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By Dave, November 19, 2007 11:13 am

You should never meddle with dragons…….for you are crunchy and good with ketchup

Author unknown.

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By Dave, November 14, 2007 10:09 am

www.camp-cook.com :: Index

New cast iron/camping cooking forum. Not much there yet but it’s just getting started. There are some tips on seasoning and cooking in dutch ovens that are quite good.

Gonna have to get/build a metal table that I can use to cook on when on the road/not around a campfire. Just not up to spending $140 + for one of the Lodge ready mades…

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By Dave, November 13, 2007 10:50 pm

Just been either busy or camping. Or both.

Last weekend was an airsoft weekend and we had food too so was quite a busy time for yours truly. Also added into the mix was that it was the first time in the camper. Pulled it to the site late Friday afternoon and set it up. Stayed in it that night but with just the futon was not quite up to my old bones or I was not up to it or something. Saturday night was spent at the house. Sunday was back to the camper and the addition of our camping foam pads. Tis good enough but would like another inch of foam or something.

Cat picked up a 12″ Lodge dutch oven Friday. I seasoned it somewhat and cooked some chicken and veggies that night for lunch on Saturday and they were pronounced good as most of them were eaten just after taking off the coals. Saturday she went back and got a 14″ too. With the two of them I think we can cook just about anything. I also have a smaller piece that I think is a bean pot for cooking over coals. Will get a pix of it soon. And of the other stuff. Made a lid lifter but after seeing pix of another one today will be making some major changes to it or just building another all together. Also made a couple of different lid holders.

Got to get the forge back in operation so I can make some other stuff too. Moved all the blacksmithing stuff inside the side shed of the barn. Will try to get a shed built over the area this week so I can get it up and working again. Am gonna build a propane fired forge for small stuff. Got most of what I need and the rest can be bought or built.

Took some old fiberglass tent rods and modified them to help support the canvas at the back of the camper. Will get pix of that too. Too much to try to explain. Rained tonight for the first time in ages. No puddling on the canvas at all. Now need to make side walls with mosquito netting covered windows with zip shut shutters and a zip closed door. Got another old tent or two I may be able to get parts for them from.

Got a lot of organizing left to do to be ready to go camping for real. Figure we’ll make a few more dry runs over here prior to the real thing. Got changes to make to shelves and storage now. Bungies hold the drawers shut fine. Another thing I need to get a picture of.

Spent the last couple of days at the campsite. Have gotten (somewhat) the hang of cooking with the dutch ovens. Biscuits are quite good cooked in one. Did basic drop biscuits with added egg and cheese this morning. Changed the taste and texture. Did cornbread in the 14″ the other day. Burned the bottom (I know why now too) but the rest was quite good. This morning used the lid of the 14″, upside down on the lid holder, with coals underneath as a griddle and cooked the sausage and scrambled eggs. Easy way to do it. 12″ had the biscuits cooking at the same time. Took about 15 to 17 minutes to cook both and be ready to eat. Just got to get the fire going to get the coals first. Will get some charcoal brickets and try cooking with them soon.

Moved the camper back up here to the house to finish the trim and wiring and all the other little details. Took about 15 minutes to put the tarp up. Gonna make some changes in the way I do it but need a couple of rubber straps first. Just got it up when the rain started so sat and watched it run off for a while. Started blowing a bit and came in. May stay out there again tonight. Just testing things out.

And over and out…

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By Dave, November 5, 2007 9:24 am

Horological Experiments : Arcane Times : CafePress.com

Cool Steampunk style clocks! Battery operated, but with ultra cool artwork.

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By Dave, November 1, 2007 7:51 pm

Got the kitchen counter done today. Tile that I had to cut got ground down a bit for a better/cleaner fit. Used the belt sander to clean the edges and ends up. Worked fine. Another couple of days work and I think we are ready to go camping. 😉
Continue reading 'Kitchen counter is almost done'»

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By Dave, October 31, 2007 11:56 pm

Been doing wiring and trying to finish up the kitchen. Still got bits of both to do but getting closer. Put in a bunch of outlets and still got at least 3 more to go. Got to take the couch/bed plywood off to get to where I can do them though. Should have waited till the end to put the frame in. Will know better next time. Bottom course of counter is done. Still got to skin the electrical but still got 12 volt stuff that goes in there too. And more smurf conduit to run to the tongue box which I have still got to build. And so on and so forth. On to the pix… 😉
Continue reading 'Wiring hell'»

Comments Off on 1968 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow SRH SOLD

By Dave, October 31, 2007 10:24 pm

SOLD. Basic info is as follows:

1968 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow SRH – English right hand drive.
This is a complete project car ready for restoration. An opportunity to own, restore, and drive one of the worlds most renowned & respected legendary automobiles for only SOLD.

Serious inquires only – For more information call SOLD

Pictures below the fold.
Continue reading '1968 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow SRH SOLD'»

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By Dave, October 30, 2007 10:29 pm

Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers :: Index

Don’t think I have posted this link before, but I have been spending quite a bit (and maybe too much) time there since finding it. It is THE place for info and help on building your own teardrop or tiny travel trailer! They have lots of plans and a whole bunch of scans of old mag articles on building your own camper. Huge forum with build pix and a super nice bunch of folks. Check them out!

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By Dave, October 30, 2007 10:14 pm

Coffee Bean Goddess: I Think I “Get” It

Traditional Yorkshire Pudding, what it is and how to make it. Tis an eatable bowl of sorts. Gonna have to make one and try it out. Sounds quite good.

