Walter Gets His Sea Legs
The weather forecast this afternoon was for hot to unbearable. Amy and I loaded up the kayaks, Walter jumped in the truck, and we all headed north to Goose Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. ...
Good Afternoon
7/5/2025 4:00 79f (26.1c) Tuckered out after a late night last night. Amy and I ran up to Trout Creek Ridge and bought a stack of books at a garage sale, including Jack London, Earl Stanley Gardner, and Robert Service, for a...
Down the Rabbit Hole
When we camped at Peter’s place up above Lyle, I found some pretty, red rocks that fractured with a sharp edge and threw good sparks when struck against steel. They were granular, not glassy where they were broken, so the edge didn’t stay sharp very...
The Barge
Walter has been out in the canoe with me several times. He does well - doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic about it, but it beats being left home. The canoe isn't as much fun as my kayak but the kayak isn't big enough for the both of us, so I had...
Good Afternoon
7/1/25 2:00 91f (32.7c) Sunny, hot, and windless. Walter, Mike and I went up into the Gifford Pinchot to seek relief from the hot weather in the tall trees. We did a couple of short walks (no mushrooms, no surprise), then sat down had a whiskey and...
Good Morning
7/8/25 6:00 61f (16.1c) A faint breeze with blue sky overhead. The haze from the fire at Wyeth was thick last night but seems to have cleared for the moment . ...
Good Morning
7/7/25 6:30 59f (15c) Another blue sky morning with no wind. A woodpecker hammers out his song of love on an aluminum ladder. A hawk, perhaps frustrated by an unsuccessful hunt, screeches as he flys low across the blackberry brambles. ...
Good Morning
7/6/25 6:30 54f ?12.2c) There is a faint breeze under clear, blue sky. The sun has crested the ridge. The nieghbors are already playing pickle ball. I guess they want to beat the heat.
Good Morning
7/5/25 6:00 53f (11.6c) Clear sky, blue as a robin's egg, with perfectly still air. The early birds have been catching worms to bring back to their nests. ...
Good Morning
7/4/25 6:00 59f (15c) Dry, no wind. The thin, grey overcast has a rip over the east ridge and is unraveling before the sun. The chicken door is open and the rooster is outside too early. I wonder if it closed last night. The cherry cannon's booming,...
Summer Pancakes Over Easy
This is more of a suggestion than a recipe since I used a mix and didn't measure anything. I made pancakes over easy for breakfast this morning. I started with Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix. Yeah, I know it's not that hard to make pancakes from scratch, but I have...
Peas Porridge
Peas Porridge is a simple, hearty meal with ingredients that keep well on the trail. Ingredients 3 cups dried peas any sort of pork from a ham bone to chopped bacon 2 cups broth, substitute bouillon if needed for trail life 2 potatoes 1 onion 2...
Bushcrafty
If you're not bringing a cocktail shaker you are doing it wrong. Bushcrafty: Two ounces Irish Whiskey, two ounces Shanky's Whip, one ounce filtered stream water, one-quarter lemon, one quarter lime-both squeezed and dropped into the cocktail shaker with a handful of...
Dutch Oven Trailer Trash Casserole
Trailer Trash Casserole: Tater Tots, diced onion, ground beef, Cream of Mushroom Soup, cooked in a Dutch Oven, finished with grated cheese melted on top. Ketchup added to taste. Ingredients 1/2 bag of Tater Tots 1 diced onion 1/4# ground beef per person 1 can...
Irish Toddy
My new favorite is an Irish Toddy. Place a slice of lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice in a mug. Cover with scalding water, leaving room for one ounce of Shanky's Whip and one ounce of Irish Whiskey. Give it a stir and enjoy. Repeat as necessary....
