The plan for yesterday was to dedicate a couple of hours to spring cleaning in the garage. In order to get at and sweep up stuff that had 'fallen through the cracks' so to speak, I had to move the Chesapeake LT 17 to my kayak maintenance slings. As I moved it, it began sending guilty vibes to my subconscious brain. "You only paddled me a couple times last year....aren't I as good as the Q Boat or Aquanaut?........don't ya love me anymore!!?" Finally the guilt became too much and I abandoned the garage, threw the boat on the roof, and headed for the Rice Lake chain of lakes, about 10 miles north of here.
Spring is struggling to emerge and a few trees have that halo of light green surrounding them but things are still pretty much brown and dry. The VOR will be horrified to know that the carp are rolling around in the warmer shallow bays but none attacked me as I paddled through. The turtles, both Painted and Mud turtles, are out sunning in full force and the Canada geese, Mallards, Coots, Mergansers, and even a few Bluebills are out on the water. I came across a large raft of pelicans as well but, like the turtles, I didn't want to get too close and disturb their sunny afternoon. Nature being herself, not everything was goodness and light.
I took an image of a blissful turtle sunning himself on a drowned opossum which didn't do much to dampen this upbeat day but did remind me, as did the wolf killed deer at camp, that nature ain't always a glossy coffee table book. Kids were fishing, cyclists were cycling, golfers golfing, and even the guys at the seaplane base were wrenching on their aircraft.I really do need to pay more attention the the Chesapeake. Instead of looking at colored gel coat I am able to savor the wood grain and swirls in the varnished natural wood deck. Its not quite as fast as the Q Boat but the very hard chine hull makes turning a dream. It is the lightest boat in my fleet and it will roll with reluctance, but thats not what it was built for. Actually it was built to insure some quality father-son time with 1stLtO when he was a high school youth. He decided he needed a kayak and the then $600 kit was both economical and also afforded some male bonding that we wouldn't have had otherwise. We decided we needed a red hull to commemorate and remind us of both my Old Man and his beloved red hulled Crestliner fishing boat, and a natural wood deck for our viewing pleasure as we paddled. Its not quite the perfect gem that can be seen at boat shows but it looks great when it goes past at about 20mph in the roof rack.
This is one kayak that I won't have to keep track of when I sell it because I won't be selling it. There are just too many good memories that would be sold along with it. Plus, its the only boat that's able to communicate with me.........
5 comments:
Ohhhhhhh what a great day!
Hey, I'm leaving for my 3-week expedition in Prince William Sound next week, and could use some advice as to what you pack for food. Anything that is a staple for you that I could snag for ideas? We've almost completed our menu but could use a few more meals besides hot grains, freeze-dried stuff and the Starkist tuna packets.
Pesto Pasta for 6
Water 7 cups (7 ½ if using dry onions, pepper and mushrooms)
Rotini (vegetable spiral noodles) 1 pound
Dehydrated tomato julienne cut one envelope 3 oz
Onion, one medium or an open palm-full of dry
Garlic one or two cloves
Green Olives (sliced) - palm full or to taste
Green pepper up to one or a palm-full of dry
Mushrooms 8 oz or so fresh or a palm-full of dry
Knorr Creamy Pesto Pasta sauce mix 2 envelopes
Olive oil ½ cup
Parmesan cheese, fresh, grated ½ pound
Bring water to a boil. Add rotini and dry tomato and if using dry onion, garlic, pepper, mushrooms, add them now also. Boil 7 minutes. Do not drain. Add oil, pesto sauce, onion garlic and green pepper. Simmer three minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese, fold in till melted. Serve.
Hummus on tortilla for 6
In a baggy put
Hummus 2 X 6 oz boxes
Mild salsa one 16 oz bottle
Onion 1 medium diced
Green pepper one small diced
Olive oil 4 oz
Lemon juice 4 Tbsp. (one lemon)
Add a teaspoon or two of water as needed to get a consistency a little thinner than toothpaste, able to squeeze but not runny
Cut a corner of the baggy and squeeze mix onto tortilla
Add as desired
Cucumber (one sliced)
sprouts
Cheese cheddar grated one pound
No Bake for about 8
Mix together in one bowl:
Peanut butter 4 cups (2 X 18 oz jars)
Honey 2 cups about
Mix together in a large baggie
Rice Krispies 3 cups
Quick Cooking Oatmeal 3 cups
Chocolate chips 1 cup
M & M’s 1 cup
Craisins (can also use some Raisons) 1 cup
Add the peanut butter mix and squeeze and roll until mix holds together. It should not be too sticky—it’s a finger food.
Fruit Rot for 4
Yogurt 32 oz any flavor
Ginger snaps 1 pound, broken into pieces (not ground)
Frozen fruit, at least 3 kinds, 6 cups total: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peach …
Put yogurt in a nalgeen in center of pack. Put frozen fruit in nalgeens and set around the yogurt. In the morning, mix all ingredients together (fruit will be thawed, all will still be cold). Can add sliced apples.
Pita Pizza for 6
Pita 12 (2 per person)
Squeeze bottle pizza sauce one
Pepperoni one small “pillow”
Onion 1 small, diced
green olives ½ cup or so
green pepper one small, diced
mozzarella cheese one pound
Pizzas can be assembled on each person’s plate and then slid into the fry pan. Cover and cook over low heat just long enough to melt the cheese. Takes only a few minutes. Or pita can be set in fry pan while on the stove, assembled, covered and cooked.
Best Wishes for a fine trip
Roy
WOW, thanks! I'd assembled a pesto pasta meal but nowhere near that elaborate. The fruit rot sounds amazing. Thanks for your time on that, can't wait to report back to my tent group with the findings from my research. ; ) Sounds like the weather's going to be wet and warm (high 50's).
Boy, sounds like they eat pretty good in suburban Poplar.....;).
Three weeks sounds like a 'utilize every spare space' kind of trip. One staple we have is Vigo brand beans and rice, either red or black. You can add any protein like sausage, foil packed chicken, etc., and its quick and pretty tasty. I know you will be in grizzly country and I don't know the pros and cons are regarding hard, smoked sausage that doesn't need to be kept cold, but that along with some chicken packets and shrimp packets can make a pretty decent and basic jambalaya early on if you throw in some fresh veggies . I like to bring fresh root veggies like carrots, onion, ruktabaga, spuds, etc. because they keep forever. Again, for three weeks you need to conserve space but I hate freeze dried crap. Finally, if you can sneak in a can of cocoanut milk it can be Thai curry time. Chicken meat, onion, garlic, and that green pepper you wrapped loosely in newspaper and stuck in your day hatch are sauteed and removed. Add about a quarter tube of curry paste and the cream from your can of cocoanut milk and simmer until the cream separates and the paste if dark and rich looking. Add the veggies, chicken, and a bit of honey or sugar and simmer until the veggies are done. People will bow down to you as you serve Thai curry on day 7 of the trip.
Best of luck. We will of course, need a full report.
A full report, yes indeed. Since it's a class my profs are looking for a full report too. : ) Wish I could just give them my blog link.
Thanks for the great ideas, gents. I've also packed walnuts, butter, brown sugar and ground flax for the grains, and will make sure that coconut milk makes an appearance for that curry. *drooooools*
: )
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