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August 10th
2020
Jean and family and I are thinking of going to Sylvan Lake today. We discussed it and decided against. We decided to sell he pontoon boat so we'll advertise it and see what happens. Jean is Making up a poster and Kijiji ad. * * * * * *
> Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that a homemade fermented beverage (mead,
wine, beer) is "hideously awful." The bad taste does not come from
the water itself but is due to contamination by ambient yeast(s).
This is the truth. Hygiene is crucial. Environmental yeasts are everywhere, especially in a brewing location. They proliferate and morph over time and float around on the dust in the air. Wild yeasts have a way of showing up everywhere. They ride on dust in the air, and drop in when you have finished sterilizing, pasteurization. They are on your hands, in rinse water, everywhere. Metabisulfate is our usual solution to wild yeasts and other invaders, that and adding a large enough dose of cultured yeast of the chosen profile to out-compete any ambient yeasts that might drop in from the air or be introduced with utensils or aeration. Brewing yeasts are a complex and fascinating topic. Many books and many scientific papers have been written and brewers debate the strains wherever they assemble. Additionally, as we have just learned, metabisulfate apparently also deals with chloramines: https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Chloramines+and+wine+making&addon=opensearch so that probably explains why some never notice the chloramine problem. Ironically it is those who eschew chemicals that are plagued by chloramine taste. Other causes of bad mead are bottling an incomplete fermentation, inability to clear the beverage, and/or oxidation. Being 'creative' and thinking the rules of good brewing don't apply is another big one. > There is no yeast in municipal tap water. While it's technically
possible for a yeast to be in well water, it is very unlikely. Using
rainwater would increase the possibility of a foreign yeast, but
I really doubt anyone does that. :) George Floyd Fatally Overdosed with Fentanyl
Big Pharma's 'Narrative' Is Failing
* * * * * * I am a bit depressed about how the BC trip so ended I wrote to Colin about not getting any bookings. Then I went out and cut the front lawn and an hour later, when I came in I found that Dawn had called. So I called her back, and it is possible I have a trip as skipper on Corus, my favourite! If that pans out, I have to be in Vancouver on the 18th, and I'll have to cut my Sudbury trip short, but what the heck? After paying for the flights, I'll not have made much, but I'm not in it for the money and I'll have the experience. Chances are, too, that more work will show up if I am on the scene in BC.
I drove to Birch Bay for supper. It is a two-hour drive each way but I should spend more time with the family. On the way i turned on the radio just in time to hear the host start an interview with someone named "Bill" who is halfway across the Pacific on a small sailboat. He is returning from a solo trip around the world. I soon realised it was Bill Norrie, a fellow Calgary Bluewater member and the husband of our commodore. I left Birch Bay at eight and was home by ten. Kenzie had recommended 'Shetland' on Netflix, so I started watching it and it was okay. So far. I quit part way through the first episode and went to bed. Quote of the Day
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pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension << Previous Page | Top | End | Next Page >> August 11th 2020
I woke at six. The day is dull and cool. I now have two days to get ready to go east. Thursday at four-thirty, I am out of here and on my way. So far, it seems the Corus charter trip has not materialized so my original plan is still in effect: two weeks in Sudbury. First thing, I put an ad for the pontoon boat on Kijij. Since Jean and family are moving and seem to have lost interest in it, it is time to let it go. I own too many boats as it is. * * * * * *
* * * * * * NJ Student Faces Potential Punishment After Using Trump Background On Zoom?
Trump Won Re-Election This Weekend * * * * * * Police Comb "Thousands Of Hours" Of CCTV Footage, Make Looting Arrests
* * * * * *
After the walk, my ad for the pontoon boat was already drawing interest so that turned out to be a distraction. I still have accounts to do and I need to fix the driver's window on the Grand Marquis today and organize things. I'd like to cut more lawn as well. Dawn called and apologized for not getting back to me. The 5-day Cruise is on after all. (Green section at right) I have to be in Vancouver Tuesday. Apparently there are four clients and we will visit Gabriola and Hornby Islands and Pender Harbour. So far, I have enjoyed being skipper and I like Corus, the fifty-foot Bavaria.
