The Fleet Report and Daily for Monday August 14th, 2023

[cunnorl]

We were in Noumea this past fall. Pretty little town although it was a very rainy day there. We docked in an industrial port and were shuttled to town. Totallly accessible. Yeah! 
  We took the Tchou Tchou train . Great fun and the perfect way to see the area. 
again totally accessible. Although HAL had told me it wasn’t. Jeez. 
  The driver was from Daytona Beach. Took really good care of us. 

[StLouisCruisers]

Yesterday in Grundarfjordur while Debbie and Sue were communing with Mother Nature, we were in town checking out the locals.  It was in the low 50's in the morning when we were there and they were dressed for summer.  We saw one woman in a sundress complete with spaghetti straps walking her young niece home to her Mom.  I overheard her talking to one of our fellow passengers.  Then when we came out of the church we saw her a few houses down talking to a young woman wearing a bikini!  The young lady's Mom I guess.  Anything over 50F must be summer weather.

 

When we first arrived we passed what looked like a fenced day care center with some pretty flowers decorating the fence.  Then we went in the local tourist center where they were selling hand made items, mostly knitted items, plus they had a small library where some passengers were using the WiFi to call family back home, and a slideshow in a room with chairs where you could go back in time and learn a little history of the town.

 

 

 

Here's the church called Grundarfjardarkirkja and a statue on the grounds next to it, as well as the famous mountain (seen in movies) called Mt. Kirkjufell.  Then a statue made of a male orca whale that seems to stay in the area.  It's located in a field a block or two away from the church near a school and what someone there called an "old folk's home".

 

 

 

 

 

And here is Mt. Kirkjufell from another angle as the ship left for Greenland yesterday afternoon.

 

Since this morning's earlier post the temp is still 52F, but we have varied our speed from 21 down to 19 knots, and we look to be about 2/3rds of the way to Greenland.  It is nearly noon here and the Captain should be coming on the speakers any minute now and will give us our update.  Then lunch!! 

[1ANGELCAT]

Good cloudy and humid morning, with thunderstorms expected later today. I have not had a creamsicle in ages, maybe I need to go grocery shopping today.

Tee Tee and Tux are celebrating their birthday this week, turning 1 year old and still acting like kittens. TT is a cuddles and Tux is a water boy, as soon as he hears the water turned on in the sink he comes running and tries to sit in the sink. Brother’s birthday is Saturday so I guess they will be celebrating together.

Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.

 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Denise T said:

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

Busy week for me as I prepare for my oral defense of my dissertation proposal next Monday. Working on my PowerPoint slides this week.

 

Wow!  Good for you 👍.  Best wishes for your work on your dissertation and success next Monday 🤞 

 

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

Luna Beberide - Godello Bierzo 2020

This white from Northern Spain has a name that is fun to say, though I would be tempted to shorten it. I would love a taste, though I tend to steer away from too much acidity. Available from a decent number of online distributors with prices starting at $11.40.

Wine Enthusiast- 92

This medium-straw-colored wine has aromas of green pear, lemon and herbes de Provence. It is bright on entry and remains that way through the finish, with flavors of lemon-lime, white peach, cocoa butter and a sprinkling of sage and lemongrass."

 

 

Ooh a white wine 👏 👏 and from Northern Spain no less 👍.  Haven’t had this one but the whites I had in Northern Spain were delicious and not acidic - so you should be safe with this one, Ann.

 

It sounds delish!  👍 

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

 

Have a great day.

[Nickelpenny]

Good Morning to All!  Thanks for the daily and fleet report.  Never been a fan of creamsicles, played with wiffle balls a lot as a child, and financial awareness was prominent for me growing up - I was poor!!  Highly agree with the quote, I use ground turkey in many things so this burger sounds good.  I will pass on the drinks and never been to the port.  V-J Day was a momentous day and Yeah NZ!!!

 

Left yesterday morning at ~0400 and was able to see some of the meteors but not a lot.  Got to the beach and relaxed listening to the sea and little ones giggling.  I stayed several hours but thankfully not long enough to get super sunburned.  A cool wind was coming off the ocean so when the clouds would drift over it made it a tad chilly - ok, it was around 80F but that is cold to this AZ girl.

 

Have a couple of appts today (trying to get into a osteoarthritis knee study; if I get accepted I really hope it will help my knee!!) and then the drive back home through San Diego.  

 

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

 

Have a great Monday everyone!!

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning Dailyites. 

