Licking the Cream Off My Whiskers

I can't seem to muster up any sense of humour today.  It's not that I'm feeling glum or depressed, it's actually quite the opposite - I'm feeling very happy - just not in an excited tale-wagging-puppy kind of way.  I'm more like the cat licking cream off her whiskers.  I'm content and mellow.  Satisfied.

I had a wonderful weekend.  Dan and I spent Saturday afternoon on the water, sailing.  Being a few hundred kilometres from the outer edge of Hurricane Irene, we avoided the storm and rain but enjoyed a brisk wind that made sailing a thrill.

After a BBQ dinner on the decks at the yacht club, we sat on the sand dunes and watched the sun set over the water and the sky turn from orange to purple to an inky velvet speckled with stars.

Our lighthouse-styled club house beckoned us back with the warm lights of it's interior.  Inside, some fellow sailors were gathered and the rum was flowing, the tall tales enthralling, and the laughs plentiful.  But the first race of the Fall season was the next morning, so we had to eventually call it an evening and climb aboard our boat for the night.

Source:  Graham Males gbyc.ca

By that time, the wind had worked itself up into a frenzy and a storm surge was pushing the water up the river, making our little boat rock and roll on it's moorings.  Fenders squeaked as they rubbed against the pilings, the lines creaked as they were pulled taut, and the halyards tinged as they slapped against the mast.  But when lying in our berth, the sensation is like being rocked to sleep and we were out like a light.

We awoke Sunday to another sunny, windy day.  We began with coffee and breakfast at the Sunbaked Cafe and Bakery.  We sat on their outdoor patio and watched the tourists wander in and out of stores as they made their way toward the beach.

Back at the Yacht Club, we discovered the race had been cancelled due to the high waves which made it impossible to get out of the channel.  It was not a good day for boaters, but the surfers were loving it.

In no hurry to return home to laundry and yard work, we lazed about our boat for a bit, took a long stroll along the beach, and ended up playing in the surf.  It was delicious - like hot apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.  Try to imagine a cool gusty wind with warm bubbly waves.  I was loving it.

Exiting the water meant a quick dash across the sand to our towels which we wrapped snugly around our goose-bumped selves.  Over the dunes, out of the wind, and into the warmth we went.  Up River Road to the yacht club, sand hosed off our feet, wet clothes and towels hung over the boom on our boat, then down below for a lazy nap.

But weekends always end and Monday morning arrives.  Yet here I am, still licking the cream off my whiskers.  Life is good.




For my treat today, I'm sharing with you my VERY favourite song off my Sailing Playlist - "When the Ship Comes In" by Bob Dylan.  Enjoy!
 

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Sex and Laughter

I've been told I have a great laugh, which is terrific news because I do enjoy a good laugh.  A real good, gut clenching, cheeks hurting, eyes tearing laugh.  I may be shy and polite about some things, but not about laughing.  You won't see me hiding my smile behind my hand and stifling my mirth into silent puffs of air.  No-sir-ee Bob!  My laugh is loud and long and causes my kids to blush with embarrassment and strangers to stare at me with stupid grins on their faces.  Don't misunderstand me - I DO NOT cackle!  I am NOT a cackler (although I have nothing against cacklers and a person's cackle should never be held against them),  it's just that my laugh is...well... uniquely mine.  I like to think it's contagious.   At least, I find it contagious.  Laughing is just such a joy, once I start, I don't want to stop until I reach that pinnacle of pleasure.  It's kind of like sex.

So with that in mind, here's the latest source of my merriment.  I sure hope it does it for you!

Before Ever After - A Review

I'm thrilled to introduce you to a real treat, my blogger friend Samantha Sotto's début novel, Before Ever After.

Since I began blogging back in January, Sam has been a regular fixture around here, leaving her quirky wit behind with her kind comments.  I've come to look forward to her remarks, knowing they will always put a smile on my face.

Sam's now defunct blog, "The Slight Detour", was a countdown to the release of her début novel (which was released this month) and her attempt to not go stir crazy while waiting.  Her blog provided concrete advice for writers and a first-hand look into the publishing process, all written in Sam's humble and humorous style. But more importantly, her blog gave hope and inspiration to aspiring writers, myself included.  You can find Samantha's new blog at samanthasotto.com.

I've just finished reading my copy of Before Ever After  and I was blown away - it is THAT good!  It's written in the warm and witty style that I've come to recognize as Sam's unique voice.  Before Ever After  defies categorizing, crossing the genres of romance, mystery, historical adventure and fantasy and I found it to be an incredibly engaging story and a riot of fun to read.

