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
10/31/25 8:00 cool calm and beautiful . A lovely sunrise Halloween morning out on The Big Lava Bed after a beautiful moonlit night. Got a slow start this morning and had breakfast for lunch. ...
A Wet Day With the Grub
Amy, Walter and I took the kniece and knephew out with their grub to look for mushrooms. It was a damp day but we had a good time and managed to find a few lobsters and chanterelles. ...
Good Morning
5/17/26 6:30 41F (5C) Clear, windless, beautiful. It rained last night. It rained hard most of the day yesterday and off and on all last week. The sun is rising in a clear, blue sky. It is calm. The birds are singing as if the storm had never happened....
Good Morning
5/16/26 6:00 42F (5.5C) Overcast, gray, raining lightly. I believe it rained all night. It has been a damp week. I don't know how long it will last, but it has got to be good for the immediate future. The woods need the moisture. We have already had...
Book Club
Book club was at mom's house tonight, so Andy brought mom up here for dinner while our wives were otherwise occupied. I spent the day scouring the house and cooking. We had pork loin and cornbread. Andy brought a salad, wine and beer. After dinner we had drinks,...
Good Morning
5/15/26 45F (7.2C) Broken cloud cover drifts above wet ground. It rained some more last night. An inconstant breeze flutters the oaks' leaves, making them shimmer. A crow caws over the cooing of doves, like the rasping smoker's voice of a bar floozy...
Good Morning
5/14/26 5:45 49F (9.4C) Cloudy. Calm, no rain. I think I will put some more corn in the ground this morning. If the wind doesn't come up, I'll burn the blackberry briars I cleared from around the rabbit hutch yesterday. Perhaps I should go up in the...
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...
Lemon Chicken Soup
Lemon Chicken Soup Lemon Chicken Soup This variation of chicken soup relies upon lemon and a stick of cinammon to give Grandma's old standby a Middle Eastern twist. 3 pounds boneless, skinned chicken tits 4 cups chicken broth 1 cup +/- water1 onion - I...
Optimus Crux Backpacking Stove
I have had this little stove for a number of years and it is still my go-to on those rare occasions when I choose to backpack in. The stove itself weighs 3 ounces and folds up to fit in the palm of my hand. It uses isobutane-propane for fuel. The stove stores in a...
