Have Great Flights to Athens!

We had the idea that as more of us retired, it'd be easier to schedule get-togethers. 

Unfortunately, if this summer is an example, it isn't going to work out that way. Today was one of the first times that our six-member 'duck group' would be able to meet as Ed and Shinji head off for a Mediterranean cruise tomorrow morning. Before they get back, we leave for a month trip to Eastern Europe.  Now everyone seems to be on the go.

   

It was one of the best weather days so far of the summer.  Unfortunately, Jiwan, who's only been back for a few days from Nepal, wasn't feeling well enough to join us. It seems as though our next time as a complete team will occur either at the beginning of July or perhaps August. 

That didn't diminish the fun of having the guys over for a late lunch.  We had a little swimming pool time and Jay created a nice lunch with chicken curry, salmon, fried rice, and a salad.  Oh, there was a  chocolate-coffee pudding and ice cream for dessert.   

Tim and all of us had some time to catch up on some news.  Ed and Shinji headed off to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for an evening performance.  They all left at around 6:15 pm.   It never seems as though we have enough time at a meet-up.

Sunshine and Blue Sky

Yay.  We've been back in Canada for about seven weeks but this is the first day I put on shorts in the morning! Even though I manage to avoid wearing long pants during our winters away, today felt great.

The weather forecast shows a stretch of spring high pressure hanging around for a day or two.  How auspicious to have it occur on a weekend!  More people will be able to enjoy it this way.

Generally, we go grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. However, tomorrow some friends will be visiting from before lunch until late afternoon.  

We went to the Lougheed Superstore in Coquitlam, BC. They always have a temporary garden center during spring and summer in a portion of their parking lot.  Today, although we didn't want to purchase anything, we had to walk through to see the brightly-coloured flowers and plants.

It'd be hard not to be happy and optimistic when the weather is so cooperative!

Running Water!

Thank you, Suresh! Having a sink with running water and a working dishwasher seem like a miracle. Out of habit, I may still walk towards the bathroom sink when I need to fill a water bottle. That is no longer necessary this afternoon. 

   

We found out we needed new kitchen countertop when pulling out the old sink and faucet on April 11th. Since that time there's been a hole, then new quartz countertop, and finally an undermount sink and new faucet. Yet it didn't all get connected to water and sewer until a few hours ago.

Being grateful for the little things in modern life is important.

195 Nights at Sea

This is the most recently-updated record of our complete cruise history.  I found that keeping track of our comings and goings helps us recall key events. I add updated information to a blog post after returning from a new cruise experience.

---

Cruise #16

April / May 2024 - The Inside Passage: Ketchikan, AK and Prince Rupert, BC

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Noordam - 5 Nights

Cruise #15

December 2023 - Sri Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi to Dubai

MSC Opera - 3 Nights

Cruise #14

July 2023 - Alaskan Inside Passage

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Volendam - 7 Nights

Cruise #13

May 2023 - Pacific Northwest: Astoria, OR; Seattle, WA; and Victoria, BC

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Noordam - 5 Nights

Cruise #12

March 2023 - Rio de Janeiro, Islands in Brazil, and Montevideo, Uruguay 

Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires

MSC Musica - 9 Nights

Cruise #11

November/December 2022 - Panama Canal, Inca & South America Discovery

Miami to Buenos Aires

ms Oosterdam - 31 Nights    

Cruise #10

September 2022 - Alaskan Inside Passage for Jay's Birthday

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Zuiderdam - 7 Nights

Cruise #09

July/August 2022 - Viking Passage: Iceland and Greenland 

Copenhagen to Boston

ms Nieuw Statendam - 18 Nights

Cruise #08

September 2019 -  Canada / New England Discovery

Boston to Montreal

ms Veendam - 7 Nights

Cruise #07

July 2019 - Alaskan Inside Passage for my 60th Birthday

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Nieuw Amsterdam - 7 Nights 

 

Cruise #06

September/October/November 2017 - Trans-Pacific to Australia and New Zealand

Vancouver to Auckland

ms Noordam - 42 Nights

Cruise #05

August/September 2017 - The Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas

Rome to Rome

ms Westerdam - 24 Nights

 

Cruise #04

June 2016 - The Baltic Sea / St. Petersburg, Russia 

Copenhagen to Copenhagen

(New) Regal Princess - 11 Nights

 

Cruise #03

February 2008 - The Mexican Riviera 

Los Angeles to Los Angeles

Carnival Pride - 7 Nights

 

Cruise #02

May 2006 - Pacific Coastal Cruise 

San Diego to Vancouver

ms Veendam - 5 Nights     

Cruise #01

May 2001 - Alaskan Inside Passage / Hubbard Glacier 

Vancouver to Vancouver

Regal Princess - 7 Nights

Waiting and Waiting

Today's Sink Update:

The Home Depot installers were supposed to get us up and running this morning. The subcontractor however was not a certified plumber and couldn't do the job because, of course, some changes to the the pipes and connections are needed. I didn't know there was a distinction between sink installers and plumbers!  They knew we had asked not to reinstall our old garburator anyway, so we're not impressed. We spent two hours in the Surrey Home Depot that's across the river. As it stands we're waiting to hear when they will be able to schedule someone who can complete the job. Sigh.

Including the Kitchen Sink

We are a large step closer to having a kitchen sink again.

Last month, when installing a new sink and faucet, we discovered that a water leak had wrecked the old laminate. We ordered new counters at the Home Depot in Surrey. Because of a weekend, it took five days for the laser measurement guy to get the dimensions for our little, galley-style kitchen. That was around three weeks ago. 

 

Being without a kitchen sink, or dishwasher has been a hassle.  We've coped and luckily have been away for five of those nights on a trip.  It is now routine to get water from our nearby bathroom.  However, it will be very welcomed when things are back to normal.  Today, the two pieces of quartz counter top were installed. The appointment was for 1:30 pm but they arrived early and had finished by that time. 

We're waiting to see if the original plumbing team will come tomorrow at their rescheduled appointment time in the afternoon. There's a chance they might be able to fit us in after a job today. It really doesn't matter as we've learned to get by and another 12 hours won't really make much of a difference.

Day 6 - Disembarkation

 

Last night's sunset occurred as we were finishing dinner in the dining room. The 'food crew' had done the rounds singing and thanking guests of the Noordam for choosing Holland America. As we were already on Deck 3, we simply walked to the outer deck space. This happened at about 8:50 pm in some desolate place north of Campbell River, BC.

   

Jay, the 1900 guests, 850 staff, and I noted the weather had been exceptionally clear for the prior five days. The sunset proved that we were going south, southeast into some cloud cover. 

When we awoke in Vancouver Harbour, it was overcast. The only other ship calling today is Holland America's ms Niewu Amsterdam.

   

My alarm rang at 7:00 but I set it to snooze for an extra ten minutes. We are now HAL 4-Star Mariners. One new perk is that we no longer have to pick a disembarkation time. We get the black luggage tags and can leave the ship from the time its cleared until 9:30 am, which is when everybody who's not continuing a cruise must vacate.

 

 

We leisurely had our last breakfast of the cruise on the Lido deck and walked off the ship at close to 9 o'clock. We'd shared one large suitcase which was waiting in the terminal and rolled it about 500 meters onto the SkyTrain. It takes around 35 minutes for the SkyTrain to reach our station and we have a door directly into our apartment building. So we were home before it finally started to rain.