The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday July 20th, 2023

[cat shepard]

6 minutes ago, smitty34877 said:

Good morning. Our temperatures are still hot and humid. Lou and I have an appointment with the regular surgeon today. Hopefully the amount of walking,standing and general activity will be manageable.

I will pass on all of the food offerings. I never liked hot dogs. Yesterday I made the chicken gyros and I used tofu as Debbie @dfish suggested for the vegetarians. They were delicious even though I thought the sauce would clash with the tofu. Clean plates were noted around the table.

My DB and I were reminiscing about sitting in our aunts’ kitchen with our cousins  and watching the first moon walk. It was a black and white TV and such a grainy picture but one remembers well the amazement it brought to all of us.

I hope baby Murphy is doing better these days. It has to be so difficult for the family.

It is exciting to see that so many are going on cruises soon. The Boston weather sounds promising for @Crazy For Cats  and @dfish. Boston traffic has been worse than usual this summer my family reports so allow more time than usual. It took my DSIL two hours on Wednesday to get to a medical appointment. It is usually a 45 minute trip at most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the head’s up on Boston traffic, Terry.
 

I will be up there at the end of the month for my nephew’s memorial service, and am dreading using Route 1 from Logan to points North - since the Sumner tunnel is out of commission. At least I only have to deal with it for a few days. 

[Nickelpenny]

Good Morning to All!  Thanks for the daily fleet report.  I have never like ice cream soda; in fact, I didn't like ice cream until recently.  Even homemade, which we made a lot when I was a child - by the hand cranked machine!  Love hot dogs.  When I was overseas, I craved hot dogs and could never find them (what they called hot dogs were not).  I came back to the States once, passing through for some reason, and I headed to Der Wienerschnitzel for a fix.  🙂 Lollypops are lovely.

 

I like the quote and BBQ ribs are wonderful.  I do make them in the instant pot and finished in the oven.  I will pass on the drink and any wine that is red is heaven.  Never been to Norway.

 

I was hoping we would get rain last evening.  We were under a severe thunderstorm warning and it got really dark but, alas, nothing at my house.  I decided to do some cleaning yesterday and all of a sudden I was moving furniture and cleaning underneath.  I do like to clean but do it sporadicly.  I am not done.  It may take a couple of days.  Today I will go get my sub ID and go to the gym.  Everything is in place for subbing as school starts in 2 weeks from today.

 

I was accepted for a cardiac risk factor study and my first "appointment" will be on the 31st.  I will have to take my BP and wear a fitbit type device.  This should be fun.

 

Thoughts for those on the care list and cheers to those celebrating.

 

Have a great Thursday everyone!

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

Have a great day.

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is a beautiful morning here in mid-Michigan and made even nicer knowing the drains are all working as they should.  We have a busy day of washing clothes, packing, and doing last minute chores.  We are also going to go see our friend, Ellamary, who is in assisted living.  She says we bring her good luck and last week she won 5 times at bingo.  

 

@smitty34877 Thanks for the heads up on Boston traffic.  We usually take a cab from the airport to our hotel downtown, but that will be impacted by the tunnel closure.  So, we're going to try the blue line.  There is a shuttle from the terminal to the blue line station at the airport and I read that the blue line is free during the tunnel closure.  It will let us off a block from our hotel and I think the luggage is manageable.  I walked several blocks with luggage six weeks after a knee replacement once to a hotel.  It was in Minneapolis and the train was $1 while a cab was around $40.  Guess which one won out?  

 

I think the port of the day is a region in Norway.  It is one of the Unesco fjords and if you've ever been to Flam, you have sailed the Sognefjord.  It is stunningly beautiful.  

 

Today's meal is a good one.  I would finish them off on the grill for that grill flavor, but long, slow cooking makes for tender, juicy ribs.   This first recipe gives times that depend on how you want the ribs to be done.  Tender, but stays on the bone or tender and falls off the bone.   https://cafedelites.com/slow-cooker-barbecue-ribs/

 

 

This is making me hungry!   The sauces in these recipes are all a little different.  I look at the recipes as a cooking guide and would use a sauce I know and like.  https://www.thecookierookie.com/crock-pot-ribs-slow-cooker-ribs/

 

But, there is nothing wrong with trying a new sauce recipe and finding a new favorite!  This one sounded good to me.  https://www.aheadofthyme.com/slow-cooker-bbq-ribs/

 

 

Tomorrow you will be in the capable hands of Miss Tina @0106 as I will be making my way to the airport.  Wishing you all a wonderful day!

