I ache. I still feel tired.
The wilderness canoe and camping trip was exhausting, as an ambitious plan seems to have angered the wind gods to push back a bit, and make the 'plan" far too much. As Odysseus was blown off course for years, having angered Poseidon (ruler of the sea and waters) and Aeolus (ruler of the winds), so were the Epicurean campers delayed and buffeted, first by Eurus (East wind god), then by Boreas, (North wind god) and at the end by Zephyrus (West wind god). Only Notus (South wind god) was not angry.
Poseidon was particularly angry, as he caused the fish to refuse to bite and even freed fish that were caught by Les Grands Pêcheurs (the great fishermen). Our only fish dinner was from the generosity (and overabundant catch) of another fisherman.
The furthest portage - aka Le Grand Portage - was about two miles long. Sure, over flat ground carrying a 60 lb. pack would be relatively easy. But imagine doing that after a three hour paddle in your canoe, then having the first 200 yards straight up a rocky path, followed by a thousand yards of rocky twisting trail up and down. Then you have to return and do it again. Add it up: almost six miles, four with a 60 lb. pack and almost three over very rugged paths.
You think: but the far wilderness you reached must have been wonderful. Uh ... nope - it was just another lake and the best two camp sites were taken. The fish were reluctant to bite. The only good thing about the area was that we could see an osprey nest on the island where we camped with a fledgling on top of a high, dead tree. The osprey would swoop over the lake, catch a fish & return to feed its young. That was cool.
Too much work, too little fun. A very poor work/fun ratio.
On the bright side are two items.
First, I survived. The other Epicurean campers did not have to hold a Viking funeral for me, pushing a burning canoe (charged to my credit card) into the lake in a blaze of glory.
Second, I learned a marvelous recipe from Grand Jean. He was surely the first class Epicurean camper, making several fine omelettes [with real eggs!!!] for breakfast or lunch and sipping Irish whisky in the evening. The recipe he showed me was so special that I'll save it for tomorrow. He made it for Big Al and himself as they were experimenting with various camping techniques jointly in preparation for a trip to northern Minnesota.
Actions
None. The model has a weak sell signal for real estate stocks, caused likely by the stability of the TIAA real estate fund. I will wait.
Word of the Day
"Nadir" - noun [$10]
Nadir means the lowest point.
Sentence: The psychological nadir of Le Grand Portage was not the physical hardship of the 200 yard climb with a 60 lb pack, but was the crowd of people at the portage at the very end: half a dozen canoes and over a dozen people in a small landing point made it seem like Grand Central Station in the wilderness. Ugh !
Showing posts with label wilderness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wilderness. Show all posts
Monday, August 22, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
A Bit of French
Les Mots de la Semaine
"Le Pêcheur" - noun [$10] ê is pronounced as it 'pet'
Le pêcheur means the fisherman (male).
"Le Pécheur - noun [$10] é is pronounced 'ay' as in 'day'
Le pécheur mean the sinner [male]
La Phrase: L'homme du bunker espère que Grand Al et Grand Jean sont les grands pêcheurs, et non les grands pécheurs.
Sentence: Bunkerman hopes that Big Al and Big John are great fishermen, and not great sinners.
[Otherwise, he's a couple dinner meals short for the wilderness canoe trip next week. ]
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Epicurean Camping
A true epicure lives mostly a frugal and ascetic life, but has refined taste in a few dimensions of life, such food and drink. In camping/canoeing, that means combining the primitive with some fine accompaniments for pleasure. This photo provides an example of how to do this in practice. You can see my typical breakfast: hardtack, peanut butter, jelly and black coffee. The "finer" components are the peanut butter & jelly and the freshly perked (not instant!) coffee. The hardtack is .. very ascetic. [It's in the white box, made at a bakery that made it in the Civil War.]
You can also see the wine from the prior evening's festivities around the campfire: as Woody (the attending oenophile) said, a plain, undistinguished red wine ... but it was wine in the wilderness! With our steak & baked potato dinner (with sour cream & chives), that was an epicurean camping exemplified.
Actions
Waiting.
Word of the Day"Gourmand" - noun [$10]
Gourmand means one who delights in eating heartily and well. Usage: A gourmand is one who loves good food and drink and sometimes partakes of them to excess; a gourmet or an epicure , on the other hand, has discriminating and cultivated taste in food and wine.
Sentence: The problem with being a gourmand is the expanding waistline; being a simple epicure is better.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Man vs. Nature
Man lost on Friday in a small confrontation. That was when I and my fellow canoeist - The Mariner - attempted to exit Algonquin National Park in Canada via Round Lake. We and all the Epicurean campers had had a fine trip - a bit wet, perhaps, and on that last morning had negotiated 36 winding turns in the Amable du Fond River. The wind was calm, the trees at nearly peak color. The final portage was behind us. Then we entered Round Lake and ... whoooosh. Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, was exerting his power ... right into our faces and from the place we had to go to exit the park.
The Mariner shouted, "Steer into the wind, mate". That's the only way to make progress and maintain our steering. [The Mariner was in the bow and Bunkerman was in the stern of our 17' canoe - heavily laden.] We made slow progress, but the wind was increasing. Round Lake is not completely round - it's got a funnel shape on the east side towards the river and we were in the funnel. We were blown off course a couple times - The Mariner said the wind had a cross-current. We persevered. Stroke, stroke and on and on for about an hour, but very slow progress.
Steering was getting harder. The waves were getting larger.
The larger waves begin to toss water into the canoe amidships. Bunkerman shouted to The Mariner, "We're taking on water !" Still we paddled on and on. Then more water - worse - and steering broke down. Bunkerman shouted, "We're not going to make it". We had negotiated only a fraction of the distance . Sinking would really suck ! We chose to head to shore and rode there in a wave-tossed ride like a rocket with the wind. Smashing into the small trees, we held on, but were taking on more water as we were now parallel to the waves.
