Has the information super-highway bypassed your camp?

The Fish Tacos at Pangaea Cafe

Camping may not be the best career for the Internet junkie. Service at many camps, especially those in rural areas across the country, is non-existent. While camp administration may subscribe to a local on-line provider for the office and key staff, recreational use of precious bandwidth is out.

Service at my office is based on a wireless hotspot that's paired with a signal booster. It works most days. By that I mean that I can send and receive email and place orders with my vendors. Heavy research on websites the rely on intense add-ons is out.

Today was one of those days. I waisted two hours trying to access the website of one of my major suppliers. That's two hours of searching, rebooting, logging on and being kicked off.

All I wanted to do was show the vegetarian cook what the vendor offered for the vegetarian and vegan menu. I'd call her into the office, start the search, only to send her back to the kitchen because our super-highway was behaving more like a bottle of ketchup.

To resolve the problem, my wife and I drove into Quincy. Many Oakland Camp employees head to Pangaea Cafe and Pub for a bite and quality time with the laptop. If you must sacrifice your evening to Internet research, Monday nights at Pangaea are best. The Internet flows like coffee and the "Fish Tacos" provide superb entertainment.

Seasoned with a side of Bluegrass and hit of Zydeco, the ensemble band makes for wonderful eatin' -- and surfin' -- at Pangaea. You'll catch yourself joining in the chorus to "I'll Fly Away" while you tap away on the keyboard. Research is hard work, especially when toe-tappin' music carries your mind elsewhere.

Camp isn't a hotbed of Internet activity. It's a place where campfire chats, great chow and relationships rule. Program directors -- and, yes, chefs -- want staff to leave smart phones and laptops in their cabins. If you must partake of the information super-highway, head to town on your offtime. The food's good, musicians entertain and the Internet (usually) flows freely.

Rock Bottom Boys

I discovered the local music act, the Rock Bottom Boys, at the Peddler's Fair in the town of El Dorado this morning. The quartet has successfully transformed rock standards from The Who, Janice Joplin and Steppenwolf into modern rackabilly hits. With the addition of a five-string banjo and washboard, old rock-n-roll hits, like "Born to Be Wild," the band has introduced a fun genre of music of the 60s and 70s to new generations.

"Armed with tried and true hits from bands like the Rolling Stones, Kinks, Queen, ZZ top and many more, their vocal interpretations turn even the hardest rock tunes into great group sing a-longs," explains the band's Facebook fanpage. "Having cut their teeth playing California Fairs & Festivals, they've honed their sense of Humor, Showmanship and Versatility to offer a great Entertainment value to any venue."

You can find the Rock Bottom Boys performing at county fairs in California each spring and summer. The band's website contains tour information.

A musician shouted, "Camera," as I aimed my camera at the Rock Bottom Boys. It took a couple seconds to register -- the band was posing in the middle of a song.

A camp cook's theme song

The Marty Stuart Show on RFT-TV featured Western musical act Riders in the Sky last night. Near the end of the 30-minute show, Marty introduced the quartet's last song.

"Well, thank you. You know, Marty, anybody who's watched a western movie or seen a TV show, look carefully," responded Ranger Doug. "There's always a cook and a sidekick. Gotta be. It's in the union rules. We've had one for 34 years. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to introduce to you our cook, our sidekick, Side Meat."

"Upright 'bunkhouse' bassist'" Too Slim came out on stage. "Howdy folks. Oh mighty fine, boys, mighty fine," quipped Too Slim, thinly disguised as camp cook Side Meat. "I've been out back there cookin'. I'm doin' the caterin' for the show now."

The band performed "I've Cooked Everything." This was the first time I heard the song. Set to the 1962 Hank Snow tune, "I've Been Everywhere," the chorus goes like this:

I've cooked everything man,
I've cooked everything man
I've made them cowpokes sing man
I've made that dinner bell ring man
I've got plenty more hash to sling man
I've cooked everything

Listen to the YouTube video. It's time I selected a theme song for "Round the Chuckbox. How 'bout "I've Cooked Everything"?


Video description: "Riders In The Sky @ The Downtown Nashville Public Library, August 2010."

Randon lyrics

My daughter and son-in-law post lyrics on Facebook on occasion. I panicked the first time I read such a message.

Thinking it was an honest status update, I thought their lives were headed into a tailspin.

It took several minutes to realize that they were posting random song lyrics, usually from contemporary musicians that I've never heard of.

It's now my turn to post a random lyric, one with its own brand of despair and hopelessness. Here's a 1997 lyric by Tim O'Brien and Robin and Linda Williams:

I don't go in the kitchen, It's a wasteland to me
A place for dirty dishes and forgotten recipes

Although I purchased Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott's Real Time CD some five years ago, "Five Rooms" didn't become a favorite until last summer on my weekly trips up and down the mountain.

