my life as a cartoon

Each morning I get up early and set myself up on my balcony. The hours go so quickly and by the time the sun makes it way around the trees I have added more pages and recipes to my e-magazine. It's a fun project. I had mentioned to Lorraine that I was looking for some photos to add to my stories but I couldn't find them. She mentioned that they were probably in her storage and invited me to come over and we could sort through them together. It was so much fun reaching into the bin and pulling out stacks of photos. We flipped through multiple photo albums. Every few photos, we would hold up a photo for the other to see and share the memory. In one of the boxes was a little jewlery box. I recognized it right away as being mine and was happy to see it again. I didn't quite remember what was inside and when I lifted the little lid I saw my charm bracelet with the souvenier charms I had carefully selected over the years. There were a few other special pieces and laying in the bottom of the box was a keepsake of my sailing days. I laughed at the sight of the iron ore pellet that was housed in my little jewel box. I think when I put it in there it was a reminder of my time on the ships. I'm also sure that at the time I would have never imagined that I would have the opportunity to return to sailing. I am so grateful that I made the decision to return. Even when I am home I think of Friday's, if fried fish day and Saturday's lunch is usually a fun meal of Hamburgers and of course on Sunday's I think of making cinnamon buns for Cinnamon bun Sunday. Although I enjoy making these meals, I don't make these foods when I am home.

It was so much fun looking through all the photo albums and sorting through piles of lose photos. I was especially excited to see my engraved wooden jewelry box. It held a few treasures and at the bottom of the box was an iron ore pellet. A souvenir from my early sailing years.

I am forever grateful that destiny offered me the opportunity to close my restaurant that I had been operating for 24 years and return to sailing. My first love. The was taken on the Baie St Paul.

cooking on a ship is the best job. I especially like a ship that has a big mixer.

Regardless of whether the ship has a big mixer or not, I will make bread often, even if it means making it by hand.

There were a lot of changes to sailing during my 24 year hiatus from sailing. Years ago the wheelhouse was a destination to visit by invitation only. Now it is Ok to stop by and say hello and enjoy the view. This is the wheelhouse of the Algoma Buffalo

The wheelhouse has the best view. I enjoy spending time in the wheelhouse.

My other favorite pastime onboard is walking on deck. Time does not always allow for this but I do enjoy it when I can. This photo was taken on the CSL Niagara.

One of my favorite ports to visit is Quebec City. I have been multiple times on multiple vessels. The best trip was on the RT. Hon Paul J Martin. There were a few ships ahead of us and we had to tie up on a beautiful dock with easy access walking to the downtown. It was perfect.

Another big change since I returned to sailing is that the unlicensed crew can invite family on board. With the crew cuts there are more rooms available. Lorraine come to visit whenever she can and I always put her to work. Lorraine is visiting me on the CSL Laurentien.

I sail as a relief chief cook and it is fun going back to vessels I have already cooked on and see some familiar faces. This was taken New Years day on the Algoma Buffalo

This photo was taken on the Atlantic Huron in Two Harbors MN. It was a beautiful calm day and we were not alone sitting at anchor.

Some things have not changed since I left sailing in 1994. Getting on the ship still requires going up a ladder. They somehow seem higher than I remember when I was much younger.

 Even when I am home, I think of sailing. I sometimes think if I were on board, what would I be making? Fridays, I always think of fried fish day, and Saturdays lunch is usually a fun meal of Hamburgers, and of course, on Sunday, I think of making cinnamon buns for Cinnamon Bun Sunday. Although I enjoy making these meals, I don't make these foods when I am home

I enjoy making fish and chips on the ship. I like to serve it with homemade tartar sauce. Making deep fried fish is so much easier with a commercial fryer. Definitely something I don’t have at home.

I like making and serving hamburgers on homemade buns. I use my dad’s hamburger recipe and always think of him when I make them. I like to serve burgers with onion rings. I also like to dress the burgers. Sometimes a second cook will tell me it takes too much time or the crew can do it themselves, but I like to make the burger as nice and as tasty as possible. I like that once I had the burger over, they don’t have to worry about adding all the extras. I like my burgers with mayo, ketchup, onions, tomato and pickles. Hold the cheese.

Last year June 2024 I was on the CSL Assiniboine. I thought it would be fun to make a video of the crew saying “Assiniboine Cinnamon Bun Sunday.” We had a lot of laughs. This is a clip from the video of one of the crew who agreed to take part. One day I will put together the video and share it with you. It was a great crew. I hope to back one day.

