A January Snowshoe Excursion
Preparing for an upcoming snow camp, Andy and I set out today to see how we'd do on snowshoes and check out potential campsites within our walking distance. Andy borrowed snowshoes from our brother, Dave, I had a new roll-up deer drag I had never used. When we...
Fire Starter
I experimented with making fire starter today. First, I filled the cups of a cardboard egg carton with dryer lint, scraps of paper, and wood debris from the bottom of my firewood box. Then I...
The Last Pole
I peeled the last pole in a set of forty today. I cut them for the longhouse next spring. It should be a party. ...
Winter Picnic
OK, technically December 3rd is still fall, but the day was short and it was cold. ...
Seasonal Features
March 2016 ...
Sunday Morning In January
Predawn freezing fog blankets the canyon. My rooster is arguing religion with the neighbor's bird. Occasionally some cock down the road will offer his ill considered opinion, only to be sternly rebuffed by an owl who has been struggling to remain aloof from the fray.
Moonlit Snowfield
Receding snow covers the ground like a dirty blanket, crusty and stained, flecked with debris. But the moon bathes it clean, transforming it into a glowing blue sheet stretching across the open fields from treeline to treeline. In the distance a lone coyote's laughter...
Frozen Pinwheels
Mimicking a steep mountain avalanche the snow rumbles off my lodge suddenly sliding down in sheets and curls scrubbing the canvas clean
Snowy Morning
Two crows and a robin cross the blank, gray sky overhead A wren pauses on a snowdrift before joining a junco in the filigree atop a birch Squirrels make their cautious way through the grove as small birds flit through oak branches flocked with white The snow...
Rocks is My Pillow
Oh my Darlin' Oh my Darlin' Oh my Darlin' Clementine You are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry Clementine. June 1rst, 2007 - November 20th, 2021
Mushroom Stuffed Burger
I had some fresh chanterelles, a half a pound of ground beef and some grated cheese left over from last night's dinner. It was lunch time, I was hungry. A stuffed burger seemed like the obvious solution. Ingredients ½# ground beef 1-2 medium...
K.P.
Nothing beats a meal cooked over an open fire and eaten outdoors, but how do you deal with clean-up? Dirty dishes and scraps of food are sure to attract pests if not attended to. Rinsing your cook ware in the creek will leave an unsightly mess on the stream bed and...
Rusty Brogue
I recently discovered Shanky’s Whip. A dark, sweet liqueur, somewhat analogous to Drambuie, Shanky’s Whip is a mixture of Irish whiskey, vanilla, caramel, and other ingredients. I have been mixing equal parts of Tullamore Dew and Shanky’s...
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....
