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Just need to talk to my friends (217)

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  • Lorita
    Lorita Member Posts: 6,290
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    Morning, hope you're feeling better today, Ron. Sunny snd.cool here this morning.

  • JeriLynn66
    JeriLynn66 Member Posts: 1,382
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    Santa Fe today.

  • jfkoc
    jfkoc Member Posts: 5,057
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    ARE YOU GOING UP CANYON ROAD TO THE RANDELL DAVEY AUDBON SANCTUARY? IF SO YOU WILL SEE OUR OLD HOUSE, A LOG CABIN, 1340.

  • ladyzetta
    ladyzetta Member Posts: 1,371
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    Good afternoon Rockers.

    Iris. Im really enjoying your trip. I would love to have some of that food, especially the ice cream cone. I would also hate to have to sit between two people i did not know. Im Sure it made the flight seem much longer.

    JeriLynn. I'm sure your missing all the new babies. Enjoy your trip.

    Ron. You're been in my prayers. How are you feeling? And hopefully your getting lots of rest, and sleeping well.

    Hugs to all. Zetta

  • BethL
    BethL Member Posts: 1,355
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    Good morning!

    GG, my heavier workout days are Mondays and Thursdays. I don't always spend 3 hours between the "Fit for Life" class at the library plus the gym. I like punching the bag; I don't feel comfortable trying kick boxing. I'm afraid throwing my leg up so high would put me off balance and I might fall.

    HB, glad you found the sunscreen. I like it. I use it only on my face. On my body I use something like Banana Boat or Coppertone, either spray or lotion. I'd like to get a good moisturizer with spf 35-50 to use daily but cannot seem to find one. Anyone with suggestions?

    Iris, your tour sounds like an absolute delight! Glad you can do that. As an "older" person once told me, "If not now, when?" I feel that. I figure I might have 9 years left to travel, if I'm fortunate. I'm 71. Not long. I did reach my goal of seeing all 50 states. I have other places I'd like to go to also. A not so funny story from our trip to Italy. At Pisa, there were tents with vendors set up and the travelers went from tent to tent to buy souvenirs. One of the elderly ladies in our tour group had an encounter with the police because a vendor said she passed a counterfeit bill. It was pretty awful! Our tour bus driver/trip coordinator was able to get her out of the situation. I also hear pick pockets are prevalent in some tourist areas.

    We went to the plant sale yesterday. I bought millennium allium, coneflowers, elephant ears, hosta, a daylily, phlox and a pink iris. Since they had all already been in the ground and dug up for the sale, I knew they could be planted right away; all but the elephant ears, so I did so.

    Church today with a meeting afterwards to discuss and vote on possible remodeling that is WAY expensive for a small congregation. It will be interesting to see what happens.

    Have a wonderful day. Beth

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 5,416
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    Hello, I'm back. It's Monday evening now, I have much to report. We've been so busy for two days.

    HB, several people mentioned the lack of a proper meat or fish for the second course that first night. We've seen a few smokers around town and I have seen a few vapers. The streets are very clean, and there is absolutely no trash on the streets.

    Zetta, usually airplane passengers are pleasant and agreeable and helpful. This is because everyone wants to get to the destination safely and on time, and without unpleasantness.

    The hotel has placed a huge bowl of peonies on my floor.

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    They are lovely, although artificial.

    Yesterday we traveled by a short boat ride to Portofino, which is a tiny village of 400 residents. It began as a fishing village, now its claim to fame is being a celebrity retreat. We did not see any celebrities. The place is picturesque, with colorful vintage buildings. We hiked to visit an old church and cemetery, and the more athletic ones hiked further up a steep incline to visit a lighthouse. There were a few yachts in the harbor, along with a couple of ferry boats. There were many eating places. What makes it a celebrity retreats are the numerous high-end shops, such as Dior, Louis-Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes and Balenciaga, to name a few. Giglielmo Marconi, who invented the radio, made his experiments in Portofino and in the neighboring town, Santa Margherita Ligure.

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    This the ferry that we took.

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    This is Portofino—it's small.

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    A view of Portofino from the church after the hike up the mountain—all down below beneath the awnings are restaurants. Portofino is basically restaurants, tourist shops and high-end shops.

