Weekend at the Lake

Finally. It seems like a while since we were able to get away from civilization since out last attempt ended before it got started with a wheel bearing fire. This trip went off without a hitch (no pun intended).

Ali and I took advantage of my parents good nature and dumped the kids/dog off with them for the weekend and headed south to check out for a few nights. I say this every time we get back from a weekend...it sure is nice to get away from things for a few days. This is the place that started the RV'ing spark a few years ago even though the rental we had then was less than fantastic...the experience as a whole led us to purchasing a unit of our own and has so far made some good memories (and a few bad ones). This trip was similar to the last October trip in that the cardinals were in the World Series and it was a perfect night to sit by the fire and listen to the game. This time we did have a TV and ironically the only channel we could pick up was Fox so we were able to watch and listen to the game. I'm old school and chose to remain out doors until I got tired and decided to go to bed.....only to wake up and catch the wild close to the game in the 9th.

Ali was able to read a book and we spent a ton of time outside just really doing nothing and it was fantastic and it was the perfect trip to wind down the not so busy camping season. By the time next weekend is over, we will have spent 15 nights in the Camper and while not as many as I would have liked, over two weeks total over the course of a season is pretty respectable.

No trip to Lake Ozark is complete without picking up some Blue Bell Ice cream

Also loaded up on some firewood for the next few Nice Outdoor Fires at Home

Now on to planning at least one larger trip next year....trying some place new for a longer duration is pretty exciting and a little scary at the same time. Details to follow.

Almost a Week In....

Its Friday at last! Things are slowly getting organized and finding their place at home. There are still lots of empty walls and things that are still needed. It’s funny how if you don’t have the space for things you don’t want or need them….now after putting everything we have inside its clear we need to invest in some real furniture. Still need to empty the garage and install door openers. Got all 21 of the blinds installed so it’s no longer a fishbowl and grass went in on Monday. Watering is a full time task and I have gotten it down to twice a day for a total of about 45 minutes a day. Next up is a fence and a large hit to the pocket book. Oh well it’s needed for the kids and for some privacy.

It’s a busy October and I am ready for a long weekend break at the lake. Camping trip take 2….hopefully the wheels all stay on this time.

Start of Summer....

Memorial Day! The official beginning of summer is almost here. For my family this summer will be a bit different as we are staying with my parents while we wait for our house to be built. We are slowly settling in and it’s becoming more normal. Lots of things are planned for this summer and some unplanned. First off…didn’t think we would have sold our house as fast as we did. I thought it was the unsellable object that would haunt us forever (Hence the living with the parent’s thing). June is birthday month for the boys and Sam starts school in August. We also have a short vacation planed in August for just Ali and I. Max should hit a few milestones this summer as well. Assume he might be walking and at least talking abit. He currently has his own language now but I think will really come into his own in the next few months. His 1 year birthday also means NO MORE FORUMLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to at least take the kids camping a few times this summer…we have a few trips scheduled for next weekend and for the 4^th of July. I also re booked the lake site for late in October. That should be a good trip for sure.

Doing a big cook this weekend hopefully….Have a few gadgets that will be delivered that hopefully will gain some more consistent results. I purchased a temp controller for the weber that helps maintain the fire at a consistent heat level and also helps to conserve fuel.  More detailed review will follow on this once I have time to mess with it.

 On the Menu this weekend:  

1.       Pork shoulders

 If you are going to go through the trouble of firing up a cooker you might as well cook a few butts.  Once you shred em’ and cover em’ in sauce they freeze very well for consumption within 6 months. Doing this actually is great for camping meals and quick last minute weeknight meals. 

2.       Chicken Thighs

Going to try something a little different…want to brine them overnight and see how they turn out with a little light smoking in the cooker. Update to follow.

3.       Ribs cut to St. Louis Style

With the temp controller these should turn out  a little better than usual. I don’t think I am going to do anything special….but we will see.

I will post the results next week!

 

April is Here

I have let another week slip by without posting anything on this site....I really do want to get in the habit of doing this at least once a week but it’s hard to find the time. I typically burn though a lunch hour writing these things but for some weird reason I think I enjoy it.

