The basil plant begins to sag a bit and the bottom leaves fade to yellow. Autumn is here and there is no time to loose in making the last batch of pesto before the previously vibrant plant dies. There is probably a different pesto recipe for every family in Italy. No two are exactly alike and it takes some time to find one that suites your tastes buds. John and I found ours -- it calls for a two to one ratio of basil and parsley, a goodly portion of roasted pine nuts and the garlic cloves of a whole head heated in a cup of olive oil, finished off with a combination of Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Our 15 year old Cuisinart mixes up a nice consistency, but not quite paste, in the end.
Sunday was the day -- I made two batches. Neatly stored each batch in three freezer containers. We'll never eat it all. They make tasty gifts for friends and colleagues.
Neither batch was the best I've done. They were good, but not marvelous. I think it was the olive oil. It was a bit too light in flavor. However, as pestos go, I'd give it a B+. The flavor certainly didn't stop us from slathering it on a piece of crusty white bread for a taste test. Somebody has to do it, right?
Monday, September 26, 2011
Finishing Sailing the Chesapeake in September
Wednesday:
The weather did not get better this morning. As we left the slip and motored over to the gas dock and pump out station, the rain drissled down on us and clouds hung on the water. Pump out issues ensued. Their pump was most tempermental. It was only through the banking, clanking and nudging of an ol dude that had a beard and belly reminensent of Hemmingway, did we finally clear our holding tank.
An hour's motor up the Patuxent River and into St. Leonard's Creek brought us to an enchanting anchorage. The rain stopped, the clouds parted and we enjoyed a bit of sun as we lounged on deck, ate lunch and watched the wild life on shore.
Thrusday:
Our original plan was to motor back down the Patuxent on Thursday morning to another enticing anchorage at Cukhold Creek half way back to the 140' bridge over the river at Solomon's Island. However, the weather report guaranteed rain all day on Friday and into the weekend. Our eyes met, not in a romantic gaze, but in the frustrated realization that our plans to head north to the Little Choptank River at Fishing Creek for one last overnight stay and then on Saturday back to the dock at Herrington Harbour North had to be abondoned. Before 9AM we took off for home. We were going to get back to the dock today -- Thursday -- no matter how long it might take.
No wind, misting clouds, glassy gray water and out of focus land surrounded us for the first three hours. Only the burnt sienna sandstone sediment of the Calvert Cliffs broke through the grayness. About 12:30 while standing watch, letting the auto pilot control the boats movements, I noticed the wind at our backs was picking up a bit. With a bit of urging, John put up the sails and we were able to spend the rest of the day sailing home on a smooth broad reach and reach requiring only one jibe. No sunshine, but we were sailing!
Friday:
As we slept in dock that night, the rain began to fall and continued into Friday. We packed up and left for home by noon.
Was it a good vacation? Yes, we both let go of our stress over work and enjoyed cooking, doing a bit of sailing and just being together. Was it a good sailing week? Hardly, but there three days of sailing is better than non sailing and the weather did not get cold enough to require the weather proof foul weather gear. We declared the venture a success.
The weather did not get better this morning. As we left the slip and motored over to the gas dock and pump out station, the rain drissled down on us and clouds hung on the water. Pump out issues ensued. Their pump was most tempermental. It was only through the banking, clanking and nudging of an ol dude that had a beard and belly reminensent of Hemmingway, did we finally clear our holding tank.
An hour's motor up the Patuxent River and into St. Leonard's Creek brought us to an enchanting anchorage. The rain stopped, the clouds parted and we enjoyed a bit of sun as we lounged on deck, ate lunch and watched the wild life on shore.
Thrusday:
Our original plan was to motor back down the Patuxent on Thursday morning to another enticing anchorage at Cukhold Creek half way back to the 140' bridge over the river at Solomon's Island. However, the weather report guaranteed rain all day on Friday and into the weekend. Our eyes met, not in a romantic gaze, but in the frustrated realization that our plans to head north to the Little Choptank River at Fishing Creek for one last overnight stay and then on Saturday back to the dock at Herrington Harbour North had to be abondoned. Before 9AM we took off for home. We were going to get back to the dock today -- Thursday -- no matter how long it might take.
No wind, misting clouds, glassy gray water and out of focus land surrounded us for the first three hours. Only the burnt sienna sandstone sediment of the Calvert Cliffs broke through the grayness. About 12:30 while standing watch, letting the auto pilot control the boats movements, I noticed the wind at our backs was picking up a bit. With a bit of urging, John put up the sails and we were able to spend the rest of the day sailing home on a smooth broad reach and reach requiring only one jibe. No sunshine, but we were sailing!
Friday:
As we slept in dock that night, the rain began to fall and continued into Friday. We packed up and left for home by noon.
