WPSU

Thursday, July 12, 2018

What IS It? (With Bonus "Boat Gourmet" Tip!)

We were happy to see the weed-eater. Cap's gone swimming
several times to get weed off our propeller!
The last installment of the SlowBoat "What IS It?" quiz invited you to identify a strange machine that seemed to be steamrolling the river.

Hats off to Jonathan Shanks who correctly identified it as a weed harvesting machine. He'll receive the SlowBoat prize, a genuine post card via old-fashioned snail mail.

(In case you want more info: The Rideau Canal is infested with an invasive water weed. It gets wrapped around your prop shaft and slows you down.  The weed eater is one way that the government keeps the route a little more clear for boaters.

On to our NEW CHALLENGE:


Why are those little round floats arranged in such nice, straight lines?
This one also comes from the Rideau Canal. Outside the Manotick Lock, we noticed a whole field of little round floats.  They seemed to be arranged in nice, neat straight lines.

We've been flummoxed by floats before, notably the fishing noodles we spotted on the Ten-Tom Waterway during our Great Loop Cruise.

Oyster farm? No, this is freshwater. Freshwater pearl farm? Good guess, but no.
This field of floats at Manotick, however, has nothing to do with fishing.  So, what IS it?

Write your answer on a Pestzilla TM Robust UV Electronic Bug Zapper and send it to . . . oh wait! We don't get mail delivery on the boat!  Use the comment function below, put a note on the SlowBoat FaceBook page, or email Cynthia.  You could be our next lucky winner!


BONUS! Boat Gourmet Tip


Plain toast? Never!  We serve avocado toast on THIS boat!
Let's say you enjoy a slice of toast with your breakfast.  But your boat has no toaster. (This isn't a yacht! There's not a lot of counter space in the galley!)

Or say you DO have a toaster but you are anchored out, not plugged in to shore power. 

That toaster will drain your house batteries faster than you can say "What about my blow dryer?"

A Toast to Toast


Never fear. You can still make delicious buttery toast in two minutes flat. 
Whoever said, "Cheese alone does not
constitute dinner" never shopped at
a Montreal fromagerie!
  1. Melt some butter in your trusty skillet.
  2. Take a slice of bread.  Dip it quickly in the melted butter, then turn it over and put the plain side down in the remaining butter (the butter-dipped side is up)
  3. Adjust your heat to medium-low.  Give it a minute.
  4. Use a spatula to check. 
  5. When the bread looks toasty, flip it. 
  6. You already buttered the side that is now down against the pan.  No need to add more butter!
  7. Repeat step 4.  When your toast is ready, breakfast is served.
Garlic bread variation: For when you're serving spaghetti but you don't want to heat up the boat by turning the oven on. (Or you only need enough garlic bread for two):
  1. Use Italian bread
  2. Add a little garlic powder and oregano to the butter as it melts
  3. Enjoy!
Always remember, a well-fed Captain is a happy Captain!







3 comments: