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Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Nile Cruisin'!


Doesn't a phrase like "Cruising the Nile' just bring to mind all kinds of Agatha Christie mystery novel possibilities? 

For me, this was the most enchanting part of our trip to Egypt.

We loaded onto our river ship, settled in and set sail.

We awoke each morning to the sound of the call of prayer coming from the banks of the Nile, the morning sun not having risen yet.

Early mornings were the best time of the day - and the only time I wanted to be up on top deck - the cool of the morning was wonderful and we enjoyed that sunrise signaling it was time to go down for breakfast and get our day started.


Our river ship - the Sonesta.


Main foyer - everything was gorgeous!


I had this little cabin all to myself.  Weeee!


And the cute little bath!


We spent four lovely nights on the Sonesta.  The food was fantastic, there was entertainment nightly - though I was usually much too pooped and ready to go to bed by the time the 9:30pm activities commenced.


Watching another ship sail by through the open window of my state room.


Seeing Egypt by Nile cruise?

Spectacular!


Every day there was a new place to discover.


And as we neared civilization, there were vendors on boats that would row out to us and toss scarves and other things up to the top deck for us to purchase. If you didn't want it, you just tossed it back.  LOL


Come on, Lady! You buy???

You can't blame them for trying - but let me tell you the vendors could be aggressive around the temples and other areas we stopped. How many ways can you say no and they don't believe you?


Another ship floating by.


Watching our flags flutter as we sail.


I never used the pool.

It was too bloody hot up top!


One morning we woke to a smoky haze - we were in the area where sugar cane was grown, and it was time for burning the stubble left from the last crop.

The smoke filled the air and hazed over the sky.


And it made for an interesting sunrise that morning as the sun came up and the beam of light came across the water toward us.


Another Angle - Sunrises were the best!


Top deck dining area.


Shore line images of how life is here.


More bullrushes.


This was such an amazing trip!


Would I do this again?

In a heartbeat!

Yesterday - 2 hour drive to the surgeon in Hickory and GOOD NEWS!

I'm not having surgery.  He says that the ACL tear is on the side where the muscle attaches so it DOES have some blood flow.  It will be slow to heal, but he doesn't think surgery is required.

So I'm back in the sturdy brace for 6 weeks - which is better than surgery in my book.


Meet my new friend.

I have never had such sturdy Velcro in my life!

The PCL is also torn so that is why there is no stability at the back of the knee - but he feels that also will build scar tissue and heal.

This brace has the metal hinges on the sides that will keep my knee from bending too far backward (PCL weakness) or in toward the other knee.

The hard part?  It's the middle of summer and when I tried to fined wider leg shorts or capris to accommodate this - it seems the style is back to Daisy Dukes for girls, and in the women's sizes all of my size were gone.

I'm thinking I need a fun denim skirt or two to see me through the summer. All of my other capris are not loose enough to go over the brace.

This morning I'm going to do my best to capture Tula and get her off to the vet.  Wish me luck.

The Pieceful Hearts gals will be arriving this afternoon around 4pm and I'll be back in time for them.


Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Today is a good day to learn something new!
What's under your needle today?


 

35 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:33 AM EDT

    Try Lands' End starfish shorts. They are all I wear in the summer and they stretch over everything! I got mine over a large leg cast a couple of years ago.

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  2. All I can say is WOW!!
    We went on a cruise of Lake Champlain hah! About the same time as you were on the Nile.
    Great news for your knee...
    Hurrahs.
    Good luck with Tula.
    Take it easy and
    Blessings 💞🙏

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  3. I don't know if it would work but Wal-Mart has exercise capri's they are from a knit fabric with draw string waist. They are loose in the leg. They are about 3 or 4 inches below the knee and i fold them leaving a cuff on the pants. Maybe they would be loose enough to wear with the brace? they come in gray, black, navy blue, and khaki green.

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  4. If you have older capris, slit the side as far as you need. after my knee surgery, I was able to find the capri length knit pants at Walmart.

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  5. Anonymous8:48 AM EDT

    A simple Sun dress or wrap skirt may work for you. Good luck! Pam from Wisconsin.

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  6. Good news indeed. Can you convert your favorite pants into skirts?

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  7. Anonymous9:13 AM EDT

    Try putting your brace on over the tightest capris you have and see how it feels. I had acl replacement surgery and that worked for me.

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  8. Anonymous9:30 AM EDT

    Re: capris - could you temporarily open one seam on the outside, to accomodate? (May need to roughly finish edge..) hh

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  9. We are heading to Hawaii and a friend who used to live there told me to purchase mumus, so I did.
    Airy and comfortable, and would fit over a brace. Good luck. Glad to hear surgery is not needed.

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  10. Sending good thoughts for healing. I am going to physical therapy for my knee after years of putting up knee pain. It is working. My knee is getting more range of motion. Take care. Love reading your blog.

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  11. Culottes are the new rage. See if you can find some. They come in short to midi length!!

