Vote! For Whom?

So what's going on? Where did this eclectic amalgam of humankind who would never have been heard from only a few months ago? Why has the Tea Party become so populist in nature? After all they seem to be a mess of folks that can't get much passed the single issue of lowering taxes. Ask many of them much beyond that and too often they wind up embarrassing themselves. So how can they possibly be being taken seriously by anybody? Well, in a way you can't blame the interest.

We elect a new president who excites the nation in a way no president has in a generation He is intelligent, can string and entire sentence together without tripping over his tongue AND we get the bonus of electing the first African-American to that exalted post. He also came to power with control of both the Senate and House of Representatives. What could possibly go wrong? A young, inexperienced president with every move giving the perception of that he had no plan. No plan for health care reform, no plan for getting us out of the banking morass government had allowed the country to fall into and no plan to save the millions of jobs that were annually exiting the United States for overseas addresses where labor could be had for pennies on the dollar. The Republicans saw their opening and refused to cooperate. Period. And so the stalemate went on for months until only a greatly parred down version of health care reform was passed and only a few of the original carefully crafted regulatory oversights on the banking industry were replaced leaving us still at the mercy of an industry that cares little for average American.

So, why would the average American be at all interested in alternatives to the same old same old? Well, if you can't tell after my rant then you haven't been listening to middle America, the unemployed, the disenfranchised, those sick and tired of infighting in congress that has left their concerns unheard. It's about jobs, stupid! These people want a job, want their home back, want the American dream back. And what do the major parties have to say about it? They continue to fight while the unemployment lines grow, factories that once offered millions of Americans a good job have closed and lie empty, rusting on the horizons of dozens of small towns across our country.

So when someone comes along who says they want your vote and they represent neither of the political parties in power, that they plan to make the government live within its means and lower taxes. Well, you going to get most folks attention who are looking for someone to blame for all their woes. Right now the in office members of those two parties are wearing electoral targets on their backs. It isn't so difficult to see. No, I can't image why anyone would vote for most of the Bozos I have seen interviewed on national TV. But I fear we are about to find out what happens when people who have taken their power for granted for too long and returned the trust given to them with too little too late. It will be interesting to see what unfolds next. Stay tuned.

Making the Cover!

Our 1987 Bayliner 3218 Motoryacht was put on the cover of Bayliner.com magazine this week.

After I wrote and mentioned that the boats on their cover were always fancy, high-speed, newer model Bayliners and never older vintage models, I received this week's edition and their she was--The Key of Sea in all her glory.

A number of folks wrote to tell me how much they enjoyed seeing the photo.

I am, naturally, a very proud papa.
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Here is a follow up on the bottom paint work being done on the boat. Here are some new photos of the new bottom paint on The Key of Sea just before she is put back in the water on Tuesday.

Smooth as a baby's bottom she is. The bumps along the bottom are through-hulls, places where ocean water is pumped in for various purposes and others are the sensors for the depth finders and other instruments. These spots were carefully checked to make sure there were no leaks and they had a solid contact with the hull inside and out. The jacks (angled metal devices) holding the boat in place will be moved so that those spots can be painted as well.

Comfort Food on a Stormy Night!

Nothing much in the house, Forgot to defrost anything, I'm hungry now! What to do?

A couple of cans of Starkist Tuna, some mayo and a dill pickle. Drain the cans of tuna, mix in mayo to taste and chop up a dill pickle. Blend the mayo and pickle on the tuna and set aside.

Open a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. Not the low sodium or chunky varieties. Just the old red and white can of condensed soup with overcooked noodles and bits of chicken. Pour the contents into a pan, add a single can of water and heat it up.

Take two slices of your favorite bread, slather both with mayo, spread tuna salad generously across one slice of the bread and cover with the other slice. Meanwhile, stir the soup as it heats up. When heated, pour into a cup or bowl.

Your dinner is ready in ten-minutes and your setting on the couch in the front room watching the trees swaying, the rain spattering on the windows and the clouds scudding by on the horizon. Tuck under a blanket and enjoy your supper. Or, set up in front of the TV and enjoy an good movie. To be honest, it doesn't get much better.

Key of Sea On The Hard Deck!

We had the Key of Sea pulled out of the water to clean the bottom, change out the zincs and give the bottom a new paint job.

