, it'll be for the better.  And kuddo's to the oculoplastics doc.  Having worked for one I know how specialized the surgery actually is plus the recovery.

 

Take care of your eye.  I'm sure driving at night didn't help the eye strain either.

 

 

 

@JazzyV, Vanessa, I'm glad your BFF's surgery is over, but sorry it was so extensive  Hope he is a fast healer.  Also, sorry your eye is inflamed again, and hope it calms down soon.  Both of you take it easy and de-stress.

 

Sharon, thank you for being here to offer advice and support.  That's what makes the Daily such a great place.

 

Lenda 

 

PS:  I thought I was also quoting @JazzyV  Vanessa's post, but it didn’t show up.

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[Sharon in AZ]

3 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

When we're in Texas, we have to fly unless we take Carnival 😱 out of Galveston.  Then, we have the Houston traffic.

OMG, don't get me started on the Houston traffic.  I've never seen worse, even in LA.  But it's not just the traffic, it's the multiple turn offs and merging and overpasses, underpasses, etc.  So I know I'll never do that I95 in Florida. 

 

Glad you are enjoying your cruise Lenda!  Do you have another one planned?

 

[StLouisCruisers]

@JazzyVI echo everyone else's comments.  It sounds like the surgery today on your BFF's eyelid was quite dramatic, but I'm sure the surgeon took the best route considering how much skin was left.  I hope your eye improves quickly and your BFF heals well.  Prayers for you both!🙏

[Cruzin Terri]

Greetings from sunny Port St. Lucie Florida.  

The drive from St. Augustine was pretty good and we are happy to get here early and have time to chill out.

We received our COVID tests results this morning and they both came back NEGATIVE.  YAY!

So we are good to go on Friday.  Unless we test positive at the port in Miami.

Tonight we will dine at the Outback, which is walking distance from the hotel.  Not too many choices and that is the best of the lot.

The other good news is that my blood tests, while not back to normal, showed significantly less inflammation.  So my prednisone dosage was decreased.  I wish I felt as good as the blood test showed.

Hopefully a good rest will help things along.

 

Prayers to all on the cares list and cheers to those on the happy list,

Praying for a new IPad,  Still having problems.  It doesn’t let me react to anyone’s posts.

take care everyone.  Tomorrow we are in Miami and staying at the Marriott Biscayne Bay where we can watch the cruise ship port from our room.

I will try to post a picture.

Have a great Wednesday and stay well.

God bless

Terri

[Sea Viewer]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

I have a cruise leaving from Southampton on June 29 next year.  Island Princess.  Which cruise lines are you booked on?  Our cruise isn't Mediterranean though (Baltics).

I'm  looking  at doing  the transatlantic  next year on Island  Princess. I want  to visit  my family  in England  and as my husband  cannot  fly due to medical  issues I'm  working   on  a  convoluted  trip using 2 cruise lines and Am track to get there and back. Maybe I  should  get advice from Roy @rafinmd!!

Today was busy,  dermatologist  in the am, 2 spots biopsied, then off to dentist  for cleaning.

 

Looking  forward  to  2 weeks  on the Allure  on Sunday, providing  I "fail" my test on Friday .

 

[Cat in my lap]

Happy Wednesday !  I didn’t know about rabbit, rabbit, rabbit- seems like an easy way to get good luck!

Hope medical issues are resolved for all.

Hope cat returns quickly!  We had one once who got locked in a neighbor’s garage- we could hear his meows, but he didn’t get out until neighbors returned.

 

I make Moscow mules at home using limes, mint, candied ginger, ginger beer and vodka, it is one of our favorite drinks!  
 

.

 

 

[smitty34877]

3 hours ago, bennybear said:

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!   Good morning and thanks all!  So cool to see the bus that Rosa Parks was on!  And I’m glad they’ve made progress on AIDS.  
@cat shepard that champagne sounds exquisite, I love the rose ones! 
 

I am so impressed that you drove into Manhattan, one of my favourite cities,  I hope there’s a good outcome for Tanya. 
 

Have visited Monterey but not on a cruise.  
 

 

F1F89D65-427F-4097-BA2D-214DB9BECB87.MOV

Thanks for the lovely pictures.Yonkers is right next to NYC and I find it easier to drive in midtown  than here!We have some interesting  drivers on our streets....Finding parking was highly unusual  today but welcome.

[smitty34877]

Sorry everyone, I can't  get multiposting  to

work on my phone.

@mamaofami,we went to Cornell Weill today.We go back in 2 weeks after tests are repeated. The situation  is not a good one and we are all trying to be positive.The car is a good place to shed a few tears when one is alone.

Thanks to everyone  for the  support.

