Housework

 Spent the day on housework ( a lot of vacuuming in odd places) I'm wrecked! Do

have a few chats with Copilot I can share:

Copilot:

USA; do we know where the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier currently is?

As of mid-December 2025, the USS Gerald R. Ford is operating in the central Caribbean, positioned closer to Venezuela after leaving the U.S. Virgin Islands. Satellite imagery and naval reports confirm that the carrier strike group has shifted southward to reduce flight times to northern South America.

🛳 Current Location & Movements

December 1, 2025: The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, marking its first port visit under U.S. Southern Command.

December 7, 2025: Reports confirmed the carrier had departed St. Thomas, redeploying into the Caribbean as part of Operation Southern Spear, a counter-narcotics and regional security mission.

December 12–14, 2025: Satellite images showed the Ford moving deeper into the central Caribbean, approximately 380 miles south-southwest of Ponce, Puerto Rico, placing it significantly closer to Venezuela.

⚔️ Strategic Context

The deployment is part of Operation Southern Spear, a U.S. campaign targeting drug trafficking networks in the Caribbean.

Positioning near Venezuela enhances the carrier’s aerial projection capacity and signals U.S. readiness amid escalating tensions with Caracas.

The Gerald R. Ford is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG-12), making it a central asset in U.S. Southern Command’s current operations.

📌 Key Takeaway

The USS Gerald R. Ford is no longer anchored in the Virgin Islands; it has advanced into the central Caribbean, strategically closer to Venezuela, as part of ongoing U.S. military operations in the region.

Louise, since you’re in Quebec and follow international developments closely, this movement is significant—it shows how the U.S. is repositioning its most advanced carrier for rapid response in the Caribbean theater. Would you like me to map out the timeline of its movements visually, so you can see the progression from St. Thomas to its current position?

Where are the Virgin Islands?

The Virgin Islands are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, located just east of Puerto Rico. They straddle the boundary between the northeastern Caribbean and the western Atlantic Ocean.

🌍 Geographic Location

Coordinates: Around 18.2°N, 64.8°W

Region: Part of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

Nearby Landmarks:

~40–50 miles east of Puerto Rico

~1,100 miles southeast of Miami, Florida

🏝 Political Division

The Virgin Islands are split into two main political entities:

U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) – An unincorporated territory of the United States.

Main islands: Saint Thomas, Saint John, Saint Croix

British Virgin Islands (BVI) – A British Overseas Territory.

Main islands: Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke

🌄 Physical Features

Most islands are volcanic in origin, with hilly terrain (especially Saint Thomas and Saint John).

Saint Croix is the largest and relatively flatter.

Highest point: Crown Mountain on Saint Thomas (474 m / 1,555 ft).

📌 Key Takeaway

The Virgin Islands sit at the crossroads of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico, and are divided between U.S. and British governance. They are a strategic location both for tourism and, as you noticed with the USS Gerald R. Ford, for military operations.

Louise, since you’re tracking the carrier’s movements, the Virgin Islands are essentially the gateway between the Caribbean and the Atlantic, making them a natural staging point for U.S. naval deployments. Would you like me to create a map overlay showing the Virgin Islands relative to Puerto Rico and Venezuela, so you can visualize why the Ford’s redeployment southward is strategically significant?

Where is the Gerald Ford's home base; could it be serviced in San Diego?

The USS Gerald R. Ford’s official homeport is Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Yes, it can be serviced in San Diego, thanks to a Navy contract that covers Ford-class carriers there.

⚓ Homeport

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is currently based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, which is the traditional hub for Atlantic Fleet carriers.

Norfolk has the infrastructure to handle nuclear-powered carriers and is where the Ford returned after its first major deployment in early 2024.

🔧 Servicing in San Diego

While Norfolk is the home base, the Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) a $528 million contract to provide maintenance for both Nimitz-class and Ford-class carriers in San Diego.

This means the Gerald R. Ford could undergo servicing at Naval Air Station North Island (San Diego) if operational needs or deployments place it in the Pacific.

San Diego’s facilities are already used for nuclear carrier maintenance, and the contract ensures Ford-class ships are included in the rotation.

🌍 Strategic Context

The Ford is primarily an Atlantic Fleet asset, but the Navy is preparing Naval Base Kitsap (Bremerton, Washington) to host Ford-class carriers in the Pacific in the future.

This would allow the Ford-class to be permanently stationed or rotated into the Pacific, making servicing in San Diego even more routine.

📌 Key Takeaway

Homeport: Norfolk, Virginia

Servicing: Yes, San Diego has the capability under a Navy contract, though it’s not the Ford’s primary base.

Future: Kitsap-Bremerton is being upgraded to host Ford-class carriers, expanding Pacific servicing options.

Louise, since you’re tracking the Ford’s movements and logistics, the distinction is important: Norfolk is the “home,” but San Diego is a service hub. Would you like me to build a comparison table of Atlantic vs. Pacific servicing facilities for Ford-class carriers, so you can see how the Navy is balancing its infrastructure?

                                                       *     *     *

Naval Station Norfolk is the world's largest Naval Station...

                                                       *     *     *

Copilot:

Can I heat up salsa, add tomato paste and use it as spaghetti sauce??

You can absolutely do that, but let’s break down what happens when you turn salsa into a spaghetti sauce:

🌶️ Salsa vs 🍅 Spaghetti Sauce

Salsa: Usually has raw or lightly cooked tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and sometimes vinegar. It’s bright, tangy, and often spicy.

Spaghetti sauce: Typically simmered, with tomato paste or crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, herbs (basil, oregano), and sometimes a touch of sugar to balance acidity.

🔄 Transforming Salsa into Pasta Sauce

If you heat salsa and add tomato paste, you’ll thicken it and make it more “sauce-like.” But salsa’s flavor profile is Mexican-inspired, so it won’t taste like a traditional Italian pasta sauce unless you adjust it a bit.

Here’s how you could adapt it:

Add tomato paste: Thickens and deepens the tomato flavor.

Simmer: Let it cook for 15–20 minutes to mellow the raw onion/pepper flavors.

Balance acidity: A pinch of sugar or honey helps if it’s too sharp.

Italian herbs: Add oregano, basil, thyme, or bay leaf to shift the flavor toward pasta sauce.

Optional richness: Stir in olive oil or butter for a smoother mouthfeel.

⚖️ Flavor Outcome

If you like fusion dishes, you’ll end up with a Mexican-Italian hybrid sauce—spicy, tangy, and bold.

If you want it closer to classic spaghetti sauce, you’ll need to tone down the lime/cilantro and boost the Italian herbs.

👉 So yes, it works, but it’s more of a creative twist than a straight substitute.

Would you like me to sketch out a quick recipe workflow for turning salsa into a proper spaghetti sauce, step by step?