The Daily for Saturday 01/29/2022

[MISTER 67]

For those interested:

Tom Brady retiring after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles (yahoo.com)

 

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by MISTER 67

[StLouisCruisers]

2 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Good morning, all.  I read yesterday, but didn't post, it was a long thread and we had a busy day. @St. Louis Sal, thank you for your kind offer to talk to Vicki, I will mention it to her when we telephone next.  She is having visits from friends and family, and seems to be doing well.  She has talked with Bob and he is very happy at his brother's, so that is great, and I hope he stays there for a while so Vicki can get organized.  She is arranging to sell their place in Oregon and is having meetings next week with lawyers and financial people, so everything is going smoothly.  I am so happy she will be in a support program at Stanford.

 

It is nice to see some good news on the Daily.  Grandchildren, (BTW, will we see another picture of Miss Camilla soon?), animals, seeds, all sound good!  I do hope Tana will benefit from the place she is going to and will feel better when she comes home.  I do worry about her and Jose.  Jacqui, so sorry about the weather you are having.  Hope tings clear up quickly and you can go in to visit Jose.  

 

I have a question - do you get a notification when someone highlights your name on CC?  Just wondering, I only get notifications on the top of the page by the little bell if I am subscribed to a thread, and then not always, if I haven't posted on the thread for some time.   I used to get emails, and I do choose emails, but never get them anymore.  I don't "subscribe" to the Daily every day, so I have to keep checking back to see how things are going.

 

Ann, you asked whether we get notification emails when you subscribe to a thread or someone highlights our names.  Nope, no more emails are coming, just the little bell notification you mentioned.  Makes it harder to know when someone adds something to a roll call, etc.  It must be a change to CC because I didn't change anything on my profile to prevent them from coming.

 

[arzz]

We have cruised on the old Renaissance ships twice. Once on Azamara in their first season (too long ago and too early to judge the product - we were not impressed) and once on Oceania. 
 

On Oceania we were in a balcony aft of mid ships and we smelled very strong garlic every evening wafting in from the Italian restaurant not far above us. I am not a garlic fan (and from that cruise not an Oceania fan) and was not happy with that - but again, the cruise was some years ago so I would not judge the product from our experience. 
 

Neither cruise did I care for the ships.  I love small ships, give me Seabourn any day … but I always felt that there might not be adequate stairwells for passengers to move rapidly in case of an emergency. Most of the stairwells are steep and narrow.  For some reason this made me very nervous.  Possibly my chemistry teacher background always has me looking for exits and escape routes where ever I am. 
 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

13 minutes ago, HAL Sailer said:

@grapau27  I don't know your situation nor am I asking it, but I would urge you to consider a lengthy and wide ranging Alaskan itinerary after traveling such a distance from England.

 

(DH and I received similar advice when planning a short tour of Australia. We've never regretted finding a way to extend our trip to include New Zealand, Fiji, and some independent touring.)

 

Having lived in Alaska and having returned many times, I can tell you Alaska is both magical and MASSIVE. On most maps it is artificially shrunk in size, so here's a visual comparing it to Scandinavia.

 

A cruise-only trip will include sea-terminus glacier viewing but it won't include seeing land-terminus nor fresh water-terminus glaciers. And, a cruise-only trip won't tour the Alaskan interior including Denali, nor experience it by train, nor enjoy the beauty of places like the Kenai Peninsula.

 

I would urge you to consider a combined land & sea cruise-tour, if your situation permits. As you likely know, HAL offers a variety of cruise-tour offerings providing an opportunity to select a cruise-tour that meets individual interests.

 

Even then you will have only seen a tiny portion of the stark beauty of Alaska -- and it will call to you again and again to return,

 

-Melisa

 

I know I'm repeating myself, but I couldn't agree more.  Another suggestion, is to rent a motorhome or a car and make it a DIY tour of the Kenai Peninsula and the interior with maybe a side trip to Dawson City and/or Whitehorse.

 

For warm weather lovers, Alaska keeps drawing us back every few years.

 

Lenda

[Oceansaway17]

9 hours ago, richwmn said:

 

Today is  National Cornchip Day, 
Meal Suggestion for today - Hearty Minestrone Soup
Destination of the Day - Talkeetna, Alaska
 

 

yes to all three.  love my fritos, and that soup and hoping to one day see Talkeetna, I liked the TV show "Northern Exposure" that was based on this town.

