The Fleet Report and Daily for Tuesday April 18th, 2023

[cat shepard]

Thank you Sandi & Rich for bringing us today’s R & D! A lovely, but cool morning here. Just 51 when Bindi and I headed out. But it promises to be a gorgeous day. 
 

Vanessa, thank you for capturing and sharing our daily happenings. Happy to read your knee issue seems a bit better & praying your eye problem is easy to correct before your cruise. 
 

Lots of chores, Bindi walks, a gym class and tracking down two missing plants from my delivery. 
 

 

 

 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating!

Happy Anniversary Holland America!

 

Get well & stay well everyone!

 

**********

Newton 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Unfiltered, Napa Valley, California

I used the 2018 vintage info since not only is it the most recently released vintage, but it should also be the easiest to find. But all released vintages share the same excellent reviews. Quite a few online distributors with prices starting at $44.99.

 

Winemaker Notes

Ruby in color, it presents a deep purple hue. Our Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 boasts aromas of red wild cherry with tobacco notes, followed by dark fruit and spices. The palate is structured yet refined. The density and volume on the midpalate complement the structure, making for a beautifully complex wine. Very long finish.

JS93 James Suckling

Aromas of fresh plums, bark, pine needles, milk chocolate and cloves. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, sleek tannins. Smooth and creamy with layers of ripe fruit and chocolate. Delicious. Try after 2022.

WS92 Wine Spectator

Packed with dark currant paste, warmed fig and blackberry preserve flavors, this brims with rich fruit. Grounded, with strong tug of loam and a singed cedar note that melds nicely through the finish. Has heft, but the fruit is pure. Best from 2022 through 2030.

WE92 Wine Enthusiast

Delivering outstanding value, this nuanced, balanced and elegant wine is a showcase of soft, supple tannin and lovely red and black cherry. Leathery texture adds volume and breadth, with a touch of grip, building to a finish of light spice and tobacco.  Editors' Choice

[Denise T]

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet Report. 

 

Happy birthday Holland America! In 40 days, I will be on my first HAL ship!

 

In honor of Stress Awareness Month, I am very much aware of my stress. Finished my taxes yesterday, and that alone just did me in. I keep telling myself to hire someone and never get around to it. 

 

It will be chilly today in Pennsylvania and by Friday, in the 80's. Gotta love spring in Pennsylvania. 

 

Wishing everyone well!

 

 

[Sharon in AZ]

Good morning and Happy Tuesday from the beautiful Volendam!  
 

Happy Birthday Holland America Line! 🎈 🍾 🥂 ⛴   Tonight is the Orange Party in honor of the anniversary. The menu hasn’t been posted yet so I don’t know if they are planning anything special in the MDR. 
 

Today is also my DD’s 42nd birthday. I can’t text her today (she doesn’t have an iPhone) so will email her instead. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

[Heartgrove]

Thank you Sandi, thank you Debbie, thank you Vanessa, thank you Ann, and thank you Dixie for all your work. And thank you everyone for being here! 

 

Stay Safe!

 

- Jack

[smitty34877]

Good morning. It is 51 and sunny heading to the low sixties later.I am acutely aware of stress and try to manage it better.We filed our taxes back in February. I have always been annoyingly early for both appointments  and obligations. Jugglers are fun to watch.We have not been to Bonaire.

@JazzyV Vanessa, I hope the eyes are better today.How is the knee pain?

 

Happy Birthday  to  both Martha and Jim today!

[smitty34877]

6 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Good morning and Happy Tuesday from the beautiful Volendam!  
 

Happy Birthday Holland America Line! 🎈 🍾 🥂 ⛴   Tonight is the Orange Party in honor of the anniversary. The menu hasn’t been posted yet so I don’t know if they are planning anything special in the MDR. 
 

Today is also my DD’s 42nd birthday. I can’t text her today (she doesn’t have an iPhone) so will email her instead. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

Happy Birthday to DD!

Thanks for taking us  with you on your cruise.

[dobiemom]

Happy anniversary HAL!

 

Good morning. Sorry I haven’t been here for a few months (or even Cruise Critic) since my cruise in Feb (great time). After the cruise I was home for 3 days then went on our annual camping trip to see (4 nights of) fireworks. Work (and life!) got crazy busy and I haven’t had time to even read the Daily/Fleet Report. 

 

Well, I’ll now have some time. I’m having eye surgery tomorrow and will need to keep my head face down (maybe at a certain angle?) for a week or 2 to keep the gas bubble in the correct place. I’ve rented some equipment (to help with this. 

 

Hopefully this will get me back in the habit to at least read the best thread on CC with the best folks around. 