Was it a good vacation? Yes, we both let go of our stress over work and enjoyed cooking, doing a bit of sailing and just being together. Was it a good sailing week? Hardly, but there three days of sailing is better than non sailing and the weather did not get cold enough to require the weather proof foul weather gear. We declared the venture a success.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sailing the Chesapeake in September
Sunday morning:
It was a grey and gloomy ordeal crossing the Bay from Herrington Harbour in Tracy's Landing (20 miles south of Annapolis) to the Little Choptank River. We went where the wind would let us sail. And sail we did with 10-15 knots with a few gusts to 20. It was a single reach and the wind was kind enough to let us sail round the serious series of green marks that led the way to Fishing Creek. We swore we would not motor on our first day out and we did not.
We thanked the sea gods that it didn't rain. It didn't rain because we bought $420 worth of waterproof foul weather gear, complete with bib overalls. Turned out to be just the insurance we needed. If the sun had been out, it would have been a grand and glorious sail.
Monday morning:
The sun shown through the hatches. We rose, stretched and I cooked us a farmer's breakfast. We had decided to take advantage of the bright day and light wind to cross the bay going south to Solomon's Island at the mouth of the Patuxent River. Before we could leave we had to retrieve, so John, in proper crew glory, stepped on the windlass up button. Nada, nothing. Just a burping noise of gears rolling but not engaging. He huffed, puffed and finally pulled the anchor up hand over hand. Not too bad if the anchor isn't buried too deep or you don't have 15 feet of chain just before the anchor (all of which is good protection when being at anchor). He had both. John thought he was going to have a heart attack when it was all over. Getting old is a bitch.
Sail was excellent until the wind died half way down the Bay, so I fired up the iron Jenny (aka engine) and motored to Solomon's Island. We took two nights at dock at a local marina, walked to what there is of a down town, and ate rock fish tacos.
Tuesday morning:
John found that the windlass motor had disengaged from the gears and had fallen onto the interior panel in the V berth (aka pointy end). The panel screws were stripped. After several pictures and discussions with our boat engineer back in Harve d' Grace, we decided it required repair way beyond our skill sets so John will have to haul the anchor by hand for the rest of the trip. He's resigned to the task.
Today we took advantage of the access to land to visit the Calvert Marine Museum. If you like boats, boat building, crabbing and oystering, and fossil hunting, this is the museum for you. Full of volunteers always willing to chat about their various projects, we wandered and listened to histories and tales. We climbed the Drum Point light. Put John's hip on resuscitator status, but he thought it was well worth it. He was so excited that he came back to the boat, took two Ibuprofen and a long nap. Oh, what a life in the slow lane.
It was a grey and gloomy ordeal crossing the Bay from Herrington Harbour in Tracy's Landing (20 miles south of Annapolis) to the Little Choptank River. We went where the wind would let us sail. And sail we did with 10-15 knots with a few gusts to 20. It was a single reach and the wind was kind enough to let us sail round the serious series of green marks that led the way to Fishing Creek. We swore we would not motor on our first day out and we did not.
We thanked the sea gods that it didn't rain. It didn't rain because we bought $420 worth of waterproof foul weather gear, complete with bib overalls. Turned out to be just the insurance we needed. If the sun had been out, it would have been a grand and glorious sail.
Monday morning:
Tuesday morning:
John found that the windlass motor had disengaged from the gears and had fallen onto the interior panel in the V berth (aka pointy end). The panel screws were stripped. After several pictures and discussions with our boat engineer back in Harve d' Grace, we decided it required repair way beyond our skill sets so John will have to haul the anchor by hand for the rest of the trip. He's resigned to the task.
IPad Testing Continues - Day 2
This morning was the test for VMware to access my agency protected network. The sign-in went fine once I typed the password correctly, but when I brought up my email, the font was so small it was difficult to get my fat fingers to touch the screen to place the cursor. (I'd forgotten how to change the font size). Undaunted, I pulled out my IPhone stylus. It worked better than my finger so I was able to open and delete messages and edit text.
Typing was less painful today as I went directly to the two finger method and watched the keys carefully. This of course was after I remembered how to bring up the keypad in VMware. I shouted at the screen "Where's the keypad" until my little gray cells told my finger to tap the little black box at the top of the middle of the screen.
VMware for the IPad is only partially for the IPad. The ability to scroll by swishing a finger doesn't work. I had to touch the scroll bar -- which does not touch and pull easily. I turned to stylus again, but still it was a frustrating effort. Looks like a basic lesson is scroll bars is needed and some practice on my part.
Quite frankly, I'd rather be sailing!
Typing was less painful today as I went directly to the two finger method and watched the keys carefully. This of course was after I remembered how to bring up the keypad in VMware. I shouted at the screen "Where's the keypad" until my little gray cells told my finger to tap the little black box at the top of the middle of the screen.
