Blather
Cooking for Guys
Live to Camp
Camp to Live
Poetry
and Other Lies
Spam Pudgies
Dave was a little skeptical of the lunch menu- Spam pudgie sandwiches cooked in the pie irons. Straight from the can, Spam is unappealing, pallid, pink and soft. The prevailing flavor is salt. Heated, it darkens, becoming almost brown. The texture gets firmer, even...
Kentucky Mule
I don't care for vodka, so never acquired a taste for Moscow Mules. Bourbon, however, is an entirely different story. In camp or on the back porch, the Kentucky Mule is sure to refresh. Go ahead, have another. You deserve it. Ingredients 1 oz bourbon-I...
Robert’s Cast Iron Bread
Robert disappeared into the longhouse and emerged a little later with a beautiful loaf of fresh bread. It seemed so simple, and according to Rob, it pretty much was. I asked him for his recipe and this is what he gave me.Ingredients about 2 1/2 cups flour more or...
Taco Things
Taco-things are made from left overs, salsa, and cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla folded closed and fried in oil with a little picante sauce splashed over them. Sounds like a burrito, right? Well, when I worked at La Clinica years ago, my co-workers told me it...
Pork Roast with Morel Gravy
This was a slow cooker recipe I adapted to the Dutch Oven. You can use any mushrooms and any large hunk of pork. Ingredients 3-4 pound pork roast 4 large cloves of garlic, minced 1 large white onion peeled and cubed 3-4 cups morels, if you can get them 2...
Good Afternoon
5/22/25 3:30 54f (12.2c) Breezy and fair. Mike and I spent the afternoon ranging across the ridge between Mosier and my house, looking for morels. We didn't find any, even where we have found them before. The soil was damp and the terrain looked promising, but no joy....
Plan B Camp March 2025
It was early March when I decided on a last minute camping trip to the Gifford Pinchot. The weather forecast for the weekend was fair, with rain predicted later on Sunday. Even with no real planning and a late start, I had the truck loaded and ready to go by...
MLK Camp
1/20/25 Jason, Andy, Walter and I hauled into Plan B for an overnighter Sunday afternoon and came home Monday, MLK Day. It didn't reach the predicted low of 17f (-8) but is was pretty chilly at 24f (-4). We managed to stay warm and had an enjoyable outing in the...
Valentine Weekend Camp
Amy and I went to Beverly Beach over Valentine's weekend. I love camping with my wife! The weather leading up to the weekend was sloppy. I got the poles loaded and the pickup tarped Thursday just as it started to snow. I...
Maiden Voyages
Saturday Amy and I went up to Kingsley Reservoir to try out the Kayak I just bought. My brother and his wife met us up there. I gave Andy my old kayak which had been mauled by a bear. This was is first time on the water since he patched it. They had stopped at Walmart...
Good Morning
1/9/26 6:30 33F (0.5C) Cold, calm. The waning moon is completely obscured by clouds. It is a dark morning. Amy's headlights sweep across the tipi poles as she pulls out to go to an early union meeting. I am proud of her. It is an important job, perhaps...
Good Morning
1/8/26 5:45 37F (2.7C) There is a light wind blowing a swirling, cold mist. The moon, waning gibbous, and at least one star pierce the thin clouds overhead. Both thermometers read 37F, but it feels colder than that and ice dots the horizontal surfaces....
Good Morning
1/7/26 6:30 38F (3.3C) Clear, mostly, with a cool, inconstant breeze. The moon, three quarters and waning, is resting atop the oaks. Stars are shining in a rich, blue sky. A pair of ducks just landed in the pond. Swooping silently in tandem they banked and...
Good Morning
1/6/26 6:45 32F (0C) The moon, waning gibbous, shines down through the freezing fog onto turf and leaves frosted with ice. A slight breeze flutters the streamers on the tips of the lodge poles . Yesterday, Walter was so clean and fluffy, but early this...
Good Morning
1/5/26 6:30 34F (1.1C) Quiet, cold, and calm. Partially cloudy with a few stars showing. The waning moon, two days past full, shines through the bare oaks. A light freezing mist wafts down, coating everything with a thin layer of ice. Christmas break is...
