The Fleet Report and Daily for Wednesday June 14th, 2023

[lcand1923]

I can’t believe it!  I’m early enough to be on Page ONE!!!

 

So, I have to post something.

 

SOMETHING!!!

 

Have a Great Day, Everyone!

 

OOPS, as I hit SAVE, it went over to Page 2.

Oh, well, I tried.

Edited June 14, 2023 by lcand1923

[Sharon in AZ]

46 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Great photos Sandi @StLouisCruisers.

I booked another Mediterranean cruise this morning.

Pauline mentioned Panama canal but I said Friends on HAL said you need plenty of insect repellent so she went cold on that.

Australia is on our list but it is a long flight.

We both fancy a New England cruise so that is on our list too.

Graham, actually this isn’t true, IMHO. I have never experienced bug problems during my two previous Panama Canal cruises, the most recent one was just last month and April. And trust me, bugs know how to find me. It’s possible that what you heard were people who went on land excursions and I think that those are only offered for partial transit cruises, I’m not sure though. 
 

After our transit one of the ports was Costa Rica and I went on a scenic bus tour. On the bus one lady told me she had doused herself with bug spray and had gotten some near her eyes and was rubbing them and had almost used up the entire bottle. I scratched my head over this one because I never saw more than a stray fly. 

[aliaschief]

4 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Graham, actually this isn’t true, IMHO. I have never experienced bug problems during my two previous Panama Canal cruises, the most recent one was just last month and April. And trust me, bugs know how to find me. It’s possible that what you heard were people who went on land excursions and I think that those are only offered for partial transit cruises, I’m not sure though. 
 

After our transit one of the ports was Costa Rica and I went on a scenic bus tour. On the bus one lady told me she had doused herself with bug spray and had gotten some near her eyes and was rubbing them and had almost used up the entire bottle. I scratched my head over this one because I never saw more than a stray fly. 

I’ll second that. 

[grapau27]

5 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Graham, actually this isn’t true, IMHO. I have never experienced bug problems during my two previous Panama Canal cruises, the most recent one was just last month and April. And trust me, bugs know how to find me. It’s possible that what you heard were people who went on land excursions and I think that those are only offered for partial transit cruises, I’m not sure though. 
 

After our transit one of the ports was Costa Rica and I went on a scenic bus tour. On the bus one lady told me she had doused herself with bug spray and had gotten some near her eyes and was rubbing them and had almost used up the entire bottle. I scratched my head over this one because I never saw more than a stray fly. 

Thank you Sharon.

[summer slope]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Great photos Sandi @StLouisCruisers.

I booked another Mediterranean cruise this morning.

Pauline mentioned Panama canal but I said Friends on HAL said you need plenty of insect repellent so she went cold on that.

Australia is on our list but it is a long flight.

We both fancy a New England cruise so that is on our list too.

Never had a problem with bugs on the canal cruises. And we’ve been on several. 

[summer slope]

23 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Nancy, as I read your post I remembered that yesterday I had an itchy place on my neck behind my ear.  I just went and looked with my hand mirror and have a patch of itchy red skin there.  I'm feeling like I'm back in Red Bay again.  I just put some itch cream on it.  Too bad my dermatologist appointment isn't for another three weeks because I'd like to show her.  

 

Graham @grapau27 I didn't notice a problem with insects while on my Panama Canal cruise either.  We went in March of 2016 on Westerdam.  

Don’t wait for the appointment. It could be the beginning of shingles. 

[highscar]

@grapau27trans the Panama Canal twice, 2015 and 2022, did not have a problem with the biting buddies.   

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning to all the Dailyites. 

I have been AWOL for the last few days.  I just am finding that there are more things to do than there are hours in the day.

Yesterday we were hit with more forms to complete and get notarized.  I have to bring back something nice to the lady at the bank who does all the notarizing for us. Adding to the mix I am trying to have the house looking good before we leave.  Really needed the cleaning lady to show up on Saturday and was disappointed when the bridge did not cooperate.

I figured I had better post now because I have to get a mani-pedi today and then take DH to the podiatrist.  So that takes care of most of today.  

Then I have to go to the Post Office and beg the supervisor to hold the mail for 40 days rather than 30l. Here’s hoping.  If she says no, i don’t have a Plan B.  Maybe my neighbor will help.

 

Thank you to Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Dixie and Ann for all your contributions to this thread.  It gets me going in the morning.  Although I must confess I have two days of reading to catch up on.

I am going to pass on the meal and libations.  I have two more days of cooking and it is going to be very simple meals so that I don’t have a lot to do in that department.

