an expedition to REI

Just back from a trip to REI with Bruce.  I picked up a thermal quick drying sun-blocking thermal shirt in case a late September cool front comes down Chesapeake Bay.  Bruce picked up some cooking gear.

Bruce did the cooking on the Skeeter Beater.  He did a great job with stews and sauces that exceeded any expectations for life on a small boat.  But in his view my cook gear (made of odds and ends from over the years) cramped his cooking style.  So Bruce grabbed a very nice MSR Quick 2 System.  It will be perfect for camper cruising with 1.5 and 2.5 liter anodized aluminum pots, a strainer lid (great for draining pasta) two polypropylene deep dish plates, two insulated mugs and a pot handle.  He also picked up a frying pan in the same product line.    This all nests together and will fit easily into the grey Rubbermaid Roughneck tote box that I use for a cook kit on Spartina.  There will be plenty of room left over for utensils, spice, olive oil, etc.  I can smell dinner cooking already.

Bruce also dropped off a thirty foot spring line he had made up for the boat.  I've got two dock lines that work well for day sailing, but as we get out to different marinas we find that an extra line would help out at times.  So he put a nice eye splice in to some 3/8" braided line.   We'll store that up under the foredeck where it will be easily accessible.

Two more days of vacation in sunny San Diego.  I grew up  here wishing I lived somewhere tropical.  Now that I am back to visit I realize I was in a tropical place all along (how could I have missed all those palm trees???).

Steve