I am not a happy camper today

but do they taste like currants???

you got balls, girl...

Think I eat my own food??? You nuts?

How are things going up there now, Mame? How are you coping?
Anyone complaining about those big, black currants in their stew?
How long before this stint is over & you can escape?

Looking on the bright side, those first few rough months of married life are gonna seem like a breeze after this!

Yeah, but I bet he still has to bathe more than once every ten days.

Eva - don't forget we've been through 18 months of renos And I live with a hoarder of sorts - we've had 7 bins to our place!!

msolga - it's actually just fine. I'm okay now that I see it as a family holiday But there is a distinct lack of communication. The geo, Fred, asked me today how the gas supply was. I was totally confused. What gas supply? And what's that got to do with me? Apparently there a bunch of 5 gal jugs around that I'm supposed to check on and fill - gee, nice to know! Just tell me and I'll happily go in to town.

But all in all, it's just fine, thanks for asking.

are you guys anywhere near the fires in Quebec?

You are a marvel, Mame, I just gotta say!

A marvel of Adaptability and Innovation in Adverse Circumstances. (You should consider running night classes on this subject! An alternative career option! )

Wait a minute.....you're camping, with a fridge, a kitchen sink, a bathroom, a BBQ, steaks, AND the internet ?!?!?!? and you want more?

Not sure if I'd call that camping.

My version of camping involves a 3 star motel. any more stars and it wouldnt be camping at all.

This isn't "camping", it's a bush camp. You're supposed to have easy access to water Not lug it up in pails from a swamp. And there's no shower, no washer/dryer - it's a CAMP, not campING. It's not supposed to be PRIMITIVE. And you're right - it's not that bad... just never had a camp without running water (usually from a lake) and a shower of some sort. That stock pot full of water takes up a lot of room on the little stove - makes cooking a bit difficult - how to fit the frying pan on - things only cook on 3/4 of the pan, for example. And I have a top of the stove toaster You know, it supposedly toasts 4 pcs of bread at once but hey, turns out it takes 10 minutes to do both sides... you just have to adjust, but at first, you don't know it takes that long.

When I get up at 4:00 a.m., I walk across the field in the dark into a dark shed (there are no flashlights in camp!) and feel my way around to refill the now dead generator, then unplug it, start it, then plug it back in, all by feel. If we got up even half an hour later I'd be able to see.

Then I visit the outhouse, then on to the kitchen, where after washing my hands, start the stove-top percolator going and get on with breakfast.

I have huge mosquito bites all over my neck, arms and feet, but thankfully no black or deer fly bites. Those are worse. The bush people have all of the above - ugh. Today it's supposed to be cloudy all day and 82% humidity. Uck.

But I get to go into town again today

Feel sorry for ya. The cook has a central role in survey camp and sounds like thyeve got yer arms tied with the no water thing. TEll the driller about what a great cook you are and how you would be making some excellent meals if you had better water conditions.Then see if they cant set some shallow Slotted PVC casing for you to have a well (30 ft deep). You can buy diesel jet pumps just for this kind of stuff. Is the town big enough that itd have a decent plumbing supply or outfitter?.

No water for cooking and showers is almost guaranteeing a mutiny.
Dont they have a petrology lab with a scope set up". What do they do for pumping water to their saws.

There are no drillers yet, which is why I say Alex predicts a mutiny when they arrive at the end of June. These guys are prospecting and collecting samples, and building a bridge. They''ll be going home when the drillers come. The drillers won't be on a stupid 10:4 rotation, either!

Sorry Mame, I misunderstood.

That does sound frustrating then.

Well, things are looking up! First of all, two days ago, I bought myself a flashlight so I can see the g-d generator in the dark - yay. I figured out the best way to start it. You fill it up, go to the bathroom, come back and start it - voila. Works like a charm.

Then the owner of this cabin showed up and hooked up my second fridge! Yay again. It was too late for some of the more perishable items, but I'm happy. More space = more circulation = things stay fresh longer.

Then yesterday, a guy from the company showed up (a bush-type guy) and hooked up the water pump, which was just sitting there, to a sink he attached to the end of my deck so I no longer have to schlepp water from the lake. I still have to fill pails and heat it but that's no big deal. Things are getting civilized!

Dinner last night and the night before were big hits... here are the recipes:

Pork Tenderloin - marinate in equal parts soy sauce, grainy mustard and honey. Bingo, you're done. Then cook at 375 for 45 - 60 minutes, depending on the size. If you are doing a 2 lb-er, do 1/4 c. of each, so you can baste. You can also grill these - 30 - 45 min.

Butterflied whole chicken on the bbq - marinate in grainy mustard, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and pepper. Grill for 45 min for a -3 lb-er. Yummy and moist.

Tonight they want hamburgers. The secret to no shrinkage is to shape your hamburger and then depress your thumb in the middle of the top of the burger to 1/4". As the meat cooks, it will fill this depression and there will be no shrinkage. Does anyone have any other secrets to fantastic burgers? I thought I'd season the meat with s & p, Lee & Perrins and a little Dijon. What do you think?

I've got these big welts under my jaw and across my back and on my legs from mosquito bites - I have one on my forehead between my eyes, so I'm looking a little like Cyclops when I shut my eyes. They're hard and swollen and itchy and a bit sore. The same thing happens to me with Manitoban mosquito bites. Ah well.

On the whole, things are much improved. We leave friday morning for Val d'Or for four days, then back again for ten.

bumping your thread , mame .



hope you'll get a few ounces for yourself .

Hey you Quite doubtful (about the ounces!)

At about an hour ago the generator stopped - l figured it ran out of oil (I had just refueled it so I knew it wasn't that) so I took a quick look at it and the dipstick was dry. Anyway, I put some more in (too much, apparently) and fastened everything up... some oil dripped out (okay, it's dark in there, can't see well and I think I overfilled it)...mopped up the oil and tried to start it. It wouldn't start... wouldn't start... wouldn't start. So I just waited a bit, then it started. I plug it back in and come back to the cabin. A few minutes later it sounded really weird, so I go back out there and I see billows of smoke. ****. So I unplug it, keeps going, so I shut it off. Don't want to screw the motor, right? Anyway, I let it cool off, turn it on again, and start it. No problem. Still smoke. I'm thinking, What could be wrong? I checked it out again and I figure it's just burning the spilled oil inside, but I want to be sure so I just wait. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the smoke stops. It's running like a charm now, but you'd think if they wanted me to do this **** they'd give me the once over with the friggin thing, wouldn't you? The head geo, Fred, said to me on the morning of the 2nd or 3rd day, "What's the status with the gas? Did you get any?" I said, "What? What gas? I gassed up the truck, if that's what you're asking." Apparently I was supposed to read his mind and check all the jerry cans for how much gas they had then run into town to refill them. I didn't even know they had jerry cans, but if you want me to check something, maybe let me know about it.

Laughing.. Map, you have missed previous threads on Mame's life as cook extraordinaire in some extreme circumstances..

but you couldn't know from the title.

I'll post links if I can figure out how to find the threads.

You're a miracle woman, I swear.

Like that?

http://able2know.org/topic/134048-1

In a deal like this, it seems easiest to check her profile for "Topics".