[summer slope]

Hot Spiced Cocoa cocktail:

 

Ingredients

 
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 pinch salt
2 cups whole milk, or your preferred milk, cold
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, or freshly grated
Instructions

 
Add cocoa powder, sugar and salt to a small saucepan, and stir to combine.
Add 2 tbsp of cold milk, and whisk until the cocoa powder is dissolved.
Add the remaining milk to the pot. Turn the heat on to medium, and whisk to combine the ingredients.
Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer gently over medium heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.
For a mild flavour, remove from heat and serve immediately. For a stronger flavour, remove from heat and  allow to cool before placing in the fridge or 1-2 hours.
Garnish as desired and refrigerate unused portions promptly.

 

[Sharon in AZ]

View from breakfast in the MDR. 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Jim @Cruzin Terri and Martha @sailingdutchy!!

[rothbury]

Kind of hard to see but the Zuiderdam is tied up by the hotel in the background.

 

[RedneckBob]

3 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

Thanks for the Fleet Update and General Info SLC.

 

HP HAL! 
Port Day Bonaire. My second favorite place in the world to snorkel. Been there a dozen times and never been more than several hundred yards from dock. Always do private sail and snorkel tour or water taxi to Kleine Bonaire!

I guess I am having a bad hair day. This post should have started HB for happy birthday and another post used wrong letter. Can I blame it on pell check? 😀

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is cold here in mid-Michigan.  I suppose that is a relative description, but after the beautiful week last week, it is cold.  It is 32F right now with a high of 44F expected.  Add a little wind in and the gray skies, and you have a cold, gloomy, dismal day.  But, I'm on the right side of the ground, so It will be a great day.  

 

I did check and my tax payment was withdrawn this morning, so I'm all set on taxes.  I set it up for a direct withdrawal for today.  If you owe money, why pay early?   

 

Today's meal would fit in the category of comfort food and for those of us re-experiencing winter, it is a perfect choice.  This first recipe replaced half the ziti with roasted vegetables, so the carb count is close to okay for me.   https://cookieandkate.com/baked-ziti-recipe-with-roasted-vegetables/

 

 

I could dig into that!  This next one is a little higher in carbs, but still not bad if you limit yourself to one serving.  But, who does that?   https://www.themediterraneandish.com/baked-ziti-vegetarian/

 

 

No carb count available for this next recipe, but I would put it in the same range as the previous one.  This one uses spinach in the dish.  You really can use the vegetables you like and leave out the ones you don't.  I didn't find any with carrots in it, but carrot lovers can feel free to add them.  In the first recipe you could roast the carrots.  The roasted carrots in the falafel sandwich recipe actually looked pretty good.  https://www.loveandlemons.com/baked-ziti/

 

 

Happy Birthday to Jim @Cruzin Terri  and Martha @sailingdutchy.

 

A big Happy Anniversary to Holland America Line!

 

Wishng you all a wonderful day!

 

[superoma]

3 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Happy 150th anniversary to 

Holland America Lines.

It is sunny and 45°F here at 10.20am in North East England.

Thank you Sandi @StLouisCruisers for starting today's daily and fleet reports.

Stress awareness day is usually on the first Wednesday in November but really it should be every day because stress over a long period can cause major health issues.

Most of us in the UK have our taxes taken from our salary every month under PAYE using a tax code/allowance system.

We visited Bonaire during our Caribbean cruise on Crown Princess in January 2007.

Good wishes to everyone on our care list for improved health.

A big shout out to everyone who is cruising or due to cruise shortly.

I hope everyone has an amazing day.

Graham.

It is also customary in the USA and Canada to have income tax deducted from your pay. Possible too to have it deducted from your pension income and in Canada actually mandatory on certain types of pension income (rif, similar to 401k). What tax filing day does is allow you to claim eligible deductions from income tax taken and in Canada at least to apply for certain benefits that are available like gst rebate and climate action initiative rebate. You may of course end up paying more if you have a lot of investments but we tend to get a small refund. The sweet spot of course is either not owing or owing very little or getting a small refund. 

[cruising sister]

Good morning,

I have been to Bonaire once. We were so excited to snorkel but an earthquake in Venezuela made the water murky and unfit to snorkel. I hope to get back there again. 
 

All my taxes are done I need to check to see if my return is in the bank account. Next years tax return will be messy since I will be on the GA cruise to right before they are due. I most likely will file and extension so I won’t stress if something comes up at the end of the cruise. 
 

Unfortunately, the last year has been stress year.  I am shooting for National unstressed month. My DF is not coping well. She is a bit of a hoarder, okay a hoarder and she has now brought most of her sons things to her house. She has absolutely no room in her house. She is trying to get me to go back and help her get more stuff. I told her it was to painful for me to do that. She has mobility issues and needs knee replacements so can’t do it on her own. I know the pain she is going through and everyone grieves in their own way. When I get back from my cruise I hope she will let me help organize his things for her. 
 