The eclectic blend of guitar, banjo and mandolin blues tracks seemed to be the best drive-time music as I drove to Deer Crossing Camp.

Like the lyrics posted by my daughter, these don't make sense unless you listen to the whole song. Of course, I'll likely never listen to the artists that they like.

"Five Rooms" chronicles the wandering of one man though his five-room house. Despondent over "dreams ... shattered by two hearts made of stone," he roams from room to room.

The living room brings a "flood of memories," the bedroom is off limits because he's "all alone" and he's "mournin' for the love we both cast aside" as he wanders past the spare room.

In the end, "Five Rooms" gives a "faint light of direction" from the "bathroom's mirror reflection.

Who knows what point that I'm trying to make. I guess it's nothing more than to show fathers can play the "Facebook game" as well!

In the meantime, click over to Amazon and purchase a copy of Real Time. You'll enjoy it.

Note: I posted my thoughts on Hank Williams' "House of Gold" from the same CD in 2005.

I have heard of a land ...

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. … Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:1-2, 14).

I'm sometimes at a loss to describe the beauty of God's creation. Words dance about my head as I sit next to a roaring campfire, but I can never pen them onto paper.

Instead, I'm content to watch the light glance off the pines trees that reach to the heavens. With the stars visible through the tree tops, the campfire gives me time to contemplate the handiwork of God's wonderful creation and consider the day when I will join Him in a "land on a faraway strand."

Song writers have used words for generations to express their faith about heaven. With inspiration from the inspired words of scripture, they've often used scenes of delightful gardens and forests to explain what we'll see in heaven one day.

We sang such a hymn in worship yesterday morning. The second stanza from the hymn, penned by Mrs. F.A.F. White in 1889, caught my attention. The verse reminded me of my beloved Sierra Nevada mountains:

There are evergreen trees
That bend low in the breeze,
And their fruitage is brighter than gold;
There are harps for our hands
In that fairest of lands,
And nothing shall ever grow old.

While Mrs. White’s beautiful hymn describes heaven ("I Have Heard of a Land"), I couldn’t help but think of majestic ponderosa pines, so common in the thick forests of the Sierra Nevada. Its yellow-green leaves blanket the forest, with tree tops swaying in the breeze.

White’s hymn describes heaven as a place of great splendor and glory. You could compare White’s evergreen tree to the "tree of life" of Genesis and Revelation.

It makes sense that the tree of life, when described in human terms, would never shed its leaves. Unlike the ponderosa, whose cones take two years to mature, the tree of life bears continuous fruit to those who obey God's commands.

Next time I light a campfire, I'll remember Mrs. White's words. Those and words remind you of heaven. "And nothing shall grow old. In that beautiful land on the faraway strand," she concludes in the refrain.

Mandoline vs. mandolin

I just learned this afternoon that I've been misspelling mandoline at 'Round the Chuckbox. While you slice potatoes (and other produce) on a mandoline, Doc Mercer won't play one with his Cumberland Highlanders band.

Drop the "e" and you have Doc's favorite muscical instument, the mandolin.

Whishbone, a camp cook from the neighborhood of Wichita, Kansas, posted this request at Camp-Cook.com last Thursday:

Anyone ever use one & what type do You Like. I looking at Pampered Chef ones on eBay. Son & I need to cook up a bunch of potatoes (augratin style) for 28 Girl Scouts, Leaders & Parents the last Meal at Local summer Camp. Wishbone-Ks

Stick with a simple mandoline, one that cuts without all the "bells and whistles." I purchased a top-line model at a local restaurant supply several years ago (pictured below). It works well enough, but it's heavy, a bit clunky and the safety guard is doesn't flow smothly.

I wouldn't spend more than $40 or 50. I spent about $200 and now wish that I had purchased an economy model. They do the same thing for much less. I found an Oxo V-blade model on Amazon for $40 (pictured at left).

Either way, Wishbone, a mandoline is a worthy investment if you plan to do any camp cooking for large groups. A sharp one will quickly cut a load of potatoes for scallops or au gratin.

I used mine at camp yesterday to cut cucumbers for the cuke and onion salad for today. I had the job done in 10 minutes with nice, thin slices of cucumber.

I don't care how good you are with a knife, a mandoline just makes good sense for the camp kitchen.

I wrote a safety brief on the use of a mandoline in the kitchen last year. Mandoline safety is serious business in the kitchen. Properly used, they are a great time saver and help you produce professional looking products. In the wrong hands, you'll be spending a lot of time in the emergency ward.

Remember: Doc Mercer plays great Bluegrass tunes on his mandolin as I slice potatoes for scallops on my mandoline.

