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
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...
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....
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...
Good Morning
4/25/26 5:00 38F (3.3C) Clear and calm. Stars dot the dark blue sky above. Birds are bursting with the morning gossip, vying to be heard over the loud rattle of orchard fans. Walter, still exhausted from yesterday's excursion, sprawls sleeping on the...
Good Morning
4/24/26 6:45 36F (2.2C) Clear, calm, and beautiful. I am surrounded by the thunder of orchard fans. Three ducks wheel overhead, twisting and turning, describing great arcs and figure eights as they fly through blue sky tinged with pink. Where are they...
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...
Tarting Up the Ramen
Ramen noodles are a no-brainer pack food. Cheap, lightweight, quick and easy to prepare, you can eat them right out of the pot and cleanup is fast and effortless. I like to tart mine up just a little. Adding some oil and vegetables and maybe an egg to the mix doesn't...
Wild Cranberry Syrup
Wild Cranberry Syrup Simple Cranberry Syrup Recipe 2 cups wild cranberries 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp water Rinse and pick out stems from cranberries Combine cranberries, brown sugar, and water in saucepan or small cast iron skillet Bring to a boil and cook for 1...