[cruising sister]

Good morning,

There is good news on the baby Murphy recovery. They were able to close up her chest and remove some of the tubes and wires. PT has evaluated her and they did not see any areas of concern at this time but will continue to work with her throughout the hospitalization.  She is making good progress but slowly. 
 

I have an electrician here today adding a level 2 charger in my garage as well as adding a few extra outlets and switches in the house. The builder did a minimum number and after almost a year I know what I want to make things easier and safer. I don’t need the level 2 charger as the plug in hybrid will charge overnight. I needed to add an outlet in the garage anyway so I decided to put in a faster charger. 
 

I am not sleeping well so I have joined the dreaded club. 
 

DS family left for vacation today. I will miss my weekend with the grandkids. They have been such an integral part of my week this past year. They need a break from taking care of me. 
 

Prayers for all and have a great day. 

[smitty34877]

43 minutes ago, cat shepard said:

Thank you for the head’s up on Boston traffic, Terry.
 

I will be up there at the end of the month for my nephew’s memorial service, and am dreading using Route 1 from Logan to points North - since the Sumner tunnel is out of commission. At least I only have to deal with it for a few days. 

Any time I have been in the Sumner tunnel I have tried not to look at the amount of water running down the walls in spots! Better not to look....

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2012 Blount New England Islands cruise.  On July 20 Grande Caribe visited New Bedford Mass.

 

 

Roy

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I haven't had an honest to goodness ice cream soda in years.  DH makes a great ice cream float, though.  I'm about hot dogged out with all the smokies we had at Summerfest; someone else can have mine today.  Lollipops are fun - I remember the great big flat circles with rainbow colours we sometimes had as a child.

 

The smoke is back - it came rolling back in last night around dusk.  Our temperatures are stable at about +25 for daytime, and going down to a comfortable 9 or 10 overnight.  I hope our lawn guy comes today, as it seems the grass has grown 4 or 5 times higher with the rain.

 

While we were out yesterday I had a text from our pharmacy that DH and I were now within the eligibility period for our second Shingrix vaccine.  I called back and was able to book us an appointment for later in the afternoon.  This morning my arm feels like someone punched me, but no other side effects.  Expensive, as our insurance doesn't cover voluntary vaccines, but certainly worth it, as nobody wants shingles.

 

We had a phone call from our older friends who spent 5 days with us for medical appointments, inviting us to their cabin at a lake about 4 hours from here.  I think they want to repay the hospitality we showed them, so it looks like next week we'll be heading out of town for a few days.  There might be fishing involved, as the family has an annual walleye derby, and even the smallest fish are entered (even though they're tossed back), so that all can get their names on the leader board.  I'll be going dark from CC because they don't have wi-fi out there, which is fine, as sometimes it's good to disconnect.

 

Because we've been left to our own devices for wine of the day, I'm going to enter a staple on my Cardboardeaux shelf:

 

I'd like to try the drink of the day, but think it might be a little too sweet - I think I'd add some soda water to lighten it up a bit.  Today's quote is oh so true.  We haven't been to Norway, but have seen some wonderful photos others have provided.  DH loves ribs, but I'm relieved of kitchen duty because we've been invited over to one of our neighbours for drinks and appetizers late this afternoon.  We've been there before and it usually morphs into a several hour visit, which is lots of fun.  It's looking like we'll be enjoying appies on someone else's deck tonight.  And wine.

 

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

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

 

 

[JazzyV]

Good morning. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily. 

I like floats better than ice cream sodas; but mainly plain ice cream. I do like a good hotdog occasionally. I haven't had a lollipop in a long time; my post office has a bowl of them for customers. The quote is true. I like the meal, pass on the drink. I'll have a glass of an Australian shiraz tonight.        I haven't been to Sognefjord.

 

Another warm day (high of 87F), and muggy, with possible strong storms tonight. I managed to get 8 hours of sleep last night, aided by the sedating effect of the Benadryl. But I still woke up with an itchy thigh and a small hive there. So I took a Claritin, so I won't be so zonked today. I may try to do some weeding today, and maybe try to mow the lawn (if not it will wait until Saturday). 

 

@aliaschief Those ribs look delicious.

@smitty34877 I hope all goes well with the appointment today, including the going and returning home. 

@dfish Thanks for the recipes. I'm glad your drain is now working as it should. Safe travels tomorrow.

