A day in the life of a liveaboard, part 9

A few days ago, I kayaked over to the riverbank to check out the wild blackberries. The bushes were cut back last year and only a few branches survived. While checking out the blackberries, I noticed a coot carrying a piece of stick in its mouth. There must be nest somewhere. 

I followed the coot to the dock closest to the parking lot. At the far end sits a lonely boat. There was a nest next to it. I glided over to take a peek.

Coot sitting on its nest

A coot was sitting on it. I left wondering how many eggs there were. Next day, a friend and I kayaked over to check it. The coot wasn't there. We saw six eggs. I was hooked. I went again the day after. This time, there were only five eggs! Uh oh, what happened? It takes 21 days to incubate, per Wikipedia. I'll wait patiently to see how many will hatch. 

These must be the parents

Going out to check the blackberries

A few bunches here and there.

Meantime, we'll have to deal with the crazy hot weather - sunny and HOT (mid 90s) - for the weekend and the Fourth of July holiday on Tuesday. So far today, we've had sunny skies, cloudy skies, thunderstorm, heavy rain, and now back to sunny, and it's only 3pm. 

around 7:30 am

Clouds, thunderstorm followed by heavy rain around noon

    Back to sunny around 1pm

I just saw the news which said that "Chattanooga is under a Code Red air quality alert due to wildfire smoke from Canada." No wonder the sky was so hazy yesterday. Here's that picture.

Hazy skyline yesterday from the Canada wildfire smoke

Happy 4th of July! Stay cool and stay safe, y'all! Check out this video of the coots.

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday.

You might also like:

A day in the life of a liveaboard, part 6	Happy Fourth of July	Small is Beautiful

Anchoring out and Korean BBQ Ribs

Yesterday was the first day of summer. With a 60-degree temperature and cloudy skies, it sure did not feel like summer. 

this great blue heron patrols the docks

So glad we seized the opportunity to raft up with a few boats from our dock last Sunday. It was a lovely sunny day with temps of 86 degrees F. It was also Father's Day, so for the guys, it was a perfect day to celebrate on the river.

In the food department, the first mate made Korean BBQ ribs. It was a big hit, and a few people asked for the recipe, so I am sharing the recipe here.

I've made Korean BBQ ribs many times in the oven. The last couple of times, I experimented this recipe in the instant pot, and much to my delight, the ribs came out amazingly flavorful and fall-off-the-bones tender. The best part? So easy and quick. We are always trying to simplify our lives; we are sold on the instant pot, so we are giving away our crockpot. Any takers? No shipping, sorry!

Korean BBQ Pork Ribs
adapted from Alice Currah’s bulgogi in Savory Sweet Life

4-6 servings

1 rack of St Louis Style ribs

½ medium yellow onion, sliced into slivers
3 green onions, sliced at an angle, about 2” long
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp soy sauce (Golden Mountain, Kikkoman or Tamari)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp sugar
2 pinches black pepper

2 Tbsp roasted sesame seed, yellow or black (optional)
1 green onions, diced, for garnish

1 cup water
2 Tbsp rice vinegar

Instructions

1.     Rinse the ribs and pat dry with paper towel. Remove the membrane and trim the fat. Cut the ribs in half and put them in a Ziploc bag.

2.     Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and black pepper in a bowl. Add the onions, green onions and garlic. Mix well. Add the marinade to the ribs and massage it gently. Store the ribs in the fridge and let it marinate at least 4 hours or overnight.

3.     Place the steamer trivet in the bottom of a 6-quart Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup of water plus 2 Tbsp rice vinegar. Place the ribs on the trivet, standing up in a circle around the pot, saving the marinade for use later. Make sure the ribs are not touching the water.

4.     Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure according to manufacturer’s instruction. Set time for 23 minutes. When the time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick-release the remaining pressure.

5.     While the ribs are cooking, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil to form a glace. Set aside.

6.     Set the oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Carefully remove the ribs from the instant pot and place them on the baking sheet. Brush the glace over the ribs and broil for 5 to 8 minutes.

7. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.

Cook’s Notes: The different brands of soy sauce can be found in Asian grocery stores and Walmart. If you do not have enough marinade to glace the ribs, you can always use barbecue sauce. We served the ribs with Sesame Noodles (link below), but it's also great with steamed white rice or bread. Enjoy!

And the rain continues. How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday My Corner of the World and Image-in-ing.

 

You might also like:

Sesame Noodles recipe	Hello Summer	Culinary tour to Atlanta, Georgia

Hiking Little Lougheed, Kananaskis, Alberta

Please welcome J.M., my guest blogger for this post. J.M. is my brother, and he lives in Calgary, Canada. Recently he discovered hiking, and got some stunning photos of the Canadian Rockies. He's happy to share them here with us. Enjoy! 

After living in Calgary for 21 years, I am only now discovering the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies. I love Lake Louise and Banff National Park, and have visited countless times. They are literally in my backyard, as Banff is just over an hour's drive from my house. But hiking the trails on these majestic mountains is a game changer. I've been bitten by the mountain bug. It is so peaceful and awe inspiring. I appreciate Mother Nature and my surroundings so much more. I am thankful to live in such a beautiful area.

I'd like to give a big shout out to my buddy Mike for taking me under his wings on these awesome mountain hikes. Since mid-February, I've hiked with him every other Sunday.. This is my 10th hike. Initially, we were going to hike Tent Ridge Horseshoe, but did not because there was still a lot of snow on this ridge. I was bummed, but Mike said “Little Lougheed will not disappoint you J.M.” 

That was an understatement. The view at the summit was absolutely breathtaking!

Stunning vista of Spray Lake

These jaw-dropping vistas were our reward for our short but strenous climb. We spent two hours at the summit, reflecting and soaking in the spectacular sceneries of Spray Lake and the surrounding mountains. All that workout and sweat was so worth it.

I was ecstatic! 

Me and my buddy Mike

Little Lougheed Trail is a short trail with a lot of hard climb and loose rocks toward the summit. The length is 5 km or 3.11 miles out-and-back. From the car parking lot to the summit, it took us 2 hours on the ascend, 1.5 hours on the descent. Five and a half hours well-spent and almost 1,600 calories burned, I'd say that's an awesome workout.

What are your thoughts? Was Mike right on the money about Little Lougheed?

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday, Through My Lens and image-in-ing

You might also like:

Houseboating on Shuswap Lake, British Columbia	Magical winter wonderland in Banff National Park, Calgary, Canada	Journey to Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe

A day in the life of a liveaboard, part 8

Every time I wander into my little garden on the river, the fish stare up at me wondering where is their food? I go get some bread to feed them. All of a sudden, a coot appears before me. Hmm ...Where was it hiding, and how does it know I was feeding the fish?

I have to admit that I never cared for the coots. They are the harbingers of winter. When flocks of coots arrive in the fall.  they bring with them the cold weather. These noisy waterbirds hang out in large groups; they kick through water making such a sound it's impossible to miss them. Some coots have made their home here all year round. In the last several years, some even have babies. The way the parents protect and care for them is admirable. I have gained new respect and fondness for them. Unfortunately, there are no baby coots this year. No baby ducks either, although we see a pair of mallard ducks wandering around. The video of the coots and their babies is from last year's.

duck and reflection of the sky

The Canadian geese, on the other hand, have expanded their population. They are aggressive when threaten, and very protective of their young and their turf. Their babies grow fast! 

A log was trapped near our boat, so I moved it to an area by my little garden so I can spy on the turtles. These reptiles like to bask in the sun. They are very skittish. As soon as they sense your presence, they'll jump into the river.

Pretty sunset a few nights ago

This is one of the reasons why we like the liveaboard lifestyle so much. Do you have a variety of wildlife in your neck of the woods? 

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday, My Corner of the World,  Image-in-ing and Random-osity.

You might also like:

Mallard duck eggs hatching	A day in the life of a liveaboard, part 3	Best nature park in Florida - the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida