The Fleet Report and Daily for Saturday November 26th, 2022

[Seasick Sailor]

GREAT pictures today of Vietnam and Africa! Thank you!

Sandi Congratulations on Ren being scouted!!

[kazu]

Thanks for our Saturday Daily, Rich.

 

Nice collection of days - I’ll focus on Law and Small Business.  Small Business needs all the support we can give them.

 

Love the Sparks quote and adore French Onion Soup.  I have some I froze in the freezer so that might solve my food dilema for tonight 😉 

 

I am ready to beat up my laptop.  So, when it wasn’t working, I was half right - the battery seems to have died.  So, it now works with the new charger plugged in, only.  A new battery has been ordered and hopefully that’s the end of that 🤞 I think it will the 3rd battery for it (it’s a little on the old side - like me 😂).

 

2 hours ago, seagarsmoker said:

Thanks for the Daily Report!

Covid update - I am feeling much better on day 5 of meds.  

 

That is really good news!  Hope you continue to improve.

 

@JazzyV   hoping your BFF’s dad is improving a bit or, at least comfortable.

 

Sandi - wonderful news on the scouting!

 

 

34 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

I have still be working on changing my email address.  i have had no luck on adding my email to my signature.

 

Terri - there is a slight change now with the new forum on adding your email to your signature.  I think you know how to do it - so, what you have to do now is 

click the squiggly thing left to the smiley guy in your signature changes.

 

 

That will give you this:

 

 

Put the email stuff we have to do in the first line and your “email me” or however you want to word it in the 2nd line.  That should work - at least that worked for me a few months ago when all of a sudden my email wasn’t working.

 

Prayers for everyone on the Care list & for those that need them and a 🥂 to those on the Celebratory / Shout Out list.

 

Have a great Saturday everyone and stay safe!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info .

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

@Horizon chaser 1957  Thank you for your wonderful pictures from the safari.

 

I will add a few more pictures from our day in Ha Long Bay and Hanoi, and a few pictures of Cai Lan, the port for Ha Long Bay.

 

Unfortunately, many of the pictures from the bus ride are not that good.  This is the main road heading from Cai Lan.

 

Our first stop was at a pearl farm, mostly as a bathroom break, but with the hope we'd spend some money.  We didn't.

 

 

 

Traffic at a stop light on the road to Hanoi.

 

Once in Hanoi, the bus parked next to a lovely park and lake.

 

We stopped at the Temple of Literature.  The temple is well preserved and in the middle of Hanoi.

 

 

 

These lovely ladies posed for pictures.

 

Just two of the many rooms in the temple

 

 

Cai Lan is a growing city with many tall buildings and hotels.

 

 

Lenda

 

[Cruzin Terri]

@kazuThank you Jacqui.  It worked.  I don’t know why I was trying all convoluted stuff when it was so simple.

Terri

[marshhawk]

Happy Saturday Dailyites!

 

Yesterday I got an email from boss that asked us to take a test before we got on line today.  We were told in big letters to not reply all (yes there is one of those in our group), but when i tried to answer on his email it kept highlighting my answers, so i copied and sent in my response in a separate email and have not heard back from him.  Who knows, I may get the day off.🙀

 

@StLouisCruisers  The news about Ren if very exciting.  Being a professional soccer player would be an exciting life, until that job is done, and education then would be necessary.  Wonder if he can still attend college while he is playing?

 

@seagarsmokerGlad to read you are doing better.

 

@smitty34877Glad to read that Tana enjoyed the company.  Seeing new faces makes for new conversations.

 

Well I just checked my email, I have to work.  He said "you did a great job, as I knew you would"  so off to work in 2 hours.

 

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing,

 

Have a great day.

[ottahand7]

@Quartzsite CruiserThanks for the beautiful pictures of Ha Long Bay!  @Horizon chaser 1957are you and the Grand Africa cruise?   Your pictures are great!  That is one cruise I would pay for the 5-day safari because when would one ever get back to Africa.   I hope it will be offered in 2025.  @StLouisCruisersGreat news on Ren and Colton, they must be spectacular players.   

Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports.   In place of cake I will have apple pie left over from Thanksgiving.   @dfishthanks for the great onion soup recipes.  It takes so many onions to make a good one so I think we will have it on the Volendam at the end of the month.   @summer slope and @cat shepard thank you for our daily libations.  They look really tasty but high in the sugar content.   

