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First You Need a Couple of Judges...

4/30/2014

You need to choose your camping buddies wisely. We have a retired biology teacher and a good mushroom hunter in our group, for example. But I recommend snatching up a couple of barbecue judges. Ours are KCBS certified. Here's the deal.

We frequently plan our camping trips around contests that they are judging. They spend 4-5 hours, usually on a Saturday, in judges meetings and judging the contest. In the judging process, they are required to take one bite of each sample of chicken, pork, brisket and ribs that their table judges. The rest goes in a cooler that they bring back to camp.

This makes for some mighty fine (barbecue talk) meals at our campsite. Now the rest of us aren't complete slackers. We provide appropriate side dishes. But because we have two judges and they each have their own set of samples, it can be a lot of meat. What to do?

This last weekend, while we were involved in wedding festivities, they judged two contests--one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Sunday night, while it poured outside our trailer, we enjoyed wonderful smoked and barbecued delicacies inside. They had so much meat that they gave us some to bring home. Monday night, after unloading the trailer, we devoured more barbecue. Tuesday noon a little for lunch. (Cold brisket and some romaine make a wonderful salad.) But there was still some left and it needed to be used up. So before Tuesday supper, I Googled 'stew with bbq meat' and came up with a recipe for a Brunswick stew.

This is an old Southern dish with as many variations as meatloaf and not all use leftover BBQ, but this one did. And of course, I didn't have all of the ingredients called for. After all, we'd just returned from a 5-day trip, our fridge was pretty empty and we hadn't been to the store. But I think Brunswick stew is kind of like Stone Soup from the old story--you add whatever you have.

I had about four sausage links left that I cut up and cooked in a pot to create some drippings. Then in went left over chicken, pork and ribs--we had polished off the brisket at lunch. I added a pint of my homemade frozen tomato sauce and some beef broth. If you don't have any of my homemade sauce, I think a can of diced tomatoes would work fine. I found a can of northern beans in the cupboard and some frozen corn and peas. I suppose, technically speaking, it's not right to use Northern beans in a Southern dish but I'm kind of a rebel. Finally, a couple of tablespoons each of brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and WOR sauce plus a tablespoon of steak or Montreal seasoning, simmer for a half hour or so and serve over corn bread. It was excellent.

So I'm thinking for future trips, this would be a great dish to cook in a Dutch oven over a fire. I can smell it cooking now...

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Back to Camping

4/28/2014

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This is what it looked like the first morning, Thursday, that we were here. This is pretty much what it looks like this morning. In between, it was like those old cartoons where people pour into a stadium and just as rapidly empty back out. There are 130 sites here at Cherry Glen and by Friday night they were all full.

Yesterday, when the weather went from worse to worser, the weekend campers evacuated pretty fast, taking advantage of a couple of breaks between deluges to hit the dump station and skedaddle. Good thing, too. By midafternoon, when a line of those red blobs that are almost purple started moving across the state radar, it was not a good time to go anywhere. Our camping buddies Ken and Harriet, who had been judging a barbecue contest near Boone, headed this way to join us for our last night here. Visibility got so bad they had to pull off.

They finally made it, bearing Ziploc bags of sumptuous barbecued chicken, brisket, and pork from the contest. We were glad to see them,too. After naps we gathered here for BBQ and potato salad. About bedtime, the wind and rain struck again. But we survived.

Every trip is different. This time, when we were not engaged in wedding activities and were in the campground, the weather was such that we spent more time indoors than usual. Butch discovered that he hates the frosted glass in the door because he can't see out. Our water pump has conveyed that it is apparently on its last legs. We read a lot and ate a lot of cookies. Time to pack up and wrap up another one.

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And the Rains Came....

4/27/2014

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But not before the wedding was over and we were tucked in back at the campground. In fact, not until this morning. More good planning on Brooke's part. I take some credit for holding it off because I took my umbrella to the wedding.

Needless to say, it was beautiful. Although I had worked on the programs and thought I knew what was going on, there were a few surprises. I did not know that the bride and bridesmaids would be singing a song to Nick as they came down the aisle. I don't think Nick did either. And I don't think Brooke expected her parents to high-five each other as they handed her off to Nick.

A little glitch for me happened when just as the wedding party were making their entrance two by two at the reception--to the Batman theme with Jack holding up signs that said things like "Kaboom!!" and "Pow!", my camera said "change batteries." No warning either. Did I have more batteries? Of course not.

But the rest of the evening was a success. The pizza and taco bar seemed to be a hit with the guests. The speeches and toasts were fun and tear-jerking. Jessi was a dancing fool. Jack took a little coaxing but showed his stuff on the dance floor. Elliot said, "I thought this was going to be a party." Sophie danced quite a bit once she warmed up and even Steven got out there for the dollar dance with the bride. Great niece Katie Olsen scammed the people in Nick's line for the dollar dance out of their money and gave it to Brooke.