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    The cemetery

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    Mediterranean Sea

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    A yacht

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    Portofino on the map—it's remote, which celebrities love.

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    A high-end shops showing handbags and shoes

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    Prices in euros

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    Another yacht

    You might be able to tell, I was not much impressed with Portofino, although I did buy a refrigerator magnet.

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    After we returned to our hotel, I wanted to try the fried fish meal. But they were out of fish, had only shrimp and calamari. This is a local specialty. I was disappointed. The shrimp were fried with the shells on. The fried calamari was tasteless, only flour for breading. I cannot recommend this.

    Afterwards I went with some other ladies to recommended restaurant, where I had spaghetti with meat sauce. One lady had a pizza, and two had veal and one had fish. None of us were excited about our meal, it was just okay.

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    Spaghetti

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    Pizza and salad

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    Veal Milanese

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    Veal scallopini--no mushrooms

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    Fish and potatoes—no sauce or seasoning.

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    The town we stayed in-Santa Margherita Ligure-at night

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    The castle next to our hotel, dating from the year 600!

    This is all I can post now. We leave early in the morning for our next stop. I'll post more later.

    Iris

  • jfkoc
    jfkoc Member Posts: 5,057
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    Portofino 60+ years ago was not so fancy…lol

  • Lorita
    Lorita Member Posts: 6,290
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    edited April 21

    Going to watch Rachel and Lawrence, then to bed. Good night, sleep tight.

  • Sweetwater
    Sweetwater Member Posts: 63
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    You are brave. I would be willing to bet that most of your readers do not watch Rachel and Lawrence.

  • Goodlife2025
    Goodlife2025 Member Posts: 324
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    Lorita, Love Rachel and Lawrence. I have always had a tickle knowing you are watching too. And agree with Sweetwater you are brave.

    Iris, sorry your food has been less than "as advertised" hopefully your next stop will be better. The pictures at night are pretty.

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 5,416
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    Buon giorno!

    Yesterday we visited Cinque Terre, a series of five tiny fishing villages set on cliffs. Today, the income is from tourism. There is a small beach, some shops for tourists, and many nice restaurants with good food.

    These villages are isolated, visited originally only by the sea. Now there is a road, a hiking path, and a train to inite the villages.

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    We rode our bus from the hotel to the train, and then to the ferry dock. The trains are very nice.

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    One of the villages

    There are many terraces where grapes and olives are grown.

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    Walking path between the villages

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    A Cinque Terre village

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    Train between the villages

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    One of the Cinque Terre Villages

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    Riomaggiore--the last Village

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    Disembarking from the ferry

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    Riomaggiore—the last village

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    Riomaggiore has one street

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    The small beach at Vernazza

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    Map of the Cinque Terre

    Cinque Terre is picturesque, has good food and is worth visiting.

    Today we are on the way to visit Pisa and its Leaning Tower. I'll report later.

    Iris

  • BethL
    BethL Member Posts: 1,355
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    Good morning!

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  • harshedbuzz
    harshedbuzz Member Posts: 6,419
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    Good morning.

    Iris— I am enjoying this trip with you. I am sorry for the meals that disappoint. I think sometimes that's a function of this being a group tour and the need to find places that can accommodate a large group. That said, the crust on the pizza looks exceptional and the rest looks pretty good, too. I think, too, with Italian food is that each area does their specialty well and authentically while we're used to Italian-American restaurants that offer the dishes and flavors of multiple regions with considerable "tweaks". At least they pour a generous serving of wine.

    Jerilynn— You're all over the place. How many miles are you covering on this trip? Are you cooking at the campsite or trying the regional options?

    Lorita— The paint scheme for the porch sounds very tradition and pretty. I'm glad we're all hanging out together in a lovely spot.

    Judith— A bed? I didn't realize you had mad woodworking skills. What sort of wood have you chosen? I had a 4-poster bed once. Then DH steadied himself against a fall when his BP dropped and now I have a 3-poster bed. One day I'll find a new-to-me one at ReStore that goes with the rest of the room.

    Zetta— Nice to hear from you. How are things at Starbucks?