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By Dave, October 30, 2007 3:41 pm

Finally got around to it. After a daybreak wakeup call from the fan in the external hard drive case dying that is. The previous link I posted to the site with info on doing the replacement is NOT for the same computer. There are quite a few differences between the one he has and the one I have. LOT of the screws are in different places or just not there. As well as a bunch that are in mine that aren’t in his. Such is life in the world of Apple. Stupid asshats!!! There is NO excuse other than greed to make the hard drive in a laptop that hard to replace. And just one more reason that I will NEVER buy another Apple product.

Got it done and only had 2 screws left over at the end. One 3 mm and one 4 mm. It works, so I figure that the 40+ that I put back in are plenty so didn’t take it all the way back apart to find where these 2 go. If and when I get another drive to go in it I’ll look for their location then. One other gripe is the # of different tools that it takes to remove and replace the screws. Got to have a super small philips head screwdriver, a small phillips head screwdriver, a # 2 allen head driver, and something under a #10 torx driver. The torx screws are in the sides of the drive and a pair of pliers work just fine thank you very much Mr. Jobs/chief asshat/greedy bastard!

But it’s got the new drive installed and is now getting files copied over to it. Tis somewhere over 100k files now of 581,672 files and about 22 minutes into the copy. So sometime after 5 pm it should be ready for a reboot to the new drive to make sure it all works. Then I can start clearing more of the unused stuff off.

For now am going to go out and work on the camper a bit more. Had hoped to have the electrical done by now but this has taken me all day so far. About an hour and a half to get the drive in and the rest of the day to get the files on the backup drive paired down to the point that I would have SOME space left on the 80 gb that I put in the iBook. I think it’ll have about 12 gb of free space left when it gets through copying stuff over. Would like to have at least 40 gb free but will most likely settle for less.

One more piece of paneling to install and then can get back to the electrical. Have to put the paneling in so I can run the conduit on top of it for plug, light switch, light plug, and ac plug in this one run. Then 4 more plugs to run and can get back to finishing the kitchen cabinet. Getting closer than I was though. I think. At least I think, I think. Some days I don’t know… 😉

* Update – Was closer to 6:30 pm by the time it finished copying stuff over and I got to reboot it. Working fine. Quieter than it’s ever been. Guess the drive had problems from the factory. Don’t have the energy to get on the cleanup yet. Got a head cold or something and no energy to do squat. More later…

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By Dave, October 29, 2007 7:37 pm

Portable Tool Table

Interesting design for a table to mount hand power tools on/in. All wood and hardboard design with a few screws and fiddly bits of metal here and there to mount stuff. Looks interesting. Also looks like a cheap way to outfit a woodworking shop. I’m thinking that making something along these lines for each tool. Just takes up a little time and a bit more space.

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By Dave, October 29, 2007 10:30 am

YouTube – Castlemaine XXXX (Sherry for the ladies) UK TV Ad 90’s

Twas certainly the sherry that did it. 😉

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By Dave, October 28, 2007 1:06 pm

Had a airsoft game here yesterday so got nothing done on the camper. Took a fall early in the day when stepping over a log. Had a snag catch my pants leg and put me on the ground. Landed on hands and knees and bounced back up with only a few new back pains. Over the day the worst of the lower back pain (which had been with me for a week or so already) went away. Then last night my right elbow started hurting. Rather badly. Kept waking me up all night. Still quite painful today. Feels just like the tendinitis I had years ago after breaking rock with a 10 pound sledge all day. That time I eventually went to a bone cruncher and he bent my elbow backwards rather forcefully and got the tendon to snap back into place. Since then I have had a flare up several times then a few days or weeks later go away, but never had it in my right arm. Hope this goes away quickly without intervention. Can’t even pick up a coffee cup without wanting to drop it.

Guess I will try to get out and see what I can get done on the camper. Wasted the morning staring at the computer screens.

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By Dave, October 28, 2007 12:37 pm

Blowing an HPV fairing

Don’t think I have posted this link before but am too lazy to check so here tis. Easy and simple way to form plexiglas or other plastic. Good stuff!

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By Dave, October 28, 2007 12:34 pm

GrassHopper 1978 – a photoset on Flickr

This is going to be the camper that I base my next project on. Not gonna try to make a copy but rather use it as a basic guide. Nice design and well laid out.

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By Dave, October 28, 2007 12:27 pm

Welcome to the Crocodile Tear Website

Interesting site by a guy that built a teardrop variant on the cheap. Worth the read if you are looking into building a camper of any size. Lots of good info tucked away here and there.

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By Dave, October 28, 2007 11:56 am

CAMP OVEN COOKING IN AUSTRALIA (COCIA) — WITH ‘THE CAMP OVEN COOK’ – DEREK BULLOCK

Interesting site (other than the irritating java critters crawling on the screen) about Dutch Ovens and cooking with them Australian style. Gonna have to try some of the Dampers as well as some of the other recipes soon…

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By Dave, October 26, 2007 11:12 pm

Shore power is in. Got the base level kitchen cabinet framing about done. Still got some paneling to get done. Getting closer and closer.
Continue reading 'Camper progress Oct 26, 2007'»

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By Dave, October 25, 2007 10:07 pm

Got bits and pieces done. Spent quite a bit of time finding enough tile to do the kitchen counter and then figuring out the pattern.

Decided to start at the top in doing the kitchen so put the top kitchen shelf in first. Then put in the water jug enclosure and added bracing from the ceiling. Supports it fine.
Continue reading 'Camper progress Oct 23 – 25, 2007'»

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By Dave, October 24, 2007 10:36 am

Got to the part that I have been dreading, the kitchen wall. Sat and thunk most of the day yesterday. With the rain it was hard to do much wood cutting so did what I could and spent the rest of the time trying out different bits in my head. The following rough drawing is what Cat and I came up with:
Continue reading 'Kitchen Plans for Patches'»