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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 18, 2009 19:40:37 GMT -5
This is the summer thunderstorm that moved in at sunset last week for Mom. You are looking west over the public pier wall at high tide. The white pointy cap thingy is on the top of the pile for our floating dock. At low tide, we can be 15 feet below this view.
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Post by sailor on Jul 19, 2009 0:08:33 GMT -5
Babe, your pictures are awesome! Thank you for sharing.
Mike
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 19, 2009 0:52:50 GMT -5
Same night, looking east toward the land, this sweet old 100-foot wood boat coming in from a cruise. They moore just down the dock from us. Thanks, Mike! I did just discover how to make a thumbnail of this picture, and it sure didn't do it justice, so I made it big. Jay, good booze, you bet. We used the now extinct, thanks to his estate, Jimi Hendrix Electric Vodka.
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Post by gailkate on Jul 19, 2009 11:08:54 GMT -5
That storm shot is gorgeous, BB, and I'm sure your mother loved the special effects in her honor. But it's got me thinking about storms on the water. Aren't you at greater risk from lightning? We landlubbers are constantly warned to get out of our metal cars and into a dry ditch (no wet stuff at the bottom, even though that's fairly common for a ditch ). Yet there you are in your metal boats, sitting on more water than we see outside of the Great lakes. I'm sure you have safeguards, but what are they?
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 19, 2009 12:15:21 GMT -5
No worries, gk. Our boat is fiberglass, as are most these days. There are old wood boats, and some steel hulls. If you look at the last picture, you can see all those sailboat masts. Those are all metal now. I think there is one wood mast in that picture. We consider those our lightning rods, and our guaranteed safety. Actually, I've never seen nor heard of lightning striking salt water, or a boat. Maybe I'm just in Egypt.
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Post by jspnrvr on Jul 19, 2009 21:05:13 GMT -5
No worries, gk. Our boat is fiberglass, as are most these days. There are old wood boats, and some steel hulls. If you look at the last picture, you can see all those sailboat masts. Those are all metal now. I think there is one wood mast in that picture. We consider those our lightning rods, and our guaranteed safety. Actually, I've never seen nor heard of lightning striking salt water, or a boat. Maybe I'm just in Egypt. I remember one summer night a bunch of us guys were bass fishing on Lake Purdy, outside Birmingham, AL. All of a sudden KA-WHOOM! The sky lit up and opened up. And there I sat in the middle of a lake, in an aluminum boat, holding a six foot graphite rod. We yanked the starters and made straight for the bank; trouble comes to us all easily enough, no sense in asking for it. And I really am going to try posting pictures when I get back.
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Post by doctork on Jul 20, 2009 10:45:26 GMT -5
I took pictures around the farmhouse yesterday. I will put them on my computer tonight (if I can) then see what I can do about a fast wireless internet connection to put them here!
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Post by doctork on Jul 20, 2009 10:48:06 GMT -5
BoatBabe, the photos are great! Makes me homesick for the Northwest now, darn it! And yeah, your mom looks great for 80! We should all be so lucky - as gk says, I have trouble getting around, and I'm nowhere near 80.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 21, 2009 21:53:25 GMT -5
It's too hot here, Doc. This is not our usual use of an umbrella.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 22, 2009 8:46:07 GMT -5
Just another Pacific Northwest photo for you, Doc. Sunset out at the Wagon Wheel. I love this shot. Talk about all inclusive.
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Post by doctork on Jul 22, 2009 12:17:46 GMT -5
Yes, definitely looks great, but by the weather report, too hot! It was already too hot and dry for too long when I left on June 26, and I guess that unseasonable weather has continued, while it is cool and autumn-like up there in the Twin Cities. Must be that global warming thing.
I thought of your mom BoatBabe when I read Craig Wilson's weekly column in USAToday this morning. His mom is "turning 90, going like 60." No photos accompanied the story, but I could imagine your mom in the story.
