The things you learn around a campfire.

    Saturday nite was one of 3 rain free nites we had last week.It was also when we had 8 family members with us at the campground so we had a campfire made smores roasted marshmallow's and talked.In this day and age talking is becoming a thing of the past testing face book and tweets are the norm for our kids.A real phone call means something has happened most of the time.But have you noticed conversations on the phone never get to the personal level any more?As the kids went to bed the adults got to catchup with what was going on in real life.I don't mean we hit the high points there is something about a fire and a quart of strawberry moonshine that relaxed everyone and we caught up on our kids real lives more in 2 hours than we had in 2 years.
     The glow of a fire stirs something primal in people like little else can maybe its thousands of years of a fire and groups using the flames to feel secure.We all talked and laffed in a different way than any time i can think of.Some may say it was the moonshine but i think it was the fire and the stars.I think I'm going to make a fire ring here at the house maybe we be able to learn and guide or kids better when they talk open like they did that nite.
        PS i rarely text i do not face book and what the hell is the use in a tweet?If  have something to say I CALL and if its important i drive over to talk.Technology is great but its is not a substitute for interaction face to face.

Florida is wet!

  Just got back from a verry wet week on the coast.When we arrived on sunday the sun was shining the humidity was unbeable mudpuddles were everywhere in under an hour it was pouring again. Our campsite was dead center of a large swag that was full of water but we were dry except getting in the car.Will post more tommarow i need a shower an good nite sleep. Nothing is like your bed at home!

Packed up and ready to go

    Well every thing is loaded except the ice chest. We have let the kids use our teardrop camping so i stripped it down and repacked it for our trip.For some reason the wife is acting like we are going to be in the middle of nowhere she basically wants to take the house with us.This is only going to be a 10 day trip  I do not need  a suitcase of my own we are going to the beach so what if i wear my cloths more than once.Men and women do not think alike if i have a change of cloths I'm good for a week.
   Back when i first got divorced i kept a change of cloths and a shave kit in my truck box because i never knew when id take off somewhere or a cutie would let me sleep over a weekend.
   It seems i have won we have one duffel of cloths and just normal camping gear loaded.{I think i really lost i just don't know how yet}This trip should be fun next weekend we have her sister and our son and his wife coming down for 4 days.I payed for the camp sites and all i asked was Saturday morning we go to the navel air museum. None of them have ever been,The Pensacola navel air museums is a must if your anywhere near it.Oh and its FREE!!!will be back on the first

Regular in the car but premium in a can

   How many people do you know that has had a lawnmower or chainsaw in the shop only to find out it is the ethonal in the gas? Today when you buy regular gas it has 10% ethonal in it.Now i want you to think of it like this 12 oz of High grade moonshine is in your tank with every gallon!!! Thatis the same alcohol content as a 5th of Jack Daniels at 80 proof !!!Almost half or corn crop is now used in place of petroleom in that gallon.Seems like a waste to me but some people will spend their last dollar for a gallon before they would walk a block.
    Sorry got off track. A lot of preppers have gas storage but i bet most use regular.As a former gas station owner if you were to ask at most independent stations if there premium has ethonal most will tell you no only regular and mid grade.Now i know most people run regular in their small engines that are not designed for ethonal.For a measly 40 cents more you will avoid most fuel problems in small engines and pure gas with stabilizer will last longer if stored just buy priemium non ethonal gas.
     The ethonal in the gas naturaly atracts water and binds to it.Most water remover that is sold is just de-natured alcohol it binds the water in a way your car will burn it.Premium gas may cost 40 cents more but remember it also gives more octane power and burns better in an engine so it realy cost less.Besides is when theres an emergancy time to wrry about 40 cents a gallon.Iwant generator to crank the saw to work and the wife to hush!The order of importance is hush generato then saw. I buy premium because I am cheap 40 cents on a few gallons beats the 72$ it cost to have the soft parts replaced in my chainsaws carberator and new lines!

Storage gas

   I was just reading a rant that Yukon Mike had on the price of gas and congress.I wrote this earlier this week so now is a good time to post it.

Sweating is a good thing.

   How many people like to sweat? Not many that I know most people are ready to find a cool spot as soon as a bead forms.Now i havent been a big fan of sweating in years past.But the last 2 summers i have sweated a lot more than any time since i was a kid.You cant run a BBQ pit on the side of the road without sweating the sun and the smoke and grease are part of it.Now when i end my day I stink of grease and smoke my shirt has a white salt ring around my chest.First thing is a shower and a lot of water as i spend a hour cooling down.
    One day when searching the web i ran across a doctors statment that i had never thought about before.Sweating is one of the ways your body removes toxins.He stated it was the 3rd way your body discards toxins from the blood{guess what #1 and#2 was 1st and 2nd}expecialy heavy metals.I once worked with a lot of zinc and galvinized steel.So i read what was there and it got me thinking the nordic countrys had saunas indians had sweat lodges a lot of other anceint societies had baths and steam saunas as a regular part of life.This summer i have sweated and worked paying it little attention.Now i will say a few times i failed to stay hydrated big mistake but otherwise it has felt good to sweat it out and i think it has made me feel better.We seem to be a sickly society could it be that because we no longer have tosweat we are allowing toxins to build up in our bodys? Perhaps a little more heat and sweat a lot less air conditioning could make healtheir? I dont know about you but I am willing to sweat a little to avoid "Modern medicine".

The 4th of july BBQ and dreams of vacation

   I have survived the 4th of july BBQ  rush barley! The smoker has been in constant use since monday.I smoked 48 boston butts and 45 slabs of ribs and sold out in 5 hours between wensday and thursday.

my red smoker and tank that became my extra smoker

I had to use both pits to handle the butts and ribs but i got it done.The new pit wasnt finished i had to use 2x4s to hold the grate decks up till i get to the weld shop but it did ok for the holiday.
    I think i worked harder this week than i have in a lonnnng time but the payoff was worth it.Me and the wife are planning a trip to the gulf the 14th going to try and get some of the kids to come down too.We will go to big lagoon but i think we will b going to some other areas also.I know i will have to carry the wife to gulfport one day for the casino,s.I dont gamble like i use to.
      We will be taking the teardrop this trip the new standie is still untested and we dont want to be that far away and have problems.Had a man stop by and look at my teardrop he plans on building his own soon .I have known his son for years and i think we will do build at the same time.he wants a 4 wide and i want a 5 wide.