[Oceansaway17]

5 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

 

I hope everyone has a good day.

 

such a cute photo.  Wonder if we could get First lady Jill to pose with her new cat on a sofa with the President stand off the side grinning.  ha ha

 

[Oceansaway17]

4 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from sunny Quartzsite.  It was 37F at 7:30, but is supposed to reach the upper 60s later.

 

We've been to Talkeetna at least three times 

 

The view from Talkeetna Lodge on a typical day.

 

 

Denali from the same place on a very rare day when the mountain and the mountain range is completely visible.  I could have stood and looked at the mountain for a long time that day.

 

 

 

 

Random views, but they include most of the main street in Talkeetna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the shopping "venues".

 

There is a nice little park in town.

 

Lenda

 

 

well the above photos that I left in after deleting the others tells me that this town must be a reall HOOT to visit.   It is on the list.  I have done Denali and Anchorage and Seward.

 

[CrabbyPatti]

Good Afternoon!

 

     I like puzzles, don't do many now that the kids are grown, when they were home we always seemed to have one set up to work on during the winter days.  Recently we have had puzzle tables for my clients, I enjoy taking time to sit and visit with them while finding a piece or two.  They have been a hit with the clients, many of them reminiscence about doing puzzles as children.

      @Miss G and @kazu Thank you for the welcome back from Covid dodgeball!  We ventured out for dinner last night at a small Italian restaurant near us.  We had a wonderful dinner, I told hubby while we were eating dinner would be perfect if we were sitting on a ship somewhere!

       @grapau27 in 2007 we took our first cruise to Alaska (hubby wasn't excited but said he would give it a try)  We still laugh as that cruise was "too perfect" ................we have returned 6 times, and probably will again, plus we have ventured to other itineraries.  The weather most of the time was beautiful.

         We tell friends, watch out that first cruise can cause a Cruise habit to develop!

Take care everyone and stay safe those of you in the storm path.

 

Denise

     

[dobiemom]

To those doing online (jigsaw, word) puzzles: What websites or apps do you use?

[grapau27]

55 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

While we haven't sailed on Azamara, we have sailed on other former Renaissance ships.  They are very nice, small ships, and we thoroughly enjoyed them.  If you are getting a balcony or suite, just a word of caution.  On our last cruise on Pacific Princess, one of the old R ships, we had a balcony near or behind the funnel.  When the wind was from the right direction, we would get a funny smell in the room.  Every time they sent someone to check it, they said it was just the smell of the ocean.  It wasn't.  I finally realized one afternoon, when DH could not seem to stay awake and join me for the Crossing the Line ceremony, that what we were getting was smoke from the stack that had a lot of CO2 in it.  We were lucky it never did us any real harm or kill us.  My advice is book a cabin toward the front of the ship.

 

 

I agree that detours, while inconvenient, are a small price to pay for no loss of life.

 

 

Interesting looking puzzle.

 

 

The 14-day cruise is the best as you get to see more of Alaska.  This itinerary sounds good, and is just a little different from the previous one.  Glad to see they are going to Skagway again, plus Valdez.  Surprised Juneau is not listed or Icy Strait Point either.

 

 

Someone mentioned the fjords in Norway.  Alaska has fjords too, but they are called arms for some reason.  The weather is the same in the summer as you will find in Norway, and just as variable.  FYI, as I've said before, we usually do two or more cruises when in Alaska.  That way if the weather is bad the first time, you have another chance to see the town.

 

 

See my comment to @grapau27 Graham.  We've been in ports where it was pouring rain and very windy, but since we knew we were coming back, we could sit in the Crow's Nest and watch all the people getting soaked.

 

 

Glad you're getting notifications again.

 

 

I'm glad a could provide a good belly laugh today, even if it's after Belly Laugh day.

 

Lenda

I will be 66 in October and fully retired but Pauline will be only 60 in March and it is her holiday allowance and time off from work which is a problem when booking holidays.

I personally would go anywhere at anytime as I love cruising and all types of holidays.

Pauline wants to cruise around Australia, visit Memphis to see Graceland and go to Las Vegas but not for casino's because we do not gamble.

Thanks to the lovely advice from my friends on the Daily Alaska is now on the list too.

