The Daily for Sunday 02/06/2022

[rafinmd]

It turns out Macapa was my first ever Brazilian port.  It would be a tender port but Prinsendam continued upstream to Santana, a cargo port about a 30-minute bus rice away.  There was NOTHING to do in Santana and I took one of the 2 HAL tours.

 

 

Our firs stopt was the Fortaleza de Sao-Jose, an early 19th century star fort overlooking the Amazon.  It was never actually involved in a battle:

 

The chapel in the Forteleza:

 

At a cultural center we visited a replica floating market (a riverboat equipped with necessities for village life):

And a typical river house:

Perhaps Macapa's chief claim to fame is it's location squarely on the Equator with a monument and a line where one can stand with one foot in each hemisphere:

Our final stop on the tour was a craft market but people did not linger there and we were early returning to the ship.  I don't think independent travelers found a lot either as I stepped out to stretch my legs at 3:30.  All aboard was 4:30 but I was quickly asked to get back onboard as I was the last one remaining on land.

 

Roy

 

[GTVCRUISER]

Happy Sunday from San Diego 🙂

[rafinmd]

10 minutes ago, canals said:

I remember seeing the Queen and thinking the same thing as you.   I was in Oakville, Ontario at a college.    We were thrilled she took the time to visit us.   

Welcome back to the Daily.

 

Roy

[marshhawk]

[*Miss G*]

6 minutes ago, canals said:

I remember seeing the Queen and thinking the same thing as you.   I was in Oakville, Ontario at a college.    We were thrilled she took the time to visit us.   

 

Same college!  In fact, it has an extraordinary tie to something near and dear to @rafinmd’s heart.  Come From Away began life at Sheridan College in our Music Theatre Department.  Were you a student?

[canals]

Just now, rafinmd said:

Welcome back to the Daily.

 

Roy

Thank you.    Glad I was able to reply today.    This is a wonderful and very caring thread.   Very supportive people sharing life experiences and giving each other support when they needed.  Many thanks to the crew that puts it together every day.   

 

[canals]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Same college!  In fact, it has an extraordinary tie to something near and dear to @rafinmd’s heart.  Come From Away began life at Sheridan College in our Music Theatre Department.  Were you a student?

I worked with a few  Deans/VP's  and finally graduated!   What a great department you worked in.  I love when I hear of all the wonderful things that are happening at the college.  Small world.   

[Rowsby]

We unintentionally saw the Queen in May 2014.  We had taken a double-decker to Westminster Abbey....and she was just leaving after an investiture ceremony. 

 

It was amazing...I think the bells rang for a half hour...we just caught a glimpse as she was leaving.....:) 

[Suslor]

Good morning all. Busy thread so early on a Sunday morning. Hope everyone has a great day. 

[smitty34877]

Good morning  to all.I agree with Gerry,  @ger_77, frozen yogurt is ok but it is not ice cream!.My skills with chopsticks have never improved over the years. Thank you Roy @rafinmd,for our lists and the great port pictures.I love the fish recipes,thanks to Debbie @dfish. Today I am trying a red beans and rice recipe that I found to feed the group.

My car remains firmly fixed in ice and the driveway is a slippery luge like surface.My rescheduled  tax prep appointment  will wait another day as I am really afraid of one of us falling. 

We " visited" with Tana via face time yesterday at dinner.Progress is slow but she remains upbeat.Her son described to her the extreme level of his boredom while we all laughed in the background. He has been stuck with the old folks and the 2 dogs for 48 hours......

Another storm is predicted for monday.Sigh. DSIL has been designated house grocery shopper if he can get the ice off at least one car.We are very fortunate.

Take care everyone.

 

My favorite next door kitty

 

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

The Royal Yacht is now a tourist attraction docked at Leith near Edinburgh.

We had a tour of the ship at Leith in March 2012.

Graham.

 

1 hour ago, MISTER 67 said:

I saw the Queen along with my mother when Elizabeth visited Chicago in the summer of 1959 when 1 was 13 years old. She came to the city on the Royal Yacht Britannia as part of a trip to commemorate the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and to attend the International Trade Fair in the Windy City. We were part of a huge crowd that greeted her as she stepped off a tender across Lake Shore Drive from Buckingham Fountain.

We are somewhere in that crowd with the fountain in the background, that's Illinois Governor Stratton and Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley along with the Queen.

