Installing Wrayal’s Sidecar
This article first appeared in Sidecar Traveller Nr.46 October 2019 I recently spent a couple days helping a friend swap his sidecar from a BMW G650 GS to a F800 GS. The 650 was his first sidecar rig; he’d gotten a smoking deal on it and it had served its purpose...
Walter’s Game Cart
I bought an inexpensive game cart from Sportsman's Guide and modified it so my dog can haul it. https://vimeo.com/user371939/download/463445444/a50d0446dd https://vimeo.com/user371939/download/463445444/a50d0446dd...
First Fall Foray
Summer 2020 in Oregon featured plague, drought, and catastrophic forest fires, but it had been raining hard the first few days of fall. Mike and I went up in the woods Friday to see if we could find any mushrooms. Walter Dawg and I arrived before Mike. Once parked, I...
Birthday Furlough Camp
My corporate overlords asked for volunteers for a one-week furlough as part of their pandemic austerity measures. I was not sure I was in a better place financially to take the hit than they were, but I was certain I could put the time off to good use, so I...
Out in the Midday Sun
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a magical place. Elk, deer, bears, and cougars wander through the tall trees and berry fields. Caves and outcroppings of weirdly contorted lava dot the landscape. During...
Troubled Sleep
I lie perfectly still, refusing to open my eyes, refusing to roll over struggling with my own thoughts desperate for just another thirty minutes of repose Outside a bird calls from high in a tree striving to make its song heard above the incessant noise of...
Systems Check
I walk out under a dark blue, faintly luminescent sky The moon, one day past full, shines down on the hot tub My morning routine has become an anti-viral struggle against the pandemic Systems check: Water clear, thin islands of bubbles, 103 degrees,...
Pterodactyl
just above me, huge, silent, missing one secondary feather from the left wing, a heron glides across the pale blue plate-glass dawn
The Kiss of Contagion
You feel the warmth rising, the gentle caress of contagion brushing across your lips. You try to deny it, to push it away. But there is no denying what you feel in your chest, the ache at the back of your throat. It has caught you, and you will not get free. You may...
Yes, you are
Why do you argue with me, when I tell you how beautiful you are? Why do you roll your eyes and say, “No, I’m not.” as if I have no idea what I see with my own heart? You turn the stereo up so loud a deaf kid could dance to it, miming the lyrics with a provocative...
Stuffed Zucchini
It is that time of year. The zucchini is coming on and gardeners are hiding the stuff in everything trying to foist it off on their friends and neighbors. I don’t go in for the subterfuge – none of that zucchini bread, zucchini cookies, zucchini fudge, or zucchini...
Living My Best Life
Pork chop grilled with herbs from the garden (sage, rosemary, oregano) and a flaming splash of bourbon, applesauce, mashed potatoes, green peas picked and hour before and, of course, a nice salad, Washed it all down with beer from Full Sail in a Lady Washington...
Pie Iron Breakfast Scramble
A quick and easy breakfast for one or two people, this pie iron scramble is a real winner Ingredients 2 servings 2 handfuls Tater Tots 2 slices bacon 1 egg butter pepper, garlic three fingered pinch diced onion (optional) three fingered pinch diced sweet pepper...
Pie Iron Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and Gravy are an old favorite of mine. When I learned you can make them in a pie iron, I knew I had to give it a try. Ingredients 1 handful of ground sausage formed into 5 small patties and pre-cooked 1 12oz. tube of...
White Privilege
I used to call this one "Diabetes in a Glass", but reflecting upon recent events, I have changed the name to "White Privilege", because it tastes so sweet you don't even know it is fucking you up. Ingredients Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Dr. Mc...