    Beth— According to my derm, most SPF moisturizers are less than ideal because it would be hard to apply enough initially (you should use a quarter sized amount for your face, neck and ears). Reapplication could be tricky, too. But she says it's better than nothing. I like the CeraVe AM Ultra Light 30 SPF— the texture is very light. Derm recommends the Vanicream SPF 30 as great for sensitive skin. I don't think I've ever seen a higher SPF in a moisturizer.

    One product I will re-buy is the Live Tinted Hueguard SPF 50. It's a skin tint that is somewhat buildable which is kind of like a sheer foundation with SPF. It has a decent range of colors and is water resistant for 80 minutes.

    I hope all have a pleasant and safe day.
    HB

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 5,416
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    I was busy on this trip. I was commissioned to help restraighten the bell tower in Pisa.

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    I tried with two hands.

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    Despite my best efforts, the bell tower is still leaning.

    Iris

  • jfkoc
    jfkoc Member Posts: 5,057
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    We hiked the path from the south end. Yes, there were a few frightening moments.
    I am not into wood working but I do not think the bed requires that. We shall see.

    Beth…beautiful!

  • eaglemom
    eaglemom Member Posts: 1,072
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    Good morning.

  • ronald71111
    ronald71111 Member Posts: 1,756
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    Good morning,

    Pain is not bad now, so i will switch to Tylenol as needed. Swallowing is my biggest problem, which i expected due to the achalasia. A little after midnight i woke up with an awful medicine taste in my mouth. I got up, spitting up a little, oxygen level of 85 and heart rate at 125. Sit up for about 40 minutes waiting on it to go down before going back to bed. Right now oxygen is 95 with heart rate of 84.

    Iris, I love your pictures and sometimes they stir up old memories. My sister in law that is French, but grew up in Naples was famous for her spaghetti. My son lives in Dallas and they are in Plano. He was visiting one day when she was making spaghetti and she asked if he would like to eat. He sit down and ate the whole bowl, not realizing it was for all three of them. It made her happy that he enjoyed it that much and said it was no problem to make more.

    Ron

  • Mint
    Mint Member Posts: 3,337
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    Good morning

    Beautiful flowers Beth. The tulips you recommended bloomed beautifully again this year. But them and the daffodils are gone now.

    Glad you are feeling better Ron

    I had pinto beans and cornbread for lunch

  • jfkoc
    jfkoc Member Posts: 5,057
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    RON…It is good having you back on the porch. Nothing better that fresh pasta with a good Pomodoro. That was my go to lunch in Italy. I am only 3 hours from Plano…hint, hint.

  • ronald71111
    ronald71111 Member Posts: 1,756
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    Judith, East, West, North, South, which direction 3 hours from Plano. I have relatives all over Texas. It would be nice to visit my brother and son when I’m feeling up to traveling and be an extra treat to meet you for lunch or just coffee. Who knows I might start feeling so good that I’ll go to Sioux City where my other brother is buried and maybe travel through Oklahoma to see if I can find anybody else 🫣I know.

    Ron

  • Carl46
    Carl46 Member Posts: 1,521
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    The contractors of Pisa: "We can save by skimping on the foundation. No one will ever notice."

  • jfkoc
    jfkoc Member Posts: 5,057
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    Ron…I am straight north of Dallas.

  • Lorita
    Lorita Member Posts: 6,290
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    Sandy I waited too long to close the hood. I got a little damp. So good to visit with you. Hope you feel better soon.

    Not brave at all. I just want to know what is going on. Also like Nicole Wallace.

    Mint, your lunch is what I grew up eating, just add fried or boiled potatoes. I have some frozen, cooked beans so need to make some cornbread. I cooked carrots yesterday guess I should have made copper pennies to go with the beans.

    Beth, your flowers are so pretty. I only had one yellow tulip this year but lots of daffodils.

    Iris, those pictures of you trying to straighten the tower are so cute. Sandy and I talked about how.generous you are to take and post pictures of your travels. Will you make albums of your travels to enjoy later?

    Glad you're feeling.better, Ron, and even thinking about traveling.

  • ladyzetta
    ladyzetta Member Posts: 1,371
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    Good afternoon.

    Iris. That is a cute picture of you holding up, The Tower of Pisa. Does the building feel funng when your inside of it? I love all those small fishing villages, I could live in one of those villages. I like those small streets, it reminds me of the small streets I saw in Poland, a few years ago.

