Greetings, All, Well, after too much time has passed, and after learning a bit more about resizing photos (though still not NEAR enough!), here are the photos of our late CASG, #6, which we held in Joshua Tree National Park, in late May of this year! Thanks, very much, for your patience, and understanding, in the time it took to make this happen! Our Motley Crew of Stovies and Stovettes, with a bit better resolution that the other version of this photo that I posted earlier. Doc and Sweet Bride's camp: Sweet Bride gets some computer work done, whilst the MSR Rapid Fire stoves work at cooking our dinner one night. Camp view: Sunrise over our camp. The Optimus 81 Trapper boils up some water for our morning tea, as SG gets ready to exit the MSR Hubba Hubba tent (which did yeoman service on this trip!) and join me. A morning visitor, who spent about 30 minutes finding and consuming any ants, bugs, or other comestibles in our camp, was this lovely Roadrunner, which our Mexican friends call a "Corré Camino", if memory serves. Besides keeping up with our business work, Sweet Bride got to enjoy some knitting in our desert camp. My stove display for the one day we'd set aside for "Stove Show and Tell". Though we did get a few visitors from other camps, we mostly just "oooh'ed and ahhhh'ed over each others neat goodies, which was a ton of fun! The Flivver camp, home of Flivver, Mrs Flivver, and their wonderful "son", Furry Flivver!! 8) The Flivvers in their neat camp. Flivver did an outstanding job in presenting his period goodies, as seen here as he talks to our "neighbors" from Minnesota about his fully restored antique radio. Sunrise over the Flivver camp, whilst Mike busily gets breakfast ready for the stove. The Mac Family Camp: Here, Mac and Mrs Mac prepare to cook up a delicious meal. Note the great redwood table that Mac made for use during this event! Outstanding job, Mac! More views of their camp, in which their daughter soon joined them. Smart as a whip, and a very nice Gal, it was nice to have her join us all for our CASG6! Well, looks like I'm out of room, so please hold your horses, Mates, and I'll post this, then move on to the next run of photos from our fun event! Thanks, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
CASG6 - Part Two. One last view of the Mac Family Camp. I loved the huge boulder behind their camp, and it offered a good bit of protection from the high winds we had on two of our nights there, and most than a little shade each day. Big Jim's Coleman Camp: Here, it's easy to see how any of Jim's camps could easily be used as an outstanding advertisement for "things Coleman"!! His camp is always really enjoyable, and Big Jim always has a fun time enjoying all his great goodies from Coleman!! Hikin' Jim's Mini-Micron Lilliputian Camp: .... "and, it all fit inside this itty-bitty sack, including Hikin' Jim", who was still fast asleep in his camp when I snapped this photo!! HJ also won two awards whilst at our CASG6 event, about which I shall tell you more a bit later!! 8) The Food: Each of us cooked for ourselves each day and night, with the exception of our wonderful Pot Luck Dinner, during which we all made delicious and tasty comestibles to share together. In the first two photos, you can see two different meals that Sweet Bride created for our dinners, one a spicy sausage meal, and the second based on her scrumptious pulled chicken recipe! MAN, is she a fine cook, and am I a very, very lucky and blessed man!! 8) HJ did minimal cooking, as you might understand, as he was only able to join us for one night and one day, and he only brought his Mini-Micron Lilliputian Camp. He cooked underneath our big fly, and did a tasty omelet for the meal he cooked up in this photo. HJ also baked a "Muffin Crumble" for our Pot Luck Dinner, and it was pretty darned good, too! Our Pot Luck Dinner was, as usual, a fantastic affair, with lots of outstanding foods for us to share! Each offering was simply delicious, and we all did our best to stuff away as much of this great food as we could manage! HUZZAH to one and all for their efforts that evening, and for their fine company, too! We shared this on the table in The Flivvers Camp, and it was a perfect fit! Can't leave out the great little spicy sausages that Big Jim cooked up, either, and thanks to Ron, who unfortunately could not attend this event, for having introduced us all to these neat goodies a few years ago! Some Fettling: I setup some fettling tools and goodies in our camp, and some we did get to enjoy a bit of that part of our wonderful hobby, too. Too busy to photograph all the fettling that was done, I did get a few photos to share. I worked a good bit on trying to resurrect a pair of Optimus stoves, a 111T and a 111C, both of which had been horribly mistreated in the past, for a fellow in Colorado. It took me so long, mainly, because they had been messed up so very badly before they came to me! It was a hard job getting both of them back to working condition, but my efforts paid off in the end. I must say, however, that these two old stoves were SO abused that I'm not sure I, personally, would trust them in the heavy hands of someone who will once again mistreat them, and I sincerely hope that the fellow who owns them now, will treat them with respect and understanding, and not attempt to push them too hard. Yes, they were THAT bad, Folks!! Here's just a few examples of what I found, in addition to bent internal parts, stripped teeth, and too many other problems to mention here (without getting mad again....!)! This fuel cap gasket looks to have been made up of several sizes of thin gaskets, then somehow fused together. In truth, I don't have any idea what they did to get them like this, but suffice it to say, it made a very poor gasket, and was but one of several reasons the 111T leaked fuel all over the place! The new and old NRV from this poor stove. I have NO idea what was used to make the old NRV, but it was melted to crappola when I finally got it apart! New and old NRV lead gasket. Note that the old one was made of some sort of "string", and it didn't work even in the least. This stove leaked raw fuel from every single place possible, hence it's burnt to a crisp appearance. Shame... shame!! Ignorance is not only bliss, but also VERY DANGEROUS! New and old pump bucket leather. I replaced the old, shrunken, and hard one, with an early Sefa leather that I had, and the fit was perfect! Pumps just fine, now! Oops, run out of room again, and still more photos to share, Gents, so please bear with me once more. Thanks, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
