Welcome to Halifax

 Good morning,

Independence of the Seas' first call was Halifax, NS. 

 The weather could not have been more beautiful.

Thanks to Erica for sharing your images.  Catherine also shared images that are yet to come.

Love you!

Mom and Dad

Happy 250 Birthday USA!

 

Happy Birthday, USA!

Home of the Free Because of the Brave 

Good Night from Independence of the Seas

 Good Night from Independence of the Seas.  

 Photo credit:  Our friend Erica

 

 

Great Food Aboard Independence of the Seas

 Good morning,

Here are just a few images of the great food served aboard Independence of the Seas.  Above is a BBQ sandwich served on boarding day. 

 Soups are made on board.  Yummmmm.

 Main dinner course Beef Bourguignon.  

Soup at another meal....

The great food just keeps coming!

I think I've gained five pounds just looking at the images....

Yum!

:),

Lois

Foggy Morning

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica's cruise began in New York and headed North to Halifax, Nova Scotia.   It was very foggy the first morning, so the fog horn was sounded every few minutes.

I find the umbrella artwork on the lower deck in the image to be most appropriate! 

 Enjoy!

Lois

Welcome Aboard!

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica's cruise aboard Independence of the Seas got off to a great start.  When they arrived at their stateroom, they were greeted by treats for people who are Loyal to Royal.  

 Ah, yes, our years at sea were wonderful.   

There is so much more to come!

Enjoy,

Lois 

 

 

Independence of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are on the high seas again!  They are being kind enough to share their images from Independence of the Seas.

It's fun to sail with them via their images.  Kjell worked for Royal Caribbean for nearly 32 years and I sailed with him for the last 20.  All of these images bring back great times at sea!

More to come!  Watch this space!

Lois

Indoor Garden - African Violet Update

 Good morning,

My African Violet in the butler's pantry continues to produce more and more blossoms!  Needless to say, she is very happy here.

Lovely!

Lois

Daylilies in Bloom

 Good morning,

This was the week for the Daylilies! 

 These came with the property 48 years ago and they continue to delight us every year.  

Enjoy!

Lois

Wild Flowers

 Good morning,

Each Spring I scatter flower seeds in a large pot on my patio.  They're different kinds of seeds, just ones I happen to have available. 

 Here are just a few of them beginning to bloom.  There will be more!  

I just love this!

Enjoy,

Lois

Sushi Night for Father's Day

 Good morning,

Last week we celebrated Father's Day on Thursday rather than Sunday.  We have found it to be much more relaxing to avoid the actual holiday when we eat out to celebrate.  It was fun that our friend Erica was able to join us, too

One of our favorite restaurants is Tokyo where the sushi and everything else is delicious.

So, Happy Father's Day again, Kjell!  

Love you,

Lois and Catherine

Lily's Weekend

 Good morning,

Look what Lily brought home last weekend!

Our baby Lily and her trainer/our daughter Catherine are training and showing in Agility at our local AKC dog club.  

Lily is a real goof ball so for her to get a ribbon is a big deal!  We are so very proud of her!  Catherine, you're getting our goof ball under control!

Congrats and love you both!

Mom

May I Have Your Attention Please

 Good morning,

That's Elsa's sweet face.  When she wants my attention, she calmly rests her chin on my knee.  Of course, I stop whatever I'm doing and make time for cuddles.

She's seven years old now and is such a precious pup.

All three of our dogs are special and are so very different.  It's Elsa's quiet loyalty that melts the heart.  I wish they could all live forever.

All the best,

Lois

Summer Salad

 Good morning,

Oh, so good!  And, so pretty, too.

I just love Summer Salads!

All the best,

Lois

Happy Father's Day1

 Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers out there, especially My Honey, Kjell...

 

...our son, Les, father of our two beautiful grandchildren...

...our son, Don, father to four beautiful grandchildren... 

...and my wonderful Father (rip) who I miss every day.

Love to all,

Lois

Kalancohe on the Patio

 Good morning,

The kalancohe that I am rooting in a new pot is loving the patio!  

 I just love these blossoms.  I'll be sure to take more cuttings to take inside in the Fall, too.

How is your garden growing?

All the best,

Lois

It's a Dog's Life

 Good morning,

Lily is enjoying a pillow and blanket on the couch as she waits for Catherine to get home.

Catherine snuggles with the pups on the couch - a favorite part of the day for everyone.

Sweet!

:),

Lois

Another Bread Day - Brown Sugar and Cottage Cheese

 Good morning,

This batch of bread is a little different from most.  I used cottage cheese and brown sugar to produce a very soft, sweet bread.  

Adding a milk product to the bread creates the soft, richness of my bread.

Yum!

Lois

Fried Shrimp on My Bread - A Norwegian Style Treat

 Good morning,

This was another joint venture dinner. 