Prayers for those on the care list. Have a great day. 

[ocean sounds]

Happy Anniversary, HAL !!

 

@kazu, Ivan looks adorable.  Good luck with your meeting. You are so kind to consider an aging dog in need of a family 
 

@StLouisCruisers, thanks for getting us started with the Daily!  Your DD looks just like you!

 

I was lucky enough to visit Kralendijk, Bonaire on my very first cruise - Adventure OTS southern Caribbean from San Juan.   I found out my sisters were trying to plan a 50th birthday party for me, and I am a shy person who doesn’t like attention to myself.  
 

So I did what any shy person who always wanted to cruise would do - booked a cruise from San Juan with my 2 DDs and DSIL. Wow!  So much better than a party!! I’ve loved cruising ever since.  
 

Prayers for those in need.  Hope Mr.Boston’s family has safe travels to Michigan. 🙏🏻
 

Cheers, smiles and 🥂 for those celebrating. 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by ocean sounds

[superoma]

1 hour ago, rothbury said:

Rotterdam in Rotterdam just now.

 

 

Welcome and thanks for the great picture

[aliaschief]

Good morning from Guatemala. Not going on the excursion today as I have a head cold.😩 Tested negative for Covid so I will isolate for the day and not spread my germs! We did attend the Canelleto Chefs dinner last night and it was very good but way too much food. We chose a table for two when I felt cold symptoms coming on. I’ll be posting some food porn later as I’m on my I-Pad and photos from phone have not transferred over. We’ll also post some pics from yesterday’s visit to Mayan ruins in El Salvador. 
The poverty in these Central American Countries is troubling and sad to see. El Salvador is now one of the safest countries after they declared the gangs terrorist and built a 40,000 capacity prison. Pretty easy to identify as most of the gang members were tattooed from head to toe. The government gathered them  up incarcerated them and threw away the key.

Thanks for the reports and post. Sniffles!

Bruce

 

 

 

[marshhawk]

Good Tuesday Morning Dailyites!  It's 42 degrees right now, and I hope @StLouisCruisers is right about the temperature going up.  You know they say when you pack for Alaska, to remember to dress in layers, these days, no matter where you are, you just need to dress in layers, and put summer clothes out for some time later in the day.

 

Feral Fawn is so funny, she had been staying snuggled up with Bubbles at night outside the porch, and the minute I go out in the morning to feed them, she gets up and sits in front of the heater that is on the porch.  Last night she got on the porch and snuggled up in her bed, and slept there because Bubbles had gone a wandering.

 

Years ago a friend told me that the armadillos were traveling north at about 5 miles per year.  He was right, as about 8 years ago, they appeared in our cruise friends yard just 5 miles north  of Highway 20 and tried to burrow under their house.  They had them trapped and taken away, not sure if they were re assigned new turf further south. The friends live about 20 miles south of us.  Yesterday on the way home I saw a deceased armadillo by the side of the road, a mile north of us, so the armadillos are here. Great......

 

The dr's office called yesterday, I took the message off the machine after i got off from work.  The message said, this is blah blah from Dr. Wu's office, I don't mean to scare you, but could you please call me at ,,,,, and of course it was too late to call back, and their office doesn't open until 9, my appointment is at 10:15.  So I am waiting for 9 to call back and find out why I shouldn't be scared.

 

@Cruzin Terri I had an ingrown toenail, they removed the nail, and said it would not grow back, and it did, of course it did, and within 5 years, I had another ingrown toe nail, but they did not take out the nail. They did a cut down the middle of the nail.  I feel for you, as @dfish said, elevate the foot, it takes the pressure off the toe, and take it easy for a couple of days. 

 

My new glasses should be ready by May 1st.  We leave on the 3rd, so I hope they are ready.  I added glare proof to the glasses, because I have such a hard time driving at night.  The doctor had written the prescription for bifocals, and I told him I just wanted the distance part done.  I can see the computer without glasses, I just cant read things like the number on my credit card....

 

 

[superoma]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

Thanks for our Tuesday Daily, Sandi.

 

Happy Anniversary to Holland America.  What fun it would be to be on the Rotterdam with @Vict0riann @sailingdutchy @Overhead Fred for the celebrations.

 

Oh my on the combination of days today 😬 For those in the United States, I can envision some people very stressed as they try to complete their taxes and juggle their money to pay them!

 

 

Not sure if I agree with the first part of Einstein’s quote completely although the 2nd part is accurate IMO.