I had checked fares yesterday and they were in the $500 range from YSB to YVR which is bearable. Today the same flight is over $700 so I reserved a flight from YYZ, 250 miles south of YSB for $220. I'll have to park at the airport for a month or two at $119/month and drive both ways but the cost difference is just too much. besides, with the van in Toronto, I am closer to new York and to Goodwood and Burlington, setting me up to visit friends when I return in October.
I took the door panel off the Grand Marquis and can't figure how the the window works so I called Linden Auto Body and will go there tomorrow morning to have him see if he can figure it out. I also ordered more printed copies of the Salish Sea Pilots * * * * * *
It is now one more day until I fly and I have to organize my priorities. Where, when, and what. My things are in Sidney and Vancouver. I am going to Ontario, then Vancouver... This gets confusing. * * * * * * Well! That was interesting. Suddenly I got called in for tonight or tomorrow. Turn on a dime? I started to change plans but then they found someone and I am spared. We're back to the original plan. * * * * * * I was surprised by the amount of serious interest in the pontoon boat ad and spent some time relying to enquiries. Seems the price I chose is what people want to spend. It almost makes me want to keep the boat. Almost.
Quote of the Day
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pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension << Previous Page | Top | End | Next Page >> August 12th 2020
I woke at six again. The day is dull and cool--again. I now have one day to get ready to go east. Yesterday I arranged to take the Merc to Linden to have the window problem examined, so I drove over and was told the 'regulator' is broken. The shop found a replacement online and says the repair will take a half-hour. The job should be done this afternoon, so I called Flo for a ride home and left the car. Later, around noon, I expect to drive to Three Hills to get the books I am having printed, Most days I go nowhere, but today I'll be coming and going. Now it is raining and I hear thunder.
Next, I got a call that my books are ready so I drove to town and picked them up. They're quite different from the first ones I had printed but nice, and half the price. This printer decided to put the bindings on the sides which was a surprise,
I've always said that IMO most of what passes for creativity
is due to incomplete, misunderstood or poorly followed instructions
or errors in copying. Storm season is underway south of Mexico. So far the Baja is not threatened. COVID-19 Is The New "Terrorism"
To much of what is going on in the world, I am simply a bystander, just trying to live my life and dodge the flak, the debris, and the do-gooders of all persusions. I can see the valid and invalid aspects of most viewpoints and have to assume there is some basis in reality, no matter how tenuous for that viewpoint to exist. I do have a dog in the fight, specifically my own wellbeing and continued freedom and am always on the lookout for credible threats. As long as there is a safe vantagepoint, life and all the craziness around us is a spectacle to be appreciated. Seems the little dust-up in the forum a while back has had the usual effect, offending everyone and discouraging moderate commentary. Too bad. I like to get email now and then. Here is an interesting article and I concur with the point being made: the extremists have made it so uncomfortable to say what one thinks that everyone lies. "US bond guru Gundlach says Trump will win again in 2020 – and he called 2016 right. His key argument is that a large number of Trump voters are deliberately saying they don’t know who they will vote for or that they will vote Biden, which makes polls unreliable". C and I did the walk around town. The day has turned warm and sunny. After, I did some filing and when the car was ready, C drove me to Linden to get it. I came home and did more filing, then had supper and will be off to bed early. I start packing the day before, but never can really pack until the last hours before I go. Tomorrow, I leave here at 0415 at the latest to be at YYC for boarding at 6:45 and liftoff at 7:20. Quote of the Day
Images on these
pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension << Previous Page | Top | End | Next Page >> August 13th 2020 I woke at two. I have two hours to throw everything into a bag and hit the road. All went well and I arrived in Sudbury a little after three. Mom's house painter picked me up and I was at 1207 shortly after. My van tires were flat so I called CAA and soon the tires were back up. The van started first try and runs well. We visited and had supper. I watched some video after supper. Quote of the Day
Images on these
pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension << Previous Page | Top | End | Next Page >> August 14th 2020
I slept lightly and got up at six. At ten I took Mom to the audiologist to have her hearing aids adjusted. I of course forgot the mask and had to beg one at the ear doctor's just so as to not appear too odd.