@cruising sister Great news about baby Murphy! 

@ger_77 I'm surprised the Shingrix isn't covered, at least partly with a copay. Have fun with your friends at their cabin at the lake.

 

Prayers for the Care List and a Toast to the Celebration List.

Be well everyone.

[StLouisCruisers]

1 hour ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is a beautiful morning here in mid-Michigan and made even nicer knowing the drains are all working as they should.  We have a busy day of washing clothes, packing, and doing last minute chores.  We are also going to go see our friend, Ellamary, who is in assisted living.  She says we bring her good luck and last week she won 5 times at bingo.  

 

@smitty34877 Thanks for the heads up on Boston traffic.  We usually take a cab from the airport to our hotel downtown, but that will be impacted by the tunnel closure.  So, we're going to try the blue line.  There is a shuttle from the terminal to the blue line station at the airport and I read that the blue line is free during the tunnel closure.  It will let us off a block from our hotel and I think the luggage is manageable.  I walked several blocks with luggage six weeks after a knee replacement once to a hotel.  It was in Minneapolis and the train was $1 while a cab was around $40.  Guess which one won out?  

 

I think the port of the day is a region in Norway.  It is one of the Unesco fjords and if you've ever been to Flam, you have sailed the Sognefjord.  It is stunningly beautiful.  

 

Today's meal is a good one.  I would finish them off on the grill for that grill flavor, but long, slow cooking makes for tender, juicy ribs.   This first recipe gives times that depend on how you want the ribs to be done.  Tender, but stays on the bone or tender and falls off the bone.   https://cafedelites.com/slow-cooker-barbecue-ribs/

 

 

This is making me hungry!   The sauces in these recipes are all a little different.  I look at the recipes as a cooking guide and would use a sauce I know and like.  https://www.thecookierookie.com/crock-pot-ribs-slow-cooker-ribs/

 

But, there is nothing wrong with trying a new sauce recipe and finding a new favorite!  This one sounded good to me.  https://www.aheadofthyme.com/slow-cooker-bbq-ribs/

 

 

Tomorrow you will be in the capable hands of Miss Tina @0106 as I will be making my way to the airport.  Wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

The pictures today look so good!  Thanks for working right up until flight day!  

 

I'm so glad you realized that Sognefjord is a region and part of a fjord in Norway.  So I actually have been in Sognefjord, just last summer on Island Princess, right after we had Covid.  When I looked up the region I found this very fine photo of Skjolden at the end of the fjord.  Our ship, the Island Princess was docked where the ship in the picture is.  This is an internet photo.

 

We walked along the shoreline from our ship to Skjolden which is where the bridges and rapids are in the above photo.  Here we are along the way.

 

The rapids running into the fjord.

 

 

Some of the town of Skjolden

 

And the beautiful Feigefossen waterfall we saw going in and out of the fjord to see the town of Skjolden.

 

Thanks Debbie!!

 

 

37 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning,

There is good news on the baby Murphy recovery. They were able to close up her chest and remove some of the tubes and wires. PT has evaluated her and they did not see any areas of concern at this time but will continue to work with her throughout the hospitalization.  She is making good progress but slowly. 
 

I have an electrician here today adding a level 2 charger in my garage as well as adding a few extra outlets and switches in the house. The builder did a minimum number and after almost a year I know what I want to make things easier and safer. I don’t need the level 2 charger as the plug in hybrid will charge overnight. I needed to add an outlet in the garage anyway so I decided to put in a faster charger. 
 

I am not sleeping well so I have joined the dreaded club. 
 

DS family left for vacation today. I will miss my weekend with the grandkids. They have been such an integral part of my week this past year. They need a break from taking care of me. 
 

Prayers for all and have a great day. 

 

 

It must be a huge relief for Baby Murhphy's family that the reports are much better this week and about the removal of the tubes, wires, etc.  Hoping and praying she will fully recover in due time.🙏  Hope you can get some better sleep very soon.  I've been in that spot before.

[Cruzin Terri]

Good afternoon to everyone.

Thank you to Rich for the Daily and Fleet Report.  

I like the days very much.  I like Ice Cream Sodas, Lollipops and Hot Dogs.  That is not to say that I have them often.  I do not remember when I last had an Ice Cream Soda or a Lollipop.  I have had Hot Dogs recently.

I do remember the Moon Landing. What an event that was!

