The PUB light's ON! :D

[Mrleft8]

now hold it a minute lefty did you not see the sunday brunch I dedicated to you?? humf!!!! glad your back...

SUNDAY was 5 days ago Floater!!! (Thank you for all yer help btw!)
Yeah Salty.... Weather's doing it's spastic autumn thing here too... Chilly, rainy and blowin' like a big dog here the last few days. I hear it was fairly warm, if wet while I was freezing my toes off in the hospital. Tonight it's s'posed to dip into the low 40's or high 30's... Next week it could be 70 and sunny...
Beef stew with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and little white onions. Served with steamed broccoli florets, and a crusty wheat bread and lightly salted butter.
Hearty vegetable soup, made with a strong tomato base, carrots, barley, green beans, zucchinni, corn, celery, onion, and diced sweet and hot peppers.
Ginger chicken strips, deep fried in a crisp sesame seed batter with a hot/sweet mustard dipping sauce.
Thin sliced rib eye steak served on a bed of baby spinach with crumbled gorgonzola cheese, sliced mushrooms, hard boiled egg, slivered almonds, and diced crisp apple, with a slightly warmed balsamic vinagrette.
Country style ham, sliced razor thin, on crusty sourdough bread with mustard, onion, and bib lettuce. With a big dill pickle, and pretzel rods.
Special on tap: St. Pauli Girl Special Dark. No, nothing particularly special or interesting, but it's a perfectly good drinkin' beer, and it holds it's own in the world. Give 'er a try, you might be surprised.

[Hughman]

hey, nice menu, I'll take it all.....

*ties bib on, grabs fork and spoon*

[SaltyD from BC]

Whoah, Lefty - you must be feeling like yer old self. That's the kind of food I'm talkin bout

In between storms here but still kinda cool and misty and rainy. So that calls for a bowl of stew and the sour dough ham sammy. I'll give that Pauli Girl a try too please...

[paladin]

We have the kitchen floor roped off with the kiddy proof doors, all entrances and exits...turned a dozen fresh 15 pound Blue King Crab loose on the kitchen floor.
Two large half drums for a grill......filletted 60 pound grouper getting warmed up by the coal, brushed with olive oil and crushed garlic, clams casino, monster shrimps the size of small lobster, yam chips, french style green beens, corn on the cob, sourdough bread with fresh creamery butter, Bameba, Singha, fresh limeade......grilled frogs legs in soy and garlic sauce. Sticky rice with fresh mango for dessert.

[Mrleft8]

30 pound lobsters? I'm sorry Chuck..... But I need to come visit you, just to sample the drugs they give you! Dude!!!!! 30 pound LOBSTERS!? Those muther f.....er..... Those baby's gotta be the size of a honda civic!
Friday night movie.... Sorry it's late... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDzRrYBN_WA
Pop corn with butter, and beer while we watch.

[SaltyD from BC]

Groovy.

bad language alert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZRG1mBhg-4

[Mrleft8]

Frog legs.................... Now that brings me back....... I'm gonna have to tell that story...... This weekend if I remember..... Gotta go. Fading out super quick all of a sudden..... Adios amigos....

[Spin_Drift]

Hi Gents . Lefty, you go home to bed, I'll tend bar tonight.

Looks like the food side is all under control...

[Spin_Drift]

Well SaltyD, looks like you're sitting there drooling over your empty bowl of stew and the last bite of the sour dough ham sammy.

Can I get you another bowl or sandwich?


Here is another Pauli Girl for you....

[paladin]

Whoops! Thinking Lobster and meant King Crab.....
Oxycodone is your friend....oxycodone is your friend......oxycodone is your friend.

