The Daily for Wednesday 04/13/2022

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

A very late good afternoon from sunny, cool Quartzsite with just enough breeze to keep us from getting hot working in the sun.  Our temperature is 78F and we were able to open the house up today.  

 

Carlos was here most of the day working on the tree.  It turned out to be a bigger job than her had expected, so he will be back tomorrow to finish.  We're not worried about him failing to show up, since he left his chain saws and other tools here.  Also, he has not been paid yet -- always an incentive.  

 

While Carlos worked on the tree, we tackled some of the chores that needed to be done before we head back to Texas.  All the food except what we'll need and what is in the refrigerator is loaded on the motorhome along with quite a bit of what we will not need between now and next Wednesday, which is our planned departure date, weather permitting.  

 

I appreciate plants and love to look at them, but with my brown, almost black thumb, I don't have many.  Bookmobiles have allowed many people access to books they otherwise would not have had.   I have my mother's scrabble set, but have not played very much in several years.  

 

Today's quote is one I like very much.  I like egg drop soup, but don't have it very often.  We'll pass on the drink and the wine.

 

We have been to Bali once in 2000 and enjoyed our day there.  We were scheduled to stop there in 2002 on the Volendam, but the port was canceled after the bombing there.  I'll look for the pictures I posted last November.

 

@kazu  Thanks for the picture of the Ukraine tulips, which are lovely even if they are dyed.  Besides, it is the idea behind them that counts.  I hope you got your chores finished without a problem.

@JAM37  Julia, I'm sorry your upper respiratory issues are worse.   I hope you feel better soon.  Good news the test was negative.

@smitty34877  Terry, I hope the arrest of the suspected shooter will allow your two commuters to relax some.  That was a horrible scene yesterday.  Hope today was a better day for all.

@cunnorl  Charlene, have a safe trip and enjoy the wedding

@aliaschief  Congratulations on booking the river cruise.  I imagine your DW is getting excited that her retirement is so close.

@Lady Hudson  Katherine, that is good news that your DSIL has moved back to rehab.

@HAL4NOW  I agree that many of the crew from Bali are some of the happiest.  On our recent cruise, our waiter, Sandiyasa, was from Bali.  He was always upbeat and one of the best we've had.

@ger_77  I'm sorry you were not allowed to get your second booster yesterday.

@Heartgrove  I hope that hospice can make your sister comfortable, and am sending positive thoughts that she will be able to attend your niece's wedding in July wearing her gold slippers.

@bennybear  I hope you and your TA can get the cruise mess straightened out.

@durangoscots  Susan, how awful that after all this time, the roof still leaked.  I hope the roofers find the problem and get it fixed soon.

@cruzn single  Hope you got the report from the doctor you were expecting.

@dfish  Debbie, I'm sorry your cruise itinerary was changed.  Hope things work out so you can still do your tour.

@grapau27  Graham, that was nice that you could move some of your patents plants and create a memory garden.

@Sea Viewer  You and your DH caught a break with the cancellation at the doctor's office.  Glad you got the booster.

@Seasick Sailor  Joy, I'm glad that you and Allen were spared the worst of the storms last night.

@Cruzin Terri  I'm glad you had a great if tiring tour at Alhambra.  Enjoy your sea day and rest up for the next port.

@Overhead Fred  Glad you had a nice trip and visit and that you are back home safely.

@Cat in my lap  🎉🎈 HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY  🥂🍾  to your DH's uncle.

 

Lenda

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[Cruising-along]

Perfect timing for plant appreciation day, Costco had their $22 Fuchsia hanging baskets in today.  Of course I had to buy a couple (with the excuse that for once we'll be home most of the summer to enjoy them!)  Since they're wrapped in paper until I hang them, no photos yet.  They were going fast, so obviously I'm not the only one who loves them (especially "Dark Eyes")

[dfish]

@Quartzsite Cruiser Thanks!  We'll do something, I'm sure. I just wish there was a way to know if the ship will be in Hellesylt all day or will continue on to Geiranger later in the day.   Then I can plan.  I tried to look to see if they have excursions back up for the ports that changed but I can't even log into the website right now.  As I told my sister, we have to apply the saying we had when we taught middle school:  If you can't fight it and you can't flee, flow.  We're flowing.  

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

On November 7, 2021, I posted this about Bali.

 

We were in Bali in 2000 on the P&O world cruise.  We tendered, and I don't think it was at Benoa.  Another couple invited us to share a taxi for the day with them.  We saw a lot more of the island than most people who took tours.  It was a very interesting and fun day.

 

I will need to split the pictures into two groups and post them separately.

 

Approaching Bali

 

Greeters at the tender dock

 

The majority of the population on Bali are Hindu. and there are personal shrines at most businesses and homes.  This shrine was at the gas station where the driver stopped.

 

There are interesting statues along the roads.

 

I think this was our shopping stop.