The barbecue ribs sound wonderful. i would love to have some tonight but they are not on any menus here on the ship.

The drink and wine also sound good.

Sognefjord is not one of the ports we visited on this trip.

Prayers for all on the Cares list especially for Baby Murphy and @NextOne’s friend Denny.

Cheers for all those who are ready to go on a cruise.  How exciting.

 

We are ready to start packing.   We disembark on Sunday.  I am more than ready.

 

Tonight we do not like the menu in the Grand Dining Room and do not want to repeat the Baltic menu in the Terrace Cafe.  So we are ordering room service from Toscana, the Italian Restaurant.  Our Butler will serve us in our room.

We have only done that one other time during this cruise when I had a cold and had to cancel our reservation at the French Restaurant.  At that time Jacques came to us.

 

We were in Visby, Sweden today.  It was cloudy, cold and windy.  We stayed on the ship as most people did.  The ship was rocking and rolling even tied up to the dock. Watched a movie.

 

Hope everyone is having a good day.

God Bless,

Terri

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

It will be another sunny day in the low 80's here, then will cool off to the 70's for awhile.  One of my tomatoes in the yard is starting to turn -- yippee!

 

I haven't had an ice cream soda since I was a child, and like others I prefer a float.  Hot dogs are ok, but no plans to have one today, and will pass on the lollipops.  Love the quote, it sounds just like BFF and me.   Will pass on the drink (coconut and pineapple).  The wine that Ann @cat shepardsuggested sounds lovely.  I haven't tried King Estate wine but have always liked most Willamette Valley wines.  My choice tonight will be my usual, one of the NZ Sauvignon Blancs.  The meal sounds yummy too, I printed off the first recipe.  Tonight we'll be having Chicken Pesto meatballs with Marinara sauce though.  We've been to Norway but not this area.

 

I remember the first moon walk well, I watched it with my parents on TV.  DH was stationed across the country, and we were preparing for our wedding in September.

 

@dfish Debbie safe travels for you and Sue!  

@cruising sister Lorraine that's great news about baby Murphy 🙂  

[puppycanducruise]

@cruising sister Thanks for the update on baby Murphy.  Praying that she continues to improve.

[1ANGELCAT]

Good sunny and hot morning.It’s 81 with a real feel of 103. Thunderstorms tonight.

I remember watching the moon landing, hard to believe how long ago it was.

Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.
 

[durangoscots]

Good morning a little late this morning. Have been up for a few hours but just slow getting started beyond the dog walks which were done very early with our heat. Just finished the second "out" with them and found a large pile of bear scat in the yard which was not there earlier. Yipes!!! First sign of bear around the condo I have seen this summer. Hope he/she has moved on.... it was very close to the house. It looks like one of our dumpsters is pushed out of place .... our bear proofing seems to work.

 

It will be hot and dry today with wind.... certainly nothing new and this weather is supposed to continue for awhile although some forecasts are holding out hope for rain in the next week or so. I plan to just work around the house. Still working on getting my files straight and doing lots of shredding. Recycling will be picked up tomorrow so I need to get on it. Also getting another box of stuff ready to head for scottie rescue auction. There is an entire cabinet I would love to see gone if I can get the stuff off the shelves and out of the house. Then the cabinet can follow it out the door.

 

Am making plans for the Grand Australia. I am booking tours I really want early.... I can always cancel if need be.

 

Best wishes to all. Glad to hear that Baby Murphy is doing so much better. A reminder to us older folks to take it easy in the heat and keep your feet under you. We are having an epidemic of falls around here.

 

Susan

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a sunny and breezy central Texas.  It was 80F at 7:30 when I went for my walk.  It is now almost 10:30 am and it is 89F and feels like 95F.  The predicted high is 104F. 

 

It's been a busy morning.  I was just about to leave to take the convertible to our neighborhood station to have the tires rotated, when DH wanted to add coolant to the a/c system.  After than, he wanted to drive the car to check the a/c and how the car was handling.  We went by the station on the way back home, but since the owner was working on a car on the lift, we just drove by.  It looks like we might wait a bit on rotating the tire.  

 

After breakfast, we also tried to get the grill that stopped working when we were smoking the brisket to light.  It's probably the regulator since we also tried a different propane tank and it didn't work either.  The ignitor switch is also a little wonky and hard to use.  Right now, it's too hot in the afternoon to use the grill anyway.