 

Prayers lifted for all on our care list. Special prayers for sweet "S", Lou, Baby Murphy, Sandi's family and friend. Heartache for Maui as the search for remains continue. Thankful Denise and David are alright. God bless them.

 

Today I have a phone chat with a VA benefit nurse. Hoping the last appointment we have on Thursday finishes all this running around. Had I known what hoops we were going to jump through I don't think it would be worth it. 

 

No on turkey burgers. I really have tried various options. Either it tastes mushy and fake, or the burger is a tasteless hockey puck. I would remove the patty and eat the bun and veggies.

 

 

Finances are so important. I keep an eye on them every week.

 

 

Wishing you a great week. Be kind. Help when you are able. Love and prayers to YOU.

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Like so many others, I haven't had a creamsicle in ages; as a child I loved fudgesicles and we only had a creamsicle once in a while as a special treat.  We played with wiffle balls last week when the DGS's were here - great fun.

 

I'm into financial awareness this morning, as I've been running through our dollars like crazy this past week.  First, I had an eye appointment and ordered new glasses, then yesterday I booked a cruise - woo hoo!!!  Later in the afternoon while sitting in the pergola, DH and I were going to enjoy popcorn and a drink when I took 1 stupid piece of popcorn and cracked off part of a molar.  I'm pretty sure that's going to result in a crown . . . $$$.  

 

After DH had finished his angiogram with good results, he started talking about us going on another cruise, so I've been looking at itineraries.  I was able to find one we've been on before, but who cares if it takes us out of the throes of winter on the "frozen tundra"!  We'll be embarking on the Nieuw Statendam in February for a 2 week Western/Eastern Caribbean itinerary and will likely head into FLL a few days ahead just to be sure we get there before the ship sails - you never know with airlines these days!  It's always nice to have a cruise to look forward to.

 

Not a lot happening here, except that I'll be on the phone with the dental office in about 20 minutes to get an appointment.  The tooth isn't painful, but the sharp edge is irritating my tongue, so the sooner I get in, the better.  

 

I hope baby Murphy is doing well and can soon be off ECMO, if she isn't already.  Prayers continuing for Lou that he's able to continue his chemo soon and will be on the road to recovery.

I hope @catmando does well at his appointments this morning.

 

I'd like to try the drink of the day, will pass on the wine, but would really like to try the menu suggestion.  I've never made turkey burgers, but like the idea of the crumbs to help keep the mixture together.  For us, however, it's going to be hot (+32C, 89F), so I'm going to make up a Greek salad with some cucumbers our neighbours gave us, and will do frozen tempura shrimp in the air fryer that we'll enjoy in the pergola tonight.  And wine.

 

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

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

[1ANGELCAT]

Isle of Man webcam for Douglas outer harbor shows the tenders from Nieuw Statendam along with the Packet ship.

[RedneckBob]

2 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

This is a drink you can sink your teeth into! 😀

This drink must have a bite to it! 😀

[cruising sister]

Good morning,

I finally got an update on baby Murphy late yesterday. They took her off ECMO Friday and they were able to hold her for the first time since July 4th yesterday. Everyone is holding their breath that this will take. 
 

It will be blessedly cool today. The heat saps your energy fast. DGS stated kindergarten on Friday and was a bundle of energy. We went apple picking and he had a foam party at school that evening. By Saturday night he put himself to bed at 7pm and slept 12 hours. 
 

Prayers for those on our list and anyone else in need. Have a great day. 

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise(or sunset, I know it was August 14 because of the placement on the roll but no time data) is my earliest ever, taken on my one cruise aboard SS Rotterdam V.  It was taken August 14, 1997 as we steamed the inland passage from Seward to Vancouver:

 

 

This was my first ever cruise on Holland America.

 

Roy

[durangoscots]

Good morning all. Cloudy today.... maybe it will rain. Cool. We are settling into a pattern of lows in mid 50's at night... highs in the upper 70's to low 80's. I'll take it.  Glad to hear good news on baby Murphy. I will skip turkey burgers... I like my turkey roasted.

 

Little else here... life is getting boring and I think I like it that way just now. I suspect I will spending today reading in an effort to get more books out of here... or at least that is my excuse.

 

Susan

[kazu]

44 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning,

I finally got an update on baby Murphy late yesterday. They took her off ECMO Friday and they were able to hold her for the first time since July 4th yesterday. Everyone is holding their breath that this will take. 

