Winter Onboard in Annapolis

—Blogpost written by Bob 

Monday, February 1

During the night, a rain/sleet/snow mixture accumulated.  It was still cold outside (in the low 30's).  In the morning I could feel the fact that ice accumulations on the boat were making the boat motion a bit unusual. (Maggie, who loves to be out in the snow, cleaned off the accumulation on our cockpit enclosure and our sail cover using our deck brush.)

Last night the reverse-cycle stopped producing heat again.  Also, one of the oil-filled radiators was turned off--we can't figure out how or why.  At 4 AM, I got up and turned the oil-filled radiator back on because I felt the cabin getting cooler.  At this time I turned the reverse-cycle A/C off--it was running continuously but gradually getting cooler.  When I got up later in the morning (7:30), I turned the reverse-cycle A/C back on--all the heat was coming from the two oil-filled radiators and a 75-degree temperature was being maintained without the reverse-cycle. (I expect that we will be in this heating mode for the entire month of February.  The water temperature at the Annapolis weather buoy was still holding steady at 40.3 degrees--was it stuck?)

Our current weather map.  Light blue
areas were getting snow.

I lounged around the boat in a long-sleeve t-shirt and sweat pants most of the day--I was taking full advantage of having a serious disease, even though I felt pretty good. (I can feel the cancer attacking my body only during certain periods of time, sometimes week-long periods of time.)

I got caught up on a lot of reading and watching YouTube videos. (In fact, both our phones have now used up each of their 15 gigabytes of high-speed data and we are only half way through our billing cycle!  The only difference (in using the reduced data speed of 660k after high-speed data has been used up) being that YouTube videos take a lot longer to load.

I didn't even venture outside today.

Tuesday, February 2 (Groundhog Day)

We received about one inch of additional snow accumulation overnight--it was very pretty outside this morning.  Obviously, the groundhog in Pennsylvania didn't see his shadow--so, we are expected to have an early Spring, according to Puxatawny Phil.  (I stand corrected, Puxatawny Phil DID see his shadow as I later learned on the news.  His track record is only 50% correct by the way.)

Puxatawny Phil on the morning
of Groundhog Day

During last evening and during the night, chunks of ice would frequently fall from the rigging and crash onto the boat's deck making an atrocious noise, like a gunshot.

As I got up this morning, I had a dream about making a new dish in the crockpot, a chicken pot pie, but not the Pennsylvania Dutch style that I had back home when I was young. I intended to use ground chicken, cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, lots of different veggies, and a puff pastry on top--all of this cooked in the crockpot.  One of our goals for the day was to gather the ingredients at Fresh Market.

Maggie cleaning the fresh snow
off our Prius. (She loves snow!)

Driving through Eastport
on Bay Ridge Avenue.

We drove to Fresh Market on the west side of town for a few days worth of groceries.  (We have come to prefer this place over the other grocery stores in town because of their excellent meats, fresh veggies, and unusual brands.)  I was able to get all the ingredients for a chicken pot pie I planned to make—of course. I changed the ingredients slightly due to different/better fresh veggies that were available.

While we were out and about, we went to Italian Market for lunch.  Maggie had a tuna sub (her favorite lunch) and I had pepperoni pizza (my favorite lunch).  As we were driving around we listened to a program on NPR about hunger in America.

----------

Later in the afternoon, I assembled the chicken pot pie in the crockpot for cooking tomorrow morning.  I started by laying out the puff pastry on the cutting board and sitting the crock pot lid on top to trace the outline of the crockpot.  Then I cut the puff pastry about 1/2" smaller all around and set it aside for a bit later.  (This was the first time I ever used puff pastry.)

