In the motorcycle shop in Pt. Arena was this little motorcycle made out of what looksd like wood, bamboo and raffia.
Anchovy pizza a la Pt. Arena Cove: first brush with olive oil, then slices of ROMA tomatoes*, small balls of mozarella cut in half (water squeezed out), anchovies. * Roma have v. little water, other tomatoes make pizza too wet. Next time I’m gonna use these tomatoes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0FVm_H_D18
Translation of text from the German:
Daughter: “Tell me Papa, I haven’t even asked you yet. How are you coping with the new iPad we gave you for your birthday?”
Papa: “Good!”
Daughter: “Are you managing all the apps?”
Papa: “What kind of apps? Can you move aside…”
Papa: “What”
Reminded me of another wry (Norwegian) video,”Monk Needs Help Opening a Book,” which I think I posted a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xmTTzCAALc
I bought this little Olympus Cremina machine many years ago for $250 used. It quit working and I bought a used Rancilio Silvia. A while ago I took the Olympus in and got it fixed. I’ve switched to using it now. I like the industrial look. I’m working on my crema. I’ve looked for them online today and the only one for sale (new) was $3850!
On Sirius “’50s on 5” radio now:
…I’m like a one-eyed cat
Sleepin’ in a seafood store…
-Shake, Rattle and Roll, Big Joe Turner
Politics: I cringe somewhat when posting political stuff, but I’ve never been good at sticking to one subject. I just happen to be all over the place. Once in a while something in the political arena strikes me. I don’t claim to be right and in fact, have a record of naiveté and even polyanna-ish hopes, but these thoughts and observations are all part of my world. Give me Obama, disappointments and all, over any of these dangerous creeps visible in the Republican media circus. I don’t have time to get into dialogues on “comments.” Just puttin it out there…
Music de este Domingo: Jimmy Reed, “Big Boss Man”
Big boss man,
Can’t you hear me when I call?
Big boss man,
Can’t you hear me when I call?
Well you not so big,
You just tall, that’s all…
Fishing:
It’s a great crab season. At night there are a dozen or more lights out in the ocean. Pulling crab pots. Think of the competence and resolve of these fishermen, out on the black ocean at night, getting knocked
around if seas are rough, hauling in heavy traps. tossing under-sized ones, and dumping the rest into boxes, then back to port, Not for the faint-hearted. San Francisco crab dinner: cracked crab, salad, sour-dough garlic bread, red wine.
It was a much better year for fish in general. Salmon, halibut, rockfish. Great to see all these guys getting wild local fresh food.
Local Oyster Farm Controversy
The Drake’s Bay Oyster Company is being threatened by the same well-heeled “environmentalists” that recently forced the shutdown (in the next 5 years) of all trailers parked at Lawson’s landing. See my photo-report here: https://www.lloydkahn.com/2011/06/29/lawsons-landing-under-threat-by/
“…Some observers see a David versus Goliath struggle, with a federal agency and moneyed environmental groups picking on a family-run business.…” https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/12/10/norcal_oyster_farm_dispute_spreads_to_capitol_hill/?page=2
For a very complete refutation of the National Parks Service’s bad science and underhanded tactics (in cooperation with the Environmental Action Committee) in an article by John Hulls and Todd Pickering, see: https://russianrivertimes.wordpress.com/
Homesteading
They’ve Made a Better Rat Trap (2 of ’em):
The big problem I’ve had for years is that unless the bait is tied to the trigger, these cunning critters will spirit it away sans springing trap. I was sheet-metal-screwing a ½:”copper plumbing cap to Victor traps, but they would come off. Both these traps have got little cup/triggers you fill (I use Skippy peanut butter) and voila! The springs are also strong. (Got 2 rats last night.)
Woodstream M144 Power Kill Rat Trap
Ortho 0321210 Home Defense Max Secure-Kill Rat Trap
On this subject, here’s an article I wrote a few years ago on critters on the homestead for The Mother Earth News: https://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/Protect-Your-Home-From-Critters.aspx
Homemade Sauerkraut
I got the book Wild Fermentation due to a Cool Tools review: https://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/005221.php
Then got this Polish-made crock: https://www.amazon.com/TSM-Products-Fermentation-Liter-capacity/dp/B002UUT4CI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323633345&sr=8-1
It has a lip you fill with water to keep unfriendly bacteria out. Note: If you want weight (recommended), get the 20-liter stones, not the smaller ones. Anyway, sauerkraut (great for digestion) is composed of — cabbage and salt, nada mas. Simple! First batch worked great. Centuries-old low tech.
Is The Old New Again?
