Drying Out

Day 28

After the many millimeters of rain that feel yesterday, our focus today is getting everything dry. The morning is spent hanging things from the already sagging clothes line and all of the trees in the campsite. It's about time to give everything a good airing out, anyway. Once we have sufficiently hung, strung and laid out all of our belongings it looks like an explosion, or a badly organized yard sale.

The Pirate takes this morning to install the Girl's headlight thingy. He took the power supply line to the headlight, and spliced in a plug so he can simply disconnect the power to the headlight there rather than taking the whole headlight cover off. He credits his Dad for inspiring such MacGyver-like solutions.

While all of this drying out is happening, we head to the pool. It's cold from the rain yesterday, so not as much swimming as basking. I will say, I am several shades darker than when we departed Asheville 28 days ago. My skin never gets quite tan, it's more that the freckles get bigger and closer together. I have inherited spotty skin anyway. When my tan fades, I am left with spots, the type that most cosmetic companies develop products to eliminate. I should stay out of the sun, or never leave the house without sunscreen; that's what popular wisdom says. But to hell with that. I want to live outside during the summer, and I want proof that I've had a good time during my years. I will not go to my grave with skin like Cate Blanchett, and I will likely not be described as well preserved. I will leave preservation to historical societies and jelly makers. One day, I may be known as the Leopard Lady, Grandma Cheetah, or the 102nd Dalmatian, but at least I'll look like someone with some stories, and someone that's had a damn good time.

Anyway, after our sunbathing we get the camp re-organized and freshened up and then head down to Keith's grocery. We stock up big this time, since we're not eating out anymore. Fresh ears of corn, thick sliced bacon, fat red tomatoes, four hot Italian sausages, sharp cheddar, a dozen eggs, ground beef, homemade bread, thick cut German bologna, an onion, 3 cloves of garlic, beautiful bunches of carrots, bags of garden grown salad greens with nasturtium flowers and 2 lbs of mussels should get us through a couple days. We get all of that (all of it local, including the cheese and meat) for about $50. Not bad.

Tonight we're doing another “Ex-pat Boil” as we like to call it. I'll give you the recipe for this version:

over some hot coals, rest a tall stock pot with a tight fitting lid.

Fry the onions, sliced into thin half moons, in butter and olive oil for 5 minutes

Add 2 of the sausages, cut into bite sized pieces. Fry another 5 minutes.

Add 6 cloves of minced garlic. Fry about 2 minutes

Add about an inch of water and bring it to a strong simmer.

Add potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces, simmer 8-10 minutes.

Add the corn, ears cut in half. Add the mussels on top of that. (if you have clams, they need about 3 minutes more than the mussels).

Cover the pot tightly and steam no more than 10 minutes, until the mussels have opened.

Remove from heat. Scoop out everything but the broth onto a plate. You can drink the broth, sop it up with good bread, or use it to make rice in the morning.