The Fleet Report and Daily for Friday, December 22nd, 2023

[grapau27]

[Denise T]

Happy Friday! Thanks for the Daily and Fleet reports. 

Today begins 11 days of no work. End of year rest and relaxation. I have scheduled several self-care appointments for next week. 

I loved Ketchikan when we went this past May/June on the Nieuw Amsterdam. 

Here are my pictures from Ketchikan. I took the Coast Guard pictures in honor of my brother-in-law who served. It was a very soggy day when we went. 

Thinking of all on the care list. 

Celebrating with all who are celebrating. 

Have a safe and healthy day. 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Denise T

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, Denise T said:

Happy Friday! Thanks for the Daily and Fleet reports. 

Today begins 11 days of no work. End of year rest and relaxation. I have scheduled several self-care appointments for next week. 

I loved Ketchikan when we went this past May/June on the Nieuw Amsterdam. 

 

 

Nice photos Denise.

[0106]

[1ANGELCAT]

Good morning. We received a phone call this morning from Lynda that her DH Bill passed this morning around 3:30 💔🙏 She also said that she lost a cousin Drew earlier today. 💔🙏

   We’re leaving for Hershey around 10:00

Blessinhs and prayers to all on our lists.

[richwmn]

It is almost 6am in San Diego. In about 5 hours I will leave for the port to board Volendam. I hope everyone has a great weekend and holiday season.

[aliaschief]

Good morning. I’ll skip cookies this year. With so many days on a cruise ship coming up I don’t need to be adding more weight. Day is starting off  in forties with gray skies. Definitely looks like it just might be a very rainy Christmas Day.

Today I’m selecting clothes for packing. Folks will just have to get used to seeing us in familiar clothing. There is one lady on our Roll Call who cruises most of the year in large owner suites who states she will only wear the same dress twice a month. Think her last name may be Vanderbilt?

Pedicures and manicures were completed yesterday then we went out to lunch which sufficed in being the only meal of the day.

Graham sorry to hear about Pauline’s friend’s husband. As we notice here on the Daily many of us are in the zone. We just don’t know when or wear our position in the line is. I do know the line is getting shorter. We are very Blessed that we are still mobile and can enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Redneck Bob what can I say. Today’s post was pretty bad and frankly I think you wet your pants on that one.😊

For many this may be a sad or depressing time of the year. Know that your Daily family is here to listen and support. For those traveling I wish safe and timely arrivals. For those with aches and pains I pray for relief.

There is a line in the movie Christmas vacation that we traditionally watch every year. Clark looks at his Dad and states “Dad how did you get through Christmas?” His Dad replied “Son I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels!”

Have a great day and thanks for all the post. Bruce

 

 

[grapau27]

15 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Good morning. We received a phone call this morning from Lynda that her DH Bill passed this morning around 3:30 💔🙏 She also said that she lost a cousin Drew earlier today. 💔🙏

   We’re leaving for Hershey around 10:00

Blessinhs and prayers to all on our lists.

I'm sorry to hear your friends sad news.

Condolences to her family and friends.

 

[ottahand7]

Good morning!  Another gray day here in Michigan.    It is 36 degrees which is fabulous for December in Michigan.    Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports Jacqui!   I was poor in math, I truly hated it.   Cookies were baked and gone a week ago.   Zimbabwe independence yeah for them.   A good quote for a good work environment.   I have been to today's port.   I will pass on the piccata and the sweet cocktail but I am quite fond of Montepulciano.   

Prayers for you Vanessa and thank you for keeping our Cares and Celebrations lists for us while enduring your pain.  @Crazy For Catssafe travels home today!   @grapau27 prayers for Pauline's DF.  Prayers for everyone on our list and the people in war zones, Ukraine, Israel and the innocents in Gaza.   Prayers for the safe return of the hostages.  

@richwmn and @Nickelpenny  Bon Voyage!!   🍾

 

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!  

 

It is a gray, gloomy morning here in mid-Michigan.  I have to do a grocery run this morning and then make spaghetti for Farkel Friday.  We are making the sauce from scratch using Mom's recipe, or what I can remember of it.  Should be some good eating.  I am going to try some of the new pasta that is supposed to be lower in carbs and we'll see how that works out.  Otherwise, it should be a quiet day.

 

@1ANGELCAT My condolences to your friends on their loss.  

@rafinmd I was a math major as well.