 

We prefer ice cream floats to ice cream sodas.  We were a couple of days early since we had hot dogs Monday night.  I also prefer Nathan's.  DH likes lollipops more than I do.  I think I was spoiled by the ones my father's company handed out.  They were cherry, but not like the cheery ones today, and had Reddy Kilowatt embossed on them.  That is really dating me, since the electric utility companies stopped using Reddy Kilowatt as a logo many decades ago.

 

The Elbert Hubbard quote is very true.  I'm lucky I have two lifelong friends who fit that quote, and one is my next door neighbor.

 

I've never cooked BBQ ribs in a slow cooker.  For the past 35+ years, we've been smoking them in our smoker.  We also use a dry rub without BBQ sauce.  Now that we have the smoker fixed, I need to buy some more babyback ribs.  We'll pass on the drink.

 

My wine suggestions are on the expensive side, and we've only bought one for a special occasion.  We were introduced to these wines at a premium wine tasting on Princess about 20 years ago.  Once they stopped offering these wines at the premium wine tasting, we quit going to the tastings.

 

The first is Luce which is an Italian red that is a blend Sangiovese and Merlot produced in Montalcino, Italy.  I found on-line prices from $99.99 to $119.99.  They produce a much less expensive wine, Luce Lucente which sells for $19.99.  We have not tasted that wine.  My other suggestion is Opus One, a California Bordeaux style wine based on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was developed by Baron Phillipe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, and is still one of the most expensive California wines.  The on-line prices I found range from $389.99 to $425.95.  At least, we have been privileged to taste it a couple of times.

 

 

We have sailed Sognefjord to Flam, but that was in the dark.  We took the train from Flam to the end of the line and then a bus to Gudvangen on another arm of the fjord.  Sognefjord is the longest fjord in Norway.  I'll look for pictures from Gudvangen in a few minutes.

 

Today in history was another big step forward for women.  Sadly, there is still a lot that needs to be done.

@rafinmd  Roy, I remember the day the Eagle landed on the moon.  We were driving back to Dover, NJ, from visiting family in Texas.  We were somewhere in Pennsylvania when we heard the news on the radio.  While we were gone, we had loaned our tv to another couple, so we went to their apartment to watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin step on the moon.  All our friends were in the Army and stationed at Picatinny Arsenal, so they had the next day off work.  I was working at the local newspaper, and had to be at work bright and early the next morning.  After the long drive from Texas, I had to give up and go to bed before the big event.  I saw the event later on replay.

@smitty34877  Terry, I hope Lou gets a good report from the surgeon, and that all the activity is not too tiring.
@dfish  Debbie, I bet for once you and Sue are enjoying doing laundry.  🤣  I hope you and Sue have a safe flight tomorrow and that your luggage arrives with you.

@cruising sister  Lorraine, I was very happy when I read that they were able to close up Murphy's chest and remove some of the tubes and wires.  Also, it's good news that PT has not seen any areas of concern.  

@ger_77  Gerry, I'm glad you both got your second Shingrix vaccine.  Since we don't have insurance for drugs, and the vaccine is not one of the ones covered by Medicare, I paid out of pocket for mine.  I consider it money well spent.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, thanks for your pictures of Skjolden.

@Cruzin Terri  Terri, I'm sorry the weather is not cooperating.  Enjoy your dinner in your cabin tonight.

@durangoscots  Susan, YIKES! 😱 on the bear scat so close to your place.  I hope you get some much needed rain soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

Edited July 20, 2023 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[kazu]

 

 

3 hours ago, cunnorl said:

   My vacuum cleaner finally died while I was cleaning up after all the company. Need to research a new one. I have mostly tile floors with oriental in the dining and living rooms. 

 

Years ago I had a Miele & loved it.  When it finally died DH said to get a different brand.  Well, several vacuums later (most don’t stand up to dog hair for a long time is my best guess) and with DH gone, I bought another Miele.  

 

It does a wonderful job and I’ve had it for nearly a year.  My floors downstairs are primarily hardwood with a smidge of carpeting upstairs and the rest hardwood upstairs.

 

Just in case it is of help.

 

 

3 hours ago, smitty34877 said:

Good morning. Our temperatures are still hot and humid. Lou and I have an appointment with the regular surgeon today. Hopefully the amount of walking,standing and general activity will be manageable.

 

Best wishes with the appointment today.  I hope the waiting - walking, standing etc are manageable 🤞 

 

 

2 hours ago, ger_77 said:

The smoke is back - it came rolling back in last night around dusk. 

