The Fleet Report and Daily for Wednesday May 8th, 2024

[cruising sister]

Good morning,

We had another brief storm this morning. We must be out of the drought. I am making dinner for my friend today. I remember all the food I got when DH and DS died and I did not feel like eating. I will make it freezer ready so they can put it away if they want to save it for another time. I felt bad when I could not eat or freeze what people brought to me. 
 

Hi @Cruisercl!  I miss you and the GA dailyites. I too am only 5 points away from 4*. Funny how you and I were one of 73 on the GA that were not 4 or 5 *. 
 

I just got notification of my 50 year high school reunion in September. I better start getting into shape!  
 

Prayers for those in need and have a great day. 

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

Happy Hump Day.

 

[kochleffel]

I knew about thalassemia, but now I know a little more about it. The name comes from Greek θάλασσα, thalassa ("sea"), referring to its having been first observed in the Mediterranean. Some countries are reducing the incidence through genetic testing and counseling.

 

No on the menu suggestion (bacon) and no on the drink (sounds awful). For the wine, Dr. Frank's Brut 2020, just released, $29.99.

 

 

[Mr. Boston]

Good morning everyone.  It’s gray and mild here with thunderstorms predicted today.  Thanks for today’s report.  Three important days to recognize,  thanks @grapau27 for the explanation of Thalassaemia, I learn so much from this crowd.

 

 I like the quote, who can resist a friend bearing chocolate?

 

The meal and drink suggestions sound very good, to me.

 

I have not been to today’s port.

Prayers for those on today’s prayer list.  Cheers to those who are celebrating happy events! 🥂

 

 

 

 

Thalassaemia
 

[1ANGELCAT]

Good sunny morning. We also had a nasty storm around 5:30 this morning, lots of lightning and thunder and rain. Cats were not happy. 
Houdini is about the same, he ate a little bit but then the storm scared him. 
Blessings and prayers to all on our journey.

[ger_77]

 Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I had no idea what the disease was - thanks for the explanation.  We have a disaster plan in place for Sochi and I wish the world was cruelty free, but that's just a pipe dream, I'm afraid.

 

The rain lasted through most of the day yesterday, but that didn't stop us from picking up Ollie and heading out to a couple of nurseries to see what they had to offer.  Right now there are lots of hanging baskets, but if we wait a couple of days, they'll be on sale for Mother's Day gifts, so we passed on most.  I didn't say all.   I purchased a package of 6 succulents - I can kill almost anything but them, so they're safe.  Succulents thrive on neglect, so they're my kind of plants.  This morning the sun is shining already and the weather station is telling us we could have a high of 20C (68) which will be great for the trees that are trying to bud out.

 

We were in Da Nang a number of years ago on the Maasdam during our S.E. Asia cruise and enjoyed it immensely - will have to look for photos.  As @Quartzsite Cruisersaid, we'd go back, given the opportunity.  I like the quote but would also add chocolate so you have a balanced diet; wine in one hand, chocolate in the other.

 

@luvteachingsending you gentle hugs as you mark your DD DH's birthday today.

@RMLincolnI hope you get good results from your colonoscopy.

@cruising sisterhow heartbreaking for your friend losing 1 of her grands, with the other in serious condition in hospital.  

@kazuI hope the "horse pills" are doing their trick on your foot.  

@marshhawkoh my gosh, I'm glad you & Chuck are safe!  You have to drive for yourself and everyone else as well!  Good luck today as you deal with his leg issues.  

 

@dfish I have to tell you yesterday's menu suggestion was dee-licious!  The combination of honey mustard (I used store-bought) and Everything Bagel seasoning was sooo good!  The chicken turned out moist and tender, and the potatoes were just as we like them - crispy and crunchy.  I must admit I didn't have cauliflower, but made corn on the cob as a vegetable, but the whole meal was a hit.  

 

I'm not sure about the drink of the day - who regularly has grape vodka in their cupboard?  I'd like the wine, and the salad sounds good as one that should be served as an evening meal on a hot summer day.  Today DH is having coffee with his band mates at Tim Horton's, so he's going to be bringing home roast beef sandwiches that we can enjoy for dinner at the kitchen table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in storms, and in turmoil.  Cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning Daily-ites 

 

Thinking of everyone who is ill, suffering hardships, pain, and loss of loved ones. 

 

Our little Oliver suffered from cruelty the first 10 months of his life. Locked in a cage with 3 other 🐕, flea bitten and loss of hair. The hoarder was arrested in Dallas area. She had about 60 dogs caged, several dead in their cages, faked pedigree paperwork, I hope she's still in jail in her own cage.

