A Tiny Cowgirl in Camp!

You never can tell exactly what might be going on in camp from one day to the next. This little cowgirl was part of some fabulous entertainment around the campfire. She's part of the Lindsey Family (I think the littlest part) Nothing little about the talent THAT'S for sure!

The Lindsey Family graces us with their family talent and their family friendliness each year and we are honored to enjoy their company!

 

When You are ready to head into camp.......

 

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Night Noise

I hesitated even writing this post simply because I don't want to give the wrong impression of camp life. In our case, we get to experience some wonderful night time sounds without the obnoxious "wake you in the middle of the night" intensity. Of course there are the usual crickets, the occasional whippoorwill and the rustling of leaves caused by who knows what.  All of that normal camp life fare is to be expected and very normal. However there are a few of the "Night Noises" that will bring a quiet smile to my face in the darkness of the camper when I hear them out the window net to the bed.

The first is the interesting assortment of owls that inhabit the woods around camp. While I've tried. I've not been able to record any of them successfully. The only thing I've been successful with while trying to capture owl noise, is to work myself up to being completely awake. I've had to resort to youtube videos to give you the sense of what the different owls are like. The Barred Owl is the most common around here. Occasionally I'll here a Great Horned Owl in the distance. Their call is usually a lot softer than it is in the video.

The second night noise that brings on a smile is that of the local coyotes. They never venture too close to camp and I assume when I hear them they are probably a half mile away. Never too close to wake me up, but wen I'm at that half asleep, half awake stage, it's a sound that will put me the rest of the way asleep.

Finally, and this one is going to sound totally weird, is the train that passes a couple miles from camp. I've figured out that it does not run every night, and almost never during the day. It starts with a very faint almost inaudible hum of diesel engines. It's so faint tat it can barely be distinguished from the other night noises. It's a little more noticeable when the train is travelling up the valley and less when rolling down the valley. Soon, it will let out the brief warning at the single crossing close enough to be heard from the camper. I have yet to get through that moment without breaking out into an unseen grin in the darkness.

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"Don't Judge Me" Camp Stew and Biscuits

If you are a camp (or more specifically) a Dutch Oven "purist", you may not be able to cook this recipe! At least not in good conscience! BUT.......If you can get past all of that and want some FABULOUS camp cooking, you have to try stew and biscuits - The EASY way!

We learned this years ago. Like maybe 35 years ago, camping with all of our friends and all of our kids and all of their kids!. "Really Easy" for us was not even easy enough. The one semi complicated thing about this recipe is the use of a Dutch Oven and an actual campfire with coals which requires some skill but not much.

Dutch Oven cookery requires campfire coals (or charcoal in a pinch). The idea is that whatever is in the Dutch Oven gets cooked from beneath and from above by placing the oven over coals on it's iron feet and then placing coals in the lipped lid for the baking part. The skill that comes into play is that until you become proficient at this method, getting the top and bottom heat just right takes some practice.



For this recipe, you will want cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew (remember, we're not judging here!) and some cans of "pop" or "Wompum" biscuits (remember, we're not judging here!) get as much as your crowd or your oven will hold!

Are you ready?

Empty the cans of stew into the Dutch Oven to about half way full
Cook over the fire until the stew is bubbling
Place biscuits one layer deep over the entire pot of stew
Place Dutch Oven over some hot coals but away from the main fire
Place hot coals on the lid of the Dutch Oven
Carefully lift the lid occasionally to check on the progress of the biscuits

When they are done....Serve 'em up!

You won't judge me after you've eaten a plate full!

You will seldom enjoy such a delicious and hearty camp meal!

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See You at the Campfire!

Working in the BIG Office!

When I use the term; "The BIG Office", obviously, it's painting with broad strokes regarding the fact that the word office relates to something close to work. The "Big" part relates perfectly though as here I am, sitting in the biggest office you could possibly find!

Camper Life (by necessity) changes your perspective on all kinds of things. Work being one of them. Since a good portion of my "Work" (I use that term very loosely as well) consists of tapping away on a computer, work can occur in very interesting environments......or.......offices! My designated offices have included a lawn chair under the camper awning, a lounge chair and table by the pool (see below), a spot next to the campfire.... You get the idea.

The RV or Camper Lifestyle was one we stumbled into unintentionally about 5 years ago. Now that we've acclimated to it, I'll have a really hard time going back to a permanent foundation!

We are surrounded by a number of "full time" or "lifetime campers". The one thing they all seem to have in common is the ability to scale life back in the "stuff" category and scale up the enjoyment of simple things in life.

My office selection of the day is just one of those little perks of the RV life. The best part is that it's not necessary to waste my camping time taking care of work related things. I'm dragging all my work related things right into the camp setting. And to be honest.....it's the most relaxed and casual work environment I've ever experienced!

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See you at the............ Office! (at least today!)

Cabin Memories

I was pleased to see and hear about a family who had chosen to stay at The Cabins this week. By their second day, they were busy texting their fishing pictures to Craig and he was busy sending them to me.

These are the stories I love the most. There's a lot of reasons to be in the cabin business but you are looking at the #1 reason right here! Something in me can't resist creating an atmosphere for families and kids to have the time of their life. I would wager that these will be lifetime memories for one and all!

Our new friends got to experience both Cross Timbers Cabins and Rainbow Haven Resort while visiting our sleepy little town (But our very active Lake from the looks of it)

When You get ready for your own Cabin and Lake "Escape" give us  call.

We can "Hook You Up"
at 417-561-4179

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See You at the Dock......or the deck...or Lake....or firepit!

You get here and we'll find you where ever you decide to create your best memories!

Orange Peel Campfire Cinnamon Rolls

Amazing and Simple is the best way to describe campfire orange peel cinnamon rolls. (the name is more complicated than the process) If there is such a thing as being as complicated as rocket science, this would be the exact opposite of that. In fact the actual campfire may be the most complicated ingredient.

All you need is a pop open tube of ready made cinnamon rolls, an equal number of oranges, some foil and of course a campfire.

Cut the oranges in half and remove the orange fruit from the peel. (it's perfectly okay to leave some of the pulp inside the peel)

Place a cinnamon roll inside an orange peel half and place the other half back on top.

Wrap the whole thing in foil and place them in the coals of your campfire.

Depending on how hot the fire is, you will have to check them occasionally until the rolls have baked inside the peels.

When they are baked, remove the top peel and squeeze some icing onto the roll and enjoy them. The orange will add a nice flavor to the roll making this treat a special campfire experience.


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The Camp "Family Room"

RV life has some really distinct advantages. Besides the obvious "sitting outside with a view of the woods while working on business from the computer", there is the more important element of family that develops with the other camp residents. In our camp, we have anywhere from six to twelve work campers at any time of the year. Plus, there are other seasonal campers that come and stay for a month or two or maybe all year. This group becomes our camp family and cannot stand it if there isn't something going on where they can all get together. Thankfully, (in my opinion) that often includes food! Anything from the campfire fish fry, to the campfire hot dog roast, to the campfire biscuits and gravy or the campfire Dutch Oven blueberry cobbler......... Are you noticing a trend here yet?

The campfire pit is the natural gathering place for our camp family. While food is a staple attracting force. Music does the trick too. In fact, there isn't much that happens around camp that doesn't work out best up around the campfire. Whether it's Pat, whittling on his walking sticks, Don playing his mandolin, or me just sitting there starring at the fire and drinking coffee, the campfire is our family room!

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See You Around the Campfire!