For years the 8.3 oz. size of Bush’s Baked Beans was about $1 a can. After Covid, the 8.3 oz. size has increased in price to $1.52. The 28 oz. size can is now $1.98. Now, baked beans are high starch and are not something that a Type 2 diabetic should be eating, but I like them. They are a comfort food, and, I like to eat them cold, so I finally bought the larger sized can, ate about a third of the beans, and then saved the rest in a small jar which I put into my fridge. The fear in buying a larger can was that once I put the left-overs in the fridge, I would let them stay until mold grew and I had to throw them away… but, they didn’t. I managed to eat all of the beans in two or three additional helpings.

So, the 28 oz. can at $1.98 means about 7 cents per ounce and that would mean the 8.3 oz. can would cost about 59 cents (or buying three 8.3 oz. cans, not quite 28 oz., would cost $4.56).

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I am trying to prepare smaller portions of the foods I like because I have increasingly not wanted left-overs, not even if the original helping was delicious. So, I now peel one medium potato, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and boil it. Chop some sweet onion, some celery, if I have it, add a little Duke’s Mayo and sweetener, and this gives me about two helpings of potato salad.

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I like microwaved, corn on the cob, and just a few weeks ago saw something on either ATK or Cook’s Country on how to remove the silks from an ear of corn easily. They cut the stalk end of the ear, so that the husk would come off easily. They were microwaving the corn for a couple of minutes and then squeezing the silk end, which forced the clean, silkless, ear of corn out the stalk end. And, it works!

I have been microwaving my ears of corn for several years, usually preferring to buy them in the husk, cutting off both ends, and microwaving for about 5 minutes. I cut both ends off because I thought leaving the ends on might cause the steam to build up and pop. But now, I cut the stalk end off, and leave the silk end on. I still microwave for 5 minutes, and the corn inside steams and is completely done. I use the squeeze trick while running the ear under cold water, so that my hand doesn’t burn. I then add salt and margarine. *Walmart consistently has good sweet corn.

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I like both broccoli and asparagus steamed in my steamer insert. Add some salt & margarine.

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I’ve mentioned elsewhere that I currently am going through a cauliflower phase, bathed in smoked paprika and toasted sesame oil, and baked in the oven as London Broil. I slice the cauliflower into small slabs, put them in a Tupperware container, add the oil & smoked paprika, put on a top, shake and let marinade for a while. I then use the London Broil method (instead of cooking on the stove top in a pan) for cooking my meats also… steak, round bone lamb chop and pork chops. I’ve tried adding some other seasonings, but so far everything else doesn’t make the final product better.

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I’ve already forgotten how good “stir fried” cabbage & onions taste. Mary Ann did this when I was down visiting and it was delicious. You want it a little sweet. And she used those spring type onions with the large, bulbous white roots, and the long green leaves.

I say I’ve forgotten because, there were a couple of meals that I had that were “great”. A pork chop, or round bone lamb chop, or even some non-breaded chicken wings as my meat entree. And, the other sides that work together, were the stir fried cabbage & onions, corn on the cob, and the broiled seasoned cauliflower (savory).

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I fixed some French Onion Soup a couple of days ago, but only bought the Swiss cheese yesterday at Wegmans. I used the White Mountain Bread that I get from Publix and toasted it with the Swiss cheese on it (while toasting some Rye Bread, with some Swiss for a Pastrami sandwich) while heating some of the soup in the microwave. I used one of my black bowls after I had heated the soup in a Tupperware container in the microwave. I placed the toasted Rye bread on top of the heated soup. I think paying more for the Beef Broth, using a better quality broth, might make the soup much more flavorful. Less quality produces an aftertaste.

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I’m in the process of making some more Curried Apple Soup, which I enjoy both hot and cold. In fact, I may enjoy this soup better cold. It is smooth, sweet, spicy (not burning hot) and cold is better. *I have all the ingredients already chopped up in a Tupperware container, in the fridge. I even put a little lime juice on the peeled apple slices, to keep them from oxidizing and turning brown.

It is amazing that this soup, which I first experienced so many years ago in Asheville, NC at “Trillium a Bistro” has continued with me. I think the soup in the restaurant had chunks of chicken, and the color of the soup may have been more red. It may not have been red, and I have never made this soup that went beyond a rich orangish hue. Wonder if Smoked Paprika might redden this soup, but it might also adversely affect the flavor. * I rarely add chicken and enjoy this as a mostly vegetarian broth, although I do use Chicken Broth for flavor.

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I have recently had success in making the Quinoa Salad at home that I previously bought at Publix (they no longer sell this). The Quinoa cooks in about 15 minutes. You add dried cranberries, wilted baby spinach. I don’t recall the other ingredients (maybe Mandarin Oranges) and the flavoring sauce, but this all worked and the result was perfect.

I’ve enjoyed making a Waldorf Salad (thinking upon the episode of Fawlty Towers from so long ago). Simple, apples, mayo, walnuts, red seedless grapes, chopped celery, and I also add grated coconut.

I recently bought a can of sliced Mangos at Dollar Tree, and a can of chunked Pineapple. I think each were $1.25. I then made salad with the mangos, pineapple, sweet onion, avocado, chipotle peppers and some lime juice. I put this in the fridge after it is made, the avocado will begin to break down and form a smooth, creamy sauce for all the other ingredients.

Made some seafood chowder recently and added jalapenos to it. I wanted the jalapeno flavor, but not the heat. And, I think I’ve decided not to use hot peppers in my seafood chowder. Maybe sweet bell peppers or perhaps Poblano peppers would provide the flavor without the heat that shows up at 3 am.

I have frozen shrimp, headless, without shells or tails that can be thawed in about 15 minutes in the microwave. I can also thaw some frozen Bay Scallops (thought they were called Baby Scallops because they were small, ha) and open a can of chopped clams and add the broth & meat to the chowder. Add corn, and I might try cream corn next time. I have used Cream of Celery soup and Half -n- Half as a base, and add some chopped onion. *I may also add some bacon fat (which adds a good deal of flavor) and some margarine.

Had never tried a Jersey MIke’s sub, but on the way back to Fayetteville from visiting Mary Ann I stopped in a Jersey MIke’s near where I40 and Hwy. 24 cross paths. This is just down from the Smithfield’s. “Mike’s Way” includes several standard sandwich items… tomato, lettuce, ??? It was a good sandwich, so much so, that I made an approximation at home a day or so later. Haven’t found the right while wheat roll yet, and the Vinegar & Seasoned Oil dressing, but closed enough to enjoy.