[Mrleft8]

That makes a lil' more sense! Still MONSTER crabs though! Had some AKC legs a couple months ago just to see if they were as I remembered them... They were. No reason to eat them at all if you live someplace where you can get lobsters or shrimp.... Grainy flesh with a little tiny bit of crab flavor.....Much like a Langostine actually....
One of the summers that I spent in the wilds of northern Ontario learning how to be a canoe guide/outfitter, I signed up for a "survival" course. This essentially consisted of learning how to build a variety of shelters, start a fire with what was at hand, find and indentify edible plants, etc. there was no way to know when or where this course started, so you were by neccessity "dressed for the day" On one level those of us taking the course were hoping for a cool rainy day......
It started mid afternoon on a brilliant hot day. We were told to take a canoe and head in specific directions so that we'd be spread out and not encounter eachother (we each had a "partner" who was chosen completely at random... I wound up with a complete fairy/ momma's boy from Argentina.). When we got to our destination we were to roll the canoe over and pretend that it wasn't there for 1 week. We had a small packet of gear aside from being dressed for the day. Of course we all had our knives strapped to our belts, but even smokers were not permited to take matches or a lighter. In the "survival packet" was 1 wooden match. 1 #10 tin can. 1 #00 fish hook. 1 4 foot length of bailing wire. 1 roll of gauze, 6 bandaids, 1 small tube of antiseptic cream, and (oddly enough) a sewing needle (but no thread).
The location that had been picked for us was a little pocket bay of a very large lake. The bay was largely choked with lily pads, and on the far side was a tremendous, clearly active beaver lodge. Our first job was to collect firewood and build a small temporary shelter just for tonight. Plenty of time to build a larger, better one tomorrow. We got in what looked like it ought to be enough wood, and started with the hemlock bough leanto... Next thing I know Hendrik (I think that was his name...) has a fire roaring, flames shooting 10' into the air.... "What are you THINKING!? Why did you start a fire? we have nothing to cook, and it's 70 degrees out!" He was very proud of himself for starting the fire without any help..... I told him to go out and get more wood while I finished the shelter...
I made a snare out of the bailing wire in hope of nabbing a tastey beaver for breakfast or lunch tomorrow... Hendrik tried to catch crayfish along the edge of the bay, and fell in....

[paladin]

When I was in Alaska I brought home a couple of 20-25 pounders.....bit of a problem putting them in the 55 gallon drum of boiling salt water.....

Early in my military career we were broken into 5 man teams for survival training. It just so happens that my team was guys from Oklahoma and New Mexico.....we were told to stay out as long as possible without assistance, but we all had radios for help....some of the teams returned after 3-4 days, a couple or three lasted a week or longer.....my team was one of three that were out there for 3 weeks until they came and forced us in.....

[Hwyl]

That ain't nothing. I've survived a couple of days without a virtual beer. How about a nice pint of Old Thumper oh "gutless one".

[Mrleft8]

Sunday Brunch Menu:
Crepes Suzette.
Buckwheat pancakes served with sweet creamery whipped butter, Vermont maple sryup.
Western omelette.
Champagne scrambled eggs with chives.
Thick slices of honey baked ham, with bicuits and red eye gravy.
Bay scallops wrapped in proscuito.
Baked beans with tender chunks of smoked ham.
Smoked salmon with bagels and cream cheese.
Grilled asparagus with a creamy Chevre cheese/cracked black peppercorn/lemmon dressing.
Fresh tomato soup.
Clams casino.
Smoked oysters.
Steamed mussels.
Never frozen St. Augustine shrimp.
Bacon. (Canadian, and strip)
Sweet breakfast sausage.
Raisin toast.
Cinnamon toast.
Almond paste coffee cake.
Hot apple pie.
There's also a wonderful assortment of chocolates from Finland, including some little individually wrapped ones filled with rum.....
Thomas' English muffins.
Hearty sourdough toast.
Mimosas.
Bloody Marys.
Bloody Ceasars.
Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps.
Coffee.
Tea.
Fresh milk.

[Mrleft8]

That ain't nothing. I've survived a couple of days without a virtual beer. How about a nice pint of Old Thumper oh "gutless one".

Certainly sir..... There's also a nice IPA from Long Trail Brewery in Vermont that's worth a try...

[S/V Laura Ellen]

Morning all. Just dropped by for some thing to eat and drink before heading off to the boat.

