Name of the Day is Earl & The Power of Twitter

Favorite quote so far, and maybe ever, about Earl, from Karen on Facebook:

Karen: I am a hurricane virgin, and I intend to stay that way! F### off Earl!!

Unless you have been living with a landcrab, I don't need to tell you that Earl is going to have some impact, if not direct impact, on Culebra (and other islands, yes). But just in case you HAVE been up close and personal with Mr. Crab, here is the latest on Earl.

BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM EARL INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 12A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072010
800 AM AST SAT AUG 28 2010

...EARL CONTINUES HEADING WESTWARD AT A GOOD CLIP...

SUMMARY OF 800 AM AST...1200 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...15.8N 51.2W
ABOUT 800 MI...1290 KM E OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60 MPH...95 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...W OR 270 DEGREES AT 21 MPH...33 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...999 MB...29.50 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

NONE

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* SAINT MARTIN AND SAINT BARTHELEMY
* ANTIGUA...BARBUDA...MONTSERRAT...ST. KITTS...NEVIS...AND ANGUILLA
* ST. MAARTEN...SABA...AND ST. EUSTATIUS

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 48 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE THE UNITED
STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.


$$
FORECASTER AVILA

This sat pic is from yesterday

I want to toss in one other item, because I think it's absolutely one of the best uses of twitter I've ever seen. I am not on Twitter and won't say never, but I'd say it's unlikely I ever will be. But I"m sure glad this guy is...Douglas Wheelock, the poet astronaut who is sending some stunningly beautiful and amazing photos from the Space Station, where he is living and working at present. To check out his work, sure to take your mind off of Earl for a moment between doing prep chores, check out his site. You don't have to be a Twitterhead to see this site, and it is well worth it. Promise!


Thinking of friends and loved ones scattered across the Northern Caribbean and feeling way too far away, even knowing you all, each and every, are hoping for the best, preparing for the worst and making sure the liquor cabinet is stocked. Sending love, good thoughts and turning on all the vacuums I can find from here.

Free Range Friday - Pizza,The Moon and some other things Culebra

The moon was so bright at 4 this morning, shining directly in my window, that it woke me up. As if to say, sorry for being so elusive earlier. Of course, that is anthropomorphism on a stellar level, so to speak, but it works for me. On Culebra, the full moon often shines in my window and I've missed it, so thanks, Ms. Bella Luna!

But of course, I had to also 

go outside to try to catch the moon, stars and a planet...

though without a tripod, it was hard to hold steady, 

so I tried to write my initials with the moon...

which turned out pretty neat!

Last night Phil and Laurie made pizza, using a whole wheat pizza crust they'd gotten at one of the co-ops around here. I am not a big fan of certain whole wheat items (like pasta), but this one was delicious. Or maybe it was all of the additions. Regardless, it was an excellent pizza!

Home Made Pizza Toppings

Fresh basil
Tomatoes
Pesto
Onions
Garlic
Mozzarella cheese
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

***Here's a little factoid for you, from About.com, and if you already knew this, you get points:


Question: Parmesan vs Parmigiano

What is the Difference Between Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano?

Answer: Due to Italian D.O.C. laws that protect the names and recipes of certain cheeses, a cheese cannot be called Parmigiano-Reggiano unless it is made using a specific recipe and production method within the provinces of Parma, Reggio-Emilia, Modena, and specific regions in the provinces of Bologna and Mantua. D.O.C laws are meant to preserve the integrity of traditional cheeses by insuring the flavor and quality. Therefore, any cheese made outside of these regions with a slightly different recipe or production method cannot be called Parmigiano-Reggiano . A cheese called Parmesan is essentially a cheese that imitates the recipe for Parmigiano-Reggiano, but is made outside of the approved Italian regions.

Of course, this is for a veggie pizza, you can add any toppings you like, which is the joy of pizza.

If you have a stone, it should be pre-heated in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes. The pizza crust should be baked about 10 minutes, or until golden (which isn't so easy to tell with a whole wheat pizza crust, so keep an eye on it). Remove, brushing the crust with olive oil and put on the toppings. Return the pizza to the oven for 10 minutes and...

wa la! It's all good!