We returned and had lunch. After, I went to plug in my charger to top up the boat and car batteries and found my extension cords are missing. I saw one yesterday so I assume the painters took them. Not only that, my boat was unplugged meaning the fan was not running. I feared the boat would be mouldy, and when I opened the tarp I found the companionway was open and feared the worst, but other than the battery being flat, everything looks quite good. Things will need a wipe-down, though. Did I close up the tarp without closing the companionway? I can't believe I did but the knots on the tarp look like my knots. * * * * * The US Political Gong Show Just Gets Crazier
Can anyone believe this? Everyone, everywhere? All the time? Outdoors? On the farm, on the sailboat? Even at home alone? ...And this guy wants to hold the nuclear codes?
On a different topic, there is talk about how Kamala Harris was chosen for her negroid and asian blood, but she looks mostly white to me. Just sayin'. Obama wasn't even all that black either and many say he is just a coconut. To those of us who really don't judge by skin and don't identify with any race or religion or politics for that matter, all this racism and posing is annoying and scary. Why do I follow the US scene? It bleeds over here and I have to watch my back.
Department of Redundancy Department The Attempted COVID Coup of 2020
* * * * * I was up until two watching Netflix. Shetland is quite engrossing. Quote of the Day
Images on these
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I woke at seven-thirty, got up and had breakfast, chatted with Mom and Mich and went back to bed. At ten, I heard voices. Mom and Mich were on the deck having coffee so I joined them.
Omar phoned and was having issues with the shower pump on Cassiopeia and I managed to find him a replacement from here. The first one I bought did not work so he took it back and got a second one I ordered at AllBay. At four, Mom, Mich, Sharon and I went to MIC for supper.
On return, I was feeling a bit 'off' so am chilling. I'm also planning my coming weeks. I plan to sleep tonight. Quote of the Day
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pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension << Previous Page | Top | End | Next Page >> August 16th 2020
I slept over eight hours, woke at seven-forty-five, got up and had breakfast. Mich was here overnight for Mom. We tried a Zoom meeting with family and Jon, Katrina and Steph connected, but Jean had a difficult time due to their terrible Internet and did not manage to stay connected for more than a few tenuous moments. Sharon came over for coffee and we had a good visit. After that, I connected with my cruising clients by Zoom and we shared a chart to plan our itinerary. That worked quite well. This visit is quite strange for me. I am not the same person I have been and this WuWHOFlu environment has changed the world around us as well. I took the boat out and washed the van with the intention of washing the boat, too, but time is short and I seem to be occupied during the days. At night, I have no ambition. * * * * * * Alternate Link
Our plea bargain system can
I watched Shetland until midnight and went to bed. Quote of the Day
Images on these
pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension << Previous Page | Top | End | Next Page >> August 17th 2020
This was the best night's sleep in a while. I woke at five then slept until eight. I'm up and packing and intend to drive to Toronto and stay at a hotel overnight then catch a 7 AM flight to YVR tomorrow. Problem is that Westjet rescheduled my flight from 9AM but has not given me confirmation. I spent an hour on hold last night and gave up. The hotel did not give me a confirmation number and when I phoned to confirm, they said they have not received the reservation yet.
I'm doing a wash and hope to leave by noon. It is a four-hour drive but I like to have plenty of time. This is a 1998 van with 300,200 kilometers and has been faithful usually, but has given me the occasional surprise. I have to be on the dock in Vancouver by Wednesday morning at the latest. My plan is to arrive there tomorrow afternoon. If Westjet keeps its word, I'll be there by noon tomorrow.