Here's sweet Ollie on his adoption day:

 

 

Today I have Claudio coming to look at our magnolia tree. It started off looking great with lots of buds, then started dropping and lost the buds. Claudio thinks it has a disease from so much rain. It's my favorite tree and hope he can save it.

 

My girlfriend is dropping off 2 of her little charges for a few hours this morning while she leads a class. Moji and Bean.. 

 

Speaking of... I was given the name of a pet sitter for the first week we are gone. She sounds so friendly and dog loving. We are planning to get together in the next few weeks so I can see the arrangements. I'm bringing my above mentioned BFF who is a wonderful dog whisperer, who will take Oliver for the rest of our 53 cruise days.

 

I think of @kazu at the last minute finding Ivan a sitter. It's a relief knowing you leave your pet in good hands.

 

I'm not sure what will be on our dinner table tonight. I just made sautéed spinach with bacon so it won't be today's dish.

 

Wishing everyone an eventful day. Blessings!

[grapau27]

20 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Good morning Daily-ites 

 

Thinking of everyone who is ill, suffering hardships, pain, and loss of loved ones. 

 

Our little Oliver suffered from cruelty the first 10 months of his life. Locked in a cage with 3 other 🐕, flea bitten and loss of hair. The hoarder was arrested in Dallas area. She had about 60 dogs caged, several dead in their cages, faked pedigree paperwork, I hope she's still in jail in her own cage.

Here's sweet Ollie on his adoption day:

 

 

Today I have Claudio coming to look at our magnolia tree. It started off looking great with lots of buds, then started dropping and lost the buds. Claudio thinks it has a disease from so much rain. It's my favorite tree and hope he can save it.

 

My girlfriend is dropping off 2 of her little charges for a few hours this morning while she leads a class. Moji and Bean.. 

 

Speaking of... I was given the name of a pet sitter for the first week we are gone. She sounds so friendly and dog loving. We are planning to get together in the next few weeks so I can see the arrangements. I'm bringing my above mentioned BFF who is a wonderful dog whisperer, who will take Oliver for the rest of our 53 cruise days.

 

I think of @kazu at the last minute finding Ivan a sitter. It's a relief knowing you leave your pet in good hands.

 

I'm not sure what will be on our dinner table tonight. I just made sautéed spinach with bacon so it won't be today's dish.

 

Wishing everyone an eventful day. Blessings!

Nice photo Joy.

It is so sad sweet Oliver suffered in his early life but he is so lucky to have you and Allen now.

 

[kochleffel]

The AP is reporting that a crew member on the Norwegian Encore was arrested by the FBI at Juneau after attacking crew members and a passenger while the ship was en route from Seattle. The report says that the crew member was seen trying to deploy a lifeboat and taken to the medical center, where he attacked a guard and a nurse, then stabbed another patient and two crew members with scissors. It says that he was taken to a "shipboard jail" and kept there until the ship docked at Juneau.

 

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-cruise-scissors-stabbing-ce9014b648531bdc4832a5fe44d6d8b2

[rafinmd]

7 minutes ago, kochleffel said:

The AP is reporting that a crew member on the Norwegian Encore was arrested by the FBI at Juneau after attacking crew members and a passenger while the ship was en route from Seattle. The report says that the crew member was seen trying to deploy a lifeboat and taken to the medical center, where he attacked a guard and a nurse, then stabbed another patient and two crew members with scissors. It says that he was taken to a "shipboard jail" and kept there until the ship docked at Juneau.

 

https://apnews.com/article/alaska-cruise-scissors-stabbing-ce9014b648531bdc4832a5fe44d6d8b2

Wow!

 

Roy

Edited May 8 by rafinmd

[rafinmd]

Thank you Rich, Jacqui, Vanessa, Ann, Debbie, and Dixie.  Three great days to celebrate and may we get more research on Thalassemia.

I like the quote.

A great day in WW2 history.  I visited Da Nang in 2012 on the Zaandam.  My pictures would be much like Quartzsite Cruisers from the Citatel.

I’ll pass on the meal.  My alternative is Fruit Salad with Yogurt and Honey, Orange and Radiccio Salad and Beechers Macaroni and Cheese which would have been my choices April 22, 2014 if I had not dined in Canaletto.

Summer heat will be back today. Aliaschief’s video brings back memories of several great safaries, mostly with Rovos Rail but also a simple one while I was in Cape Town in 2014 between disembarking Crystal Serenity and boarding MS Amsterdam.