• Sea-Distances.ORG [Nice site for determining nautical distances from various sea ports around the world.]
• Country Codes List
• Port Code Search

Date	Vessel	Details
	BBC Volga	Came from Santa Marta, CO to Houston, TX USA “Greensport Management Watco“
	BBC Volga	Came from Houston, TX USA to Brownsville, TX USA.
	BBC Volga	Came from Altamira, MX to Puerto Cortes, HN from Brownsville, TX USA.
	BBC Volga	Came from Puerto Cortes, HN to Port of Morehead City, NC with “airframe” cargo.
	BBC Volga	Came from Port of Morehead City, NC to Montoir, FR.
	BBC Volga	Came from Montoir, FR to Antwerp, BE. She moored at Leopoldkok next to Navitec Marine Services.
		Panama Canal Locks Web Cams
05/10/23	YM Warranty	The vessel came from Cartagena, CO and came through the Agua Clara Lock and then anchored in Pena Blanca Anch. for several hours. It then came through the Cocoli Lock into the Pacific Ocean. It is now on a trip to Busan, KO with ETA of May 31st. *It will be interesting to see if the vessel goes into hibernation again after it leaves KO for CN. Recall, after leaving Busan, KO last time the vessel waited for over a month (from about 01/28/23 till 03/09/23) before mooring again at Qingdao, CN. That was a big question in my mind as to why an almost new vessel, would be out of commission for more than 30 days, and not anywhere for repairs…
		Web cams along route to Antwerp, BE + https://webcams-vlissingen.nl/ + https://webcam-terneuzen.nl/
05/11/23	BBC Volga	The vessel is now headed from Antwerp, BE to Tananger, NO. + Passing Terneuzen, NL + North of Terneuzen, NL + Passing Vlissingen, NL
05/13/23	BBC Volga	I checked on the Volga after 8:30 am and she was already moored in Tananger, NO near TechnipFMC, but I am not sure what the delivery was, or who it was to. But, by 9:02 am, a tug was already beginning to lead the Volga out of the port. Her ETA is May 15th at 15:00 scheduled for Gdansk, PO.
		Port of Gdansk (Poland) Kamery (3 different hi-res views) + terminal kontenerowy (web cam screen shot | vesselfinder view)
05/15/23	BBC Volga	I was surprised at how quickly the vessel was ushered into the Port of Gdansk. There was no waiting. A couple of pilot/tug vessels met her and brought her into the channel quickly, no delay.
05/17/23	BBC Volga	The Volga arrived at the Kiel lock after dark. When it made it in the lock, it used one of its onboard cranes to load something from the dock between the two locks.
05/18/23	BBC Volga	Times passing through the Canal vary but are somewhere between 6 and 8 hours. I slept briefly, and when I looked the Volga was almost at the Brunsbuttel Lock, but as she passed beneath the high bridge at Ostermoor, she moored beside the Wasserstoff Tankstelle. She was there between an hour or two. Not sure why the stoppage, but eventually she pulled back into the channel and made her way to and through the Brunsbuttel Lock. She is now in the North Sea heading to Sunderland, UK.
		Seafront webcam for Sunderland, UK (assorted renewing stills in a cycle)
05/19/23	BBC Volga	Entering the Port of Sunderland: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
05/21/23	BBC Volga	Leaving for Naples, IT
	BBC Volga	Near the Strait of Gibraltar & Ceuta, Spain
	BBC Volga	Moored at Naples, IT
		Strait of Messina, IT Messina Live Cam, Villa San Giovanni
06/12/23	YM Warranty	The YM Warranty was in Busan NP, Korea for a few days and then came to Qingdao, CN and has been there for a couple of days also. This time, the vessel didn’t wait but maybe a half day before coming into the Port of Qingdao. Last time was more than a month. *I see that the YM Warranty is scheduled to head to Singapore and arrive in about a week. **The BBC Volga is heading to Shantou, CN with a scheduled arrival time of 06/26/23. So, it appears to me that the YM Warranty & BBC Volga will be relatively near one another in about a week (06/19/23), probably near Singapore.
		The BBC Volga passed Singapore just a little before the YM Warranty arrived. Not sure, but almost sure that they would have been able to visually see one another as they passed, but definitely both would have had the other vessel on their radar. *Amazing!!!
06/27/23	BBC Volga	Arrived in Shanghai, CN again. Moored about two vessel lengths from where she was tied up last time (end of January 2023). *So, in about 5 months, the Volga has circumnavigated the entire Earth beginning in Shanghai, heading eastward through the Panama Canal and stopping at various ports in the US, Mexico, Honduras, France, Belgium, Norway, Poland, through Kiel Canal, to England, through the Straits of Gibraltar and across the Mediterranean to Italy… then through the Suez Canal and on past Singapore, up the coast past Vietnam, between Taiwan and the coast of China, and finally into the hear of Shanghai, CN again. What a vagabond! *Guess not, because she must be paying for most of her way with the various stops she has made.
06/28/23	YM Warranty	Is coming from Laem Chabang, Thailand to the Port of Vung Tau, Vietnam.
		After Vietnam, the Warranty stopped in Hong Kong before heading up past Tokyo and then turning out on her route across the Pacific Ocean.
07/08/23	BBC Volga	The Volga is moored once again at Hitachinaka, Japan. Previously, she headed back across the Pacific Ocean and came through the Panama Canal. At that time, the Volga had about 18 large wind turbine blade on deck. Not sure where she picked up the blades, but will be interesting to see this time. *About three weeks ago the Volga and the YM Warranty passed each other a short distance from the Port of Singapore. Since then the Warranty made it to Singapore, then a port in Thailand, and a port in Vietnam and then Hong Kong. And now the Warranty is heading for US LAX (Port of Los Angeles) and is a short distance from Tokyo and the two vessels are incredibly close to one another physically. **It looks to me like the Volga and the Warranty will be racing across the Pacific to the Panama Canal almost “neck and neck”.
07/12/23	BBC Volga	Well, the Volga has been moored at Hitachinaka for four days, and the Warranty has proceeded at 21 Kn to head across the Pacific to LAX. Before this, I had not seen a vessel travel faster than about 15 Kn, so at 21 Kn, I perceive “she is flying” toward her next port. Still, it may be that because the Warranty is heading for the Port of Los Angeles before travelling through the Panama Canal, it may be that if the Volga proceeds across the Pacific to the Panama Canal at 14 Kn, they may still pass through about the same time.
07/20/23	YM Warranty	The Warranty is a short distance from her next port in Los Angeles. But to my surprise the BBC Volga instead of heading back to the Panama Canal after her port in Japan, instead, headed back down to Taiwan porting for just a short time (less than a day) and now is heading to a port just south of Singapore. Probably about 2.5 to 3 days away.
07/28/23	BBC Volga	Well, the YM Warranty has been moored at the Port of Los Angeles for about 4 days (maybe longer) and my imagined journey of the Volga following across the Pacific and through the Panama Canal disappeared. The Volga hit the Port at Kabil, just below Singapore, and then another on the northwest side of the island. And then the surprise, as the Volga continues to provide, she is now heading back to the Suez Canal (haven’t seen her ultimate destination). Recall that before going through the Suez Canal a couple of months ago, heading east, she was coming from the Port at Naples, IT. *I do not know what the profit is for the different cargoes she carries, but I question how she can be profitable while taking long journeys between ports as she did and will do while going through the Suez Canal. Perhaps she will stop at a port in India, or some port in the Middle East on the way to the Suez Canal, and drop off or pick up an extra cargo or two.
09/06/23	BBC Volga	Has been anchored off Tynemouth, UK for over a day having just come from Moss, Norway. Tynemouth is a short distance up the coast from Sunderland, England
	YM Warranty	Was moored earlier today in Hong Kong, but is now enroute to Pusan, Korea.
09/08/23	BBC Volga	It’s shortly before 9 am, my time (Fay., NC), and shortly before 3 pm Tynemouth, UK, and I see that the BBC Volga is just coming out of her parked anchorage and is heading into the mouth of the Tyne River. She has been waiting for several days since coming from Moss, NO. Funny that currently it is foggy and the web cams, which had clearly displayed the Volga where she was anchored are completely useless. Not able to even make out any shore or ocean at this time. *Oddly, the tracking app is showing that the Volga has turned around and is heading away from the mouth of the Tyne.
