June is Too Soon
25 June 2024 | Somers Cove, Crisfield, MD
Cap'n Chef Andy | Hot and Windy
It is Juneteenth, election day for the City of Crisfield, twenty four hundred voters. Up for election are two city council seats for three candidates. The mayor wants to keep her current city council team.
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We voted at the Corbin Art Gallery. I returned to SUNSPLASH to make soup. I am trying to use the clam/spinach flavor to make a sort of clam chowder with spinach, no potatoes.
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Frozen spinach is perfect for soups and less expensive than fresh. I started with a coarsely diced red onion sauteing in about 3 tbsp of Irish butter and a slug of EVOO. These simmered on low heat, then 3 tbsp of flour were added and the roux was cooked for about 3 minutes. The clam juice from two cans was added and the roux was continually whisked. You can add to the roux liquid that equals what is in the pan. When it bubbles a bit add more. I added two experimental packages of frozen chopped spinach and let them cook. About 5 oz of sauvignon blanc went in from a leftover bottle. The mixture was more like a stew. After cooking a while a pint of half and half went in as well as the clams. The mixture came just to a boil and it's done. Next time only one package of spinach. More liquid could be a bottle of clam juice.
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After trying the soup or stew, it seemed more like creamed spinach with clams, like a side dish for something else. I had 3 portions in the fridge. Might work out well as a pasta sauce.
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In the morning I had a ham and cheese with tomato sandwich instead of my ham and cheese omelet sandwich. I have to use the tomatoes before they go off.
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The sausage and mushroom marinara sauce was available and I had some linguine with that and parmesan shavings melted on top.
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A piece of line to replace the main halyard came in and it looks identical to the reel of line I sold to Jeffery in the boatyard. Maybe should have kept some of that reel. The original wire/rope halyard from 1978 is coming apart and has to be pulled down off the mast. Because the wire end of the halyard can't pass through the sheaves at the top of the mast, the tail end has to come through the mast and it is a real mess. The outer braid has abraded and bunched up. That can't pass through the mast either. I have to tie the bitter end to the shackle on the wire and then pull down the tail, rearranging the outer braid so it is smooth, taping it to the inner braid, and then reversing direction, attach the new halyard line to the bitter end of the old halyard and pull the new halyard through the top of the mast and down to the main boom where it will get an eye splice with a thimble and shackle.
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I was ready to head out to the Legion but it sounded like the Bad Crowd wouldn't make it. I made linguine with some of my clam spinach florentine. Then dusted with flaked parmesan. Edible.
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Cornelia Marie was shopping for a newish car and went an hour out of her way to do a test drive only to find the car dealer had pulled a bait and switch. Although they confirmed the car's availability that morning, when she got there they said the car had sold the day before. They then tried to interest her in a different car. That made her angry. She arrived in Crisfield much later than usual.
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We loaded up Cuddily's runabout with beverages and picnic food and took it up North to the end of Jayne's Island where other boaters already had set up their umbrellas and chairs. I imagine it to be very Bahamanian-like with sandy beaches and small islands with a few trees here and there. After a few hours it was time to return to civilization and all was loaded back onto the runabout.
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We were hot and tired and hungry. The plan was to get a take out pizza from Cafe Carry Out. We ordered their Supreme. The pizza was good but not crispy enough, the slices sagged, a no-no for NY style pizza.
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The weekend was the hottest of the year but not as hot as St. Marys in Georgia. The forecast there was 103. We hit 92 in Crisfield. The wind came from the SSW at 20-30 mph and switched to NW as a front passed through. We had plenty of clouds but escaped the rain.
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My project to replace the main halyard went like clockwork until I tried to pull the "tail" of the halyard through the mast, it would not go. I had already replaced the jib halyard last year with the same type of new rope. Apparently the sheaves at the top of the mast are sized for the wire portion of the halyard and the rope portion is too fat to squeeze through. The solution is to replace the sheaves. Probably have to take the mast down to do that. Not going to happen any time soon.
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Cornelia Marie called from Fells Point in Baltimore where her Allied Princess ketch is moored. She is unable to start the Westerbeke diesel engine. I was able to download the operator's and service manuals. I do not know a lot about diesel engines. She will try to manually turn the engine. Even if it is just a little bit, if she can turn the engine then it is not frozen. If it is frozen it is a big problem.
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The image is a photo taken at the American Legion at sunset. The commander saw it and demanded I send it to him. They will probably use it on their website.