Few things have happened in the last week or so…Record snow fall and our first camping trip of the 2013 season. If you live in St. Louis you are aware of the 15” of snow that fell last week. Pretty cool really. I don’t think that I have ever seen this much in my lifetime in a single event and it was impressive. There was even the elusive “Thunder Snow” that makes St. Louis Meteorologists piss their pants with joy every winter season.  For some reason I thought that this would be a good time to smoke 20lbs of pork shoulder….actually it turned out good surprisingly. However, I almost had to throw it all out due the temps in the cooker dropping off severely overnight.  You can throw a lot of things weather wise at the Weber smokers….Snow, Rain , sleet, heat and subzero temps and it does a great job of maintaining temps but a constant wind really throws the whole thing off kilter. It seems to stoke the fire to the point it burns much faster and hotter than typical and that’s exactly what happened.  Few more hours un attended, it would have all gone in the trash…but it all worked out.  

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

Applewood Smoked Pork Shoulder

Frozen and Ready for the Track

Made up a season’s worth of rub as well…

 

Also this weekend was the first season opener for the camping season. All in all it went very well and everything worked just fine. It was good to spend some time with Sam. Max and Ali roughed it at home as Max is not quite to the point where it’s enjoyable for really anyone when nap time comes around. Having a full hookup campground literally one exit down the highway has its benefits for opening and closing the RV. Unfortunately, I had to go through the process of winterizing the entire thing again due to the freezing temps expected this week. That sucks.

 

I even got to play with the new LED lights

 



 

Few things on tap for sure this year are a Lake Ozark trip in May, a trip with a co-worker and his son Sam’s age, I am sure at least one Cuvier River Trip with everyone and for sure the April Race in Kansas with friends.

April is going to prove to be very busy around here…this upcoming weekend is our first trip to Houston (I was just there Wednesday for work) with everyone. As much as air travel sucks alone, it sucks even more with 2 kids, 2 car seats and luggage. If you think going to the grocery store with a 3 year old is anxiety inducing….try an 1800 mile round trip. Not looking forward to this one at all.

The rest of the month is filled out with other things as well such as the already mentioned spring Kansas race…a 5K race that Ali is in and at least another attempt at opening the camper up most likely on the 13^th. I also need to start riding my bike again…

Still no action on the house….bummer. Today we need to re-sign for our lot and cross our fingers for a sale in the next 3 months.

 

2013 Camping Season

It’s Friday. That’s great news. I am finally getting caught up after a few days of fun with the guys in Vegas and I am finding myself dozing off thinking about other things. Started thinking about camping with the kids and trying to plan out at least a few weekends on top of all the other things we have going on this year. We are in the middle of trying to sell our home (remaining positive….we will sell) and most likely building another in New Town, so that’s going to be a big decider of our 2013 schedule. My brother is getting married and even though I am not the one getting hitched it’s a pretty big deal. Ali and I are also going to take a trip to Florida sometime in August. Throw in a possible trip to Ohio and at least one Houston visit…the schedule starts stacking up. That’s one of the best things about the camper…you really don’t need to do anything but hitch up and take off. If you have a free weekend you can decide the day before or even the day of.

Since buying Clarabelle last year, we actually used it much more than I thought we would with all the things going on in 2012. Not that it’s a contest but I would assume it will get used a bit more this season. I wanted to hit at least one of the holiday’s this year. It’s surprising to see that almost all the state park sites book up quickly….Labor day at Lake of the Ozarks is already full! Being new at this I have learned that you need to be on the gun 6 months ahead of the holiday to make the reservations.

On the list this year to hit:

*Babbler State Park in Wildwood- Very close to home with all paved sites. Heard nothing but good things about this park on line. Only drawback is there is not a playground there. Its worth checking out.

*Lake of the Ozarks State Park- We stayed here in a rental in 2011 and it was our first camping trip ever. It didn’t go smoothly because mainly of the equipment and the fact you had to take everything with you because it was a rental.  It was a cool park and now that we are a bit more seasoned…it will be a good time.

*Pere Marquette Alton Ill- This is another that is on the list. It’s a bit of an unknown as the Illinois state park department website is a bit lacking but its close enough to the house it would be worth driving out and taking a look.

* Cuvier River in Troy- Spent 6 nights there last year. Site #1 is literally next to the playground and is a big hit with Sam. This is a go to for sure.

Any Others?