 

I had the opportunity to visit Britannia on my first abortive around the world trip in 2003:

 

 

 

 

The "yacht" is the size of a small cruise ship.  It's a pity that the seaway was not built a bit bigger so more modern smallish cruise ships could get through.

 

Roy

[marshhawk]

God morning Dailyites!  I stayed up way too late for me, hoping to watch the Men's downhill last night, and it was postponed due to high winds.  This is the winter Olympics right??  

 

The quote was my father's favorite saying...mostly to me.  In fact I was thinking of the quote for the last few days, and there it was.

 

I will eat frozen yogurt, but I don't really like it, leaves a cloying taste in the back of my throat.  Feel no reason to celebrate lame duck day.  Chop sticks.. interesting note on chop sticks.  The state of Georgia send's it's pine trees to China, and China turns them into chopsticks, and then they send them back here.  I like eating with chopsticks, but the secret to eating well with them, is to eat out of a bowl.  Not a flat plate.  I think that the guys in the kitchens are all laughing at us, when we say, "Oh yes, I'll take Chopsticks".  I actually prefer them to silverware.  And I prefer eating with my fingers over chopsticks.  I'm just a heathen. 

 

I took DH out last night to one of our used to " go to" places.  They changed ownership during the pandemic, and I think they hired their entire family to be be servers.  Without training.  One waiter was bringing one plate at a time to a table of 4.  Luckily he was not our waiter. But on Saturday night they do a prime rib dinner, with salad and baked potato,  We share a tater, eat the meat, and then ignore the salad (well DH does).  And the other tater comes home and gets reborn into Sunday morning home fries.🙂

 

@grapau27 Thank you for today's service.  Your priest always brings me hope.

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  30F this morning and heading up to a sunny 48F.  It will be warming up this week with lots of sunshine.  Gotta love it!  Several good days to celebrate I see.  DD worked at two frozen yogurt shops in two states while in her teens.  I will take frozen yogurt as a substitute if there is absolutely no ice cream or gelato available.  I am not good at using chopsticks.  I understand the definition of lame duck, but we almost forgot one.  I saw a lame duck last night on The Incredible Dr. Pol.  Poor thing had broken a bone in his leg.  🦆  😉  No thanks on the grouper - I'm not a big fish eater.  Interesting quote.  

 

Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth on her Platinum Jubilee.  I keep hoping she has a 75th but know the chances are small.  She does a great job though.  

 

Thanks Rich for presenting today's Daily.  Also thanks to Roy for keeping the lists updated.  It's always good to hear from Debbie, Ann, and Dixie for the food, wine and drinks.  Everyone's contributions here are appreciated!  @kazuJacqui I really hope there are no huge snowstorms in your future.  I also hope you get to visit Jose today.  Thanks for the great memes!  I haven't been to Macapa, Brazil and don't see it on the agenda for the Grand South America & Antarctica either.  It was our port of the day on Aug. 20.  Thanks Roy for your pictures and to anyone else who presents us with some.  Have a great Sunday!

 

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by StLouisCruisers

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!

 

We have another chilly start to the day at 12F, but the sun is shining brilliantly and it promises to warm us up to 37F.  Maybe some of that snow out there will start to melt.  Not much on the agenda today except a trip to the grocery store.  I need Ice cream, yogurt and other soft foods.  I'm having tooth #2 pulled tomorrow and a soft diet will be appreciated for a day or two after that.  Oh, and I have two Zoom meetings.  One I just have to listen and the other is a fun one with friends.

 

Today's meal sounds good to me.  I'm sure it can be made with any mild tasting fish.  This first one is served with a lemon and caper sauce made right in the pan.   https://champagne-tastes.com/pan-seared-grouper/

 

Next up we have a pan seared grouper with a balsamic brown butter sauce.  The sauce is really the show piece on this dish.   https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pan-seared-grouper-balsamic-brown-butter-sauce

 

 

Or, how about a lemon garlic butter sauce?  This recipe has a load of tips for working with fish.  https://thetopmeal.com/pan-seared-grouper-with-lemon-butter/

 

 

And, last but not least, Bobby Flay offers up his grouper with a tropical salsa.  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pan-seared-grouper-with-tropical-salsa-recipe-1941464

 

 

You could probably come up with a different way to prepare this fish for every day of the month.  Enjoy!

 

Prayers for those in need and cheers to those celebrating.  

