What the Cat dragged in......

Thanks to the remnants of Gabrielle the ride on The Cat was a lesson in mal de mer. There were 12 foot seas and the boat was rocking! They say that the seas were just really high today and that it much smoother normaly, really!

Anyway the ride on The Cat a high speed catamaran ferry was just awesome. It's a traditional ferry with room for 700 people, cars and buses. We clocked it with our gps at 47 mph. The trip was rough so we bagged out of the tour and walked the downtown.

We found the fishery museum which was a recreation of the Sweeny fishery. The rooms and equipment were left just as the workers left them. It really shows the personality and the day to day of working there. It's a real find. Go if you are in the neighborhood.

The ride back was rougher but we had dramamine and a bunch of real brewed ginger beer. We sighted a few lighthouses on the ride out. I have to load up some pictures so something will be up later.

On the Way to Owl's Head

We drove through some historic downtown areas in Ellsworth and Camden on our way to Owl's Head. But our first stop was Fort Knox - a handsome structure designed to protect Maine's shores, which was the state's first fort made of granite. It was 25 years in the making (1844-1869), and by the the time it was built cannons had advanced so much rendering the fort useless. Henry Knox lived in Thomaston, ME not far from the fort that was named for him. From the fort, we had an awesome view of the Penobscot Narrows Bride.We later stopped in Rockland, visited the Maine Lighthouse Museum and had lunch at the Rockland Cafe. About 2 miles outside of Rockland we found the Owl's Head Light (1825) that we could hear once we got to the park. It was misting and visibility was poor. We managed to get a few pictures before going deaf from the ringing. We then went to Rockland's Breakwater Lighthouse (1888). It was a 5-mile walk out to see the light up close but it began raining harder, so we admired it from afar. We didn't have time to see the transportation museum, so it will be there for us next time. And, 63 lighthouses in Maine to go!

Does this Road Go to Bangor?

Nope, the road stays right here.

On the road this morning. Well not quite. Got up early and it's drizzly. We were going to do some wash as our clothes smell like a campfire from the lobster house and the museum does not open till 10am. The laundrymat was still closed at 6:45am. ( I know but after getting up at 5:30, 6:30 is like sleeping in! ) The desklady said we could use the inn's washers. So now we are having tea and oatmeal for breakfast. We'll be ready to go in a couple of hours.

Rain and Serious Lobster.

Today it rained on and off. We went downtown Bar Harbor to shop and to see what there was to see. We saw the cruise ships anchored in the harbor. T-shirts and gifts were bought and we went to sit in a coffee shop for a little while. The rain let up a little and we went to Sand Beach on the shuttle bus we were going to go to otter point but the rain started again. We headed back to get the car to go to dinner. The Trenton Bridge Lobster pound was our destination. That is a serious lobster joint. Just lobster some steamed clams and chowder and that's it. Want anything else go somewhere else. No steak, no catch of the day, no table service, no nothing but lobsters boiled in sea water over a wood fire outside. But those lobster were the sweetest best lobsters I ever had! Marilyn had a little trouble getting the first break of the tail but got going with gusto after that.

Tomorrow more rain.... Owl's Head Transport museum, and a trip down rt 1.

Acadia

We went walking from Hull's Cove to Bubble Pond on the carriage roads today. The shuttle bus had a problem with a nail in the tire do we had a little delay getting to Hull's Cove. We took off from the visitors center and got to the carriage road loop and made a left. We were greeted with a beatiful vista of the coast. We followed the carriage roads around and came to this stone bridge. One of three we saw today. The walk total was about 7 miles. We took the shuttle back from Bubble Pond. In town we had some great coffee and Chai tea at the Coffee house and Internet cafe.

Tonight we are going over the bridge to the Trenton Lobster Pound for lobster and clam chowdah!

Clamed Up!

We are now at the Quimby House in Bar Harbor. The drive up took about 11 hours. We stopped at LL Bean, mostly to stretch and we found a few items. I was going to buy a new GPS but there was a clot of old guys ogling the model I wanted to look at. It was going to be an hour before I could get a word in edgewise, so we left. We took route 1 north from Freeport it's about 150 or so miles alone the coast. Great views and we stopped for a basket of fried clams. It was just like they said in the NY Times, get them lightly fried by someone who seems to know what is going on.


We are going to walk the carriage roads starting at Hull's Cove to Bubble Pond. Parking area. We are going to use the park shuttle buses to get around.

Our Big Adventure.

The work week is over. Marilyn and I are heading to Maine for vacation. Boy I feel like I need it. We are heading to Ba Haba, that's Bar Harbor to you and me. We're going to run around Acadia National Park, eat lobsters and clam strips and we are heading to Nova Scotia for a day.
We'll keep you informed of our progress. We take off at 5 am tomorrow morning. I'll try to get online and post some pictures.

Bottled Water.... By the Numbers

Well you want to save the earth? You recycle, you walk instead of taking the car. Here's something for you to think about......