I'll have some:

Grilled asparagus with a creamy Chevre cheese/cracked black peppercorn/lemon dressing.
Clams casino.
Smoked oysters.
Steamed mussels.
Never frozen St. Augustine shrimp.
Bacon. (Canadian)
Hearty sourdough toast.
Bloody Ceasars.
Coffee.

[Mrleft8]

Nice to see you this morning Sir Limpsalot! That boat's gotta be just minutes away from getting dunked at this point.....When's the big event?

[S/V Laura Ellen]

Nice to see you this morning Sir Limpsalot! That boat's gotta be just minutes away from getting dunked at this point.....When's the big event?

All I can say is "no boat will be launched before its time".

[Mrleft8]

So there's Hendrik, soaking wet, and the few 'dads that he'd caught all escaped when he fell into the bay holding the can... We set up apole on a yoke over the fire so his clothes could sort of dry. I went to collect more firewood, while Hendrik stayed by the fire wearing the most absurd looking bright blue nylon...... What to call them?.......Thong I guess..... And his "Hiking boots" which were really mountain climbing boots. No tread to speak of, and a sole so hard and ridgid that you'd break your foot before they'd flex. AND heavy thick red wool knee socks. I found a small Maple tree and pulled off a can full of bright green leaves to make a tea out of for dinner.
Hendrik had the first shift of "Fire duty" and I instructed him relentlessly not to waste wood......Just keep it going, and wake me up around 3AM for my shift.
It was just dawn when I woke up to find Hendrik slumped over in front of the cold patch of ashes that had been our fire.....

[SaltyD from BC]

Young Hendrik sounds like a real cool hand Luke I'll tell ya..

I'll try some of that smoked salmon with bagles and glue please Lefty. And a ceasar.

I smoked about a 13 lb coho up the other day actually.. I had an idea that instead of throwing the old barbeque away, and being that I haven't gotten around to building a proper brick smoker here yet, I'd strip the old barbe of gas gear and set up a little hot plate at the bottom. I put a big cast iron fry pan on that and about 3" 'hockey pucks' of red alder in the pan. I cut the fish into strips and it just fit on the two grills of the barbeque. It worked pretty dang good. I made it a wee bit too salty though.. Surprise...

[Mrleft8]

Sounds like the idea has potential though Salty....
Thinly sliced beautifully marbled chuck steak, cooked rare over a hardwood charcoal fire, and piled onto a Portuguese roll, then topped with your choice of Provalone, Muenster, Gruyere, or Cheddar, and a slice of garden fresh red ripe tomato (One of the last) and popped under the broiler quickly until the cheese oozes down through the steak. Served with chips and a pickle.
Minestrone soup, with crusty rolls and butter.
HOT apple pie, with, or without freshly churned vanilla icecream.
Special on tap: Weyerbacher Autumnfest. Another of Floaters finds. A strong copper colored ale with nice balance. An almost........Lager like flavor, but more of it. A good switch-over from summer ales to the real robust winter brews...

[Mrleft8]

I set off to check on my snare, hoping that I didn't have anything now that we had no fire... Hendrik swore that with a little effort he could get the fire going again, and had set off in search of some birch bark and more "spruce fingers".
I needn't have worried. No beaver. I did find a broken bottle though, and collected the bottom, and a few of the larger shards. It was another hot bright day, so I stripped down and waded into the lily pads, reaching down and carefully excavating some tubers with my fingers...."Carefully" I say because when you find one broken bottle, chances are there're more around, and slashing a finger or hand in this enviroment would lead inevitably to a nasty infection. I collected a half dozen good sized tubers and dumped them on shore.
SMACK! JESUS CHRIST!!! Just about had a freakin' heart attack! A HUGE Bullfrog had leapt off the bank, misjudged my path, and tagged me square in the chest. He looked at me blearilly for a second before diving for the bottom. I dried off with my T-shirt, dressed and headed back to camp with the tubers in hand.... Bullfrogs..... MMMMMMMMMM! If we get that fire going....
To his credit Hendrik had expanded our lean-to a bit, and added considerablely to the roof. It'd still leak in a heavy rain, but we'd be MOSTLY dry....Alas there was no fire... I tried vainly with the bottle bottom to no success. We needed a nice quartzy chunk of granite. There's lots of granite in this part of the world. From where we were we could see across the lake a huge solid granite cliff that we'd jumped from earlier in the summer, but not here.... Here it's all soft loamy dirt.
A cold (not really, but it seemed cold) dark, hungry night. Hendrik wandered off to see if he could find the screech owl that was trilling somewhere near by.