 

That is good news.  My prayers that it does take 🙏 

 

cute pics!

 

[MrSnuffleupagus]

Thank you for the fleet report.

[ssawjo]

In Arizona anyway, it is National Code Talkers Day, to celebrate the Navajo Code Talkers.  There are only a handful of Code Talkers left.  

[puppycanducruise]

@cruising sisterThanks for the update on Baby Murphy.  Praying for her.  Great pictures, they bring a smile.

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

Good collection of days and I love the quote.  The drink and white wine sound good, but will pass on the meal.  We will go to Noumea on the Grand Australia and plan on taking the Tchou Tchou train.  Charlene @cunnorl great photos -- were these taken from the train or can you get on and off?  

 

Well I slept 9 1/2 hours last night but still feel like I was hit by a truck lol.  DGS wore me out, he's a ball of energy.  When we brought him home last night we went to dinner with DD and family, that was nice.  DGS was regaling everyone with everything he had done with us the last 3 days.  He told me he wished he could stay another night with us.  I don't know if I could have taken it 😂

 

Today I'll be putting the house back together, washing sheets, and watering the yard.  Our heat wave has begun and the A/C is working well.

 

Very nice to hear good news about baby Murphy @cruising sister Lorraine!  

[sailingdutchy]

Good morning to all members of the Daily family and thank you again to Rich @richwmn and all other contributors who are keeping the Daily Fleet Report and Daily News going . I thought I had posted pictures earlier of Noumea but must have been busy in the garden the last couple of years in August.

 

We were in Noumea , New Caledonia  while on the Oosterdam on a lovely cruise in 2013 from Auckland , New Zealand all the way to Vancouver , Canada . I had set up a small group tour for 8 of us with a local guide who took us into the hills around the port to show us the beautiful nature and also the small village where he lived .

 

Noumea is the Capital of the South Pacific  archipelago and overseas French territory of New Caledonia situated on the main island Grand Terre .

It is known for the beaches and the native Kanak influences  a unique mix of French and old Melanesian culture .

During WW II the US built a Naval base there which served as the headquarters of the US military in the South Pacific 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very warm day despite the grey clouds so our guide took us also to his

place for a welcome coconut water drink .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely day was had by all , so nice to see and experience local communities and cultures .

 

Tony 😄😄

[cunnorl]

47 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Good morning all!

Good collection of days and I love the quote.  The drink and white wine sound good, but will pass on the meal.  We will go to Noumea on the Grand Australia and plan on taking the Tchou Tchou train.  Charlene @cunnorl great photos -- were these taken from the train or can you get on and off?  

 

 

 Lorraine!  

 The pictures were taken from the train. It does stop at a few locations for a few minutes but it is not a HOHO. The locals all wave as you go by. It really was great fun, even in the rain! 

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily @richwmn.

I like creamsicles, but haven't had one for a while. We all need to be financially aware. I never played wiffle ball. Excellent quote. The meal sounds good, as does the drink. Pass on the wine. Both important days in history. I haven't been to Noumea.

 

It's cloudy here, with more rain this afternoon. One of these days I'll get the lawn mowed, but going to PT 3 days a week messes up my schedule. We sadly learned of a 5th death in the house explosion in the neighboring town.

 

@StLouisCruisers Have a relaxing sea day. Thanks for the Grundarfjordur pictures.

@dfish Enjoy the sea day. Not sure what that yellow appearance is in the photo.

@puppycanducruise Pretty flowers!

@kazu I'm glad you had no damage from the storm.

@Denise T Best of luck in your preparations and on Monday.

@0106 Thanks for the recipes today.

@aliaschief Safe travels home. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to PA!

@marshhawk Good luck to DH with his tests today.

@cunnorl Nice Noumea photos. I'm glad everything was accessible.

@Nickelpenny Safe travels. I've been looking for back pain studies around here. I found one, but didn't qualify.

@Seasick Sailor Good luck with the VA. I have a turkey burger recipe that uses zucchini in it (along with breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, S&P), and it's moist and tasty.

@ger_77 Congrats on booking a cruise! Oh no on the tooth issue.

@cruising sister Great news about Baby Murphy! Continued prayers that she does well. Cute photos of the DGC.

@sailingdutchy Lovely photos, thanks.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating.

Be well everyone.