And best as I recall, I didn't use an umbrella in the Pacific Northwest. I was told it would make me look like a foreigner, as real Washingtonians don't use an umbrella, they just get Gortex clothes. Sill I had umbrellas there which I neglected to bring here, so I will just settle for getting wet until I get around to shipping or buying one.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 23, 2009 8:59:20 GMT -5
Thanks Doc! That's a great headline. Mom and her sister are now staying up late every night watching classic literature movies, if Hallmark Hall of Fame movies aren't on. Mom has been getting home after midnight every night since she left here. Dahhlink told her we expect they will be smokin' and drinkin' soon. Ahhh, that Locals Don't Use Umbrellas thing. And It Rains All The Time In Seattle. I believe those were both part of Emmett Watson's famed KBO mantra (Keep the Bas*ards Out.)
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Post by doctork on Jul 24, 2009 10:47:40 GMT -5
Here's what happened with me and Seattle and all those rumors. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest, I was there several times each year on business. I noticed that actually it never rained there, at least not when I was visiting. So I arranged for my husband and I to take a vacation there, which was really nice and he liked it there too.
Next business trip, I was supposed to be in Seattle all week Sunday - Friday, and got called to Atlanta on Wednesday, home to WV on Thursday (home early from a business trip is always a good thing). But, I was sorry to leave Seattle early! Shortly thereafter, the recruiter began calling about the job in Bellingham, PNW sounded better and better, and eventually we wound up there.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 25, 2009 0:26:10 GMT -5
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 25, 2009 0:30:48 GMT -5
Dinner last night on the bar-B.
Doc, it doesn't matter how beautiful the landscape. If you aren't happy doing what you are doing, you need to repot yourself. I hope you are happy and doing well where you are.
Chicken and roasted corn cobs. It was great. That hillside up there is called Sunset Hill, because they get to look out west and see the sunset. I plan to do the four seasons of Sunset Hill.
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Post by gailkate on Jul 25, 2009 9:33:10 GMT -5
Tell me how to do roasted corn. Why don't the husks catch fire? How long do they roast? How do you get the husks off w/o burning your fingers?
Yes, I know I should know this by now, but the grill-man in our family doesn't recognize anything but raw meat.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 26, 2009 11:29:42 GMT -5
Leave the cobs whole, and soak them in a sinkful of cold water. Dahhlink just discovered that if he puts something on top of them to weight them down because they float, instead of trying to spin them once in a while, they soak much better.
Lift them out of the water and tip them silk end down to drain extra water. With kitchen scissors,cut off hanging out silk and end tips of the husk. Put them on the top shelf of the Bar-B, or the outside of a round grill, where ever the cooler place is. Turn them once in a while. Cook them until they are done. It takes some time. If you try this twice, you will figure it out.
Hold the cob with tongs over the sink or a garbage can and quickly strip off the husks so you don't burn your fingers. You can leave the husks on, and they will stay hot for a very long time if the timing for the other food isn't right yet.
They are great. Some wood chip smoke in the Bar-B makes them even better. If they are done more on one side than the other, that makes them better, too.
