Kaimusailing

My regimen of doing nothing and resting my sore hip and butt payed off. I was starting to bike with smoother pedaling. I biked to the Food Lion to shop for groceries and stopped at Eve’s house on the way back to pick up my whisk that I had left. She was preparing a gruel for the Labrador puppies using milk and crushed puppy chow. She spread it on a baking tray and put the tray in the puppies’ playpen. First one, then another, began licking up the gruel, soon they were all at it, licking the pan clean. They are 3 weeks old and it’s time to wean them from their mother’s milk.
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It was time for me to make pizza dough at the outdoor seating area at the Shanty. I biked over with a bag with flour, mixing bowl, yeast, honey, an empty water bottle, a spoon, measuring cup, and the whisk. I filled the water bottle with warm water and put 3 cups of flour in the mixing bowl, added some honey and yeast and measured 2 cups of water. I mixed with the spoon, then the whisk, then left the dough to hydrolyze for a half hour.
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I went to the marina office where Cornelia Marie updated my contract and said she might bring some freshly caught and cooked crabs to pizza night. The crab trap is at her mom’s waterfront home. I returned to SUNSPLASH to pick up olive oil, prep knife, 4 bowls, and 4 pizza pans. At the Shanty I added 2 more cups of flour to the mixing bowl, poured a small amount of olive oil into the 4 bowls, coated two of the pizza pans with olive oil, coated the knife, and began kneading the dough mix. When it was showing signs of gaining strength I cut it into 4 pieces with the knife and formed them into small balls that were coated with olive oil in the 4 bowls, then covered with the two oiled pans.
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I began prepping toppings when I realized there was no mozzarella. I could ask one of the ladies to pick it up, but I wanted a specific brand and type, Galbani whole milk. I jumped on the bike and rode stridently up to the store, got my cheese, and rode down Somerset to Cove by Eve’s house. Perhaps they would be enjoying wine and I could help load the propane tank into the vehicle. No one was outside and I was determined to get back to my prepping. I only had to prep onion and mozzarella and had those done in time. I had some wine and Eve and Teri showed up with the propane tank. I used a dock cart to bring the full tank to the oven and lit the oven. I was already lit. Cuddily and Cornelia Marie showed up with a box of steamed crabs as well as Nori the wonder dog.
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A neighbor couple from my dock came over and we chatted. The pizza needed 10 minutes of baking and 5 minutes of resting before cutting into slices. I made 2 pies, a margarita with fresh herbs and onion on top, then a pepperoni pie. The pies were cooking more quickly due to Geoff the chemist’s excellent repair. The oven thermometer was pegged at 1000 degrees. Eve made a third pie and I observed, hoping to learn how she made such great pizzas. She’s an artist and approaches the pie like it is a canvas on an easel. She adds stuff to the pie and I hear her say, a little of this, maybe a little more of that, and so on. Of course the result is excellent. She brought some ingredients I wouldn’t have thought of, marinated garlic, broccoli, and a jalapeno that she didn’t use, but she would have, if she thought it belonged on the pie.
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I ended up making the last pie which turned out good, more toppings than I normally use, a thick pie with mushrooms, pepperoni, remaining fresh herbs, dried herbs, and now carefully monitored to bake only 8 minutes. In the end there were 2 leftover pieces. I put the oven and tank in the secure storage area, threw out the trash, and returned to my slip with a large bag of dirty dishes.
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We had an almost chilly night. The forecast for the boatyard at St. Marys for tomorrow is like 102 degrees. Nothing like that up here. We had humid weather and thunderstorms. I did a bike to the grocers to get water, crackers, and two other things. I somehow got all my stuff from the dock under cover on the boat. The tool boxes went in the lazarette. I’ve got to reorganize, I’ve got too much stuff, again. I’ve learned, on a boat, you have to really pack stuff in, know where it is, and if you have to get it out, you have to unpack, then restow everything.
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It was a humid day with rain and thunderstorms. I was content to hunker down in Sunsplash’s cabin. I am slowly organizing the little sailboat’s stowage. I have to prepare the area around the engine for repairs.
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The image is of the spectacular sunset on the way back to the dock from the Shanty in the marina.