Good Evening
11/18/25 6:00 42F Just got back from a mushroom foray with Walter and Mike. We went out around 1:00. It was an overcast day with enough breaks to provide adequate sun to navigate through the trees. Immediately we spotted Amanita, Lepiota, Russula and Stropharia. Our...
Good Afternoon
11/9/25 Clear, sunny, and warm. We decided to forage for cranberries and mushrooms instead of doing yard work, so Amy, Walter, and I piled into the car and headed north. We picked up Mike on the way and by noon, we were on the road to Trout Lake....
Halloween on the Big Lava Bed
It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day when Kent and I drove north into the Big Lava Bed. The road was rugged, just ruts worn into jagged rock, winding between collapsed lava tubes and stunted trees finally arriving at a flat...
Good Morning
11/2/25 6:00 40f Overcast and calm out on the lava bed. The weather has moderated. It was still dark when I made the treacherous trek to the latrine. I was relieved when it hove into view. Andy and Kent put some much appreciated effort into its...
Good Morning
11/1/25 8:00 Temperate but raining hard. We had a puddle form by the door last night. It has grown to a lake with a river running into it. Constant rain all night with no hope for it letting up today. The tipi won't draft and is filled with smoke. We had...
Good Morning
3/18/26 6:00 42F (5.5C) Calm, cool, dark No rain. Birds twitter. A few stars twinkle, fading as the morning glow begins. The neighbor's dog is yapping, setting Walter off. He reluctantly heeds my call and trots sullenly back to the deck, flopping down...
Good Morning
3/17/26 7:00 40F (4.4C) Calm. Mostly clear. A delicate lace of thin white clouds decorates the blue sky overhead. The fragile wisps begin to tinge pink as sunrise approaches. There are orchard fans rumbling somewhere north of me and sprayers are whining...
Good Morning
3/16/26 5:30 38F (3.3C) Calm, cloudy, dark. There is no breeze on the ground. Overhead, the clouds part here and there to reveal a few scattered stars before shuttering them again. A dog yips at the farm across the way. Walter runs to the fence and...
Good Morning
3/15/26 5:30 22F (-5.5C) Dark, calm, and cold. The city lights and a thin, hazy overcast hide the stars. Andy and Susan are still sleeping. Dave, Kel, and Mom went home yesterday, after Gail's service. It has been a bittersweet visit. Gail's loss hit...
Good Morning
3/14/26 5:15 33F (0.5C) Cloudy, dark. It's stopped snowing. It was just a little above freezing and snowing when we arrived at Spokane yesterday afternoon and still snowing when we went to bed . The snow was wet, so little accumulation and the main...
K.P.
Nothing beats a meal cooked over an open fire and eaten outdoors, but how do you deal with clean-up? Dirty dishes and scraps of food are sure to attract pests if not attended to. Rinsing your cook ware in the creek will leave an unsightly mess on the stream bed and...
Rusty Brogue
I recently discovered Shanky’s Whip. A dark, sweet liqueur, somewhat analogous to Drambuie, Shanky’s Whip is a mixture of Irish whiskey, vanilla, caramel, and other ingredients. I have been mixing equal parts of Tullamore Dew and Shanky’s...
Mountain Man Breakfast
Dutch Oven Mountain Man Breakfast The Mountain Man Breakfast is a popular Dutch oven recipe which has been around in one form or another for years. If you need to feed a hearty breakfast to a crowd, this is good one. I used a variation from Gary House I found on...
Dutch Oven Rhubarb Cobbler
Dutch Oven Rhubarb Cobbler Spring hasn’t officially arrived until the rhubarb is up. One morning a few leaves poke through the frost covered mulch; by the end of the week, giant rosettes of primordial leaves on bright red stalks cover that corner of the garden....
Tequila Eggs
Tequila Eggs Like Scotch Eggs but I used chorizo mixed with cilantro, dried tomatoes, diced green chilis, and diced jalapenos for the sausage and crushed tortilla chips and roasted chilis for the crust. cook...
