Kaimusailing

The wind is howling outside and the morning temperature was at the freezing mark. I had to clean up the mess left over from Pizza Night. I only made 4 pies and so a dozen customers showed up. Then they dispersed when I began baking. The returnees were all pilots of some sort or another. Dave the helicopter pilot, Rough Rider Lynn who had to get a pilot's license to work at an airport, Mr. and Mrs. L. Jones, both pilots, Radio Bill, paraglider pilot, and Austin, a grandson, cadet glider pilot. I was the only one who didn't fly. The drone doesn't count.
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The conversation covered all sorts of aviation. Dave made a comment, "there are 3 kinds of pilots, civilian, who have to listen and obey everybody else, commercial, who speak with other professionals, and airline pilots, who talk to God." L. Jones, who was an airline pilot said, "God never listens". Austin who is Dave's grandson gave an interesting talk about glider lessons up in New Hampshire.
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The Georgia senate election runoff is on. I can't believe that the future of the Free World depends on Georgia politics. What a crazy scene. Here in the North River Marsh, it's fractious, Trumpland, but also Trump dissidents. Georgia is getting a lot of new residents from elsewhere, and some bring political agendas from elsewhere.
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Now it's a few days later and I can't believe what I have seen from DC. I am very familiar with the area having worked there for 10 years. The mob that charged into Congress seemed to have no regard for what I felt there, a reverence for history, a respect for the lawmakers who work there. Sure, some make fun of the senators and congressmen who work on the Hill, but they are important people who are elected by the populace, they are the distilled essence of our whole country. The unruly mob that tried to overwhelm the police and security of our government, was a stupid ignorant sort of redneck violent agitators, armed, and without any substance, just mockery of facts, a putsch, such as Hitler enabled. Trump should be held responsible for this disturbance. They let Hitler get away with what he did in the early days. Trump should be held responsible.
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If we look back at history, and we should, because it might repeat, we see a pandemic after the First World War, which they didn't describe it as that back then, it was the Great War, and the pandemic and economic fallout resulted in an unbalance in most of the world. Recovery was like a Renaissance, booming economies, stock market going bananas, yet it was not all the same everywhere, in Europe there were famines, the conditions were ripe for some sort of insurrection, and so it happened. Hitler got his power from the desperate conditions in Germany after the war reparations and the depression that happened there. He blamed the Jews and the Communists, much as Trump blames Socialists now, but the thugs that wreaked havoc in those times were then put down by Hitler, kinda sounds familiar, they helped him get power, and once he had power he put them down, and then everyone else.
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We're at a strange tipping point now, we are not a dumb nation, we are the most informed people that have ever been, but we are seeing things in progress that seem to have no regulation, things are out of control. What do you think of the Federal Government now, getting invaded by the Gauls, the Empire might crumble. We can escape or fight. There are entities that would like to see the United States fail.
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If you have a boat, you have a way to go out on the sea, if there is some sort of coup or attack. It should be on the coast and ready to go. Visit your boat and be familiar with it. Not only will it help you when all hell breaks loose, it will be a comfort, it is your own boat, it is in your control, they can't get you easily if you go.
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Unfortunately both my boats are tied up right now. I am vulnerable. Kaimu could sail right away, although she needs some fixings. Sunsplash also could sail, but her bottom is foul, and she is in the Chesapeake which is land locked.
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I was low on groceries and Radio Bill needed a ride to medical facilities, so we borrowed Rough Rider Lynn's car. I purchased ingredients for pizzas, for pickled shrimp, and for a new big dang pot of pork and bean soup.
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The shrimp recipe is from Pat Conroy's cookbook and is simple and easy.
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Pickled Shrimp
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1 cup thin sliced yellow onion
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4 crushed bay leaves
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2 oz. Bottled capers, drained and chopped.
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¼ cup lemon juice
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1 cup cider vinegar
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½ cup olive oil
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1 tsp minced fresh garlic
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1 tsp coarse salt
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1 tsp celery seeds
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1 tsp red pepper flakes.
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2 lbs large shrimp peeled and deveined.
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mix all except shrimp in large heat proof bowl
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boil shrimp 2 minutes, drain, add to bowl, marinate overnight in fridge serve chilled
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I used frozen precooked shrimp. I also made a batch of Ole Mole Pork and Bean Soup. We are putting 1 1/3 lbs. of assorted beans in a colander that fits in a large stock pot. Whisk together in 2 cups of warm water in a bowl-chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, and peanut butter. I use approximate equal amounts, 1-2 tablespoons. The spice mix is poured over the beans and I add 12-16 cups of warm water. Next a bunch of kale is trimmed from its ribs and chopped and added. Also a yellow onion thickly sliced. A boneless pork butt roast is trimmed and added. Our large stock pot is full to the top. Boil for 3 hours. Remove pork and allow to cool on a chopping board, remove colander. Use a fat separator to remove fat from the broth. Return beans and kale to the pot. Add a large jar of medium salsa and a quantity of the pork, shredded. Save the rest for pulled pork sandwiches, also serves as an excellent pizza topping with salsa as the sauce.
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I snuck a photo of the pickled shrimp which has to marinate overnight. I snuck a shrimp too and it was tasty.