FLEXTAIL Tiny Pump x 2024

FLEXTAIL Tiny Pump x 2024

Andy bought one of these little pumps for his Thermarest pad a while ago. I laughed at him for buying another unnecessary gadget. Until I got a huge self-inflating sleep pad from Sportsman's Guide. It is supposed to be self-inflating and it kinda is, but deflating it...

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A Morning Walk

A Morning Walk

6/8/25 9:00 75f (28.8c) Walter and I  took a short walk up Swyers Drive this morning,  while it was still cool enough to enjoy it.                                      ...

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Camp Chef Compact Fire Ring

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...

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Good Afternoon

Good Afternoon

6/4/25 2:30 Clear sky, breezy 70f (21c). Some photos from this afternoon.                                                      ...

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Making a Camp Bed Big Enough for Two

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                  ...

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Good Morning

Good Morning

    4/30/26 4:45 41F (5C) The sky is clear and dark, pierced by stars. The moon should be nearly full. I expected it to be shining brightly in the southwest,  but it must be too low, behind the ridge. The birds are just beginning to stir. It was quiet until...

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Good Morning

Good Morning

    4/29/26 6:00 39F (3.8C) Clear, blue  sky. A whisper of breeze, heavy dew on the deck. The orchard fans are rumbling again. The birds are a little  slow to wake this morning. Perhaps the moon, nearly full last night, disturbed their sleep.    ...

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Good Morning

Good Morning

  4/28/26 5:45 44F (6.66C)  Clear with tattered pink clouds moving across a light blue sky. A jay preens himself as an inconstant breeze stirs the willows. The birds sound like an orchestra warming up, playing scales and fragments of stanza. Amidst the honks and...

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Good Morning

Good Morning

    4/27/26 5:30 42F (5.5C) Mostly  clear with the tickle of a breeze. Birds sing in the dull luminosity of dawn. Somewhere, a woodpecker is hammering. Walter has done his lap of the perimeter,  barking where necessary. Now he rests wachfully on the deck....

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Good Morning

Good Morning

    4/26/26 6:30 42F (5.5C) The  city is quiet for a city. The sirens settled down last night and there is little traffic moving this early on a Sunday  morning. Amy is sleeping. We came north to Seattle for my aunt's burial yesterday. My brother Dave...

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Pie Iron Tuna Melt

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...

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Mulled Wine

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...

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Carbonara

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...

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Lobster Mushroom Hash Browns

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...

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Plaki with Lobster Mushrooms

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...

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