Birthday Furlough Camp
My corporate overlords asked for volunteers for a one-week furlough as part of their pandemic austerity measures. I was not sure I was in a better place financially to take the hit than they were, but I was certain I could put the time off to good use, so I...
Out in the Midday Sun
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a magical place. Elk, deer, bears, and cougars wander through the tall trees and berry fields. Caves and outcroppings of weirdly contorted lava dot the landscape. During...
Looking Sharp
Jason came over after work with his Edge Pro kit and sharpened our knives. I cooked while Jason worked his way through our collection of knives. We had BBQ beef sandwiches, roasted zucchini , and Wy'East rosé. ...
Lava Creek Scout
Walter and I went out in the woods, looking for a new camp site. We scouted along the canyon above Lava Creek. I wanted...
Fire Tacks
Denial
I like my job. It is work that needs doing and I enjoy doing it. I have worked through several public health crises; I was a lab tech and phlebotomist through more than one hepatitis outbreak. I was working when AIDS first began to blossom, before we really knew...
Still Living My Best Life
Amy has been gone for three weeks, gone south to California to take care of her mother who is recovering from hip surgery. Our niece, Tessa, remarked to her: "Uncle Vernon must be living his best life, up there unsupervised." "Vernon lives his best life every day, "...
Bob Verpa
A morelity play starring Amy Wheeler. Featuring morels by Andy Wade. https://vimeo.com/416343095
Impermanence
My morning walk takes me past landmarks no longer there: Coe Primary, where I attended first and second grade, now offices. Down the street, third and fourth grade gone. Only a park remains Last year, May Street School razed, replaced by a brick...
Troubled Sleep
I lie perfectly still, refusing to open my eyes, refusing to roll over struggling with my own thoughts desperate for just another thirty minutes of repose Outside a bird calls from high in a tree striving to make its song heard above the incessant noise of...
Dutch Oven Cornbread
This is a variation of the cornstick recipe I posted earlier. Cornbread recipes are pretty flexible. You can start with equal parts cornmeal, flour, and sugar Use more cornmeal and less flour for more texture; proportionally more flour than meal yields...
Campfire Chili Dinner
Until recently, I seldom used a tripod for anything more than boiling water. Why go to the effort to make a tripod when you can cook directly over the coals? But I have come to appreciate the heat control a tripod affords. You can hang your pot high over a flaming...
Beer Bandoleer
Carhartt 276100 - 6 Pack Beverage Sling - essential summer equipment. Brown polyester exterior, with an adjustable web carry strap and silver insulated inside, the bandoleer fits six cans of beer. We were out for 4 hours in 95 degree(35c) heat. The beer was cool, but...
Cornbread and Blackberries
I enjoyed a relaxing morning, another day off, due to The Contagion, with Dutch oven cornbread and fresh blackberries for breakfast. The cornbread was left over from a recent camping trip; the blackberries were picked this morning. I tarted it up with butter,...
Stuffed Zucchini
It is that time of year. The zucchini is coming on and gardeners are hiding the stuff in everything trying to foist it off on their friends and neighbors. I don’t go in for the subterfuge – none of that zucchini bread, zucchini cookies, zucchini fudge, or zucchini...