[Captain Blight]

Lily pad roots ARE edible! HA! You just won me $5!!

[paladin]

In desert areas, the lowly prickly pear cactus is edible, and quite good. Just make sure that you cut off all the prickers and the eyes on the cactus leaves. Can be eaten raw like a tart green bean, or cooked lightly over a fire but don't cook too much or it takes away the crunch and dries it out. The Saqauro cactus has a short root, and can be tipped over (carefully) to get at the juicy root, then reach the little green fruit at the top inside the flower, about the size of a small apple or pear. It is full of liquid/water substitute, with a sweet taste. Gila monster bites are deadly, but the tail roasted is like alligator tail, and there's more meat than you'll find on a jack rabbit. Rattlesnake is good. If the only meat that you can get is rabbit, you'll die....there's no carbs in the rabbitt.
Also remember, that it takes 5 times as much water to digest protein as it does carbohydrates......if you want to start a fire.....look at the saquaro cactus again..desert woodpeckers will build a nest in them. The fluff in the nest will be the driest, most easily flashed tinder that you can find.

[paladin]

Lunch....
Iced tea
Homemade shrimp salad sammiches with lettuce and beefsteak tomato
shrimp cocktail with a spicy cocktail sauce
Homemade tater chips
a nice juicy pikkle on the side

[SaltyD from BC]

A pint of Weyerbacher-meister-schmeister whatzit called please, I mean it is Oktober and all...

Finding food off the land. Quite a deal with minimal kit. A rifle sure works wonders.. but next to that give me a bit of line and a fish hook. Find some worms and get busy. Which, actually, its not so busy - that kind of fish'n so maybe that's why I like it.

I remember hours of playing the survival game as a kid up north with a willow pole, ten feet of line and a hook and a worm. I caught the rare trout but the lions share were the politically incorectly called "squaw fish" or "suckers". Its a toss up as to which one of those two is worse. They're both more bones than meat and a mushy bland bit of that even over a fire. Blueberrys make them go down a bit better...

[Mrleft8]

Corned beef on rye, with spicy horseradish mustard. Served with sliced cucumbers and radishes.
Beef and barley soup, with corn bread and sweet butter.
Shepard's pie, made with ground lamb, ground beef, baby peas and Yukon gold mashed potatoes.
Stirfried chicken strips marinated in ginger, Thai hot peppers, and rice vinegar,with fried rice, and slivered snow peas. (This can be a bit hot if you get a bunch of the Thai hot pepper bits, so be forewarned!)
Special on tap: Tupper's Hop Pocket Pils. A hazy light colored pilsener has a cheek puckering bitterness that morphs into a brief malty sweetness as you swallow. This is a real palate cleansing beer, with more bitter than sweet. Very refreshing served very cold. I imagine it would go VERY nicely with the stirfry.
Yanno.... We seem to be missing some people.....Anyone seen Shark-Ef lately? Or Bruce Hooke? We all know that Jaime's gone missing, but that's almost expected from him....The Gages have been oddly silent too...

[paladin]

Yup...I wuz about to send an e-mail to check on Miss Claudia's hind paw to see how it was doing....Jamie is now getting me worried...I know he disappears but usually he pops his head outta the hole to look for other Jr. Woodchucks.

[Popeye]

...

.....hiccup

...

[Figment]

mmmmmmm thai stuff. I could go for an afternoon case of Flaming Lips.