 

Our driver took us to the Scared Monkey Forest, which is a sanctuary and old temple.  The monkeys know the tourists will feed them bananas.  Our driver bought each of us a small bunch and warned us to only hold out one banana at a time as the monkeys can be a little aggressive trying to get the bananas.  We finally had to give several bananas to one monkey.

 

A mother and her baby.

 

The temple in the monkey forest.  We were required to cover our legs since we had on shorts, but they provided a cloth we could tie around our waist.

 

Lenda

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Here are the remaining pictures of our day in Bali.  We were supposed to be there in 2002 on Volendam's APEC cruise.  The port was canceled after the nightclub bombing.  Captain Peter Harris sailed close enough to Bali for us to take a few pictures of the island.  It was a very grey, cloudy day, and the pictures are not good enough to share.

 

I'm pretty sure we were the only four people on the ship who got to see how the Balinese live.  Our driver took us to his family's home, which is really a compound.  His brother's job is carving masks which someone else paints before the "big boss" sells them to the shops.  We got to see the brother carving a mask out of balsa wood.  After much discussion, the brother agreed to sell us an unpainted mask.  He was afraid he would get in trouble with his boss, but in the end each couple walked away with a mask.  It means more to me than a finished one I could buy in a store.

 

Notice the chickens in the cages.

 

Our next stop was Klungkung, a former royal palace.

 

One the way back to the tender pier. 

 

At the tender dock.

 

Some of the girls who danced for the passengers as they shopped.  If you did not want to be hassled, you kept your eyes off the items for sale.

 

We wanted one of the large, decorative kites for sale on the island, but knew we couldn't get it home on the plane.  Ironically, we found one in Quartzsite the next winter, and it's hanging on our livingroom wall.  Good thing the ceiling is 17 feet high.

 

Our driver for the day stopped on the way back to the tender, and asked us to pay him then.  He, along with other drivers, lived with the owner of the car.  If we paid him at the dock and tipped him (which we did ), the owner would see the transaction and want all the money.  By paying before the final stop at the dock, he got to keep the tip.  We also had to get back a little earlier than necessary, as the driver had to be at the owner's house in time for the evening meal.  If he arrived after the meal, he would not be fed that night.

 

Lenda

[Horizon chaser 1957]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

Regarding the Ukrainian tulips - I saw the pic yesterday.

 

Sadly I have to report that they were dyed. 😔. 

 

https://www.10news.com/news/fact-or-fiction/fact-or-fiction-new-breed-of-tulips-in-ukraine-colors

I thought the picture looked dyed, especially since they were cut flowers. 

On the up side, this is a wonderful project to do with grandchildren or just for decoration. Take any long stem white flowers, tulips, daisies, roses, etc., slit the lower half of the stems open vertically. Put one side of the stem in a glass of water with yellow food colouring and the other half in a glass of water with blue food colouring. The coloured water gradually draws up into the petals and colours the flower. Any colour will work.
I've done this with Girl Guides using carnations and it’s really cool!

 

[TiogaCruiser]

Good Evening All,

We made it home a few hours ago. It was a great cruise- so different for us from anything we’ve done. DH enjoyed his zip lining shorex, and thinks he will do more. He’ll do them on his own ( with my blessing) as I’m quite afraid of heights. Am quite proud that I did the midship elevator on Zuidie several time, and even had my eyes open most of the way. 
 

Will try to catch up on the daily over the next days. Meanwhile, here’s probably the last installment of the augmented F&B report. Last night was the PG:

We had the shrimp cocktail, he had Cesar salad, I had lobster bisque, We had the petite filet and baked Alaska. Our wine was McPherson Sirah from Australia. 
 

The shrimp and filets were good. I was disappointed with the lobster bisque ( it was light, and generally lacking in lobster flavor), and we could not get just the Cherry Garcia ice cream with the warm cherry sauce as had been possible in the past. They pre-make the entire dessert in the morning and then lock up the ice cream so it doesn’t get served in the lido ( per our waiter). It just wasn’t as good, trying to extricate the ice cream and get off the cake and the goo (meringue). So we both left a mess on the plate. I noticed another table did the same. (Maybe they’ll get the message….) We didn’t think the breaded onions added to the filet. The passion fruit candy was by far the highlight of the meal.

 

We likely won’t return to the PG any time soon. This was the second PG meal in a row that just wasn’t worth it to us. ( The other was the last night on the Prinsendam. We figured it may have been because it really was one of the last served there.) The food just wasn’t better than the MDR in our opinion. DH really likes Canaletto. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

I guess I was tireder than I thought when I posted earlier.

 

I forgot to thank all who posted pictures of their plants.  The were all lovely.

 

Also, thank you to all who posted pictures of Bali.

 

At least dinner is easy tonight thanks to the air fryer.  We're having shrimp tempura and French fries accompanied by coleslaw ahd win.

 

Lenda

[StLouisCruisers]

1 minute ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

I guess I was tireder than I thought when I posted earlier.

 

I forgot to thank all who posted pictures of their plants.  The were all lovely.