I don't think any of the guests strayed into the Waukee prom or the rodeo but I could be wrong about that. Of course you never get to talk to all of the people you would like to. But I can say definitely that we couldn't be prouder of these two young people and wish them all the luck in the world.

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BW Day

4/26/2014

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Which of course stands for Batman Wedding Day. Maybe it should be ZBW: Zoo Batman Wedding Day. Hard to say. But if it could be as nice as yesterday when I took this shot in the campground, that would be fantastic. The campground, by the way has the 'full' sign out and it certainly appears to be. Besides the Batman Wedding, a lesser known event, the Drake Relays, is on in Des Moines and one of our camping neighbors is here from Nebraska for that.

The middle of the day we spent at the Iowa Events Center, otherwise known as Vet's Auditorium, decorating for the reception. Under orders from the management (Brooke), I am forbidden to reveal any of the decor before tonight. Suffice it to say that one of the tasks was to push glass beads down to stay in water. I would tell you more but I'd have to kill you. Or she would kill me.

Then the rest of our Texas contingent arrived and we went for lunch at Buzzard Billy's--in keeping with the zoo theme, they said. A quick trip back to the campground to shower and change (no naps for these old bones) and back through rush hour traffic to the zoo for rehearsal.

It is a lovely setting, especially if the weather holds. One of the best moments was when the bride was brought in, the bridesmaids had all donned mustaches. Butch and I performed our parts (being escorted in by Nick) flawlessly. We finished the evening with the rehearsal dinner and enjoyed spending time with Jill's parents, the Ellers.

This morning, a break from the whirlwind and building anticipation. My coffee pot is full and there's a nice apple bread waiting for breakfast.

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Let the Fun Begin--with a Tear

4/25/2014

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After a strenuous day of breakfast, pedicure, lunch, trip back to the pedicure place to get the Kindle I forgot, and naps, we joined son Pat and bride-and-groom-to-be, Brooke and Nick for a trip to Ames to deliver great-grand dog Taco to his weekend babysitters. The zoo, where the wedding will take place tomorrow, has a silly rule about not allowing pets. What kind of zoo is that? Then supper at the Pizza Pit with Melissa and Bruce, two of the wedding party.

Here the father and grandfather of the bride discuss the important stuff, like "WHO'S PAYING FOR THIS????" As usual, we ate too much and returned to the camper very glad to see our bed.

Meanwhile, things were bustling at the campground. The place started filling up yesterday. Our 30-foot trailer now looks like the 'little engine that could' in the midst of several monsters that have pulled in around us. But the shrubs are in bloom and this morning the sun is even out!

I must say that these pines provide the prettiest backdrop to a dump site that I've seen in any campground. Today we will journey to the reception site to decorate and many more relatives will be arriving. Rehearsal at the zoo tonight and then dinner. It is supposed to even be warm enough to show off my new toes.

At all times, though, in our thoughts will be our dear friends and camping buddies who lost their oldest granddaughter earlier this week to childbirth. In Shelbe's memory, we will give Brooke an extra hug, knowing how important it is to cherish these moments. None of us ever know how fleeting they might be.

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Camp Like You Mean It

4/24/2014

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I think it's April. The calendar says it's April. Although I'm toasty in the trailer, I can watch the trees outside being battered by the wind, and when I open the door, the gray, the temperature and the wind say it's November. Late November.

We are at Cherry Glen Campground at Saylorville Reservoir near Des Moines. Our arrival was one of those RVers dread: setting up in a cold relentless rain. We did the minimum--unhook, plug in, level (sort of), wheel blocks, stabilizers down, slide out. It didn't help that our warmer duds were inside--we wore thin coats and shoes not designed for sloshing around in puddles.

So it was with great relief that we threw our coats in the tub, found our slippers and switched on the furnace. Even more warming was a visit from son Pat with the bride-and-groom-to-be in tow. The wedding is Saturday, at the zoo of course--just your run-of-the-mill wedding with a Batman theme. Pat and Brooke will go to Cedar Rapids this morning to pick up some of the cakes from Brooke's mom. My part in the preparations today will be getting a pedicure. Hey, any sacrifice for family, right?

And as it gets lighter out, I see glimpses of flowering shrubs around and a few green buds on trees. It looks like it really is a pretty campground. Maybe the rain will stay away long enough for a walk. This post is starting to sound like that silly song, Letter from Camp. Hello Mudder, Hello Fadder.

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Indie Day

4/19/2014

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The Coralville Public Library hosted a Self-Published and Small Press Author's Fair Saturday. The writers who presented had a wonderful range of offerings from mystery and fantasy to memoirs and photo books. They each shared why they had decided to either seek out a small press for their books or self-publish.