 

Today's meal is a vegetarian meal, but for those who prefer, you can substitute chicken for the seitan.  Seitan is a plant-based meat substitute made from wheat gluten that mimics the flavor and texture of chicken. You can buy it in many health food supermarkets, or you can make it yourself. It’s typically made out of vital wheat gluten, an ingredient that has a similar texture to flour but is mostly, well, gluten. A friendly PSA: although gluten gets a bad rap, it’s essentially pure protein. You can make seitan out of regular flour, like the TikTok trend shows, but using vital wheat gluten means you have to do a lot less kneading to develop the gluten. Seitan is often kneaded with spices and flavorings such as nutritional yeast and soy sauce as well as vegetable stock for extra flavor. Then it’s simmered in more vegetable stock until it’s firm.

 

Our first recipe comes from Delish and they like to use the whole lemon to make the piccata sauce.  That gives it an extra lemony flavor. In this one they shred the seitan like shredded chicken.    https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a35569963/vegan-piccata-recipe/

 

 

This next one is vegan and uses white wine and broth to make the piccata sauce.  https://cadryskitchen.com/seitan-piccata/

 

 

In this recipe, the seitan is breaded and fried and the sauce is based in coconut cream.  https://zenandzaatar.com/vegan-chicken-piccata-seitan/

 

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

[dfish]

We've been to Ketchikan three times.  The last time was in 2021 when the very limited restart happened.  Because we didn't have to stop in Victoria, we had a longer day in Ketchikan and we did a boat tour out to Misty Fjord.  I want Sue to paint one of these pictures for over our couch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ottahand7]

We visited Ketchikan in September 2016 on the Noordam.  It was my first HA cruise and we loved it the cruising part better than the drive and time in Denali.  We did a rubber boat ride to an Island in the Tongass National Forest and hiked through the rain forest.   My photo is with my DF Heather who lured us onto this wonderful cruise and proposed this shore excursion   The photo of the starfish is above water that is 350 feet deep.  When we headed back to the ship we passed a hidden deep water Navy submarine base.    

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

@richwmn  Rich, we know you will have a wonderful adventure in the coming months.

 

 

Lenda

 

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

@Nickelpenny  Pennie, I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

 

 

Lenda

 

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

Have a safe and wonderful Christmas.

 

Hope and prayers for many.

[Nickelpenny]

Happy Friday to All and thanks for the daily and fleet report!  I love Math and numbers so I will gladly celebrate the day.  No one to exchange cookies with (maybe with my evil twin) and congrats to Zimbabwe.  The meal looks delicious, maybe on the drink and wine, and I have been to Ketchikan. I am not a golfer and, honestly, do not like the game.

 

Well, yesterday was a very interesting trip getting here to FLL.  Got to the airport at 0400 and there already was a line to check in and the staff weren't even there yet.  Finally they came and, as I had checked in online, all I needed to do was print my luggage tag.  Done.  So sat outside drinking coffee and a woman fell coming out of a van.  I did not see it happen.  Fire trucks, ambulances, police all arrived and finally took her away.  It looked like her leg was injured.  Her family went on into the airport so I am assuming they did fly out.

 

Boarded the flight to Chicago and all of a sudden they are asking for any medical professionals.  I raised my hand and the woman next to me did also - she was a doctor.  We went to the back of the plane and assessed the patient.  Everything went ok and we continued the flight.  Got on the next plane to FLL and no problems there BUT trying to get the shuttle to the hotel - I think I could have walked here.  They told me the wrong place to stand so I didn't get to the hotel until 3 hours after arrival.  I was starved.  But the room is really nice and I would stay here again.

 

Arranged for a shuttle to take me to the port.  Right now I don't have internet on this cruise, but I may break down and get it.

 

I am excited.  Off to another adventure.

 

Thoughts for those on the care list and I will celebrate with everyone who has a reason to celebrate.

 

Have a great day everyone.  I will try and check in occasionally!!

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I was never good at math, and according to DS, it’s genetic.  
 

We made us safely to Calgary yesterday, but instead of the highways looking like normal winter driving, they were clear as mid summer.  For at least 200 miles there was absolutely no snow in the fields, making our journey look more like we were going for Thanksgiving than Christmas.  As we approached Calgary, there was some snow, but very little compared to what is normal for this time of year.  
 

A busy day in store for us, as we’ll be taking care of our 4 year old DGS, and will get his older brother off to school as well.  They only have a half day, so when we pick him up, the 4 of us will head to McDonald’s for a lunchtime treat.  I’ve been told there will be some shopping to follow.  LOL. 
 

Wishing @richwmn and @Nickelpenny Bon Voyage!

