Playing a little catch-up here, posting Saturday 3 p.m. photos from the past two weeks. The first is from the first Saturday of the month when Karen was over and we tried a new tea from Halcyon Tea. Aged Yunnan, a Pu’erh tea, is described as “earthy” and is touted to have great healthful qualities, such as lowering cholesterol and blood sugar.
Very unlike most tea I drink, it was distinctive right out of the bag. Smelling it, I was immediately reminded of the zoo or a farm–and I mean that in a good way. Karen said it called to mind her uncle’s barn. Hay was what we were both smelling. The flavor was earthy as promised and I very much enjoyed it. This tea brews fast and dark. It’s the first tea I’ve had that involved a rinsing of the tea leaves prior to steeping, which was a quick twenty seconds.
Last Saturday, we had our first day of pre-sailing season boat prep. Rick’s sailboat has been in dry dock for the winter and spring means time to clean her up and prepare for another summer on the lake. The hard work (cleaning and painting the hull) will be hired out. That leaves us crew to sand and varnish the wood and give the boat a good general cleaning.
Then, sometime in May, the boat will be dropped back in the water, we’ll motor down the Chicago River and back into the lake, where the crane operator at Belmont Harbor will help us put the mast back up. An afternoon spent rigging the boat with the sails and lines and we’re ready for another summer on Lake Michigan. Sounds like a lot of work but it’s actually quite fun, all of us there working together. And it’s a small price to pay for many relaxing and invigorating hours on the water throughout the coming months.
2 Things @ Once 