[boylesboats]

Good afternoon folks,
Howda Lefty... Hey Chuck... Wow (sniffin') what's cookin'?

[Hwyl]

...Anyone seen Bruce Hooke? .

I sent him an email, he's doing well and taking a sabbatical from the WBF. He's amazed at how much extra time he has.

Now hows about a beer, I've been running so I could even manage a ... oh the sacrilege... shandy.

[SaltyD from BC]

Shandy? A man in touch with his manlyness that Gareth. Teee he hee, shandy, tee he hee

[Mrleft8]

WTH???!!!! The whole post on the "survival" camp thing disappeared? That sux..... Guess I'll have to re-do it tomorrow.... This "disappearing thread crap really needs to stop.... That post was about 30 lines long....

[SaltyD from BC]

Are you sure you didn't missplace it in your clean workshop?

[SaltyD from BC]

Just a thought bud, hit the back button a few times, many maybe, and see if your post is still there and not submitted....

[boylesboats]

WTH???!!!! The whole post on the "survival" camp thing disappeared? That sux..... Guess I'll have to re-do it tomorrow.... This "disappearing thread crap really needs to stop.... That post was about 30 lines long....

Hey Lefty, I was back there listening to your story.. Just hoping to hear more of it..
Please continue on.... with the story

[Mrleft8]

I did the back button thing....Nothing.
And I'm running seriously late today so I'll post another installation (or rather a repeat of yesterday's post this afternoon if I have an opportunity.
Meanwhile, I'll just throw a few items on the board...
Sweet and sour soup, with tree ears, lemon grass, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, sliced ginger, and sea weed. There's a seperate pot of the soup with (gag reflex) tofu in it for the purists. This is pretty hot, with some of those Thai hot peppers chopped up in it.
Steak sandwich on hearty rye bread, with mayonaise, tomato, lettuce, and sweet onion.
Double stuffed baked potatoes your choice with cheese, sour cream and chive, garlic, or spicy cajun.
Deep fried mozzarella balls with a tangy marinara sauce.
Buffalo style chicken wings. 3 different levels... Tangy, Hot (itchy lips hot), and KABOOM! If you order KABOOM! just be careful not to inhale as you bring a wing near your mouth.....You'll choke, I guarantee it!
Special on tap: Green Flash Nut Brown Ale. A rich, malty, nutty ale, with plenty of character. One of the very few beers that I will admit tastes better served not ice cold. (But I still like it colder than the brewer suggests)

[paladin]

Pedernales River style chili (Lyndon Johnson's favorite) made with the last of the buffalo that I had in the freezer....
Deep fried (chikkin' fried suthrin' style) Wabbitt
fried okra
fresh sliced beefsteak tomatoes, green onions, shredded cheddar cheese
sourdough bread, toasted
reheated russian boar, deep pit cooked with bananna leaves
Iced tea with plenty of ice
booze on tap....Raisin Jack, made in an old bladder type fuel tank, milk of 40 coconuts, 1 block of brewers yeast, 5 pounds of raisins, 10 pounds of sugar, and 20 apples, diced,2 gallons water, let sit on the beach for two weeks, strain.....

[floatingabove]

I see how it is lefty you notice when others aren't around but not me ..hummf!!

[SaltyD from BC]

Happy hump day folks.. No, not that hump - the hump in the week. Wednsesday being in the middle..... ah never mind..

So who's up for a game of long range darts? Three shots from the bar here, closest to the dart board wins. Think I'll have a beer first barkeep...

[S/V Laura Ellen]

Ouch!!
Watch it there Salty, nice shot, I'm not anywhere near the dartboard.

[SaltyD from BC]

Sorry bud, let me buy you a beer

Happy hump day everyone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAeYTC_uY54

[Spin_Drift]

Baked some bread for You and the Patrons...

Got three loaves of each...

Enjoy....

[floatingabove]

might I have one of those full of clam chowder they look delightful!!!! there pretty big though so who wants to share one???