We struggled to edge around a log, made it to a small beach and lashed the canoe to some trees. Big Al came by to help - he had a kayak and thus much less wind resistance. We told Big Al that we'd walk for help. That we did and then after a couple hours, a CD$40 "taxi" ride for 5 miles, and the help of Big Al and Mrs. Al, we had the canoe and our gear back at the rental site at the park's entrance/exit.
We had survived !
The lesson ? Make your exit day flexible. The prior day was a fine day for canoeing - had we left the day before, we would have avoided this near disaster. Perhaps plan a longer trip, but keep a flexible exit day.
One more thing: in my "humble" opinion, the GORP prize goes to Mrs. Al. Her GORP had little butterscotch chips that imparted a fine delicate flavor. Congrats, Mrs. Al for your championship GORP. [GORP = Good, Old Raisins & Peanuts, a canoeist-hiker's nutritious snack food which can contain whatever else the maker wishes for better flavor.]
Actions
I checked the model and the weak sell signal for gold+silver is still there. TIPs are at a new high and I plan to sell more of those. I think I'll slowly take that allocation to zero. Those yield almost nothing and price risk is now very high. I also plan to cut back teh US stock allocation as the S&P approaches 1200.
Word of the Day
"Eidetic" - adjective [$10]
Eidetic means (of a mental image) having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible
Sentence: The winds, waves, whitecaps and water sloshing into our canoe has been imprinted as an eidetic image onto Bunkerman's memory cells.
The Mariner shouted, "Steer into the wind, mate". That's the only way to make progress and maintain our steering. [The Mariner was in the bow and Bunkerman was in the stern of our 17' canoe - heavily laden.] We made slow progress, but the wind was increasing. Round Lake is not completely round - it's got a funnel shape on the east side towards the river and we were in the funnel. We were blown off course a couple times - The Mariner said the wind had a cross-current. We persevered. Stroke, stroke and on and on for about an hour, but very slow progress.
Steering was getting harder. The waves were getting larger.
The larger waves begin to toss water into the canoe amidships. Bunkerman shouted to The Mariner, "We're taking on water !" Still we paddled on and on. Then more water - worse - and steering broke down. Bunkerman shouted, "We're not going to make it". We had negotiated only a fraction of the distance . Sinking would really suck ! We chose to head to shore and rode there in a wave-tossed ride like a rocket with the wind. Smashing into the small trees, we held on, but were taking on more water as we were now parallel to the waves.
We struggled to edge around a log, made it to a small beach and lashed the canoe to some trees. Big Al came by to help - he had a kayak and thus much less wind resistance. We told Big Al that we'd walk for help. That we did and then after a couple hours, a CD$40 "taxi" ride for 5 miles, and the help of Big Al and Mrs. Al, we had the canoe and our gear back at the rental site at the park's entrance/exit.
We had survived !
The lesson ? Make your exit day flexible. The prior day was a fine day for canoeing - had we left the day before, we would have avoided this near disaster. Perhaps plan a longer trip, but keep a flexible exit day.
One more thing: in my "humble" opinion, the GORP prize goes to Mrs. Al. Her GORP had little butterscotch chips that imparted a fine delicate flavor. Congrats, Mrs. Al for your championship GORP. [GORP = Good, Old Raisins & Peanuts, a canoeist-hiker's nutritious snack food which can contain whatever else the maker wishes for better flavor.]
Actions
I checked the model and the weak sell signal for gold+silver is still there. TIPs are at a new high and I plan to sell more of those. I think I'll slowly take that allocation to zero. Those yield almost nothing and price risk is now very high. I also plan to cut back teh US stock allocation as the S&P approaches 1200.
Word of the Day
"Eidetic" - adjective [$10]
Eidetic means (of a mental image) having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible
Sentence: The winds, waves, whitecaps and water sloshing into our canoe has been imprinted as an eidetic image onto Bunkerman's memory cells.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Minimal vs. Maximal
Last year on the wilderness "Epicurean" canoe+camping trip, I tried to be a minimalist. That means taking as little gear as possible and being as self-sufficient as possible and having gear that did not seem decadent. After all, this was a wilderness trip. I had never been on a long canoe trip like this before and did not understand that for portages, when one must carry all the gear & canoe for a short distance over land from one lake/river to another, taking two trips was not only possible, but common practice.
This year, I'm going Maximal. Why limit myself to one backpack of gear ? I have hands. I lift weights. I can carry more gear in them as I hump over the portage. Except for the portage, the canoe carries all the weight. That's the great benefit of water travel that pioneers understood. I bought a fine waterproof duffel bag from Cabala's [ http://www.cabelas.com/ ] and I've put lots of gear into it: my sleeping pad and bag, some more clothes in case mine get wet, a warm coat, my coffee pot & coffee, a camp stool (so I won't have to sit on wet ground or a wet log), and some assorted other gear. It's fairly heavy, but the portages aren't that long.
Having the duffel bag also let me diversify my supplies of food and clothes - I split them into two parts and packed part in the backpack and part in the duffel bag. In case of accident and loss of one set, I'll have the second ... and will survive !
Perhaps I've overdone it. If so, next year I've know enough to hit an Aristotelian virtuous optimum.
PS: no posts next week as I will be on the Epicurean camping trip.
Actions
Futures are up this AM. I'm still riding on my Brontosaurus, looking for the next water hole when I'll get off and into the trees. But until then, it's a fine, enjoyable ride.
Word of the Day
"Farrago" - noun, plural [$10]
Farrago means a confused mixture, hodgepodge, medley: a farrago of doubts, fears, hopes and wishes.
Sentence: The P-O-R 'stimulus' was mostly a farrago of gifts to states to subsidize overpaid state employees and payoffs to political support groups. Less than 10% went to true stimulus - buying and fixing things that are needed such as roads, bridges, rails ports, air ports, air traffic control, high speed Internet, and valuable conservation and historic preservation projects that increase tourism. The P-O-R 'stimulus was squandered and that' why US poverty and unemployment are distressingly high.
