Blather
Cooking for Guys
Live to Camp
Camp to Live
Poetry
and Other Lies
Pie Iron Tuna Melt
We were going to do tuna melts in the pie irons at Fungal in the Jungle, but Wayne and Peter fed us so well we never got around to cooking for ourselves. I was really looking forward to seeing how potoato bread worked in the pie iron, so a couple of days after we got...
Mulled Wine
Hot spiced wine is a perfect way to take the edge off the drizzly season. We made this in a 2 1/4 gallon cast iron potjie suspended over the fire from a tripod. It would work just as well in a crock pot on low. Ingredients 2 bottles of red wine...
Carbonara
This is one of my favorite camp meals. It only takes about twenty minutes and it is delicious. Dried lobster mushrooms work best in this dish. They hold up to cooking, add a marvelous flavor, and the water used for reconstituting them dyes the pasta orange and infuses...
Lobster Mushroom Hash Browns
The combination of shredded Lobster mushrooms, potato, sunchokes and a little diced red onion, give these hash browns a unique flavor, filled with the umami of Autumn. Ingredients 1-2 potatoes, grated sunchokes, grated, equal to the amount of potatoes used an...
Plaki with Lobster Mushrooms
Plaki with lobster mushrooms over rice pilaf Plaki is a Greek fish casserole. This is another very flexible recipe: essentially any seafood available with whatever vegetables and mushrooms which may be in season, baked in a tomato sauce, and served over rice or bulgur...
Camp Chef Compact Fire Ring
I have had this Camp Chef propane fire pit for several years now. I use it when fire season bans prohibit traditional wood campfires. When I hooked it up last week the regulator was leaking gas, so I ordered a...
Good Afternoon
6/4/25 2:30 Clear sky, breezy 70f (21c). Some photos from this afternoon. ...
Making a Camp Bed Big Enough for Two
Planning for an upcoming camping trip Amy and I decided to purchase a sleeping bag and pad wide enough for both of us. We ended up with a Guide Gear self inflating pad and a King Camp Snowflake 300D ...
Pretty Not Bad
Amy and I drove up to Disappearing Lake. The water level is dropping fast; I think it will be a short season. We talked about paddling the beaver pond but the shore was teeming with mosquitos so we went back down to South Prairie and put in. ...
A Day Spent on the Water
My friend, Joe Castaldi, built a beautiful, sixteen foot gaff-rigged Melonseed Skiff from the original plans. He sent word he was planning to launch her for a maiden voyage down at the Hood River Marina, so I showed up yesterday, bright and early to...
Good Morning
1/21/26 5:30 28F (-2.2C) Freezing fog. A cold breeze blows through the black trees looming from the murk. Walter is marching sentry, barking harsh commands as he goes: "Halt! Who goes there? What is the password?" Satisfied, he returns to his post, waiting...
Good Morning
1/20/26 7:45 27F (-2.7C) Cold with a uniform gray overcast. Fog shrouds the surrounding hills. A faint breeze swirls the freezing mist around my face. Someone is already at it with a chainsaw across the street. We got home from the coast last night, having...
Good Morning
1/17/26 7:30 37F (2.7C) Cool, clear and beautiful. It was 69F when we got here yesterday. Partied late, just got up. Fishing fleet was out all last night, still out this morning. Walter seems to be enjoying himself. I got up about an hour ago. It was still dark...
Good Morning
1/16/26 6:30 34F (1.1C) It is quiet, calm, and cloudy this morning. Dry, with very little dew. A tiny sliver of moon glows wanly through the clouds beyond the maple. Tomorrow morning it will be absent altogether. Walter Dawg is nearby, ever vigilant, ...
Good Morning
1/15/26 6:30 35F (1.6C) Overcast and still. The rooster is complaining. Ducks chuckle down by the creek. A dog barks in the distance, far up the canyon. Walter is laying by the back door, staring this direction. The general tenor of this morning is muted and...
