Thursday, December 31, 2015

My DIY Project: Portable Wood Stove



Over the last couple of years I have seen a number of Do It Yourself (DIY) outdoor projects, you know the ones for hiking and camping. So over Yule I decided to do one of these projects and the one I chose was building my own portable wood stove. If you have seen commercial wood stoves at the store they can run as much as $100. Since I didn't want to pay that, why not make one. The first design I found on YouTube is made with two cans, one four-inch and the other three-inch. That is a can of peaches and a can of beans. Anyway, the first video for making one of these (see below) was a pretty good design.


I followed the instructions, but when I got to the end I just couldn't make the lid snap back on the stove. So I looked for another design and I found one. Instead of cutting the whole top off the big can and then trying to fit it back together you just cut the bottom out the regular way and then cut the hole in the top to fit the second can onto (see video below).


I will say this design was easier to do and it worked. I put it together lit it and the stove burned like a charm. I did incorporate some of the design ideas from the first video mostly on the inner can, but it was mostly the second video that worked.



The final touch to the project was adding a pot holder. I made mine out of a piece of a gutter guard, but I might try to get something a little thicker late. Still, the piece I used works, so I took my hiking pot and placed it on top and heated up some water in it. It is good I left a gap in the pot holder which made it easier to add wood. Anyway, it heated up the water in about 12 minutes which isn't half bad (might have been faster had I added the pot lid). Another good thing about the second design was the pot holder nests up in the stove. With some work and very low cost I was more than pleased in how this stove came out.




Star Wars...What Else Needs To Be Said

Wednesday, Deb and I finally went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  For anybody who hasn't  seen it I will not spoil it. What I will say it was as good as I hoped it would be and the theater in Morristown was less crowded than expected. I will say I manged to stay away from spoilers (which I have learned from Doctor Who & the Walking Dead. One thing I am glad of is now I can read the discussions about the movie. Anyway, if you haven't seen it and like Star Wars...go!

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Test Blog For My New Camera

One of the presents that I received for Christmas was a new camera. My current  Cannon was getting a little old and it has been dropped a few times, so I am suprised it still even works. Anyway, my new camera is a Cannon SX710 HS. It has a lot of features, but one is Wifi. So for this blog I have taken the photos on my new camera and transfered some to my phone and then to my blog and as you can see it works.

Heat Miser Hijacks Christmas



The calendar said it was December 25th, but it sure didn't feel like it. In fact, it felt more like Easter, hell make that Memorial Day. Humid, warm and rainy, I guess the Heat Miser won some war against Snow Miser or just hijacked the weather. Well weather doesn't make Christmas, the middle of the Yuletide Holiday, it is spending time with family and friends that makes it special. Anyway, the Wood Booger got a number of cool presents, including new desktop (computer), camera and the Blackhawks Championship Book: One Goal III. However, the centerpiece of the day was the Christmas Dinner. Terry whipped up a number of tasty dishes, including a twice baked potato and a non-dessert panna cotta. I made two dishes, a brussel sprouts one and a holiday cranberry and apples offering, plus I got to work on the roast beast. Then we had plenty of desserts including bread pudding with rum sauce and traditional Christmas Pudding with brandy butter...yum! I would be re missed if I didn't mention our Christmas guest. On Christmas Eve a little black cat showed up at the house. I first try to chase her off...Wood Booger style. That really didn't work because it made her like me more. I started calling her Shit dipper because she was under my feet and I would say "move you little shit dipper." Anyway, I thought we were going to have to take her to the pound, but Terry's sister Beth agreed to take her in. Boxing Day (today) has been a little calmer, the biggest thing that happen was the USA beat Canada 4-2 at the IIHF World Juniors. So, I hope everyone is having a good holiday and I even mean you Heat Miser.












Friday, December 25, 2015

Yuletide Edition Of The Beard Blog



Well, it is hard to believe but Christmas, the heart of the Yule Holiday, is here. With it means it is time for another Beard Blog. Since the last edition (at the start of December) I have been back to Southwest Virginia, hiked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Mount Sterling and returned to Hot Springs for an Appalachian Trail outing. I will say with these AWFUL 70 degree temperatures doesn't feel too much like Yule (more like Heat Miser is in charge). But, the holiday is in the heart not the weather. Anyway, as I write this Christmas has come, so after 69 weeks and 480 days of the Beard Blog I say to everyone...Merry Christmas, Happy Yuletide, Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men!

Day 460 on Russell Knob.

Day 471: On the way to...

...at Mt. Sterling.

Day 475: On Lovers Leap above Hot Springs.

Day 480: X-Mas!

Left

Right

Below

Sunday, December 20, 2015

AT Yule Hike @ Hot Springs

Today I went out for, what is most likely, the last hike before Christmas. I traveled up the Appalachian Trail (AT) north over Lovers Leap, which I did back in July. Unlike then, I kept going on the AT to the Pump Gap Trail which took me back to the Silvermine Trailhead  (past you guest it an old silvermine) and back to Hot Springs. I then went south on the  AT to were it enters town. All in total about six-and-a-half miles. I then did a little shopping in Hot Springs.