Blather

Cooking for Guys

Live to Camp
Camp to Live

Poetry
and Other Lies

Social Distance Monday

Social Distance Monday

They didn't need me at work Monday, so I did the responsible thing and stayed home and messed with my dugout canoe project. I am just at the beginning stages of burning out the cottonwood log. Using birch bark, pine pitch, dried grass and a ferro rod, I got a fire...

Barley Camp Stew

Barley Camp Stew

Barley makes a hearty, thick base for a stew. It scorches easily, so stir frequently and cook over moderate heat. At camp, we hung the stew pot from a tripod and raised it high above the flames. If you use a Dutch oven, put more coals on top, fewer underneath. Rotate...

Potato Chowder

Potato Chowder

This recipe was a staple for me during my college years. It was cheap, easy and filling. A big pot of it could feed me for a week. I would gather and dry quantities of fairy ring mushrooms (Marasmius oreades) from the little park down the street from my apartment, and...

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup

I made this soup in the Crockpot. You could simmer this stovetop or over the fire or cook it in a Dutch oven. No matter how you choose to do it, you will end up with a thick, hearty soup.Ingredients bones and fat trimmed from a cut of lamb shoulder or chop 2 cups...

Humus

Humus

My wife showed me how to make humus. She is extremely camera shy, so there aren't any photos of her, but take my word for it, she's just as cute as a bug's ass. It was nice of her to let me take any pictures at all; she doesn't get the whole taking photographs of what...

Good Afternoon

Good Afternoon

8/5/26 2:30 83f (28.3c) , mostly clear with a light breeze. Apparently ,  I  don't have the contagion.  Guess I will run some errands before I run out of ooomph.                              ...

Good Morning

Good Morning

    5/29/26 5:00 55F (12.7C) Blustery, cloudy and wet. Last night sundown turned an eerie shade of dirty yellow, the wind started to blow and the sky cracked open. Thunder and lightning exploded directly overhead and the rain came down in buckets. Dusk...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  5/28/26 5:45 54F (12.2C) No wind on the ground. Low, thin, gauzey clouds drift across the blue sky above. Sheila has not made an appearance this morning. I'm thinking her dunking yesterday has put her off of hot tubs. Or perhaps  she's gotten herself locked in...

Good Morning

Good Morning

    5/27/26 6:30 49F (9.4C) White clouds against a blue sky. No wind yet. An upright for my drying rack is sprouting new leaves. It may take root if I leave it be. The blackberries are beginning to flower; the nieghboring field is a thorny jungle, seven feet...

Good Morning

Good Morning

    5/26/26 6:30 47F (8.3C) The sun rises into clear,  blue sky without a hint of drama and no wind at all. Back from rendezvous,  I  need to unpack, get my gear cleaned and squared away, and then organize and repack for the next outing, less than a week...

Good Morning

Good Morning

  5/25/26 6:30 48F (8.8C) Partly overcast with  a breeze beginning. I got up an hour ago, to no wind and colorful strands of clouds stretched across a blue sky. Gordon is the president of the Forest Hills Black Powder Brigade, our host for the Rendezvous.  He is...