Almost two weeks have passed and the ship is now dry-docked.
For a ship’s crew this is probably the worst event you can encounter.
Passageways blocked off, yard workers scrambling about, long hours uninstalling
components to send for calibration, preventive maintenance or troubleshooting
systems that take time and can be done only during an inport. Then there is the
loop of regularly putting out fires. Unforeseen maintenance that arise where it
has to be fixed NOW! I’ve been doing this for nearly 15 years so I should be
used to it. But you never do!
There is a small locally owned Japanese grocery store I go to in El Cerrito called Yaoya-San. Next door to it is Zapang, a homewares, basic groceries, toiletries & art supplies store. I found both stores through the Internet. Whenever I leave Hawaii for a long period, I always search for Japanese stores, Izakayas as well as military commissary. In this case, Travis Air Force Base where I departed and returned to America many times as a GI Brat! Fortunately we usually have our yard periods on the west coast so there isn’t any problem finding one. Especially since dry-docks are in the areas near San Francisco or in Seattle. Even Bellingham has a well-stocked Chinese grocery store and Seattle is only 90 minutes away! However, finding Hawaiian foods is another story! Yaoya-san in El Cerrito has Hawaiian foods. I get my Rolando’s Portuguese Sausage from Hawaii as well as other items there (Zippy’s frozen foods) and Spam from the commissary. I need to find a place that has genuine Hawaiian Poke or kits to make one. Buying fresh sashimi is a problem here as well as finding Maui Sweet Onions to make our own poke.
I am staying at a hotel suite in Fairfield commuting daily to Vallejo, about 15 miles away. So far I have not seen any particular place in Vallejo I wouldn’t mind hanging around in. The part of Fairfield where we are staying at is slowly turning into suburbia of new two story homes, strip malls and business parks. In this area the freeways are expanding or new on and off ramps being constructed.
A fatal accident on 11/21 westbound on I-80 made cars that were westbound to San Francisco diverted to frontage roads. We had to go to a place near Travis Air Force Base and did not wish to be stuck in the parking lot on the interstate on the trip back to the hotel. On the way back we took the “Historic Route 40” that took us not only through old town portions of Fairfield but back in time as well. It was atypical small California town or suburb you would have seen from the early 1970’s. The pre-strip mall days of mom and pop restaurants, gas stations and small ethnic grocery stores lined Route 40 through downtown Fairfield and to the rural farms.
A rare Sunday off (Nov 29) and tomorrow is another workday. Hours will likely to be longer and I should have worked today but the body tells me to get some sleep and just relax! This morning I made me breakfast with a taste of home! Scrambled eggs, Portuguese Sausage, rice and miso soup as well as slices of Maui Takuwan, kimchee with furikake and tsukudani. Tonight, I will make chicken katsu with rice, miso soup and bok choy for dinner.
I’ll post this chapter to keep the blog alive. I want to sit down and read a book too!
There is a small locally owned Japanese grocery store I go to in El Cerrito called Yaoya-San. Next door to it is Zapang, a homewares, basic groceries, toiletries & art supplies store. I found both stores through the Internet. Whenever I leave Hawaii for a long period, I always search for Japanese stores, Izakayas as well as military commissary. In this case, Travis Air Force Base where I departed and returned to America many times as a GI Brat! Fortunately we usually have our yard periods on the west coast so there isn’t any problem finding one. Especially since dry-docks are in the areas near San Francisco or in Seattle. Even Bellingham has a well-stocked Chinese grocery store and Seattle is only 90 minutes away! However, finding Hawaiian foods is another story! Yaoya-san in El Cerrito has Hawaiian foods. I get my Rolando’s Portuguese Sausage from Hawaii as well as other items there (Zippy’s frozen foods) and Spam from the commissary. I need to find a place that has genuine Hawaiian Poke or kits to make one. Buying fresh sashimi is a problem here as well as finding Maui Sweet Onions to make our own poke.
I am staying at a hotel suite in Fairfield commuting daily to Vallejo, about 15 miles away. So far I have not seen any particular place in Vallejo I wouldn’t mind hanging around in. The part of Fairfield where we are staying at is slowly turning into suburbia of new two story homes, strip malls and business parks. In this area the freeways are expanding or new on and off ramps being constructed.
A fatal accident on 11/21 westbound on I-80 made cars that were westbound to San Francisco diverted to frontage roads. We had to go to a place near Travis Air Force Base and did not wish to be stuck in the parking lot on the interstate on the trip back to the hotel. On the way back we took the “Historic Route 40” that took us not only through old town portions of Fairfield but back in time as well. It was atypical small California town or suburb you would have seen from the early 1970’s. The pre-strip mall days of mom and pop restaurants, gas stations and small ethnic grocery stores lined Route 40 through downtown Fairfield and to the rural farms.
A rare Sunday off (Nov 29) and tomorrow is another workday. Hours will likely to be longer and I should have worked today but the body tells me to get some sleep and just relax! This morning I made me breakfast with a taste of home! Scrambled eggs, Portuguese Sausage, rice and miso soup as well as slices of Maui Takuwan, kimchee with furikake and tsukudani. Tonight, I will make chicken katsu with rice, miso soup and bok choy for dinner.
I’ll post this chapter to keep the blog alive. I want to sit down and read a book too!
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