09/12/23	BBC Volga	And now she is heading to her next port in Rotterdam, NL.
09/18/23	BBC Volga	The Volga left Rotterdam for her next port in Bilbao, ES. She was only there about a day, and is now heading to Costa Rica, an estimated 14 day journey.
0/26/23	YM Warranty	The Warranty has been moored at the Port of LA – West Basin (Wilmington) for several days. This is the second time I have seen her moored here. I found a web cam view: Port of LA CAM1 The image below is from the Google StreetView of this area. As I zoomed in on it, I realized that this was probably the Warranty.
09/29/23		YM Warranty is now headed to the Port of Oakland (again) leaving the Port of LA around 5 pm today. Watched her leaving via the Port of LA web cam. The BBC Volga is now passing between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and is about 3 days from the Port of Limon, Costa Rica.
10/04/23	YM Warranty	The Warranty passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday about 5 pm EST. The first camera view, I missed by only a couple of minutes, but I found another view and got a couple of good images of the ship as she passed along the San Francisco waterfront.
10/04/23	BBC Volga	The Volga arrived at Limon, Costa Rica a couple of days ago, but after mooring in the wrong location overnight, came around the peninsula and came into port.
10/05/23	YM Warranty	YM Warranty passing beneath Golden Gate Bridge on the way to Hong Kong.
10/05/23	BBC Volga	She is now on her way to PAMIT Manzanillo International Terminal, Panama. Took less than a day to arrive, and then anchored off port for about a day. Now in port PAMIT.
10/06/23	BBC Volga
10/08/23	BBC Volga	I see this afternoon that the Volga is next scheduled for the Port of Houston, TX USA. Earlier this year I think she carried a cargo of large wind turbine blades to WATCO.
10/17/23	BBC Volga	The Volga has left her mooring and is headed to the Port of Brownsville, TX, due tomorrow. This is the same as she did the last time she visited Houston.
10/20/23	BBC Volga	The Volga has left the Port of Brownsville and is heading for the Panama Canal, scheduled to arrive in 4 days.
10/31/23	BBC Volga	Going through the Panama Canal, again.
10/31/23	YM Warranty	Is once again in Singapore.
11/03/23	BBC Volga	Was only in Guayaquil, EC for less than a day, and is now already “steaming for” Pisco, Peru. As you can see from the photo above, at Miraflores Lock, there was only one lone wind turbine blade on her deck. Not sure if she had anything in her hold. Just about 11 months ago, when I first started following the Volga, she had been in a similar location, visiting first Peru and then upper Chile, before heading across the Pacific to Shanghai, CN.
11/07/23	BBC Volga	The Volga has left Pisco, Peru on her way to Matarani, Peru. The Volga visited Matarani about 11 months ago, and since has gone completely around the world, starting in Shanghai. If she goes from the coast of South America to either Japan or China, she will have been completely around the world in both directions. Been through the Panama Canal about 3 times, through the Suez Canal twice, and through the Kiel Canal once.
11/12/23	BBC Volga	Not sure if the Volga actually stopped in Matarani, Peru, or went just south of there to Ilo, Peru. I see that she is now scheduled to go down, again, to Mejillones, Chile. I think it was early December of 2022 (last year) that the Volga stopped at these same ports (Matarani & Mejillones) before she headed across the Pacific to Shanghai, CN. *Which, she may do again. I think I figured out that there was Molybdenum produced in Peru and refined in Chile, and that may have been the cargo carried to China. It increases strength in steel alloys.
11/27/23	BBC Volga	After being at Mejillones, Chile for quite a few days, I see that the Volga is now heading up north again, but I am confused by the port code being used: PEILK The PE should mean Peru, and the ILK should be the specific port, but I can find no Peruvian port with that designation. There is a port at Ilo, Peru, but that has a different port ID.
11/27/23	YM Warranty	The Warranty is a good distance across the Pacific heading back to the Port of Los Angeles. Recall that the Warranty first came to my attention about a year ago when she was coming up the Cape Fear River to the Port of Wilmington (NC). From my readings about the Warranty at that time, I thought she was on a recurring route from Korea/China through the Panama Canal and up to New York, down to Norfolk, then Wilmington, NC, Savannah, and back up to Charleston, SC and then back through the Panama Canal and toward the Orient again. Looks like that route has been changed, to not visit the US East Coast, but go between Los Angeles and Singapore, with visits to Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Korea and back to Los Angeles.
11/28/23	BBC Volga	The Volga is now hovering around Ilo, Peru.
11/29/23	BBC Volga	The Volga is now in port at Ilo, Peru.
12/08/23	YM Warranty	I see that the Warranty has just pulled out of the Port of Los Angeles heading for the Port of Oakland (about 9:15am EST 6:15am Pacific). The Navigator of the Sea is being backed in currently, at 9:25am EST. She is big, and it would have probably been too tight a fit to have her and the Warranty passing by the Battleship.
12/08/23	BBC Volga	The Volga is currently in the Magellan Strait (9:30 am EST).
12/17/23	BBC Volga	The Volga came through the Magellan Strait and then instead of going to Rio de Janerio, it stopped for a few days at the Port of Santos, BR. It has left this morning, scheduled for Houston, TX USA. *I did note that Santos had stacks of large wind turbine blades, which is something that the Volga has delivered to and possibly from Houston.
12/17/23	YM Warranty	The Warranty is a short distance from the Port of Oakland, heading once again across the Pacific for Hong Kong.
08/21/24	BBC Volga	I wish I had continued to write my tracking of the Volga. I did continue to track the Volga & Warranty, but did not write down the various areas they had visited. The Volga is currently in the Port of Venice, IT. *She was just in the Black Sea, visiting the Port of Constanta, Romania.
08/24/24	BBC Volga	The Volga is underway, having left the Port of Venice, and is heading, a short distance away, for the Port of Ravenna, Italy (7:40 DST) on the Adriatic Sea, east of Bologna.
09/04/24	BBC Volga	The Volga was at the Port of Ravenna Italy for several days and is now on the way to the Port of Augusta on the Island of Malta.
09/04/24	YM Warranty	The Warranty is off the coast of Mexico near Acapulco. Her destination is showing PANPNC and she is scheduled to arrive by 08/09/24. I haven’t found where this is, but am supposing that it is one end of the Panama Canal or the other.
09/14/24	BBC Volga	After the Port of Augusta, she stopped at a Spanish port near Gibraltar, and now is heading down to Soyo, Angola (mid-West Africa). She never ceases to amaze. What a rich travel life she has had.
09/14/24	YM Warranty	Well, once again the Warranty has passed through the Panama Canal and is now on her way back up to New York City. I am guessing that she will hit the other Atlantic Coastal ports as she did in years past: Norfolk (VA), Wilmington (NC), Savannah (GA), Charleston (SC) and then back through the Canal.
09/29/24	BBC Volga	Has just left Soyo, Angola heading to the east coast of South America.
09/30/24	YM Warranty	The Warranty has just left the Port of Charleston (SC) heading back to the Panama Canal. They came through the Canal and went first to the Port of New York, then to Norfolk, VA and then to Charleston. They have not been taking this East Coast Route for about a year, but previously their East Coast Route was to NY, VA, then to Wilmington, NC, then to Savannah and back up to Charleston before heading back through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to Korea, China and sometime even on to Singapore.
10/16/24	BBC Volga	I see the Volga is just leaving the Port of Santos, Brazil and now is headed for Bremen, Germany. *I don’t think I could have picked a better example of a “world traveler” than the Volga. **Meanwhile, the Warranty is heading to KAOHSIUNG in Taiwan South China.