This Ain't Camping -- Max Yasgur's Farm at Tahoe Valley Campground

A bit of culture shock. That's how I'd characterize this year's camping trip to South Lake Tahoe.

A few years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead rocking to David Crosby and Stephen Stills lookalikes on a camping trip.

But this year is different. We're spending the week at the Tahoe Valley RV Campground in South Lake Tahoe.

As a card carrying member of the dirt camping crowd, I've had to adjust to flowing water, electricity on demand and hot showers.

max YASGUR'S FARM, a musical revue band that plays the tunes of the Woodstock era, including many ballads from Crosby, Stills and Nash, entertained campers this evening.

After dinner, we walked over to the big white entertainment tent and took a seat. The band started around 7 p.m. and played the tunes of the 60s and 70s for three hours.

It was a fun evening of music and good, family oriented entertainment. I'll have to try this more often.

Camp -- 2006 Kitchen Camp Song

Early in the week I learned that my second cook and dining room host (mother and daughter) were scheming to get us all on stage during the talent show. Carol and Elisa came to camp with with words in hand and a skit worked out. We spent Friday working on the song in between meals.

It worked.

All the cooks joined me on stage to sing this song to the tune of the Ballad of the Green Berets:

2006 KITCHEN CAMP SONG

At the Florida College Camp,
We have come to cook and sweat,
And we know that when Saturday comes
All the kids willa been well fed.

Should we by chance cough or sneeze
Just be sure to use those sleeves
Everyone knows that's what they're for
And to wipe things off the floor.

We want those kids to not get sick
So we'll be careful what we lick
We'll be careful how things are done
And always share our cinnamon buns.

Is that a hair? Oh no can't be!
Cause be agree to decree
That all must shave their heads so bare
Or be fired as a volunteer.

When our work at camp is done
And we travel near and far,
We'll think of you from FC Camp
As we hobble to our cars.

See you next year!

Harkin Back to Simpler Times at the Carson City Rendezvous

I can't believe it! I actually spelled "rendezvous" without looking. Like most French words, the spelling of "rendezvous" baffles me.

Like my spelling ability, many long for simpler times. Last weekend's Carson City Rendezvous was a reminder of simpler times -- times when men and women gathered to trade, tell stories and catch up on long past friendships.

Mountain men, Western entertainment and plenty of simple food filled the air at the 23rd annual gathering of people from distant times and places.

Three aspects of the rendezvous atmosphere drew me back for the third time -- country atmosphere, western music and food.

If there's one aspect of the rendezvous that impresses me it's the people. Scores of folks wandering around in garb reminiscent of simpler times, a time when the most complex aspect of their lives was the spelling of "rendezvous."

The rendezvous had something for everyone. Leather-clad Mountain Men and Pony Express riders with a Peacekeeper and double-barrel shotgun at the ready educated folk of a bygone era.

There's something for everyone: A fiddle contest under the watchful eye of national fiddle champ Randy Pollard, Cowgirl Tricks by Karen Quest and the Docie Do Band. My only regret was I didn't get to hear the fiddle contest this year because it was moved to a far away stage.

My favorite entertainment act of the day was Sourdough Slim of Paradise, California, graced the stage with his unique brand of cowboy song and humor.

I heard Sourdough last year for the first time. I listened as I cooked, but didn't walk over to the stage until the show was over. Tunes like Barnacle Bill and Frankie and Johnny from his sixth CD, Six-Guns 'n Sage, have entertained me since.

This year I heard his brand of light humor, including Sourdough's "recent trip to the bad side of town" where accordion-toting thieves busted the rear window of his rental car and deposited two accordions in the back seat. Like much of Sourdough's humor, hay bale seats and an accordion-loving crown add to its richness.

I've mastered the spelling of "rendezvous" for the first time in five decades. I'm already counting the day until the 24th Annual Carson City Rendezvous.

Maybe next year I'll work on "atmosphere" and "reminiscent."

Pursue Heavenly Treasures

A House of Gold by Hank Williams:

Some people cheat, they steal and lie
For wealth and what it will buy
Don't they know on judgment day
All the gold and silver melt away

What good is gold and silver too
If your heart's not pure and true
Sit and hear me when I say
You better get down on your knees and pray

I'd rather be in a deep dark grave
And know that my poor soul was saved
Than livin' in this world in a house of gold
And deny my God and loose my soul

Some people cheat, they steal and lie
For wealth and what it will buy
Don't they know on judgment day
All the gold and silver melt away

Performed by Tim O'Brien and Darrel Scott
real time (Full Light Records, 2005)

Sometimes Godly wisdom comes from a sea of hurt and suffering. A nugget of truth comes from the life of the person who let his life fall into sin and fast living.