Roy

 

[JazzyV]

Good morning. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily. 

I've known folks with Thalassemia, but thankfully Thal Minor, which is less severe. Those with animals should have a disaster plan, and every day should be cruelty free. Very true quote. I'll pass on the meal (don't like raw spinach), drink and maybe on the wine. I haven't been to Da Nang. I'll salute V-E day.

 

It's sunny and 73F already. What a night! Severe storms woke me up around 2AM. Somehow I missed the tornado warning. There was one in the WV panhandle and one east of me, but neither that close. There were some trees down around here and power outages (not me). I slept pretty well, considering the storms. I had a little tingling in my leg, that I think is positional. The neurosurgeon said the pain would go away right after surgery, but the tingling could take up to a year. This was very minor and hasn't occurred with being out of bed. BFF is doing pretty good. Another friend is bringing him dinner tonight. Tomorrow we go to the Ortho doc to see what the plan is. Getting him in and out of my SUV will be fun, not.

 

@kazu Prayers the antibiotics are working and that you have less pain.

@luvteaching Thinking of you today on DD DH's birthday.

@MISTER 67 I'm glad you only have Thalassemia Minor, not Major.

@StLouisCruisers Good luck with your prep for your trip.

@aliaschief Enjoy dinner with the Captain and your upcoming off ship tour.

@marshhawk I'm glad you and DH are ok! It takes a while to settle yourself after one of those near misses caused by someone's poor driving. Good luck to DH with his appointments today.

@dfish Sorry to hear about all the rigamarole regarding getting your nerve ablation.

@Quartzsite Cruiser Thanks for the photos from Hue.

@Seasick Sailor Oliver is so lucky you became his parents!

@kochleffel Wow on that AP report. It sounds like some type of mental illness may be involved.

@rafinmd Thanks for today's maps.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those Celebrating.

[GTVCRUISER]

Have a Good Day 🙂 

[luvteaching]

Good morning, 

 

We have sunshine and that's all I see in the forecast for at least a week! Highs in the mid-high 70's by the weekend. 

Thanks for all the good thoughts on DD DH's heavenly birthday today. It's the first one so we'll see how I do. So far so good. He loved his hummingbirds so I'll wear my hummingbird socks and earrings in his honor today and have some salmon with the brown sugar glaze for dinner. His fave was meatloaf but not mine so we'll go with his second favorite. So far I'm doing fine and I hope it stays that way. It's also our great-granddaughter's first birthday so keeping that at the forefront of my thoughts. 

Off to the pool, a few errands, and I'm looking after the puppy dog, Bella, next door until Sunday. Plenty to keep me busy. 

 

Karen

[puppycanducruise]

@luvteaching Hugs to you as you remember your DD DH.

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

A great selection of days.  I think I'll pass on the drink (don't care for grape flavor), the wine (Pino Noir) and the meal.  I would like it with bacon, just not the eggs.  I like eggs, but not with everything. I haven't been to Viet Nam -- DH was stationed in Phu Bai during the Viet Nam war and hasn't been back since.

 

Annie @marshhawk That was interesting to learn about giving nursing mother cats kitten food -- I was skeptical so Googled it -- it's true!  I learn something every day.  And GRR about that careless (I'm being kind) driver who cut you off and nearly caused an accident.  I've always said that stress raises blood sugar.  I can take my blood sugar right before leaving for my labs and the number will be fine.  After just driving to the clinic (in this crazy traffic) their result is much higher.  They tested my glucometer so it isn't that.  

 

Debbie @dfish I like the plans you have for your yard.  About Amber -- I learned that she's most likely had untreated high blood pressure for a long time, and had a lot of stress (money, etc.).  She was one of those who didn't like going to the doctor 😞  (I'm sure that will change now).  She's only 41, very scary.  

 

Lorraine @cruising sister Congrats on being only 5 points from 4 star!  I miss seeing you every day and the other Dailyites on the GA.  Hoping you do decide to do the '26 GWV -- we got Caron's cabin lol.

 

Paul @kochleffel Yikes about the Norwegian crew member!  It seems that maybe the cruise line didn't check him out well before hiring.  😞  

 

Vanessa @JazzyV That's good that the surgeon told you the tingling is normal up to a year post surgery.  Glad that your BFF is doing ok!

 

This afternoon the neighborhood ladies and I will be getting together for our first afternoon chat this year.  It's supposed to be a beautiful day, and will be in my yard.  One of them didn't realize I'd been back for a month now, we have a lot to catch up on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kochleffel]

8 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

That was interesting to learn about giving nursing mother cats kitten food -- I was skeptical so Googled it -- it's true

 

Yes. Also, when Sasha became hyperthyroid and started losing weight, the veterinarian suggested feeding her kitten food until we received the topical medication, which is formulated individually for the cat.