This year, I'm going Maximal. Why limit myself to one backpack of gear ? I have hands. I lift weights. I can carry more gear in them as I hump over the portage. Except for the portage, the canoe carries all the weight. That's the great benefit of water travel that pioneers understood. I bought a fine waterproof duffel bag from Cabala's [ http://www.cabelas.com/ ] and I've put lots of gear into it: my sleeping pad and bag, some more clothes in case mine get wet, a warm coat, my coffee pot & coffee, a camp stool (so I won't have to sit on wet ground or a wet log), and some assorted other gear. It's fairly heavy, but the portages aren't that long.
Having the duffel bag also let me diversify my supplies of food and clothes - I split them into two parts and packed part in the backpack and part in the duffel bag. In case of accident and loss of one set, I'll have the second ... and will survive !
Perhaps I've overdone it. If so, next year I've know enough to hit an Aristotelian virtuous optimum.
PS: no posts next week as I will be on the Epicurean camping trip.
Actions
Futures are up this AM. I'm still riding on my Brontosaurus, looking for the next water hole when I'll get off and into the trees. But until then, it's a fine, enjoyable ride.
Word of the Day
"Farrago" - noun, plural [$10]
Farrago means a confused mixture, hodgepodge, medley: a farrago of doubts, fears, hopes and wishes.
Sentence: The P-O-R 'stimulus' was mostly a farrago of gifts to states to subsidize overpaid state employees and payoffs to political support groups. Less than 10% went to true stimulus - buying and fixing things that are needed such as roads, bridges, rails ports, air ports, air traffic control, high speed Internet, and valuable conservation and historic preservation projects that increase tourism. The P-O-R 'stimulus was squandered and that' why US poverty and unemployment are distressingly high.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
On the Trail II
Yesterday the market gods continued their "symposium" - in the ancient Greek sense of a drinking party - as the steady rally ground higher. Gold rose, too. Copper is close to cracking through $3 per troy ounce upward. The trading seems to rotate from group to group, but the resource stocks are pushing to recovery highs, hence must be considered leaders. I suppose some financials are "leaders", too, but I have a very hard time seeing significant further growth there as the recovery continues to gain steam.
The action didn't seem to be a blow-off, rip up that would certainly cause me to sell some of the calls options in the 1-2-3 Fund. Fido Fund's resource stocks are doing very well. Thus, I continue to sit.
Europe is up this morning. Europe and the emerging markets continue to lead the recovery in both the markets and in the real economy. Thanks, Obama & Congress, for giving us a wasteful, ineffective stimulus plan. What knaves !
Tomahawks
On the trail one needs a good, sturdy, sharp tomahawk. That was proven by centuries of trappers and mountain men in exploring and opening up the North American wilderness. I suppose many people do not realize that the American Indians did NOT have the ability to manufacture their own tomahawks. The American Indians before the white man were a neolithic* [Word of the Day] culture with no metal tools or weapons - not even copper or bronze - and no horses or any other draft animals. They did not use the wheel for transportation. The tomahawk was sold by the white man as a trade good - it was a simple, useful iron hand ax that the Indians quickly adopted and extended its uses.
What are the characteristics of a useful, modern tomahawk ? Light, sharp, a hammer rear head, and a simple, easily replaceable handle. Lightness is important as one must lug it over portages or when backpacking. I have a special replica tomahawk crafted by and to replicate one found in Virginia and used in the French & Indian War. My paternal ancestors fought the Indians then (circa 1764) on the frontier, which was then the eastern Appalachian mountain areas, hence I treasure this particular model which I purchased based on a review in Muzzleloader magazine years ago [see http://www.muzzleloadermag.com/ ]. I took it on the canoe wilderness trip and found it very, very useful. BUT its handle is rather well crafted as a true replica and would not be easy for me to replace.
After the trip I began looking for a more common but effective tomahawk that I could use without fear of loss or damage, being easily replaceable. I found one quickly from another review in Muzzleloader magazine. They are both available from http://www.octobercountry.com/ [mine is the "Ft Turner Camp tomahawk"]. I see the tomahawk is handmade in the US and also available from the manufacturer at http://www.fortturner.com/index.html for the same $60 price - see "Camp Tomahawk".
I bought the version named "Ft. Turner Camp Tomahawk" and the related sheath. It came yesterday and I am very, very happy with it. It's just a bit heavier than my exact replica, but the extra weight is in the head and would add to chopping power. I'm going to buy another one today and some replacement handles, too, as I like to practice throwing it.
Word of the Day
"Neolithic" - adjective [$10]
Neolithic means of or denoting the cultural period beginning around 10,000 B. C. in the Near East and later elsewhere and marked by by the invention of farming and the making of technically advanced stone implements.
Sentence: In 1492, American Indian culture and technology was neolithic, far, far behind the culture and technology of western Europe, China and India. For practical purposes, at best the more advanced Indian cultures in the western hemisphere were roughly at the level of 3,000 B.C. in the Near East, hence were 4,500 years behind the most advanced Eurasian cultures. Isn't it odd how modern revisionists forget this simple fact when assessing the impact and migration of the white man to the New World?
Le Mot du Jour
"Sortilége" - noun, masculine
Le sortilége means a (magic) spell.
La Phrase: Parfois pour rire, je jete un sortilége vaudou influencer les marchées. Quelquefois, il marche, quelquefois, il ne marche pas.
Sentence: Somtimes for fun, I cast a voodoo spell to influence the markets. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work.
The action didn't seem to be a blow-off, rip up that would certainly cause me to sell some of the calls options in the 1-2-3 Fund. Fido Fund's resource stocks are doing very well. Thus, I continue to sit.