The past week was fun! I usually have 30 days off between ships/jobs. It's tempting to fill my free days with fun activities, but it's also important for me to reserve some downtime to rest. I don't venture too far or plan too many activities. You would be surprised how quickly 30 days off go. This time off is different. I completed 97 days on the CSL Laurentien and decided to take the next three months off. I plan to sail for November and December. Having three months off allows me to plan in advance and participate in more activities. We were invited to a birthday lunch. "Ladies who Lunch" it was so nice. The table was set beautifully with pretty dishes. The host's home was warm and welcoming and each room looked like it came out of a design magazine. We went to the birthday lunch with our artist friend. Walking through the home was like walking through an art gallery of her work. Our host collects our friends' art. I enjoyed looking at each piece she had hanging on her walls because I am also a collector of our friend's art. It's a privilege for me to own some of her pieces, and they bring me joy when I look at them. It was a fun get-together. The time went so fast and all of a sudden we realized it was almost 6pm. I hope we can get together again before I go back to work.

It was fun to be a part of the birthday party “Ladies who lunch” The table was set beautifully. The plates/ glasses and accessories were so pretty. I sat beside the cheese tray and tried each one. I thought it was fun that one was heart shaped.

The following day we made our way into the city (Montreal). We had a meeting with a media firm about my digital e-magazine that I am working on. The meeting was educational. The e-magazine which we presented at the meeting was well received, and as Lorraine and I walked back to the car we shared the same opinion, that we are on track to make a beautiful project. Lorraine and I always like to celebrate special occasions. Presenting the Ship to Shore Chef e-magazine to someone outside the family was a special moment and we decided to celebrate it. We decided to go to Old Montreal and have a nice dinner at the Keg. We have celebrated special occasions over the years at the Keg, and when I called for the reservation, I requested a table by the window. As we drove the familiar route to the Old Port of Montreal and the location of the Keg, we could not believe that the construction on the highway into the city had finally been completed after years of detours, slowdowns and delays. I counted seven lanes, and we took the long Ville Maire Tunnel to the old section of Montreal. We realized that we had not been downtown in a while and enjoyed the completion of the road. We found a parking spot in an underground parking lot that barely left room for Lorraine to get out of the car. (She had let me out before backing in.)

It was so nice driving to Old Montreal on the completed road. It was under construction for years making a trip into the city a challenge causing delays and slowdowns.

There was barely room for Lorraine to get out of the car. She had let me out before she backed in. I took this photo so that we would remember which space we parked in. I always take a photo of where I park in the city.

We walked the short distance to the restaurant and when we turned the corner to St Paul Street, we were reminded that the cobblestone street in front of the Keg was part of a summer closure that allowed pedestrians to leisurely stroll through Old Montreal without traffic. The ambiance was festive and after our delicious supper we walked along with all the tourists and families that were enjoying the beautiful summer evening. We passed street musicians and terraces full of customers. There was a Lobster festival going on and most of the menu boards offered mussels and French fries and of course the Quebec specialty "Poutine" was offered everywhere. It was the perfect day from start to finish.

We both ordered the rib steak with extra seasoning. It was delicious. I like steak but I don’t necessarily like making it on the ship. I am always concerned that I don’t get the correct doneness for each crew member. It was nice to sit down and have someone make the steak for me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a wonderful celebration dinner. Lorraine ordered hers with garlic mashed. I ordered mine with extra vegies.

We had a great view of the pedestrian street from our table. It was fun to watch all the people passing.

It was fun to walk through the Saint Paul street in Old Montreal. It closes to the traffic every summer offering a beautiful place to walk on the cobblestone.

Each day when we are home, we go for a walk and after one of our walks we stopped at neighbor Susans for a visit. We sat and enjoyed watching the birds at their feeders. We always enjoy a visit with neighbor Susan and her husband Luc. The conversations often lead to how much they miss eating the crepes that we made when we had our Creperie restaurant. We promised that we will make them some crepes in September when we return from our girls trip to the cottage. I can't wait to go to the cottage and I sent out a message saying that I am taking requests and would be happy to organize the suppers and everyone could bring what they like for breakfast. Lorraine has been busy baking cookies. Her delicious cookies are made with no sugar, flour or grains.) They are so delicious, and the girls will love them. As I look down to the bottom right-hand corner of my laptop, I realize that I have gotten carried away with stopping to transform my original photos into cartoons and will have to bring this to an end. We are going for a walk this afternoon and I want to make sure to share this with you before I go. Have a wonderful fun day and week.

I could sit for hours watching the birds. We always have a great visit with neighbor Susan and Luc.