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Dock Doggies

So many dogs surround us; mostly on weekends. They are fun to watch and never any trouble. Several boats on our dock have dogs and they are not life jacket-wearing dogs. On the docks across the way several of those cuties wear jackets.  The smaller dogs seem to be the ones with jackets on- at any moment one could mis-step and plop right in.

The other weekend a major panic ensued when poochie could not be immediately located. Adults and kids right off began looking in the water next to the boat, the boat hook placed into service within seconds. The rising crescendo of children’s wails made us cringe and then…. just as Russ said, “is that the dog?”, the frantic heads turned to see poochie trotting down the dock; he’d been visiting a few boats away and didn’t come when called. Phew- that was close.  I think the poor dog was hugged to death, but that’s as it should be!

Now you might be wondering why so much concern when, hey can’t dogs swim? The answer is a qualified, “yes.” I’m the last person to discuss what dogs can and can’t do but I know why the dog owners here are cautious: it’s the current.  A small slice of the CT River veers off behind Eustasia Island, creating a quieter side leg where the marina is located. The current makes docking a challenge at times; even departing at slack tide is no guarantee of a collision-free maneuver!

Unless it’s slack tide, anything, including Fido, which finds its way into the water, is going to move along, most likely toward the floating docks. Logs, branches and other flotsam get lodged under the floating docks all the time; spring time is the worst. Sooooo, depending on your level of concern, your dog’s ability to swim and level of clumsiness (ok, is “excitement” a better word?), that pooch is parading along the docks in a bright yellow or red doggie life jacket; or not.

Bentley is Jon and Kelly’s new dog and he’s getting used to life on the dock and the boat. Thus, the eye-catching attire.

Bentley checks out the doggie ramp. “swim to daddy!”

“Good boy!” Isn’t a new dog so much fun?

Gizmo and Duncan are rescue dogs who live next to us and are just darling. I couldn’t resist bringing back mini doggie treats from the Vero Beach Farmer’s Market for them. Don’t worry, I’m not going to over indulge them. Giz, a longhaired Chihuahua, will not lose her girlish figure by snacking between meals.

“Who, me cute? Yes, I know. Got any treats?”

“Look the other way and don’t steal my photo op!”

Afternoon river paddlers

What? no Life Jacket? Living on the edge!

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Too hot to cook…..

… and food has become way too expensive anyway!  I read that the first six months of 2012 broke records for being hot, damn hot! Connecticut, as well as much of the east coast has been experiencing what seems like weeks of temps in the upper 80s and low 90s- every day and with a bit of humidity tucked in for good measure, we’ve started to wilt.

My desire to use the oven- gone. My ability to create tasty cool meals- diminishing. My hair up and off my neck- all the time! Most days, the breeze dances through the cockpit with our front panel rolled up. Scattered thunderstorms find their way south- looks like Canada is sending them our way every few days.

Cooking or baking takes place in the morning or with the A/C on.  My usual method of resorting to cold salads is stymied by the small fridge. Rather full of ingredients, beverages, fruit, veggies and cheese, it fails to offer much space for bowls of salads.  Digging out a seldom-used item can take a full minute, in which time the fridge temp has risen 4 degrees.

We’ve discussed purchasing a plug-in portable Engle fridge/freezer and thought we’d finally settled on buying a knock-off. Fortunately we come to our senses (those things are pricey) and decided to buy a cube fridge to keep in the cockpit during summers and to use during haul-outs. A few years ago I’d won a $100 gift cert to the local appliance store- we’re selling everything; what are we going to do with this? I kept it, figuring if we or Benj didn’t use it, we’d give it to friends. Long story short, we ended up with a GE white cube fridge and it fits on top of our cockpit side bench seats. Love it. Extra drinks and those cold dinner salads have found a home!

Salads or sides that I can assemble at the last-minute have been my go-to options lately. My strategy is to buy a few key ingredients such as goat cheese, bacon or arugula and use them over the course of 4-5 days in various meals. Russ was with me the last time I bought bacon and was shocked at the price, a whopping $6.69 for Oscar Mayer Select Cut. He was so blown away that he asked Benj how much he thought that bacon cost. “$7” was Benj’s answer- boy was Russ amazed. So was I, but not as much!

Here’s my recipe for Shrimp, Bacon and Arugula Salad:

Cook 2-4 (depend on how much you  love bacon) slices bacon in a nonstick skillet until crisp, then crumble

Using the pan drippings (removing any excess) add peeled raw shrimp and sauté until done

While this is happening, with your other hand, or before, arrange arugula (mixed greens works OK) on plates, adding halved cherry or grape tomatoes.

Arrange shrimp and bacon over the top and drizzle the dressing over all.

Before you begin or if you’re really good, during the process- make the dressing: 2 T plain yogurt, 2 T balsamic, 2 tsp EVOO and ground black pepper. (enough for 3-4 servings)

Serve with crusty bread, a fine wine or whatever you have and voila! Dinner in no time.