Europe is up this morning. Europe and the emerging markets continue to lead the recovery in both the markets and in the real economy. Thanks, Obama & Congress, for giving us a wasteful, ineffective stimulus plan. What knaves !
Tomahawks
On the trail one needs a good, sturdy, sharp tomahawk. That was proven by centuries of trappers and mountain men in exploring and opening up the North American wilderness. I suppose many people do not realize that the American Indians did NOT have the ability to manufacture their own tomahawks. The American Indians before the white man were a neolithic* [Word of the Day] culture with no metal tools or weapons - not even copper or bronze - and no horses or any other draft animals. They did not use the wheel for transportation. The tomahawk was sold by the white man as a trade good - it was a simple, useful iron hand ax that the Indians quickly adopted and extended its uses.
What are the characteristics of a useful, modern tomahawk ? Light, sharp, a hammer rear head, and a simple, easily replaceable handle. Lightness is important as one must lug it over portages or when backpacking. I have a special replica tomahawk crafted by and to replicate one found in Virginia and used in the French & Indian War. My paternal ancestors fought the Indians then (circa 1764) on the frontier, which was then the eastern Appalachian mountain areas, hence I treasure this particular model which I purchased based on a review in Muzzleloader magazine years ago [see http://www.muzzleloadermag.com/ ]. I took it on the canoe wilderness trip and found it very, very useful. BUT its handle is rather well crafted as a true replica and would not be easy for me to replace.
After the trip I began looking for a more common but effective tomahawk that I could use without fear of loss or damage, being easily replaceable. I found one quickly from another review in Muzzleloader magazine. They are both available from http://www.octobercountry.com/ [mine is the "Ft Turner Camp tomahawk"]. I see the tomahawk is handmade in the US and also available from the manufacturer at http://www.fortturner.com/index.html for the same $60 price - see "Camp Tomahawk".
I bought the version named "Ft. Turner Camp Tomahawk" and the related sheath. It came yesterday and I am very, very happy with it. It's just a bit heavier than my exact replica, but the extra weight is in the head and would add to chopping power. I'm going to buy another one today and some replacement handles, too, as I like to practice throwing it.
Word of the Day
"Neolithic" - adjective [$10]
Neolithic means of or denoting the cultural period beginning around 10,000 B. C. in the Near East and later elsewhere and marked by by the invention of farming and the making of technically advanced stone implements.
Sentence: In 1492, American Indian culture and technology was neolithic, far, far behind the culture and technology of western Europe, China and India. For practical purposes, at best the more advanced Indian cultures in the western hemisphere were roughly at the level of 3,000 B.C. in the Near East, hence were 4,500 years behind the most advanced Eurasian cultures. Isn't it odd how modern revisionists forget this simple fact when assessing the impact and migration of the white man to the New World?
Le Mot du Jour
"Sortilége" - noun, masculine
Le sortilége means a (magic) spell.
La Phrase: Parfois pour rire, je jete un sortilége vaudou influencer les marchées. Quelquefois, il marche, quelquefois, il ne marche pas.
Sentence: Somtimes for fun, I cast a voodoo spell to influence the markets. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
On the Trail
Today is another slow news Wednesday. The 1-2-3 Fund is doing well - it's up about 12% in total asset value since I purchased the call options positions about ten days ago. The options themselves are up around 36%, but I deployed only 1/3 of the fund's assets into them. I'm just holding as the moves so far don't seem to have blow-off characteristics. The stocks are just big, "boring" companies with substantial overseas revenues: UTX, PG, CAT, MT, RIMM, MMM, BA, ITW, GOOG and HBC. If no "blow-off" actions occurs sooner, I'll consider paring back the positions around S&P 1100.
Trail Food
In the canoe or on the trail in the wilderness, one needs good backup food supplies if the fishing and hunting is not productive or if you are just enjoying the scenery and fresh air. On my recent canoe trip I experimented with three traditional sources. Also, I tasted some of the supplemental food of the Epicurean Campers and will comment on it today. My trail food experiments come from three centuries: 18th, 19th and late 20th centuries.
18th Century - The very early pioneers in the wilderness of North America - trappers and mountain men - carried pemmican as a staple food. The food traditionally was a combination of dried meat, crushed berries and nuts, and rendered fat. It was made into chunks or strips that could be eaten on the move or in camp and would last forever on the trail.
My pemmican was made this way: (1) take equal parts good quality beef jerky, dried fruits and nuts; (2) process each individually until the bits are small; (3) put all in a bowl, mix & add some honey, then add peanut butter (not an oily "all-natural variety - I used Jif reduced fat) until the mixture holds its shape well when you grab a handfull and squeeze. Then form it into little rolls like a Chinese spring roll and wrap individually in wax paper. I put about a dozen pemmican rolls into a plastic zip lock bag. The pemmican easily kept for a month, tasted great, and very filling and nutritious in camp.
19th Century - My 19th century food was hardtack. hardtack was a staple in the Civil war in the Union Army. It's just a large 3 inch square cracker about 1/2 inch thick. The ingredients are wheat flour & water. I bought mine made from this site - it made hardtack in the Civil war and its product is very authentic: http://www.bentscookiefactory.com/Hardtack.html
My hardtack for the canoe trip had been part of my survival stores for years and was about 20 years old. I had it for breakfast every day, making a few experiments to find the best way to eat it. The Union Army soldiers used to fry it in bacon fat or just smash the hardtack with their pistol butts to add to coffee, plus sugar. Alone, hardtack is very, very flat tasting - like baked paste.
But, putting peanut butter on it made the hardtack quite good with coffee. And even better was adding BOTH peanut butter AND jelly. Woody of the Epicureans gave me some jelly on the last couple days and that combination made the hardtack sit up & cheer. It's very filling, too - I usually just had 1.5 crackers each breakfast.