NOTE [05/19/23]: The BBC Volga has turned out to be a very exciting vessel to follow. She first came to my attention a few days before Thanksgiving 2022 as she was coming into the Port of Morehead City (NC -USA). The port manifest said she was bringing in locomotives. In just six months, she has visited the following ports:

• Port of Morehead City (twice)
• Through the Panama Canal (to Pacific)
• Matarani, Peru
• Mejillones, Chile
• Shanghai, China (Start of complete navigation of the World from W to E.)
• China (two other ports)
• Hitachinaka, Japan
• Through Panama Canal (to Atlantic)
• Santa Marta, Colombia
• Houston, TX
• Brownsville, TX
• Altamira, MX
• Puerto Cortez, HN
• Port of Morehead City
• Montoir, FR
• Antwerp, BE
• Tananger, NO
• Gdansk, PL
• Kiel Canal, DE (to Elbe & North Sea)
• Sunderland, UK
• Strait of Gibraltar
• Naples, IT
• Suez, Egypt
• Bay of Bengal
• Through the Singapore Strait (YM Warranty passing by a short distance.)
• Shanghai, CN (End of complete navigation of World from W to E.)
• Hitachinaka, Japan (Second time this year at this port & starts from E to W.)
• Taiwan
• Batam Island (across from Singapore)
• …
• Bay of Bengal
• Suez, Egypt
• Izmir, Turkey
• Southampton, UK
• Amsterdam Holland
• Esbjerg, Denmark
• Moss, Norway
• Tyne, UK
• Rotterdam, NL
• Bilbao, ES
• Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
• Manzanillo, PA
• Houston, TX
• Brownsville, TX
• Panama Canal
• Guayaquil, Ecuador
• Pisco, Peru
• Matarani, Peru
• Ilo, Peru
• Mejillones, Chile
• Ilo, Peru
• Straits of Magellan
• Santos, Brazil
• Houston, TX USA

• Port of Constanta, Romania (Black Sea)
• Venice, Italy (Adriatic Sea)
• Augusta, Crete
• Spain (near Gibraltar)
• Soyo, Angola
• Santos, Brazil
• Bremen, Germany*

Going through the Panama Canal is neat. Travelling down the west coast of South America over half way to northern Chile is cool. Travelling clear across the Pacific Ocean to Shanghai, CN is damn awesome! Picking up wind turbine blades in Japan and heading back through the Panama Canal is swell. Coming back to the Port of Morehead City from Honduras, with airframes, is mind boggling. But now, to go across the Atlantic Ocean to France, then to Antwerp, BE for minor repairs (my guess), then up to Norway for just a brief stop and then back down to Gdansk, Poland, oh, wow! And now through the Kiel Canal, which at one time I might have thought impossible… The BBC Volga has been a busy bee in just six months, 17 countries and a bunch of miles.

Well, she made it to Naples and was there only about a day. She is now headed for Egypt and the Suez Canal.

NOTE [06/12/23]: The BBC Volga, having left Naples, IT and come through the Suez Canal, is scheduled to arrive in Shantou, CN on 06/26/23 and at that point will have almost circumnavigated the Earth entirely. I first became aware of the Volga a few days before Thanksgiving 2022 as she was coming into the Port of Morehead City. The Volga then came through the Panama Canal and with a few stops along the western coast of South America, headed across the Pacific Ocean to Shanghai, CN. Eventually she came back through the Panama Canal, headed to Houston, TX, and eventually from Puerto Cortes, HN headed back to the Port of Morehead City. From there she headed across the Atlantic Ocean to France, then Antwerp, BE, up to Norway, down to Gdansk, PL, through the Kiel Canal to Sunderland, UK. The surprise, for me, was that she then came all the way around and through the Strait of Gibraltar to Naples, IT. From Naples, she headed through the Suez Canal and is now scheduled for Shantou, CN. I’m not sure if she is carrying any cargo currently. *I definitely don’t understand how a ship of this size can be profitable circumventing the entire Earth in about six months. But, I could not have imagined this vessel being such a vagabond. Perhaps vagabond is the wrong term. She definitely is travelling with purpose.

NOTE [06/16/23]: I just came upon the Maritime Optima ShipAtlas app online last night. This app does a lot for free. I was able to pull up a list of the ports that the Volga had visited going back about 2 years. You can also put two or more vessels in a “list” and view the location of all the vessels in the list on a map. You can also map the current journey for a vessel and it will show the route already completed, the vessels current location, and the rest of the upcoming route.

*Unbelievably, the BBC Volga and the YM Warranty are about to pass each other (depending upon who gets to Singapore first) “half way around the world.” The Volga is coming from Naples, IT and is scheduled for Shanghai PL on the 25th of June, 2023. The Warranty left Qingdao, CN for Singapore and is scheduled to arrive there 19th June 2023.