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  12. Oh mercy! Hot just looking at those pics of Egypt. Glad you shared though. And I have that knee brace. lol. Remember the exercise crazes of the 80's and 90's? We were supposed to be jumping around high-kicking on carpet-covered cement floors at Bali. Yeah. Knees say, "No." Happy (hot) day to you.

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  13. Try the linen drawstring pants at old navy. They are reasonable and you could always cut them shorter……

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  14. Anonymous9:53 AM EDT

    Bonnie, try Lands End -- the website, not any of their merch in stores. They have longer shorts with wide legs.

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  15. Bonnie - check out Rip Skirt Hawaii. Three lengths, cute fabrics, and it's a wrap with a velcro closure. PERFECT for knee braces. Comfy and cool.

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  16. Anonymous10:07 AM EDT

    My mother in law just puts the brace on top of the capris as long as they are not too baggy.

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  17. Skorts! The answer is skorts! :-) And they would be good for just about any summer travel as well.
    Happy healing in the mean time.

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    Replies
    1. JustCallMeElle10:10 AM EDT

      Sources: www.llbean.com and www.christopherbanks.com. Both have great options. ::-)

      Delete
  18. Nikki welks10:22 AM EDT

    Thanks so much about writing and sharing. I loved the trip and have my photos and memories to remember. I loved that the shower in the ship cabin bathroom came with a full page of instructions. Lol.

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  19. Meta Bonnell10:33 AM EDT

    Are you allowed to wear the brace over the outside of your shorts/capris/jeans?

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  20. Glad to hear that surgery will not be involved!!! Can you just put the brace over your pants, or are you not allowed to take it off? Wishing you a speedy recovery!

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  21. Hi Bonnie: Try Land's End - they have some knit capris - I bought a pair earlier this summer. Maybe more on the loose side than I am used to but super comfy. (Sometimes I sleep in them!)

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  22. Anonymous10:44 AM EDT

    You can unsee the side seams on your capris/shorts to make room for the knee brace. Then when you no longer need the brace just resew the seam. You could get fancy and add a fabric wedge. Feel better! Cathie L

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  23. Can you put the brace over your Capris?? Good news on no Surgery. Thanks for sharing the Cruise photos. Never been on one. I don't think I ever will. Retirement is not for sissies, hubster is a land-lubber.

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  24. Anonymous11:57 AM EDT

    I am sewing a Coquelicot skirt. (Adjustable waist and big pockets). See the link. I think it could be really pretty sewn with Jeans fabric. https://www.wildflowerdesignpatterns.com/product-page/coquelicot-skirt and I recommend following this sew-along for sewing. I find it better than the instructions that come with the pattern. https://www.wildflowerdesignpatterns.com/post/the-coquelicot-sew-along-video-by-sheer-stitchery-how-to-dye-fabric-using-avocados. But I would go for the side buckle https://www.wildflowerdesignpatterns.com/post/side-buckle-pattern-hack-for-the-coquelicot-skirt

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  25. Awesome news for the non surgery! Lots of happy thoughts! As for the capris and wide leg shorts, I found skorts are so very comfortable! Happy healing!

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  26. Wonderful pictures! So fun to share your adventures! Thanks for sharing! Good news on the knee. Good luck finding what will work for you. Lots of info coming your way. Hope one of them works for you if you don't find it on your own. Enjoy your day.

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  27. Anonymous4:07 PM EDT

    Culottes? Helen's Closet has a culottes pattern that would be airy for summer and can get over the leg brace. I've made it with the front angled pockets hack in twill which is bottom weight like denim.

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  28. Try Men's shorts. I get them from Lands End. They are a lot baggier and they have huge pockets.

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  29. Oh, what a gorgeous way to travel! And the scenery wasn't bad,either! :)
    I am so glad to hear that you won't have surgery!! Those are always a little bit scary. Today I finished not one but 2 throws, with double borders!! Whew. Tomorrow I will get the backs together for them and get them on the longarm in the next day or so. I am trying to get the old UFO box cleaned out before heading back to work in a couple of weeks! While I am glad that I got my sewing goals accomplished this summer I do wish we could have gone somewhere. Oh well; maybe next year. Good luck with Miss Tula; hopefully tomorrow we will have good news!!

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  30. Anonymous6:03 PM EDT

    I made the mistake of calling my granddaughters shorts Daisy Dukes awhile back. She had no idea what I was talking about so she googled it. Holy Smokes if looks could kill? LOL! Gayle Kush

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  31. We went to Egypt in 1995 with an adventure group. Our Nile boat held 24 with 3 crew. It was lovely to stop anywhere we wanted. The upper deck was a huge sofa with a cover and cushions to lounge around. It was late in December and I still got heat stroke on Dec 31 from being out in the sun all day long. Loved the trip though. My doctor also told me to give my knee time and it is back in shape. Hard to wait it out though.

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  32. So many have commented about modifying existing capris. I broke 2 fingers this winter (don't ask how-not pretty) and I took my oldest turtlenecks - a staple in my wardrobe and cut the cuffs off to get my splinted hand through. I also hit up the thrift store for stretchy pants since buttoning jeans was out of the question for awhile. Another idea might be full length sweats that you cut and hem to capri length.

    ReplyDelete

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