 

The one good thing is that we have no time limit on when to leave on Friday. We are staying in Jacksonville on Friday night so whatever time we leave, we just have to get there.  

 

Got a nice surprise yesterday.  In London, we are staying at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane.  We received an email yesterday that we were upgraded to the Grand Park View Suite.  So we are looking forward to that.  My friend from north England is taking the train to London to come visit us for one of the days we are there.

 

@grapau27I have been through the Panama Canal three times and do not remember any problems with insect bites.  Believe me, the bugs love to find me and I do not remember any problems on any of those cruises.

 

Prayers for all who need them, especially those with serious health problems.

Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

 

Need to go and have breakfast and get ready to go out.

God Bless and stay safe.

Terri

[GTVCRUISER]

Today is Flag Day 🙂 

[kplady]

Good morning everyone!

 

So far a beautiful day here, but we may get showers/thunderstorms this afternoon.  I've been watching the weather reports very closely - my church is having their annual Yard Sale on Saturday. When I saw the weather yesterday they said rain on Friday and maybe Sunday.  Now the Friday rain is hanging on and going to Saturday.  We've already postponed this from May, so it will go on rain or shine!

 

We were in Red Bay in August 2022. I didn't notice any problem with flies or bugs, but it was unbelievably foggy that day...glad we didn't see any!  Here's my pictures:

 

We were in Red Bay this past August on our Canada-Greenland-Iceland cruise.  It wasn't too buggy that day, but the FOG was crazy! We were told the name came from the red rocks along the shore.

 

After we tendered to shore, the fog started rolling in, and in about a half an hour we couldn't see the ship from the harbor.  DH was experiencing "technical difficulties," so he stayed on the ship, and I got off with our friends we were cruising with, and walked around the town.  Very cute, VERY small town!

 

Prayers for all in need, and cheers for all celebrating.  Hope everyone has a great day today!

Laura

[Sharon in AZ]

Good morning and Happy Wednesday from beautiful Tucson. The high today will be 98F. But our pool is still too cool for us, it’s hovering at 78-80. We prefer it 85 or above and it doesn’t get there until we have a few days over 100. That is supposed to happen this weekend but we won’t be here to enjoy that. We are heading to Mt Lemmon for a week where it will be in the high 70’s. 
 

I am going to really need my nap today because I don’t have time to get my “second sleep” in, like Maxine @AncientWanderer calls it.  We need to be on the road by 10:00 to get up the mountain. Thank goodness it really isn’t that far but I make Craig drive about 5 miles an hour under the speed limit, yikes I don’t like the twisty road, aka the Hitchcock Highway (not that Hitchcock though). If you are interested this is what Wikipedia has to say:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lemmon

 

Have a great day everyone!

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

 

Happy hump day.

[rafinmd]

I have 2 more sunsets as my 2015 Prinsendam European cruise approaches the end.  June 14 was a sea day from Foynes to LeHavre:

 

 

Roy

[StLouisCruisers]

54 minutes ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!  

 

We have a cool start to the day here in mid-Michigan, but it will warm to the mid 70s.  My kind of day.  Not a lot on the agenda.  We'll take our morning walk and then we have pedicures this afternoon.  The rain over the weekend really greened things up here.  We have peonies and roses blooming in the wilds.  I refer to the natural part of the yard as the wilds. I spent a lot of time on family history and connected with a cousin to help with that.  We had fun doing it and taking turns going to Ireland to check out cemeteries.  I put what I had into a book with pictures of many of the ancestors and gave each member of the family a copy.  It was met with lukewarm appreciation.  One sibling declared she was an American that lived in the present time and never took her copy.   

 

The wine sounds like one I would like.  So does the drink.  I would like the chicken part of today's meal without the waffles.  It is kind of a warm chicken salad on a waffle.  Instead of being made with shredded or chopped chicken, it is made with ground chicken.  You can go with the idea of chicken salad on a waffle and make your favorite recipe.  https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/peanut-cilantro-ground-chicken-and-waffles/

 

 

I only found one recipe for this dish.  I found numerous websites with the recipe, but they were all the same.  So, one is all you get today!

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day.  

 

What an ungrateful cousin not to accept the book you went to so much trouble to make.  It takes all kinds!

 

 

 

49 minutes ago, smitty34877 said:

Good morning. It looks like a lovely day ahead of us with blue skies and temperatures in the seventies.Thunderstorms may come later.

I will cheer for flag day and wish the Army a Happy Birthday. We have been to Red Bay and met quite a few bugs. I remember my DB and DH  had matching red welts at the back of their heads. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the tremendous views. There was a small iceberg floating in the harbor in July.