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I’m not sure that I will continue to track the Volga for the next year. It has been both interesting & fun tracking both the BBC Volga and the YM Warranty, along with the Independent Container Line that cycles between the east coast of the US and Europe, the UK & Ireland.

I’ve learned a lot about the World from her ports of call. And I have been surprised by such a small vessel travelling so far in such a short period of time. If she does go to Shanghai after Mejillones, in a year’s time she will have completely travelled around the World, completely in both directions. This is amazing to me! But, I don’t think I would want to be aboard her, because I don’t think they stay in a port long enough to both do their work, and also visit the area for fun. And by fun, I don’t mean drinking at a bar.

NOTE [ 12/08/23 ]: It has been just about a year, and two weeks since I started to track the travels of the BBC Volga. She has now travelled the length of South America, from top to bottom, and now is heading through the Magellan Strait. She has been completely around the world in BOTH directions, through the Panama (3), Suez (2), and Kiel (1) Canals and through the Gibraltar Strait. She has been as far north as Moss, Norway and across the Baltic Sea to Gdansk, Poland (formerly Danzig, Germany). Tracking her has provided me with a framework to explore the world and a bunch of its cities and ports, and in only about a year’s time. Oh, she has visited the Port of Morehead City, twice during the 12 months.

NOTE [08/22/24]: Add the Black Sea to the Adriatic, Arabian, Baltic, Mediterranean & North Seas, and the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans. I am in awe of the exploits of this tiny (Handy Sized) cargo vessel since November 2022. As stated earlier, she had circumnavigated the completely Earth in both directions, and been the length of South America and Africa. And just a short time ago she passed by Istanbul, Turkey.

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Links to Port Webcams

• Charleston, SC
• Panama Canal Locks (Atlantic & Pacific Locks)
• Port of Gdansk, PO (3 Kamery)
• Kiel Canal Entrances/Exits (Kiel & Brunsbeutel, DE)
• Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro)
• Port of Los Angeles (Wilmington)
• San Francisco Skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz & entrance to Port of Oakland (from MERSEA restaurant on Treasure Island)
• Savannah (River Street East)
• Savannah (Assorted Other Webcams)
• Port of Southampton, UK
• Southport Waterfront (Southport, NC, Cape Fear River & Atlantic Ocean)
• Port of Sunderland, UK
• Terneuzen, NL (shipping going to/from Antwerp, BE on Sheldt River)
• Vlissinge, NL (shipping going to/from Antwerp, BE on Sheldt River)

• New Location (up to the corner in old RiteAid Pharmacy)

I found Golden Hex on my phone and could see that from the photos and description it was a good possibility that they would have blutwurst and/or headcheese (tongue bologna)…and they did!

They didn’t have Schaller & Weber, but what they had was just as tasty, and I ended up buying a pound of each of the blutwurst and one version of their headcheese. I came home and used one of the Miami Onion rolls that I purchased at Wegman’s after I left Golden Hex. I also slathered the bread with some sweet horseradish mustard (that I combine at home) and a slice of Vidalia onion. I also had bought a package of Hillshire Farms Ham and added a slice of that to the sandwich. It was good! It was soooo good!! Exactly what I had been hoping to find.

I definitely want to return to try some of the other items. In addition to meats, they have pickles, jellies, jars of mushrooms and much, much more. The Russian on some of the products, I did not understand. But, I am pretty sure they would be most helpful (as the woman that helped me was today).

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I’ve made some horseradish/mustard with sweetener & Agave Nectar from both the French’s Yellow Mustard, and the Plochman’s Stoneground Mustard. I sliced some sweet onion (not specifically Vidalia, but sweet), and put both types of doctored mustard on my sandwich, along with some sweet bread & butter chips. I had the blutwurst, the head cheese and some honey ham slices also.

This make a really good sandwich, but a little messy.

04/24/23 Visit

I bought some more of Andy’s Head Cheese, some of the Basturma (which tastes a little like beef jerky), Duck Pate and some flavored tea. Unfortunately, the tea had a lot of Hibiscus, which I already had at home. I also asked for some of the Hunters Salami and after I got home realized that hadn’t been put in my cart. Don’t think I paid for the salami, but still would have liked to brought it home to try. The Duck Pate had much more fat than I would like. I like the Nueske’s (sp?) Liver Pate flavor. Closer to “potted meat.”

Talked at length with Armen, from Armenia, who appeared to be a manager. He walked about with me showing me various things. I did buy some frozen bread, which was thin, and good for a wrap and a small jar of horseradish.

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NOTE: The Basturma was dry, a little hard, and did remind me of beef jerky. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, because it did not seem to lend itself to making sandwiches, and at first I only thought of eating it by itself, a little at a time. But, then as I was making a salad it came to me to use some of the Basturma sprinkled about in the salad, and it worked perfectly.

I like salad, but I have not made and eaten much at home lately. I bought some Romaine lettuce recently which I normally do not do, and have actually made 3 salads before the lettuce goes bad. I rarely buy Iceberg lettuce to make salads. I will buy it if I am thinking of making a sandwich which needs the Iceberg. I usually buy the mixed greens which includes Freezia and Spinach.

I also chopped some Campari tomato, added some celery seeds and some freshly ground Long Pepper. Some time ago, I had bought a couple of jars of Suckerpunch Pickles. I don’t recall which kind of style was the first jar I opened, but I did not like the flavor. I took that I wouldn’t like the other style of pickles and did not open it for several months, until yesterday. When I tasted the pickles from the second jar, but these I liked. They were almost familiar as some my Aunt Sis might have packed.

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[05/08/23]

Oh, wow! I am trying different meats from Golden Hex and here are a few more.

I made some lentil soup with some of the Basik Breakfast Sausage. The soup was good. Black lentils, carrots, russet potato and the sausage.

But the greatest surprise was this morning. I normally have either egg salad or fried apples either with bacon. I boiled two eggs this morning, and I sliced, on the diagonal, one of the Kabanosy Podsuszane LB sausages, and fried it in a little olive oil. Here was the surprise, I thought the sausage was going to be a little hard, but… The egg salad was good, and when I ate the first bit of sausage, it had a little crunch which then went to a soft center. The sausage was distinctive and delicious and well worth fixing again.

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I happened to see a jar of Seaweed Salad on the shelf and it was a little over $5 so I bought it. The consistency and color was close to what I had in restaurants (some time ago). The liquid that the salad was suspended in didn’t have much flavor so I went looking for a seaweed salad recipe online. I added the following items, except for the red pepper flakes (which I just didn’t think of at the time). Not sure if it was the soy sauce, the toasted sesame oil, or more vinegar & sweetener, but this was exactly what was needed to make the seaweed salad taste exactly as it did in the restaurants. Very good!

