There was a reddish moon hanging over the conversation in the Conference Room this morning.

It is the August Sturgeon Moon, one of those old seasonal names that survives from a time when people paid considerably more attention to what was happening in the water and sky than to what was happening on their phones.

The name comes from the great lake sturgeon that were traditionally abundant and easier to catch in the Great Lakes and other northern waters during this part of the summer. The ancient fish provided a convenient marker on the calendar long before anybody needed an app to tell them August was getting ready to depart.

That naturally got the Michigan contingent going.

Vic grew up in Detroit, surrounded by the Great Lakes and the ancient argument between the two large universities occupying the middle of the mitten.

Kelly is our proud Michigan State Spartan. She came east to Washington determined to make a difference and is discovering that sometimes the difference makes us first.

Our Korean-American engineer represents the other side. He came through the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, trained as a mechanical engineer and migrated into the increasingly mysterious world of cyber, data systems and data centers.

That makes him a Wolverine.

We have not yet determined whether that is a character flaw.

The Sturgeon Moon managed to keep the peace this morning because it belongs to all of Michigan. The great inland seas don’t particularly care whether you wear Green and White or Maize and Blue.

But the truce is temporary.

College football is coming back.

Kelly’s Spartans get the first opportunity on Friday, 4 September, opening at home against Toledo. The Wolverines follow on Saturday, 5 September, hosting Western Michigan in the Big House with 110,000 close, hysterical friends.

Then comes the date we have already circled at the Conference Table: 7 November, when Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor for the annual family argument. So if you are counting down to the mid-term elections on Nov. 3rd- 68, just add 4 and you will have a brightly colored week.

That caused Deirdre to point out something more important than the rivalry itself.

What are we going to eat?

That is how an astronomical discussion about an ancient Great Lakes fish turned into the opening meeting of the Socotra Game Day Galley.

Splash immediately volunteered.

This is appropriate because he spent part of his previous life in the back seat of an F-4 Phantom. As a Naval Flight Officer and mission specialist, he remains one of those people you turn to when something needs to be figured out.

His assignment this morning was considerably less complicated than carrier aviation.

Chicken.

Splash’s Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Strips

Splash claims this is a cool recipe featuring just a couple of steps—simple enough that even an F-4 back-seat Weapons Systems Officer can do it.
Forget the supermarket fried chicken strips. We can make them from scratch right here in the Galley.

These crispy air-fryer chicken tenders fit the way we actually feed people. Make enough for a single watch team, pile up a platter for watch turnover, or expand the operation for a Game Day crowd.

They use only a little oil, create remarkably little mess and emerge crisp and golden on the outside while remaining tender and juicy inside.

They can also be prepared ahead, which means Splash can have the chicken ready before kickoff rather than disappearing into the Galley during the first quarter.

Serve them hot with whatever dipping sauces the crowd demands. Ranch and ketchup will take care of the traditionalists. Deirdre can provide something with considerably more attitude for everyone else.

For the Michigan games, we may divide the platter down the middle.

Green and White on one side.

Maize and Blue on the other.

Splash claims neutrality.

The chicken does not.

Game Day Rule: Make more than you think you need.

They disappear.

So there you have it. We began the morning beneath a reddish August moon, wandered through the Great Lakes, encountered a sturgeon, restarted the Michigan football rivalry and somehow wound up eating chicken dipped in Deirdre’s dill sauce or that Bang-Bang Korean sauce Lee brought from Up North.
Around the Conference Table, that qualifies as a fairly direct route.

More tomorrow, if we are fortunate!

Copyright 2026 Vic Socotra

www.vicsocotra.com