Yesterday was a tough day. Believe me, I am extremely grateful that treatment exists for the type of tumor DH has but it is not easy to go through. The chemo is given during surgery. The hospital stay can be five days to a week . We were very impressed with the oncologist and all the staff we met. DH and I both worked in health care and the car ride home involved lots of “gallows humor”. DD did not approve but I was happy to have a few laughs.

Thank you so much all of you who continually offer your support,positive thoughts and prayers. We are grateful.

Be careful out there…..

 

Praying for strength for you both as you go through this.

 

 

 

30 minutes ago, summer slope said:

Don’t wait for the appointment. It could be the beginning of shingles. 

 

Really?  I didn't know that.  That's all I need. 🙄

 

 

 

17 minutes ago, kplady said:

Good morning everyone!

 

So far a beautiful day here, but we may get showers/thunderstorms this afternoon.  I've been watching the weather reports very closely - my church is having their annual Yard Sale on Saturday. When I saw the weather yesterday they said rain on Friday and maybe Sunday.  Now the Friday rain is hanging on and going to Saturday.  We've already postponed this from May, so it will go on rain or shine!

 

We were in Red Bay in August 2022. I didn't notice any problem with flies or bugs, but it was unbelievably foggy that day...glad we didn't see any!  Here's my pictures:

 

We were in Red Bay this past August on our Canada-Greenland-Iceland cruise.  It wasn't too buggy that day, but the FOG was crazy! We were told the name came from the red rocks along the shore.

 

 

 

After we tendered to shore, the fog started rolling in, and in about a half an hour we couldn't see the ship from the harbor.  DH was experiencing "technical difficulties," so he stayed on the ship, and I got off with our friends we were cruising with, and walked around the town.  Very cute, VERY small town!

 

Prayers for all in need, and cheers for all celebrating.  Hope everyone has a great day today!

Laura

 

The fog adds a new dimension to the town.  At least you got there which is a good thing.

 

 

 

27 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Good morning and Happy Wednesday from beautiful Tucson. The high today will be 98F. But our pool is still too cool for us, it’s hovering at 78-80. We prefer it 85 or above and it doesn’t get there until we have a few days over 100. That is supposed to happen this weekend but we won’t be here to enjoy that. We are heading to Mt Lemmon for a week where it will be in the high 70’s. 
 

I am going to really need my nap today because I don’t have time to get my “second sleep” in, like Maxine @AncientWanderer calls it.  We need to be on the road by 10:00 to get up the mountain. Thank goodness it really isn’t that far but I make Craig drive about 5 miles an hour under the speed limit, yikes I don’t like the twisty road, aka the Hitchcock Highway (not that Hitchcock though). If you are interested this is what Wikipedia has to say:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lemmon

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

Safe travels Sharon and Craig!

[Denise T]

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

Expecting thunderstorms today. Much needed though.

Today I am getting my hair done and then off to the office to see clients. 

I have been contemplating retiring or partially retiring from clinical practice. I have dreams of writing and traveling which are hard to do now. 

Happy flag day. 

Thinking of you all.

Have a safe and healthy day. 

 

 

 

[cruising sister]

Good morning,

It will be another beautiful day and I am off to walk/drag Molly for a walk. I will pass on todays meal. Unfortunately I am one of the cilantro haters. I will have to join the others who did not see an insect in Panama. I really enjoyed that cruise so hopefully Graham will choose to go. 
 

I have an interesting problem. There is a woman who recently joined the group of car friends that DH and I were part of. I have recently started doing a few things with them. This woman has taken a dislike of me. She is hanging out with a friend who is a recent widower whose wife was a dear friend of mine. She literally does not look at me if I talk to her and goes out of her way to be overly friendly to others.  She made a couple of snarky comments about my dead friends daughter to me like “she is not the only one who lost a mother”. I have started screening to see if she will be at outings but it is not possible to always avoid her.  Don’t know what to do. Does she me as a threat to her relationship? Navigating this widowhood is difficult. 
 

Prayers to all in need and have a great day. 

 

[Sharon in AZ]

2 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Don’t know what to do. Does she me as a threat to her relationship? Navigating this widowhood is difficult. 

That or she’s jealous that you are navigating it so well. 

[grapau27]

Many thanks to everyone for your Panama canal information.

The insects love me so it is reassuring when so many of you pass on your experiences of no insects.