I sautéed some diced onion (one medium onion) with some fresh garlic (2 cloves minced on a microplane) in a large sauce pan.  After the onions and garlic were soft, I added the ground (white meat) chicken and cooked it until it was no longer pinkish.  The two cans of cream of chicken soup were added next and I tried to get the desired consistency by the amount of water I added.  At this point, I turned off the gas burner.  I cut up the remaining veggies: diced one medium potato, sliced some carrots, chunked up a green zucchini, chopped a bunch of baby shiitake mushrooms and added about 1 cup of frozen peas.  I added a pinch of sea salt and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes to the mixture.  I put this thoroughly mixed up menagerie in the bottom of the (pre-greased) crockpot before adding the sheet of puff pastry to the top.  I stored my preassembled dish outside in the cool cockpit for the night--it was as good as any refrigerator.  (Since it must cook for 5 to 6 hours on the "low" setting, I have to start it around 7 AM tomorrow morning for it to be completed by sometime between noon and 1 PM tomorrow afternoon. I forgot to take pics of the preparation!)

My vodka and (diet) cranberry juice
cocktail for Happy Hour. (In some
circles, this simple drink is
called the Cape Cod.)

Wednesday, February 3

The best description of today was sunny and slightly warmer--it might even reach 39 degrees F today!  I got up early (7 AM) and brought the crockpot in from the cold cockpit and started it on the "low" setting for its 6-hour cooking duration.  This was the time that I questioned whether I had added too many red pepper flakes or used too much garlic and, of course, it was too late to make changes to these ingredients--we'll find out soon enough.

----------

For most of last light. I slept on the starboard settee because it was closer to the head since I was up to use it about every 2 hours.  Today, my nurse navigator setup an appointment for my pre-radiation MRI (next Thursday) and made a referral for my pre-radiation PSA test (it's just a blood test that I need to schedule before my visit with my oncologist .  I also have an upcoming appointment with my oncologist (the doctor that directs the radiation treatment) at Anne Arundel Medical Center for next Tuesday morning. 

 

We had my chicken pot pie dish for lunch today.  
It was a little disappointed with the puff
pastry--it was a soggy mess!

My new (to me) 20mm F2.8 D lens came in the mail today and my first shot was one of Lola sitting on the companionway slide.  I used my camera's "live view" function and it's articulated view finder for this shot.

My first shot with my new (to me)
20mm f2.8 D lens and my
Nikon D750 camera.

As I was capturing a picture of Lola sitting above me on the companionway slide I recognized the photography talent I have had over the many years of my life.  It's an art form that I should continue to develop...and there are other less-than-perfect personal talents that I shouldn't be continuing at this time in my life (like woodworking, metal working, maybe even music since I haven't made much progress with my ukulele).

This image was captured from the reflection
from a puddle of water just to see what
difference a wide angle lens makes.

Thursday, February 4

The sun was shining brightly as I got up from a rare thoroughly restful night--the outside temperature was already above freezing and headed for 45 degrees F today!

Lola sat on the upper companionway step
looking up into the overhead slide.  Do
you think she wants to go outside?  
(This nice shot was captured
with my simple iPad.)

Yesterday I discovered that my Nikon D750 camera has a distortion control setting on the menu (either "on" or "off") which is invaluable on wide angle lenses--otherwise nothing looks quite straight.  I turned on this feature when I took my first outdoor shots using my new (to me) 20mm f2.8 D lens.  (Also, yesterday, I ordered a lens cap for the front of the lens and a lens hood that was made specifically for this lens--I guess it's a keeper!)

----------

My main goal for the day was getting a blood test at the hospital for my pre-radiation PSA reading, a requirement before the consultation with my oncologist on Tuesday.  The lab was on the second floor of the Sajak Pavillion--yes, it was donated by Pat Sajak, a famous gameshow host who lives in nearby Severn, Maryland.  I accomplished my goal in the middle of the afternoon, the earliest possible appointment was 2:45 PM.  We didn't get home until close to 5 PM though.  We had a bit of miscommunication in meeting back up in the parking garage.  Maggie was waiting on a floor below where she dropped me off.  Oh well...

Thanks for following our blog!