 

Dam Gerry.  Hopefully the smoke is not where you are travelling to. 🤞 

 

Hope your arm recovers quickly from the Shringrix shot.  I need to call about mine.  the pharmacist said to wait as he thought NB Medicare would soon be covering it but it doesn’t seem to have happened.  😔 

 

 

2 hours ago, ger_77 said:

We had a phone call from our older friends who spent 5 days with us for medical appointments, inviting us to their cabin at a lake about 4 hours from here.  I think they want to repay the hospitality we showed them, so it looks like next week we'll be heading out of town for a few days.  There might be fishing involved, as the family has an annual walleye derby, and even the smallest fish are entered (even though they're tossed back), so that all can get their names on the leader board.  I'll be going dark from CC because they don't have wi-fi out there, which is fine, as sometimes it's good to disconnect.

 

How nice!  Safe travels there.  I hope you two have a lovely time 🙂 

 

 

3 hours ago, dfish said:

It is a beautiful morning here in mid-Michigan and made even nicer knowing the drains are all working as they should.  We have a busy day of washing clothes, packing, and doing last minute chores.  We are also going to go see our friend, Ellamary, who is in assisted living.  She says we bring her good luck and last week she won 5 times at bingo.  

 

Yay a on the drains working 👍. Just in time, too.  Have fun with the last minute prepping and very safe travels to you and Sue tomorrow.

 

 

2 hours ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning,

There is good news on the baby Murphy recovery. They were able to close up her chest and remove some of the tubes and wires. PT has evaluated her and they did not see any areas of concern at this time but will continue to work with her throughout the hospitalization.  She is making good progress but slowly. 

 

That is great news!  Slow but sure - that’s ok as long as she continues to improve 🙏. My prayers continue for her.

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

@Cruising-along  Carolyn, after our discussion yesterday about flowers and my lack of green thumb, I decided to share my success with the marigolds, and lack of success with the zinnias.  This first picture was taken April 17 shortly after I planted eight small marigolds and eight small zinnias.  The second pictures was taken just a few minutes ago.  If you look closely, you can just make out the one zinnia that survived, and it's peaking out from the left side of the marigold on the right.  One batch of marigolds are behind the ones on the right and the Silverado Sage.  The sage which I cut back drastically last fall have also grown with all the water and warm weather.

 

 

Lenda

Edited July 20, 2023 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

In 2005 on Marco Polo, we started the day in Flam on a branch of Sognefjord where we took the train to Myrdal, and then were bused to Gudvangen on another branch of Sognefjord where Marco Polo was waiting for us. 

 

It was supposed to be a quick stop to board the tenders, but as can happen on a cruise, there was a hitch.  One of the tenders broke down, and we had a long wait while they retrieved it and towed it back to the ship.  It was a nice, warm, sunny afternoon, so the wait was not uncomfortable.  We were traveling with friends, and we found  a couple of benches to relax and visit.

 

To retrieve the tender, one man was using a inflatable boat to maneuver the tender into position for it to be towed back to the ship.  This is just one of the pictures of his attempts.  How the finally managed to get the tender back on board is lost in the mists of time.

 

Marco Polo waiting down the fjord

 

The area where we were waiting

 

 

 

Of course, there were shopping opportunities.

 

Finally, everyone was back on board, and we headed down the fjord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

[RMLincoln]

We booked a cruise!  But not for us…. it’s for granddaughter and her to-be-husband’s honeymoon in December out of Galveston. We looked at the New England/Canada options for ourselves but couldn’t seem to work out either the timing or the itinerary. That’s ok, we’ll have some special family visits and keep the medical appts we have now, both for DH’s eye follow-ups and his 6-mo oncology monitoring. All more important than a cruise. We’ll cruise again when the timing is right. I really can’t complain, we had 5 within about a year. 
 

Very glad for good news about baby Murphy!  Amazing!  
 

@dfish Bon Voyage to you and Sue. May all your travels be smooth. 🌈
 

@ger_77 Sorry about the smoke again, ugh. Enjoy your friends, near and far.  Lovely!  

 

@smitty34877 Hope the surgeon has an Amazing report for Lou and that the logistics aren’t overwhelming. 
 

Not a fan of ribs, would prefer hot dogs!  I used to like ice cream sodas but now prefer just a scoop in a dish. Lollipops were always a treat from the doctors office, probably not any more. 
 