20th century - that was MREs - Meals, Ready to Eat. I have quite a large stockpile for the risk of Armageddon or civil strife, and decided to use some of it on the canoe trip. The MREs were simply superb. Excellent taste, good variety, complete with heaters. The only drawback is they are a bit heavy. But as we were traveling mostly by canoe, the weight was less important.
I bought mine about seven years ago from Long Life Foods here: http://www.longlifefood.com/
They seem identical to the military versions, except the name on the package.
GORP
The snack food of the Epicurean Campers was designated GORP - "good, old raisins & peanuts" as Grand Jean said. I'd didn't take any, but sampled the fare of the Epicureans. In my humble opinion, that of JR (borrowing the signature nickname of oilman JR Ewing of the old TV show, Dallas) was the best. It had plenty of tasty nuts, raisins, other dried fruits and just enough M&Ms, from memory. Other campers' GORP was good, too, except for one: Big Al might be one of Les Grandes Pêcheurs, but putting coconut into GORP got an F in my opinion, and others, too. He came in last in the GORP contest. My pemmican was deemed not an entry.
Word of the Day
"Lief" - adverb[$10] archaic, from Shakespeare
Lief means gladly, willingly
Sentence: I would lief eat the GORP of any of the Epicurean Campers except that of Big Al. He might make a superb pancake, but putting coconut into GORP was downright wierd. Yuck.
Trail Food
In the canoe or on the trail in the wilderness, one needs good backup food supplies if the fishing and hunting is not productive or if you are just enjoying the scenery and fresh air. On my recent canoe trip I experimented with three traditional sources. Also, I tasted some of the supplemental food of the Epicurean Campers and will comment on it today. My trail food experiments come from three centuries: 18th, 19th and late 20th centuries.
18th Century - The very early pioneers in the wilderness of North America - trappers and mountain men - carried pemmican as a staple food. The food traditionally was a combination of dried meat, crushed berries and nuts, and rendered fat. It was made into chunks or strips that could be eaten on the move or in camp and would last forever on the trail.
My pemmican was made this way: (1) take equal parts good quality beef jerky, dried fruits and nuts; (2) process each individually until the bits are small; (3) put all in a bowl, mix & add some honey, then add peanut butter (not an oily "all-natural variety - I used Jif reduced fat) until the mixture holds its shape well when you grab a handfull and squeeze. Then form it into little rolls like a Chinese spring roll and wrap individually in wax paper. I put about a dozen pemmican rolls into a plastic zip lock bag. The pemmican easily kept for a month, tasted great, and very filling and nutritious in camp.
19th Century - My 19th century food was hardtack. hardtack was a staple in the Civil war in the Union Army. It's just a large 3 inch square cracker about 1/2 inch thick. The ingredients are wheat flour & water. I bought mine made from this site - it made hardtack in the Civil war and its product is very authentic: http://www.bentscookiefactory.com/Hardtack.html
My hardtack for the canoe trip had been part of my survival stores for years and was about 20 years old. I had it for breakfast every day, making a few experiments to find the best way to eat it. The Union Army soldiers used to fry it in bacon fat or just smash the hardtack with their pistol butts to add to coffee, plus sugar. Alone, hardtack is very, very flat tasting - like baked paste.
But, putting peanut butter on it made the hardtack quite good with coffee. And even better was adding BOTH peanut butter AND jelly. Woody of the Epicureans gave me some jelly on the last couple days and that combination made the hardtack sit up & cheer. It's very filling, too - I usually just had 1.5 crackers each breakfast.
20th century - that was MREs - Meals, Ready to Eat. I have quite a large stockpile for the risk of Armageddon or civil strife, and decided to use some of it on the canoe trip. The MREs were simply superb. Excellent taste, good variety, complete with heaters. The only drawback is they are a bit heavy. But as we were traveling mostly by canoe, the weight was less important.
I bought mine about seven years ago from Long Life Foods here: http://www.longlifefood.com/
They seem identical to the military versions, except the name on the package.
GORP
The snack food of the Epicurean Campers was designated GORP - "good, old raisins & peanuts" as Grand Jean said. I'd didn't take any, but sampled the fare of the Epicureans. In my humble opinion, that of JR (borrowing the signature nickname of oilman JR Ewing of the old TV show, Dallas) was the best. It had plenty of tasty nuts, raisins, other dried fruits and just enough M&Ms, from memory. Other campers' GORP was good, too, except for one: Big Al might be one of Les Grandes Pêcheurs, but putting coconut into GORP got an F in my opinion, and others, too. He came in last in the GORP contest. My pemmican was deemed not an entry.
Word of the Day
"Lief" - adverb[$10] archaic, from Shakespeare
Lief means gladly, willingly
Sentence: I would lief eat the GORP of any of the Epicurean Campers except that of Big Al. He might make a superb pancake, but putting coconut into GORP was downright wierd. Yuck.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Les Grands Pêcheurs
I returned from the wilderness of northern Algonquin National Park in Canada with renewed vigor and a mind clear of all those daily entanglements that modernity creates. Imagine a life of no watch ... no cell phone ... no appointments ... no clients ... just a need to cope with simple living in nature. It was a wonderful trip and I recommend such trips to everyone.
We woke up around dawn every day and went to bed a little after dusk, or a bit later if the conversation and fire were especially enjoyable. We saw the Milky Way and more stars than I've seen at once for years. The call of the loon kept company, as did the "friendly" squirrels. No mosquitos !!!
And ... the promises of the fishermen were fulfilled !
Big Al and Big John proved themselves to be "les grands pêcheurs" - the great fishermen - as they bagged three smallmouth bass on one day. Those fish provided about 5 pounds of fillets that Big John deep fried over an open fire. He used a simple batter to coat the fish and fried the chunks in deep oil. The fried fish was superb, and was accompanied by wine supplied by that epicurean camper, Woody. A marvelous meal in the wilderness. Other fish were caught, including a large smallmouth weighing perhaps six pounds (no "fish story" - there is a photo), but were released.