Graham.

 

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, HAL Sailer said:

@grapau27  I don't know your situation nor am I asking it, but I would urge you to consider a lengthy and wide ranging Alaskan itinerary after traveling such a distance from England.

 

(DH and I received similar advice when planning a short tour of Australia. We've never regretted finding a way to extend our trip to include New Zealand, Fiji, and some independent touring.)

 

Having lived in Alaska and having returned many times, I can tell you Alaska is both magical and MASSIVE. On most maps it is artificially shrunk in size, so here's a visual comparing it to Scandinavia.

 

A cruise-only trip will include sea-terminus glacier viewing but it won't include seeing land-terminus nor fresh water-terminus glaciers. And, a cruise-only trip won't tour the Alaskan interior including Denali, nor experience it by train, nor enjoy the beauty of places like the Kenai Peninsula.

 

I would urge you to consider a combined land & sea cruise-tour, if your situation permits. As you likely know, HAL offers a variety of cruise-tour offerings providing an opportunity to select a cruise-tour that meets individual interests.

 

Even then you will have only seen a tiny portion of the stark beauty of Alaska -- and it will call to you again and again to return,

 

-Melisa

Thank you Melisa.

Very good advice.

Graham.

[JazzyV]

12 minutes ago, dobiemom said:

To those doing online (jigsaw, word) puzzles: What websites or apps do you use?

 

I do jigsaw puzzles on TheJigsawPuzzles.com

[TiogaCruiser]

3 hours ago, grapau27 said:

It has been extremely windy today with gusts up to 60mph.

We went out for a short walk when the wind had eased and saw this 100 metres from home.

Graham.

😱

[arzz]

I use Zimad's Disney puzzles but they are mostly not Disney.  I do not pay to subscribe but rather wait thru the ads. It can be cumbersome but I often have music or the TV going to distract me.  I guess I am just cheap. Since I have been using this app quite a while I have plenty of points to use to purchase whatever puzzles I want. I do the puzzles in 550 piece mode tho you can choose other numbers of pieces if you prefer. 

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, marshhawk said:

@grapau27 We are doing a 14 day HAL out of Vancouver, May 2023-would love it if you could join us.  There are no flights from Atlanta to Vancouver that I can find, so we fly from here to Seattle and change planes.  Really?  I'm confused. The cruise goes to Kodiak, Anchorage, Valdez, Sitka, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Ketchikan, Prince Rupert and back to Vancouver.  After the cruise, we are probably taking the ferry over to Victoria, stay a few days and do the whale watching, Butchart Gardens and a few museums.  That's the plan, Covid willing.

Thank you for your kind words.

This cruise sounds wonderful and I hope you have an amazing time.

Graham.

[Norseh2o]

Love all types of puzzles and am surprised that I completed 0 jigsaw puzzles during our stay at home months. I will copy@ger_77 and start a puzzle with the new year in the quiet of winter! Love soup, but tonight will enjoy DH’s bbq chicken legs & some produce delights from DD’s Big Island Farm Direct fresh fruit and vegetables order scheduled for pick up today. 79F in Kailua-Kona this morning. 

[Vict0riann]

3 hours ago, grapau27 said:

It has been extremely windy today with gusts up to 60mph.

We went out for a short walk when the wind had eased and saw this 100 metres from home.

Graham.

 

Graham, I was going to say that "your" tree made it onto the BBC news this afternoon, but I think it wasn't your tree but another like it...Malek seems to have brought down many trees in NE England and Scotland.  Good luck with the next storm.

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, arzz said:

We have cruised on the old Renaissance ships twice. Once on Azamara in their first season (too long ago and too early to judge the product - we were not impressed) and once on Oceania. 
 

On Oceania we were in a balcony aft of mid ships and we smelled very strong garlic every evening wafting in from the Italian restaurant not far above us. I am not a garlic fan (and from that cruise not an Oceania fan) and was not happy with that - but again, the cruise was some years ago so I would not judge the product from our experience. 
 

Neither cruise did I care for the ships.  I love small ships, give me Seabourn any day … but I always felt that there might not be adequate stairwells for passengers to move rapidly in case of an emergency. Most of the stairwells are steep and narrow.  For some reason this made me very nervous.  Possibly my chemistry teacher background always has me looking for exits and escape routes where ever I am. 
 

