Smoked Salmon for Dinner

 Good morning,

It's smoking season here at our home and Kjell has dived right in.

He smoked that side of salmon and we enjoyed it for two days. 

 I age mine straight with some cole slaw on the side.

 Kjell ate his on a bun with cream cheese.

So, so good!

What are you grilling/smoking this summer?

All the best,

Lois

First Marigold from Seed

 Good morning,

This beauty is blooming on our front porch.  

Early in the Spring I sprinkled Marigold seeds in two of the pots on the porch.  These turned out to be very tall plants and the first big bloom has opened.

How pretty!

Enjoy,

Lois

Day Lilies in Bloom

 Good morning,

The orange Day Lilies are in bloom again.  They are quite pretty, but they are also very invasive. 

 During the years when I could actually dig in the ground and garden, I kept them under control by moving them to spots where I wanted them to grow and working hard to plant other things everywhere else they wanted to grow.

 Just the fact that they are growing and blooming brings such joy!  I love all the color.

What is blooming now where you live? 

All the best,

Lois

Lily Leads a Dog's Life

 Good morning,

Lily lives a dog's life here.  She's two now and is settling down which is wonderful.  As much as we love this little character, the first two years have been constantly:

"Where is Lily?"

"What does Lily have in her mouth?"

"Lily, leave your sister alone!"

"Lily, take that possum outside!"

"Lily, leave your toys inside!"

"Lily, we love you!"

*sigh*

Yep, the first two years are very busy....

Lois

More Patio Blossoms

 Good morning,

The patio blossoms just keep coming and I love it! 

 The colors are beautiful!

 These flowers are from seeds that I receive in the mail from charities.  Each year we donate to our favorite charities and some send packets of seeds that I enjoy planting in the Spring.

Such pretty little flowers!

All the best,

Lois

Kjell's Beef Stew

 Good morning,

Kjell made dinner again!  This is his beef stew that we enjoyed with my home made bread.

It's a quick meal that is yummy all year round.

Enjoy!

Lois

Wild Flowers on the Patio

 Good morning,

My back has limited my gardening to the patio these days, but that doesn't keep me from enjoying beautiful flowers. 

 Each Spring I sprinkle seeds into patio pots, then watch Mother Nature bring us these beauties.

Sadly, our baby pup Lily decided to limit me to only one flower pot this year.  She did a little gardening of her own on the other two pots that had sprouting seeds.  I should be grateful this one survived!

;),

Lois

Back to Chops - Serenade of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica enjoyed one more meal at Chops aboard Serenade of the Seas during the Alaskan Cruise. 

 All good things much come to an end, BUT, another cruise is coming soon!

Stand by!

Lois

Light House - Serenade Alaska Inside Passage Cruise

 Good morning,

Here's another lovely image from Catherine's Serenade of the Seas cruise to Alaska's Inside Passage.

I just love all the blue and the feeling of calm.

Enjoy,

Lois

Towel Duckie

 Good morning,

Catherine's cabin attendant aboard Serenade of the Seas must have been extra busy the week she was there because they only received two towel animals in their suite.  

We recognize this guy!  What a cute duckie!

Such fun!

Thanks for the images, Catherine!

Love you,

Mom

Alaska

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica took their cruise in Alaska in June.  I get a kick out of all of the warm weather gear everyone is wearing.  We were roasting during an unusually hot week down here on the mainland that week!

Lovely!

Lois

Panning for Gold in Alaska

 Good morning,

A shore excursion in Alaska gives guests a chance to pan for gold!  Of course, Catherine and Erica had to give it a try. 

 Accommodations for gold miners were basic to say the least!

 Catherine said they had a great time and she even brought home some tiny flakes of gold.  It was not quite enough for her next cruise.  ;) 

Fun!

Lois

Officers - Serenade of the Seas

 Good morning,

Images of officers and crew of Serenade of the Seas are displayed on board.

Back in the "old days" before daily planners were available on smart phones, images and a short resume about each officer were printed on the planners delivered to cabins.

Times change!

Lois

Serenade of the Seas - Alaska

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica sent me this image (and many others) from their recent cruise to Alaska aboard Serenade of the Seas.

The small fishing towns they visited remind me so much of Norway.

