Multilegged Adventures

We saw an octopus!  He darted this way and that way.  He swam under a coral head.  Then a big greenish blob bulged out from under, followed by tentacles!  Eight legs suctioned along the reef, until woosh, it swam into hiding again.  Reduced to an eyeball, the terrifying creature was downright adorable.

We’re learning to kiteboard.  When I say there is a steep learning curve, I’m talking Everest.  However, that didn’t stop Michael from making it happen.

Luckily for me, making good friends is easier than kiteboarding. 

Our most recent systems improvement by Michael is a boat alarm, so beware all yee pirates! 

He also installed our new dive tank bracket, which involved drilling two holes into our watertight bulkhead.  Let us pray the Butyl works as it should! 

A starboard navigation light repair is underway while I write this.  What’s interesting about this project is that it started out as a port side navigation light repair.  When he fixed one side, those pesky wires zonked out on the other!

I’ve been struggling through a tedious restructuring and revisioning process for my novel.  In writer lingo, I’m a pantser, not a plotter.  Look it up and you will understand my pain.  My work is complicated by frequent rainstorms.  The five-minute downpours require us to frantically run around the boat closing all the hatches.  When the sun comes out, the cabin heats up. This prompts us to open all the hatches and look for the rainbow.  There’s always a rainbow, and wise writers take time out for rainbows.  

Finally, the really big news.  Michael cut my hair!!! 

Last remarks

Happy Chanukah!

Thank you to our awesome friends and family for taking the time and effort to keep in touch with us.  It makes all the difference! (And many thanks to the zoom gods)

Thanks to Yuka and Francesco on SY Oroboro for your friendship, your focaccia recipe, and for demonstrating how to kiteboard the right way!

Thanks to Wiebke and Ralph on SY Flora, and the other Salty Dawgs for your warm friendships.  (And for feeding us that night when we were down to canned food!)

Caribbean limes are synonymous with key limes.  Who knew?  See below for a really good Keylime Pie recipe by Jill (with notes to myself for improvement)

Key Lime Pie

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST

• 1-1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs, from about 12 whole graham crackers
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

• 1 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk, but I don’t know how big my can was because we took the label off for storing
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or whole milk), but I only had non-fat
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
• 3/4 cup fresh keylime juice (or mix ½ regular limes good)
• 3 egg yokes

FOR THE TOPPING

• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 8 to 10 thin lime slices

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE CRUST

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter; stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined. Using your fingers and the bottom of a glass or dry measuring cup, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 x 1.5-inch pie pan. The crust should be about ¼-inch thick. (Tip: do the sides first.)
3. Bake for 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.

FOR THE FILLING

1. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yokes, yogurt, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour the thick mixture into the warm graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, until the filling is almost set; it should wobble a bit. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, about 3 hours.

FOR THE TOPPING

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and beat until medium peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream. Decorate with the lime zest and lime slices. Store the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Slice the pie into wedges, wiping your knife clean between slices, and serve cold.
2. Make-Ahead Instructions: You can make the crust a day ahead of time, but the filling should be added on the day of serving, otherwise the crust will get soggy.