    Beth. Your flowers are beautiful, thanks for sharing.

    Ron. It's nice to hear that you're feeling better. Sounds like you hope to be doing some traveling. If your traveling alone, you must feel safe to do so. For me I would be afraid of breakng down on the side of the road someplace.

    HB. Thanks for your comment, I do miss posting as much as I used to. I read all the postings but I really don't have much to say. My DD and I have found all the Starbucks, within a 5 mile radius of our home. And a few Dutch Bros, in between. ☕️ ☕️

    Take care all, your in my dreams. Hugs Zetta

  • Sweetwater
    Sweetwater Member Posts: 63
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    Didn't mean you are brave to watch them. Meant you are brave to say so on this forum.

  • BethL
    BethL Member Posts: 1,355
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    Thanks, HB! I am ordering the Cere Ve moisturizer with sunscreen. I appreciate your input.

  • jfkoc
    jfkoc Member Posts: 5,057
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    edited April 21

    I watch Rachel and Lawrence too. I think they pick very informative guests. In the morning I watch all 3 news channels

    During the day I only watch Jeopardy. I usually get 1-2 questions right….lol

  • GothicGremlin
    GothicGremlin Member Posts: 1,454
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    HB - I have no status at Sephora, so no good deals for me! 😄

    Iris - I'm loving your photos, although the breakfast food is a little over the top (for me). I just can't face baked beans in the morning. But the pizza for dinner looks really good. The crust …..

    I'm amused by the woman on the train - she looks less than thrilled to be there.

    Your Pisa pics are great. I hope the city paid you well for your efforts to straighten that thing out!

    I climbed to the the highest point that they'd let us - and with no railings. My s.o. was not happy when I wanted to walk close to the edge (I didn't get that close). I turned around and there he was, plastered against the wall in the center, looking a bit green.

    I'm with you, Judith, on the Pomodoro.

    JeriLynn - I hope you're enjoying your trip!

    Hi there Zetta! I've been wondering how you've been doing, you've been so quiet.

    Beth - I hear you about the kick boxing. I'm mostly comfortable with it, but there are a few kicks that I balk at.

    Your flowers are gorgeous.

    Ron - I'm so glad your pain is lessening. That's really great to hear.

    Over on my end of the porch - I got in an extra gym day today. We did legs and abs, for the most part. I'm still feeling the "windshield wipers". You lay flat on your back and hold a barbell above your head (in my case 70lbs total). Then bring both legs up to one side, then bring them down in the center (don't touch the floor!), then bring them back up to the other side. I did three sets of ten. I feel it. And I'll feel it tomorrow too. 😄 I also did three sets of twenty regular sit-ups. I'm still waiting for my "abs of steel" to show up.

    We had sun today! And it wasn't even cold! Pure heaven.

  • Lorita
    Lorita Member Posts: 6,290
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    GG, that exercise sounds too hard. Most I have ever lifted is a 50 lb. sack of creep feed for the girls and I bearhugged that. Do good to lift 40 now and that is 4" off the floor. About time for bed, so good night, everyone ,sleep well

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 5,416
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    Buon giorno.

    HB, you'll soon have your abs of steel after a few of those Windmills.

    We didn't have a chance to climb because they allow only 14 people at a time. But we had plenty of time to explore.

    We drove past the area where Carrera marble is quarried.

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    The white area that looks like snow is actually marble.

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    We had a tour of a vineyard and then ate dinner at a long table, set up like a banquet table to accommodate 50 people.

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    We were served six bottles of wine from their own grapes, three whites and three reds.

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    Antipasto

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    Primo pasta course

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    Secondo meat course—chicken and spare ribs, with salad and potato wedges

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    Dolce (dessert) course was biscotti with a sweet dessert wine, which is made from the grapes discarded from making the white wines. We were to dip the buscotti into the sweet wine—it was very tasty. Sorry, the photo is blurred.

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    We were given a small cup with a few sips of a liqueur as a digestive for after the meal.

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    This lemon ball contained a liqueur and is also a digestive. I bought some to bring home. The meal was excellent. Afterwards there was oldies music and dancing.

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    My hotel room—very nice

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    Continental breakfast

    Now we are approaching Florence. I'll be back later.

    Iris

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DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
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ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
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AL = Assisted Living
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