Kaimusailing

Of the 4 cheap Chinese TPU bicycle inner tubes I have used, one was punctured by me while installing, another blew out when I hit a pot hole, and the remaining two have peculiar very slow leaks. I think it may be the valves. They pump up to 70 psi and are fine for a while. The next day they will be soft, not completely flat, but too low to ride. Meanwhile the cheap Walmart inner tubes on the Serotta have not gone flat for months. The front tire on the Schwinn is also a Walmart tube. No problems.
.
I had to go up to Salisbury to get the windshield repaired. I could stop at the Walmart there and get tubes for the bikes. When I got to the glass place I was told the cheap repair couldn’t be done, per Maryland law, the whole windshield had to be replaced. Bummer. The Walmart didn’t have any of the correct size tubes. I shopped for groceries.
.
I had to go to Motor Vehicles to fix their mistake. When I turned in Cornelia Marie’s old plates, the counter person entered the wrong plate number. Later I saw the receipt and I realized someone in Arnold, MD, is getting their plates discontinued, getting a refund on their registration, and poor Cornelia Marie could get into trouble for not turning in her plates. I had to wait in line and I was joined by a fellow Legion patron, a nautical sort. His license had expired and he couldn’t operate one of the kiosks to fix that. I finally got taken to someone who knew what they were doing and got the plate return corrected. CM didn’t get a refund this time either.
.
There was another Walmart nearby and they too did not have the correct size inner tubes. I could see a pattern here. They had plenty of the 700C 34-45’s, but no 700C 23-32’s. It looks like when they notice they are out of the smaller size, they somehow inadvertently order the larger. They have tons of the larger and none of the smaller.
.
I drove to the gas station with the reputation of low prices. Same price as everybody else. I continued South and drove past a trooper with a stopped motorist. For some stubborn reason I went all the way to Pocomoke. Passed another stopped motorist, bought out the last two correct size bicycle tubes at the Walmart there, passed another stopped motorist on the way back to the marina in Crisfield. Must be traffic speed trap day.
.
So far the day had been pretty terrible, but I had some wins, I got the bike tubes, I did my good deed for the week at motor vehicles, I was looking forward to a steak salad. A nice looking piece of top sirloin was on manager’s special and I bought ingredients for a nice salad along with it. I’m switching to roma tomatoes, more tomato, less seeds and water. Taste good too.
.
I fired up the camp grill and put the steak on it, set the timer for 2 ½ minutes, start making the salad, flip the steak, another 2 ½ minutes, plop the steak on the salad and dig in, but wait, they say to let the steak sit so the juices can mingle. Maybe if I just cut off a little bit on the end it won’t screw up the juices. Mmm. Maybe work on the other end. Mmm. I can’t eat this whole big steak, can I? Yes, I can.
.
The homemade salad dressing goes forever without refrigeration and never tastes stale.
.
In between chewing steak the bike inner tube gets changed, ready to go manana. Maybe bike to the legion.
.
In the morning I had slept late but made a spectacular breakfast. It came to me in the middle of the night, I envisioned twin egg toasties side by side in the skillet, yum, and I had to include ham and cheese, of course. The egg toasties had to be fried in a 50-50 mix of EVOO and Irish butter. I figured each side needed about the same time as eggs over easy. First I lay a slice of real Black Forest ham and put a slice of cheese on top in the cast iron skillet. I was making coffee as well. The slices of Italian bread were cut out for the egg, I had one jumbo egg and one extra large egg, hard to see any difference. Continue with the coffee. Should I flip the egg/bread things? Just do it, don’t overdo it. A little more butter was added at the flip. I ground black pepper on top and dusted with garlic powder. One slice was flipped onto a plate, the resting ham and cheese were placed on top, and then the remaining egg thingy was placed on top. It was compact and not really that thick, but it contained a lot of nutrition.
.
The bike tire was fixed with a Walmart 700C 25mm tube, cost less than 5 bucks. I biked to the shower and hosed off. It had the makings of a beautiful day. I would go it alone. Chincoteague, bring the bike. I could put it in the back without dismantling any of it. I was following my plan. The ride through the country fields of Vessey Orchards along the Pocomoke River ended with a Southerly drive on Route 13 South, past Don’s, don’t forget Don’s, and then turn left, follow the signs, Chincoteague, NASA, Assateague, it almost feels like rolling into Amelia Island.
.
But it was not. My ideas about Chincoteague were wrong. I drove South to the end of the island. It was like all the other Low Country shores. I had to consult the Google map and back track, drive North, turn right and continue across the island.
.
I ended up driving into the National Seashore and was able to use my “America the Beautiful” lifetime pass. I parked the car and rode the bike. I rode about a mile and felt that I wasn’t even making a dent in this area. Put the bike away, drive around, retreat 4 miles back to the mainland to get a hot dog.
.
Big Boys Dogs was the venue, a food truck that Google found for me. Maybe I was his only customer. I told him I found him by Google.
.