• soy sauce
• vinegar
• mirin
• sweetener
• toasted sesame oil
• red pepper flakes
• white sesame seeds

Yesterday (04/04/23). Tuesday, I drove up to Greensboro, NC and had lunch at Sticks-n-Stones. I ordered the “To Be the One” pizza again, with raw jalapenos (not pickled). The pizza is thin crust, and is absolutely delicious! I think the flavor of the dough may be what makes this pizza so good. *I added some ground Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes periodically. The flavor of the pizza below was so good.

I had also thought about trying to find either or both, Blutwurst and/or Zungenwurst. I’ve had the Schaller & Weber Blutwurst before. I knew I could get some of this at Southern Seasons in Chapel Hill, before they closed a few years ago, but now I have not been able to find any local deli or grocery that sells this. And, when I ask at some delis or butchers, it is like I’ve grown an extra eye. “Oh no, we don’t carry that.”

I would love to have some of the above, add it to a Miami Onion roll (from Wegman’s) and then some sweet horseradish mustard.

I think I probably tried both of these specialty meats first, when I was living down in Myrtle Beach and managing the Tennis With Love tennis shop next door. This would have been about 1977. I just remembered that someone, perhaps Van Harden (from Alton, IL, a tennis buddy from Jacksonville, NC) came down that summer and we went to see Star Wars which had just come out. He may have been living in Myrtle Beach by that time. *I haven’t kept up with Van. The last time I saw him was just after a hurricane had come into Myrtle Beach and had blown the first row of beach houses into the 3rd row (and that is no exaggeration), and I stopped by his place for an over-night visit.

Pre-dendum [02/07/23]: YM Warranty is still anchored offshore waiting for an March 9th ETA in Qingdao, CN. *Not sure why a four year old cargo ship would be sitting idle, at anchor, for over a month. BBC Volga is anchored near Dafeng (ANCH) CN. I think she was heading to Dalian, CN. After five weeks, London Calling has moved a short distance away from Port Salerno Marine to Mack Yacht Services, Inc. (map). Don’t know if it is in for repairs, refurbishing, or improvements/upgrades.

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I had seen this 2 oz. cordial glass by Kirby on the Crate -n- Barrel web site. The nearest CnB to me was at the Streets of Southpoint in Durham, NC. The bottom of the glass is solid glass and provides a heavy, stable base. Until I drove up next to the building, I didn’t recall that I had been to this Crate -n- Barrel, probably several times. They have kitchen & dining items (dishes, glasses).

When I walked in the door, one of the female clerks welcomed me verbally. I asked if they had the 2 oz. cordial glass by Kirby. She said she thought they did, but as she started walking back to find it “on the floor” she was asking another clerk if they still carried this item. Around the corner a short distance down the isle, she found what I was looking for. I included the photo above showing the cordial glass in comparison to other drink glasses. Still, the glass is bigger than I imagined from the online images.

I bought two of the cordial glasses. One for me and one for Ray. Not sure if Ray still drinks any alcohol, but I was pleasantly surprised recently when I tried the Peach Schnapps, and thought I would give Ray a present of a bottle of the Peach Schnapps and one of these cordial glasses. *Several years ago, Ray had introduced me to Disaronno. I thanked him with a small bottle of Disaronno a few years ago. Both of these beverages are very sweet, but the Disaronno has a little more alcoholic bite.

When I decided to visit Crate-n-Barrel to see if they had the Kirby cordial glass, I thought to look for Orient Garden, a Chinese restaurant a short distance from SOS. I have visited Orient Garden a few times, over the course of many years. It may be that my first visit was before the Streets of Southpoint (SOS) was even built. I fell in love with their Orange Chicken. The restaurant is small, but there is an ornate dragon mosaic, and mirrors on one wall. I still have a picture of my last visit. I think I had egg drop soup, an egg roll and the Orange Chicken. Not sure if I also had hot green tea.

When I checked the Orient Garden web site I was disappointed to see they currently do not serve Lunch, and dinner starts at 3 pm. So, everything was working toward me arriving shortly after 3 pm for a late lunch. I didn’t see any egg drop soup on the current menu.

Bought a bottle of Aristocrat Peach Schnapps at the ABC Store in Lillington, NC ($6+). Came up to Fuquay Varina and headed off through Holly Springs and Apex. Did a brief scouting detour in Apex and then headed up to Wegman’s in Morrisville. I’ve been to this Wegman’s about three times. This time, I bought a couple of Miami Onion Rolls and one Pretzel Roll. I think the rolls were $1.25 each. Bought a couple of Zucchini, a log of Salami, and a can of Wegman’s Sauerkraut. Took my yellow shopping bag in to save a nickel.

After C-n-B I drive over to Orient Garden and arrive a couple of minutes past 3 pm. I see someone standing in front of one of the doors to the restaurant. As I walk up to the restaurant, I realize that the person standing in front of the door (which is now being used as a “take out” window) is actually a customer placing an order. An oriental woman is on the other side of plexiglass taking the order. I look down and see a small sign regarding “Only Takeout”… Damn! I didn’t come to eat Orange Chicken and an Egg Roll in my car for dinner prices. I turn around and walk back to my car.

Where to after 3pm, having not eaten lunch? I finally process and recall Smithfield’s Chicken -n- BBQ in Fuquay Varina. The restaurant is diagonally across the street from the Harris Teeter, that has had some really good Gala Apples the last two times I have visited.

I go to Smithfield’s first. I ordered a chicken plate (with dark meat $1 cheaper) with fries and slaw, and sweet tea. I don’t need to sugar in their sweet tea, but the unsweet tea tastes awful. The sweet tea is delicious!

After the meal I headed over to Harris Teeter. I am only looking for the Gala Apples, but down one isle there are no Gala Apples, and all apples are more than $2+. I find the Gala Apples on the next isle but they are more than $2+, having been only about $1.79 the last two times. I decide to not buy apples. *I will say that the apples at this Harris Teeter are beautiful… big and shiny.

I decided to not take the shortcut from Fuquay Varina because of where it comes out near Kipling. At this time of day traffic should be horrible, and when I was passing the shortcut entrance, it was free of traffic, but just after that, there was a long string of cars. A crap shoot, as to if you could have gotten out easily or waited for several minutes to get out.

A little while ago, I had thought about trying Peach or Cherry flavored Schnapps. I was coming back through Lillington, NC today, and turned around to go the the ABC store there. I went in and walked up and down the isles looking for Schnapps. I didn’t see any, and finally asked a clerk. The Schnapps was almost at the front of the first isle that I walked down. They only had peach flavored Schnapps.

Surprisingly, this bottle of Schnapps cost less than $6 (OK a little over with tax).

I didn’t try it when I first got home. I did make myself a couple of Smoked Ham & Jalapeno Pepper Jack Cheese with Horseradish Mustard on a Miami Onion Roll from Wegman’s.