Ken Marshall and I tootled the boat the 50 yards from our berth at Squalicum Harbor to the pull out dock at the Seaview North boat yard. The trip was uneventful. ha-ha.

She sat at their dock over night and was pulled out by crane on Friday and set up in jacks in their yard.

Saturday morning Ken and I dropped by the yard to change the zincs. After a couple of field trips to LFS and Redden to collect all the different zincs we needed, we managed to get them all changed out without any difficulty.

This week the bottom will be prepared and repainted for the first time in I don't know how long. It needed to be painted when we bought it but we held off another year. A new coat of a black, ablative paint will be applied. This paint literally peels off in microscopic layers over time which prevents many ocean-going plants and critters from attaching themselves to the bottom. I chose a pain that has a 45% copper content and a fungicide both of which also resist living things from making themselves at home.

Wok And Roll

Okay, a lousy title for my newest blog entry. I apologize ahead of time.

Behold, the basic carbon steel wok. Hand forged and shaped for use in high heat situations where the foods involved are moved across the rounded surfaces to evenly cook them quickly.

The wok at right isn't ready to use yet. It's new, unseasoned and seasoning is really important to the successful use of the wok. It is done just like that black-as-the-night cast iron skillet handed down to you from your grandmother. The seasoned dark surface creates a natural non-stick surface.

To season your new wok, coat the surface with a light oil and wipe it down with a paper towel. Set the wok on a burner set on high and heat the wok until the surface begins to smoke. Turn off the burner and let the wok cool. Repeat the process a couple of times.

From this point on, never scrub your wok with one of those green scrubbers or a Brillo pad. The abrasiveness will scratch off your carefully created seasoning and you will have to go through the seasoning process all over again. Instead, use a light scrub brush, a little dish soap and fill the wok with hot water. Scrub lightly, rinse and dry. Your wok will darken and season further with time and use.

When using your wok, set it on the burner, turn the burner to high heat, pour the desired amount of oil into the wok. This will depend on the amount of food to be cooked and or the desired amount of oil you wish or do not wish to ingest.

Allow the oil to heat up, then carefully add each of the foods to be cooked in the order of their density. Raw meats go in first, along with onions, then garlic followed by carrots, celery, squash, cabbage, etc. Get the idea. Some foods will cook faster than others. You need to make sure others ARE cooked thoroughly, especially meats. Shrimp or scallops cook quickly so they would go into the wok at the end of the cooking process.

Hold on to the handle of the wok with a folded towel or oven mitt on your non-dominant hand and stir the contents of the wok with the other hand using one of the many wok tools available and that often come with your wok. I like the bamboo handled wire scoop. It lets me scoot the foods around the wok, separate items and serve portions leaving behind the high calorie sauce and oil.

Woks work best on gas burners and the higher the BTU output the better. Most home stoves have one burner with a higher output, but when compared with the burners used in Asian restaurants home burners can't begin to compete. So turn up your home burner all the way up!

What to cook? Anything goes. You are pretty much limited only to your imagination. There are plenty of recipes out there in cyberspace. Perhaps you got a recipe book with your wok. Be adventurous! Enjoy!

A Wedding in Shenandoah National Park

Our family has been through quite a whirlwind over the past few weeks. Specifically, our son-in-law and daughter have really had a rough time getting themselves over here to America. So, when the paperwork still had not been completed and the time had come for a wedding in which our daughter was to be a bride's maid, she had to make the difficult decision to come without Nick.

Elise Reuschenberg and Duane Lambert were getting married in the Shenandoah National Park. Elise was our Kate's maid of honor at her wedding in England. The two of them had met while in the Peace Corps in Guinea, West Africa, where we also met Elise for the first time. Elise is a wonderful lady who has become our east coast daughter. This was our first meeting of Duane. He turned out to be (as if there would be any doubt) a wonderful guy, a perfect match for Elise.

Kate arrived in New York the same day we flew into Newark, NJ to rent a car and drive to the wedding. Nick and Kate had arranged for a car to be purchased for them to pick up in New York on their arrival. Kate had to pick it up by herself and drive on to the wedding. I wasn't at all sure about making the trip after hearing about Hurricane Earl which was traveling up the east coast. But I decided to go ahead with it and take the chance that the hurricane wouldn't, and it turned out it didn't, interfere with the trip. The drive to Shenandoah was beautiful when we finally got off I-95, one of the main north/south freeways along the east coast. We arrived on Friday, the 3rd of September, checked into our rustic but comfortable room with an incredible view looking out over the Shenandoah Valley hundreds of feet below. Kate arrived a couple of hours after us.

