Winter Onboard in Annapolis
—Blogpost written by Bob
Friday, January 1 (New Year's Day)
I was up early preparing a traditional (Pennsylvania Dutch) New Year’s Day meal—pork and sauerkraut. We purchased three very thick (maybe 1-1/2 inches thick) pork chops to cut up and use as cubes. I also used tiny white potatoes (about one inch in diameter)—this part was not traditional though. The assembly consisted of about equal volumes of pork and sauerkraut while the tiny potatoes made up a smaller fraction of the dish. (Traditionally, the pork would occupy a mush smaller portion of this dish.) By 8 AM the meal was assembled and the crockpot was started. (It will be on the “high” setting for at least 4 hours.)
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| New Year's Day meal in the crockpot. |
I tried avocado oil for the first time to brown the pork cubes before placing them in the crockpot. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point than most other cooking oils, as I’ve recently learned. Avocado oil is preferred in many Keto (low carb/high fat) recipes.
We shopped specifically for this meal at Fresh Market on the west end of town a couple days ago. They have excellent meats and cheeses and other natural unprocessed things. They don’t carry the big name brands that one would find in most grocery stores.
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After the cooking was started I had a chance to look outside and see the overcast sky—it felt like snow was on its way but rain was expected (99% chance) for most of the day. The outside temperature was 36 degrees F. Maggie turned on the oil-filled radiator in our enclosed cockpit for Lola’s comfort when she is outside.
It rained nearly all day and into the night. I didn't even get off the boat today.
Saturday, January 2
The sun shone through the cloud cover of the morning. The rain had finally stopped. The outside temperature was a bit warmer at 41 degrees F.
As usual Maggie and I played a couple games of "Words with Friends" this morning on our cell phones. (The game is very similar to scrabble and is quite addictive for us.)
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| My screenshot as I prepared to make the next move. |
We play almost a dozen games of "Words with Friends" throughout each day.
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We really needed to get outside today after being cooped up all of yesterday. I walked around down town and took some pics which satisfied my need to get off the boat.
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| Looking up Cornhill Street toward St. Johns College. |
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| Weeds growing from the crevice between the building and the sidewalk on Cornhill Street in the middle of winter. (I used "live view" for a low point of view and used a narrow depth of field for this image.) |
As I was getting off the boat, three or four people came by on paddle boards on Ego Alley--they were wearing wetsuits. In Annapolis, there is not much that can keep people off the water--one of the things I love about this town!
We watched some college football bowl games in the afternoon--a relatively uneventful afternoon. (Penn State passed up a bowl invitation this year, a unanimous decision by the coaches and players.)
Sunday, January 3
It rained throughout last night and into the morning as an overcast sky dominated our weather.
Outside, it felt much colder than it actually was--it was 39 degrees F but with a humidity of greater than 50%. The predicted high temperature for the day was 41 degrees F.
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We have been dreaming about spending next winter at a nice marina (Suntex) in Vero Beach FL and the pandemic finally coming to an end.
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| The is the pixelated image we had on our TV this afternoon watching the Ravens play the Bengals. |
As Ravens fans, we watched the pixelated image on our TV as we played the sound on our satellite radio. (We plan to fix this as soon as the weather improves.)
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| This is what Lola does when it rains. |
Today was a relaxing day with very few accomplishments, like a Sunday should be.
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I can't believe the shenanigans that are going on within the republican party to try to keep Trump in power--it's like we are living in a third world country. Such poor losers!
Stay tuned for some upcoming boat projects...stay safe and healthy!
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