Here's author Anne Fortier's review:  “Strap on your time-jumping goggles and fasten the seatbelt of your favorite armchair … Samantha Sotto is going to take you on a rollercoaster ride that will leave your teacup hanging in mid-air. I was floored by the gutsy scope of this highly unusual love tragicomedy, and loved the spunky writing that strings together the rambunctious plot. Before Ever After is one of those books that challenges the natural laws of fiction writing, but in a frisky and highly entertaining way.”

Author Adena Halpern gave this review:  "A smartly written romance, mystery, and historical adventure all wrapped up in a page-turner that will have you guessing until the very end.  I could not stop thinking about it."

Here's Samantha:



And here's the official book trailer:

Now everyone, please - go and buy yourself a copy!  Let's make this deserving novel a best seller.



Congratulation, Sam!  I could not be happier for you!

The Bearer of Bad News - And a really Yummy Recipe for Roasted Corn on the Cob

I bought Chrysanthemums.  Yellow ones.  Some of my flowerbeds are showing the stress of a hot and dry summer, and I thought Chrysanthemums would be just the thing to spruce them up with a bright show of colour.

I turned the A/C off.  The heat wave has finally ended.  I was able to open wide the windows and let the fresh breeze waft through the house.  It was glorious.

I wore a cardigan.  When I left the house for work one morning, I was surprised to find it a little chilly.  Not cold – just a slight chill in the air that I knew would disappear as the sun rose higher in the sky.

I went to a local farm market and delighted in the local harvest.  There was sweet corn, peaches, musk melons, and tomatoes, all freshly picked and ripe for eating.


A leaf landed on my head.   As I was out walking, a tiny yellow leaf floated down from a walnut tree and landed in my hair.


And then it dawned on me.  I mean, even I can read the signs when they hit me on the head - summer is winding down.   Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's true.  Granted, that little yellow leaf was something of an over-achiever and it will be several more weeks before the trees are flush with fall colours, but the signs are all there - this glorious, long, lazy summer is indeed winding down!


Being a glass-half-full kind of gal, I decided to make the most of it with an old-fashioned corn roast.  I invited some friends over, planned a traditional menu of macaroni salad, baked beans, peach cobbler, and beer, and lit a bonfire in the backyard to cook the corn over.


It was perfect - except I'd never cooked corn over coals before.   But it's easy.  Trust me.  Here's the instructions:



1.  Pull back the husks, leaving them attached at the base.
2.  Remove the corn silk and pull the husks back into place.  Soak the corn in water for an hour or so.
3.  Light a fire.
4.  Once the flames have subsided and you have nice red coals, place the cobs directly on the coals and roast for 20 minutes, turning every now and then.
5.  Remove the cobs from the fire and tear off the husks.  Serve with butter.



But I ran into a small problem.  My Googled instructions made no mention of using only hardwood for your fire.  When my fire of pine carpentry ends burnt down to a bed of nice red coals, I went into the house to fetch the cobs.  But I returned just mere minutes later to find my bed of red coals had disintegrated into lukewarm ashes!  Within minutes!  You NEED to use REAL firewood.  Oh well...live and learn...

Not having a stash of ready hardwood, I cheated and used charcoal.  Supper was a little later than planned, having to re-light a fire, but it was worth it.  Roasting the cobs caramelizes the sugars in the corn, making it the sweetest corn you will EVER taste, and cooking it over coals gives it a delicious smoky flavour.   I swear, everyone who enjoys corn-on-the-cob needs to try cooking it this way!  Not only is it mouth-watering yummy, but it's also a great way to enjoy the end of the summer season.


Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Missing Daughter

Now don't get all alarmed.  She's not actually missing -  I  know where she is.  But I'm still missing her.

The Chubby Hypocrite in the Bikini

I live my life by the expression "to each his own", understanding my personal views and ethics may not be the same views and beliefs as another person's.  Each of us have to live our lives by the moral codes and values which are true to us.

In other words, I consider myself a liberal, open-minded person.  So as I sat on my boat late one afternoon, working on a tan and occasionally glancing up from my book to survey the other boats as they entered our sheltered cove, I was not all offended when the newest addition sported what appeared to be a nude sailor.

"Hey Dan!" I called to the cabin down below.  "Another boat came in, and the old guy aboard is nude!  Completely nude!"

Dan's stuck his head out to take a look.

"So he is," he acknowledged and returned to whatever he was doing down below.  Dan shares my "to each his own" philosophy.

I returned to my book, grinning at the thought of the sailor and  marvelling at his nerve and obvious lack of concern about the opinions of others when a loud clanging noise drew my attention back to his boat.

