Three Days of Gluttony
3-day Menu Day 1 -Lunch Scotch eggs, wrapped in foil and heated by the fire during set up -Dinner Hot Dogs. buns, ketchup, mustard Baked beans Day 2 -Breakfast Mountain man breakfast with biscuits -Lunch snackage and drinks -Dinner Pot roast with taters, parsnip,...
California Fly and Camp
My wife started lobbying early: "The California boys are going camping. You should go. Everybody is asking for you. Damien is cooking." I was reluctant. I didn't want to take time off work. I hadn't gone anywhere since The Contagion started and I was uncomfortable...
Oh Magoo, You’ve Done It Again
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2020 Socially Distant Easter
April 11th, 2020. For the first time in decades, the Easter Bunny BBQ was cancelled, all because of the Damned Contagion. Amy and I decided we would celebrate the holiday between ourselves. It is important to maintain your normal routines when quarantined. With no...
A Winter Afternoon
Winter weather and the contagion have sharply curtailed opportunities to get together with friends. Mike and I took advantage of a lull between storms to enjoy a socially distanced winter hike. https://vimeo.com/506384649 ...
Remembering Dad
My father is dead and gone. Nothing remains but echoes and the footprints of his long walk through life. What can I say? Why would I say it? He can’t hear my words, they are just more echoes in the space he once filled. We had a contentious relationship when I was a...
The Joys of Summer
The air is stagnant filled with the sweet smell of blackberries fermenting under the hot August sun A large animal, grazing the brambles An expert tracker would be hard-pressed to distinguish my scat from that of a bear shapeless, black, and filled with...
Seasonal Concupiscence
Spreading maples throb with bees The air tastes like honey Everywhere, trees are blooming Here and there, beneath licentious conifers and cottonwoods dripping with pollen, a shy morel appears.
Early Spring
Watching the grey clouds shifting east overhead. Spring song fills the air with melodious twitter-are those robins? Roosters near and distant offer a hoarse counterpoint. A raptor glides low across the field. Good morning.
Silence of The Lonesome
The silence of the lonesome is rent by wails and cackles A cabal of coyotes singing incantations in the dark hour of morning long before the rooster dares stir
Mountain Man Breakfast
Dutch Oven Mountain Man Breakfast The Mountain Man Breakfast is a popular Dutch oven recipe which has been around in one form or another for years. If you need to feed a hearty breakfast to a crowd, this is good one. I used a variation from Gary House I found on...
Dutch Oven Rhubarb Cobbler
Dutch Oven Rhubarb Cobbler Spring hasn’t officially arrived until the rhubarb is up. One morning a few leaves poke through the frost covered mulch; by the end of the week, giant rosettes of primordial leaves on bright red stalks cover that corner of the garden....
Tequila Eggs
Tequila Eggs Like Scotch Eggs but I used chorizo mixed with cilantro, dried tomatoes, diced green chilis, and diced jalapenos for the sausage and crushed tortilla chips and roasted chilis for the crust. 7 eggs (Reserve 1 egg for wash.Hard boil 6 eggs; pat dry...
Lemon Chicken Soup
Lemon Chicken Soup Lemon Chicken Soup This variation of chicken soup relies upon lemon and a stick of cinammon to give Grandma's old standby a Middle Eastern twist. 3 pounds boneless, skinned chicken tits 4 cups chicken broth 1 cup +/- water1 onion - I...
Optimus Crux Backpacking Stove
I have had this little stove for a number of years and it is still my go-to on those rare occasions when I choose to backpack in. The stove itself weighs 3 ounces and folds up to fit in the palm of my hand. It uses isobutane-propane for fuel. The stove stores in a...
