Time at home

There is a hint of cinnamon in the air this Sunday morning at home but it is not the usual cinnamon bun Sunday aroma but it is the scent of cinnamon accompanied by cloves, nutmeg and ginger. It is the lingering spice blend of the moussaka I made last night. Lorraine (my sister, best friend and publisher) and I had friends visiting for the weekend. I said I would make dinner and I asked if I could make a recipe that I am working on for the next book. They said that they were willing to be the taste testers. I knew that they liked Greek food because the last time we got together it was at a Greek restaurant. I planned to make a Greek salad to go with the moussaka. The traditional moussaka has a bechamel topping but I wanted to make my version with a mashed cauliflower topping. The results are in and it was a success and got a thumbs up from everyone! I will enjoy the leftovers reheated today and I made the greek salad extra big so that I could have another serving of that as well. I love Greek salad. I made a new version of Greek salad dressing and will share that in the next book too. It was easy to make and so delicious.

Moussaka for the next book. It passed the taste test and was delicious.

I am excited for the upcoming week and our trip to Ashtabula, Ohio for the Maritime Museums Pub night. We really enjoyed our first book signing at the Ashtabula Maritime Museum September 2023. We met many wonderful people and when they invited us to come back for their February mid-winter pub night we thought it would be fun to go back. The event is this coming Tuesday, the 13th. It will be held at the Cloven Hoof Brewery at 6pm. I used to go into Ashtabula often when I worked on the Louis R Desmarais in the early 1990's. I often went ashore there. The coal loading dock is no longer there but the memories remain. I have not been back to Ashtabula by ship since I returned to sailing in 2019 but I have been to Sandusky, Ohio not too far west of Ashtabula numerous times. Click on the following link to see the video of the Herbert C Jackman and the CSL Niagara loading coal in Sandusky, Ohio.

We are pleased that the weather will be good for traveling. We are always hesitant to commit to winter books signing /meet and greet events in advance during the winter, but we are in luck with the weather forecast. The weather this winter has been mild in our area. Lorraine and I have had many opportunities to go for beautiful walks. One of my favorite places to walk is beside Lake  Mercier and the absence of wind made the walks spectacular.

We have so many beautiful walking paths to choose from

Not a cloud in the sky

The Mont Tremblant Church that is visible when you enter the resort.

Lorraine and I love to walk in the City of Montreal too. We decided to take a little overnight mini vacation so that we can enjoy what the city has to offer. Lorraine knows me well and knew that our visit to the city would include a walk down to the Old Port of Montreal. It had been a while since we took that familiar walk and as usual I pointed out some familiar landmarks and like every time before I started by saying remember when...? My most favorite memories from the old port of Montreal are from the winter of 1986/87. I shared some of the photos and stories from that lay-up on the Silver Isle in the cookbook on pages 96 and 97. What made this layup especially fun, was not just the perfect location at the foot of McGill street in downtown Montreal but the fact that Lorraine's ship, the Murray Bay, laid up a very short distance from me. Lorraine and I walked down McGill street and like always, I looked for the little restaurant where I found a payphone that day in 1986 to call home to announce to my parents that I would be spending the winter in Montreal and asked them to let Lorraine know the next time she called. There were no cell phones back then so my parents were the homebase where Lorraine and I would leave messages for each other. I had joined the Silver Isle November 19 1986 as 2nd cook. Normally the porter stays with the chief cook for the layup, but the porter said she didn't want to stay and I was more than happy to stay and do the porter job. There was an extended layup planned and I was only too happy to spend the winter in downtown Montreal. You can only imagine how delighted I was when I found out that Lorraine would be arriving Christmas Eve and layup a short distance away behind the grain elevator. The Old Port of Montreal holds so many wonderful memories. We had so much fun that winter meeting each other after lunch and after supper when we completed our work day. We spent weeks together exploring the city of Montreal. As Lorraine and I continued walking I searched ahead in the distance looking for ships that are spending the winter in Montreal. We kept walking and we were both surprised that there were no ships in sight. We continued walking and couldn't believe there were no ships berthed in the Montreal harbor. Past winters had numerous ships laid up for the winter. We continued walking and finally saw two ships in the distance. We couldn't make out the name of the ship and tried to look it up on Marine Traffic but they did not show up on the screen because the AIS (Automatic Identification System) was turned off while the ship rested in its winter berth.

We walked quite a distance before we saw two ships tied up.

There are great photos along the Old Port of Montreal waterfront.

One of the other things I wanted to do during our mini vacation in Montreal was a walk to Chinatown to buy some Kiwi knives. I have been using these knives for years. They are inexpensive but get the job done. We walked into the familiar little store in Chinatown and I went directly to the place where they were on display during the last visit. I noticed another knife with a thin blade and decided to add that to my purchases. On our way back to where we had parked the car we stopped for fish and chips. We had visited this tiny restaurant in the past and knew we would get a great meal. Another treat when we visit Montreal is indulging in a piece of cheesecake. It was a great two day mini vacation!

We walked to Chinatown to buy new Kiwi Knives

Both Lorraine and I got a free hug.

We love walking in Montreal. There is so much to see.

We enjoy coming to this tiny fish and chip shop

I am enjoying my winter off. I received a call from the Union hall last week offering me a 30 day relief job on a tanker. I declined the job. I am well positioned on the Union Board and I believe I will have some great opportunities which I will accept when the right ship and timing presents itself. We hope to see some of you at the Ashtabula event on Tuesday February 13th, 6pm at the Cloven Hoof Brewery 1308 Bridge street 44004. Order your book online and we will be happy to bring them along. We will reimburse the shipping when you pick them up, or mail them if you are unable to attend. We will also be in Massena NY at the Massena Public Library on Saturday February 24th from 1-3. Have a wonderful Sunday.