Apparently, they were having some sort of problem with their mechanical anchor and the thing was refusing to release.  Having to go forward to fix the problem, the nude sailor walked to the bow of the boat in all his pink glory, proud and defiant, then bent over the anchor.  And that's when I realized...

"Oh my God, Dan!  He's not nude!  He's wearing a thong!  A thong!  The old dude is wearing a thong!  I couldn't see it 'till he bent over because it's right up the his butt crack!  Oh my God!  What would possess him?! That's disgusting!"

Source:  www.frogview.com

So much for my philosophy.

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Sailing the North Channel

Before we left for our sailing trip in the North Channel, I realized it could only end 1 of 4 ways:

1.  We both make it back alive, with the boat
2.  One of us makes it back, with the boat
3.  One of us makes it back, sans boat
or
4.  Neither of us make it back - and then who would care about the damn boat!

So...take a guess how it ended.  Here's a hint - Dan & I will be spending our next day off cleaning squashed mosquitoes off the cabin walls.  What?  Too easy?

I bet you're curious about our trip, but if I were to tell you about the breath-taking beauty of the area, about how we anchored each night in a sheltered cove surrounded by scented pines and soaring cliffs of white quartz, how the water was so clear and clean you can see to great depths below, and how we spent one night in an ancient volcano crater, being serenaded by loons as we sipped wine and watched the stars burst across the sky in unadulterated brilliance - you just might become a tad jealous.  And I wouldn't want you to be jealous.

So...instead, I'll tell you how it was an eight hour car ride (without air conditioning) to get there, towing the boat behind us, how the mosquitoes were plentiful, the water cold, the quarters cramped and the porta-potty too puny.   Here, let me show you:

  

This is the cabin.  We sleep in the V Berth at the top of the picture.  That chair back comes off to make more room.  The cushions are more than just decoration - we use them as pillows at night, and for comfort while sitting in the cockpit.  Inside the pole is the line to the retractable centerboard under the boat, and under a seat is an ice chest to store our food.  The lights, radio, GPS and stereo run off a battery.  The water from the faucets is hand-pumped up from collapsible water containers stored underneath the sinks.  Now you know.

Me cooking breakfast at the galley on a propane camp stove.

The dinette.  This must be near the end of our cruise because I notice the wine box under the table is empty.

The head.  Don't let this photo fool you, it's too short to stand upright in there.  Notice there is no shower.  We have a water bladder that warms the water using solar power, then we hang it in the cockpit & shower out there.  Or we just take a dip in the lake.

The nasty olive-green porta-potty which we had to empty in public washrooms.  Glamourous or what?

I wish I had thought to take a photo of the paper towel containing our nightly count of squashed mosquitos.  Seriously.  Have you ever tried sleeping with those things buzzing around your head?!  I insisted we kill every last one of them in the cabin before retiring for the night.  And I kept count.  By their squashed bodies on a paper towel. Our record was 16.

But in all honesty, the hardships were more than worth it to be amongst the beautiful scenery.  See what I mean?

Gorgeous, isn't it?

It's impossible to take a photo of your boat, while on your boat.  So we hiked way up a mountain, just so I could get this photo of our boat for you.  Really.  Well...that and the rumour of wild blueberries atop the rocks.

And for all you doubters who went "ppfft" when I said we anchored in a volcano, here's my proof - notice the steep rock wall that dips straight down at the water's edge?  Notice the pitted lava rocks?  Believe me now? We were actually in an ancient volcano!

This is a rock formation that looks exactly like an Indian head.  Really.  Okay... I might have been a little slow with my camera, but if I swear if you could just back up a few meters to the right, you would agree that it does indeed look exactly like an Indian head.

Here's Dan at the helm.  I also have a real sexy photo of him with his shirt off, looking all rugged and wind-blown, but I think I'll keep that one for myself.

Here's me chilling in the cockpit one evening.  Hey!  I just realized my profile looks just like that Indian head, minus the cedar tree growing out of my lip!    

And to make you a little jealous, here's some scenery shots:

(this was the lake-filled volcano crater.  Our first clue to it's origins was when we tried to drop anchor in the middle and realized we didn't have enough anchor line!)

Don't get too jealous - that is NOT my boat.  That is not even CLOSE to being my boat.  I bet they have a head you can stand up in  (with a real toilet and even a shower with hot water), and a fridge, stove and oven, maybe even a microwave.  I'm sure their berths are in enclosed cabins.  With real mattresses and linens and down comforters.  And air conditioning!  I bet you anything they have air conditioning.   *Sigh*   Now I'm  jealous!