 

Yikes, it’s time to wake up the older DGS to get ready for school, but want to wish everyone a happy Friday and safe travels to those heading out for the holidays.  Peaceful thoughts to our Daily family members who are having a difficult time this year.

 

Smooth Sailing!

Gerry 🙂🙂🙂

[Crazy For Cats]

Self disembarkation started at 7:15. The line was very long but once it started moving went reasonably fast.  The line of traffic to get to the airport was extremely long and the driver took us to the arrival entrance which went quickly. I opened the Jetblue app and it said my flight was cancelled,  DH's wasn't.  I started to panic. After a few lines and people telling me no flights were cancelled a ticketing agent printed my boarding pass.  He said the app was acting up.  I'll feel better when we are on the plane and in the air.

 

[kochleffel]

I've always loved mathematics, although not enough to major in it in college. I don't have any cookies to exchange, but I think that unity in Zimbabwe is probably a good thing.

 

Looking forward to the recipes even though I can't quite fathom a piccata treatment of seitan. I have a brisket-style seitan recipe that I might make next week. The drink would be OK. No Montepulciano here so I will counter with Fulkerson Zweigelt, "An early ripening Austrian red grape variety that is soft, fruit driven and medium bodied. A dry wine with medium tannins and pleasing cherry and currant fruit flavors."

 

I've been planning to visit Fulkerson's for my birthday, which is tomorrow. It's likely to be raining then so I might go today. They occasionally hold tastings at a wine shop here in town, but always with the popular varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir), never with anything unusual like Zweigelt or even with Cabernet Franc, which grows especially well here.

I spent three days in Ketchikan during a trip on the Alaska Marine Highway System in 2021. I have lots of pictures from a photo tour and even more from a bear tour, as well as some from a Misty Fjords flight with Island Wings.

 

2 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Being from the UK we have always preferred warm weather holidays

When I've been in the UK during the summer, people have told me, "You should go to Greece where it's hot." Well, I've been to Greece in May and it was already too hot. They don't understand that Americans visit Britain in the summer to escape the heat here.

 

 

 

 

 

[travelnap]

43 minutes ago, richwmn said:

It is almost 6am in San Diego. In about 5 hours I will leave for the port to board Volendam. I hope everyone has a great weekend and holiday season.

Bon Voyage Rich, have a great cruise.

[kazu]

Vanessa @JazzyV you can take my BIL’s mother off the Care list.  She passed away at 4:30 AM.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a very cloudy Quartzsite.  So far, the predicted rain has not arrived. but looking at the radar forecast, it should get here in an hour or two.  Currently it is 59F and should reach 62F before dropping back into the 50s.  We are still under a flood watch until 6am tomorrow.  The only things on the agenda are one load of laundry and baking four pies.

 

My father and DH are good at math, but I'm okay with basic math but not the more advanced math.  We gave our neighbors their Christmas cookies last week.  Zimbabwe Unity Day is a good day to honor.

 

The Joe Rogan quote is good.

 

We'll pass on the meal and drink.  I'd prefer a tequila sunrise.  I would like to try the wine, too.

 

We have been to Ketchikan at least 15 times by cruise ship, and once on the Alaska Marine Highway, but we didn't go ashore that time.  I'll look for some pictures in a bit.

 

The formation of the United States Golf Association in 1894 is important those of our Dailyites who enjoy the game.  My grandmother gave me gold lessons, but I was never good at the game.  Miniature golf is more my speed.

 

@Crazy For Cats  Welcome home Jake and Juan.  Safe travels today.

@Suslor  Welcome home, and safe travels.

@kochleffel  Congratulations on the great grade.

@grapau27  Graham, I'm sorry Pauline's BFF had to take her DH to the hospital for a head scan.  I hope it's nothing serous.  I'm glad you and Pauline will be there for them.  Thank you for the explanations of Mathematics Day and Cookie Exchange Day.

@summer slope  Dixie, I'm glad your mouth is healing nicely.

@cat shepard  Safe travels to New England and enjoy time with your niece and nephew and their families.

@cruising sister  It sounds like you have a full day of fun planned.  It's too bad that your DDIL has to work (a four letter word) and can't join the fun.

@RMLincoln  Maureen, I hope the planned closing of your condo in Maryland goes smoothly.  We closed once closed on a house sale long distance, and it went according to plan.  Thanks for the picture of your grandnephew.  He is really keeping his eyes on someone.

@Heartgrove  Jack, thanks for the update on Sam and the good news about his condition.  He is a handsome fellow.