 

 

 

My mouth is watering looking at those grouper dishes.

I know fried foods aren't that healthy for all of us but every so often we take a drive back to Naples where we lived for 17 years to a place called Grouper & Chips, if you're going to have fried grouper, that's the place.

Edited February 6, 2022 by MISTER 67

[marshhawk]

https://www.dumpaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/a-olympic-cat.jpg

Edited February 6, 2022 by marshhawk

[ger_77]

3 minutes ago, marshhawk said:

http://www.dumpaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/a-olympic-cat.jpg

I love it!!

[Himself]

Rich:  Thanks for the fleet update

[hal lover]

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Thank you for the Sunday Daily, Rich.  I like frozen yogurt but haven't had it for some time. I'm surprised at the rationale for making February 6 Lame Duck Day  (ratification of the 20th amendment shortening the lame duck period) and never had any luck with chopsticks.  I like the quote but will pass on the grouper.  I know I've been to Macapa on at least one BHB.

 

Today’s care list:

Strength for Jacqui, dealing with more than should be on anyone’s shoulders
Healing for the Dailyite family
Horizon Chaser 1957 Niece serious arm fracture
Welfare of furloughed crews
Safety for those in the path of and recovering from winter storms , especially Vict0riann DD
ger_77 DH Cardiac issues and cancelled cruise
Cruisin Terri autoimmune flareup
Numerious dailyite friends and family with covid
Eurodam azipod issue
From the rotation:
SrLouisCruiser awaiting MOSE 2/21
Kakalina’s rapid decline
NextOne  DDIL with mystery illness
Marley with likely cancer but still waiting on one final lab result

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

 

Eurodam in Everglades

5 BHB with passengers
Front Line Health Care Workers
Carnival Group  hospital ships Nieuw Amsterdam, Crown Princess, and Queen Victoria
70 Years for the Queen
Cruiser Bill (Koningsdam to 2/20) HighlandCruiser (Nieuw Statendam to 2/13),  Cruising single (Zuiderdam to 2/13) and Lady Hudson at sea (Enchantment OTS to 2/25)
Several dailyites booking cruises
Koningsdan Staff Captain Sabine - officially onboard & introduced. - Our first female Staff Captain and HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it)

 

Thank you for daily report.  I want to let the care list know that I have you in my prayers.  Kakalina, I will never forget meeting you and Virgil on the Maasdam at the meet and greet that you arranged.  Celebrations, YAY!   I look forward to the day I feel like I can safely cruise again!

[grapau27]

In May 2015 Pauline was invited to the Queen's Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and we saw the Queen and Prince Philip.

Graham.

Edited February 6, 2022 by grapau27

[Rowsby]

9 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

In May 2015 Pauline was invited to the Queen's Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and we saw the Queen and Prince Philip.

Graham.

 

WOW....!!!   How fun....:)

[puppycanducruise]

@grapau27You two look great!

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, puppycanducruise said:

@grapau27You two look great!

Thank you Melanie.

Graham.

[KirkNC]

Happy Sunday!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from sunny Quartzsite where it is 34F, which is cold for us.  It's supposed to reach 71F this afternoon.  

 

Like many,  frozen yogurt is okay when you can't find ice cream or even better gelato.  I've tried using chopsticks, but was never successful.  Lame ducks are an unfortunate part of our political system. 

 

Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth on her Platinum Jubilee.   

 

The quote offers good advice. 

 

There is no grouper in the freezer, besides, I think steak was mentioned last night.  I'll pass on the drink but the wine sounds nice with a great price.  BTW, we drink both red and white wines.  At one wine tasting, the Cellar Master said that while pairing wine and food is nice, the best thing is to drink wines you enjoy.

 

I think we've been to today's destination, but it was at night after the old Regal Princess ran aground on a sandbar 40 miles off shore near the entrance to the channel to the Amazon River.  They needed divers to inspect the hull before our cruise could continue.

 

@kazu  I have two wishes for you today.  First, that you can safely go in to see Jose, and second, the weather prediction for the next storm is wrong.  Be safe on the roads.

@grapau27  Graham, we toured the Britannia in 2017 while on the Prinsendam.  Good picture of both of you at the Garden Party.

@ger_77  Gerry, I'm glad you both had a good visit with your friend.

 

I am enjoying all the memes and the pictures of Queen Elizabeth.

 

Lenda