I had stopped in Whole Foods before going to Wegmans. As I came out of Whole Foods, I headed out onto the 440 Beltline. I got up to 70 mph pretty quickly and had some traffic a short distance behind me. But, very soon (I think before the exit for Crabtree Valley Mall) the 440 traffic ground to almost a halt. I quickly decided to get off at the Mall exit and head away from the Mall back toward downtown Raleigh. This ended up being a great decision. I googled on my phone for directions to Wegmans and saw that the proposed route did not take me back onto 440, almost but not quite. And I ended up very soon coming to the area where Wegmans was located and turning in to the parking lot.

*I see from WRAL that there as an accident on 440 that resulted in someone dying, so that is what caused the traffic backup.

At Wegmans I carried in my bright yellow shopping bag that I had gotten a few years ago in Asheville at the Farmer’s Market. Wegmans really does a great job of presenting their vegetables. Everything is, fat, bright in color and fresh looking. I walked around to my left and found the Rolls section. They had a couple of Miami Onion Rolls, and I asked the female baker for some more. I bought 4 of the onion rolls and one other roll (with salt & seeds on top). Bought some more Castelvetrano Olives (with pits), a container of Smoked Ham, a small container of Wasabi Powder, and another bottle of Creamy Horseradish Sauce (this I had used mixed with yellow mustard).

So I finally tried the Peach Schnapps at home. I googled for how to drink Schnapps. The suggestion was a small amount, in a small glass, at room temperature. Perfect, for what I had already poured. I smelled the drink. It was sweet and peachy in smell. It was also sweet and peachy in flavor. I like this as much as I liked Disaronno;

I tried some with Half-n-Half and it was good. Maybe Peach Egg Nog would be good.

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The Onion Roll that launched a thousand trips is on the bottom right of the image gallery shown above. The images at the top were taken about a week later. I was disappointed in the difference in the way the rolls looked on my second trip. They looked anemic, although maybe the first roll I had would be considered overdone.

On this trip to Raleigh, I also bought a jar of creamy Horseradish Sauce and a block of smoked Jalapeno Pepper Jack cheese. Not sure of what I had in mind exactly, but it came together well later. I mixed some horseradish sauce and some sweetened yellow mustard (Agave Nectar & Splenda) at home later. Cut an onion roll, put some horseradish mustard on the sliced bread, added a couple of slices of the smoked Pepper Jack cheese and some slices of hickory smoked ham. The horseradish was very spicy and gave a real kick to the brain. But, it was soooo good! The Pepper Jack cheese wasn’t anything special, but it did pair well with the onion roll and the ham. *So much so, that I later made another half sandwich using the white mountain bread. It was also good, but I do like the Onion Roll better.

I also was in the mood for pizza and made an effort to get to the Pizza Hut in Lillington before their buffet closed at 1:30. I also found an empty cup in my car and carried in a cup of ice. They have a broken ice machine and are having a difficult time getting a replacement part. The ice makes the Diet Pepsi so much better.

They have good flavored pizza. I think there is one that includes chicken, BBQ sauce and Ranch Dressing. The lettuce on their salad bar looked awful. Brown on the edges, not just a few, but almost all of it in a large bowl.

NOTE [01/14/23]: I made a small amount of the creamy horseradish and sweet yellow mustard in one of the small Tupperware containers and put in the the refrigerator.

I just fixed me a couple of hot dogs (microwaved), chopped some sweet onion, and put some of the horseradish/mustard on a slice of the white mountain bread. I added the onion & some ketchup. This was very pleasant. For now, I am liking the burn of the horseradish sauce. * Just thought, that I might try some creamy horseradish sauce with the asparagus & mashed potatoes. I did get Yukon Gold potatoes this time. My old standard, before Covid. But, the Russet potatoes may work better for mashed potatoes.

Not sure if I have ever put asparagus and mashed potatoes together, other than if they were both separately on a plate. But, I peeled three medium Irish potatoes, cut them up into relatively small dice, and then boiled them. I diced about 12 stalks of asparagus (normally I cook asparagus as single stalks) and steamed them, knowing I was going to add them to the mashed potatoes.

Once the potatoes were done, I mashed them adding both lots of margarine and some Half-n-Half. I thought the potatoes were smoother, but actually ended up liking the semi-chunkiness of the finished product. The asparagus worked really well mixed into the mashed potatoes. Good flavor!

I had this with a re-heated lamb round-bone chop, some pickled beets and cabbage slaw. The potatoes would also go good with beef liver or maybe even a hamburger patty.

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I have some spaghetti sauce, curried chicken and Mexican Salsa Chicken in the refrigerator. I bought a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano at Wegmans the other day, and grated some on what I don’t recall. I still had some of the Publix Roasted Chicken that I had pulled the meat off the bone and had in a Tupperware container in the fridge. I put half of the chicken in a curry dish, and the other half in the Mexican dish.

In the past I have started with chicken thighs or breast meat and cubed it. The basic ingredients are the same, the main difference is whether I add curry powder & paste, or Herdez Salsa Ranchera (along with pepper flakes, Chipotle & Cayenne powder, jalapeno and/or Poblano). The other common ingredients to the two dishes are “fire roasted” diced tomatoes, carrots, onion, and sweet (yellow, orange or red) bell pepper.

Whether the curry or salsa dishes, both go well with rice… or a baked sweet potato (with sweetener, margarine and sour cream).

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I’ve mentioned this previously, probably several times, but for years I used either Delmonte or Hunts Spaghetti Sauce starter. The cans got smaller through the years, but basically were about $1 each, until Covid. I’m not sure when I started adding a can of diced “fire roasted” cubed tomatoes, but that is now a necessity. I will also add ground beef & onion and brown them. *For years I added a small can of mushrooms, but don’t find that necessary any longer.

I’ll cut up some sweet (red. yellow) bell pepper. Some red pepper flakes. *I also started adding fennel seeds several years ago. I had bought some Italian sausage (which I found included fennel seeds) and found the liquorish flavor pleasant. Once, I bought pork sausage & some ground lamb, and added that with the ground beef. I can’t say there was a great difference, and especially for the extra money, it wasn’t worth it.

Within the last year, I was watching ATK or Cook’s Country and they mentioned RAO’s spaghetti sauce started. I looked for this some time later and I think I found it in WalMart, then saw it in Food Lion also. A jar of Rao’s costs about $8. So when I opened the jar of Rao’s Marinara sauce, I decided to only use half of it at a time.

I was completely surprised at how good my spaghetti sauce was when I used the Rao’s. *Through the years I had come to make spaghetti sauce about every couple of weeks. One “batch” of sauce normally would provide 3 or 4 meals. Lately, I only feel like making spaghetti sauce at home about once a month.

