Hello! It’s been a while since I last reached out, but I had to share my recent trip to Hawaii. I couldn’t help but think back to 1954 when you took the Matson Line freighter, Hawaiian Pilot, to Hawaii for three weeks. You mentioned being able to walk around the ship and even fix yourself a meal in the kitchen.
Our ship is in the background.
How times have changed, Dad!
Mary and I just returned from a two-week visit to the island on a 2005 ocean liner. It was like traveling in a luxury hotel that moved at 20 knots for five days. We could easily call our loved ones any time of day or night, and we had access to 24-hour dining with 3,000 other passengers. It was incredible!
In Orange, the temperature soared to 98 degrees today. After working in the garden for three hours, we eventually had to retreat indoors due to the sweltering heat. Our efforts began on the patio, and we restored it to its original state, except for the plants we had to remove.
We filled up Mary’s wheelbarrow three times with clippings.
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.
My right arm and best friend!
We replaced the storm-damaged cover with a new plastic/fiberglass one. Scout oversaw the operation from his vantage point.
Everything is where it was pre-Hillary!
Around noon, it became too hot, so we went inside and spent most of the afternoon cooking. Later, we binge-watched “Suits” and started season five.
Mary decided to use some of the tomatoes. We washed and skinned them, added onions, basil, and garlic, and cooked them to make a great sauce. While Mary par-boiled the tomatoes and dropped them into a bowl of cold water, I would remove them and remove the skins; we had an assembly line going.
What do you call a tomato that self-identifies as a carrot? A Transplant.
Mary blanched them; I skinned them!
Mary retrieved two ripe tomatoes from our shed and sliced them into the meal. We enjoy using fresh produce from our garden!
Mary’s personal Sous Chef!
We had a spectacular dinner at 7:00 p.m. Mary cooked a delicious vegetable stir fry using Swiss chard she picked.
We finally crashed about 9:30 p.m. after a long day in the kitchen!