The 'traditional' way to get a book published has been for the writer to find an agent (a few months to years), the agent to find a publisher (also years), and the publisher to put the book out (at least a year.) The chances of rejection at any step were, and still are, very high. Examples of well-known books stumbling along this rough road are myriad. The Help was rejected 60 times; Gone with the Wind something like 120. Not long ago--really only a few years-- the only other way to publish was through vanity publishers: you pay a publisher big bucks to print your book and receive a minimum number of copies, usually in the thousands, which you then stored in your basement or garage while you figured out a way to sell them. Non-fiction books, especially today, can become obsolete before they are ever printed.

That has all changed with two technological advances. First ebooks have made it possible to get books in the hands of readers with much less expense and resources. Second, digital printing has produced 'print-on-demand.' It is no longer necessary to print at least 5000 copies in order to get the cost per copy down to something a reader can afford. A single copy of a physical book can be produced with a very small up front cost, which is immediately recouped from the reader who orders the book.

So today, anyone can publish a book and it's happily ever after for every writer and reader, right? Of course not. No good story ends that easily. With self-publishing, the reader does not have the same assurance that the book he is purchasing is well-enough written and edited that someone else besides the writer (such as an agent or a publisher) thinks it's worth the reader's time. The writer bears the full responsibility of seeing that the book is copy edited and formatted to be the best reading experience he or she can make it. Unfortunately, this is not always done.

Because of the lack of consistency in self-published books, reviews from respected sources are very difficult to get. These reviewers are reluctant to touch a self-published book with even the well-known ten-foot-pole. This, too, is changing. Organizations and web sites that vet 'indie' books are appearing and performing this valuable service. Marketing something like a book is difficult enough, and a lack of good reviews increases that difficulty.

So why would anyone bother to write a book and self-publish it? The average self-published book sells fewer than 500 copies. But writers are passionate about their work. It's like singing in the shower. You sing because it's fun and you feel like it, not because of the money and fame.

The reasons people gave yesterday for self-publishing are as wide ranging as the subjects and genres of their books. Time is a big factor. Writers of a certain age want to make sure they see their work in print. Books on topics in fields where information is constantly changing and updating need to be available as quickly as possible. Artistic control is another reason. One writer of a long fantasy novel said publishers wanted him to cut his book in half. He decided he would rather keep it intact and self-publish no matter how that would affect his sales. Royalties are much better with self-publishing. And many books are written for a very limited market--local or family history, for example.

But probably the biggest reason is the opportunity to hold a printed copy of your own efforts in your hot little hands. There is no feeling like it.

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Facebook: A Medicine Show for the Millenium

4/12/2014

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I have been lucky enough to be an early reader for a new book by Dave Hoing and Roger Hileman. Some of the characters are members of an 1840s medicine show. It occurs to me from the descriptions that, in some ways, Facebook has a lot of the same appeal

The best audiences were those who would willingly trade common sense for distortion. It was good if they’d encountered science at some time, though briefly, just enough to spark their imagination. People yearning for new visions sought him out as eagerly as he sought them. These were the half-educated souls who needed to know that the universe was truly a wondrous place, and that each of them occupied a prominent seat in the scheme of things. I am the counterfeiter of knowledge, DeLavoy thought, serving up a rehash of science in a form that suits their appetites.

This was what he was teaching to Petey, to all his acts: Feed their imaginations with stories of far-away places. Bring magic into their ordinary lives. Make them feel
special. Entice them with the promise of healing--but keep the elixir bottles out of view so they appeared to be in short supply. If you can’t give them what they need, then give them what they want. Give them theater.

When I think of some of the photos, videos and text postings that I have seen on Facebook, it seems we are often at that same place. Many of the people of the 1840s were aware of the shysters and at least suspected there was some kind of trick behind the bearded ladies and people who levitated or survived being sawn in half. But they wanted to believe that the impossible might be possible. Even though we are well aware what can be done with Photoshop, we too want to believe. We want simple explanations, and if that takes magic, so be it.

For a great example of Hoing and Hileman's work, check out Hammon Falls, a wonderful and highly rated family saga centered around Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa. And watch for Shun the Heaven.

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New Formats Everywhere

4/9/2014

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First, I am pleased to announce that all three of my books are now available in multiple ebook formats. You can find them on the Barnes and Noble Nook site, the Apple iBookstore, Diesel, Smashwords, and Scribd. My home page has links for each book.

We're also working on a refreshed format on our deck. A 28 x 14 deck is really great in the summer. And a pergola for shade makes it even more pleasant. But after eight years of weathering, including last summer's three months of rain followed by three months of heat, it was desperately in need of fresh paint. That's 15 beams and 64 boards just for the top. Then there's the posts, railing and floor. But what a place to read a book or enjoy a meal. It'll get there.

And then there's the camper. Not really a new format but quite a bit of rearranging in the storage areas should make things more accessible--just like the book formats. It's like they say about closets: if you've had something in there for five years that you haven't used, time to take it out.

So, getting ready for summer: a little deck sitting, a little camping, and a little reading. And a little work to get there.

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