Fantastic Mr. Fox...Cider, Banjos and, Biology

     The other night I watched one of my favorite movies, Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, and I was reminded how the movie almost seems to be made specifically for me.   From the ridiculous, fictionalized cider still that Farmer Bean uses to produce his hard cider that tastes like "melted gold," to the improvisational banjo skills of Petey at his fireside jam, this movie has something for everybody interested in Hard Cider (not quite beer but, close enough), Banjos, or Biology.  There is even a scene that pokes fun at Carl Linneaus' system of binomial nomenclature!  Lastly, Mr. Fox's encounter with the wolf, Canis lupus, is a perfect (though somewhat comedic) example of how mysterious and majestic nature can be.  It is a great family movie, that can be enjoyed by all ages.  I highly recommend it to anybody who likes wild animals and banjos (the banjo plays a prominent role in the musical score along with many other rustic instruments).

Mr. Fox: Alright, let's start planning. Who knows shorthand?
[Linda the otter raises her hand]

Mr. Fox: Great! Linda! Lutra lutra - you got some dry paper?
[Linda provides paper] 

Mr. Fox:  Here we go. Mole! Talpa europea! What do you got?
Mole: I can see in the dark. 

Mr. Fox: That's incredible! We can use that!... Rabbit! Oryctolagus cuniculus! 

Rabbit: I'm fast. 

Mr. Fox: You bet you are... Beaver! Castor fiber!
Beaver: I can chew through wood.

Mr Fox: Amazing!...Badger! Meles meles! 

Badger: Demolitions expert. 

Mr. Fox: What? Since when?

      The classic wolf encounter.  I can only hope that when I encounter my first wolf there will be celestial music in the background.

  

Smoking Fish...the Old Way

It all starts with a good hardwood fire!  Once this burns down to coals, the smoking process can begin! (photo by Matt Matechik, used with permission.)

      With all the flounder I gigged this fall, I have had plenty of fish to experiment with.  Today, I smoked some flounder.  In this post, I'll explain how to smoke fish, not in a commercially constructed monstrosity, but in a built up earthen pit.  This is an old way of preparing fish that I find really enjoyable.  When done, the fish are flavored with the perfect balance of salty, sweet, spicy and smoky flavors and, the texture is amazing.  It is pretty simple, even if you don't have any experience smoking or grilling foods.  Typically I smoke mullet, which taste great but, this time I smoked some flounder.  Why?  Because I had flounder and I didn't have mullet.  It still turned out great however, I did find that the extra oily flesh of the mullet reacts better with the smoke and salt than the flounder does. 

Merry Christmas!

      I hope everyone has a great Christmas!   I won't be posting for the next few days because I want to spend some time with my family and I hope everyone else has a chance to do the same.  For the holiday, I recorded this tranquil Christmas song.  This arrangement is also from Mike Iverson's book, A Clawhammer Christmas.  I made a few mistakes but, I think my playing is improving.  I hope everyone enjoys it!

Photos from Middle Earth

 "Not all those who wander are lost" -J.R.R. Tolkein

Looking out at this bend in the Green River, it is very easy to imagine Frodo and the Fellowship paddling down the Anduin.

       For those of you who don't already know, the trailer for The Hobbit, was released.  It looks pretty cool.  So what does this mean in relation to all the outdoor topics I typically post about?  Well, first, The Hobbit, is epic and anything epic deserves some attention on this blog.  More importantly, this blog is partially about outdoor adventures, and I'm sure many outdoorsman, like me, have come across some amazing scenery in nature and thought, "I feel like I'm in Middle Earth."  So, in honor of the The Hobbit, and all great adventures, I have posted some pictures of places, and things, that made me feel like I was in Middle Earth.  Enjoy!

 

Dinosaurs in Terra Nova

      I don't watch much TV but, every so often I'll relax with a little mindless television.  This fall, instead of gravitating towards a comedy show like I normally do, I started watching the cheesy sci-fi, Terra Nova.  I'm not going to lie, I enjoy these shows more than I should but, I'm always amused with the lack of science in "science fiction."  Steven Spielberg actually does a good job animating how the dinosaurs probably moved, but they way they behave is probably not very accurate.  I know it is just a TV show, so I shouldn't care but, the dinosaurs in the show just don't seem to behave like very good predators.  I'm no paleontologist but, I just don't think that risking ones life while chasing a convoy of armored, gun-laden trucks, just to attain a meager amount of calories from a bony Homo sapiens sapiens makes any sense from an energetics perspective.  Of course, then I remember that the whole show is based on the idea of traveling through a wormhole to a prehistoric planet earth (in a separate timeline!), to start  a new future.  Not to mention, the people don't even act logically, they make stupid decisions to move the plot along.  So, why do I watch the show?  Well, all these discrepancies make for some inaccurate but, entertaining scenarios.  I just have to suspend my cynicism for a short time.  Plus, dinosaurs are always exciting!

1,000!

      Thanks to all my readers!  Sometime earlier this week, I reached my one thousandth pageview (by the way, 1,000 is the smallest positive integer with an "A" in its spelling).  I'm glad to see my writing is useful to other people.  I plan on writing a lot more.  To make it easier for you to find what you are looking for I have added some new pages to my blog.  The "Hiking and Paddling Trips" tab will take you to a page that will have links to all my trip reports.   "Other Pages of Interest" will take you to links that you may find useful if you are interested in Beer, Banjos, Boats or, Biology.  In the future, I plan on adding a recipe (beer and food) page too.  If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, I'd love to hear from you.  You can comment below or email me at imakemybeer@gmail.com.  Also, thanks to all of you who shared this with a friend or posted a link somewhere.