[StLouisCruisers]

15 minutes ago, Sea Viewer said:

I'm  looking  at doing  the transatlantic  next year on Island  Princess. I want  to visit  my family  in England  and as my husband  cannot  fly due to medical  issues I'm  working   on  a  convoluted  trip using 2 cruise lines and Am track to get there and back. Maybe I  should  get advice from Roy @rafinmd!!

Today was busy,  dermatologist  in the am, 2 spots biopsied, then off to dentist  for cleaning.

 

Looking  forward  to  2 weeks  on the Allure  on Sunday, providing  I "fail" my test on Friday .

 

 

I agree, it sounds like Roy would be a good consultant on that type of vacation.  I hope it all works out so you can visit family in England!

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

23 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

OMG, don't get me started on the Houston traffic.  I've never seen worse, even in LA.  But it's not just the traffic, it's the multiple turn offs and merging and overpasses, underpasses, etc.  So I know I'll never do that I95 in Florida. 

 

Glad you are enjoying your cruise Lenda!  Do you have another one planned?

 

 

We still have the two Coral Princess world cruises out of Sydney booked for 2023 and 2024.  The 2024 cruise is the replacement for the canceled 2022 cruise.  These are so far off, I'm not really counting them yet.  Who knows what will happen between now and June 2023.

 

We don't have any others booked, but I get more FCDs the other day. 😀

 

We lived about 30 miles north of Houston for 14 years.  The traffic wasn't too bad until just before we moved.  Then, it got insane.  The secret to going into Houston was timing, basically going between 9am and 3pm.  I would usually take the surface streets once I was in town.  The toll road, once it was opened helped too.  Our younger DD, went to high school near downtown her last two years.  She left home before rush hour and beat rush hour coming home most days.

 

The last time we were there about 15-19 years ago, we couldn't wait get out of there.

 

Lenda

[grapau27]

19 minutes ago, Sea Viewer said:

I'm  looking  at doing  the transatlantic  next year on Island  Princess. I want  to visit  my family  in England  and as my husband  cannot  fly due to medical  issues I'm  working   on  a  convoluted  trip using 2 cruise lines and Am track to get there and back. Maybe I  should  get advice from Roy @rafinmd!!

Today was busy,  dermatologist  in the am, 2 spots biopsied, then off to dentist  for cleaning.

 

Looking  forward  to  2 weeks  on the Allure  on Sunday, providing  I "fail" my test on Friday .

 

Good luck with the biopsies.

We have been on Allure twice and particularly like Central Park.

I hope you have an amazing cruise.

Graham.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Daily. Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!

Great days. Current medications have transformed AIDS from the death sentence it once was. A salute to Rosa Parks and the Civil Air Patrol. Excellent quote.

I like the dinner and will have to make it soon. I also like the drink and wine.

I have not been to Monterey, CA. Thanks for all the pictures.

 

What a day! Up at 5AM to take my bestie to the hospital for the oculoplastic surgery. After they took him to get prepped, I noticed my right eye was painful. Looked in the mirror and it was red and now light sensitive. Luckily I had my regular drops, but not the more powerful ones. I started putting them in every half hour, knowing I had to drive later and it was sunny out. When the surgeon came to the bedside pre-op he said he didn't know what the surgery would entail until he saw the size of the gap. Unfortunately, the dermatologist had taken most of the skin of the lower lid during the MOHS procedure. So no simple stitching together of the lid or even taking some skin adjacent to close the wound. He had to take skin from the upper lid and fold it down to the lower lid as a skin graft. So his eyelid is sewn shut and heavily bandaged. We were both rocked by this outcome since it was a little bump to start. The surgeon said since the eyelid skin is so thin, the cancer can grow out form the bump without any change to the appearance of the lid. We're both home now. He's resting and I'm putting some of the strong steroid drops in my eye, and wearing sunglasses indoors.

 

@smitty34877 I hope the new Pulmonary doctor is able to help Tana. Congrats on finding parking!

@JAM37 Wow, you guys are working so hard on the house! Will there be pictures eventually 🙂?

@cat shepard I hope Maddie comes home.

@cunnorl Praying for peace for your family.

@grapau27 Thanks for the pictures!

@Cruising-along Good luck with the doctor's visit today, and feel better. Lovely photos!

@lazey1 It sounds like Kakalena will need to rest to get her strength back from traveling, but I'm glad she got to go.

 

Prayers for the Care List and a toast to the Celebration list. 

Stay safe everyone and wear your mask if needed.

Prayers 🙏 for your friend Vanessa.

You have been  amazing for your friend.

I hope your eye soreness eases quickly.

Take care.

Graham.