 

Also, thank you to all who posted pictures of Bali.

 

At least dinner is easy tonight thanks to the air fryer.  We're having shrimp tempura and French fries accompanied by coleslaw ahd win.

 

Lenda

 

Lenda, thanks for posting your photos after a busy, hard day.  We all appreciate seeing them.

 

@TiogaCruiserwelcome home!

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

1 hour ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Lenda, thanks for posting your photos after a busy, hard day.  We all appreciate seeing them.

 

@TiogaCruiserwelcome home!

 

Thank you, Sandi, for your kind words.  If you hadn't mentioned that Bali was the port of the day on November7, I might not have posted pictures.  As it was, it was easy to copy and paste what I'd posted earlier.  BTW, it allowed me to correct my previous mistakes.

 

Lenda

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

A very late good afternoon from sunny, cool Quartzsite with just enough breeze to keep us from getting hot working in the sun.  Our temperature is 78F and we were able to open the house up today.  

 

Carlos was here most of the day working on the tree.  It turned out to be a bigger job than her had expected, so he will be back tomorrow to finish.  We're not worried about him failing to show up, since he left his chain saws and other tools here.  Also, he has not been paid yet -- always an incentive.  

 

While Carlos worked on the tree, we tackled some of the chores that needed to be done before we head back to Texas.  All the food except what we'll need and what is in the refrigerator is loaded on the motorhome along with quite a bit of what we will not need between now and next Wednesday, which is our planned departure date, weather permitting.  

 

I appreciate plants and love to look at them, but with my brown, almost black thumb, I don't have many.  Bookmobiles have allowed many people access to books they otherwise would not have had.   I have my mother's scrabble set, but have not played very much in several years.  

 

Today's quote is one I like very much.  I like egg drop soup, but don't have it very often.  We'll pass on the drink and the wine.

 

We have been to Bali once in 2000 and enjoyed our day there.  We were scheduled to stop there in 2002 on the Volendam, but the port was canceled after the bombing there.  I'll look for the pictures I posted last November.

 

@kazu  Thanks for the picture of the Ukraine tulips, which are lovely even if they are dyed.  Besides, it is the idea behind them that counts.  I hope you got your chores finished without a problem.

@JAM37  Julia, I'm sorry your upper respiratory issues are worse.   I hope you feel better soon.  Good news the test was negative.

@smitty34877  Terry, I hope the arrest of the suspected shooter will allow your two commuters to relax some.  That was a horrible scene yesterday.  Hope today was a better day for all.

@cunnorl  Charlene, have a safe trip and enjoy the wedding

@aliaschief  Congratulations on booking the river cruise.  I imagine your DW is getting excited that her retirement is so close.

@Lady Hudson  Katherine, that is good news that your DSIL has moved back to rehab.

@HAL4NOW  I agree that many of the crew from Bali are some of the happiest.  On our recent cruise, our waiter, Sandiyasa, was from Bali.  He was always upbeat and one of the best we've had.

@ger_77  I'm sorry you were not allowed to get your second booster yesterday.

@Heartgrove  I hope that hospice can make your sister comfortable, and am sending positive thoughts that she will be able to attend your niece's wedding in July wearing her gold slippers.

@bennybear  I hope you and your TA can get the cruise mess straightened out.

@durangoscots  Susan, how awful that after all this time, the roof still leaked.  I hope the roofers find the problem and get it fixed soon.

@cruzn single  Hope you got the report from the doctor you were expecting.

@dfish  Debbie, I'm sorry your cruise itinerary was changed.  Hope things work out so you can still do your tour.

@grapau27  Graham, that was nice that you could move some of your patents plants and create a memory garden.

@Sea Viewer  You and your DH caught a break with the cancellation at the doctor's office.  Glad you got the booster.

@Seasick Sailor  Joy, I'm glad that you and Allen were spared the worst of the storms last night.

@Cruzin Terri  I'm glad you had a great if tiring tour at Alhambra.  Enjoy your sea day and rest up for the next port.

@Overhead Fred  Glad you had a nice trip and visit and that you are back home safely.

@Cat in my lap  🎉🎈 HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY  🥂🍾  to your DH's uncle.

 

Lenda

 

Thank you Lenda.

They both loved the hydrangeas and would have wanted me to do this.

Graham.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks to everyone for the lovely garden pictures.  I have a few crocuses blooming and the daffodils and tulips are popping up but too soon to flower.

Love the hydrangeas Graham, a lovely way to remember your parents.  I have a bleeding heart that I moved from Jim's mom's garden years ago, it'll bloom in a few weeks.  I always plant marigolds because that's what my dad liked.  Plants and flowers bring wonderful memories.

[Cruzin Terri]

16 hours ago, kochleffel said:

 

I have that as an option for a 2023 booking. I noticed that the HAL website rates the Granada-Alhambra tour as strenuous.

I would agree with that. Lots of walking on cobblestones, uneven terrain, climbing steps, etc.  Walking for 2- 3 hours.

Terri