 

Big day today and I will be busy.  Ivan is coming over for a meeting.

 

 

 He’s a senior - nearly 9 - whose owner can’t keep him.  No decision has been made.  We’re just taking it one step at a time.  I just hope the rain stops so we can have the outdoor space 🤞 

 

 

@Cruzin Terri a very happy birthday to your DH.

 @sailingdutchy please extend my happy birthday wishes to Martha.

 

 

My heart and prayers are with you and your family @Mr. Boston 🙏🏻

 

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

 

 

Have a good Tuesday everyone !!!!!!

 

What an absolute cutie. He tugs at my heartstrings 

[kochleffel]

Should we all wear orange today? As I said, my tax return is filed and the additional tax due is paid (I have tax held from everything that I can, but it never seems to work out to the exact amount). I couldn't juggle to save my life, but I am aware of stress every day. Doctors say that too little stress can also be bad for you.

 

Agree with Einstein. For years I've organized our Religion and Science Shabbat, sometimes with a guest speaker and lunch, since 2020 with guest speakers on video. This year's was Dr. Mayim Bialik, who has recorded a number of videos on the topic.

 

Baked ziti strikes me as a New York City thing; where I come from in the Middle West, Italian-American food is ubiquitous but never baked ziti. I'd appreciate the cocoa more if it were spiked rather than merely spiced. Might like the wine but will probably never know. I have been to Curacao, which also has good snorkeling, but not Bonaire.

 

We are also having the typical spring weather swings. It was 86° last Friday, but won't reach 50° today, then will be about 85° this coming Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[marshhawk]

@kazuI am hoping that you have a great visit with your new friend.  He is a very handsome furry man.  I am hoping that a nice long relationship happens.

 

@Mr. BostonMy heart and prayers are going out to you today.   Safe travels.

 

@cruising sisterI feel for you and your friend.  Her being a hoarder is not healthy.  I hope that you can advise her to talk with someone and get her into a grief support system.  

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

 

Have a great day.

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Happy big 150 to Holland America Line!  A great milestone to celebrate!  Our taxes are done (all but the paying part), I try not to stress too much on any day, and I appreciate the coordination of jugglers.  
 

Its cloudy right now and the rain is supposed to begin within the hour, turning to snow later on in the day.  Our friends arrived late yesterday afternoon and we’re so glad they decided to come a day early, rather than risk driving in stormy conditions.  For a while it looked like we might escape Nature’s wrath, as the forecast showed the system moving south of us, but overnight the winds came up and we’re back in the storm zone again.

 

Happy Birthday @Cruzin Terri’s DH, and to @sailingdutchy’s DW.
@marshhawk sending good vibes to you today.

@Mr. Boston will think of you and your family today as you travel.

 

Plans  for today include taking our friends shopping while they can still navigate safely on the streets, having lunch out and then just enjoying a good visit.  I’ve decided tonight will be an easy dinner, as I’m putting a stew together in the crock pot - a gluten free, dairy free meal.  We’ll enjoy that with our friends in the dining room tonight. And wine.  Likely followed by a game or two of Sequence.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all celebrants.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

Edited April 18, 2023 by ger_77

[0106]

Happy 150th Birthday HAL!
 

Love Bonaire; snorkeling is extraordinary.  Thanks to all who post pictures. 

 

Baked ziti is delicious; I usually put butternut squash in mine. Thanks for the recipes @dfish; different from the way I make it so once again you have expanded my recipe box.

 

@kazu I hope you have productive visit with the beautiful senior dog.

 

The edge of the woods have been cleared and wildflower seeds scattered and zinnia seeds planted along the edges.  (I love to bring cut flowers into my house.). Now all I have to do is water and wait.

 

Positive thoughts to all who need them. Cheers to those celebrating.

[kochleffel]

Trash and recycling taken out. @kazuJacqui, both recycling and public composting are rather limited in my county, compared to what some of the neighboring counties have. I have in mind to remove some (mostly dead) small shrubs, which they'll accept, but I have to find out the maximum size that they can handle, in case some of them have to be cut into pieces first.

 

Furthermore, my trash hauler (no municipal trash collection in my town) has recently been acquired by a company that has "Recycling" in its name but that appears to be greenwashing, as they seem a bit hostile to recycling. The county requires all trash haulers to pick up recycling at no additional charge, but this new company will only take what is in the official blue bin. This means that large cardboard boxes, which the county only requires be flattened, would have to be cut or torn into smaller pieces, and loose paper, which I prefer to collect in a box, has to be put into the bin, with glass added last to keep it from blowing around. I would understand this if they used mechanized trucks that lift and empty the bin, but they don't.