 

We cruised on the R1 when she was brand new in 1999 out of Istanbul for Ephesus, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini and Athens, great cruise with excellent food, service and entertainment, some great shore excursions also. Loved the R1. Rennaissance put together one heck of a package IIRC for 1300 dollars, free air from NYC, 2 nights in 5 star hotels in Istanbul and Athens with discounts on meals in the hotels. Still one of the best cruises we have had plus I met Greek relatives in Athens for the first time ever, those people were party animals as we ate dinner at 11pm till about 2am at a gorgeous restaurant overlooking Athens on a beautiful night. We didn't return to our hotel until 2:30 AM and missed our tour scheduled for 9AM. Woke up around 11 and did Athens on our own.

[Vict0riann]

This is the puzzle app I use.  You can get as many as 252 pieces on a puzzle, though then they are quite small.   (You can also use your own photographs to make puzzles, which I like)

 

 

DD is hooked on Wordle, and also plays What?Word.  

Edited January 29, 2022 by Vict0riann

[grapau27]

11 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

 

Graham, I was going to say that "your" tree made it onto the BBC news this afternoon, but I think it wasn't your tree but another like it...Malek seems to have brought down many trees in NE England and Scotland.  Good luck with the next storm.

Thank you Ann.

Storm Corrie is due tomorrow afternoon.

Graham.

[rafinmd]

I mentioned yesterday that I had decided Friday morning to cancel my visit to the Symphony due to the weather.  It turned out to be a good move because the Orchestra cancelled as well.  With my diabetes my main control mechanism is to keep track of what I eat.  I can eat most anything in moderation but there is the occasional splurge.  My plan for the day had been to stop at Panera on the way to the Symphony and try their flatbread pizza.  The plan after the cancellation was to make my usual Saturday morning stop at Wegmans and then Panera on the way home.  I did follow through and actually got home while the roads were still in good shape.

 

I loved the pizza but it was WAY too much.

 

 

I would only get it again if I could save part of it for the later.  Can someone point me to the post from an earlier daily that covers how to reheat pizza in a microwave without drying it out?

 

Thanks

 

Roy

 

 

[Cruzin Terri]

1 hour ago, dobiemom said:

To those doing online (jigsaw, word) puzzles: What websites or apps do you use?

I pay for a yearly subscription to the New York Times crossword puzzles. Your iPad or I phone has a sudoku app with varying levels of difficulty.

Don’t do jigsaws on line. Usually I buy one and do a real one.

Have fun.

Terri

[grapau27]

16 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I mentioned yesterday that I had decided Friday morning to cancel my visit to the Symphony due to the weather.  It turned out to be a good move because the Orchestra cancelled as well.  With my diabetes my main control mechanism is to keep track of what I eat.  I can eat most anything in moderation but there is the occasional splurge.  My plan for the day had been to stop at Panera on the way to the Symphony and try their flatbread pizza.  The plan after the cancellation was to make my usual Saturday morning stop at Wegmans and then Panera on the way home.  I did follow through and actually got home while the roads were still in good shape.

 

I loved the pizza but it was WAY too much.

 

 

I would only get it again if I could save part of it for the later.  Can someone point me to the post from an earlier daily that covers how to reheat pizza in a microwave without drying it out?

 

Thanks

 

Roy

 

 

This should work Roy 

Graham.

[HAL Sailer]

@rafinmd I didn't post this but found this message and response in the Jan 20 Daily:

BTW, the best way to reheat cold pizza is microwave for 60 to 80 seconds on 70% power then heat them for about 2 minutes in a pre-heated nonstick skillet. DH said he puts a lid on the skillet to hold in the heat too.  Nice and hot, plus it crisps up the crust.  Tastes great!  See why I have DH doing the cooking?

 

DH and I would probably make two meals out of just one of those pizzas.  I've never thought of reheating a pizza in the microwave then putting it in a pre-heated skillet.  When we reheat the leftover pizza, I put the slices on the pizza pan and put it in a cold oven and turn the over on to 350F.  When I can smell the pizza, it's warm and ready to eat, and the crust is crispy too.

[0106]

1 hour ago, dobiemom said:

 

To those doing online (jigsaw, word) puzzles: What websites or apps do you use?

 

Wordle is addictive.  I’m thankful you can only play once a day.

https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/