Estimated amount of oil used to make the bottled-water containers sold in the U.S. last year:

1.6 million barrels

Ratio of the amount of water used to make the containers vs. the amount used to fill them up:

2:1

Amount of bottled water delivered to U.S. troops in Iraq each day:

1.4 million liters

(Source for the above 3: Harper's Index)

Average monthly water bill if the cheapest bottled water came out of your tap:

$9,000

(Source: American Water Works Association)

Percent of Americans who suffer from hyperhidrosis---excessive sweating:

1.5%

(Source: The Week)

Got it fixed .... I think

Well after two days of crawling into spaces where I don't fit and looking, replacing and cleaning wires, connections and terminals I think I fixed the boat. Well it starts and runs. I found a bad ground wire but that was it. Not sure that was the problem. We try to go out next time.

Going to fix the boat.

I have all the part I need that were dammaged the last time we took out the boat. I need to check for shorts and damaged wires. In other word why the boat stopped the last time we took it out. It should not be too difficult but not that its easy. Inspecting the wiring, especially when it is in a small cramped space, is not my favorite thing to do. I'll see if I can fix so that we can use the boat a few more times before we put it up for the season.

Casablanca

Marilyn and I went over to the Ambler theater last night and we saw Casablanca. No matter how many times I see this movie I still think its great!

Its a cultural touchstone. There was a full house at the theater which attests to the movie's popularity even today. If you missed it, its on at the Ambler Theater, Sunday Sep 2 @ 7pm

Ratatouille

Going to take of of the veggies from the garden and make some ratatouille. We have eggplant, peppers and herbs grown in the yard as well as the vastly multiplying tomatoes. I bought onion, garlic, and a squash. So into the pot they go!

Here is the recipe:


INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 small eggplant, cubed
2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
4 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
3 to 4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION:In a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add eggplant; stir until coated with oil. Add peppers; stir to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep vegetables from sticking.Add tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs; mix well. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender but not too soft.
Serves 4.

Yalda

A little while ago I saw an article in the Inquirer table talk section about a new restaurant in Horsham. The family had taken over a pizzeria that had moved to bigger quarters and they opened an Afghan restaurant. The place is Yalda Grill. Very nice place. They have been open for more than a month and it seemed like that had a bunch of happy people there that are repeat customers that are bringing friends. The food is a mixure of generic pizza joint stuff and some great kebobs and tasty traditional Afgan platters. I had the lamb kebobs, a half dozen of the little "lollypop" lamb chops grilled to perfection. Marilyn had the chicken mantu, a chicken dumpling in tomato lentil sauce. We end the meal with hot chai tea. This is a nice change up for the Horsham dining experience.

Afghan food they make well... their web site is pretty weak though but it has all the info. Here's the link .

Movie and Dinner

We went to see Ratatouille tonight. It's the new release from Pixar. It's been out for a while so it may be a little hard to find. But finding it is like finding that special truffle. It's a story about a rat in a famous french kitchen. A rat in the kitchen! Well Remy, the rat, is no fink when it comes to fine cuisine. It the classic story of boy meets girl, rat meets cheese, and evil chef gets his just desserts.

After seeing the rat in the kitchen we just had to have dinner......

Taking care of those tomatoes,

We decided to stay home this weekend. The boat is... well .... dead in the water, and it's just too hot to try to fix it. So we are going to stay home to work on some inside stuff.

You can't swing a garden hose without hitting a ripe tomato here. So we made a big crock pot full of fresh tomato sauce. We are going to jar or freeze what we don't use.

We are then going to see about antique dealers to see them about buying mom's furniture.

Tomatoes.

Well the annual Paolino Tomato Avalanche in started. We have been getting some really tasty, sweet and plump tomatoes. Now they are really starting to get ripe. We have a 2 tomato minimum at all meals now! I'm going to make a crock pot of spaghetti sauce this weekend jar it up.

Other Notes.

In all the excitement of the boat towing I forgot to mention that we saw a red fox running along the road in Rock Hall.

AAA anyone?

The day started off badly. Traffic with 95 south closed for construction so we took a detour. Middletown De was blocked off for a festival. We had to backtrack. We were late pushing off from the dock. But we we moving toward the Magothy River. It was a good ride we were motor sailing ( motoring with a sail up ) in order to see if we could catch a breeze. About 3 miles form the Baltimore light the engine stopped. Just like you shut it off. The a burning smell. Uh Oh! We turned off the master electrical switch and called tow boat us on the cellular. They came about an hour later and towed us back across the bay to our dock. Total cost $0! Having the towing coverage is great. It would have been a $680 towing bill otherwise. Turns out we burned up a electronic ignition module. Fix it next week.......

This weekend.

After working like dogs this week (woof!) we are going to relax properly. The sailboat need a little adventure and we are just the people to provide that adventure! I think we are going to head to the Magothy River this weekend. A nice sleep over on a cool weekend. I just hope we can find a way around the traffic on 95 south.

Late Nite Snark

"The president's advisor, Karl Rove, announced he's resigning. I was surprised. I didn't think anyone in the White House had an exit strategy." ---Craig Ferguson

"President Bush has left for vacation and his poll numbers are going up. So, basically, people approve of the job he's doing more when he's not doing the job." ---Jay Leno