 

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, Dailyites!  Thanks to all who post.  I have found the last week or so, the minute I sit down to read, that DH has organized something we just have to do, and I'm on my way!  Today he is golfing, so I have a little time on my own to read and post.  He is just TOO energetic.  I guess it's a good sign. 

 

Not the happiest of times in the world these days.  Fires everywhere, so sad about Lahaina, and BC still has fires in the hundreds.  This is going to be the hottest week of the summer, and I moved our round table with umbrella over to the flower bed to shade the dahlias I have planted in the courtyard.  They have been so sad and droopy in the heat, but blooming madly.  We also watched The Covenant the other night, and then The Courier last night, both movies did not improve my mood...  And we've had a death in the family, the 95-year-old widow of a cousin passed away in Maryland.  I forgot about the meteor shower, but I did say a prayer for you all at church yesterday.  

 

I need a cruise!  (To somewhere cool...)  

[aliaschief]

21 minutes ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily @richwmn.

I like creamsicles, but haven't had one for a while. We all need to be financially aware. I never played wiffle ball. Excellent quote. The meal sounds good, as does the drink. Pass on the wine. Both important days in history. I haven't been to Noumea.

 

It's cloudy here, with more rain this afternoon. One of these days I'll get the lawn mowed, but going to PT 3 days a week messes up my schedule. We sadly learned of a 5th death in the house explosion in the neighboring town.

 

@StLouisCruisers Have a relaxing sea day. Thanks for the Grundarfjordur pictures.

@dfish Enjoy the sea day. Not sure what that yellow appearance is in the photo.

@puppycanducruise Pretty flowers!

@kazu I'm glad you had no damage from the storm.

@Denise T Best of luck in your preparations and on Monday.

@0106 Thanks for the recipes today.

@aliaschief Safe travels home. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to PA!

@marshhawk Good luck to DH with his tests today.

@cunnorl Nice Noumea photos. I'm glad everything was accessible.

@Nickelpenny Safe travels. I've been looking for back pain studies around here. I found one, but didn't qualify.

@Seasick Sailor Good luck with the VA. I have a turkey burger recipe that uses zucchini in it (along with breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, S&P), and it's moist and tasty.

@ger_77 Congrats on booking a cruise! Oh no on the tooth issue.

@cruising sister Great news about Baby Murphy! Continued prayers that she does well. Cute photos of the DGC.

@sailingdutchy Lovely photos, thanks.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating.

Be well everyone.

 

On board Pittsburgh. You have a beautiful state and refreshing weather. Thanks.

[kochleffel]

No Creamsickles for me, and no wiffle balls, but I'm in favor of financial awareness. As a teacher I sometimes used an O-ball, which because it's light and flexible and can't be thrown very hard, is safe to use in a classroom.

 

The house explosion in Pennsylvania was reported in the NYT this morning. Also: an explanation of how non-native grasses contributed to the fires on Maui.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/us/hawaii-wildfire-factors.html

Summary: they have colonized abandoned sugar plantations and grow very fast when it rains, but then dry out and burn. Some were introduced for livestock grazing and there would be less danger if grazing animals were present where they're growing now.

 

I woke up too early and my head feels rather scrambled. This afternoon I need to go to the farmers' market and then Wegmans, where I especially need to find sheep's-milk feta, for a recipe that says that cow's-milk feta won't work.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023371-sheet-pan-feta-with-chickpeas-and-tomatoes

 

In my scrambled head I'm trying to figure out what I really need for the Spanish Farewell, because my packing list is turning out exceptionally heavy (for me, at least). In the photography forum I asked whether I'd need a telephoto lens and the sentiment was to take it "just in case," but nothing that I've planned to do seems to call for one.

 

Also in that forum, a post asks what to take for a Caribbean cruise. The question is about camera gear, of course, but my first thought was "Lomotil."

 

 

 

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, ssawjo said:

In Arizona anyway, it is National Code Talkers Day, to celebrate the Navajo Code Talkers.  There are only a handful of Code Talkers left.  

It is National, and it was one of the days mentioned in the Fleet Report and Daily one year ago.  I was sad to read that there are only 3 code talkers remaining, sad that the tradition is not continuing.  One of our local tv stations has a really local news hour at 9 and one of the features is a regular segment 'Where's ????' hosted by one of the reporters.  Today it was the National Cryptologic Museum spotlighting the exhibit on the code talkers.  Here's one segment from today's  show:

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/video/wheres-miana-celebrating-navajo-codetalkers-day-at-the-national-cryptologic-museum/#x

 

Roy