[marshhawk]

Good Wednesday Morning Dailyites!  I woke up late, and for that I am grateful, as it means I added some much needed sleep to myself.  I havent been sleeping on the sofa this week, so that is a good sign, the cough is still very much there, but the results are a bit different.  (I know...gross).  I got up and turned on the coffee, fed the cats, and sat on the porch .  The air was still and quiet,  The sky was darkening, there were no sounds of traffic.  Just birds.  I could have been out in the country, and not the burbs on Atlanta.  I came in to see what was happening with all my daily friends, and my computer just locked up on Rich's post.  This is beginning to happen more and more, I no longer try to be on the first page, because it aint gonna happen.  (Plus, I rarely have anything important to say, just life in the slow lane).

 

DH is doing very well with his not smoking.  He chomps on Nicorette gum and downs lozenges all day, but since Monday morning, he has only had one cigarette.  I, on the other hand dont quit by adding more nicotene through other sources, so I am slowly cutting down.  I dont smoke in the house now, just out on the porch.  I am keeping tabs of when i am smoking, (being a list maker, I made a list) and mark the time of the smoke.  

 

Once I got on the computer this morning we had a wonderfully huge thunderstorm with lots of rain, and wind, and I wish it had lasted longer.

 

@Sharon in AZI  really liked the information on the mountain, the rock formations are great.  I hate heights, and would probably cower on the floor in the back seat.  Driving the mountain roads in Georgia is different, no wide open views, the curvy roads are surrounded by trees (most of the time), so you dont get that OMG! experience.  Some of the roads have little parks off on the side where the view has been cleared out, and you can park and look at the view.  

 

@cruising sisterThere is a saying that when you point a finger at someone (which this woman is doing to you) you are pointing three more back at yourself.  So the problem is her, not you, and if she is being snotty, it may mean that something about you reminds her of herself.  Something that she hasn't been able to figure out yet.  Hugs.

 

@grapau27We booked the Carnival Legend for the Panama Canal in April 2025.  It's not the full passage, just out of Tampa, and into the canal and lake, and then back to Tampa.  (I think we stop in Grand Cayman and Costa Rica)  DH wants to see the marvels of the canal.  I do hear it will be very warm.  As far as bugs?  Who cares.  Mankind invented bug spray.

 

Well, the sun is now out, the yards all look green and the birds are chirping again.

 

 

[57redbird]

We've done the Panama Canal at least twice & don't recall bugs & hubby is a bug magnet.

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning, thanks for today’s report. It’s a beautiful morning but storms are promised for this afternoon.  It’s been a busy morning with a few more meetings to go.  I like chicken and waffles but when put together I’m not impressed, I still eat if someone is doing the cooking.

DH left the freezer drawer slightly open overnight and that created a mess and loss of some things.  At least now that got cleaned.

Our flag is flying. I hope everyone has a good day today.

[dfish]

2 hours ago, smitty34877 said:

Good morning. It looks like a lovely day ahead of us with blue skies and temperatures in the seventies.Thunderstorms may come later.

I will cheer for flag day and wish the Army a Happy Birthday. We have been to Red Bay and met quite a few bugs. I remember my DB and DH  had matching red welts at the back of their heads. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the tremendous views. There was a small iceberg floating in the harbor in July.

Yesterday was a tough day. Believe me, I am extremely grateful that treatment exists for the type of tumor DH has but it is not easy to go through. The chemo is given during surgery. The hospital stay can be five days to a week . We were very impressed with the oncologist and all the staff we met. DH and I both worked in health care and the car ride home involved lots of “gallows humor”. DD did not approve but I was happy to have a few laughs.

Thank you so much all of you who continually offer your support,positive thoughts and prayers. We are grateful.

Be careful out there…..

 

Terry, remember that even when we don't say it, we are holding you and  your DH close in our hearts.  Thank you for sharing with us and trusting us with your burden.  We'd all like to help lift it for you.

 

 

58 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

 

I have an interesting problem. There is a woman who recently joined the group of car friends that DH and I were part of. I have recently started doing a few things with them. This woman has taken a dislike of me. She is hanging out with a friend who is a recent widower whose wife was a dear friend of mine. She literally does not look at me if I talk to her and goes out of her way to be overly friendly to others.  She made a couple of snarky comments about my dead friends daughter to me like “she is not the only one who lost a mother”. I have started screening to see if she will be at outings but it is not possible to always avoid her.  Don’t know what to do. Does she me as a threat to her relationship? Navigating this widowhood is difficult. 

 

 

Engage in the activities that you wish to and hold your head up high.  Act like  you don't notice her rudeness.  That will drive her wild.  You don't have to be overly friendly to her, but don't let her drive you away if this is something you truly enjoy.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

HAPPY FLAG DAY!

 

I don't have a picture of  the US flag, but this is the flag cake I made for July 4, 2020.