Thanks for the cares and celebrations reports!  @seagarsmokerglad that you are on the mend from Covid.  Prayers for all on our care list and for the people of Ukraine.

I am heading to see dear brother today after a 3 day hiatus.   Two for Thanksgiving and prep and yesterday our adventure cutting greens on 4 different sites.  The weather was sunny and in the 40s and I only had to put my knee boots on at one spot due to the snow depth.  We started with white pine at a farmstead, then next to a property owned by the small city near us for spruce and more beautiful white pine, the next stop was another old farmstead for Junipers and finally a ranch home that had a beautiful stand of arborvitae which they allowed us to cut small pieces.  In all my pickup and another pickup with a cap were filled up with greens.  We unloaded them at our Council house and our members will begin crafting arrangements for us to sell at our annual fundraiser.  They do some beautiful work with those greens.   I am praying that when I see him there has been marked improvement!

Have a wonderful Saturday and Go Michigan!!   

[MISTER 67]

39 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

@Horizon chaser 1957  Thank you for your wonderful pictures from the safari.

 

I will add a few more pictures from our day in Ha Long Bay and Hanoi, and a few pictures of Cai Lan, the port for Ha Long Bay.

 

Unfortunately, many of the pictures from the bus ride are not that good.  This is the main road heading from Cai Lan.

 

Our first stop was at a pearl farm, mostly as a bathroom break, but with the hope we'd spend some money.  We didn't.

 

 

 

Traffic at a stop light on the road to Hanoi.

 

Once in Hanoi, the bus parked next to a lovely park and lake.

 

We stopped at the Temple of Literature.  The temple is well preserved and in the middle of Hanoi.

 

 

 

These lovely ladies posed for pictures.

 

Just two of the many rooms in the temple

 

 

Cai Lan is a growing city with many tall buildings and hotels.

 

 

Lenda

 

Great photos, Vietnam has progressed and has come a long way since 1968 when I was stationed at Nha Trang Air Force Base.

[Ichiban Nekko]

Good Morning! Enjoying fabulous Italian coffee and divine pastries on Las Olas Blvd before boarding the Nieuw Statendam. Took a moment to scan the Daily. Love the days, the F&B suggestions and photos of Halong Bay (Bucket List).
 

@Horizon chaser 1957 Your gorgeous safari photos stirred 40-year old memories of my time in Southern Africa. Thanks so much.

 

Time to check out of hotel, organize Uber to Port Everglades and board the NS. 😁

 

Bes wishes to all,

-Caat & David

[kazu]

49 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

@kazuThank you Jacqui.  It worked.  I don’t know why I was trying all convoluted stuff when it was so simple.

Terri

 

It’s only simple when you know what to do, Terri.  I thought that was only for internet links and discovered you use it for more than that.  Believe me, it wasn’t simple until I discovered it 😉 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[puppycanducruise]

@Horizon chaser 1957 @Quartzsite Cruiser Great pictures of 2 very different places.  Thanks.

[kazu]

18 minutes ago, Ichiban Nekko said:

Time to check out of hotel, organize Uber to Port Everglades and board the NS. 😁

 

Bes wishes to all,

-Caat & David

 

Have a great cruise and a WONDERFUL time !!!!

 

[puppycanducruise]

@Ichiban Nekko Bon Voyage!

[JazzyV]

Good morning. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I like cake, think laws are important, and try to support small businesses if I can. Lovely quote.

I like good french onion soup; it's BFF's favorite and I've vowed to learn to make it.  Yum to hurricanes (I have the glass from a trip to NOLA). I'll pass on the port. I haven't been to Halong Bay.

 

It's chilly but sunny. It is going up to 55, so I'll try to get a few Christmas decorations outside. Not really feeling it this year. I told BFF we need to cut back on gifts to each other; neither of us need more stuff. No report yet today on his Dad's condition. We should have been boarding Celebrity Apex today; hopefully there will be another trip in the future.

 

@seagarsmoker I'm very glad you're starting to feel better.

@mamaofami Sorry to hear DGS tested positive. Hopefully a mild case and prayers that you stay negative.

@StLouisCruisers I'm enjoying following along with you on your cruise. Love the photos of Miss Elliott Rose! Wow, congrats to Ren and Colton being scouted for those youth leagues.

@Himself Bon Voyage, Father.

@smitty34877 Nice to hear that having company was good for Tana. And thanks for the well wishes for BFF's Dad.

@Cruzin Terri It's good news that the house is ready for repairs to start. Sorry the email link didn't work, but I see Jacqui helped you. I hope the Prednisone decrease goes well. 