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Post by sailor on Jul 26, 2009 17:30:04 GMT -5
Has it been awhile? It sure feels that way to me. Time for another photo essay. A coworker who is just getting into photography asked me if we could go out on Saturday and pal around whilst taking pictures. He's married with a young son and free time for him is rare; so, I said sure, let's go take some pictures. We got together early morning and I drove. First stop, a local shrine to ask the photography God to bless us with good pictures. While my friend proceeded to take scads of pictures of the shrine, I found a nice little rusty bench to sit on. It may look ugly, but it sure was comfortable. Next stop was a small park where there's a couple of wind powered generators. By the looks of the hazy grey sky, I'm wondering if the stop at the shrine was worth it. The wind powered generators are up on a bluff overlooking a small marina. Man! It sure is hazy. When we return to the car I discover a small van has parked next to me with an interesting message on its window. Maybe a closer look is in order. I don't thing I'll stick around for "castody" time. Time to skedaddle! We meander down to the end of the peninsula where the tuna boats drop of their catch. Here we see frozen tuna being sorted out in preparation for transport to somewhere. This guy swings a mean hook and check out those boots! Looking at all the tuna frozen as hard as a rock made me ponder the meaning of life, so I asked Buddha, what's it all about. He declined to answer. Oh, well. The EndAll the best, Mike
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Post by gailkate on Jul 26, 2009 17:42:20 GMT -5
Thanks, BB. I'd never have thought to soak them and the tips for not getting burned make me more confident. "Cook till done" is a tad cryptic, though. Great trip, Mike. Meaning no disrespect, but is there some reason Buddha's nose is often bashed in? Maybe a festival where everyone hurls sacred rocks at him? Seems to me I've seen this more than once.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 26, 2009 18:09:47 GMT -5
Great photo essay, Mike! You do such a great job. Any idea what that advertising message in the window really means?
I really like the photo of the marina, too. Maybe I should go up on Sunset Hill and show you what Shileshole Bay Marina looks like from there.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 26, 2009 18:18:57 GMT -5
My Dahhlink says it is Japlish for "I'll mail your stuff early."
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Post by sailor on Jul 27, 2009 0:02:57 GMT -5
gk, I don't know why the noses are frequently found damaged, maybe just because it's the most fragile part of the head and most prone to getting messed up over time. One would think that it would be bad luck to bust Buddha's nose.
Babe, Dahhlink is probably correct. That kind of misuse of the English language is quite common here and often comical.
Mike
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Post by Jane on Jul 27, 2009 15:41:49 GMT -5
Throwing rocks at Buddha's nose? Hey, that's a great name for a rock band!
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Post by gailkate on Jul 27, 2009 15:57:51 GMT -5
Jane, you are so silly. Here I was, feeling a bit guilty about maybe sounding disrespectful, and you chime in with the ultimate Carlin-esque joke. You're right, it would be a great rock band name. But don't forget I said sacred rocks.
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Post by doctork on Jul 27, 2009 16:53:16 GMT -5
Looks like the photography god smiled on you, haze and all Mike. In fact I thought hazy days were better for photography, but what do I know? Something about the light...
Last week's NYT Book Review, which I read yesterday, has an ad on the back for one of those courses on DVD or tape (? Teaching Company maybe), and this month's featured topic is Buddhism! I may consider buying them, as I have been considering it for a while. The ads make the lectures sound very appealing.
And BB you are right about the scenery. It couldn't be beat in our Bellingham home - Puget Sound and Bellingham Bay, Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands, the Canadian Coastal Range and the night ski lights from North Vancouver in the winter - but I am really happy here in Appalachia/West Virginia/North Carolina/the Blue Ridge! I had forgotten that I can actually love my work.
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Post by sailor on Jul 27, 2009 17:14:09 GMT -5
Throwing rocks at Buddha's nose? Hey, that's a great name for a rock band! You very funny, Jane! Yours truly, Dalai P.S. I clipped the picture from www.dalailama.com/Mike
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Post by sailor on Jul 27, 2009 19:20:17 GMT -5
Unbeknown to me, my friend took a picture of me at the shrine. Now you can see what kind of a geek I am on a photo outing. I should have left the green socks at home! Mike
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 27, 2009 20:42:20 GMT -5
Mike, Mike, Mike . . . you are wearing blue and green, the famous colors of our own Seattle Seahawks! That is so kind of you. You like us. You REally LIKE us!
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 27, 2009 20:48:18 GMT -5
This is us at a low tide, but not a REally low tide. Up there is the stationary public pier.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 27, 2009 21:56:21 GMT -5
Good for you, Doc! And thanks for the "repotting" scenerio. I've done it many time myself. I've always referred to it as Road Trip Fever plus The Changing Seasons (either fall or spring.) That's when I always did the repotting.
I'm happy to hear that you've discovered liking your job again. That's a good thing!
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