Blather

Cooking for Guys

Live to Camp
Camp to Live

Poetry
and Other Lies

Hot Toddy

Hot Toddy

The hot toddy has long been a favorite cold weather libation around my house.  Easy, steaming hot, packed with vitamin C, sweet, sour, and alcoholic, its just gotta be good for you! Substitute liquors, try different sweeteners, use any citrus you feel like using; it ...

Pieday: The Crust

Pieday: The Crust

          With the holidays upon us, my thoughts naturally turn toward pie. That's not really true. I think about pie all the time, but on holidays and special occasions, my mother's pies are a traditional part of the celebration. Her pies are worthy of celebration in...

Lamb Kabobs

Lamb Kabobs

  Lamb Kabobs This recipe pairs the subtle fruitiness of fresh chanterelles with the sweetness of dried apricots. When you arrange the mushrooms on the skewers, sandwich them between a dried apricot and a chunk of lamb, so the mushroom absorbs the flavor of the...

Flip

Flip

  Originally common in Colonial taverns and waterfront dives, flip is basically a beer hot toddy. Andy tells me it does nothing to improve the flavor of beer and I haven’t found anyone who actually likes it, but the drink is steeped in history and it is fun to...

Maiden Voyages

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...

Bushcrafty

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...

Zodi Shower

Zodi Shower

I've used solar camp showers and never been happy with trying to wash myself under the dribble of tepid water they provide. The water doesn't get hot enough, there isn't enough of it and there isn't enough pressure for a satisfying shower experience. The Zodi propane...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  8/3/26 6:45 50F (10C) No wind on the ground. The sun has topped the ridge, a red ember glowing through the haze, smearing the canyon with bilious light. The Grasshopper fire is at 31,000 acres. The prevailing wind is expected to be light today, but it has...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  8/2/26 6:15 51F (10.5C) Partially cloudy with a whisper of a breeze. Birds are cheeping on either side of me. They sound like a pair of microwave alarms, nagging me to come get my tea. But I have my tea. It's right here. Good morning.      ...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  8/1/26 6:30 61F (16C) Calm, partly cloudy. The moon has set, the sun is still below the ridge. The Grasshopper fire has grown to above 26,000 acres with zero containment reported. It's probably 15 miles south of here. I haven't seen  any activity, maybe they...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  7/31/26 5:00 55F (12.7C) Calm, clear. The moon, just past full, floats behind the birches. A half-hour later the moon has set and the sky has brightened. There is a slight haze and a tinge of pink around the edges. Yesterday I bought a mower at a yard sale and...