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

It is 68°F and sunny here.

We called at a few different local beaches this afternoon.

We watched the Newcastle to Amsterdam DFDS cruise ferry leaving Newcastle.

[durangoscots]

Good morning. Sunny today but still rather brisk. I am sorting, tossing and trying to coordinate with the California group as I have to go to the bank with Margaret this afternoon to get access to the safety deposit box. Her Mom put me on it as a back up and that is good thing since otherwise we could not get into it and I think the original of her Mom's will is in there. It would speed up probate. Meanwhile lots of stuff is being tagged for the Thrift Store or the dump. Electronics... old... are headed to recycling. She still needs to do a walk through of the other condo I will

be so glad when all this is done.

 

Off to do more work.... toss, toss, toss.

 

Susan

 

 

[smitty34877]

@luvteachingKaren, I will be thinking of you today as you remember you DD DH on his birthday. It is so nice that your great granddaughter shares the birthday!

@grapau27, Graham, the beaches look especially beautiful today. Thank you for taking us there.

@marshhawk, Annie, thank goodness you are both ok but that was a close call. I am thinking of you both a lot as you navigate this difficult territory. Hugs to all. Enjoy those kittens!

 

I am bleary eyed from lack of sleep and am returning to bed . Not a good day but we will get through it.

Take care out there.

[grapau27]

13 minutes ago, smitty34877 said:

@luvteachingKaren, I will be thinking of you today as you remember you DD DH on his birthday. It is so nice that your great granddaughter shares the birthday!

@grapau27, Graham, the beaches look especially beautiful today. Thank you for taking us there.

@marshhawk, Annie, thank goodness you are both ok but that was a close call. I am thinking of you both a lot as you navigate this difficult territory. Hugs to all. Enjoy those kittens!

 

I am bleary eyed from lack of sleep and am returning to bed . Not a good day but we will get through it.

Take care out there.

Thank you Terry.

Fred Olsen Balmoral just leaving Newcastle.

[superoma]

My chestnut tree is in full bloom. The bees are starting to find it. Once they all know it is ready you will hear a buzz when standing under the tree. If you are on iPad or a phone you can enlarge the picture to see the masses of blooms. They don’t show well just on the picture. Sadly, not edible chestnuts.

 

Edited May 8 by superoma
Spelling

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!
 

Well we’re recovering from a wonderful celebration. It’s been an intense four years, so proud, DS won one of the major awards for graduands.  He won the Chancellor’s award last year.  He has actually officiated his first wedding.  
 

 

Edited May 8 by bennybear

[bennybear]

For the flower club 

 

 

[USN59-79]

A beautiful, sunny day here.  Just got back from a dental appointment.  I spent nine months at Danang in 1972 as the Vietnam war was winding down.  I was the Electronics Repair Officer on the USS Hector (AR-7), a repair ship that was docked there repairing U.S. Navy ships.  Thought you all might like a war story from that time.

My next door neighbor was a chief electronics technician on a Navy destroyer in the area, the USS Higbee.  I noticed in the morning message traffic that his ship had been bombed by North Vietnamese Migs and would be coming alongside for emergency repair.  I noticed that one of the twin 5" gun mounts was completely opened up by bomb damage, like a blooming tulip.  I met him when he came aboard our ship and mentioned that the message didn't say anything about casualties and I couldn't imaging how anyone could survive in that gun mount.  He said that it was actually a kind of miracle.  That gun had been firing at the Migs and had a hang fire.  Standard procedure is to evacuate the gun mount when that happens.  The bomb hit when when everyone was out.  It started a fire, but also cut a salt water main that put out the fire.  So no serious injuries.  Incidentally, if you google USS Higbee you can see pictures of the battle damage.

One thing we worried about at Danang was swimmers attaching an explosive to our ship at night.

So we would get under way at night and steam up and down the coast of Vietnam at five knots and come back in the morning.  I had qualified as Officer of the Deck for underway steaming, so I stood a lot of night watches driving the ship at that time.  I learned how to handle the ship by training on a tug boat.  Both our ship and tug boats have twin screws, so you learn what happens with something like "port engine ahead one third, starboard engine back two thirds, right standard rudder" when you are docking the ship without thrusters or other assistance.

Sorry for the sea stories, but Danang brings back a lot of memories.

Ray