 

Good morning from a warm and humid central Texas.  It is 80F with a dew point of 76F and 88% humidity.  We are heading to 100 degree days without much rain.  Friday will be 100F but Saturday will only be 99F 😁 but cloudy.  I think I'll wait until Saturday to mow and hope the prediction of clouds holds.  🤞  I got my walk in about an hour ago when it was about 76F, and it wasn't too bad. 

 

I've had bourbon in the past, but we don't have any in the house.  A salute to the Army on its birthday.  I have been delving into my families history for the past six months and find it interesting.  There is still a lot of family and DH's family left to look into.

 

The Suzanne Collins quote is true, and even though we can't freeze a special moment, we do have our memories.

 

I think we'll pass on the meal, drink and wine today.

 

We have not been to Red Bay -- yet.

 

I wonder how many diehard fans stayed until the end of that baseball game.

 

Graham, @grapau27  I'll add my two cents worth of information on the Panama Canal.  We have done 14 complete canal transits and have never had a problem with mosquitoes.  DH is a mosquito magnet, so I know they are bad when I get bitten too.  BTW, we never had a problem on Devil's Island, the Amazon River, or places in west Africa.  When we got our last yellow fever shot, I asked the nurse if we needed any other shots for any of the places that are problematic, and she said if were were only there during the day, we should not have a problem.

Terry, @smitty34877 I'm sorry yesterday was a rough day, but am glad the tumor is treatable.  I found it interesting that the chemo is given during the surgery.  Sending you both positive thoughts for the surgery and recovery, which I hope will be an easy one.  You are lucky to have the support and help of your family.

@lcand1923  I understand.  There are many days when I think I've made page 1 only to have a couple of post appear to put me on page 2 just as I post.😀

Sharon, @Sharon in AZ safe travels to Mt. Lemmon today, and enjoy your week in the cooler weather.

Denise, @Denise T if retiring is financially doable, I'd say go for it.  Both our fathers waited to travel until they retired, and their travels were curtailed by ill health.  They advised us to travel while we were young and healthy.  We've followed their advice until 2020 when the world stopped. 

Lorraine, @cruising sister my guess is the woman is jealous of your friendship with the widower, and is afraid you want to take your friend's place in his life.  I'm not sure how you could persuade her that is not the case.  Hopefully, time will help her realize that you and the widower are friends.  Sharon @Sharon in AZ could be correct that she is jealous that you are doing so well as a recent widow.

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

[rafinmd]

Today is my brother's heavenly birthday. He was born 82 years ago today but has been gone now for 2 1/3 years.  The photo is a new one to me, just sent by his widow.  I'm pretty sure it was the embarkation photo for our 2014 Alaska cruise on Radiance of the Seas out of Vancouver:

 

 

Roy

[JazzyV]

Good morning. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I'll celebrate flag day; I fly the US Flag every day. Pass on bourbon, I like exploring family history and salute the US Army. I'm sure we all have moments we'd like to freeze and live in. I'll pass on the meal, drink and wine. I haven't been to Red Bay.

 

Another cool day, but the rain has stopped for now. I have another doctor's appointment this afternoon, then need to pick up a prescription and maybe stop at the grocery store.

 

@grapau27 It seems quite warm where you are these days. I loved my one Panama Canal cruise, and would love to do it again; I had no issue with insects. 

@StLouisCruisers Thanks for the Red Bay photos.

@kazu Love the memes.

@aliaschief Nice to see these places in Spain that I might not get to.

@dfish Sorry to hear that one sibling didn't appreciate your family research efforts.

@smitty34877 Prayers for you and DH as you navigate through this treatment. And having worked in healthcare I understand the gallows humor.

@Cruzin Terri You have a lot going on. On my recent trip, I needed a 38 day mail hold. Can't do that online. Since my PO is small and they know me from all my ebay shipping, I went and talked to the supervisor there. She let me submit 2 hold cards, one for 30 days and the other for 8. I have a mail slot in my front door, so I really could have just let mail continue, but I wanted to lock my storm door for added security. Congrats on the hotel upgrade to a suite!

@kplady Nice Red Bay photos.

@Sharon in AZ Safe travels and enjoy Mt. Lemmon. Your comments remind me of when BFF and I went up Pike's Peak and Mt. Evans on our road trips out west; he did the driving.

@cruising sister That's awful how that woman is treating you; I hope it doesn't keep you from doing things with your group of friends.

@marshhawk Good to hear you're sleeping better. And kudos to you both on the smoking cessation efforts. 

@Quartzsite Cruiser That cake is impressive. Great memes.

@rafinmd Happy Heavenly Birthday to your DB.

 

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

 

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by JazzyV