@0106  Tina, thank you for sharing Calvin Coolidge's quote.  We learned many years ago that Christmas was time with family not a day on the calendar.

@1ANGELCAT  Our condolences to your frim Lynda on the passing of her DH and her cousin.  I hope all goes well in Hershey today.

@aliaschief  Bruce, that is interesting about the woman on the roll call, and her dresses.  My parents had friends that booked two cabins for a world cruise -- one for them and one for their clothes.

@dfish  Debbie, I hope you can persuade Sue to paint a picture of one of the pictures you shared.

@Nickelpenny  Pennie, you had an interesting day yesterday.  I'm glad you and the doctor next to you could help the passenger with the medical problem.

@ger_77  Gerry, I'm glad you and your DH arrived safely in Calgary and did not have bad road conditions.  Enjoy your time with the family.

@kazu  Jacqui, our condolences to you, your DBIL and family on the death of his mother.  

 

I'm going to look for some different pictures of Ketchikan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

[grapau27]

16 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from a very cloudy Quartzsite.  So far, the predicted rain has not arrived. but looking at the radar forecast, it should get here in an hour or two.  Currently it is 59F and should reach 62F before dropping back into the 50s.  We are still under a flood watch until 6am tomorrow.  The only things on the agenda are one load of laundry and baking four pies.

 

My father and DH are good at math, but I'm okay with basic math but not the more advanced math.  We gave our neighbors their Christmas cookies last week.  Zimbabwe Unity Day is a good day to honor.

 

The Joe Rogan quote is good.

 

We'll pass on the meal and drink.  I'd prefer a tequila sunrise.  I would like to try the wine, too.

 

We have been to Ketchikan at least 15 times by cruise ship, and once on the Alaska Marine Highway, but we didn't go ashore that time.  I'll look for some pictures in a bit.

 

The formation of the United States Golf Association in 1894 is important those of our Dailyites who enjoy the game.  My grandmother gave me gold lessons, but I was never good at the game.  Miniature golf is more my speed.

 

@Crazy For Cats  Welcome home Jake and Juan.  Safe travels today.

@Suslor  Welcome home, and safe travels.

@kochleffel  Congratulations on the great grade.

@grapau27  Graham, I'm sorry Pauline's BFF had to take her DH to the hospital for a head scan.  I hope it's nothing serous.  I'm glad you and Pauline will be there for them.  Thank you for the explanations of Mathematics Day and Cookie Exchange Day.

@summer slope  Dixie, I'm glad your mouth is healing nicely.

@cat shepard  Safe travels to New England and enjoy time with your niece and nephew and their families.

@cruising sister  It sounds like you have a full day of fun planned.  It's too bad that your DDIL has to work (a four letter word) and can't join the fun.

@RMLincoln  Maureen, I hope the planned closing of your condo in Maryland goes smoothly.  We closed once closed on a house sale long distance, and it went according to plan.  Thanks for the picture of your grandnephew.  He is really keeping his eyes on someone.

@Heartgrove  Jack, thanks for the update on Sam and the good news about his condition.  He is a handsome fellow.

@0106  Tina, thank you for sharing Calvin Coolidge's quote.  We learned many years ago that Christmas was time with family not a day on the calendar.

@1ANGELCAT  Our condolences to your frim Lynda on the passing of her DH and her cousin.  I hope all goes well in Hershey today.

@aliaschief  Bruce, that is interesting about the woman on the roll call, and her dresses.  My parents had friends that booked two cabins for a world cruise -- one for them and one for their clothes.

@dfish  Debbie, I hope you can persuade Sue to paint a picture of one of the pictures you shared.

@Nickelpenny  Pennie, you had an interesting day yesterday.  I'm glad you and the doctor next to you could help the passenger with the medical problem.

@ger_77  Gerry, I'm glad you and your DH arrived safely in Calgary and did not have bad road conditions.  Enjoy your time with the family.

@kazu  Jacqui, our condolences to you, your DBIL and family on the death of his mother.  

 

I'm going to look for some different pictures of Ketchikan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

Thank you Lenda.

It seems to be a minor stroke.

He has been discharged with low dose aspirin and another appointment in a few weeks.

Edited December 22, 2023 by grapau27

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2013 Prinsendam Amazon Cruise.  December 22 we returned to Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

Roy

[puppycanducruise]

@RMLincoln What a cutie!  Thanks for sharing the picture.

 

 @Heartgrove Good news about Sam.

 

@0106 Great quote, thanks for posting it.