Still Waiting for a Job call

Good morning. It's already the 4th of December. I wanted to write to you on Sunday like usual, but I was waiting for confirmation of a rumor that I had heard. A cook reached out to me and asked if I was still waiting for a job. They gave me a tip but in the end it didn't end up being a job call. I was disappointed because I had been on that ship before and thought it would be a nice place to spend Christmas. I remind myself, I am where I am meant to be. I keep busy working on our next project and I am quite excited. The project reached the point where I could show a sample to Lorraine (my sister, best friend, and editor). I sent it by email and In the subject line I wrote don't open until I am with you. We went through it together, holding my breath that she would like it. She liked what I had put together. She made a few suggestions, and I said they would be easy fixes. She thinks you will like it! Lorraine is going to have a place where she can contribute to the new project too. We received many comments from people expressing how happy they were to see more of Lorraine in the second cookbook "More Recipes and Stories as we Navigate Healthier Eating." She enjoyed the experience of contributing in her own words and looks forward to sharing more of her thoughts with you in our future project.

Lorraine enjoyed sharing her thoughts in the new cookbook “More Recipes and Stories as we Navigate Healthier Eating. She looks forward to having an opportunity to share more thoughts and stories in our new project.

We received many comments from people expressing how happy they were to see more of Lorraine in the second cookbook "More Recipes and Stories as we Navigate Healthier Eating."

This project has me going through photos and videos. Seeing the video footage I took on ships reminds me how much I hope to get a job before the season ends. As I watch I am also taking mental notes on how to improve future videos. I purchased a GoPro camera, which is in my suitcase also patiently waiting for my next job. I think it will be fun to use it, and I look forward to seeing the GoPro video results. As I make my way through the hundreds of photos and videos, I am saving the best ones, many of which you have not seen. In an attempt to make them easier to find, I am saving them in folders with headings that will hopefully spark my memory when I look for a particular photo/video, which I know I have, but where is it? I have a folder of recipes titled "recipes I promised to share," and in it is the Blueberry Lemon Loaf that I promised to share with you.

I have so many sailing videos that I would like to share with you…

You can’t imagine how many videos I have to look through to find the right one…

100’s

The time that I spend waiting for a ship is "bonus time." I have nothing else planned and have the luxury to spend as much time as I like going through photos and videos. It's an opportunity to develop new recipes and walk through the grocery store looking for new items.

I took my “My Version of Utica Greens recipe” and replaced the bacon with leftover pork. I added some Monterey Jack Jalapeno cheese before adding the almond flour crumb topping.

Adding spicy mayo and a jalapeno cream sauce which we recently bought was an excellent finish. It was delicious.

I like this attachment that came with my emulsifier. It is back in my suitcase. I had to take it out in August when I was flying to Duluth to join the Atlantic Huron and my bags were overweight.

Watching TV is a luxury for me because I don't watch it very often. I have recently been introduced to VOD, Video On Demand. I didn't realize how much fun it was. Seriously, I can watch anything, anytime? I try to be selective when choosing programs. I like true crime "Who did it shows" but I am trying to limit how many I watch. I scared myself the other day when I got out of the car and out of the corner of my eye, I saw heads sitting in the passenger seat of the parked car beside me. My "you watch too many crime shows" reaction to what I thought was a crime scene was actually, on closer observations, someone who was probably attending hairdressing school, transporting three mannequin heads, one with curlers in it's hair. It took a moment for my heartbeat to regulate, and I thought I should mix in a few Hallmark Christmas Stories into my evening TV watching repertoire. I looked up the Hallmark Christmas story "Hot Frosty," which was filmed in Brockville last Spring. I found it on VOD and enjoyed seeing the familiar sights of my home time. My mom would have loved to see Brockville in the (spoiler alert) "happily ever after movie." The storyline was light and entertaining. In general, I don't turn the TV on until after supper. The day is too valuable to have it disappear binge-watching.

It’s time to stop watching true crime shows when simply looking into the window of a car parked beside you makes you think you’ve discovered a crime scene before logic tells you otherwise.

This is a screen shot of the Hallmark Christmas movie filmed in my hometown of Brockville.

It was fun seeing the familiar location. They filmed in the spring so the snow was TV snow.

This is where the movies outdoor scenes were filmed.

The main location where all the winter outdoor scenes were filmed,

When I am not working on my laptop, creating a new meal or solving crimes, I like to go for a drive to explore the area and go for a walk. I went for a nice drive along the Lake Erie Coastline, and saw how close Buffalo was, just across the water. It was fun driving through the little cottage towns. They sit quietly, waiting for the crowds to return next summer. I like exploring this area and will take the road by the canal and look for ships every chance I get. I saw the Spruceglen and messaged the Captain to say hello. Later in the day, I was on the QEW bridge, and I always look to see ships. I was delighted to see the Spruceglen again in Lock three, and another ship in the distance. I sent the photo to the Captain. I know getting the overhead shots of ships with drones is easy, but the old-fashioned "right place at the right time" moments are exhilarating.

I always enjoy seeing cardinals. They make me think of my parents.

Our artist friend Karen painted these cardinals for me. I hung it above one of my favorite pictures of my mom and dad.

Buffalo in the distance

This photo was while I was going over the QEW bridge and I was in the right place at the right time. I like that you can see the Spruceglen in lock three and a red ship close to lock seven in the top righthand corner. We see a lot more overhead ship pictures now with drones being readily available but I still like the exhilaration of capturing a photo just by chance.

Many people ask me how to get a trip on these amazing ships. I saw this on Facebook and thought I should share it with you.

 I am reaching the cut-off time I gave myself to write to you. As much as I can't wait to get the call for a job, I have some work on our new project that is much easier when I have strong high-speed internet, so I will send this off and continue working on the project. Lorraine called me while I was writing to you and she asked me to let you know that she is going to the US post office early Friday morning to mail books and calendars. They make great Christmas gifts and if you place your order before Thursday night, she will mail your order this trip, too. I hope to send/post the familiar "We got a job image" soon. I will keep you posted, and after telling Lorraine, you will be the next to know. Have a great day.

The books and calendars make great Christmas gifts and are available online at shiptoshorechef.com . Lorraine is going to the US Post office early Friday morning and will be happy to mail your order too. The Canadian orders are waiting for the striking postal workers to go back to work. You can also look up stores that carry the books just click on the following link.

Shop In Store — Ship To Shore | Chef Catherine Schmuck | Author, Entrepreneur & Cook | Canada