Kjell made the pan fried (in butter and herbs!) shrimp and I made the bread.  Kroger made the real mayonnaise.

It was a tasty, light Spring dinner.

Yum!

Lois

Kjell's Herb Garden

 Good morning,

Kjell's herb garden is growing like crazy this year!  He has planted all sorts of herbs in the center shelves and flowers on top.  What will be really fun will be the sunflower growing on that top shelf!

The container on the bottom holds water for his auto watering system. The system is powered by a solar panel - see top left.  Tubes run behind the plant stand into each of the containers so water is delivered on a regular basis.  It works, that's for sure!

I took this image just before our friend Bill arrived and cleared away all of the weeds, but it's still a neat picture.  ;)

Lois

Lily's Sweet Innocent Smile

 Hi!  I'm Lily! 

 I have such a sweet smile, don't I, but I got into big trouble recently.  

You see, I really love my family.  I love my family so much that I sometimes bonk them in the face when getting on a lap for cuddles.

I bonked Mom in the mouth about six weeks ago.  I didn't feel a thing because I have a very hard head.  I could tell her tooth really hurt then and continued to hurt until Friday night when she was eating a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.  I know this to be true because I was watching her eat as I always do.

All of a sudden there was a "clink" on her plate.  What could it be?  Bacon doesn't clink.

It seems Mom's front tooth caused the clink.  I must have cracked her tooth six weeks ago and it finally gave way to a BLT.

Of course, it's a weekend.  Mom has a message into the dentist so she can get her tooth fixed.  

I didn't mean to hurt Mom.  I love her.  Mom said I'm lucky I am so cute.... I'm sure she still loves me.

Love,

Lily (Lois' baby girl)

Flag Day - United States of America

 Flag Day - United States of America

 Image taken from car (passenger seat) on the way to Florida in 2024.

Grilled Lamb Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine is our grilling expert.  She prepared lamb leg, buttered cabbage, potatoes, mushrooms, and spinach salad.  This meal would rival one in a gourmet restaurant. 

I was a member of the clean plate club!

Thank you, Catherine,

Mom & Dad

Flowers at the Hair Salon

 Good morning,

These flowers outside our hair salon are so pretty that I had to take a picture.  I'm sure the clover is a volunteer.  I just love the color of the purple pansies!

Enjoy!

Lois

Bread Day

 Good morning,

About three times a week I make bread.  Above is how the dough looks after the first rise in the oven with just the oven light turned on for a little heat.  I make bread in batches for two loaves at a time.  

 I use what I find available when I make bread.  This batch is brown sugar and sour cream so is very rich and soft.

Oh, this is good!

Enjoy,

Lois

Oh, no, Mr. Turtle!

 Good morning,

I got out of the car and saw this!  It seems Lily left Mr. Turtle outside and he didn't make it across the driveway.

Not to worry, Mr. Turtle is just fine.  In fact, Lily came out to greet us when we got home and didn't seem to mind at all that Mr. Turtle has been stopped in his tracks.

I'm not sure which is worse for Mr. Turtle, being under the car tire or being the object of tug a war with the pups. 

All is well now,

Lois

Jungle Jim's

 Good morning,

We took our new car out for a spin and drove up to Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. 

 When I was a child, Jungle Jim's was a roadside farmer's market.

 Now it's a complex of stores and entertainment centers.

 It took us awhile to find the Scandinavian section.  They moved it since the last time we were there.

Kjell stocked up on favorites from his homeland, Norway:  fish balls, caviar, and other goodies.

A trip to Jungle Jim's is as entertaining as it is important to find comfort foods from across The Pond.

If you have time and inclination, take a took at Jungle Jim's Web site.  

Enjoy!

Lois

African Violet

 Good morning,

This lovely African Violet is living in the window in our butler's pantry.  

This sweet plant barely survived the winter in our dining room inside the french doors.  I popped the few leaves that survived into this glass dish and wow!   

 I took this image about one week earlier when the first blossom appeared.

It's so pretty I'm sharing....

Lois

Why, Amazon, Why?

 Good morning,

It was raining.  

We have a portico roof over our front porch.   

Amazon delivered packages.  

Amazon left a package outside the covered porch in the rain.

Why?

*sigh*

At least we were home and saw it on our security system so rescued the package before it was soaked....

Lois

Porch Lilies in Bloom

 Good morning,

I planted these lilies 14 or 15 years ago.  I have two pots of them on my front porch and they return each year to delight us.   

 I originally bought two 6" pots and planted one lily in each large planter on the sides of my front steps.

 Each year since then I have done no more than add a little enriched potting soil to the top of the pots.  Mother Nature has done the rest by multiplying and coming back to see us each and every Spring.

 Just lovely.

Happy Spring!

Lois