It’s not so much that “…the old is new again,” but that some of the old is mighty relevant in this day and age. To wit, Otis now singing “I’ve Been Loving You For Too Long (To Stop Now),” on a vinyl record, live in Paris, 1967, just sent a chill through me…
Last night I drove over the mountain to meet with my running friends for our semi-annual-or-so sausagefest. I took Lesley’s Mini, and played “Aretha’s Gold,” a masterpiece of an album produced by Jerry Wexler. “Respect” at high volume oh yes! You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman, Chain chain chain, chain of fools…a beautiful dark cold moonlit night, gemütlichkeit inside a cozy cabin…
For 30 years we had an electric stoneground flour mill. It finally gave out and I got a steel-ground mill, and is it great. I realize the stoneground is the better way to go, but the new mill is so fast (20 times as fast), it’s a joy to use. We’re grinding most of our own flour for bread etc. We grind organic California short-grain brown rice for cream of rice cereal. Easy to cook, delicious (a little butter, dark sugar, milk), and it’s a meal of whole grains, freshly ground. I also use it to grind whole oats (called groats) into flour to make sourdough pancakes. No wheat. They’re delicious, and thanks to the sourdough, chewy. Fresh ground whole grains. Easy to do. https://www.thewondermill.com/
Posted on November 28, 2011, Russian River Times by John Hulls & Todd Pickering
“The National Parks Conservation Association’s (NPCA) campaign against the presence of historic Drakes Bay Oyster Company farm (DBOC) in Point Reyes National Seashore has a readily apparent pattern of inflammatory press releases and petitions timed to influence public input. The allegations in these press releases and petitions from NPCA and its coalition show a reckless disregard for the truth, using incendiary language such as, “threats to endangered species”, “repeal of the Wilderness Act”, “causing the deaths of harbor seals”, “wiping out endangered eel grass” and a host of other words and misinformation designed to shock the public into responding to public comment periods for National Park Service actions and to their legislators. These releases are distributed to a wide range of national and local environmental groups who re-release them, creating an echo-chamber of misinformation. None of their charges are true.…”
Long article with pics at: https://russianrivertimes.wordpress.com/
…There’s a juice stand in one of the busiest parts of the city that is 24 sq. ft. The rent? $30,000 per month…The night after I stayed at the printers’ plant, I couldn’t find a hotel room on the internet to save my soul, other than ones for $400, $600 a night. Trevor, a HK native, has a group of about 100 friends that are connected by an app called Whatsapp, so he put out a message. He got about 10 replies and I found a room…Sign on a bus: “No matter how far you go, remember where you are from.” This could refer not only to geographical, but occupational…Hong Kong is vertical; they have just filled in a big section of the bay down by the convention center for more high-rises…The 3 most expensive cities in the world for real estate and rentals are London, Tokyo, and HK; a 1000 sq. ft. condo here is like $800,000…Food is actually cheap if you eat at local restaurants; just had excellent sushi meal for $15.00; dinner last night (slices of smoked duck in broth with rice noodles for breakfast, was $7…weather in summer here is hot and humid, but unlike Rome (“Dog Days”), the city stays as crowded as ever…Streets are actually pretty clean, although there are sewer smells; the city is growing too fast…There are tons of shoe stores; been wearing my Sanuk surfer shoes the entire trip…What they call “hot coffee,” or HK coffee is strong dark coffee with canned milk, v. good…Yesterday I had soup with noodles and slices of abalone…I’ve got the subway figured out; you buy a card that you swipe upon entering — when you exit, you swipe again and it knows how far you’ve gone and deducts appropriate amount; subway system is brilliant: clean, trains run frequently (every minute at rush hours), are clean, air conditioned. I got so I felt pretty clever making my way around…Had glass of iced coconut juice yesterday while roaming…
“English taxidermist Jonathan McGowan has made roadkill his sole diet for the past 30 years. At the age of 14, he tried a dead adder and while it didn’t taste very good, it made him curious to try other roadkill finds.
The taxidermist lists fox, venison and deer among his favourite meats – but he has eaten everything the countryside has to offer over the years.
With thousands of animals being found dead at the roadside every year, Mr McGowan has varied if – on the face of it – slightly unedifying pickings.
He has eaten mice, moles, hedeghogs, squirrels, rats, foxes, badgers, hares, rabbits, deer, stoats, weasels, polecats, otters, wildcats, pheasants, finches, thrushes, ducks, geese, pigeons, owls, crows, gulls, blackbirds and cormorants.
He says many animals taste much better than people would expect.”
From: https://laughingsquid.com/english-taxidermist-chooses-to-live-on-exotic-roadkill-diet-for-30-years/
Thanks to Kevin Kelly
Dinner last night at the Kartoffelkuche restaurant in Bad Homburg. Himmel und erde, Heaven and earth: mashed potatoes, chopped liver, bacon und blutwurst, mit apple sauce. The name means, I take it — couldn’t get any better. Delicious and hearty. With two glasses of (dry) apple wine. Felt like I should have spent a day working in the fields to justify this.