CASG6 - Part Three. Back to the sad story of the abused stoves. After seeing just a tiny bit of the horrible condition in which these two stoves were sent to me, and after quite a bit of time straightening parts, filing teeth, and replacing every single thing that I could, here was my reward: Not great photos, but you can see that the flame is now steady and strong, and I can also tell you that both stoves responded very nicely to some TLC and fettling, though the internals are still so worn that, short of tossing both burners and replacing the works with brand new ones, this is about as good as these poor stoves will ever get, I'm afraid. Still, with some care and respectful priming and handling, they each have years of faithful service ahead of them, I think. Glad to be done with them, however, as it's never too much fun working on a stove that was been abused and broken through ignorance or misinformation. Off me soapbox, Mates, and back to the fettling...! Mac needed to make some new legs for one of his Brassie stoves, and he did a great job of crafting them at CASG6. Here, he got started on that job. A bit of filing to make this one fit correctly. And, VOILA, a job well done, Mac!! Note our Gals enjoying the day, and each others company, in the background. We're lucky Gentlemen that our wives and family likes to join us on these events! Thanks, Ladies! We love you for it, that's for sure! Camp Life Photos: We enjoyed visiting each other in our respective camps, sometimes taking in some cold watermelon, or a refreshing beverage. Here are a few such shots, just for fun. Visiting in the Flivver Camp. Out for a group walk, one day, to stretch our legs, and see if we could find consistent cell phone signals, "just in case" we needed it in an emergency. Lovely scenery, and, though rather stark to some eyes, I find it magical and very alluringly attractive! Sweet Bride and I visited our "neighbors" from Minnesota, and enjoyed their little "hole-in-the-wall" campsite! They were lovely folks, and we enjoyed meeting them both. Here, Mrs Flivver, Charlie Flivver, and Mac are enjoying some shade in a great spot behind our campsites. The shade "wandered" each day, depending on the time, of course, but this little spot was used every single day and was delightfully comfortable. Orpans and Oddments: Would you buy a used stove from this man?? I warn you, Folks, this poor fellow is deeply and seriously infected with the Stove Pox, so be advised to act accordingly!! Hikin' Jim, bless his heart, brought attention to himself by his super high-decibel snoring, Friends!! I have heard some really loud snorers, folks, but most of them pale in comparison to Brother Hikin' Jim, when he gets going!! So, Flivver and I got together to create a special prize for HJ, which was made by Flivver, using just what materials we had at hand during this event. So without further ado, I am honored to present to you the winner of the "Golden Earmuff Award for the Highest Decibel Snoring", none other than our very own, HIKIN' JIM!!!! HJ also won the award for the smallest camp, which was the "Broken Tent Stake Award", and he shows his special earmuffs that BTSA prize in this photo!! Congratulations, Hikin' Jim, and......... thanks for being a good sport with all this kidding around!! A hearty WELL DONE, to Flivver for having created the special ear muffs for HJ's award!! 8) And, time for taking our leave, unfortunately. When Sweet Bride and I finally finished packing up our truck and pulled out of our campsite, we were surprised and tickled to see the CASG Gang lined up to wave us "farewell", calling out for our safe journey, and performing some sort of "choreography" as we passed by! They did this on the fly, so poor HJ, probably still wearing his Golden Ear Muffs, continued packing his huge camp in the background and we waved as we passed him! Thanks to one and all for once again making our CASG events such a festive, fun, and always enjoyable adventure!! We already look forward to our next chance to spend some time with you all, and hope that even a few more of our CA/AZ/OR Stovies might come and join us for future events!! Take care, Friends, and thanks for checking out our CASG6 event! God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Great photos Doc. Looks like a great gathering. I've visited Joshua Tree NP a couple of times. On one memorable visit I told my nephew not to touch the Cholla Cactus. Needless to say, he thought he knew better and picked up a Cholla section. Soon sorted him out with a Leatherman and lot of screaming .
Great photos Doc! And yes you are correct the name of the road runner in spanish is "Corre De Camino" which just is the adopted name of the bird from english and translated into spanish word for word. Hiking Jim is the mininalist isnt he! LoL. No tent even just a bivy sack. He didnt even splurge on a full length Thermarest sleeping pad. I call those sleeping pads a kids balloon cause they sound like a birthday party mylar balloon crinkling. Hiking Jim just having fun with you. HJ omelet look to be a 5 star meal indeed. Doc I have to say I really love your tent with the red poles. That is one beauty of a tent. Also the couple with the redwood campsite cooking table that was handmade was really nice. Thanks for sharing the photos wish I could have been there.
