It's not all fun and glamor! Today we scrubbed the entire boat and waxed one side. Ugh! We also raised our Great Loop burgee which signifies that we are "Loopers". Finally!!

Back on board! We are staying on the Mara Beel again for awhile. Yay! After grocery shopping yesterday we went out briefly to practice docking. We had a wind on the port side as we pulled into the dock which made things tricky. It took several attempts, but Mark was able to land eventually. In the process, 7 or 8 onlookers gathered to grab our lines and to encourage us rookies.

Mara Beel, green canvas

Going under the Oregon Street bridge- no need to raise it for us.

We grilled and ate dinner with new friends Clay and Sally who just bought a boat and are docked here as well. I need to snap a picture of them!

Our galley is small but efficient!

Day's End

 We accomplished lots yesterday!  For example, the electrical panel at first was very intimidating to me-- so many switches! Then there are shore power, generator, and house battery settings and gauges for all of it. Yikes! But it all makes sense to me now and I can pretty much run things- including connecting and disconnecting the big power cords on the dock. Plus, I have a handle on monitoring our power consumption rates. This is better brain food than crossword puzzles!

Mara Beel's electrical control panel

 The Captain took his first official nap after supper-- it was successful! 

Meanwhile, I enjoyed a beautiful sunset beyond the Steel Bridge.

Dinner On Board

 I have been thinking that the boating world needs a cookbook called "Healthy Cooking On-board" or something similar. I have found plenty of 'cooking on a boat' cookbooks, but most use a lot of pre-packaged, processed ingredients. We try to avoid such things in favor of natural ingredients, a la Food Rules by Michael Pollan.On a boat the selection of ingredients is probably more limited than at home. I did not bring spices and seasonings with me this week, since we are here for just a few days, and such things quickly deteriorate on a boat. 

So at supper time yesterday I found myself with a package of chicken breasts and not much else. A quick search of our food stores produced a bag of dried fruit and nuts and a bottle of Dijon mustard. I concocted a recipe for "Dijon Chicken with Cherries and Pecans." Sounds very gourmet-ish, right? It received rave reviews for the Captain. Here's the brand new recipe:

Dijon Chicken with Cherries and Pecans

Serves 2 with leftovers

Ingredients: 

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup dried cherries (or any tart fruit)
• 1/4 cup pecans (can substitute walnuts or almonds)
• olive oil for sauteing
• salt and pepper

Cut chicken into cubes and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add chicken and saute until no longer pink. Add mustard and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add fruit and nuts, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chicken and sweet potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onions

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 large yellow onion, cubed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Place potato and onion on a cookie sheet and toss with olive oil. Bake at 375 35-35 minutes until soft, or linger if you prefer crispy. Stir halfway through the cooking time. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Our family members who are not especially fond of sweet potatoes love these.

Dining at the Captain's table