Actually, all the campers were epicureans, even myself. I took along both ascetic, simple foods such as hardtack and the elegant - two flasks filled with fine Rémy Martin cognac. If one is willing to lug the gear over the portages, one can take a lot of gear in a canoe to enhance the pleasure of the camps.
I'll write more this week about the trip.
Big Events of the Past Week
The big event of the past week must be the re-appointment of Battleship Ben as head of the Fed. That is excellent. I believe that Obama did not want to do that, but the problems he's having with his health care plan led him to want to avoid any market risks that not appointing Ben might create. With Ben at the helm, I think the risks of a repetition of a 1970s style stagflation are much lower. By the way, this indicates that perhaps Barry reads this blog, as I've written for a couple months how important this re-appointment was. Keep reading, Barry.
The overthrow of the LDP in Japan could be a hugely significant event over the long term. What it could mean for economies and stocks, though, is obscure for now, except I expect the yen to weaken.
Pundits were Wrong Again
All those big mouth naysayers seem to have been wrong about the TARP and Fed interventions costing the taxpayer huge sums.
From FT: "The Federal Reserve has made a $14bn profit on loan programmes that have provided hundreds of billions of dollars in liquidity to the financial system since the start of the crisis two years ago, according to Fed officials. The internal estimate is based on the difference between the fees and interest on the lending facilities and the interest the Fed would have earned had it invested the funds in three-month Treasury bills."
From WSJ: "The U.S. Treasury has so far collected a combined $7.3 billion in dividend payments from many of the hundreds of banks to which it has loaned government capital, its latest report shows."
The gain or loss of these programs to save and re-start the economy will not be known in full until a few more years, but the disaster blather of many big mouth pundits and politicians seems to be in the process of being proven wrong .. again.
Actions
Doing nothing. I'm noodling over creating a list of exporter stocks to buy for Obama Fund. I see the world economic growth being led by increased world trade among the various emerging regions: China, southeast Asia, India, South American, eastern Europe. US exporters should be able to perform well.
Word of the Day
"Circumambulate" - verb [$10] formal
Circumambulate means to walk around or about.
Sentence: With his guide to the trees of Algonquin Park, Bunkerman spent some free time circumambulating the woods near the campsites identifying trees that he had never seen before: Yellow Birch, White Spruce, Mountain Maple. And the giant Hemlocks were magnificent.
We woke up around dawn every day and went to bed a little after dusk, or a bit later if the conversation and fire were especially enjoyable. We saw the Milky Way and more stars than I've seen at once for years. The call of the loon kept company, as did the "friendly" squirrels. No mosquitos !!!
And ... the promises of the fishermen were fulfilled !
Big Al and Big John proved themselves to be "les grands pêcheurs" - the great fishermen - as they bagged three smallmouth bass on one day. Those fish provided about 5 pounds of fillets that Big John deep fried over an open fire. He used a simple batter to coat the fish and fried the chunks in deep oil. The fried fish was superb, and was accompanied by wine supplied by that epicurean camper, Woody. A marvelous meal in the wilderness. Other fish were caught, including a large smallmouth weighing perhaps six pounds (no "fish story" - there is a photo), but were released.
Actually, all the campers were epicureans, even myself. I took along both ascetic, simple foods such as hardtack and the elegant - two flasks filled with fine Rémy Martin cognac. If one is willing to lug the gear over the portages, one can take a lot of gear in a canoe to enhance the pleasure of the camps.
I'll write more this week about the trip.
Big Events of the Past Week
The big event of the past week must be the re-appointment of Battleship Ben as head of the Fed. That is excellent. I believe that Obama did not want to do that, but the problems he's having with his health care plan led him to want to avoid any market risks that not appointing Ben might create. With Ben at the helm, I think the risks of a repetition of a 1970s style stagflation are much lower. By the way, this indicates that perhaps Barry reads this blog, as I've written for a couple months how important this re-appointment was. Keep reading, Barry.
The overthrow of the LDP in Japan could be a hugely significant event over the long term. What it could mean for economies and stocks, though, is obscure for now, except I expect the yen to weaken.
Pundits were Wrong Again
All those big mouth naysayers seem to have been wrong about the TARP and Fed interventions costing the taxpayer huge sums.
From FT: "The Federal Reserve has made a $14bn profit on loan programmes that have provided hundreds of billions of dollars in liquidity to the financial system since the start of the crisis two years ago, according to Fed officials. The internal estimate is based on the difference between the fees and interest on the lending facilities and the interest the Fed would have earned had it invested the funds in three-month Treasury bills."
From WSJ: "The U.S. Treasury has so far collected a combined $7.3 billion in dividend payments from many of the hundreds of banks to which it has loaned government capital, its latest report shows."
The gain or loss of these programs to save and re-start the economy will not be known in full until a few more years, but the disaster blather of many big mouth pundits and politicians seems to be in the process of being proven wrong .. again.
Actions
Doing nothing. I'm noodling over creating a list of exporter stocks to buy for Obama Fund. I see the world economic growth being led by increased world trade among the various emerging regions: China, southeast Asia, India, South American, eastern Europe. US exporters should be able to perform well.
Word of the Day
"Circumambulate" - verb [$10] formal
Circumambulate means to walk around or about.
Sentence: With his guide to the trees of Algonquin Park, Bunkerman spent some free time circumambulating the woods near the campsites identifying trees that he had never seen before: Yellow Birch, White Spruce, Mountain Maple. And the giant Hemlocks were magnificent.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Going into the Wilderness
I'll be on a canoe trip in the wilderness of Canada next week, so there will be no new posts until Monday, August 31. The weather forecasts look OK so far [mostly 70F days & 55F nights with some sun; one day of rain]. I've have just my tomahawk and a big knife to protection, as taking firearms to Canada is a no-no. This trip will be in a Canadian National Park; even the US prohibits firearms in those special places. The location does not have grizzly bears, and we will be camping on islands. Bears can swim, but at least we won't be an easy target.