HI, Guys, Thanks, very much! We did have a fine time, as we always do, and look forward to our next CASG event! I forgot to add the last photo, however. Sorry about that. Here's the "Bob Fossy Choreograpics from the CASG Gang! Hope to see more of you at some of our future events. We try to move them around as often as we can, but mostly, we all have to drive a bit to attend, but it's well worth it on all counts! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Well-documented account of your CASG#6 gathering Doc, gives a great flavour of the event - with the accent on 'flavour' thanks to some of that extraordinarily accomplished cuisine! John
Hi Doc what a brilliant post,it captures everything the most stunning scnery from the Joshua tree NP,which looks breath taking. And what a wonderfull selection of classic stoves and some great fettling,you guys realy do go out in the wilderness compared,it is not often we see a vice in a camp. Many thanks Doc for shareing a outstanding post with us all you and SB and all the others must have realy enjoyed your selfs
Hi Doc, Thanks for posting this lively description of the event. Wish I could be there. All the best! Yonadav
Evening, Mates, Thank you, very much, and I glad that you enjoyed seeing a bit of what we did at that event. The vise was brought by me, actually, and I always bring it to our CASG events. Held fast to a strong table, by a large C-clamp, it's more than earned it's keep many times over. I am sad to say, however, that this particular vise can no longer be used in that fashion, as I broke it recently!! I've never had a single problem before, but for some reason, whilst trying to really torque something into the jaws, to straighten it, the vise actually snapped right at it's jaws!! It was an old vise, made by the Wilton Co., Chicago, IL, USA. But, whilst I had always thought it was forged steel, it now appears to have been cast, judging from the look of the insides of the part that snapped. Oh, well..... I do have a very large, forged vise, but will not take it to events, as it's just too heavy and cumbersome. But, next time I find an American-made old vise at a swap meet, for a reasonable price, I'll buy it and take that to our events. OH, and by the way, not only do I bring a vise for all to use, but we use said vise on our vices, which, of course, are all the stoves and lanterns we all enjoy so very much!! The two different words are oft confused, by myself, as well, I must admit, but in this case, both are just perfect for the their respective meanings!! Brian, I could not have said it any better than did you, my Friend! Well done!! 8) I have many more photos of our event, but thought that this selection would suffice to show everyone what we did, and how we enjoy our events when our Gang gets together. Missed some of our regular family members, of course, but we'll look forward to seeing them next time! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hey Doc fantastic photos thanks for sharing them. I was wondering if you might be able to share the recipe that S.B. prepared based on her pulled pork recipe. I know you have posted the pulled pork already but that photo you posted of it served on Naan bread looks very yummy I would love to make it. Cheers John
Evening, Lamafat, John, SB will gather the different recipes together, and I'll post them when she has time to get to this, hopefully, soon. It's actually a pulled chicken recipe, and not pulled pork, but we love both, in any case. Yes, that combo dish was very delicious, and I am fairly sure you will like it. Thanks for the kind words, and for asking about that recipe, John. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Thank you for sharing. You must have had a most wonderful time up there. The scenery is just stunning and so completely different form what Im used to. Come to think of it, so is the weather, you see, back here we have had the wettest summer ever Best regards Stoveuser Soaking wet
Hi Doc you are very welcome, and hi John thank you for your compliement. On having a closer look at the vice in the pic,to me it looks perfect, to take with you it is nice and sturdy, and yet not to big and heavey,and i noticed the anvil feature on it which is a handy tool for fettling. On another note i forgot to mention, all the food cooked by every one at the event looks delicious
Howdy, Brother Brian, Thanks, very much! Yes, I was bummed when that old vise snapped in half at the jaws. Oh, well... I'll find another one at a swap meet, or flea market, and that will be that. And, you are absolutely right about the anvil part being of good use. I've made good use of all parts of that old vise for many years, so I'll miss it until I get another one, maybe just a tad beefier, and most definitely forged and not cast, this time. All foods seen in the CASG6 photos was cooked on camp stoves right at the event, with the exception of Sweet Bride's pulled chicken, which needs 24 hours in the refrigerator as part of the spice preparation. Other than that, the sliced meats and everything else was cooked right there at CASG6. Actually, I guess if you spiced the chicken at home, you could easily prepare it at an event. Might have to try that for future events. If I could snap my fingers and make it happen without cost to you all, it would be wonderful to see our friends from the UK, and all other Stovies, appear at the same event someday! The CCS World Wide Stove Gathering, with attendance in the hundreds, if not more!!! YES!! 8) Yeah, it know.... it will never happen. But, wouldn't it be great if it did??!! We could have sections for the Brits, Yanks, Norwegians, Swedes, Australians, Kiwis, Japanese, Taiwanese, Israelis, and on and on, with special happenings in each section as the week (surely we could fill a week with great stuff!) passed by!! It would be outstanding to visit each different section to meet our fellow Stovies from all over the world, and see what they had brought to show and share!!! Ahhhhhh... dreaming is great!!! 8) 8) Thanks, again, Brian, and as always, God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