I vividly remember watching the moon landing and first steps. Impressive beyond imagination. My dad said to me that I had the best chance of the family for going into space… because I was the youngest! Not too many years ago I met and chatted with Tom Stafford who circled the moon, it was such an honor!  In the 70s I got to study lunar geology and to see actual moon rocks in my studies at Rutgers; they were so pristine due to lack of water-based weathering on the moon. So impressive!  Good memories. It wasn’t easy plowing through a geology program then… I was reminded too often that, “You know you’ll be the only girl in the class….”  Usually there were a couple of us, and we did very well!  So 😜 to those reluctant “advisors”!  I hope that no aspiring young woman has to put up with that again. No here not anywhere, but I know there are many places in the world where progress is slow. 
 

Blessings to all in need and our Care List!  Healing, comfort and hope. 
🥂Cheers to those celebrating!  And smooth travels to all those away from home. 
Maureen 

[Cruising-along]

33 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

@Cruising-along  Carolyn, after our discussion yesterday about flowers and my lack of green thumb, I decided to share my success with the marigolds, and lack of success with the zinnias.  This first picture was taken April 17 shortly after I planted eight small marigolds and eight small zinnias.  The second pictures was taken just a few minutes ago.  If you look closely, you can just make out the one zinnia that survived, and it's peaking out from the left side of the marigold on the right.  One batch of marigolds are behind the ones on the right and the Silverado Sage.  The sage which I cut back drastically last fall have also grown with all the water and warm weather.

 

 

Lenda

Wow, the sage and Marigolds have grown!  Like I said, I didn't have much luck growing anything when we lived in a hot, dry place, so I think you're doing well.  I wonder if the Zinnias didn't get enough light after the sage and Marigolds overshadowed them (?)  Jacqui @kazu any thoughts?  

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Good afternoon.

It is currently 66°F and sunny here in North East England.

Thank you Rich for supplying today's fleet reports and Daily topics.

3 nice days today.

A meal,desert and drink for our days today.

A true quote for most of us with partners.

Today's meal sounds delicious.

Prayers 🙏 for improved health for all on our care list.

Good wishes for wonderful cruises for those on or due to board a ship soon.

Take care and stay safe friends.

God bless.

Graham.

 

 

 

Pauline sent me this photo of me on our wedding day almost 42 years ago.

[grapau27]

20 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

In 2005 on Marco Polo, we started the day in Flam on a branch of Sognefjord where we took the train to Myrdal, and then were bused to Gudvangen on another branch of Sognefjord where Marco Polo was waiting for us. 

 

It was supposed to be a quick stop to board the tenders, but as can happen on a cruise, there was a hitch.  One of the tenders broke down, and we had a long wait while they retrieved it and towed it back to the ship.  It was a nice, warm, sunny afternoon, so the wait was not uncomfortable.  We were traveling with friends, and we found  a couple of benches to relax and visit.

 

To retrieve the tender, one man was using a inflatable boat to maneuver the tender into position for it to be towed back to the ship.  This is just one of the pictures of his attempts.  How the finally managed to get the tender back on board is lost in the mists of time.

 

Marco Polo waiting down the fjord

 

The area where we were waiting

 

 

 

Of course, there were shopping opportunities.

 

Finally, everyone was back on board, and we headed down the fjord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

Super photos Lenda.

[smitty34877]

@grapau27, Graham, that is such a nice picture  of you.Thank you for sharing  it.

We got back in one piece  and now go forward with the next  step  next week.DH did fairly well with walking,waiting and standing for quite a while.It was less humid today and down by the hospital there  is a great breeze from the river.I will take it!

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

31 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Wow, the sage and Marigolds have grown!  Like I said, I didn't have much luck growing anything when we lived in a hot, dry place, so I think you're doing well.  I wonder if the Zinnias didn't get enough light after the sage and Marigolds overshadowed them (?)  Jacqui @kazu any thoughts?  

 

Carolyn, it's weird, but the zinnia that is still doing well was the one that was more overshadowed by the marigold.  There were a couple that were further under the marigold, and I moved them into the sun, and even with water they died.  The sun might just be too intense or the water wasn't getting to them.  I'm just glad that something grew.  😉

 

25 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Super photos Lenda.

 

Thank you, Graham.

 

@smitty34877  Terri, I'm glad things went well with the appointment today.  I hope you both can get some rest before the next step.

 

Lenda

Edited July 20, 2023 by Quartzsite Cruiser