Many of those attending the wedding gathered for a BBQ in the afternoon and we got to know some of the family and friends of the bride and groom. Some of the bridal party were also Peace Corps alums who we had met there and had also had in our home a time or two. It was great to get to talk to Kate and let her vent a little. We spent the evening writing out the table name tags for the wedding dinner the next afternoon.

The next morning many of us met in the conference center where the wedding reception and dinner would be held later in the day. The flowers for the tables and the wedding flowers needed to be made and we had agreed to help. My floral design skills came in handy. I arranged most of the table arrangement flowers and created the bride's nosegay. I also arranged the flowers for the trellis the bride and groom stood in front of for their vows. A lot of others helped with the bride's maid's nosegays and the boutineers for the men in the wedding party. It all came out beautifully and it was so much fun to be able to help out on Elise's special day.

The wedding turned out perfect though quite blustery. It didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm and the ceremony went of without a hitch. We all headed for the reception/dinner where a Zydeco style band played throughout the afternoon and evening. There was plenty of liquid refreshment and finger foods before the dinner. Prime rib, trout and a vegetarian entree I never saw were the options for dinner. Besides the wedding cake, we also had a delicious dish of blackberry ice cream. The music went on into the evening and many danced the night away. I can tolerate only so much loud sounds before I become overwhelmed so about 9:30 I called it a day and headed up to our room.

The next day, many of the folks that had come for the wedding were leaving. We were unsure what to do since Kate still had a car that needed to get across country and no one to drive with her. I suggested that Leslie, who didn't need to be back until later in the month for her classes to start, drive with her. So it was decided that I would head back to Newark, NJ for the flight home and the two of them would head out across country together. That's what we did. About 3:00 PM that day, I loaded up our rental and they loaded up Kate's new car and we all drove off in opposite directions--they headed towards a first stop in southwest Virginia. It was quite a lonely drive back up the coast through Virginia, past Washington, D.C., through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But I arrived home about midnight after a long flight on Monday.

As for our two intrepid adventurers, they arrived at their destination that first night. First thing in the morning they found themselves with brake problems. A generous and friendly local mechanic volunteered to help them out despite it being Labor Day. The rear brake pads needed replacing. They were on their way by early afternoon and made it to Bardstown, Kentucky.

By Tuesday afternoon they had driven on to Chicago where they would turn west onto I-90 and the long straight-as-an-arrow drive to Seattle. At this writing they were planning stops along the way at the Badlands, the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and on up across Montana and Wyoming (possibly Yellowstone), Idaho and Washington.

Hopefully, before and certainly not later than their arrival back in Bellingham, Nick will also have arrived and they can get on with their lives, finding a home, Kate a job and most importantly, ever so much closer to us. ++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks Tim!

Since the beginning of June we have had the use of the creative talents of Tim Singer here nearly everyday working to create a brand new landscape for our front garden. Tim the rock guy, as we call him, erased our front garden and carefully created two rock walls which hold back two new terraces of garden space. The lower terrace will be newly landscaped with a few mature plants moved from other locations in the yard, but mostly with recently purchased plants we found on Craig'sList. A wholesale nursery west of Portland, Oregon advertised gallon plants for a fraction of the cost in a retail nursery. We drove down and checked out their farm, were very impressed and placed an order. 100 plants will shortly arrive at our home where 100 holes will be dug for each plant's new home. Big job! Behind the upper wall is a second terrace where a new lawn has been rolled out that is watered by our new automated watering system. As the rock walls neared completion we spoke to Tim about the lawn and watering system we planned to install next. He let us know he could do that type of work as well. He bid the job and we were pleased enough to give him the go ahead to do the job. Well, Tim's work is done now. The rock walls are the talk of the neighborhood. Everyone comments on how beautiful they are. The lawn is bright green and thriving with a brown border surrounding it awaiting the plants will that will ring the lawn. An automated drip system will feed just the right amount of water to each plant. The rest of the garden is up to us now and then only time will tell how the garden will turn out. Thanks Tim for your artisan's touch, the strength of your back, your ideas, skills and your insistence on perfection. I know you are proud of the way the project turned out, but we couldn't be prouder either. Well done, Tim!