@Seasick Sailor Hoping for an easy labor for your niece! 

@Quartzsite Cruiser Oh no on the roof leak! And over the cookies no less. Thanks for the well wishes, and the photos of Halong Bay.

@Horizon chaser 1957 Stunning photos! Enjoy your cruise.

@kazu I hope the battery does the trick; I had an old laptop that only worked when plugged in after a while. Thanks for the well wishes.

@Ichiban Nekko Bon Voyage! Have a great cruise.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for the Celebration List.

Stay safe everyone.

Edited November 26, 2022 by JazzyV

[StLouisCruisers]

1 hour ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Good morning, all! In spite of good intentions, I haven’t been on the Daily in forever. 
We were supposed to be in Luderitz today, but the high winds had other plans. DH and I took a five day overland safari in Kruger from Maputo to Cape Town. We’ve never been to Africa before - it is amazing!

Leopard

 

Hippo

 

Wildebeest 

 

Elephant

 

Warthog 

 

Leopard (different one)

 

Zebra

 

Giraffe 

 

Wild Dogs, also called Painted Wolves

Hyena - NOT the same as a wild dog!

 

Lion

 

Rhinos

 

Cape Buffalo 

 

watching sunset on the bushveld 

Happy Saturday, everyone, and yes, I’m spending it aboard a BHB!

These photos are so beautiful! Once in a lifetime experience.  Thanks for sharing them and I hope you continue to enjoy your cruise. 🛳️

[HAL4NOW]

1 hour ago, StLouisCruisers said:

My only concern is they would not be going to college.  Colton is fine with that but I think his whole life Ren expected to go to college.  He has parents with Ph.D.s as well as two grandparents and two aunts with Ph.D.s so academia has been a part of his life since birth. 

College opportunities will always be there; soccer opportunities will be short lived. I received my BA at the age of 32 and wasn't the oldest graduate that day by any stretch of the imagination. One lady in our class was in her 60's. Taking college courses is even easier now with so much available on flexible schedules. 

[RedneckBob]

I can celebrate all the days today. I like cake, I had a small business and I was involved with the law; please don’t ask me for specifics. 😳

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from a very wet and cool (55F) central Texas.  The last time I looked at DH's weather station yesterday, the gauges showed just a small amount of rain.  It is now showing 1.22 inches.  And our roof leaked overnight.  The leak is over some of the cookies that are partially decorated, so at about 6 am I covered all the cookies with plastic wrap.

 

I will celebrate international cake day, but I won't be eating any since we have key lime pie and plenty of cookies.  National Law Day is good, and I try to support small business when possible.  In fact, I supported our local service station yesterday to have the new wheel and tire put on the car.  The wheel and tire damaged by the lost firewood were both ruined.  Part of the trim on the outside of the wheel broke off, and the tire had a large cut completely through the sidewall.

 

Today's quote is one we all should remember.

 

We get French Onion soup on BHBs.  I'll pass on the drink and the wine.

 

We were lucky to visit Ha Long Bay on October 25, 2018, on Coral Princess.  I'll repost my pictures that were posted on December 13, 2021.

 

@seagarsmoker  I'm happy the meds are helping and you are feeling better.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, how nice for Ren and Colton to be invited by a professional team to join their youth league.

@cat shepard  Ann, that meme applies to me most nights.

@smitty34877  Terry, one of my kitchen failures was also French onion soup.  Even though I followed the recipe exactly, it turned out way to greasy.  Now, we have it on BHBs.  I'm glad Tana brightened with all the visitors and how nice for DGC to spend time with her.

@Cruzin Terri  Terri, that is good news the repairs can finally start, and that you can begin reducing the prednisone. I hope the furniture is exactly what you want.

@JazzyV  I hope things have improved with BFF's DF.  Wishing all of you the best.

@dfish  Debbie, enjoy your hike, and all your visitors.

@Seasick Sailor  Joy, since you are shipping your luggage and have room, add those extra tops.  I probably over pack, but I get sick of wearing the same few things on long cruises.  My motto is: if there's room and the suitcase is not overweight, pack it.

 

In 2018, the Coral Princess called at Ha Long Bay.  Just a couple of weeks before the cruise began, they were able to add a tour to Hanoi, as a new toll road had just opened.  The new road cut the travel time from 4-6 hours down to two hours.  The pictures are just a few of the almost 200 I took that day.