It's so easy to listen to artists like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and Willie Nelson. I enjoy their music because it expresses the true sorrows of this life. Their music reminds me that life is fragile and doomed to failure when you fail to include God.

These artists often chronicled their lives through music. They'd expressed sorrow and wayward living in one song. The next song would express a faint understanding of faith, repentance and hope.

Your heart will follow your treasure. That's the inherent message in "A House of Gold." Maybe Jesus' words flowed through Hank's mind when wrote, "What good is gold and silver too if your heart's not pure and true."

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus instructs His disciples that Godly life is often reduced to the choices we make in life. He says those "who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6) will be "filled."

Riches are no different. I'm not aware of any passage where Jesus or His apostles instruct us to turn our backs on money. Instead the emphasis is a matter of loyalty.

"Moth and rust destroy riches" (Matthew 7:19), often long before you're called to give an account for your life. Stock market crashes and $65 a barrel oil prices exhaust monetary recourses. Thieves steel and friends mislead.

What good is gold if you don't trust God? The central point of Jesus' message on riches is this: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 7:19-21).

Hank had a way of expressing life's bumpy road. I know little of Hank's faith and nothing about his status with God, but he knew something about the futility of worldly pursuits.

Hank gave valuable advice at this point in his life, advice that reflects Jesus' words: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be" (Matthew 7:21).

Postscript to Music to Camp By

"I rarely listen to music at home, but when I do it's blues, western (forget the "C") and a capella gospel," I said yesterday.

The crisp mountain air brings the music out of me. Saturdays often find my son and I eating a picnic lunch next to a campfire. In the background, the tunes from Mick Martin's Blues Party on KXJZ 88.9 FM Radio flow from the truck speakers. I catch up on my daily Bible reading, write in my camp-cooking notebook and tend the fire.

I listen to Mick because I take pleasure from the blues. Mick is the bandleader and vocalist for Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers, a cornerstone of the Sacramento blues scene. The show airs 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each Saturday from Sacramento to Truckee and Lake Tahoe to Reno.

Most music is unintelligible chatter to me. Nothing rhymes. It's just clanging cymbals. It flows through my brain without energizing a single circuit.

The blues is music that is, well, "music to my ears." That's the only way I can explain it. Synapses fire in unison as its toe-tapping rhythms filter through my brain.

A masterful guitar lick can soothe the mind, even if for a moment. While the feeling may be temporal -- like watching the red and orange hues of the evening sunset -- it relaxes me for the afternoon.

Few genres cause a reaction like the blues. Among those are a cappella psalms, spiritual songs and hymns. Add old western standards and bluegrass and you have a picture of my tastes in music.

Now onto cooking ...

Music to Camp By

This has nothing to do with camp cooking. That said, I got "tagged" by fellow blogger Kelli for the "Music in My Kitchen" meme that's been going around. I thought this would be fun. Besides, it's raining in Northern California -- not exactly ideal Dutch oven weather.

I read Kelli's Culinary Epiphanies and Debbie's words to eat by daily. Both culinary blogs are worth reading (and both have posted their thoughts on "Music in My Kitchen") since yesterday.

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

Zip, Nadda, None. Sorry. But I do have 144 images of my 15-month old granddaughter (today's her mother's 21st birthday). That's 58 MB, which is larger than my first hard drive. Let's not mention countless pictures of Dutch ovens.

The CD you last bought?

Last two: Away Out on the Mountain, by Tim and Mollie O'Brien and Amazing Grace by Favorite Hymns Quartet.

What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?

Do radio talk shows count? If so, I listen to Hugh Hewitt everyday during my homeward-bound the commute. I rarely listen to music at home, but when I do it's blues, western (forget the "C") and accapella gospel.

Write down five songs that you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.

1. "Love Lifted Me" by James Rowe, 1912. This hymn says it all. It's Jesus who saves man from the depths of sin. Performed by the Gospel Hymns Quartet.

2. "Who?" by W.L. (Bill) Hopper. Performed by the Gospel Hymns Quartet.

3. "As the Deer" by Martin Nystrom. Performed by the Gospel Hymns Quartet.

4. "Life's Railway to Heaven" by W.S. Stevenson. A beautiful song that was sung by Pasty Cline.

5. "That's How I Learned to Sing the Blues" by Tim and Mollie O'Brien.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

Let's try this:

1. Alton Brown. Why not? He's the current "answer man" for everything food on Food Network. Maybe AB could post his on his Rants and Raves page.

2. Hugh Hewitt. He's like the premiere blogger in the country.

3. Kelly at Chef To Be. I honor anyone who has the courage to return to school (and culinary school at that!) later in life. I returned to college after two active-duty enlistments in the Navy in 1979.