Beautiful!

All the best,

Lois

Serenade of the Seas in Prince Rupert BC, Canada

 Good morning,

What a beautiful ship!  This is Serenade of the Seas in Prince Rupert, BC, Canada.

I love the lines of these "smaller" ships!

Enjoy,

Lois

Tracy Arm Fjords and Glacier

 Good morning,

While experiencing July weather here on the USA mainland, it's fun to see these images of ice flows.  These images are from Catherine and Erica's Alaskan cruise aboard Serenade of the Seas just last month. 

 These beautiful scenes remind me of the Norwegian Fjords.

 

Spectacular!

Enjoy!

Lois

Back to Izumi

 Good morning,

The images of great food just keep coming from Catherine and Erica's cruise aboard Serenade of the Seas in Alaska.

Above is green tea ice cream.  I've had this.  Oh, yes, it's good! 

 Everything is beautifully presented and delicious!

 Sashimi!  

 Beef Teriyaki.  Yes, I would also eat at Izumi often during a cruise.

It all looks fantastic!

Enjoy!  Thanks for sharing the images.  Now, please send food!

Lois

Happy Birthday - United States of America!

Happy 249th Birthday
United States of America

Image:  Old Glory on I-95 just South of St. Petersburg,  Florida

Prince Rupert, BC, Canada

 Good morning,

Erica shared these images of Prince Rupert, BC, Canada, with us. 

 The artwork is beautiful!

 Fishing boats. The people who work these boats bring us the freshest, most delicious seafood!

Ah, yes, they could send us some cooler weather to the US mainland right now, too. 

:),

Lois

Healthy Snacks

 Good morning,

It's the small touches that Royal Caribbean does so well.

Healthy, refreshing snacks are delivered to suites and are so very welcome! 

Maybe not as healthy, but oh, so lovely and yummy, too!

Enjoy,

Lois

Image credit:  Catherine and Erica 

Izumi Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica had several meals at Izumi, the Japanese Restaurant aboard Serenade of the Seas.

Above is Konkatsu Ramen. 

 This is Champagne Lobster Roll.  This would definitely be my choice!

Oh, goodness, the cruise is worth it just for the food!

Enjoy,

Lois

Sitka, Alaska, Harbor

 Good morning,

What a lovely place!  I'm sure we could use some of that lovely cool air from Alaska down here on the mainland right now!

Thank you to Catherine and Erica for the images from their Alaskan Cruise aboard Serenade of the Seas.

Enjoy,

Lois

Eagle in Alaska

 Good morning,

Look who is in charge here in Sitka, Alaska!

Erica zoomed in on this fellow and shared this image with us.

So very cool!

Thanks!

Lois

Flowers in Sitka, Alaska

 Good morning,

June is beautiful in Alaska!   

 There are so many pretty flowers!  The blue flowers above appear to be Japanese Iris.  We used to have them here at home in Ohio, but one year they just didn't return.  It's lovely to see them here.

Thank you for the images, Erica and Catherine! 

Enjoy!

Lois

Radiance of the Seas - Sitka, Alaska

 Good morning,

Radiance of the Seas is tied up on Sitka, Alaska, in this image.  Catherine and Erica are cruising aboard her sister ship, Serenade of the Seas.  

The twin ships are on very similar itineraries so they see each other often on the journey.

Beautiful!

Lois

Radiance of the Seas in Alaska

 Good morning,

The scenery in Alaska is so beautiful!  I have more pictures from Catherine and Erica!  Thank you!

This is an image of Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas taken from Serenade of the Seas. 

We could use some of that cool air on the mainland right now!

Enjoy,

Lois

Red Porch Lilies

 Good morning,

Our Red Porch Lilies are gorgeous again this year! 

 I filled two pots on the porch with these several years ago and they return year after year with very little care (intrusion) from me!  

 We can enjoy them from the living room and dining room, too.  The image above is through the dining room french doors.  Since taking this picture, I've gone out and removed the Virginia Creeper that is trying to take over my life.  The pot to the left of the lilies is filled with Marigolds growing from seeds.  Marigold blossoms coming soon.  There are matching pots of lilies and marigolds on the other side of the steps.

Happy Summer!

Lois