Recycled Paper Briquettes

The descent into recycled paper briquette madness continues. The first 6 gallon bucket of pulp has produced 4 fist sized briquettes and 29 briquettes about 2 inches wide by 4 inches long as squeezed out of a caulking gun. I have yet to start on the second 4 gallon bucket of pulp. This has probably … Read more

Tea and Coffee Outside

One of the things I have really enjoyed as part of my morning routine is to head to a scenic location, go for a walk, and then make myself a cup of coffee or tea. It’s relaxing and a great way to start the day. I have been a huge fan of quiet and hot … Read more

The Commute

I live on one side of Salem, MA and my workplace is on the other side. As is the case with much of the north shore our streets and roads are not well planned out. Salem’s streets are clogged with traffic starting in mid-summer and that clog remains until November first. In the 25 years … Read more

The Kitchen- Solo Car Camping Edition

I like to camp a lot more than my wife does. I don’t mind pit toilets, she would rather not think about them. Thus I need two versions of the car camping kitchen. This is the solo but easily expanded to a duo. The heart of this is a collapsible silicone picnic basket. Accompanying this … Read more

eBike Commuting

My wife and I discussed it, while we have the funding, we’re getting an eBike. Part of the reason is that we want to minimize miles on the new Kia Soul and reduce emissions as much as possible. We’re starting off with one and possibly getting another at a later date. After some research I … Read more

Short Thunderstorms

For the last couple of days in the afternoon we’ve been getting these short intense thunderstorms rolling through my city. They hit us with sudden downpours that dump a lot of rain, with a little bit of wind on us and then the sun pops out and it’s all over. Frankly we need these and … Read more

Travel Drains Me

I had planned to take a deep dive into getting started with my art making yesterday, instead I puttered around the house, did a lot of laundry, cleaned the cars, and took a nap. I took out my bike with the intent of going for a ride but instead, took a nap. Not great for … Read more

Easy Brine for Chicken to be Grilled

I read a recipe for a chicken brine that claimed that the secret to Popeye’s delicious chicken was that they used a brine that was basically a pickle brine. I saved up some pickle brine in the fridge and have been brining chicken. I have a large pickle jar in the fridge and I simply … Read more