I drove back to the marina, took about 58 minutes, got cheap gas, 30 cents cheaper than elsewhere, then continued to the Legion. Teri showed up as I was ordering a Saddlebred pinot noir. I didn’t need food due to the Big Boys hot dog, but there were some nice items on the specials menu, Reuben or Chicken Cordon Beau, BLT, and something called Wing Dings. I remarked that they sounded like something you would throw.
.
I was feeling tired and we left before sunset. I awoke onboard and was surprised it was only 11:25, and thus I am writing. Will I ever get to sleep now. If you are having trouble sleeping, just read some of this blog. It does the trick.
.
There is an interesting interview on YouTube with Aaron Rodgers and “Bart and Gio”.
.
The car had to have its final inspection, installation of windshield, etc. I loaded the Schwinn into the back and rolled into Sam’s Auto Service, gave them the key, took the bike out for a ride on Crisfield’s bike path, parallel to Route 413. There are no places to sit along the path. After 3 miles I sat on an old log, the only place so far to sit. Red ants greeted me. They bite, I kill. Fair exchange. I rode back and sat in the customer’s lounge at the auto place.
.
They found my missing pliers that I had dropped while trying to remove the air filter cover. The car is now registered and inspected, ready for anything. I went to the Legion later to meet Teri, the artist, and I wore my iconic tropical shirt with various tropical birds festooned. I went into the Legion by the side door and there was a group of ladies on an outdoor table making eye contact. Howdy, and I went in.
.
I hadn’t made any dinner and ordered the goulash on the specials menu. Goulash can be one of many things, this one had pasta and a meat mixture, kind of like sloppy joe’s, I was hungry and I ate it. I was able to take a camera shot but it was way too early for sunset. We left.
.
The next day maybe would be the one where I actually rested and took time off. I had aches and pains that kept me from getting the sleep I needed. I ended up looking at various recipes and making a shopping list. I didn’t have to make a shopping list, I had ingredients on board. I had some salad leftovers, cucumber and green pepper, and a box of mixed greens. I could make a chef salad, I had some ham and cheese and my own Italian dressing. I began munching on the salad when the phone went off. Could I make it to the Legion tonight? Of course.
.
Time was late for me to do much else than jump in the car and go. I had boat work clothes on and I arrived to find Cuddily and Teri sipping wine at a 3 top high rise table with room for me, #3. What ensued was a welcome for Cuddily and more consumption of wine. Lately I have had Crisfield residents actually come up to me and hug me, or look into my eyes. Acceptance.
.
There was a loud contingent of Neckers at the bar and we were trying to converse. The juke box was playing loud music. It all kind of settled down and got less loud. We persisted. Teri had to leave before dark, I guess. In an interim I played a couple songs by Hot Tuna on the juke box. Then Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit.
.
Life is a series of close escapes.
.
On the other hand we have unexpected encounters such as when I encountered a Crisfield Legion regular, a fisherman, in the line at Motor Vehicles. We both got our vehicular issues corrected, and now, tonight, he visited us at our high top 3 table. The wine consumption was concisely phrased by an off duty barmaid, “If Andy’s here, there’s not enough wine”.
.
I’d like to write while I can still write. What is happening with our old people, including me? President Biden ridden out of office. What are the signs of cognitive decline? The inability to write cognitive decline? I don’t have to be smart or know how to spell, if I have Google. I can look up cognitive decline, and the fact that I am doing so means I don’t have, much, of it.
.
It’s like it’s pressure to do something before it’s too late. Maybe it’s already too late like climbing on a bald mountain and you realize the slope that is dragging you to the edge is getting steeper. We always find a way, or we end up in the news. If you’re a local they might not print it, but if you are from somewhere else, you’re in the news.
.
My younger brother sent me a huge mason jar of Hawaiian Macadamia Flower honey. I don’t use much honey. This is special stuff. I’d like to share it, but I’d like to keep it. A lot of things I have kept for myself have been ultimately lost, better to give them away, better to give than receive.
.
My older daughter and her son, my grandson, landed in the NYC area, and they will stay at my son-in-law’s parent’s place on the Jersey Shore. I’m looking forward to my visit there.
.
I had been talking about making spaghetti alla carbonara, which is a very simple recipe, but I experimented and fouled it up. At one point I wondered if I could make it in a wok. I didn’t use a wok, but the result was soupy, tasted great, but the textures were way off. I will make something else next time but will return to this recipe eventually. Don’t want to eat too much of the carbs.
.
I drove up to Belmar, NJ, to visit my daughter and son-in-law as well as the new addition to the family, Ike. I brought along Hawaiian honey and a bunch of “I Like Ike” buttons from I think TeePublic. I stayed at the Belmar Inn which is reviewable.
.
The Inn is close to the beach and the Belmar Boardwalk. It is ½ block from the beach. It is an old hotel that is kind of rundown. I felt that the shower in my room had nothing underneath, it is a plastic insert kind of shower and I was afraid what might happen if we fall through the floor. Otherwise it was OK. Some people would not like this at all.
.
The image is another dynamic range modified cloud shot.