Actions
The markets still have a bid, especially in Europe. How long this can last without more good news is a question. Reports of mutual fund inflows are a good sign. Still, more good news will be crucial to the survival of this bull market.
I'm doing nothing - on a dip to 950 [S&P], I'll re-buy some stocks. On a major rally to 1100 or even my 1200 target, I'll flip more positions in Fido Fund [60% long] and take gains from equities in Krypto Fund to buy TIPs or whatever is needed for its allocations.
Word of the Day
"Eclectic" - adjective and noun [$10]; from the card file
Eclectic means (adjective) 1. selecting what appears to be the best in various doctrines, methods, or styles; 2. composed of elements from various sources; (noun) one who uses an eclectic method of approach.
Sentence: Bunkerman has an eclectic food supply for the canoe trip: pioneer-style pemmican; Civil War hardtack, modern GI MREs, and fine French cognac. A true wilderness epicurean !
Le Mot du Jour
"Portage" - noun, masculine; and "Portager" - verb, regular -er like manger.
Portage means portage - a place where a water traveler must carry the canoe/boat overland a short distance to the next river/lake.
Portager means to portage.
La Phrase: L'homme du bunker espère que le prémiere portage n'est pas trop difficile.
Sentence: Bunkerman hopes that the first portage is not too difficult.
Actions
The markets still have a bid, especially in Europe. How long this can last without more good news is a question. Reports of mutual fund inflows are a good sign. Still, more good news will be crucial to the survival of this bull market.
I'm doing nothing - on a dip to 950 [S&P], I'll re-buy some stocks. On a major rally to 1100 or even my 1200 target, I'll flip more positions in Fido Fund [60% long] and take gains from equities in Krypto Fund to buy TIPs or whatever is needed for its allocations.
Word of the Day
"Eclectic" - adjective and noun [$10]; from the card file
Eclectic means (adjective) 1. selecting what appears to be the best in various doctrines, methods, or styles; 2. composed of elements from various sources; (noun) one who uses an eclectic method of approach.
Sentence: Bunkerman has an eclectic food supply for the canoe trip: pioneer-style pemmican; Civil War hardtack, modern GI MREs, and fine French cognac. A true wilderness epicurean !
Le Mot du Jour
"Portage" - noun, masculine; and "Portager" - verb, regular -er like manger.
Portage means portage - a place where a water traveler must carry the canoe/boat overland a short distance to the next river/lake.
Portager means to portage.
La Phrase: L'homme du bunker espère que le prémiere portage n'est pas trop difficile.
Sentence: Bunkerman hopes that the first portage is not too difficult.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Nothing
"Rien" is the French word "nothing"; it's an indefinite pronoun, a masculine noun and an adverb. Reading the news this morning (FT, WSJ, BBC, Briefing online, listening to Bloomberg TV) produced nothing to spark my febrile grey matter.
Nothing happened last night. Nothing is happening now. I am doing nothing.
Il ne s'est rien passé la nuit dernière. Il ne se passe rien maintenant. Je ne fais rien.
I miscalculated the volume of my gear for the canoe trip to the wilderness, so today must go to Dick's Sporting Good to buy a larger pack. In simple, the volume of my spare clothes got larger when I looked at a long range weather forecast and saw likely 45F overnights and some rain. Warmer clothes are bulkier. hence the needs for a larger pack. My old West German Army pack won't hold the gear.
I'll write more about my philosophy reading and the lectures I've heard recently, but I learned that my operating philosophy of everyday life is a true "Epicurean". An Epicurean life style is mostly ascetic, but includes a few items and activities of high culture and refinement. For example, I mostly eat simple food and even thought the MREs yesterday were rather good, but I also enjoy a fine meal of sushi and wine twice a week.
Actions
The market rallied to a gain yesterday and futures are up this morning. Europe is up. I'm wary and await better prices for my re-buys. On more good news (which I think will evenually come), though, I think the market will rise significantly to the S&P 1200 area by year end. Krypto Fund has its usual allocations, so will participate even if my smaller intermediate accounts do not.
Word of the Day
"Halcyon" - noun & adjective [$10]
Halcyon means (noun) 1. a mythical bird having the power to calm winds and waves; (adjective)2. calm, peaceful; 3. rich, wealthy, prosperous; 4. happy, joyful, carefree.
Sentence: A bloviating, bow-tied pundit lately is saying that America's halcyon days are over. What he means is vague. Were the Bush II years those halcyon days ? Or the Clinton tech boom & bust ? Or the Reagan years ? I presume he doesn't mean the 1970s or 1960s. Maybe he means the 1950s. Well, that's the thing about pundits. They just blab on and on with no one ever checking the facts or getting a clear definition of their "clever" phrases.
Nothing happened last night. Nothing is happening now. I am doing nothing.
Il ne s'est rien passé la nuit dernière. Il ne se passe rien maintenant. Je ne fais rien.
I miscalculated the volume of my gear for the canoe trip to the wilderness, so today must go to Dick's Sporting Good to buy a larger pack. In simple, the volume of my spare clothes got larger when I looked at a long range weather forecast and saw likely 45F overnights and some rain. Warmer clothes are bulkier. hence the needs for a larger pack. My old West German Army pack won't hold the gear.
I'll write more about my philosophy reading and the lectures I've heard recently, but I learned that my operating philosophy of everyday life is a true "Epicurean". An Epicurean life style is mostly ascetic, but includes a few items and activities of high culture and refinement. For example, I mostly eat simple food and even thought the MREs yesterday were rather good, but I also enjoy a fine meal of sushi and wine twice a week.
Actions
The market rallied to a gain yesterday and futures are up this morning. Europe is up. I'm wary and await better prices for my re-buys. On more good news (which I think will evenually come), though, I think the market will rise significantly to the S&P 1200 area by year end. Krypto Fund has its usual allocations, so will participate even if my smaller intermediate accounts do not.