 

The first two are of Ha Long Bay as we sailed into port.  Next time, we'll do a tour of Ha Long Bay.

 

 

A couple of street scenes taken from the bus.

 

 

We did a walking tour that included narrow streets with small shops.  Whenever our guide wanted us to stay together crossing busy streets, he would call out "Sticky rice".

 

 

 

An example of modern wiring  🤣 in the narrow market streets.  

 

After a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant, we toured an old palace and temple.  Then we went to see the grounds of the Presidential Palace and other government buildings.  The first is  Ho Chi Minh's tomb, which we were not allowed to enter.

 

Gardeners trimming bushes on the grounds

 

The Presidential Palace

 

Ho Chi Minh did not spend much time in the palace, but preferred to live in this open air house on the grounds.  It is quite a simple building.

 

 

 

The next two pictures are the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain and other US prisoners were held.  All that remains for the prison are the outside walls.  The rest has been completely redone.

 

 

The Vietnamese hold John McCain in great esteem and built this monument to him on the site where his plane crashed.

 

Lenda

 

Nice photos and interesting information Lenda.

Graham.

[RedneckBob]

42 minutes ago, Ichiban Nekko said:

Good Morning! Enjoying fabulous Italian coffee and divine pastries on Las Olas Blvd before boarding the Nieuw Statendam. Took a moment to scan the Daily. Love the days, the F&B suggestions and photos of Halong Bay (Bucket List).
 

@Horizon chaser 1957 Your gorgeous safari photos stirred 40-year old memories of my time in Southern Africa. Thanks so much.

 

Time to check out of hotel, organize Uber to Port Everglades and board the NS. 😁

 

Bes wishes to all,

-Caat & David

Have a great cruise. See you in a week Caat & David. 

PS: Please save me some Diet Coke. Last week on the Celebrity Beyond, on Day 5 the ship was out of Diet Coke.

[lindaler]

Good morning all. Thanks for the information and updates. It is cold out and may only get to be 60 degrees today. Hope all are having a good weekend. 

[StLouisCruisers]

12 minutes ago, HAL4NOW said:

College opportunities will always be there; soccer opportunities will be short lived. I received my BA at the age of 32 and wasn't the oldest graduate that day by any stretch of the imagination. One lady in our class was in her 60's. Taking college courses is even easier now with so much available on flexible schedules. 

I think I would agree with you on this. Soccer careers don’t last forever and he could go to college later. It’s very lucky he has both brains and abilities.

 

Nancy @ottahand7thanks for the reminder on the Ohio State -Michigan game. Since our two graduated from these two universities we have the annual problem of who we root for.  Let’s just say may the best team win!  DH is rooting for Georgia too!  So Go Blue, Go Buckeyes and Go Dawgs!  

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

 

 

 

Terry, Terri, and Ann, I agree it's exciting news for those two boys.  They are only 15 and have a few years before the professional teams would put them on their team, but they would be training with them preparing for the "major leagues".  My only concern is they would not be going to college.  Colton is fine with that but I think his whole life Ren expected to go to college.  He has parents with Ph.D.s as well as two grandparents and two aunts with Ph.D.s so academia has been a part of his life since birth. 

 

Ren and Colton are big time scorers, and since they've joined the Jaguars that team has shot up in the rankings because of them.  Their former Scottish coach taught the Tigers to go into every game expecting to win, and they did almost every time.  I'm not surprised the scouts were impressed.  Such a big decision to make though.

Goalscorers are priceless Sandi.

I would recommend Ren and Colton to get their PHDs first to fall back on if Football doesn't work out for them like injuries etc. 

In England the top Premiership players ie those playing last night against the USA are on £200,000-£500,000 per WEEK.

Some of the USA players play for English clubs and are on top money.

Graham.

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Good morning, all! In spite of good intentions, I haven’t been on the Daily in forever. 
We were supposed to be in Luderitz today, but the high winds had other plans. DH and I took a five day overland safari in Kruger from Maputo to Cape Town. We’ve never been to Africa before - it is amazing!

Leopard

 

Hippo

 

Wildebeest 

 

Elephant

 

Warthog 

 

Leopard (different one)

 

Zebra

 

Giraffe 

 

Wild Dogs, also called Painted Wolves

Hyena - NOT the same as a wild dog!

 

Lion

 

Rhinos

 

Cape Buffalo 

 

watching sunset on the bushveld 

Happy Saturday, everyone, and yes, I’m spending it aboard a BHB!

Fabulous wildlife photos.

Graham.