[Mrleft8]

I see how it is lefty you notice when others aren't around but not me ..hummf!!

Carter said she saw you at the store yesterday..... I knew you were OK!
Maple glazed baked ham, with sliced fresh pineapple, and cloves. Served with macaroni and cheese, or as a sandwich on pumpernickle, with spicy brown mustard, and your choice of cheese.
Chef's salad, with tender chunks of boneless chicken breast, and bits of creamy cheddar.
Slow cooked chinese style ribs. Sweet and tangy, with a biting hot dipping sauce, or a mild teryaki sauce. Served with home made hand cut fries.
Special on tap: Hambleton Toleration Ale. From North Yorkshire, England. A sweet, almost syrupy beer that reminds me of a "Scotch Ale". Curiously enough, there is no barley, rye, or wheat in this ale, and it is reputed to be gluten free, a gift to those with an intolerance to gluten....Hence the name.
It's definately fruity, and flowery, but not overwhelmingly so.

[Mrleft8]

Now, to pick up where we left off....
MMMMMMMMM! Nothing like waking up to the smell of coffee, and Spruce Grouse cooking over the camp fire!.... CAMP FIRE!! I sat straight up,Whacking my head on the hemlock roof, eyes wide open. Hendrik was sound asleep next to me in the lean-to. I scrambled outside. The aroma was unmistakable. There was no visible smoke, but a single large black feather of ash wafted across the bay and landed at the water's edge.
There'd been fire fighting planes rotating along the lake for several days. filling up to fight an enormous fire to the north. When we'd left base camp the fire had already consumed an area the size of Massachussetts and Connecticut combined. Could this be a finger from that fire slipping south? An hour later there was just a vague haze of smoke, and more of the floating black ash. Eyes itching I told the bleary eyed Hendrik that I was going across to the other side of the bay to see If we could find out where the fire was. I told him to stick close to camp, and keep an eye out for smoldering embers. (A brief note here: I was only 16 and not smart enough to think this through, that burning embers could not only provide us with a camp fire, but also set the whole forrest around us ablaze...)
By the time I got over near the beaver lodge my eyes were itchy, and my nose was runny. I still couldn't see the fire, but I could see that the planes where dumping their load across the lake directly behind the island that blocked our view. Probably just over a mile away. I continued on along the shore for another hour or so, looking for information, and food.
As suddenly as it had come, the smoke cleared, and there was a fresh cool breeze. All but one of the planes, a "Beaver", started heading back up to the fire up north. I gave up then, and started back towards camp, cutting across the points of land that probed out into the lake and bays.
When I got back to the beaver lodge I poked around a bit to see if they were home. Who knows?
Walking back along the shore I looked glumly at the frogs in the lilies... "you live another day". I'd heard enough stories about evil stomach bugs that could be caught from eating raw aquatic animals... No thanks!
When I got back to camp, there was Hendrik on his hands and knees, with his back to me. My first thought was that the idiot was puking right there in the middle of camp. Then I saw the thin curl of inky black smoke twist up past his ear... Hendrik turned and cracked a huge toothy smile and gave me the thumbs up sign.
Even soaking wet Birch bark makes a spectacular fire starting fuel. A tiny spark, A bit of fuzz from an abandoned Bluejay nest, and some shredded Birch bark, and we were back in the game! I quickly made a spear from an Aspen sapling to catch some of those smug leapers!

[Spin_Drift]

See if I bake again...

No-one even noticed the fresh breads...What a waste...

[Mrleft8]

See if I bake again...

No-one even noticed the fresh breads...What a waste...

What are you talking about? Floater just asked for a big bowl of chowder served in one, and I was saving the rest for dinner! Thanks for the card )

[Spin_Drift]

What are you talking about? Floater just asked for a big bowl of chowder served in one, and I was saving the rest for dinner! Thanks for the card )

Ooh...The loaves are so big, I had no idea someone would use them for a bowl... I must have lost something in the translation again...

The card was from all of us...something else is to follow, or it too might have arrived already...