VMware for the IPad is only partially for the IPad. The ability to scroll by swishing a finger doesn't work. I had to touch the scroll bar -- which does not touch and pull easily. I turned to stylus again, but still it was a frustrating effort. Looks like a basic lesson is scroll bars is needed and some practice on my part.
Quite frankly, I'd rather be sailing!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
IPad Testing - Day 1
First, let me warn you. I am not writing this post using my IPad. That should give you some idea how my testing is proceeding. Don't get me wrong. The IPad is fantastic for reading and entering data into simple forms. I was able to download the NY Times, Washington Post and Solitaire apps. We can read the latestnews and play games on a sharp and easy to read screen. That is a great feature...but not exactly what you might want to use the IPad for in a work setting.
However, to actually write something is another story.
It all began last night when I decided to write this first report using the IPad. I was able to log onto the blog, bring up the digital keypad and start the entry. Then reality hit me. This keypad is not my mother's typewriter. I was formally trained eons ago in the touch typing method of the old mechanical typewriter (yes, they did once exist). To keep your fingers placed on the QWERTY keypad-- a fundamental--causes the IPad to erupt in spurts of characters. To effectively type, I had to hold my fingers off the pad. I couldn't "feel" my keys so I had to look at the keypad when I typed--a sin in the old school where your fingers learned their positions and you looked at your paper, not the typewriter keys. this gave me speed and accuracy over years of practice. The digital keypad was designed for the the two fingers typing wizards. I need retraining.
Realizing my limitations, I proceeded with the two (maybe three or four) finger method. It made me type more slowly -- that turned out to be a good thing as I more carefully measured my words that poured from my head to my fingers and onto the screen. I was error prone (fat finger prone) and had to edit without the benefit of my loyal and accurate point and click mouse. First, I had to enlarge the screen. To move the cursor requires that you touch the screen (duh, it is a touch screen) with just one finger to place the cursor. Not difficult and I succeeded in correcting, adding and deleting single words.
The IPad wants to help you. That means it is always asking you "Select or Select All". Select works fine. The word you are working with is highlighted. However, to "Select All" is very dangerous. Once you figure out what and how to Select All, "Cut Copy" buttons display. I picked "Copy", but it was "Cut" so my finished entry turned into a blank screen and I couldn't find a "Paste" command. I had to start all over again. You may ask, "Why didn't you just save the entry along the way?" I tried that, but it seems that the IPad touch screen and Blogspot are not happy with each other. It took three tries of pressing and holding the "Save" button. By that time, I had mistakenly deleted the second article leaving another empty screen. "What happened to paste?" I just don't know.
After two hours, I poured a whiskey, climbed out of the boat and walked the dock regain my sanity. The IPad requires a few basic lessons for us ol' school folks.
However, to actually write something is another story.
It all began last night when I decided to write this first report using the IPad. I was able to log onto the blog, bring up the digital keypad and start the entry. Then reality hit me. This keypad is not my mother's typewriter. I was formally trained eons ago in the touch typing method of the old mechanical typewriter (yes, they did once exist). To keep your fingers placed on the QWERTY keypad-- a fundamental--causes the IPad to erupt in spurts of characters. To effectively type, I had to hold my fingers off the pad. I couldn't "feel" my keys so I had to look at the keypad when I typed--a sin in the old school where your fingers learned their positions and you looked at your paper, not the typewriter keys. this gave me speed and accuracy over years of practice. The digital keypad was designed for the the two fingers typing wizards. I need retraining.
Realizing my limitations, I proceeded with the two (maybe three or four) finger method. It made me type more slowly -- that turned out to be a good thing as I more carefully measured my words that poured from my head to my fingers and onto the screen. I was error prone (fat finger prone) and had to edit without the benefit of my loyal and accurate point and click mouse. First, I had to enlarge the screen. To move the cursor requires that you touch the screen (duh, it is a touch screen) with just one finger to place the cursor. Not difficult and I succeeded in correcting, adding and deleting single words.
The IPad wants to help you. That means it is always asking you "Select or Select All". Select works fine. The word you are working with is highlighted. However, to "Select All" is very dangerous. Once you figure out what and how to Select All, "Cut Copy" buttons display. I picked "Copy", but it was "Cut" so my finished entry turned into a blank screen and I couldn't find a "Paste" command. I had to start all over again. You may ask, "Why didn't you just save the entry along the way?" I tried that, but it seems that the IPad touch screen and Blogspot are not happy with each other. It took three tries of pressing and holding the "Save" button. By that time, I had mistakenly deleted the second article leaving another empty screen. "What happened to paste?" I just don't know.
After two hours, I poured a whiskey, climbed out of the boat and walked the dock regain my sanity. The IPad requires a few basic lessons for us ol' school folks.
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