Word of the Day
"Halcyon" - noun & adjective [$10]
Halcyon means (noun) 1. a mythical bird having the power to calm winds and waves; (adjective)2. calm, peaceful; 3. rich, wealthy, prosperous; 4. happy, joyful, carefree.
Sentence: A bloviating, bow-tied pundit lately is saying that America's halcyon days are over. What he means is vague. Were the Bush II years those halcyon days ? Or the Clinton tech boom & bust ? Or the Reagan years ? I presume he doesn't mean the 1970s or 1960s. Maybe he means the 1950s. Well, that's the thing about pundits. They just blab on and on with no one ever checking the facts or getting a clear definition of their "clever" phrases.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Preparation
My canoe trip to the wilderness next week is the focus of my efforts lately. I'm testing and collecting and sorting my survival gear acquired over the past 25 years to select the best package to take along. Which knives ... which fire starting gear ... which food ... etc., etc. ?
The pemmican I made tastes good, and the hardtack is quite edible with peanut butter. I have some dried fruit, too, for the fish fries I've been assured will occur. Of course, though, I'll be taking some backup food if the fish don't leap onto the hooks of "les pêcheurs" aka the fishermen.
I've always kept a stockpile of MREs for food in case of civil strife or whatever, so I decided to actually eat some today. Mine are about five years old, as I re-stock my supplies every decade. That will let me test their edibility and their heaters - I've never actually eaten or used the heaters to heat the food. Sooooooo ...
For breakfast I'm having the MRE named, "egg omelet with cheese and vegetables". For lunch it will be the "chicken fajita filling" and "shredded potatoes with bacon". I'll also try the other items in the MRE: crackers, dried beverage, etc.
I'll post some "PS" items later as I do this today.
PS: The "egg omelet with cheese and vegetables" was quite edible and tasted OK with a reasonable texture. I'd describe it as a class below the old airline food. Rather than use a heater on my first try, I boiled the pouch for five minutes, which was adequate, but I think six or seven would be better. The pouch required a knife to cut open.
PPS: Just finished the MRE lunch - I thought it was quite good; as good as airline food or better. Lunch was chicken fajita filling (white meat), shredded potatoes with bacon & pineapple pound cake. All very tasty. The heater worked a bit less than the label suggested. I let it heat 15 minutes, but I think a few more would have helped. The food was just warm.
I also had the instant coffee mid-morning. Perfectly good.
Overall, these MREs are a fine source for food on the trail, during civil strife or after a comet hits
Actions
Europe and US futures are down about 1%. Maybe "they" will knock stocks down enough to give me some low risk re-buys. Waiting ...
Word of the Day
"Palatine" - noun & adjective [$10]
Palatine means 1. high officer of an imperial palace; 2. a feudal lord or official exercising sovereign authority over his lands or region (which would be the 'palatinate'); 3. a title of various administrative officials of the late Roman and Byzantine empires. [The term is often seen in writings about Germany, central and eastern Europe in the middle ages.]
Sentence: Why do so many CEOs think of themselves as a palatine and not as working for shareholders ? The problem arises from weak boards of directors and SEC rules the keep them weak.
Le Mot du Jour
"Qui-vive" - noun, masculine, invariant
Qui-vive is mainly used in expressions: être sur le qui-vive.
La Phrase: Soyez sur le qui-vive !
Sentence: Be prepared ! ... or ... Be on the alert !
The pemmican I made tastes good, and the hardtack is quite edible with peanut butter. I have some dried fruit, too, for the fish fries I've been assured will occur. Of course, though, I'll be taking some backup food if the fish don't leap onto the hooks of "les pêcheurs" aka the fishermen.
I've always kept a stockpile of MREs for food in case of civil strife or whatever, so I decided to actually eat some today. Mine are about five years old, as I re-stock my supplies every decade. That will let me test their edibility and their heaters - I've never actually eaten or used the heaters to heat the food. Sooooooo ...
For breakfast I'm having the MRE named, "egg omelet with cheese and vegetables". For lunch it will be the "chicken fajita filling" and "shredded potatoes with bacon". I'll also try the other items in the MRE: crackers, dried beverage, etc.
I'll post some "PS" items later as I do this today.
PS: The "egg omelet with cheese and vegetables" was quite edible and tasted OK with a reasonable texture. I'd describe it as a class below the old airline food. Rather than use a heater on my first try, I boiled the pouch for five minutes, which was adequate, but I think six or seven would be better. The pouch required a knife to cut open.
PPS: Just finished the MRE lunch - I thought it was quite good; as good as airline food or better. Lunch was chicken fajita filling (white meat), shredded potatoes with bacon & pineapple pound cake. All very tasty. The heater worked a bit less than the label suggested. I let it heat 15 minutes, but I think a few more would have helped. The food was just warm.
I also had the instant coffee mid-morning. Perfectly good.
Overall, these MREs are a fine source for food on the trail, during civil strife or after a comet hits
Actions
Europe and US futures are down about 1%. Maybe "they" will knock stocks down enough to give me some low risk re-buys. Waiting ...
Word of the Day
"Palatine" - noun & adjective [$10]
Palatine means 1. high officer of an imperial palace; 2. a feudal lord or official exercising sovereign authority over his lands or region (which would be the 'palatinate'); 3. a title of various administrative officials of the late Roman and Byzantine empires. [The term is often seen in writings about Germany, central and eastern Europe in the middle ages.]
Sentence: Why do so many CEOs think of themselves as a palatine and not as working for shareholders ? The problem arises from weak boards of directors and SEC rules the keep them weak.
Le Mot du Jour
"Qui-vive" - noun, masculine, invariant
Qui-vive is mainly used in expressions: être sur le qui-vive.
La Phrase: Soyez sur le qui-vive !
Sentence: Be prepared ! ... or ... Be on the alert !
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