And now, onto things Culebra:

Tropical Storm Earl is forecast to swing to the north of the Northern Leewards, but it has been tracking farther south along the way and is definitely something to be keeping a weather eye on.

From the Crown Weather discussion this morning:

Discussion
Tropical Storm Earl:
Earl is pretty much a steady state tropical storm with 45 mph maximum winds this morning. With that said, environmental conditions are favorable for intensification and I expect strengthening over the next few days. Earl is expected to become a hurricane by Saturday night or Sunday morning and reach major hurricane status probably on Tuesday. It should be noted that many of the intensity models forecast that Earl will be a powerful Category 4 hurricane by Wednesday and given the environmental conditions forecast along with the very warm ocean temperatures, I think this is quite possible.

Earl is tracking nearly due west at a forward speed of 17 mph and this general westward track will continue right through this weekend. Earl is forecast to approach a break in a ridge of high pressure, which will likely be enhanced by Hurricane Danielle around Monday and this should cause Earl to turn to the west-northwest or northwest. At this point, it seems more than likely that Earl will pass north of the Leeward Islands, however, all interests in the northern Leeward Islands should closely monitor the progress of Earl this weekend. 

In other words, until the fat lady sings (that expected but not promised northerly turn), it's a good idea to make sure all of your preparations are in order. There is more coming behind Earl...

There was something else going on at home I wanted to write about...but maybe that was just a dream I had (interrupted writing this to get Laurie's dog George out of the river - no swimming involved, tide low, mud flats - he was going after the Canadian geese gathered there, and at 17 years old, we were worried about him getting back. He on the other hand, seemed to be having quite the larky time, even without catching a goose). Oh well, so it goes!

A very fuzzy photo of George on his way out to catch geese...he went a LOT farther out

Have a feisty Friday! Do something ferociously fine.

Quiet, there is thinking going on

Yesterday was one of those days, and rare they have been - rainy, grey, drizzly, damp and cold - that should be spent tucked up in bed with a cup of tea and a good book. I got the tea part down pretty well. Until late afternoon, when LaMadre came to pick me up for a time in town, a welcome release from cabin fever.

We were meeting up with Karen, a friend of Lynn's and someone I'd met on Culebra at the cart. I kept looking at her thinking, I know I've met you...infamous memory that I have was trying to strike the spark into a flame of time and place and it finally clicked.

Beyond getting together for drinks and tapas, we were also...get ready for it...networking. Yes. I, in the interest of furthering my potential, ie bank account, am looking into ways I can parlay some of my experience with writing and computers into some freelance work. Karen and Lynn both work with non-profits on a variety of fronts in a variety of ways, the personal chief among them being the one they created, Hardy Girls, Healthy Women which I mentioned before and will mention again; it's that worth shining the light on. The above photo shines the light on Karen and Lynn, along with tuna tataki, chicken poblano and some kind of lobster thing, the name of which I don't remember, the taste of which I remember right now; it was wonderful! .This jaunt was a return to the Boat House Bistro in Boothbay Harbor and Lynn had a return of the mussels, which I forgot to take a photo of again...but I did take this...

Lots of empty mussel shells...and a snowshoe

Ok, I'm not the most brilliant networker, but I do know some brilliant people who are not livng on island time, and that gives me a kick in the brain pan; a tune up, if you will, even if an overhaul is needed. There is excitement, frustration, and genuine pleasure when the long plowed acres of work bear some fruit. It may be one tree in the middle of a seemingly endless...uh oh, I'm using land analogies and bad ones at that! Well, you get the idea. They work hard, and sometimes joy comes. Some involvement in that would be a good thing.

So if you see me at the cart this fall with a pad of paper on my lap and my forehead furrowed up a bit, I'll be 'brainstorming' with all of the MJ's who live in my head, coming up with something that someone wants to pay me for on the screen. Go, mini-team!