Skin-on-Frame Kayaks

Here is the skin-on-frame kayak I built from scratch.  Once you build one, you will be hooked.  I'm planning on making a few more this spring.

      My friend has recently moved into a warehouse (it's cozier than you would think), so he has plenty of workspace.  Better yet, he wants me to teach him how to build kayaks!  We are thinking of making some traditional skin-on-frame kayak.  In this ancient style of construction, a waterproof skin is stretched across a wooden frame and sewn together to create a kayak (or other type of boat).  Whale or other hides were traditionally used for the skin and, the frame was typically made with bone, or driftwood.  More modern interpretations of skin-on-fame kayaks use a range of materials for the "skin" including latex painted canvas, polyurethane coated nylon, or PVC sheets.  It may not be true to tradition but, today, most people don't have access to narwhal skin.  The frames are still usually made of wood, but there are two common styles of frames.  Traditionally, wooden gunwales (the part of the boat where the hull and deck meet) were carved and spread apart with wooden crosspieces.  Wood strips were then steam bent into curved shapes, called ribs, and inserted into the bottom of the gunwales (via mortise and tenon joints) to create the hull shape.  Longitudinal stringers were then lashed to the ribs to complete the hull.  This picture should make it a little more clear.  A less traditional way of constructing the frame is the fuselage style.  In this style, gunwales and longitudinal stringers are attached to plywood cross sections to provide the shape of the hull.  As its name suggests, it is similar to the fuselage construction of airplanes.

Here is my fuselage style kayak frame.  Note the plywood cross sections as opposed to steam-bent ribs.

(Sea)Trout in the Rivers

I haven't found the big trout yet but, they should show up soon.  This white trout is a little small but, if you can find decent white trout, they are just as good as speckled trout.

      This time of year, fishing can get a little tricky, especially for fishermen without a boat.  For most of the winter, I just occupy myself with other tasks (usually a building project or brewing).  However, when a day like today comes by, I just have to hit the water.  The air was calm, it was sunny, and probably in the 70's.  With the cooler temperatures, speckled and white (a.k.a. sand) trout move into the lower portions of rivers making them accessible to anybody fishing from a bridge, or drifting in a boat.  I like to keep things simple, so I just get some shrimp and drift down the local river in my canoe.  I don 't have to buy gas, it's stable, and I get a little exercise on the way back.  If you don't like to paddle much, don't worry, you can probably find a bridge to fish off of.  If you are in brackish water, you can find trout.  Just keep in mind, even with the warm air temperatures, the water is still pretty cool.  This means the fish are a little sluggish.  You will want to fish really slow.  I just drift one shrimp on the bottom and one on a popping cork.  If you start hooking fish, you may want to anchor up but, I usually just make multiple passes through an area if it is productive.  That way, I don't have to deal with an anchor.  You may find that there are a lot of white trout mixed in with the specks.  Some people prefer the specks, but I'll take either.  They taste the same to me but, white trout tend to be a little smaller.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Oh Tidings of comfort and joy!

      This post is pretty self-explanatory.  It is me attempting to play "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in a melodic clawhammer style.  Normally, I learn the chords of a song, and then slowly learn the melody by ear.  However, I refuse to play Christmas music until December, so I don't actually have much time to learn songs before Christmas.  I broke down and bought A Clawhammer Christmas, by Mike Iverson.  It is a great book.  I found it especially challenging to get a serene and quaint feeling out of the banjo for the slower Christmas tunes, but this book really helped.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.  (Sorry for the poor audio quality.  I don't know what causes the "cracking noise" but, I tried to reduce it by muting my banjo and covering my microphone.  I'll try to get a better mic.)
      As a side note, I had to post the following video.  Normally, I am not a fan of rock or pop group Christmas carol covers but, I love the sound of this version by the Barenaked Ladies.  Parts of it almost sounds haunting but it maintains that upbeat swing through the entire song.  Plus, the harmony is awesome, and I love harmonies.  Of course, it puts me to shame, but I can handle being outperformed by professional musicians.

Suwannee River Trail for Christmas?

My canoe along the scenic Suwannee.   I'm contemplating a return trip over Christmas.  (Photo by Jonathan Bollhoefer.  Used with permission)

      With Christmas approaching fast, it is time for me to start thinking about my annual Christmas camping trip.  Normally, I lead friends and family down either Blackwater River, or Coldwater Creek.  This year, I am thinking of going a little farther away.  It's not that these two rivers aren't beautiful, it's just that I have done them so many times.  I have racked up a couple hundred river miles on them.  I'm thinking the Suwannee River Trail might be a good choice.  For any interested paddler out there, the Suwannee offers over 170 miles of paddling, on a historic river, through some spectacular ecosystems of north Florida.  I paddled 100 miles of the river this past March with my friend, and trusted bow paddler, Jonathan Bollhoefer.  We passed through hardwood/palmetto forests, pine forests, and beautiful springs.  It was an amazing trip, which is part of the reason I want to return with even more family and friends.  However, not that many people know about the river trail, so I figured I'd post some information.  The state keeps track of how many people use the trail, so if more people go, it is more likely to remain funded.