After all that, I discovered I had reserved for September 18th not August 18th. My bad. Glad I did not pay for a hotel or charge off to YYZ. The fares last minute from YYZ are not much better than from YSB and the hassle is greater. I am too late for leaving today and there are no available flights from YSB tomorrow. I booked to leave here at 6 AM Wednesday morning which should put me on the dock at Granville Island at eleven. That is two hours late, but I phoned the client and I think all is well.
Neil emailed me that the genoa on Baja Magic is still up. Dennis was supposed to have taken the sails and bimini down long ago. It seems there is a storm on its way, headed for La Paz.
Quote of the Day
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I slept well and was up by six. I have to be at YSB by five tomorrow so I changed my sleep pattern a bit last night and went to bed earlier.
* * * * * Dennis took down the Baja Magic sails last night and I notified Neil. The storm grows closer to la Paz, but the centre looks aimed to miss the peninsula. The winds at the edges can be bad enough. * * * * *
This computer is running better than it has for a while. Very fast.
After lunch, I vacuumed and cleaned the van. After supper, I went to Canadian Tire and exchanged the inverter I had bought, then closed up the boat. I am planning on going early to bed. My cab comes at 0430. I lift off at six and I should be on Corus in Vancouver by eleven with any luck and anchored at Tribune Bay on Hornby Island by dark. After the airfare and cab rides, I am actually losing money on this job. * * * * * Interested in Linux? Here is the perfect way to get started.
Quote of the Day Words of the day
Images on these
pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension << Previous Page | Top | End | Next Page >> I was up at three and the taxi arrived at four-thirty. It was still half-light as we flew south.
I arrived at YYZ without issues. We boarded flight 103 to YVR and rolled out to taxi. Then we sat there. Then the captain said there is a mechanical issue and back to the gate we went. Then we were told we will change planes and expect to leave around eleven. Go to gate 43. We deplaned and walked to gate 43 where flight 105 was boarding. I was expecting to get on a similar plane and leave by eleven. Then I got an email saying I was booked on a later flight arriving at YVR at four-thirty. I was already late for work, but that extra delay would cost my clients a full day and not just an hour or so and be a black mark on my record. I had walked by the AIr Canada help station and confident that we would be boarded as promised, I had not bothered to stop, but now realised that I should have stopped because I could have been on 105 which was boarding ahead of our promised flight, but now that chance had passed and I was screwed. Never give up. I went to the desk and spoke with an agent and explained my predicament. He said my chances of moving up were between zero and none. I said, please do your best. He looked doubtful, but I was friendly and positive and looked worried. He hacked away at the computer and consulted with the other agents for five minutes or more, then simply walked away. I figured he was off on a break or off to the washroom and was about to give up when back he came and handled me a boarding pass without comment. I gathered then he had gone to another gate where the computers were working better. I looked and was for the flight currently boarding, not the later flight. Surprise! I gave him the thumbs-up and thanks and boarded. To my further surprise, I was in business class and, moreover, in business every other seat was empty! I sat in comfort, was served a meal, and arrived at YVR about eleven. I summoned Uber and was at the boat shortly after. I had been worried about being late, but it seems the clients' son had a tumble from a bike and was at the walk-in clinic so we would have been delayed even if I had come on time. Even when he returned we were a bit slow leaving and they had chosen long leg up to Hornby Island for the first day. I doubted we'd make it, even motoring, and we did motor as what wind there was, was directly against us. It seemed we would arrive about an hour after sunset and there is no moon, so we knew we would have to stop. I chose False Bay on Lasqueti. As the light faded, I was at the helm and they were below playing dominos. It began to rain, then darkness started to settle in just as we got to the destination. We stopped at the public dock and Roger ran up to ask if they were open and if we could tie up. The answer was yes and yes, so we tied up and went up for pizza and beer. If there was any mention of the WuWHOFlu, I did not hear any and no one wore masks. We returned to the boat and it was agreed I would rise at dawn and pull out while the others slept.
Quote of the Day Words of the day
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At
ten C and I went for the walk with Ce Ce. We were fairly quick
today as C is feeling better.
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