Oh, I normally like to use Angel Hair pasta (because it cooks much quicker), but have tried various shapes of pasta through the years. Farfalle (is that bow tie) doesn’t cook evenly. The pasta fans cook quicker than where they are pinched together. I like pasta shells, but normally like them for other dishes. *The pasta shells (small/medium) work well for my shrimp/kielbasa/zucchini dish. They soak up the sauce. I have used the egg noodle pasta, but that does not sit well on the fork. They fall off too easily.

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I stopped at Wegman’s in Raleigh today. I recalled hearing that they were going to start charging for grocery bags, unless you brought your own. I decided to only buy what I could carry, but ended up paying a nickel for one paper bag.

You enter the store near the vegetable section and the vegetables looked so vibrant and good. Deep green broccoli and thick stalked asparagus. But, I wasn’t interested in veggies.

I turned to my left and headed through the bakery section. Almost immediately I noticed an assortment of rolls. One type that caught my eye was an Onion Roll. Note the beautiful crust above. And they were shiny. I went online to try and figure out what the other roll was, but don’t see it, or don’t recognize it. They were each $1 but I only bought two.

The onion roll was really good, and the other one also.

I found the dried Chorizo that I had bought there before. Then there were some Castelvetrano olives. I saw some Mirin style sauce and bought it. Never bought Mirin before and “style” means it’s not actually Mirin. Sweet, corn syrupy… I think I would just use some Agave Nectar if I wanted to sweeten an Asian type meal. *Not too long ago, I found that “toasted sesame oil” is the flavor that I associate with “fried rice”.

I have found that I can order the “Thai Basil Chicken” lunch special at Maguro’s, eat half, and take the rest home. I then sauté some onion and sweet bell peppers, add a little more toasted sesame oil and add that to my lunch leftovers. I actually think that my addition makes the dish better. And having done this several times, and thinking the same thought, this is true for me.

I haven’t used the electric wok that Yvonne gave me in a long while, but have always thought it was really easy to use. Cut up some chicken into cubes, cut up onion, carrot, colorful sweet bell pepper, add some sugar snap peas, flavor with toasted sesame oil, and/or soy sauce, und viola. And cleanup is a breeze… if you do it immediately after.

Bought a small wedge of the “1924 Bleu” Cheese. I think the first time I bought this was within the last 3 years. Bought it at Whole Foods in Raleigh, and when I tried it, it was the best blue cheese I ever had. It is a good flavored blue cheese. *Haven’t tried this yet.

I boiled a couple of eggs this morning (9 minutes). Cooked some bacon in the microwave (about 4 minutes). Made some egg salad with a little margarine, some Dukes mayo, a little ground Long Pepper… salt, regular pepper, powdered garlic. Warmed a slice of bread in the microwave for 12 seconds. I think I warmed left over coffee, from yesterday, with a little Half-n-Half, some Splenda, Agave Nectar and a little Coconut Sugar. *The coconut sugar doesn’t have a coconut flavor, to me, but a cocoa flavor which I like with the coffee.

I’ve written about this type of breakfast before, but what I don’t understand is that this morning, when I sat down in my easy chair and took my first bite of the egg salad… it was delicious! And the bacon was delicious! And the bread went well with the egg salad and bacon. From the first bite, I knew this was special, but I couldn’t tell you why. I’ve used the same steps above on many mornings, but everything came together today. A real “comfort food” meal!

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I continued to organize my Christmas presents for Mary Ann, Jamie, Raymond and Lawrence (and Jeff Mitchell) and decided to use the little glass jars for the replacement nib for the Everlasting Pencils. I saw advertising on one website that said one of these pens is equivalent to 22 No. 2 pencils. You don’t have to sharpen them. They never grow shorter with use. So, a pen, with a replacement nib would be equivalent of 44 No. 2 pencils.

I’ve got just enough Murray River Salt and Long Peppers to give all a good sampling, if they want to sample (or just throw them away). The Murray River Salt is in small flakes, so you might use some of this as a “finishing touch” on some food. The Indian Long Peppers have to be ground, and I have a nice little “mortar -n- pestle” and I grind just one pepper piece at a time. Of course, if you have a little coffee grinder, that should work well for grinding the Long Pepper. I’ve included a small amount of the Coconut Sugar, if someone wants to try it with their coffee or Egg Nog.

I’ve included “Lady Cream Peas”, Green Split Peas, and a little Country Ham bits. If they want to try, then it won’t cost them anything… a little onion, chicken stock, a carrot and/or leek (maybe).

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I had noted to myself earlier in the day, that I might not want to drive to Southern Pines to Maguro’s since I would be driving up tomorrow (Saturday) for Christmas dinner with the Mitchells. Planning on Christmas dinner, on Christmas, in Hubert this year. And, later it came to me that I could go down to Lumberton, NC to Pier 41 (seafood restaurant) and I wouldn’t have to prepare any Hot Mustard (for the egg rolls) or Toasted Sesame Oil (for their fried rice).

So, in the afternoon, I headed out to I95 and south toward Lumberton. It was windy, and the Interstate had digital signage warning about the wind. A lot of traffic heading south, which began to periodically grind to almost a halt. No accidents, but just some many people that I guess someone would slow down unexpectedly and that would cause a chair reaction for all. I decided early on to try and get on Hwy. 301 as soon as I could… but that ended up being the off ramp to St. Pauls. But, that was perfect. It took about 15 minutes to get on the other side of St. Pauls past the traffic light for their “Main” Street. *I asked my phone to show me the “fastest route to Pier 41 Restaurant” and it didn’t direct me back to I95. I actually think it took into account the unusually high traffic on I95 which was causing major slow downs. I was to stay on Hwy. 301 for a short distance and then veer off on a road, with “Siding” in it’s name. I was hoping that the app was directing me to the restaurant, and not something else with 41 in it’s title.

And, sure enough, after a few turns… and I actually ran a Stop sign. I can’t remember ever running a Stop sign but I was on it so quickly, and the actual Stop sign was low and in the shadows before I saw it. If someone had been crossing the intersection, I could not have stopped, and did not stop before I was mostly across the intersection and fading to the left. Very glad the intersection was in the ‘country’ and no one in sight on the cross road.

I finally came to a section of the country road with which I was familiar. I was coming from the opposite direction, but this was the route that I had used many times to go to the Mitchell’s house when they lived in Lumberton. And, sure enough, I had been directed in the fastest route, even coming up on Pier 41 from the opposite direction on Hwy. 41.

The Google Timeline segment above shows that I came through St. Pauls on the way down, but because there was a lot of traffic on Hwy. 301 heading north through St. Pauls, I decided to check I95 on the app after lunch and saw that heading north on I95 there was only a little section at St. Pauls where the route showed “red” for warning. And, sure enough, heading north on I95, it only became really congested at St. Pauls.